Culture critic: Progressive Era Is Over

Eric Kaufmann argues in The Wall Street Journal that the downturn of “woke” culture is more than just a passing trend; it signifies the conclusion of a 60-year trend of left-liberal dominance in American society. According to him, we are moving into a post-progressive era as the cultural left’s push for advanced DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) policies has triggered a lasting anti-woke backlash. Moreover, attitudes towards immigration have shifted towards restriction after years of liberalization. Faced with widespread rejection, progressive activists are losing motivation and conviction. Compounding this issue is the fact that problems with cultural implications remain unsolved by progressive strategies. This has significantly diminished the influence of cultural progressivism, signaling the end of an era of progressive confidence. What will emerge as our new cultural guiding principle, however, is something that will be revealed over time.

Eye on Albany: Our Leaky Mega-Budget

Bill Hammond from the Empire Center comments on New York’s budget developing a serious issue just five days after its completion. He mentions a federal move to close a loophole in the Medicaid financing system that New York had been using. The planned increase in Medicaid spending, along with $2 billion in rate hikes for providers, was based on the income from a newly introduced MCO tax. This approach enabled the state to retain federal matching funds as net revenue. The updated regulation will allow the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to start withholding federal matching funds related to those taxes once the rule comes into effect, potentially this summer. With the loss of revenue from the MCO tax, New York could face a Medicaid fiscal crisis in just two or three months.

Liberal: The Dems’ Political Monopoly

John Halpin of The Liberal Patriot points out that the Democratic control of major cities represents the most significant monopoly of all. Although “anti-monopoly and abundance policy concepts” are popular regarding housing, energy infrastructure, and transportation, they aren’t applied to this political monopoly. In America’s largest cities, this results in lackluster municipal governments that operate without substantial challenges during elections. Consequently, public schools go unfixed, new housing and development projects stall, and transport and utility projects encounter delays and excessive costs. Crime rates remain unaddressed, and public spaces and parks deteriorate. In essence, concentrated, one-party political power is one of many kinds of governance failures leading to ineffective policy outcomes.

Conservative: A Sick ICC Coverup

Freshly exposed allegations might explain why International Criminal Court top prosecutor Karim Khan issued “an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant,” observes Commentary’s Seth Mandel. “A female employee of Khan’s testified that she had been repeatedly sexually assaulted” by him and was bullied into covering it up. After learning of the allegations, Khan canceled trips to Israel and Gaza; “two weeks later he issued the arrest warrants.” The accuser wrestled with coming forward because she didn’t want to derail the warrants; Khan believed they “would insulate him from criticism from many of the ICC member states.” According to testimony, he “explicitly tied the rape allegations to the Israeli warrants.” “There is obviously no defense of the arrest warrants’ legitimacy now.”

Libertarian: Power AI With Nukes!

Nuclear power would “allow the U.S. to make advancements in AI with minimal greenhouse gas emissions,” reports Reason’s Jeff Luse. That’s badly needed: “Goldman Sachs projects that AI will increase data center power demand by 160 percent nationwide through 2030.” Texas, “the fastest-growing consumer of electricity in the nation,” will need to add “the energy equivalent of 30 nuclear power plants by 2030 to meet demand.” The good news? “Last Energy is preparing to deliver . . . 30 of its 20-megawatt reactors in Haskell County, Texas, to service data centers across the state.” Up to now, the company “has focused on growing its business abroad because of stringent federal regulations.” New nuclear energy projects “will only be as cost-effective and efficient as regulations allow.”

— Compiled by The Post Editorial Board