"Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart." ― Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore
I know that you are all expecting me to complain about the dim prospects for comprehensive tax reform coming from the election.
Instead, I want to express my appreciation for democracy in Australia. I’ve just returned from 5 weeks in the US where participation in democracy is under attack. I have come home to Australia where participation is easy! We have pre-voting. We can literally vote at ANY POLLING STATION in the whole country. No one hassles us about our identification card when we go to vote. The opposing parties are all lined up in front of the polling place and handing out how to vote cards and everyone is smiling and exchanging pleasantries. No fistfights or shouting.
Whether it’s about tax reform or any other issue, let’s make sure that we can keep having civil conversations with one another even when we disagree.
There are a variety of media articles and podcasts available on our website.
Professor Robert Breunig (Tax & Transfer Policy Institute Edition 5, May 2025)
Study explores the impact of growing up without siblings on the brain and behavior of adults Medical Xpress
Could the Pope’s Death Mean the Demise of Liberal Catholicism? European Conservative
Chris Ryan Bentleys
NSW adds former ATO director to tax leadership team | Accountants Daily
SUBARU IS BRINGING BACK PHYSICAL KNOBS AND BUTTONS IN ITS CARS Futurism
Why I Keep Masking Defector
A fascinating thread about ‘methylation’ and what happens when it gets dysregulated by a viral infection. As Tern says, there are quite a few viruses that do this… “but Covid is probably the only one that people are catching as if it's candy thrown out by a benevolent uncle”.
Website For MAGA-Friendly Businesses Backfires As People Use It For Boycotts
The bank’s leaders were big supporters of Donald Trump, and PublicSquare was an ideal place to advertise it: Its website, which bills itself as “the anti-woke online marketplace,” is a hub of tens of thousands of businesses nationwide that want people to know they align with MAGA views and oppose so-called “progressive priorities” like women’s reproductive rights and diversity initiatives.
In order to list your business on the website, you first have to confirm that you will “respect the core values of PublicSquare” and agree not to “support causes that are in direct conflict with our core values.” “For far too long, American consumers and business owners who cherish family values and God-given liberty have been overlooked by mainstream businesses,” the company’s website states.
“It’s time to embrace this community of customers and merchants by providing platforms, products, and services that enrich the way of life they hold dear.” The company also acknowledges its purpose of letting people use their dollars as political and cultural leverage. “PublicSquare is on a mission to restore the culture through the power of commerce,” its website says under a section called “Purpose with every purchase.” “This isn’t about boycotts, it’s about helping you switch to something better.”
- As a consumer, PublicSquare’s website is easy to use. You just enter your ZIP code and it pulls up businesses near you that want to be publicly associated with Trump and his values. The company, which launched in 2022, has direct connections to Trump, too: Its board of directors includes Donald Trump Jr., who also is an investor…”
