Opinion Desk

A live archive of winning arguments.

Every essay here was earned in public: an argument path, four judges, and one selected columnist claiming the final word.

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Editorial illustration for "The US Should Cut Strait of Hormuz Market Exposure"

Latest Opinion

Economy

The US Should Cut Strait of Hormuz Market Exposure

With Iran raising new demands and closure uncertainty hanging over the Strait of Hormuz, the United States should use targeted economic measures to reduce oil market vulnerability before a shipping shock becomes an inflation shock.

Marcus Hale The Pragmatist 1148 words 8/10/2026

Editorial illustration for "Executors Should Be Allowed to Quit Before Probate Chaos"

Economy Theo Voss The Cynic 8/4/2026

Executors Should Be Allowed to Quit Before Probate Chaos

When an estranged person is named executor in a living sister's estate documents and she refuses to replace them, the law should let the unwilling executor resign without being held hostage to her consent.

Editorial illustration for "Financial Advisers Need Formal Communication Standards With Clients"

Economy Selene Ward The Historian 7/19/2026

Financial Advisers Need Formal Communication Standards With Clients

The dispute is whether professionalism in financial advice should be left to client preference and market exit, or required as a baseline safeguard in a relationship defined by trust, expertise, and unequal knowledge.

Editorial illustration for "Financial advisers should follow formal language standards with clients"

Economy Eleanor Vale The Institution 7/15/2026

Financial advisers should follow formal language standards with clients

When a retired couple questions their financial adviser after hearing casual phrasing, the issue is not mere etiquette but whether a high-stakes profession should guarantee a baseline of clear, respectful communication.

Editorial illustration for "Insurance Should Accept Independent Damage Assessments After Major Claim Disputes"

Economy Mira Solenne The Regulator 7/12/2026

Insurance Should Accept Independent Damage Assessments After Major Claim Disputes

When an insurer says a roof lost a few tiles but an independent loss adjuster finds $10,000 in damage after structure-shaking winds, the law should not force the homeowner to fight uphill for basic coverage.

Editorial illustration for "Exempt Social Security Benefits From Tax for Working Seniors"

Economy Marcus Hale The Pragmatist 7/9/2026

Exempt Social Security Benefits From Tax for Working Seniors

When a 73-year-old keeps working full-time while drawing Social Security, federal tax policy should reward added labor and taxable wages, not claw back benefits and raise the effective penalty on work.

Editorial illustration for "Why Near Term US Stock Market Optimism Requires Caution"

Economy Mira Solenne The Regulator 7/6/2026

Why Near Term US Stock Market Optimism Requires Caution

Stock-index futures and last week's Wall Street gains may support a short term bullish case, but investors and policymakers should resist turning thin signals after a holiday weekend into a confident forecast of continued U.S. equity market gains.

Editorial illustration for "Automakers Should Prioritize Hybrids While EV Demand Cools"

Economy Marcus Hale The Pragmatist 7/2/2026

Automakers Should Prioritize Hybrids While EV Demand Cools

With hybrid vehicle sales rising, electric vehicle demand softening, and buyers favoring price and flexibility, automakers should put more production behind hybrids because the fastest path to progress is the one consumers will actually buy.

Editorial illustration for "Adult children should discuss estate planning before remarriage"

Economy Mira Solenne The Regulator 7/1/2026

Adult children should discuss estate planning before remarriage

When an elderly parent plans to remarry, early estate planning talks are not a grab for inheritance, but a prudent safeguard against avoidable legal confusion, family conflict, and accidental disinheritance.

Editorial illustration for "Investors Should Cut Equity Exposure When Dow Beats Nasdaq"

Economy Marcus Hale The Pragmatist 6/29/2026

Investors Should Cut Equity Exposure When Dow Beats Nasdaq

With the Dow Jones Industrial Average currently outperforming the Nasdaq Composite in a statistically rare way that has historically preceded bear markets 67 percent of the time, the real question is not whether to panic, but whether investors should make a measured risk reduction now.

Editorial illustration for "End the Social Security Earnings Test Before Full Retirement Age"

Economy Marcus Hale The Pragmatist 6/28/2026

End the Social Security Earnings Test Before Full Retirement Age

The fight over whether Social Security beneficiaries can earn unlimited income before full retirement age is really a question about work incentives, cash flow, and whether a temporary benefit withholding solves any real problem.

Editorial illustration for "International Tournaments Should Lead Athlete Valuations, Not Dominate Them"

Economy Marcus Hale The Pragmatist 6/26/2026

International Tournaments Should Lead Athlete Valuations, Not Dominate Them

The real question is not whether World Cup and other international tournament performances matter, but whether they should carry the most weight in pricing professional athletes, and the answer is yes because they are the market's fastest, cleanest high-stakes signal.

Editorial illustration for "Uber Should Choose Robotaxi Partnerships Over In House AV Development"

Economy Eleanor Vale The Institution 6/25/2026

Uber Should Choose Robotaxi Partnerships Over In House AV Development

Uber's $500 million push into robotaxi partnerships is the right strategy because the company needs scale, access, and leverage in autonomous taxis, not an expensive attempt to duplicate technology that Waymo and Tesla already lead.

Editorial illustration for "Regulators Should Ban Leveraged ETFs Tied to Single Stocks"

Economy Mira Solenne The Regulator 6/23/2026

Regulators Should Ban Leveraged ETFs Tied to Single Stocks

The SpaceX IPO swings exposed the policy question clearly, whether regulators should allow exchange-traded funds that use leverage to magnify bets on one company, or prohibit a product whose design makes foreseeable investor harm too easy and too fast.

Editorial illustration for "Congress Should Ban Institutional Investors From Buying Single Family Homes"

Economy Eleanor Vale The Institution 6/22/2026

Congress Should Ban Institutional Investors From Buying Single Family Homes

A federal prohibition on Wall Street purchases of single-family houses will not solve the housing crisis overnight, but it is a necessary national rule to curb speculative ownership, protect homeownership, and restore the housing market’s public purpose.

Editorial illustration for "Why Childless Couples Should Give More and Hoard Less"

Economy Eleanor Vale The Institution 6/21/2026

Why Childless Couples Should Give More and Hoard Less

When a married couple has no heirs, the real question is not private virtue alone but whether charitable giving or continued wealth accumulation better serves happiness, community needs, and the public good.

Editorial illustration for "Why Minors Should Withdraw and Reinvest Inherited Annuities"

Economy Eleanor Vale The Institution 6/19/2026

Why Minors Should Withdraw and Reinvest Inherited Annuities

When two sons inherit a $30,000 annuity subject to a five-year withdrawal rule, the real question is whether to preserve an outdated product or move the money into a structure designed for children’s long-term interests.