Independence mailbag

Western water, my fake college class, and revisiting Al Gore

I think the optimal timing for July 4 is always a Tuesday. You obviously can’t just observe Independence Day as “the first Tuesday in July,” though, so instead we need to rely on dumb luck. But good for us, it’s a Tuesday July 4 kind of year!

This account of Justin Trudeau’s aggressive immigration expansion is pretty inspiring, as was this upbeat account of Venezuelans thriving on Martha’s Vineyard. The discovery of what seems like a 2,000-year-old depiction of pizza is mostly funny but I am always on board for all pizza-related news. More substantively, the United States is a really popular global hegemon, which is important to understanding our power and strength. Simone Biles is coming back. Buffets are coming back. Norovirus on cruise ships is coming back. Okay, the last one is maybe not so good, but it’s a sign of broad economic normalization, which is good. California strip malls are getting upzoned to allow for housing.

Now let’s answer some questions.

Lost Future: Didn't the op…