The revelations that parents of applicants to tony universities bribed university officials to engineer their children’s admission have provoked the usual complaints of class privilege corrupting higher education’s meritocratic system and lofty mission. But those horses left the university barn decades ago. The real issue deserving of exposure and condemnation is the role of the federal government in demanding and encouraging this corruption.

When people are more able to shape their own futures, they are less likely to be convinced that others are to blame for their plight. To the extent that it weakens support for virulent nationalism, devolution of global governance to national and local communities may make the world a little more prosperous – and a lot safer.

For nearly two years, President Trump’s critics placed immense weight on Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation of allegations that Candidate Trump colluded with Russia before the 2016 election, and that President Trump obstructed justice after his 2017 inauguration. So, in the immediate aftermath of Mueller’s investigation and Attorney General Barr’s brief summary to Congress, it is more than a little ironic to find President Trump’s critics now downplaying Mueller’s conclusions that there is no evidence that Trump colluded, and insufficient evidence that Trump obstructed justice.