OLD TEXAS DUDE // INDEPENDENT DISPATCH
The ledger doesn't lie.
Plain-spoken coverage of money, power, and the people who take your tax dollars. No agenda but the truth.
RECENT DISPATCHES
DispatchA Power Company Sued Two Newspapers to Hide What It's Charging You for Google's AI Boom
Entergy sued two Arkansas newspapers to block a story on its secret Google data center deal. A judge said no. Here's the paper trail, in full.
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DispatchWe've Run This Experiment Before: Why Washington Should Leave the Tax Code Out of the Nursery
A new $9,000-per-child plan pays married couples to keep one parent home. Washington tried this exact incentive structure before. It failed for 60 years.
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DispatchThe Toll Booth Nobody Voted For: How Washington Handed One Company a Permanent License to Tax the Internet
Verisign charges $10.26 for a .com registration that costs $3 to provide. NTIA signed away its own power to stop it in 2018. A new suit says ICANN profits too.
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Dispatch"I'm the Best Fixer in Washington." Then He Went and Ran the DOJ's Antitrust Division From the Outside.
A WSJ investigation and three ousted DOJ officials later, a Trump-allied lobbyist and his network have shaped four major mergers. The paper trail, deal by deal.
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DispatchThe Doctors Aren't Lobbying for the Thing That Would Actually Help You
The AMA spent $25M lobbying in 2024 — on scope of practice and prior authorization, not the chemicals and food quality driving the diseases it treats.
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GearNinja 12-Cup Fresh Brew Coffee Maker (CE251) — Cheap Plastic, Great Coffee
Replaced a dead Cuisinart with the Ninja CE251 out of pure caffeine desperation. The plastic feels cheap. The coffee doesn't. Early field notes.
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lifestyleSkip the Markup: Make Your Own Condiments and Fast-Food Favorites for Less
Homemade mayo, ketchup, and copycat fast food cost a fraction of the store version. Real cost comparisons, plus where to find the recipes.
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