Bills & Beans — straight talk on coffee, money, and liberty
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Free Speech and Private Platforms: The First Amendment Restrains Government
“Otherwise objectionable” is Section 230’s catch-all for a site’s good-faith removals, and on social media the First Amendment binds only government.
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Coffee
What you’ll decide
What to change when the cup is wrong, where a coffee budget should go first, and what a cup really costs.
Money
What you’ll decide
Which account to fund, which debt to kill first, and what your tax bill really is.
Liberty
What you’ll decide
What a term means, how the law classifies the thing it names, and what a right protects you from.
Every figure above is quoted, dated and sourced on The Money Numbers That Change Every January. The target range is set at each FOMC meeting; the next is 27–28 October 2026.
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Cost Per Cup: Home Brewing vs. Café, With the Gear Counted
Cost per cup coffee arithmetic: beans at $9.317 a pound make a 39.5-cent home cup against a $3.77…
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The Grinder Comes First: How to Spend a Coffee Budget in the Right Order
Rank a coffee budget by what each purchase physically governs, from a 425-850 micron grind spec down to…
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Burr vs. Blade Grinders: What ‘Uniform’ Means in the Cup
Modelled in a stirred brew, a coarse grind diffuses 6.4 times slower than a fine one, so burr…
MoneyAll money →
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Emergency Fund: How Many Months, and Where the Money Should Sit
If one paycheck carries a household, how many months an emergency fund needs is six; two under-45 earners…
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Paying the Minimum on a Credit Card: What It Costs Over the Life of the Balance
Paying the minimum on a credit card, at 1% plus interest with a $40 floor, turns $5,000 at…
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Standard vs. Itemized Deduction: The Threshold That Decides It for Most Households
The 2026 standard vs itemized deduction choice turns on a basic $32,200 for joint filers, plus a cash-gift…
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Marginal vs. Effective Tax Rate: The Bracket You’re In Isn’t the Rate You Pay
Marginal vs. effective tax rate: on $160,000 of wages in 2026, a couple in the 22% bracket pays…
LibertyAll liberty →
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Free Speech and Private Platforms: The First Amendment Restrains Government
“Otherwise objectionable” is Section 230’s catch-all for a site’s good-faith removals, and on social media the First Amendment…
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The Second Amendment’s Text: What ‘Well Regulated’ Meant in 1791
Hamilton tied a well regulated militia to drill in 1788, and in 2008 Heller’s majority and Stevens’s dissent…
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The Bill of Rights in Plain Language: What Each Amendment Protects You From
All ten amendments in the Bill of Rights restrain a public actor, not a private employer or a…
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Firearm Terms the Law Uses: A Plain-Language Guide to the Categories
Federal firearm definitions, term by term: 18 U.S.C. 921 excludes any firearm made in or before 1898, and…
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Latest
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Free Speech and Private Platforms: The First Amendment Restrains Government
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The Bill of Rights in Plain Language: What Each Amendment Protects You From
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The Second Amendment’s Text: What ‘Well Regulated’ Meant in 1791
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Four Congresses, One Code: What 1934, 1968, 1986 and 1993 Each Added to Federal Firearms Law
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Firearm Terms the Law Uses: A Plain-Language Guide to the Categories
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Emergency Fund: How Many Months, and Where the Money Should Sit
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Paying the Minimum on a Credit Card: What It Costs Over the Life of the Balance
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Standard vs. Itemized Deduction: The Threshold That Decides It for Most Households