The Bernie Sanders App
What if instead of electing him as President, we elected Bernie Sanders to serve as the First App?
Partisan Politics
American Exceptionalism and Neo-Exceptionalism
Is American Exceptionalism an oxymoron? By asserting that we are exceptional, do we betray what is exceptional about us?
Bernie Sanders for Superpresident
Bernie Sanders has always been an independent, a bit outside the system. What might he accomplish if he were entirely outside it?
Us vs Them
‘Us vs Them’ is pretty simple, from a strategic standpoint. When we decide that another person is similar to us, it means we are looking for cooperation, for peace. And when we decide that someone is different, we are looking for conflict and competition and ultimately, war.
Bernie, Populist Financing, and the 1st Branch of Government
Senator Bernie Sanders is a phenomenon. Actually two phenomena. First, there are the planks in his platform which, despite much outcry to the contrary, are hardly new.
And then there is the populist financing he has attracted…
Snake Blind
Scientists, doctors, and all of us, are snake blind: it was true for Galen, Vesalius, and William Harvey, and it is true for today’s doctors & scientists.
The Gus Levy Syndrome
We are at a particularly contentious point in American politics. In all of it, there is a lot of finger-pointing. We blame the party bosses, the media, big money, lobbyists, extremists, and our own elected officials. Oh, and partisan politics: the worst bastards that every walked the Earth are our beloved fellow American sitting across … [Read more…]
Funhouse Mirrors
There are some drawbacks to being 59 years old with two young children. I don’t have as much energy as I used to have, and I can’t keep up with them physically. I get tired and grumpy too easily. I think of a good friend of mine who commented a few years back, “I remember … [Read more…]
Welfare as Training Wheels
I like to ask my conservative friends the following question. “If there were a social program that got people off of the welfare rolls, lowered crime, emptied prisons, strengthened the workforce, grew the economy, and elevated the general level of education, would you be willing to talk about it?” When I put it that way, … [Read more…]
On Prejudice
The real problem with prejudice is closed-mindedness: too often our first impression – our prejudice – remains our only impression.