Driverless cars could either be ‘scary’ or great for the environment
Of all the questions swirling around the rise of self-driving cars, from how safe they’ll be to how we regulate them, one essential question is often overlooked. What will self-driving cars mean for the environment? Backers of the technology argue that autonomous vehicles will drive more efficiently than humans do — no more slamming on breaks… … [Read more...] about Driverless cars could either be ‘scary’ or great for the environment
Trump’s no populist — he’s the Swamp Thing
WASHINGTON -- Last year, Mark Meckler, one of the founders of the tea party movement, had concerns about Donald Trump but gave the Republican nominee the benefit of the doubt, because Trump "at least says he's going to attack" the crony-capitalist system. Now the conservative activist has revised his opinion. Trump "said he was going to D.C. to drain the swamp," Meckler said … [Read more...] about Trump’s no populist — he’s the Swamp Thing
Ballmer spends $10M to pull government data into one site
Government data visualization on steroids. Courtesy of ... Steve Ballmer? USAFacts was inspired by a conversation Steve Ballmer had with his wife. She wanted him to get more involved in philanthropic work. He thought it made sense to first find out what government does with the money it raises. Where does the money come from and where is it spent? Whom does it serve? … [Read more...] about Ballmer spends $10M to pull government data into one site
What We Know about Americans’ Voting Behavior
What We Know about Americans’ Voting Behavior by Stephen Earl Bennett Introduction I am fascinated by some of the observations made about how people vote. One, for example, illustrates a misunderstanding of voting behavior that crops up in comments about elections. It goes something like this: Assume that one of the major political parties has drifted too far from … [Read more...] about What We Know about Americans’ Voting Behavior
What a Bunch of Bull
Do the rights of artists extend beyond the physical spaces that their creations take up? A court of law might have to answer that question in an odd case taking place in New York City. From USA Today, April 12, 2017: ""Charging Bull" is ready to rumble with "Fearless Girl." The sculptor who created the iconic "Charging Bull" statue in New York City's financial district … [Read more...] about What a Bunch of Bull
GOP’s Centrist Rhetoric vs. Hard Right Policy
Ezra Klein exposes this fundamental conflict underlying the GOP's belly-flop on health care on vox.com. The most interesting policy argument in America right now is the debate between conservatives’ real position on health care and their fake position. The fake, but popular, position goes something like this: Conservatives think everyone deserves affordable health … [Read more...] about GOP’s Centrist Rhetoric vs. Hard Right Policy
Is Turnabout Fair Play?
Since the election of Donald Trump as president, we’ve seen the promises he made during the campaign thrown by the wayside, as he changes his mind about what he wants done and how to get it done. The disregard of what he had pledged during his campaign began with his choice of cabinet members and top advisors. In populist rhetoric he said he was going to drain the swamp in … [Read more...] about Is Turnabout Fair Play?
Want to Protest the Tax Code? Start by Reading It!
Complying with the tax code costs the United States a cool trillion dollars per year. That’s the entire GDP of Mexico, wasted because of the sheer complexity of our tax code, which runs to 74,000 pages or so when taken with the IRS policies and parts of the CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) that bear directly on it. And let’s imagine that we outsourced all the work done by … [Read more...] about Want to Protest the Tax Code? Start by Reading It!
Fed Up? Watch and Listen to ‘An Evening with Heroes and Voices’
Had enough of North Korea’s “unpredictability’? Have had it with Trump's legion of follies, foils, fabrications and falsehoods? Do Trump’s first 87 days, 5 hours, 40 minutes and 15 seconds -- and counting -- seem like an eternity? Exhausted of trying to untangle the spider-web of connections between Trump, his associates and Russian President Vladimir Putin? … [Read more...] about Fed Up? Watch and Listen to ‘An Evening with Heroes and Voices’
Don’t like the politics in your neighborhood? Move a few blocks away
A frustrated, seething liberal author, Kevin Baker, recently wrote an essay for The New Republic in which he engaged in an elaborate political fantasy in which Blue States in the Trump era would withdraw from the federal system as much as possible to create their own separate American states. Baker called it a “virtual secession,” or a “Bluexit,” a play on words relating to … [Read more...] about Don’t like the politics in your neighborhood? Move a few blocks away
San Diego Must Put The Brakes on Illegal Marijuana Delivery Services (Guest Voice)
By Monte Jones SAN DIEGO -- The illegal marijuana industry is flourishing under the noses of local lawmakers. The number of illegal marijuana delivery services operating in the City of San Diego has exploded over the past two years. Today, 125 illegal marijuana delivery services are open for business, more than twice the number from April 2014, when 59 were operational. … [Read more...] about San Diego Must Put The Brakes on Illegal Marijuana Delivery Services (Guest Voice)
I WANT MY WAY WEEK: National Health Care Decisions Week (Guest Voice)
I WANT MY WAY WEEK (National HealthCare Decisions Week (nhdd.org), April 16-22) by Kim Mooney Why should you think about getting your way? And why did I put it in all caps? It sounds like I’m yelling. Or at least speaking assertively. I guess I am. We all have probably heard by now that it’s sooooooo important to think about the end of your life now, to have a health … [Read more...] about I WANT MY WAY WEEK: National Health Care Decisions Week (Guest Voice)
Hell To The Chief: Donald Trump’s Disastrous First Hundred Days As President
The first 100 days of the Donald Trump presidency have been an unmitigated disaster. Our penchant for anniversaries dictates a ritualistic pause-and-reflect moment as each president reaches that milestone. Barack Obama and George W. Bush, like their predecessors receding back into the mists of the last century, got mixed marks at 100 days, while Trump's three month-plus … [Read more...] about Hell To The Chief: Donald Trump’s Disastrous First Hundred Days As President
Cartoons: Scenes from a Russian restaurant
I suppose you can argue that one person with a connection to Russian spies is not indicative of the practices of a campaign. OK, two is a coincidence. Oh, look, there’s another coincidence…and another…and, oh c’mon!!! What is it with Trump and Russia? He can’t criticize Putin at all. Even last week when he said our relations with Russia are at an “all-time low,” yet he … [Read more...] about Cartoons: Scenes from a Russian restaurant
Trump’s Backdoor Attempt To De-Fund Social Security
President Trump has sort of scrapped his tax plan that he actually campaigned on, and instead, he and the Republicans are going to kind of go item by item, make individual tax cuts here and there, threatening countless government-sponsored programs, but one program that could take a significant hit, affecting millions of American citizens, is Social… … [Read more...] about Trump’s Backdoor Attempt To De-Fund Social Security
(BREAKING UPDATES) North Korea: An ‘Unpredictable’ Weekend Looms
Note: This post will be updated periodically as events warrant. UPDATE V: In what could be called, ”the plot thickens,” The Salt Lake Tribune reports: China and Russia have dispatched intelligence-gathering vessels from their navies to chase the USS Carl Vinson nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, which is heading toward waters near the Korean Peninsula, multiple … [Read more...] about (BREAKING UPDATES) North Korea: An ‘Unpredictable’ Weekend Looms
For Democrats, Georgia’s Sixth Congressional District Offers Test Of Strength Of Trump Backlash
The Spring following a presidential election cycle is usually recovery time for campaign analysts and staff. It is not typically the time for races with potentially national significance to break out. But President Trump's decision to name four House members to his cabinet have created opportunities. This past week saw a special election in Kansas where Democrats lost by seven … [Read more...] about For Democrats, Georgia’s Sixth Congressional District Offers Test Of Strength Of Trump Backlash
Terror won’t win
Rachel Sharansky Danziger A few weeks back, I boarded the light rail train with my 6-year-old son, and thought that nothing captures Jerusalem better than the light rail train. You have to wait for it. Jerusalem is a place of waiting, and yearning, and praying for one redemption or another. (One could even say that waiting… … [Read more...] about Terror won’t win
