My heart goes out to the people of the UK in the wake of the Brexit vote. They face the uncertain task of navigating a post-European future with, very soon, a new prime minister to succeed David Cameron. Turmoil and suffering are inevitable. But of course, here in America, we think only of ourselves (America…
Last night’s CNN Debate was about how the Republican candidates are “tougher” than Democrats. But look close. Tougher always means violating somebody’s rights, including yours. While the debate moderators asked about the mass collection of phone records, they glossed right over the implicit privacy violations in many of the candidates’ proposal. Only one candidate — Rand…
California middle school teacher Leilen Shelton wants her writing students to eschew simple words like “good,” “said,” and “fun,” according to the Wall Street Journal. To demonstrate the problems with this dumb idea, I rewrote a news article about terrorism, replacing all the mundane words with longer ones. Misguided writing teachers are responsible for much of the bullshit…
I set out to learn which party did a better job for the American economy. What I found out taught me more about data than politics. In a time of market-based panic and bloviating presidential candidates, we need thoughtful data analysis, not empty rhetoric. Here’s a challenge for you. Just for a moment, try not…