Sprinkling Reason Into an Ocean of Bulls**t
Did you know that "hiatus" is a latin term meaning "gaping hole"? In a sense I feel as though as if this is true with my writing. My typical production style is to work in short, intense bursts. This style doesn't lend itself to long-term sustained predictable work, meaning there are periods of time which... Continue Reading →
At the center of the current cultural/political war lay a question which the public has yet to mediate: how large a role is the U.S. government supposed to play in our lives? The party norms which have traditionally guided the GOP, such as small government, seem to have fallen apart. The fierce cries from Republicans... Continue Reading →
The wave of support which evidently buttressed Trump's nomination and eventual election to the Presidency has often been called "a wave of populism". This term has a broad meaning and I would like to deconstruct its many uses to get at the center of what it actually means. Populism by definition appeals to "ordinary" voters... Continue Reading →
U.S exports comprise a little over 12% of the nation's GDP as of 2017. A shock to this cohort of production would be a significant blow to the economy over the mid-term. What I'm interested in, is the question of whether since then, given the ongoing trade war, Minnesota's exports have dropped. Well, in aggregate,... Continue Reading →
At the DFL booth(DNC for non-Minnesotans) at the MN state fair there was a novel way to gauge voter sentiment toward the candidates: soybeans. If only primary elections were as interesting as soy beans! There were tubes for each of the remaining candidates, as well as a generic "Democrat" tube, for which the purpose seems... Continue Reading →
First, there is the yield curve: Source: CNBC This is a supposedly reliable indicator of recession. For those unfamiliar, a 30 year bond should pay a higher rate than a ten year bond, and even more so than a two year bond. This is to offset the inflation and investment risk of putting your money... Continue Reading →
There are three forces acting on the American white majority: globalism, immigration, and fertility. This is a well documented subject, captured in books like White Shift, by Eric Kaufmann, and policy briefs like "The US will become ‘minority white’ in 2045" by the Brookings Institute. I'm not going to re-knead the dough of white anxiety... Continue Reading →
Recently there has been some activity surrounding who can be banned from online social media platforms. The debate around whether a private company like Facebook or Google can censor certain individuals or companies remains lively. Another take on this however has gotten less attention, that is, when can an elected representative censor someone on social... Continue Reading →
I think it’s high time we take a long hard look at “individualism” in the western world. I will go ahead and qualify what I mean by “individualism” by rooting that term as we know it in the classic liberal sense. The rights of the individual are paramount in a liberal society. Protecting property rights,... Continue Reading →
