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Republicans and Money Flow
Let me get this straight … When it comes to economics, the general position of the current Republican party seems to be this: if most of the money flow ends up going to the top 1 percent of the population, that’s good and evidence of a healthy “free market”; if some of the money flow ends [...]
Continue reading...Sharing Health Insurance Reform Resources
16. September 2009
I wanted to share a few resources that I’ve found helpful related to this debate in the hope that they will help others, regardless of their position. Before I do that, I want to briefly re-cap why I believe that we need health insurance reform. Common Ground From what I’ve seen so far, most rational, compassionate people [...]
Continue reading...Why I Support Health Insurance Reform
3. September 2009
First, I want to re-emphasize something: this debate is about health insurance reform, not health care reform … despite the sloppy language surrounding the issue. Therefore, any talk about “government take-over of health care” is off-base from the beginning. The only controversial thing being considered currently is the creation of a government-run public health insurance [...]
Continue reading...One Insurance-Reform Conversation
23. August 2009
A friend of mine posted a link to an article about the public option in the health care debate, along with this comment: “Keep it up, America…this health care fiasco can still be defeated…there’s still hope of Obama having a one-term/Jimmy Carter Presidency, too…” I’ve known that he opposes insurance reform for a while now, but [...]
Continue reading...Choosing How We Argue
11. August 2009
Sean Carroll, writing for the Discover blog Cosmic Variance in a post called "The Grid of Disputation," makes an excellent point about cultural arguments and provides a helpful grid. Here is the most salient quote, for me: If you want to play a constructive role in an ongoing cultural conversation, the sizable majority of your disputational [...]
Continue reading...I Don’t Get Why You’re Friends
30. July 2009
This could also be titled: “The Post Where I Get Myself into Lots of Trouble” So, I’m confused, but I am genuinely trying to understand. I hope that some people will bother to read this whole thing, trust that my intentions are what I say they are, and help me out by sharing their thoughts and [...]
Continue reading...Joss Whedon on Humanism
27. April 2009
Joss Whedon was recently honored with the Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award in Cultural Humanism at Harvard University. Part of his acceptance speech is below (link). If you know me, you know that I’ve been a long-time admirer of Whedon as a creator, thinker, and activist as well as a fan of his work, particularly Firefly/Serenity and [...]
Continue reading...Dreaming of Electric Cars
27. April 2009
His vision is inspiring, as is his message: "We will lose our economy right after we’ve lost our morality."
Continue reading...The Spirit of the Revolution
16. April 2009
I’ve been reading Joseph Ellis’s Founding Brothers, a book that’s been on my shelf for a while, and I’m fascinated by the echoes between the struggles this nation faced in its early years and the ones it faces now. In chapter one, Ellis explains that America was founded in the conflict between the opposing principles of [...]
Continue reading...Shifting Focus
12. April 2009
When I started blogging, it was to record my thoughts about teaching. I moved the blog around a bit in the process, from a hosted site at Edublogs to a personal domain and, finally, to its current address. Along the way, I also left classroom teaching and, in the process, my blog lost some of [...]
Continue reading...Comment Pain
11. March 2009
Proof that the educational system in this country is failing us, at least in terms of basic literacy (like solid reading comprehension or clear persuasive writing): the comment threads on any major news site. </snark>
Continue reading...Rats on a Burning Ship
11. March 2009
Before I get going, a disclaimer: I don’t know enough economic theory or political science to even pretend to have an authoritative opinion about how to get out of the huge financial mess we’re in, my opinions about what moves we should take as a country are resting on shaky foundations, and I’m scrambling like [...]
Continue reading...Welcome
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23. September 2009
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