EricHoefler.com

Republicans and Money Flow

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

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 [...]

Sharing Health Insurance Reform Resources

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

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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 [...]

Why I Support Health Insurance Reform

Thursday, September 3, 2009

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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 [...]

One Insurance-Reform Conversation

Sunday, August 23, 2009

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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 [...]

Choosing How We Argue

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

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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 [...]

I Don’t Get Why You’re Friends

Thursday, July 30, 2009

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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 [...]

Joss Whedon on Humanism

Monday, April 27, 2009

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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 [...]

Dreaming of Electric Cars

Monday, April 27, 2009

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His vision is inspiring, as is his message: "We will lose our economy right after we’ve lost our morality."

The Spirit of the Revolution

Thursday, April 16, 2009

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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 [...]

Rats on a Burning Ship

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

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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 [...]

Together

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

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“It’s a New Day” by will.i.am is still one of the most inspiring songs/videos I’ve seen, and as relevant in the days after the inauguration as it was in the days after the election. For me, the lyrics echo the central thrust of President Obama’s inauguration speech: “All this we can do. All this we [...]

A Chance for Change

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

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I had planned on writing a series of reminders to the president elect: that we didn’t elect him so much as the ideals he gave us courage to hope for; that he must now face the future with humility, fear and trembling; that his power is not his own, but belongs to the people he [...]