I agree, but I also think the problem is more complex than that. Just paying for healthcare isn’t going to make people seek it if they have (often valid!) reasons to worry that doctors aren’t acting in their best interests, or if they don’t have the education to understand the basics of how medicine works and what…

I’m sure prosecutors, like humans in general, are on the whole decent people. But you yourself point out that they’re overworked and it’s common to offer plea deals just to reduce the workload. That’s...not good, when we know we have a system that gives inadequate defense to people (especially the people most in need…

I don’t think this book is aimed at toddlers. It seems more the 5-8 year old demographic, which is actually a pretty good time to begin exploring historical complexity. I vividly remember my 2nd grade teacher reading the class a book about the Civil War in which two Union soldiers (one white, one black) are captured…

There are times when a plea deal is appropriate, like when a person is definitely guilty but conviction is uncertain for whatever reason, so the prosecutor offers the deal in order to avoid court. But there’s a lot of cases where a person’s guilt is doubtful so a plea deal is used to frighten and bully them out of…

1) she’s definitely not guilty of murder

I can’t believe I willingly read that stupidity. I blame you.

Yeah, it sounds like her life has been completely shitty up until now. Hopefully she can get some help.

The iPhone is one thing, but the crazy diet really isn’t good. For one there’s so many cases where that sort of intense food control turns out to be really mentally unhealthy. For another, banning all fun/unhealthy food isn’t actually teaching your kids about moderation and making good choices.

Legal action is often just as hard on the victim as it is on the perpetrator, and it takes a lot of time, energy, and money to pursue a legal case with a doubtful outcome. If she feels satisfied and at peace with just moving on, then that should be her choice.

My totally-without-evidence take is that Soering knew about the murders and perhaps helped plan them but did not actually take part, and Haysom actually killed her parents. Not sure how to explain the multiple footprints + fourth blood type, though.

I agree that students should help finance their degree, but when your parents income is automatically taken into account when calculating your aid (whether or not they’re paying!) it’s ridiculous to say that the parents have no responsibility to help out. When I was in college, the aid department at my school dropped…

But...the daughter does talk to her mother once a week. The problem is that she doesn’t always respond when her mother texts her (random emojis apparently? How does one even respond to that?). Which is a lot, honestly. I don’t even text my best friend that much, because who has that much to say?

OMG, is your husband my long lost brother?

Talking once a week isn’t cutting off contact! That’s a totally normal amount of conversation!

You know, I think its perfectly okay to not give adult children Christmas gifts. They’re adults.

Yeah, this is how my mom is too. She constantly texts me “Hey!” or “:)“ and then gets upset when I don’t give a huge response back (because what do you say to “hey”? That’s not a conversation starter, mom!). She keeps bringing up interests I had in high school or middle school, as if I’m that same person still,…

Naw, we’ve been turning a blind eye to the Saudis and their abuses for years.

Well, I know a few people from very rural parts of the country who actually have to hunt to eat (I’m sure this lifestyle is dying out, but its not dead yet). But why on earth does anyone need assault weapons and handguns?

I look at it more as “See, this is what should actually have a waiting period” rather than drawing a direct parallel. Because a lot of the restrictions on abortions would actually be totally reasonable and helpful when applied to gun purchasing.

Eh, women were a big part of the New Right under Reagan (maybe not the under-35s, though). Now the GOP is hemorrhaging female support.