As a speech, it was fine, especially because the bar has been set so low. Generally more positive in tone than what we’ve come to expect from him, it was the first moment when he seemed vaguely presidential, although I still find that comparison disrespectful to the other holders of the office during my lifetime,…

It would be interesting to see a further breakdown of the different “white people” demographics, and not only male vs. female or rural vs. urban vs. suburban. “White” (assuming that it means “caucasian”) also likely includes Jews and Arabs (who, contrary to popular belief, can be Christian, Muslim or Jewish).

If their goal is just to scrap it, that’s fairly easy to do, although the consequences may not be so easy to deal with.

It’s hard to disagree with this utopian notion that seems to exist in some other countries. However, it’s also hard to have that argument with any parent, that they shouldn’t be able to do what they think is best for their child, and instead should think about the other children.

I don’t really understand how the notion that all teachers are “overpaid” got started either, unless it simply falls under the category of “what if we could pay them less money”. I think many people are frustrated with the overall quality of public education, although this ignores that there are many great public…

The “market based” approach to education has typically come up short. Sure, the idea of getting to choose your child’s school is great in theory, although the “choice” depends upon there being schools to choose from (they have to exist, and they have to have room to take additional students). Having choices is also…

If Trump were only willing to move his family out of Trump Tower, stop traveling to Mar a Lago so frequently, and not having his sons flying to Uruguay to promote real estate deals, we could find enough money in the budget to pay for PBS and the National Endowment for the Arts for years! His security costs in his…

While I don’ buy the argument that the largesse of billionaires somehow justifies allowing so few to get so wealthy—and yes, the government is allowing it by giving corporate welfare and tax incentives to the wealthy, and not requiring companies to pay their employees better and more fairly—but the idea of…

The saddest part of all of Trump’s immigration/deportation orders is the meanness with which his administration has approached it, followed closely by the fact that it probably won’t achieve much in terms of actual results—more jobs for working class white people, better security, etc—although I’m sure many of his…

I would caution against making this into a political fight. Some businesses (like mine) closed in support of our employees who wanted to attend the protests, but many did not (or could not). Many immigrants wanted to protest, and were willing to forgo a day’s pay to do so, but let’s also remember that not all wanted…

The most effective thing we could do to deal with people like Milo Yiannapoulos is to more or less ignore him. Not necessarily ignore him as if he doesn’t exist, but ignore him like when you run into a friend when they’re with a friend of theirs that you don’t know (and don’t know of), and you say hello to the new…

I think it’s important to distinguish between founder CEOs and non-founder CEOs. Non-founder CEOs are often hired-guns with some previous C-level management experience that are good at making the board of directors feel comfortable. Some are great (Jack Welch), and might even deserve their compensation (if anyone…

Do you think he woke up today and realized that he just couldn’t ask any of his people to take a bullet for this guy?

Adele won because people like my aunt (who voted for Trump, along with that whole side of the family) buy her CDs (yes, buy CDs). Beyonce is not just a singer—she’s a singer, dancer, entertainer, icon, wife, mother and total badass. Yes, Adele is also very talented, just like Taylor Swift, but I’m gonna lose it if I…

At what point does the fuckery stop actually working in western democracies that still have freedom of the press (and an independent press)? At what point does the fairly overt support that certain candidates receive from the Russian government (or Russian banks) start to taint their prospects of winning? I…

Regardless of which side of this story you believe—and there are two distinct narratives, one from the mainstream media that focuses on Flynn’s ties to Russia and his improper discussion of sanctions, and one from the Breitbarts of the world that focuses on the wiretapping and subsequent leaks made by members of the…

This is great—let executions be as gruesome as possible, instead of allowing people to buy into the bullshit that is lethal injection, “oh, they just painlessly go to sleep and then stop breathing” (even if that’s not actually what happens). Only when confronted with the visuals of the condemned being shot by a…

Nothing like a minor slight to make you double down on whatever dumb-stupid shit you’re doing.

I think the short answer to why so many marched on Saturday that haven’t marched during the other recent tragedies, is that Trump’s presidency represents the amalgam of all of those horrible things, affects everyone in a very direct way (and anywhere in the US is an acceptable venue for these protests), and the…

“Left to the states”: the way for Republicans ensure that things don’t get done/adequate services aren’t provided except in liberal bastions like NY, California and the wealthier areas of every other state. The only silver lining here, is that the ADA is a federal law and isn’t going anywhere.