Donald Trump has made some bad choices for cabinet positions in his administration, placing America’s future in jeopardy with unqualified personnel to run government agencies. However, two of them stand out as particularly unfortunate- Matt Gaetz for Attorney General and Robert Kennedy, Jr as head of health and human services. That means that Kennedy will control the Food and … [Read more...] about Putting the Fox in the Henhouse
Why Trump Won the Election
What? Another post-mortem on the Trump presidential election victory. I just want to emphasize as others have that Trump really didn’t win the election. The Democrats lost it. One has to wonder the way the campaign was run if some Democrats secretly wanted to lose. A number of Democrats did not vote, particularly progressives, the young, and Latinos. Some of the blame for the … [Read more...] about Why Trump Won the Election
It’s Coming!!
We can’t hold it back any longer. The fact must be faced that in less than a week, the most important election of our lifetime will be upon us. This is not hyperbole, but merely reinforcement of the facts. One of the candidates, Donald Trump, has already made it clear what he will do if he wins the election. American democracy will be transformed forever. Trump has vowed … [Read more...] about It’s Coming!!
Avoiding the Future in Election Campaigns
Election Day is fast approaching, and the candidates are mostly avoiding the issues that will decide America’s and the world’s future. This may be because these problems do not resonate with voters the way past concerns do, even though they are actually more important. The focus of the candidates is on the economy, inflation, immigration and crime. Global warming, pollution, … [Read more...] about Avoiding the Future in Election Campaigns
Election Day 2024
The odds are strong that Election Day next month will not provide an answer for us about who has been elected president. Days or even weeks will be necessary to learn the final tally of the votes and who was the winner. With so many districts in so many states tied or within the margin of error in the preelection polls, it is likely that these states and districts will be … [Read more...] about Election Day 2024
Artificial Intelligence and Global Warming
Artificial Intelligence has been considered a danger to human survival by some of its creators and independent analysts, though other researchers see it as a major positive development for humanity. Whether AI is truly an existential risk or not, there is no disagreement on the fact that AI and data centers consume huge amounts of electricity. The demand for electricity will … [Read more...] about Artificial Intelligence and Global Warming
Can NATO Exist Without the United States
With the U.S. presidential election in two months, and Trump and Harris essentially tied, the possibility of Trump being elected must be considered realistic by Europeans as well as Americans. Aside from trade issues that might arise with Trump as president, the main problem for Europe will be its defense. Trump has already said he does not like foreign alliances and … [Read more...] about Can NATO Exist Without the United States
America’s Growing Knowledge Deficit
When people generally think of a deficit, they are usually considering a business or a nation’s financial status. And it is true that the United States has been accumulating deficits and now has a huge national debt because the government spends more than it takes in with taxes. But the deficit I’m concerned about is not financial, but the deficit in knowledge and information … [Read more...] about America’s Growing Knowledge Deficit
The Eternal Carnival Barker
Many Americans wonder about the continued appeal of Donald Trump to a large segment of the American public, particularly residents of rural areas. However, when you think about it, this con artist fits into a long tradition of hucksters who have preyed on Americans living in rural areas and small cities where regular entertainment has been limited. I’m talking about carnivals … [Read more...] about The Eternal Carnival Barker
Will a Debate Between Trump and Kamala Matter?
A Trump-Harris debate would make a difference if it occurred in a neutral environment, without an audience, and with rules negotiated between the Trump and Harris teams. The debate scheduled on September 10 on ABC is no longer on tap because Trump backed out. Trump wants the debate moderated by Fox with an audience present. Fox would not be a neutral environment. If Trump is … [Read more...] about Will a Debate Between Trump and Kamala Matter?
Private Equity and Health Care
Health care in the United States was the world’s most expensive even before private equity became involved. Now it’s even more expensive and the quality of care has declined. When private equity enters any sphere of business activity, it’s a given that services and products will be impacted negatively. After all, private equity is a format for wealthy individuals to make more … [Read more...] about Private Equity and Health Care
Give It Up, Joe
Embed from Getty Images There comes a time when you must know, or your family and friends tell you, that you’re on a downhill slope and no longer should play a political role if you’re a politician. It could be illness, age, cognitive decline, or merely lack of interest. But you longer have the power to focus on the problems of the nation or your constituents. Or maybe it’s … [Read more...] about Give It Up, Joe
Federal Election Commission and Citizens United
The Federal Election Commission has generally been a do-nothing agency composed of three Republicans and three Democrats. Whenever an issue that could reform the election process comes before the Commission, it is inevitably turned down, with the three Republicans and three Democrats voting in opposite ways. Republicans on the Commission and Republican politicians want freedom … [Read more...] about Federal Election Commission and Citizens United
Historical Amnesia
Knowledge and memory of world events, even those of fairly recent vintage, appear to be deficient in the younger generation in the U.S. and Western democracies. Whether this information was once learned and subsequently forgotten, or never learned is unclear. History and civics are poorly taught, or not taught at all in our classrooms. This neglect has been evidenced by the … [Read more...] about Historical Amnesia
Our Plastic Dilemma
In the late 19th century, plastic was invented as a substitute for ivory in billiard balls and piano keys and was originally called celluloid. Several decades later, Bakerlite was introduced, followed by polyethylene and dozens more varieties of plastic. Manufacture and demand for plastic in various products kept ramping up, until plastic of different kinds and shapes was found … [Read more...] about Our Plastic Dilemma
Artificial Intelligence, Politics and the Economy
Future political campaigns will increasingly utilize artificial intelligence generated content to mislead potential voters. About 1 billion voters will be going to the polls in 2024 in the US, India, the UK, the EU, Indonesia and Russia. However, neither AI companies nor governments have made serious efforts to protect and legitimize election information. There are concerns … [Read more...] about Artificial Intelligence, Politics and the Economy
Is It Worth Taking A Chance?
The collective and individual intelligence of humans is about to be surpassed or already has been exceeded by machines of human origin, whose workings and thought processes are not fully understood by those who devised this ingenious technology. This artificial or human-made intelligence learns by absorbing information that is fed into it or it is allowed to access. It is able … [Read more...] about Is It Worth Taking A Chance?
A True, Courageous Hero
Alexi Navalny’s murder last week was act of conspicuous evil by the autocratic Putin regime in Russia. Putin’s malign control of the Russian state and his actions against his political opponents mirrors those of his glorified predecessor, Joseph Stalin, during the existence of the Soviet Union. But instead of the KGB, we have its successor the FSB meting out killings and … [Read more...] about A True, Courageous Hero
The Dangers of Pollution
Every society and culture has been guilty of polluting their local areas of work and habitation, with some societies defiling more extensive regions or the world itself. As humanity has advanced scientifically, industrially and technologically, with more goods produced and longer lives, the amount of pollution has increased dramatically. Progress and pollution appear to go hand … [Read more...] about The Dangers of Pollution
The Urgent Threat of Global Warming
The world is totally immersed now in the wars in the Ukraine and Gaza while other problems simmer on the back burner. The sojourn of humans on Earth is transient and it is our responsibility to protect the environment and ecosystems we inherited for the generations to follow and the other species with which we share the planet. Global warming is real, dangerous and mostly of … [Read more...] about The Urgent Threat of Global Warming