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Hurt People Hurt People
When pressed to comment on the terrorist car-bomb attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, MI, Abdul El-Sayed condemned the attack, saying, “Nothing justifies the heinous attack that we saw on Temple Israel.” If he had stopped there, maybe there would be no controversy among American Jews. But how would American Palestinians have felt? Would…
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The OBF/RP Struggle and the Racism that Confounds Us
We are living in befuddling times! Colin Woodward’s book (Woodward 2011) “American Nations” offers an idea that cuts through the fog of today’s politics. He observes that there are two opposing philosophies about the fundamental purpose of government. The first philosophy was practiced in colonial New England townships where all the men gathered to decide…
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The Battle of Gettysburg
One hundred and sixty-three years ago, two American armies were pulling away from a brutal confrontation among the rolling hills of Pennsylvania. The men in Blue, commanded by General Meade, had successfully blocked the audacious attempt by the men in Grey, commanded by General Lee, to secure armaments for themselves and to deal a crushing…
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The Role of Race in US Politics
The “Discussion” Underlying all political debate throughout US history lurks the fundamental question about the purpose of government. Is it 1) to serve the welfare of the populace by ensuring equal application of the law and performing other public functions that cannot be effectively provided by private parties (a government of, for, and by The…
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The Question of the Time for each American:
“Have I committed myself to a political agenda that works against my own interest?” How we each respond to the answer to this question should be informed by the answer to this second question: “Is my best interest in opposition to the greater good?” It is impossible to make sense of everything that is going…
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Class Warfare Erupts Openly—Can you see it?
The Trump social media post depicting a former president and his wife as apes has, at long last, inspired even some of his supporters to object that he has gone too far. The post was reportedly removed after 12 hours because of the push-back; some Trump supporters are going so far as to express disgust…
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Why the Epstein Files are Different
Ever since Trump announced that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue without losing votes and then appeared to prove this by ducking through release of the Access Hollywood tape unscathed, it has been a mystery what it would take for Trump’s supporters to turn on him. Scandal after scandal that would have terminated any…
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The Idea of Insurance
Capitalism, as we have known it, would not exist without the idea of insurance. The deployment of capital to achieve some purpose entails risk: In all these cases, the individual’s efforts to fruitfully deploy capital for economic gain must cease following one calamitous blow. Insurance is a mechanism to spread risk across multiple entities (seasons/individuals/corporations)…
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Turning Tide?
The people of the US are starting to wake up and push back on Trump’s authoritarian aspirations. Marjory Taylor Green is making noises against the loss of health insurance premium subsidies and cuts to medicare. Is this the Republican tide about to break? Maybe not, but Democrats are showing newfound strength, even though it now…
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The Baumol Effect—More Relevant than Ever
The strong performance on Tuesday (11/4/2025) of Democrats—particularly the governors’ of NJ and VA races and the NYC mayor’s race—has been attributed to the candidates’ disciplined messaging on their intention to address questions of affordability. In the case of Zohran Mamdani, he promised to freeze Rent Stabilized apartment rents, to deliver free and efficient bus…