My Opinions
The Quadrennial Circus (Series)
It seems like we have to go through the same futile exercise every four years; complaints about how the Electoral College is antiquated and confusing, and should be eliminated to leave the vote for President (and Vice-President) up to a "popular vote". Not only do I think this is a very bad idea, but it also goes against everything that the Framers put into place to begin with.
- Electoral College History
- Democrats and the Electoral College
- The NPVIC Is Just a Bad Idea
- Proposing Constitutional Amendments
- A Return to Classic Politics
- An Abusive Relationship
- Approval Voting
- Republic vs Democracy
- Choosing a Candidate
- The 5% Club
- Mutual Onanism [28-Jun-2024] - A critique of the first presidential debate.
- Freedom Over Fear
- They're Looking In the Wrong Place - The Democrats fear that third party candidates were going to be "the single biggest threat" to swing the election toward His Orangeness. I have little doubt that Republicans think that third party candidates will swing the election toward Sir Senility. But there's something that Old Party strategists seem to be missing: they're looking in the wrong place.
- Victimizing Protest Voters
The New Medieval Period (Series)
No, this is not about the quirky, fun dinner show, or the multi-week celebration that presents itself to Texas every October/November. This is recurrence of that period of time between the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of the Renaissance.
- People Knew Their Place - It used to be "nobles, gentry, and peasants". Now it's "women, foreigners, and anyone who thinks differently than we do".
- Censorship (or "What I Know That You Shouldn't") - "Welcome to the New Inquisition. Your Grand Inquisitor, Torquemada II, will be with you shortly. Please be patient while we group you with other people who share your particular flavor of depravity. We will then deal with you according to an arbitrary depravity hierarchy which we don't have documented and probably won't follow anyway."
- The Rise of Christian Nationalism - Welcome to the New Crusades. As the saying goes, "If Mohammed won't come to the mountain, then the mountain will come to Mohammed."
Other Opinions
- 2024 Iowa Caucuses - Presenting results in terms of fractions and percentages make large-number metrics more easily understood. But doing this also (often deliberately) tends to hide potentially significant differences in base comparisons.
- You Deserve Better - I was recently asked, "So if you already know that there's a very small chance that you will be elected, why are you even running?" Well, that's a reasonable question, and my typical response is, "Because you deserve better."
- The Appeal of Authoritarianism - What is it about His Orangeness that so many people, not just rank-and-file Republicans, find appealing? This is a question that so many of us who live "in between the bright lights and the far, unlit unknown" have struggled with for the past eight years (and counting).
- America's Newest Crime Spree - Obviously, I'm just another feeble-minded old man because I don't understand America's newest crime spree. Even existing laws are being ignored by these desperate criminals. (Hint: it's not about immigration.)
- Pushing an Authoritarian Police State - On Wednesday (31-Jan-2024), Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton brought a lawsuit against 5 Texas cities (including Denton) over their common policy of decriminalizing cannabis. How this is NOT about pushing an authoritarian police state?
- Government Control - Governments don't really like to govern but they LOVE to control, and personal freedom always seems to take a back seat regardless of the topic. Is it better to let government and its army of Faucis and Morgenthaus decide for you? Personally, I think I'd rather risk the possibility of being wrong. THAT is "personal freedom."
- (Not) Television Reruns - Our political systems are stuck in a loop. Neither of the Old Parties has been able to find newer candidates to lead their presidential tickets. So, it appears that we are going to be forced to endure a 2024 rematch between His Orangeness and Sir Senility, both of whom are older than the much-maligned Boomer generation (but definitely NOT wiser).
