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The Difference Between Public Libraries and Public Schools0
- Education
- August 16, 2019
Plans for the Boston Public Library, the nation’s second-oldest public library, were approved in 1852, the same year Massachusetts passed the country’s first compulsory schooling law. Both public libraries and public schools are funded through taxation and both are “free” to access, but the similarities end there. The main difference between public libraries and public
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Civics 101 for Flyover Country0
- Culture
- August 16, 2019
Quillette columnist Coleman Hughes, an American of African descent who has “only ever voted for democrats,” made news in June when he testified in front of a House Subcommittee against reparations for slavery. One lady applauded him on social media, saying “there are so many youth (sic) that want to speak out … but fear
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The Argument Beneath the Surface of Gun Control0
- Culture
- August 15, 2019
The shock of three mass shootings in a week has prompted even the conservative newspaper The New York Post to call for the banning of what it calls “weapons of war” and President Trump to upset his base by tweeting that “Republicans and Democrats must come together and get strong background checks.” Several Republicans have
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Spouting Platitudes About Woodstock Won’t Change What It Actually Was0
- Culture
- August 15, 2019
It is the 50th anniversary of Woodstock, and we’re already being subjected to dreamy reminiscences about it from people whose accounts cannot really be relied upon because they are based largely on memories of people who were in a drug-induced stupor. If you were on drugs, Woodstock seemed great. Of course, if you were on drugs,
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Red Flag Laws in the Age of Political Psychiatry0
- History
- August 15, 2019
In the wake of recent horrific shooting sprees, Donald Trump and other Republicans wishing to appear to “do something” have seized the purported “middle ground”: red flag laws. These laws would permit law enforcement or concerned family members to petition a court to remove firearms from individuals deemed dangerous after a summary judicial procedure. Laws such as these enjoy
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It’s Time to Ask Politicians Some Questions0
- Politics
- August 15, 2019
The other day, I was outside the coffee shop that serves as my second home. In the parking lot across the street a 30-something dad was helping his daughter, three or four years old, out of the car. She said something to him I couldn’t hear, and her dad replied, “Meagan, do you realize you
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Ferris Bueller’s Vocation0
- Culture
- August 15, 2019
In an attempt to confront the student loan debt bubble, most Democratic presidential candidates have promised some variant of “free” college, and Republicans are countering with their own proposals. Citing a statistic that the cost of a four-year degree doubled between 1986 and 2016, Marco Rubio proposes to regulate or privatize tuition funding sources. Given
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Surprising Parenting Advice From ‘Vanity Fair’0
- Culture
- August 14, 2019
Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray, is a classic of English literature. The novel, which was published in serial form starting in 1847, offers a satirical look at society, manners, and human weakness. The plot centers on the scheming social climber Rebecca Sharp, and all the main characters are adults. However, over the course of
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New Study Defending NYC’s Minimum Wage Law Is Fake News1
- Economics
- August 14, 2019
Last week Business Insider published an article with the eye-opening title “NYC’s $15 minimum wage hasn’t brought the restaurant apocalypse — it’s helped them thrive.” Given the political momentum for the “Fight for 15” movement, culminating in the House voting in favor of a $15 national minimum wage last month, the article made for perfect social
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