Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) recently announced a proposal to eliminate student loan debt. He intends to pay off a total of $1.6 trillion, while financing the expenditure with a new tax on “Wall Street speculation.” Student debt can be a serious burden for recent grads, especially those who fail to acquire high-paying jobs. And the intention to
READ MOREJune 27, 2019 was the second round of the first Democratic debate. This round featured more high-polling candidates including Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Here are some quick takeaways from the night: 1. The Smell of Blood – Biden Gets Hit Hard One of the night’s biggest moments came when Joe Biden
READ MOREI once saw a bumper sticker that said, “The Big Bang Theory: God spoke, and ‘Bang!’ it happened.” The implication was clear: in addition to being the least funny sitcom ever made, the Big Bang Theory is an attack on religion, an attempt by scientists to step outside their proper sphere and disprove once and
READ MORELast week I was strolling through a park beside the French Broad River when I met a former student, a young woman whose fiery personality and humor had always enlivened classroom discussions. With her was a handsome young man whom I assume she is dating. When I asked him what sort of work he did,
READ MOREIn a new decision, the Supreme Court determined partisan gerrymandering disputes are a political question, not something federal courts should be deciding. In a 5-4 ruling Thursday, the high court decided in a pair of cases regarding gerrymandering – which is the practice of state legislatures drawing up districts for congressional and state legislative seats to benefit
READ MOREThe family-owned barbecue truck at Porcfest was doing a bang-up business. I stood in line and finally ordered my plate of meat. In years past, most vendors at this event processed Bitcoin for purchases, even as far back as 2011, when the idea of magic Internet money seemed goofy. All these years later, its inability to scale
READ MOREThis year the Democratic Party has a paltry few candidates running for president. Twenty-five to be exact. Twenty of them are a part of the first debate in Miami, which has been broken up into two days – June 26 and June 27 – with ten candidates each day. Here are eight, somewhat unexpected, occurrences
READ MORENot long ago, a former boss suggested I take up yoga to reduce stress. Soon thereafter, an old friend noted the positive effects that yoga had had on him. Then someone at church praised yogic meditation and breathing exercises. I don’t doubt the usefulness of Eastern meditation. Yet my gut reaction to this craze might
READ MOREKids are hard work. Anyone who has spent even a small amount of time around children knows this. So it’s no surprise that parents are eager to get away and spend some time by themselves. Yet we also have this modern phenomenon of parents who want to keep their kids with them, even while doing
READ MORE