This is being acclaimed as the best TV advertisement of the 2016 election. Not for Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate for the US Presidency. Not for Donald Trump, the GOP candidate. For Gerald Daugherty, the incumbent County Commissioner for Travis County, Precinct 3, in Austin, Texas. County Commissioners do boring stuff like keeping down taxes,
READ MOREIf there is truth in Ben Franklin’s precept that “tyranny begins” with “ignorance,” a poll commissioned by Just Facts shows that the U.S. may be in deep trouble. While most polls measure public opinion, this unique poll measures voters’ knowledge of issues that affect their lives in tangible ways. These include education, taxes, healthcare, the
READ MOREThe political discourse over education in the United States consists mainly over arguing about funding and how best to “prepare students for the workforce.” These are certainly important matters to discuss, but what if our national conversation about education is too limited? What if the scope of our discussion on education were wider than merely
READ MOREThink about the chief slogans for Campaign 2016, and then think back to the American founding. Something is missing. We have The Donald’s “Make America Great Again” up against Hillary’s “Stronger Together.” The two are virtually interchangeable. In fact, in 1992 a candidate by the name of Bill Clinton thought his moment had arrived to
READ MOREIn a recent Washington Post article, author Sarah Hamaker described how many young adults no longer know how to do simple, basic skills: Colleges and employers alike are reporting that young people can’t do life’s most basic tasks. With all of our emphasis on academics and what it takes to get into college, essential life
READ MOREAn interesting article in The Washington Post caught my eye this morning. As author Jennifer Patterson explains, she and her husband did something unusual this year when they allowed their daughter to skip second grade. Such a decision, Patterson goes on to explain, was based on her daughter’s desire to be challenged in her schoolwork.
READ MOREYou may wince at the crass behaviour of Donald Trump, roll your eyes at Caitlin/Bruce Jenner’s portrait on the cover of Vogue, or lament the legalization of same-sex marriage — but there is something even more painful about these events. We don’t know how we got here from there. Without sugar-coating the past, a bare
READ MOREA large portion of the world’s population lives in conditions that are hard to fathom for people in developed countries. Many of those living in extreme poverty would gladly move to the United States, the European Union or Australia if given a chance. In light of this, how should rich countries design and enforce their
READ MOREJustice Clarence Thomas has earned a reputation for saying very little on the Supreme Court bench. He made an exception on Wednesday evening at an event hosted by the Heritage Foundation. Thomas, who was confirmed in 1991 after a messy confirmation, described Washington, D.C, as a ‘broken’ place: [T]his city is broken in some ways.
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