The hardest thing to explain is the glaringly evident which everybody had decided not to see. — Ayn Rand
Refusal to See (Rand)
Category: Daily Dose of Reason
“Dark Money” in Campaigns: Code for Censorship
The U.S. Senate, this past week, blocked an attempt to advance an amendment to the Constitution for the government to further restrict the funding of political campaigns. “We have had in this country a flood of very, very dark money … Continue reading
Washington Post Poll: Women Not Standing by their Man Obama
According to The Washington Post, 50 percent of women now disapprove of the president compared to 44 percent who approve, a near reversal of his support among female voters in the 2012 exit polls when he had 55 percent support … Continue reading
Does Psychiatry Promote Conformity?
Some people dislike dissension and approve of conformity. And the psychiatric profession has been known to get into the act. A few examples: In his 2010 book The Protest Psychosis: How Schizophrenia Became a Black Disease, psychiatrist Jonathan Metzl explored … Continue reading
The Progressives Go to “War”
No matter what he says or thinks, Obama is not at war with any American enemy. And there’s no remote possibility he will defeat that enemy or reduce any threats to our physical safety and well-being. Why? It’s the progressive … Continue reading
Thirteen Years Later
I published this article at DrHurd.com on 9/12/01, under the title “9/11: The Day America Grew Up.” How little we have learned, as ISIS comes banging at our door. Let’s hope this is what future historians write about yesterday’s events. … Continue reading
How the Unemployed Spend Their Days: Revealing Research
When a family member financially supports an unemployed loved one, the family member will often say things like: “He’s not even looking for a job. I’m providing for his basic expenses — and then some — and I don’t see … Continue reading
Texas vs. California and Economics 101
The national unemployment rate officially sits at 6.2 percent. However, the same government statistics state that a record number of people have simply given up, exiting the labor force altogether. A record 92,269,000 Americans 16 and older did not participate … Continue reading
“Helicopter Parents” Who Love Too Much
The Washington Post [9-2-14] ran an interesting article recently on “helicopter parents.” Helicopter parents are parents of young adult children (usually college age) who rush to solve problems for kids without first checking if the kids are able and willing … Continue reading
Do We Really Have to Settle for “Secular Stagnation”?
In a recent book, Larry Summers, Paul Krugman, and Barry Eichengreen, among other renowned macroeconomists, suggest that structural changes in the global economy have ushered in a period of slow growth. This theory, known as “secular stagnation,” posits that we … Continue reading
Goodbye, Joan Rivers
A few of the many funny (and sometimes slightly serious) things this straight-shooting and sharp-witted woman said: I enjoy life when things are happening. I don’t care if it’s good things or bad things. That means you’re alive. Things are … Continue reading
What’s With the Nude “Selfies”?
A reader wrote me with some interesting comments about the phenomenon of the nude “selfie,” i.e. taking a nude photograph of oneself with a cell phone and sending to others. He writes, “For my perspective, especially in the light of … Continue reading