…ssue. How do we justify placing the onus of proof on the accused, once any complaint is filed? It’s naive to assume that anyone filing a complaint is automatically and always honest. Furthermore, placing the burden of proof on the accused certainly creates incentives for false filers to abuse the system. How reasonable and fair is that, including for innocent individuals who might benefit from a rational system less capable of being abused? This l… Continue reading →

…ated only about a third of students would pass this year’s tougher Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test exam, compared with a passing rate of 80 percent or more last year. What does this say about education as we know it? And what does it say about public education in particular? Florida is a pretty wealthy state and pours plenty of tax money into public education. Plus, the federal Department of Education spends billions of federal taxes every y… Continue reading →

…s, either. The Reagan-Clinton-Bush-Obama War on Drugs is based on small-c “communism” or collectivism. Collectivism refers to the idea that we’re all each other’s keepers. On such a premise, it’s morally mandatory that the government intervene to keep people from doing self-destructive or self-defeating things such as trading/using drugs. (Of course, we don’t do that with alcohol, and alcohol can be every bit as destructive.) The color red (which… Continue reading →

…ance. So how can we be so sure what the weather and temperature will be in coming decades and centuries? According to data on the last ten years or more, temperature is dropping. Furthermore, ten or even fifty years are almost nothing in the life of earth and the study of climate change. Science and common sense tell us that you cannot forecast global climate change based on a few years at a time. Climate change occurs over centuries and even mill… Continue reading →