Politics

In libertarian circles there’s been more than a little talk about where to go after abandoning the Republican Party. Some will vote for the Libertarian Party of course, though many won’t. Some won’t vote at all, disgusted with all of the ballot options. Some will vote for Democrats not because they agree with their stated positions, but because they aren’t Republicans, and by voting for the Dems they can punish the GOP for pulling the libertarian poles out of the party’s big tent.

And then there are those considering the Democrats as an effective alternative party to the Republicans, one that might share enough common values to make it worth overlooking their overtly collective and big government tendancies (just as the Republican Party’s now-dead limited government doctrine made it easier to leave with it religious wing).

With the election season now in full force (I know this because I’ve started to receive phone calls from the myriad political groups and candidates) I’m going to spending more time blogging about politics, mostly in my home state of Pennsylvania, but occasionally on the national level as well. Politics and scifi don’t often mesh, … Read more

Political commentary web site Slate has released a graphic novel version (Internet Archive) of The 9/11 Report. (Internet Archive). I haven’t read beyond the first few pages yet, but I find it a fascinating experiment. It takes a government report, typically dry and uninspiring affairs (though I think the 9/11 Report is better than most) and … Read more

Now doesn’t this just instill you with confidence in our new fangled voting system?. Kind of makes me long for the days of the hanging chad. Wired had it right a few years ago when they published a back page “relics of the future” shot that had a validated voting receipt indicating when, where and … Read more

Fortune.com has a column up called “We’re a Nation Helpless to Save Ourselves” railing against America’s rampant consumerism, which author Geoffrey Colvin claims is leading us to ever higher levels of personal debt, which in turn will bring about crushing collapse when it all finally catches up with us. I agree with some points — … Read more

Being fat (or at least, just overweight) won’t kill you. And it might even let you live longer. Last year, the Centers for Disease Control announced that obesity was the number #2 preventable cause of death among Americans, coming in right behind tobacco-related deaths. Coming after the release of Super Size Me, two lawsuits against … Read more

The Democrats want me. Really they do. Why else would they keep calling me at home? Over the last month, I’ve received two phone calls from Democratic volunteers querying me about how I intended to vote in the election (and, of course, drumming up voter participation in general — presumably not mentioning that would get … Read more

I’ve been watching John Kerry’s “swift boat” controversy with some interest for the last few weeks. At this point I’m one of those all-important uncommitted independent voters who hasn’t decided which lesser evil he wants to vote for yet. I haven’t seen any of the infamous “Swiftie” ads attacking the circumstances surrounding Kerry’s valorous conduct … Read more

CNN has a story about the growth of home schooling in the United States, which has increased by 29% since 1999. What I found interesting about the article isn’t the growth of home schooling — it’s hardly a surprise to anyone outside of liberal circles (and maybe them as well), it’s this paraphrase from Ted … Read more