Tom Burgis has done amazing research into the web of kleptocrats that has risen out of the fall of the Soviet Union. Most of the focus is on Russian mobster Semion Mogilevich and the Kazakh Trio of oligarchs that own Eurasian Natural Resources Company.
Continue reading “Book Review: Kleptopia”Tag: politics
Why Did Some Schools Reopen Faster During the Pandemic than Others?
I just looooove when non-educators argue with me about education policy. It’s amazing that somebody who watched a 5-minute editorial segment on cable TV thinks they know enough about education in a pandemic to lecture someone who has spent over 200 days teaching during a pandemic. Today’s argument: that schools that “closed” (stayed online) should not have received any federal government funding this year. Let’s break this down.
Continue reading “Why Did Some Schools Reopen Faster During the Pandemic than Others?”The Constitutional Case for the EPA
There has been a lot of attention around President Trump’s director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Scott Pruitt. It was clear when Pruitt was appointed that the Trump administration was not taking environmental protection seriously. Pruitt has proved this assumption right by spending taxpayer money frivolously as well as using his post to help his wife find a job. While the Obama administration took the EPA’s responsibilities more seriously than this administration, it had its own share of failures, including taking 10 months to act on information that the city of Flint was not properly treating its water to prevent toxic lead contamination. The EPA has needed better direction for a long time. Let’s explore why that is so important. Continue reading “The Constitutional Case for the EPA”
Market Monday #6: Comparative Advantage
It is Memorial Day, and we are celebrating our freedom by bragging about the economy, putting immigrants in “detention centers” reminiscent of WW2 concentration camps, and punching drunk women on the Jersey shore. We need to realize the value of our fellow human beings, whether they be soldiers, immigrants, or even drunk women on the beach. Let’s stop blaming each other and hurting each other. Empathy is better for morality, but it is also better for the economy. Continue reading “Market Monday #6: Comparative Advantage”
Econ4All 