Inessentials

I’m not sure if I can do it.
I’ve been following the political conventions fairly closely these last couple weeks. I’ve watched the speeches. I’ve read analyses. I’ve tried to figure out what was truth, what was spin, and what was flat-out lying. That’s meant I’ve given a lot of my attention and mental energy over [...]

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I can’t begin to describe how affecting this image is:

That’s the historic Mickey’s Diner in downtown St. Paul, MN - an icon so beloved and so representative of Minnesota’s vision of itself that it was the setting for the closing scene in Robert Altman’s Prairie Home Companion, written by hometown hero Garrison Keillor. The diner [...]

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In what might turn into a recurring series, I thought I would mention a couple myths about the current election. These myths are ones I’ve heard reported from various news sources or editorials, but simply aren’t true. Repeated often, but not true.
Myth #1: Obama has a problem with Latino voters, an area where McCain is [...]

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How did I not hear about this sooner?
Apparently, some states have passed laws allocating their electoral college delegates based on the national popular vote. According to the consensus reading of the U.S. Constitution, states can decide how to allocate the people who really vote the president: the members of the electoral college. Most states give [...]

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I’ve been interested for a while in the support that Barack Obama has been garnering from many conservative thinkers. (E.g., conservative blogger Andrew Sullivan, those discussed in this “Obamacon” article.) While the vast majority of conservatives will either vote for McCain, vote third-party, or not vote at all this November, a number of prominent conservatives [...]

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Today I was supposed to go for jury duty. I received a notice in the mail a couple months ago. And since I am in between teaching duties, I had no good excuse not to go. Plus, it seemed kind of exciting. I was interested to see how things work on the inside. I even [...]

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The issue about the on-going Democratic primary that gets the most attention is whether the dragged-out primary is destroying the Democratic Party. I have no strong feeling on that matter. It has up-sides and down. I do think, however, the McCain campaign is doing a really, really smart thing in the meanwhile.
First, McCain gives a [...]

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Let’s play a game. It’s called, “Find a reputable economist who thinks the gas tax holiday is a good idea.” Of course, the reason this game is fun is because you’ll have an awfully hard time finding one. Even television reporters have a hard time screwing this one up. Why? Well you can listen to [...]

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Thanks for everyone who has submitted puppy names by commenting on the last post or e-mailing us. I think we have a short-list of two or three names, which we’ll decide on very soon. But it’s not too late for more suggestions.
My thumb is healing fairly well. There might be some scarring, but nothing too [...]

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Quote of the day:
“Low-income urban students know they attend substandard, second-tier schools that lack the technology, resources and extracurricular programs commonplace in schools of more affluent communities. And yet we continue to expect these students to prioritize education when budgetary and funding inequities demonstrate that urban education is neither a local, state, or national priority.”
Will [...]

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