Clips of President Obama’s speech to the NIH in December 2014 have been circulating on social media. Those clips tend to be of short duration and focus on his prediction of a global pandemic and the preparation for it. In contrast to Trump who cut the budgets of the NIH and CDC [1] [2], President … More During a pandemic, we need a president who speaks in paragraphs.
I enthusiastically voted for Obama in 2008 but the sloth like economic recovery and the endless war in Afghanistan have tempered that enthusiasm to the point that I would have carefully considered a credible alternative in 2012. I watched with disappointment as the fringe members of the Republican Party separated the wheat from the chaff … More The camel’s back has been broken – an undecided decides.
I was reminded of the Nirvana Fallacy when it appeared in “Pertussis outbreaks and vaccine effectiveness”[1], posted in Respectful Insolence on September 5, 2012. The point of the article is that those opposed to vaccinations will argue that vaccine effectiveness below 100% is “proof” that vaccinations are all ineffective and therefore should not be used … More Pertussis, Politics and the Nirvana Fallacy (No Nirvana means no Obama?)
Like a moth drawn back to the flame I feel compelled to be singed one more time. It’s a simple equation, increasing oil production is not equal to lowering gas prices (↑ crude oil production ≠ ↓ gas prices). The groundless argument that gasoline prices in the United States would be reduced by increasing the … More ↑ crude oil production ≠ ↓ gas prices
I’m not exactly sure why I can’t seem to let go of this topic. Maybe it’s because I sat through another news cycle with Republican candidates vociferously maintaining that President Obama could somehow affect short term gasoline prices. Once again they cited how the policies of his “anti business” administration were limiting the production of … More Keystone XL, gasoline prices and politicians
One of the most vivid images of the Gulf oil spill is that of Governor Bobby Jindal walking the shoreline and lambasting the administration for not moving quickly to build sand berms to protect the shore. He argued passionately that something had to be done and that the administration was failing. What the administration did … More Jindal’s berms: Critical thinking and politics
The tax extension compromise of 2010 will add 900 billion dollars to the national debt with the goal of accelerating the economic recovery. To agree to the compromise the Republicans held firm to extending the tax cuts to income in excess of $250,000. This action by itself will add $120 billion* to the national debt … More $120 Billion is a lot of pork
I’ve long believed there was a fundamental misunderstanding of how our tax system works that has lead to groundless support for extending the Bush tax cuts to incomes over $250,000. I partially addressed the topic in a previous posting, The arithmetic of taxing the “rich”. What I did not address was how the message was being … More Bipartisan support for tax cuts for everyone.
Its a classic example of effectively controlling a message. The proponents of extending the Bush tax cuts appear to have won the battle for defining the message that resonates with a large segment of the voters, “You don’t need a tax increase”. The fact that the sound bite message is based on a false premise … More The arithmetic of taxing the “rich”
Confronting Mediocrity 