News
Defining “Free College”
Making state college education free is a cornerstone of several progressive agendas, most notably that of Bernie Sanders. While I support the concept, as usual the devil is in the details. First, are we talking strictly about college in the traditional sense of two-year community colleges and four-year institutions conveying a Bachelor's Degree or higher? Or should we include trade schools? Traditionally, blue collar trades have been looked down on by those in white [...]
The Little Man is Badly Bent
Note: This is my first post and I've pinned it up top temporarily so that the initial visitors to this new site can see it. At some point in the not-to-distant future I'll unpin it. 2019 started on a sour note, at least for hardcore country & western fans. Steve Ripley died four days into the new year. Ripley was the founder, and only permanent member, of a loosely-affiliated brotherhood of musicians who put [...]
Domestic Security Alliance Council
The Domestic Security Alliance Council (DSAC) is a strategic partnership between the U.S. government and the U.S. private industry that enhances communication and promotes the timely and effective exchange of security and intelligence information between the federal government and the private sector.
Aluminum tariffs have led to a strong recovery in employment, production, and investment in primary aluminum and downstream industries
One and a half years ago, the U.S. primary aluminum industry was hanging on by a thread. Between 2010 and 2017, 18 of 23 domestic aluminum smelters shut down, eliminating roughly 13,000 good domestic jobs. In 2016, there were three alumina refineries supplying U.S. smelters; by 2017, only one remained in operation.1 In 2017 the Commerce Department launched Section 232 investigations to determine whether aluminum (and steel) imports were a threat to national security.2
Nomination and Confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh
Thea Riofrancos wrote a piece (hyperlink) for In These Times on November 19th that provides a perfect lead-in to what I want to address today. Here's what she had to say about what the nomination and confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court demonstrated: Kavanaugh was granted a lifetime appointment to a deeply undemocratic institution. He was confirmed by a legislative body that counts some votes more than others, giving the loudest voice [...]