Author: the Author
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When the Algorithm Becomes the Editor
(or, Why We’re All Writing to a Machine Now) We like to imagine a time when publishing a personal essay or opinion piece meant finding an editor: a human who read your words, pushed back, asked questions, demanded clarity, or caught flaws. That dynamic made writing alive. Today, many of us put our prose into…
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America’s Hyperinflation Score Just Went Up
The United States is not experiencing hyperinflation. Not today. The grocery store shelves are stocked. The dollar remains the world’s reserve currency. Investors still buy Treasury bonds. Most Americans can go months without thinking about the national debt at all. But if I maintained a Hyperinflation Risk Score—a simple gauge from 0 to 100 measuring…
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“Hey Piggy”
The world cup is upon us. When public figures attend sporting events, fans have few opportunities to express their approval or disapproval in a collective, peaceful way. One form of protest that has long been part of sports culture is the crowd chant. For those who oppose Donald Trump and wish to register their dissent…
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When States Vote in Their Own Best Interest
In American politics, we often hear the accusation that voters “don’t vote in their best interest.” Commentators shake their heads at working-class families supporting tax breaks for billionaires, or wealthy urban professionals backing redistributive policies that raise their own taxes. But the truth is more complicated. States, like individuals, weigh more than just dollars when…
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The $2,500 Iran War Tax
Imagine opening your tax software next spring and discovering something new. Not a revised deduction. Not a change to a tax bracket. Not another worksheet that requires digging through old records. A single line item. Iran War Assessment: $2,500 The number is not hidden. It is not wrapped in bureaucratic language. It is not spread…
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The Politics of Protection: When, If Ever, a President Can End Secret Service Coverage for a Predecessor
The Secret Service stands as one of the few institutions in American life that transcends politics—at least, it’s supposed to. Its charge is not to favor any ideology, party, or personality, but to protect the office of the presidency itself, along with those who have held it. Yet the question—can a current president end Secret…
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An Open Letter: Replace Data Caps with Fair-Share Networks
To telecommunications providers, regulators, policymakers, and network engineers: The internet has become as essential to modern life as electricity, water, and transportation. Yet many broadband and wireless pricing models remain rooted in an earlier era of scarcity, relying on monthly data caps and overage charges that often bear little relationship to the actual constraints of…
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The $10 Internet: Promise and Peril in a Connected Age
Imagine a world where your internet bill is cheaper than your Netflix subscription. Ten dollars a month buys you a modest but functional connection — 10 megabits per second, enough for Zoom calls, HD streaming, and all the browsing you can handle. For millions, that price would be life-changing. For others, it would be a…
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How Iran Beat the United States: The Strange Victory of the 2026 Gulf War
When students first encounter the 2026 Gulf War, many will assume the outcome is obvious. The United States possessed overwhelming military superiority. Israel dominated the skies. Iran’s economy was constrained by sanctions, and its military technology lagged far behind its adversaries. Yet historians generally agree that Iran emerged as the political victor. The explanation begins…
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National Parks: America’s Greatest Investment in Itself
By The Author Every few years, the argument reemerges like clockwork: America’s national parks are a “waste of resources.” Why lock away land rich in coal, oil, or minerals when we could exploit it for economic gain? The logic is tidy, but it is also dangerously shortsighted. To reduce national parks to what lies beneath…
