Category: Politics & Society
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“And Do the Other Things”: What Kennedy Was Really Asking of America
When John F. Kennedy stood before a crowd at Rice University in 1962 and declared, “We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things,” he wasn’t padding a sentence. He was embedding a worldview. The Moon gets the headlines. The rockets get the documentaries. But “the other things” is…
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The Infrastructure We Complain About Is the Infrastructure Others Dream Of
There is a quiet absurdity embedded in modern wealth: the louder a society complains about its infrastructure, the more likely it is that its infrastructure already works. In wealthy nations, people rage about potholes that would be impassable roads elsewhere. They curse broadband speeds that would be transformative in poorer countries. They treat a delayed…
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The First Place That Will Rename Itself for Trump Won’t Be New York—It Will Be a Message
There is a certain inevitability to the question. Not if, but where. At some point, some jurisdiction in the United States will attempt something more radical than a highway sign or a commemorative plaque. A town council vote. A county resolution. A ballot initiative. A place that decides it does not merely want to honor…
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Behind on Reviews, Ahead on Excuses
There is a strange arithmetic creeping into the machinery of government. It isn’t the arithmetic of budgets, deficits, or GDP—it’s the arithmetic of oversight. And the math doesn’t add up. Across agencies, periodic reviews—whether for safety, compliance, or financial accountability—are falling further and further behind. Once-regular inspections now pile up like unopened mail, while agencies…
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The Day America Declared Puberty a Legal Qualification
Lowering the age of majority in the United States to 14 would not be a reform.It would be a confession. A confession that we have finally given up pretending adulthood is about judgment, experience, or responsibility—and have instead decided it is merely about paperwork and vibes. Supporters would call it empowerment. Freedom. Trust in youth.Opponents…
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The Best Case for Legalizing Drug Use: How America Ends the Drug War Without Losing Its Mind
America’s drug policy has failed in a very specific, very measurable way. It has not failed because people still use drugs. That was never a realistic benchmark. It has failed because the policy we chose—criminalization, scarcity, punishment—maximized death, disorder, and black-market power while minimizing treatment, stability, and truth. The question is no longer whether the…
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Title: “Everyone Hates Potholes (But God Forbid We Fix Them)”
Ah, infrastructure—the silent, crumbling backbone of society that we all love to ignore until it personally inconveniences us. Nothing unites humanity quite like our collective rage at potholes, rotting bridges, and public transit that moves slower than a sedated sloth. Yet, the second anyone suggests fixing these problems, the outcry is deafening. “The Roads Are…
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That Time a Sheriff’s Big Brain Solution to Drugs Was… Just Poison Everyone
Because nothing says “justice” like a little casual mass murder. You’ve heard this one before. Some grizzled, mustachioed sheriff—probably while chewing tobacco and glaring at a mugshot of a teenager who dared to smoke weed—declares, “Hell, I could solve the drug problem overnight if they’d just let me lace all that crap with poison!” Cue…
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Why America’s Health Care System is a Hot Mess (And How to Fix It)
Let’s be real: the U.S. health care system is like a Rube Goldberg machine designed by a sadist. You jump through hoops, fill out forms in triplicate, and still end up with a bill that looks like the national debt of a small country. Meanwhile, 30 million people are uninsured because—surprise!—tying health care to your…
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“AI Will Decide the 2028 Election—And No, You Don’t Get a Say”
Oh, good news, democracy fans! By the time the 2028 U.S. presidential election rolls around, your vote won’t just be competing with gerrymandering, dark money, and cable news pundits—it’ll also be up against an army of hyper-intelligent AI systems that know you better than your therapist, your ex, or even your Alexa. Remember when we…
