By now it is no longer a secret that the NSA has been conducting a massive data gathering effort on US citizens. Let me say right up front: doing this in secret and reviewed only in closed door hearings and subject only to a secret court is fundamentally incompatible with democracy. The potential for abuse, especially when combined with other excessive powers given to government by the Patriot Act, is simply unacceptable. On the other side I completely see why having this data could in fact b...

By now it is no longer a secret that the NSA has been conducting a massive data gathering effort on US citizens. Let me say right up front: doing this in secret and reviewed only in closed door hearings and subject only to a secret court is fundamentally incompatible with democracy. The potential for abuse, especially when combined with other excessive powers given to government by the Patriot Act, is simply unacceptable. On the other side I completely see why having this data could in fact b...

I wrote a bit of a rant recently about the structural changes in our economy and society that need to be addressed. What we are getting instead – not surprisingly – is a lame last minute compromise on the debt ceiling that includes absolutely no additional revenues for the government (“it’s all cuts!”). This essentially means that the Democrats and the President caved completely on their original positions (that’s simply an assessment of the outcome, whether or not you happened to agree with ...

I wrote a bit of a rant recently about the structural changes in our economy and society that need to be addressed. What we are getting instead – not surprisingly – is a lame last minute compromise on the debt ceiling that includes absolutely no additional revenues for the government (“it’s all cuts!”). This essentially means that the Democrats and the President caved completely on their original positions (that’s simply an assessment of the outcome, whether or not you happened to agree with ...