In part 3 of this series I argued that the changes in employment are the main driver behind the massive rise in inequality in the US. That inevitably brings out a number of responses for how to address inequality, none of which I believe will actually work. At the end of that post I already showed a graph that debunks the notion that this can be solved through better education (at least of the traditional variety). Similarly we now have calls for better labor organizing and higher minimum wag...

In part 3 of this series I argued that the changes in employment are the main driver behind the massive rise in inequality in the US. That inevitably brings out a number of responses for how to address inequality, none of which I believe will actually work. At the end of that post I already showed a graph that debunks the notion that this can be solved through better education (at least of the traditional variety). Similarly we now have calls for better labor organizing and higher minimum wag...

I was very happy to see President Obama win a second term last night. For starters it was gratifying that despite all sorts of last minute challenges this was not a close vote with hanging chads and damage to the integrity of the democratic process. It was also a compelling repudiation of candidates with backward positions on issues such as abortion and women’s rights more generally. But there are important issues on which I have have deeply disagreed with the approach taken by the Obama admi...

I was very happy to see President Obama win a second term last night. For starters it was gratifying that despite all sorts of last minute challenges this was not a close vote with hanging chads and damage to the integrity of the democratic process. It was also a compelling repudiation of candidates with backward positions on issues such as abortion and women’s rights more generally. But there are important issues on which I have have deeply disagreed with the approach taken by the Obama admi...

I have started reading Antifragile by Nassim Taleb (review coming when I am done with it). As an early example of a system that gets better under stress he mentions city states (presumably as they existed in ancient Greece). At USV we have been thinking about jurisdictional competition as a way to run more experiments during a time of change. We have focused on small countries such as Iceland and Singapore which might pass progressive Internet legislation but there are relatively few of those...

I have started reading Antifragile by Nassim Taleb (review coming when I am done with it). As an early example of a system that gets better under stress he mentions city states (presumably as they existed in ancient Greece). At USV we have been thinking about jurisdictional competition as a way to run more experiments during a time of change. We have focused on small countries such as Iceland and Singapore which might pass progressive Internet legislation but there are relatively few of those...

Because I consider myself a peer progressive who believes in some role for government and the existence of market failures, I usually don’t agree with Senator Rand Paul. But I strongly support the basis of his filibuster of John Brennan’s nomination: highlighting the excessive powers available to and sought by the President with regard to killing American citizens without due process. I have long felt that President Obama is completely on the wrong side of the drone program which is an exampl...

Because I consider myself a peer progressive who believes in some role for government and the existence of market failures, I usually don’t agree with Senator Rand Paul. But I strongly support the basis of his filibuster of John Brennan’s nomination: highlighting the excessive powers available to and sought by the President with regard to killing American citizens without due process. I have long felt that President Obama is completely on the wrong side of the drone program which is an exampl...

First: Happy New Year! Second: Tech Tuesdays will resume next week. And now on to the topic of this post. Washington is starting us off into 2013 with a whimper. In a slightly past the artificial fiscal cliff deadline compromise we find ourselves with a nano bargain that amounts to the proverbial rearranging of the deck chairs on the Titanic. There are lots of analyses published today about what’s in the bargain (increased taxes) and what isn’t (debt ceiling). Also lot’s of talk about what th...

First: Happy New Year! Second: Tech Tuesdays will resume next week. And now on to the topic of this post. Washington is starting us off into 2013 with a whimper. In a slightly past the artificial fiscal cliff deadline compromise we find ourselves with a nano bargain that amounts to the proverbial rearranging of the deck chairs on the Titanic. There are lots of analyses published today about what’s in the bargain (increased taxes) and what isn’t (debt ceiling). Also lot’s of talk about what th...

I had a topic in mind for today’s post but in light of the elementary school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, that can wait until another day. As a father of three, the thought of children being killed by a gunman is horrifying beyond any comprehension. I have written before that I support stricter gun control. The research on gun violence across states and countries supports the view that limiting access to guns helps reduce gun violence. Common sense tells us the same. We have to make acce...

I had a topic in mind for today’s post but in light of the elementary school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, that can wait until another day. As a father of three, the thought of children being killed by a gunman is horrifying beyond any comprehension. I have written before that I support stricter gun control. The research on gun violence across states and countries supports the view that limiting access to guns helps reduce gun violence. Common sense tells us the same. We have to make acce...

I tweeted earlier this week that I had switched my voter registration to New York City from Westchester (something that can be done online in New York State!). I will vote in the upcoming presidential election and I will vote for President Obama. But unlike 2008, when I did so enthusiastically, this time it will be with a heavy heart. As John Stewart once put it so succinctly, “we would have hoped for some audacity." Now it is a lot easier to criticize the president than to do his job. And I ...

I tweeted earlier this week that I had switched my voter registration to New York City from Westchester (something that can be done online in New York State!). I will vote in the upcoming presidential election and I will vote for President Obama. But unlike 2008, when I did so enthusiastically, this time it will be with a heavy heart. As John Stewart once put it so succinctly, “we would have hoped for some audacity." Now it is a lot easier to criticize the president than to do his job. And I ...

I have been wanting to write about the sequester for a couple of days and have been stymied by not knowing where to start because I deeply disagree with both sides. It’s a bit like observing two of our kids fight with each other when both are clearly in the wrong – who do you turn to first? So here is my attempt at blurting it all out in condensed version. We need to change pretty much everything about the federal budget: how much money goes through government, how it is raised, what we spend...

I have been wanting to write about the sequester for a couple of days and have been stymied by not knowing where to start because I deeply disagree with both sides. It’s a bit like observing two of our kids fight with each other when both are clearly in the wrong – who do you turn to first? So here is my attempt at blurting it all out in condensed version. We need to change pretty much everything about the federal budget: how much money goes through government, how it is raised, what we spend...

The latest round of fighting coming out of Washington is disheartening because we all seem to be caught up in discussing the tactics of the trillion dollar coin. All the focus is on a single battle and the objective of the war seems murky at best if not entirely forgotten. Even the less spending versus more revenue versus some mix of the two discussion is almost entirely devoid of actual content. The real question we should be debating is what kind of society we envision ten or twenty years f...

The latest round of fighting coming out of Washington is disheartening because we all seem to be caught up in discussing the tactics of the trillion dollar coin. All the focus is on a single battle and the objective of the war seems murky at best if not entirely forgotten. Even the less spending versus more revenue versus some mix of the two discussion is almost entirely devoid of actual content. The real question we should be debating is what kind of society we envision ten or twenty years f...

There are two major battles brewing at the moment, one domestic and one international that both deserve close attention and require citizen action. TLDR version: go to (1) WhatIsTheITU and (2) VanishingRights, take action there and help spread the word. On the international side the attempt by the ITU to take over regulation of the Internet is in full swing. I had briefly mentioned this before and at the time many folks dismissed it as something that wouldn’t gain any traction. But with major...

There are two major battles brewing at the moment, one domestic and one international that both deserve close attention and require citizen action. TLDR version: go to (1) WhatIsTheITU and (2) VanishingRights, take action there and help spread the word. On the international side the attempt by the ITU to take over regulation of the Internet is in full swing. I had briefly mentioned this before and at the time many folks dismissed it as something that wouldn’t gain any traction. But with major...