No VoTech in Public Schools

Posted on 28 February 2020 by eehines

That seems to be the cry of those who object to a potential requirement that students should learn to code by the time they graduate from high school.

The Wall Street Journal ran another of its point-counterpoint debates, this time on the subject of learning coding—the rudiments of programming—over the weekend.

Supporters argue

The idea is that such a skill will be invaluable in a world that increasingly runs on computer technology. What’s more, many companies report shortages of workers with programming skills.

Detractors, in addition to crying crocodile tears over supporters having ties to industry, argue

This is a preview of No VoTech in Public Schools. Read the full post (333 words, estimated 1:20 mins reading time)

Two Political Contestants

Posted on 28 February 2020 by eehines

Progressive-Democrat Ilhan Omar is up for reelection to our House of Representatives in Minnesota’s 5^th District. Dalia al-Aqidi is a Republican candidate for that seat and that office. Some remarks by each are dispositive of their attitudes toward America and us fellow Americans.

Omar:

I am, Hijabi, Muslim, Black, Foreign born, Refugee, Somali[.]
Easily triggering conservatives, Right wing bloggers, anti Muslim bigots, tinfoil conspiracy theorists, birthers, pay me a [dollar] to bash Muslims fraudsters, pro-occupation groups and every single xenophobe since 2016.

Al-Aqidi:

This is a preview of Two Political Contestants. Read the full post (156 words, estimated 37 secs reading time)

Progressive-Democrats’ Tuesday Debate

Posted on 27 February 2020 by eehines

Some are calling it rowdy; others say raucous. There’s this more concrete description, too, from Tony Katz:

Everyone else is talking to each other, yelling at each other, yelling at the moderators, yelling at the guy in the rafters….

And talking over each other, interrupting each other, trying to drown out each other. Recall the 2015-2016 Republican primary debates—they were rowdy, often rude, as participants occasionally interrupted or tried to talk over each other. Tuesday’s Progressive-Democrat debate was nothing but a constant rolling drumbeat of that.

I have a different take on that debate from “some,” “others,” and Katz.

This is a preview of Progressive-Democrats’ Tuesday Debate. Read the full post (337 words, estimated 1:21 mins reading time)

Journalistic Timidity

Posted on 27 February 2020 by eehines

Recall the People’s Republic of China expelling three Wall Street Journal journalists over their article headlined China Is the Real Sick Man of Asia that an outside contributor to the WSJ had written.

Here’s the cynicism of the PRC detractors of that headline;

The phrase “sick man of Asia” was used by outsiders and Chinese intellectuals to refer to a weakened China exploited by European powers and Japan in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

This is a preview of Journalistic Timidity. Read the full post (337 words, estimated 1:21 mins reading time)

In Which a Supreme Court Justice is Wrong

Posted on 26 February 2020 by eehines

Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayor didn’t just get it wrong in her dissent, she is wrong.

In Wolf v Cook County, the Supreme Court upheld the Trump administration’s expansion of its public charge rule regarding immigrant visas to include a bar on

non-cash benefits such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), forms of Medicaid, and certain housing assistance….

Sotomayor opened her dissent from the Court’s decision with this:

Today’s decision follows a now-familiar pattern. The Government seeks emergency relief from this Court, asking it to grant a stay where two lower courts have not. The Government insists—even though review in a court of appeals is imminent—that it will suffer irreparable harm if this Court does not grant a stay. And the Court yields.

This is a preview of In Which a Supreme Court Justice is Wrong. Read the full post (832 words, estimated 3:20 mins reading time)

Bernie Budget

Posted on 26 February 2020 by eehines

Progressive-Democratic Party Presidential candidate and Senator Bernie Sanders (I, VT) has released the outline of his budget, which he claims would pay for all of his Free Stuff spending. Here are a couple of the high points of his budget.

tax the investing process
- 5% tax on stock trades
- 1% fee on bond trades
- 005% fee on derivative trades
wealth tax on the “top 0.1%”

These, without inhibiting investments, including those of the mutual funds in our 401(k)s, 403(b)s, etc, are supposed to raise more than $6 trillion over ten years, and—poof—there go all college expenses and housing costs. Never mind that this would drive up the cost of investing by a factor of five—but no, there’d be no effect on investing.

This is a preview of Bernie Budget. Read the full post (293 words, estimated 1:10 mins reading time)

Deliberately Ignorant

Posted on 25 February 2020 by eehines

In a Wall Street Journal article about the espionage and intellectual property theft threat posed by the People’s Republic of China, Boston University William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor artificial intelligence researcher H Eugene Stanley said this when his PRC research collaborator—whom he enthusiastically took on—said this when she was arrested for lying on her visa and for potential espionage:

I’m not interested at all in politics. I’m a scientist.

And

If a person anywhere in the world wants to come to my group, and they have the money to come, I say why not?

This is a preview of Deliberately Ignorant. Read the full post (407 words, estimated 1:38 mins reading time)

A Cynical Attitude About Health and Health Coverage

Posted on 25 February 2020 by eehines

California demurs from the Trump administration’s position that the State’s mandate to insurers that they must cover abortion violates Federal law. The administration has said it will withhold Federal funding from the State if it doesn’t correct its insurer demand.

The objection to the Trump administration position offered by California’s Attorney General Xavier Becerra, though, is especially disingenuous.

The Trump Administration’s threats not only put women’s health on the line, but illegally threaten crucial public health funding that Californians rely on.

This is a preview of A Cynical Attitude About Health and Health Coverage. Read the full post (233 words, estimated 56 secs reading time)

Some Thoughts on the Nevada Caucus

Posted on 24 February 2020 by eehines

…based on 60% of the precincts reporting. The Nevada map provided at the link indicates that Sanders won the urban counties, Buttigieg won the rural counties, and Biden’s precinct wins are too scattered to show up.

Biden’s showing here indicates he’s wasting his money and Progressive-Democrat primary votes by staying in. He finished second—likely, only 60% of the results are in as I write—and he’s bragging about what a strong showing that is, but the first place finisher got more than twice as many votes as he did. Given the way this campaign began all those months ago, as much as Sanders won so big in Nevada, so big did Biden lose in Nevada.

This is a preview of Some Thoughts on the Nevada Caucus. Read the full post (326 words, estimated 1:18 mins reading time)

Only Elites Should Govern

Posted on 24 February 2020 by eehines

That’s the view of the Left because, after all, average American individual[s are] morally and intellectually inadequate to serious and consistent conception of [our] responsibilities as…democrat[s].

That contempt for us is made explicit by The Washington Post. Writing for the Editors, Director of Graduate Studies for the Political Science and International Affairs MA Programs, Associate Professor and Assistant Chair [who’s she/Marquette trying to convince of her importance: us or Azari?] Julia Azari wrote—and she’s serious:

A better primary system would empower elites to bargain and make decisions, instructed by voters.

This is a preview of Only Elites Should Govern. Read the full post (637 words, estimated 2:33 mins reading time)

A Plebe's Site

Quam bene vivas referre, non quam diu.