Headlines about stagnant inflation-adjusted wages in the US, are becoming increasingly common. Real wages have not budged since the 60’s: However, WSJ had an article discussing how wages are higher when measured by a different inflation index, and also after accounting for increased employee benefits in the form of employer-subsidized healthcare. This trend is not… Continue reading Stagnant Inflation-Adjusted US Wages: Putting Things in Perspective
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Why NRx is Popular on Reddit
Reddit’s users are predominantly millennials, and ideologically, the site tends to have an anti-authoritarian, anti-establishment, and contrarian bias, yet NRx and related ‘Dark Enlightenment’ views are surprisingly popular there despite reactionaries generally advocating ‘more power’, not less. When Moldbug in 2016 did an AMA it was very well-received, and judging by the up-votes, many Reddit… Continue reading Why NRx is Popular on Reddit
Trump Presidency: Sober Expectations
Trump’s inauguration speech was very ambitious….if he accomplishes just 10% of it (and assuming there are no negative economic consequences), his presidency will be a success. Of course, it’s very hard to predict how history will judge Trump, but I’m predicting he will surpass expectations, meaning that he’ll be a better president than many in… Continue reading Trump Presidency: Sober Expectations
A Skeptic’s View of Fred’s IQ Artilce
From Fred Reed; IQ: A Skeptic’s View As anyone who has read Fred Reed’s columns knows, he has a soft spot for Mexico, possibly stemming from the fact he lives there with his wife and children, ardently defending the country against so-called ‘IQ-ists’ who insist Mexico only has an IQ of around 85, which Mr.… Continue reading A Skeptic’s View of Fred’s IQ Artilce
The ‘New World Order’
From Unz: Risks and Opportunities for 2017 Russia is now the most powerful country on the planet. I know, I know, the Russian economy is relatively small, Russia has plenty of problems and just a year ago Obama dismissed Russia as a “regional power” while McCain referred to her as a “gas station masquerading as… Continue reading The ‘New World Order’
Debunking the 90% Eisenhower Income Tax Myth
From Unz: The Trump Bubble The author, Mike Whiney, cites a study that the US economy did better when income tax rates for top earners were at 80-90% during the Eisenhower administration, compared to around 34% today. “A study from the Congressional Research Service — the non-partisan research office for Congress — shows that “there… Continue reading Debunking the 90% Eisenhower Income Tax Myth
Why Choose Pacifism
Pacifism is not about giving up or conceding – it’s about perspective, in picking and choosing your battles wisely, as well as maximizing one’s present situation with the resources at his or her disposal. The failure of conservatism over the past 40 years to halt–let alone reverse–leftism, is evidence of the failure of activism as… Continue reading Why Choose Pacifism
Trump and the Alt-Right: A Return to ‘Localism’
The alt-right is new, but it’s intellectually descended from the John Birch Society and Pat Buchanan brand of conservatism, which failed to gained wide acceptance. It ended when Reagan, who promoted a message and policy of unity, won twice by significant margins, changing the course of American national politics from one of identity to one… Continue reading Trump and the Alt-Right: A Return to ‘Localism’
The Long Peace, and the Slowdown
In an earlier post Our Less Participatory Times, I discuss how political blogging, by in large, peaked in 2012-2013, and I still stand by that. Part of the problem is pundits, bloggers, commentators, and writers in the ‘political sphere’ are starved for ‘something to happen’, so we have to either go in circles, invent or… Continue reading The Long Peace, and the Slowdown
Inaction and Indifference as Rebellion
Activism includes but is not limited to telling people what to do or what to believe. By that definition, mainstream liberalism and conservatism is activist. There is an authoritarian and conformist tone to it that implores the subject to do something; for example, for the left, ‘you must spread your wealth and check your privilege’,… Continue reading Inaction and Indifference as Rebellion