Tag / Donald

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  • Sorting, Polarization, And Gridlock: Policy Finds A Way

    [su_pullquote align=”right”]Legislative gridlock hasn’t stopped policy from being made, it’s now just being made outside of the normal channels in ways strain our constitutional and political system.[/su_pullquote]American government is broken. Supermajoritarian institutions in the United States, most notably the Senate, have created legislative gridlock and frustrated majorities. The Senate effectively requires 60 votes to pass…

  • The Antidote To The Sino-American Trade Conflict

    For most of human history all but a sliver of the populace scraped by on a meager income below the current International Poverty Line of just $1.90. Not until the Enlightenment in the West did global wealth experience a significant, sustained increase over time. Not coincidentally, the interval since the Enlightenment has also been the…

  • Red Tape Blues: The Need For More Bureaucratic Independence

    We often use ‘bureaucracy’ as a dirty word. Everyone has a horror story about waiting in line for hours at the DMV or spending ages trying to file their taxes correctly. Dealing with red tape has become part of Americans’ day-to-day life. [su_pullquote align=”right”]The legislative branch makes policy, but bureaucracy is how policy actually happens.[/su_pullquote]Since most…

  • The Resistance?

    The “resistance,” a movement ignited by the election of Trump, is for the most part Democratic, although it attracts varying degrees of Republican solidarity on certain issues. Although one might expect such a movement to resist Trump from the left, far too often it appears that the “resistance” is content to either assist in the…

  • You’re Not Convincing Anyone

    If you’re following this election, you probably have strong feelings about one or both can­didates. Odds are, you’ve tried to convince friends and family to vote one way or another. If that’s you, then you’ve probably had the follow­ing conversation: Voter A: You should vote for Candidate X be­cause he/she is the lesser of two…

  • America’s “Enemy Aliens”

    America’s fraught relationship with Islam has a recent history. After decades filled with embattled rhetoric and devastating wars, America has arrived at a juncture where refugees and fear are the tragic results. This cru­cible is where Presidential candidate Donald Trump stands, talking about tracking Muslims, stopping Muslim immigration, and surveil­ling Muslim communities. In November 2015,…

  • Talking to Trump People

    In the days leading up to the debate at Washington University, the usually taboo topic of politics was one of the only things people could talk about. Although Missouri is a mostly red state, Washington University is more liberal due to the large number of students from the East and West coasts. If someone is…