Quirky thoughts from an old man.
WWIT is an acronym for What Was I Thinking. It was started as a way for me to comment on current affairs so that this record won’t have gaps like there are in my Vietnam journal.
In Phoenix we had an election last week about whether we should continue building the light rail. I voted yes which meant I was opposed to continuing building it. Continue reading “WWIT Episode 4, Light Rail in Phoenix”
I am an optimist. I think it is realistic to strive to eliminate extreme poverty in the world and over time provide all of humanity with the opportunity for a prosperous life. So when I look at proposed actions the metrics I apply are simple: “does this policy help or hurt poor working people?” and “does this policy increase prosperity in the world in a sustainable way.” President Trump’s trade policy doesn’t pass either of my tests. It is bad for poor people in the short run and is bad economic policy in the long run. Continue reading “WWIT Episode 3, Trade”
What Was I Thinking About Israel
Nowadays most of our politics is about what outrage President Trump has perpetrated this week. The national press has shown itself to be extremely biased against the president. Even the pictures they run of him are the least attractive they can find. But it is what it is.
This week the President in his slightly inarticulate and extremely exaggerated fashion said that Jewish Americans were being “disloyal” if they voted for Democrats. The media went into overload. “Trump is a secret anti-Semite.” was the general tenor of the coverage. The background was that two Muslim Democrat Congresswomen wanted to go to Palestine and get publicity. Israel decided not to issue them visas. Trump supported Israel. Who is the anti-Semite here?
I am not a fan of President Trump. But that does not mean that he is wrong on every issue. Even when he states it in an inarticulate fashion. It reminds me of President Obama’s remark to Joe the Plumber: “You didn’t build this.” Instead of parsing every word they utter, watch what they do over the long run. On Israel I think Trump is mostly right. On immigration and trade he has points but he is mostly wrong.
WWIT What Was I Thinking About Mass Shootings
Last week there were two shooting incidents in the US that made headlines, and required political responses. The shootings were horrible young white men used big guns to shoot innocent people in public places. Nobody wants this to happen. But how can we keep it from happening? Probably we can’t but a political response is required. Continue reading “WWIT (What Was I Thinking)”