U.S. Needs Immigrants To Maintain Global Economic and Political Power

"Demography is destiny," supposedly said 19th-century French philosopher Auguste Comte, noting that increases in population enhance the political and economic power of a region or nation, while decreases in population reduce the economic or political power of a region or nation. China and Russia are losing population, so is India and Japan, partly due to …

2 Books on ‘Tyranny of the Minority’ in the U.S.

PBS News Hour: "America’s democracy is in an uncharted and fragile place, according to two Harvard government professors. In their new book, “Tyranny of the Minority,” Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt say politicians are welcoming anti-democratic extremists into their party ranks and part of the problem lies in the Constitution. Laura Barrón-López spoke with the …

Abortion As A Divisive Issue Can End

The American people clearly favor choice and abortion rights, not bans. In every state, including conservative ones, where abortion has been on the ballot, choice has won and bans have lost. Consensus is emerging in state referenda. There may be dozens more in 2024. Should Congress fully restore abortion rights by a simple narrow majority …

Environmental Movement History, Observed Around Earth Day, April 22

April 22 being Earth Day, I posted on Substack a remembrance of Rachel Carson (1907-1964). And here, some videos and a link to the history of the Environmental Movement. News coverage this year focused on climate change optimism. "There's plenty to feel good about," reports USA Today. Propublica: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30xLg2HHg8Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Rrop3EJIzI There are lots more videos …

A Historical View of the ‘Deep State’ Since the 1950s

My Substack e-newsletter examines claims by both the right and the left that a "deep state" controls American government. I examine conspiratorial views of government workers since the 1950s, from communists supposedly infiltrating the U.S. government to defense workers conspiring with contractors to profit from "forever wars" in the 1960s and 1970s, to Donald Trump's …

What Is The ‘Deep State’?

If Donald Trump is elected, he promises to fire 50,000 civil servants, who he calls the "Deep State." But who are they? The NYT explains. Is There Really A Deep State? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAX--pvc71s Study Hall: "The presidency of Donald Trump was full of allegations of a “Deep State” — a secret network of corrupt government bureaucrats …

How to Combat Political Misinformation

Sharon McMahon, a former high school government and law teacher on a mission to combat political misinformation by sharing non-partisan facts about the US government, democracy and history. She is the host of the top-rated “Here’s Where It Gets Interesting” podcast, seeking to inspire people to become more well-informed citizens. She spoke with Steve Schmidt, founder of his …

“Let Us Never Forget…

That government is ourselves, and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President, senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country." -- Franklin Roosevelt.

Venturing Out of Echo Chambers, Seeking Viewpoint Diversity

I mourn the decline of the newspaper op-ed page and the era when good citizens felt compelled to routinely read opinions from writers who had very different perspectives than their own. Persuasion is, I fear, a lost art. People don’t know how to disagree as civilly as they used to. Assigned to make a persuasive …

Is US Democracy Broken? Majority Rule in Danger

Noting the differences between a democracy and a republic, I explain in my Substack column that the shift toward democracy in the U.S. since 1920 is now endangered, and we may be moving toward autocracy. Instead of expanding voting and other rights, we may be in a period of retrenchment. This is part of a …