American Physicians Make a Lot of Money!

They average more than any other occupation and considerably more than their European counterparts.

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The Good Old Days

Back when people were kinder and man’s word was his bond.

Maybe Calling People “White Trash” is Unnecessary?

Carville, MTG, and hierarchy in America.

We’re Doomed! Doomed!

We’re all gonna die, folks.

Roman Concrete Healed Itself

Why millenia-old concrete outlasts its modern version.

FTC Wants to Ban Noncompete Clauses

A proposed rule would increase the freedom of a huge segment of the labor force.

University of California TAs and Postdocs on Strike!

A showdown over wages could upend the apprenticeship arrangement that has long characterized graduate education.

Ben Sasse to Leave Senate to Become Florida President

The Nebraska Republican got an offer he can’t refuse.

The January 6 Hearings Didn’t Change Entrenched Opinion

Can American democracy survive its information bubbles?

Dueling Takes on the End of Roe

So, what now?

Maximal Angst Despite Minimal Cause

Quite often, political fights are about attitudes rather than issues and polices.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki looks on as Domestic Policy Advisor Susan Rice delivers remarks during a briefing Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021, in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Chandler West) White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki looks on as Domestic Policy Advisor Susan Rice delivers remarks during a briefing Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021, in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Chandler West)

Susan Rice, Comma Queen

President Biden’s domestic policy chief is a stickler for grammar.

How Critical Race Theory Suddenly Hit the Mainstream

A pandemic and the rise of Zoom meetings unleashed an academic theory into the wild.

Social Distancing is (Almost) Useless

Another early COVID myth has been shattered.

Unskilled? No Problem!

Are we thinking about job training all wrong?

The Silly ‘Dr. Biden’ Kerfuffle

A silly, sexist WSJ op-ed has generated plenty of attention.

Pentagon Policy Chief Ousted

The purge of non-loyalists continues.

Does Stop-and-Frisk Disqualify Bloomberg for President?

The policy was undeniably harmful and unconstitutional. Is it forgivable?

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Analysis vs Advocacy

A recurring source of friction in the OTB conversation.

LTC Vindman Update

Revisiting a recent post.

More on Moore

John Fund thinks I am afraid of Stephen Moore (and that I am an economist). He is wrong on both counts.

Trump’s Intellectuals?

A WaPo writer takes a round-about path to demonstrate the obvious.

Does the Military Really Need More Strategists?

My latest for War on the Rocks.

Defense Contractor Fires Employee Linked To White Supremacist Group

A man who had been identified as an assailant at last year’s Charlottesville rally and apparent member of a white supremacist organization has been dismissed by defense contractor Northrop Grumman.

Honorifics, Gender, and Journalism

A seemingly innocuous change to a newspaper style guide has some significant implications.

Ryan Zinke the ‘Geologist’

CNN reports that the Interior Secretary, who claims to be a “geologist,” merely has a geology degree.

The Internet is Forever. Should it Be?

The ‘permanent record’ of yesteryear is now real. Should there be limitations?

The Cable TV Presidency

The Trump presidency is the latest step in treating commentators like policy experts. It is all a manifestation of how the modern GOP is a populist party.

Larry Kudlow Trump’s Next Economic Advisor

Best known as a television host, he served in the Reagan administration and chief economist of Bear Stearns.

David Clarke’s Plagiarized Masters Thesis

The infamous former sheriff and current Trump Homeland Security official committed academic fraud.

Thoughts about the Trump National Security Team

Trump appears to undervaluing existing bureaucracies listening more to hacks and ideologues.

Previewing The Biggest Night So Far In The 2016 Race For President

By the end of the night, we’re likely to be in an entirely new phase of the race for both the Republican and Democratic nominations.

The Rug Rat Race

Paradoxically, the children of affluent parents are less happy than those of the poor.

Stealing a College Education

Lee Siegel takes to the NYT to explain “Why I Defaulted on My Student Loans.”

The Complexity of Genocide

The Holocaust was a very atypical case of genocide.

Professor-Cop Blames Victims of Police Violence

17-year veteran of the LAPD says, “If you don’t want to get hurt, don’t challenge me.”

Are Federal Executives Underpaid?

Can we fix the VA at what government pays?

Bill Watterson Returns

Bill Watterson, the man who drew the legendary “Calvin and Hobbes” strip, was back. And now he’s gone again.

New York Times Discovers Adjunct Professors

The editorial board of the nation’s newspaper of record laments a quarter century-old trend.

How Professors Spend Their Time

An oldie but goodie from PhD comics is making the rounds.

H.R. McMaster Gets Third Star, Charge of Army Future

A rather impressive recovery from a career that was mostly dead in 2007.

Does International Aid Work? Who Knows?

Two experts debate the topic, demonstrating how little we really know.

Do What You Hate?

The advice “Do what you love. Love what you do” is not without pitfalls.

Alexandros Petersen Killed in Taliban Attack

Dr. Alexandros Petersen, a scholar of Eurasian energy and a former colleague at the Atlantic Council, was killed in a bomb blast in Kabul.

Tea Party Senate Candidate In Mississippi Has Ties To Neo-Confederate/Secessionist Group

Several conservative groups have jumped on the bandwagon of what appears to be a controversial Mississippi politician.

Guantanamo Costs $2.7 Million Per Prisoner

Keeping 166 detainees in Gitmo costs taxpayers $454 million.

History Bogarting Its Dissertations

The AHA is calling for a six-year embargo of history dissertations.

Glen Coffee, Former Alabama and 49er Football Star, Graduates Airborne School

When Glen Coffee abruptly retired from a promising NFL career, most wondered what he was up to. Now we know.