War is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength, and a tax increase for families in poverty is "great news." Continue reading

The Tsarnaev brothers illustrate why there's more to immigration policy than just stopping people at the border. Continue reading

Watertown was such a quiet little place. Elizabeth and I lived there when we first married -- our marriage certificate still sits in the town hall. Before this morning, its main claim to fame was as home to the highest concentration of Aremenian immigrants in the United States. Our landlord was Armenian; his elderly mother used to tend a small plot of tomato vines outside our window. Our cat would sit in the open window on warm summer days and hiss at her when she came near. She would just laugh. I'll always have fond memories of that place and... Continue reading

One bourbon, one voice mail, and a few thoughts. Continue reading

If you want to cut income tax rates in North Carolina, making up the revenue with property taxes -- not sales taxes -- would make a lot of sense. And dollars. Continue reading

Another case of evidence casting doubt on an article of faith. Continue reading

A reminder to be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it. Continue reading

Environmentalism is consistent with fundamental tax reform, personal responsibility, market-based solutions, and the Republicans' own legacy from TR on down. So why not embrace it? Continue reading

It's not about who pays taxes, and it's not about who collects benefits. It's about fatalism. Continue reading

With rates this low, it's hardly worth anything anyway! Continue reading

You might not need to understand algebra to get a job, but there's more to life than working. Continue reading

It may well be a good time to invest in infrastructure. But how do we stop ourselves from building roads to nowhere? Continue reading

You don't hear Hungary mentioned in the same breath as Greece, Italy or Spain. But that doesn't mean that all is well here. Continue reading

It can be done -- without resorting to big donors or government subsidy -- but bear in mind that you do get what you pay for. Continue reading

What's the most rewarding way to bide your time while earning the credential you need to go to law school? Continue reading

A college degree may be the key to employability, but some keys unlock more doors than others. Continue reading

George Zimmerman is easy to detest, but will be extremely hard to convict. Continue reading

We don't need journals or presses to disseminate work, and we don't really need them to evaluate the impact of a piece of research. So what exactly are they good for? Continue reading

Good information is better than no information. Bad information may be worse... Continue reading

If we want to think about tossing affirmative action in college admissions, there are some other practices that might be worth tossing too. Continue reading

Mooresville, NC has indeed witnessed improvements in test scores, but don't be too sure that computers are the reason why. Continue reading

Why rural America is not rushing to join the "occupy" movement. Continue reading

A reminder that equality is not the greatest thing if it only means that everybody is poor. Continue reading

A couple of notes regarding Sean Reardon's outstanding research on the income-based test score gap. Continue reading

Links to all the data... Continue reading