Economics and History
This category follows the long arc of how societies rise, trade, adapt, and sometimes fall. I’ve always felt that living in the Pacific Northwest, where old logging towns sit beside modern tech corridors, makes it easier to see how economic forces and historical currents shape each other in real time. Here you’ll find articles that explore economic systems, historical turning points, and the archaeological clues that anchor both. The goal is to connect past and present with clear analysis, so we can understand not just what happened, but why it still matters now.
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How the Heritage Foundation Helped Hollow Out Conservatism
When the Heritage Foundation was founded in the 1970s, it presented itself as a corrective to what conservatives saw as a technocratic, managerial liberalism. It promised intellectual rigor, principled governance, and a return to what it framed as constitutional conservatism.… Continue reading
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When Apocalypse Becomes Policy
There’s a pattern in American politics that we tiptoe around because it feels impolite to name it directly: a significant slice of evangelical Christianity is openly invested in the “end times,” and a nontrivial number of elected officials come from… Continue reading
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How a 1965 Broadcast Redefined Presidential Accountability
Most people don’t realize how much modern presidential power hinges on something that happened on January 4, 1965. On that day, Lyndon B. Johnson delivered the first prime‑time State of the Union address, and that single decision reshaped the relationship… Continue reading
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How Policy Choices Unmade the American Dream
Reflecting on the past, it’s tempting to think the American Dream only started slipping in the 1970s. But the roots go back further. In the 1950s, broad prosperity didn’t happen by accident. It was built on high union density, strong… Continue reading
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How Amazon’s “Buy for Me” Hijacks Small Businesses
It’s honestly wild how quietly Amazon rolled out Buy for Me, because the way they’re pitching it and the way it actually works are two completely different stories. They’re selling it as a convenience feature, but what it really does… Continue reading
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A Republic, a Democracy, and the Myth That Divides Us
People keep repeating this idea that a constitutional republic and a democracy are opposites, but that claim collapses the moment you look at actual civics. The United States has always been a constitutional, representative democracy. Calling it one thing or… Continue reading
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Asimov Saw This Coming: A Reflection on Knowledge and Its Enemies
I’ve been an Asimov fan since I was eight, but every so often one of his lines hits me harder as an adult than it ever did when I first read it in college. Lately, this one has been echoing… Continue reading
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Inequity Isn’t Natural
We’re told that hard work pays off, but RAND’s new study shows that for most Americans, it hasn’t. If wages had grown evenly since 1975, workers in the bottom 90% would have earned $3.9 trillion more in 2023 alone. That’s… Continue reading
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Check Before You Swipe
Card skimming isn’t just a headline problem; it’s happening in everyday stores (dollar, grocery, and clothing), gas stations, and ATMs. A tiny device slipped onto a terminal can capture your card details in seconds, and you’d never know until your… Continue reading
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Pay For Pardon
And if you thought pardons were about mercy, think again. Under Trump, they’re about status. Fraudsters, tax cheats, and shady developers line up like it’s Black Friday, waiting for their golden ticket. The latest? Tim Leiweke, the man behind Seattle’s… Continue reading
