Why do we ask those who are struggling the most to make the biggest changes? — On any given day, about 2.3 million people are locked up in the United States — making the “land of the free” the home of the largest incarcerated population in the world. Most prisoners, however, don’t spend the rest of their days trapped inside. …

Were homo sapiens destined to become metro sapiens? — In the popular video game Civilization VI, your goal is to build an empire from the early cradle of civilization on towards the present day. To kick off your people’s progression through the ages, you must first settle a city. …

The bootstraps mentality will just not go away. — When Donald Trump promised that “I alone can fix” the United States, many people were horrified by the statement’s authoritarian tone. Days later, Hillary Clinton warned a crowd that “When someone says ‘I alone can fix it,’ that should set off alarm bells….That is not democracy.” These concerns now seem…

What would Mother Goose say? — To the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” school shooting protocol is being taught to kindergartners in Massachusetts. The clever rhyme is sung so the children “know what to do” if their school is turned into a war zone. It goes: Lockdown, lockdown, Lock the door Shut the lights off…

Both are interested in establishing dogma, not pursuing truth. — It’s amazing just how much imaginary ideas affect the real world. That’s all I could consider as I read the flimsy theological defense of moving the US embassy to Jerusalem. If you aren’t aware, the Christian god apparently cares deeply about the placement of the hegemonic power’s diplomatic HQ. Curious…

Stop with the incrementalism already, Democrats. — It’s 2018 in America and both political parties seem content with tying basic rights to work. At least, that’s the message I received after Senators Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker and Kirsten Gillibrand threw their support behind a guaranteed jobs program. Perhaps that’s too negative an interpretation of what is otherwise…

Conservatives have always viewed the quest for equality as a zero-sum game. — While John Adams was away at the Second Continental Congress, his wife Abigail was concerned he would forget about her. Not literally, of course, but in the nation’s new code of laws. So she wrote him a letter and advised him to “remember the ladies and be more generous and…

Can you be a moral person if you participate in something you know to be wrong? — I am skeptical of monopolies, yet I regularly use Amazon. Climate change frightens me, however, I still fly overseas. And even though I believe in animal rights, I eat my fair share of burgers. Do these hypocrisies make me worthy of condemnation? …

It’s 2018 and Americans have all agreed that when you turn 65 it’s politically acceptable for the government to support you. Before that? Tough luck. Until a certain advanced age, the recognition and protection of an individual’s life is secondary to the necessity of the nine-to-five life. But turn 65…