It is important to know that you are not alone. For months, I have watched as public health information was stripped from the Collin County COVID-19 dashboard. It now consists of little more than the number of hospitalizations … which, of course, have grown tremendously in the months since this became the last bit of… Continue reading Documenting the Failures of Collin County Health and Political Leadership
Category: Politics
A Look Ahead: Department of Energy 2021
The Biden transition team has been hard at work preparing for the first real presidency in 4 years. While there will be a lot of work to do to claw out of the abyss created by the previous 4 years of chaos, mismanagement, and willful ignorance of reality, it’s nevertheless a solvable problem. Finding appropriate… Continue reading A Look Ahead: Department of Energy 2021
Burn the house down
In my thoughts on the close of the experiment with American Fascism, I worried at the end about the damage that would be wrought in the months before Trump is constitutionally required to leave office. Here is a good example on the scientific side of things: www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/11/09/trump-removes-climate-program-director/ UPDATE: 10:46am This news comes on the very… Continue reading Burn the house down
It’s Morning in America Again
One of the great victims of the four-year experiment of American Fascism has been science, along with scientific thinking. Readers of my past essays in this blog are well aware that, already in the past, this nation had a real struggle with critical thinking. I’ve worried in the past about efforts like “The Wedge Strategy,”… Continue reading It’s Morning in America Again
Où est Lafayette?
For want of a photo-op for the President, the U.S. Attorney General ordered the forceful clearing of Lafayette Square last night ahead of curfew. This was all apparently so the President could awkwardly clutch a Bible and stand in front of a church. [1] Setting aside all the obvious things that are wrong with this… Continue reading Où est Lafayette?
Scenes from Collin County, TX
One of my daily activities in the last 20 days (or so) has been to scoop up the COVID-19 case and death data for my county from the Texas Department of Health’s (DSHS) information center [1]. I’m not an epidemiologist; I’m a physicist. I’m not trying to make predictions; I’m making observations, assuming the data… Continue reading Scenes from Collin County, TX
As Expected: Science Suffocation Proposals Continued/Expanded
As expected, and nicely summarized by the American Institute of Physics: President Trump’s latest budget request largely repeats past proposals to sharply reduce funding for non-defense R&D programs across the federal government. However, it includes a stronger emphasis on research tied to the administration’s “Industries of the Future” focus areas, especially artificial intelligence and quantum… Continue reading As Expected: Science Suffocation Proposals Continued/Expanded
Contempt for Science and Health in the FY2021 Budget Proposal
The Washington Post article below [1] is a nice summary of what is currently digested from the executive branch’s FY2021 federal budget proposal. That dropped yesterday. Specifically regarding agencies that fund basic, curiosity-driven science, these excerpts are indicative of the pattern of proposed effects: The Energy Department would get a boost in funding for safeguarding… Continue reading Contempt for Science and Health in the FY2021 Budget Proposal
Dead On Arrival
For almost four years, the executive branch of the United States government has been advocating steadily for a decline of science funding for the nation. In spite of this, the U.S. Congress has acted as a firewall against these requests, effectively making every budget request for cuts to scientific investment dead-on-arrival (with some notable exceptions,… Continue reading Dead On Arrival
Critical Thinking Guide: President Trump’s First National Address
Tonight, President Trump will address the nation during prime time (9pm EST). Major networks will carry the speech. The Democratic leadership will rebut the speech afterward. The speech is expected to focus on the following claims from the President: There is a national security crisis at the southern U.S. border. The crisis is the result… Continue reading Critical Thinking Guide: President Trump’s First National Address