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- Oct 10, 2022
- 3 min
Biden Commemorates Oct. 10 as Indigenous Peoples' Day & Why We Should Finally Ditch Columbus Day
On Friday, President Joe Biden proclaimed October 10th to be Indigenous Peoples’ Day, "in honor of our diverse history and the Indigenous peoples who contribute to shaping this Nation." However, many in the US will continue to honor Columbus and his arrival in the Bahamas back in 1492. That's a shame because there are few people less worthy of a national celebration.
Christopher Columbus didn't discover America and he didn't prove the world was round; most educated European
- Jul 2, 2022
- 2 min
Thoughts on the Declaration of Independence; A Statement of Aspirations for the Nation's Future
On July 4th we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the document that explains the reasons for our break with England to establish a new nation in North America. In writing the Declaration, Thomas Jefferson also sought to unite the colonies around some basic tenets that would guide the founding of this new nation, principles that would ensure that America was better, more just, more free, than the monarchies of Europe. Jefferson's points, borrowed from En
- Oct 10, 2021
- 3 min
Biden Commemorates Oct. 10 as Indigenous Peoples' Day & Why We Should Ditch Columbus Day
On Friday, President Biden proclaimed October 10th to be Indigenous Peoples’ Day, "in honor of our diverse history and the Indigenous peoples who contribute to shaping this Nation." However, many in the US will continue to honor Columbus and his arrival in the Bahamas back in 1492. That's a shame because there are few people less worthy of a national celebration.
Christopher Columbus didn't discover America and he didn't prove the world was round; most educated Europeans al
- Aug 20, 2021
- 1 min
Rare Video Footage Shows Life in London, Moscow, New York, Jerusalem & Other Cities During the 1890s
The first surviving video recording we know of was the Roundhay Garden Scene. The silent, 2 second film was filmed at the Whitely Family house in Roundhay, Great Britain in 1888. By the 1890s short films were more common and they give us some insight into life in that era. The fascinating compilation film above contains shorts from some of the world's great cities including London, Paris, Jerusalem, Moscow, and New York. You have to wonder if any of the individuals in the fo
- Jul 4, 2021
- 2 min
Thoughts on the Declaration of Independence; A Statement of Aspirations for the Nation's Future
On July 4th we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the document that explains the reasons for our break with England to establish a new nation in North America. In writing the Declaration, Thomas Jefferson also sought to unite the colonies around some basic tenets that would guide the founding of this new nation, principles that would ensure that America was better, more just, more free, than the monarchies of Europe. Jefferson's points, borrowed from En
- Dec 20, 2020
- 11 min
The History of Taxation & Tax Policy in America
Taxes have been around since the beginning of recorded history. The earliest known tax was implemented in the ancient city-state of Lagash in what is now Iraq about 6000 BC. In ancient Egypt residents paid their taxes with grain and livestock. Taxes are a natural consequence of complex social structures with the need for roads, bridges, water & sewage systems, police, social services, and a military to keep the people safe from neighboring communities. Taxation is the price w
