The impossible square of conservative politics

Right wing politicans want the following: Tight immigration in or out Low prices Low wages High profits Here is why this is an impossible combination of policies. If you pursue low immigration policies, that will reduce supply of labor, increasing wages. If you pursue a policy of a tight monetary supply in order to reduce …

Timing is everything

The timing of Israel’s attack on Iran last night came just days before Iranian nuclear deal talks resumed. The Hamas attack on Israel happened as Netanyahu was undergoing impeachment trials. They also occurred when congress was debating a massive military aid package for Ukraine. The attack on Syria targeted libraries and where the records of …

Middle Eastern politics is a clusterfuck

Yes, these charts look crazy, but the situation is crazy. Alliances: European Union – Israel – United States: US has NATO with most of the European Union, both have deep relations with Israel. Iran – Russia: Support each other in every possible way. Iran – Hamas: Historically provided a significant amount of support. Palestine – …

How to flip Senate seats

How do we select candidates for Senate elections who will likely win? Starting with the 2024 elections: The following seats flipped: Arizona (D) – Ruben Gallego was an incumbent Representative. Montana (R) – Tim Sheehy had no prior experience, he’s a veteran. Ohio (R) – Bernie Moreno had no prior experience, he is a businessman …

Countries which could modernize soon

Playing with my dataset today, I’m wondering about countries which are the most likely to improve rapidly in the near future. Note: I usually use the UN definition of country but for the purpose of visa-free travel when I say “country” I am referring to every place which has their own separate visa policy, including …

Modernize American Security

First and foremost, this article is inspired by this piece of absolute bullshit by Senator Banks from Indiana. Making visa overstays a crime is unnecessary. The law is fine as it is. It’s a civil infraction. That’s enough. But the part of the article I find absolutely horrendous is he accuses the 9/11 highjackers of …

Should you join a currency union?

We live in a globalized world where travel is more accessible than ever, global GDP per capita has never been higher, infant mortality is dropping every year, and life expectancy is up globally. This is a very different world from 50 years ago. There are a few major conflicts in the world today, particularly in …

Tariffs, visas, and espionage

Tariffs The European Union is reinstating tariffs on Ukrainian exports. They continue to restrict Ukraine’s ability to strike Russian military bases with weapons donated by the European Union. Espionage 900,000 Russians are working in the European Union. Germany just charged three of them as acting as a backdoor for Russian intelligence. It is unknown how …

2025 documents to enter the United States

I’m a long-time Nexus member, which is a program for expedited travel to and from Canada, which also gives me membership in TSA Precheck and Global Entry (expedited US customs at airports). If you are eligible, it is worth joining. I am on reddit and I am part of the Global Entry, TSA, Nexus_TTP, and …