Author Archives: J@m3z Aitch
The Michigan 7th District Race
The Michigan 7th Congressional District race (that’s my district) is one that has been seen as a kind of classic 2010 matchup–a traditionally Republican district with a first-term Democratic incumbent who won his seat in the Obama landslide. Here’s why … Continue reading
The Impossibility of Democracy II(a): Arrow’s Impossibility Theorem
On October 1 I wrote about Condorcet’s Paradox, and noted that my next post on the subject of the impossibility of democracy would touch on Arrow’s Impossibility Theorem. This post isn’t quite it (hence, the (a) behind the II), but … Continue reading
Does This Paragraph Make Any Sense, Part Two
I’m pretty damn sure the following doesn’t make as much sense as the author thinks it does (again from Susan Buck, The Global Commons. the illogic of the…frontier ethic, which presents nature as unlimited bounty, a cornucopia. It also supposes … Continue reading
There are Credentials, and Then There are Credentials.
Today I went to the Michigan Secretary of State’s Office (Michigan’s version of the DMV) to find out what I needed to do to get a Chauffeur’s License, so I could drive the YMCA’s mini-bus. It turns out I have … Continue reading
Does this Paragraph Make Any Sense?
Does the following paragraph from The Global Commons: An Introduction, by Susan Buck, a book I’m considering for my environmental politics course next term, make any sense? In the sixteenth century, two schools of jurisprudence–analytic jurisprudence, or legal positivism, and … Continue reading
Dog Bites Man
My entry in the least-surprising-new-story-of-the-year contest is the report that the 9th Circuit has suspended the Federal District Court’s injunction against don’t ask don’t tell. I don’t care that the 9th Circuit is easily the most liberal in the country. … Continue reading
Should I Get a Flu Shot?
Is it rational to get a flu shot? I had to go to the doctor recently, and while I was there they offered, and I accepted, a flu shot. Then I found out my insurance doesn’t pay for it. I … Continue reading
On Writing
I’m supposed to be writing today, finishing up the second draft of chapter three. But I have a headache and quite get focused on it, so I’ll blog my random thoughts about writing instead. That should indicate how I–personally, for … Continue reading
On Sales and Marketing of Oneself
No matter how great you are, it’s your job to sell others on your greatness. They have no duty or responsibility to simply notice it, and only a fool assumes they either will or ought to. Over at Ed Brayton’s … Continue reading
The Political Economy of the Christine O’Donnell Problem
Delaware Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell is complaining about a lack of support from the National Republican Senatorial Committee. In response, the NRSC states that it has given her the maximum amount it can legally give directly to a candidate. That’s … Continue reading
The One Best Way 