Tag: Viewpoints

A Lot of Hot Air Coming From China

Commentary I was always told as a kid that if you are caught doing something you shouldn’t be doing it was best to stand up and own your mistake. Pretending that you were not engaged in what is clearly a bad act is rarely a good move and, on the contrary, is laughable the more…


The Masking Debate Is Settled

Commentary What is the Cochran Library? “The Cochrane Library contains high-quality, independent evidence to inform healthcare decision-making. It includes reliable evidence from Cochrane and other systematic reviews, clinical trials, and more. Cochrane reviews bring you the combined results of the world’s best medical research studies, and are recognized as the gold standard in evidence-based health…


America Needs a Better Ukraine Strategy Than Handing Off Weapons and Hoping for the Best

Commentary As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine heads into its second year, the American-led strategy of handing off weapons to Kyiv and hoping the underdog can defeat the overdog needs adjustment. Both U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Milley have expressed concerns about the U.S.-German tank deal for Kyiv. But U.S….


The Future of Tech: Part 2

Commentary Part I discussed tech opportunities in areas like 5-G, cloud computing, healthcare, and finance, especially in insurance. This article examines opportunities for tech in meeting two huge issues facing the world’s economies. One is the growing number of older retirees in populations, and the other is the ever-present anxiety over climate change. Whether all the…


Hotel California

Commentary It was a Friday afternoon, and I was driving through the city of El Cajon, Calif., where I’m the mayor. I was lost in my music playlist when I was jolted back to reality by a phone call. My phone screen told me it was the worst kind of call—one from my city attorney….


Burning a Heretic at the University of Lethbridge

Commentary University of Lethbridge president Michael J. Mahon’s recent cancellation of a talk by Frances Widdowson marks yet another failure of Canadian universities to maintain open academic environments where candid speech and robust discourse are encouraged. Dr. Widdowson is a noted scholar of aboriginal issues whose views diverge from the mainstream narrative concerning Canada’s treatment…


Outsourcing Investment or Taking More Risk?

Commentary In 2022, the S&P 500 Index returned -19.64 percent. If you run the same numbers and include dividend reinvestment, the sting was a little less, with a return of -18.32 percent.  Not great, for sure. Those kinds of returns have people asking questions about how they are invested. To be clear, if you get a return of…


Australia Day Must Stand Against the Tide of Cancel Culture

Commentary Now that most of the musket smoke has been blown away after the Australia Day (or “Invasion Day”) celebrations, it’s time to take stock and survey the battlefield. People will tell you that the gazetting of Australia Day as a national public holiday is only a relatively recent innovation, and that is partly true—1988…


Blindsight Is 2020

Commentary Why would a 66-year-old woman object so strenuously to policies designed to keep her safe? My book “Blindsight Is 2020,” just published by Brownstone Institute, takes on the question. The book grew out of my deep concerns about the pandemic lockdowns, mandates, and what I call COVID culture. I’m honored to share a few details…


The Biomedical Security State, British Edition

Commentary First, by way of contextual backdrop, let me offer a quick recap of some relevant developments, which I describe in more detail in “The New Abnormal”: November 2021: As reported by the New York Times, the Israeli government issued emergency pandemic legislation permitting Shin Bet (their equivalent of the CIA), to access mobile phones and extract track…