Diversity of
Political Viewpoints
All universities say they value diversity in ideology and
political points of view in addition to diversity in race, ethnicity, gender,
etc. Maybe so, but good luck finding
more than a handful of Republicans among faculty. Moreover, as older conservative ,
disproportionately male faculty members retire, they are being replaced with
more leftist-leaning women and underrepresented minorities. Political diversity on campus is nothing more
than a slogan. It’s only a matter of a
decade or so until leftist political uniformity becomes the norm.
Social Justice
Social justice is wondrous precisely because of its splendid
lack of specificity. It means whatever
those in power, or those who seek power, want it to mean in taking wealth and
income from some and giving to others, with no clear goals or metrics. Social justice is an unbounded recipe for
tyranny.
Feminism
Fifty years of struggle to achieve equal rights for women
went down the drain from one year of Transgender activism.
Sustainable
Sustainable typically refers to the planet, the environment,
resource use, climate, and non-human species (animals, birds, insects, fish,
etc.), to name a few. Perhaps we should
pay more attention to people.
Obesity is one of the fastest-growing problems in the United
States. Look at group photos from the
1950s-1960s and compare them with current group photos. In 1960, 11% of men and 15% of women of all
races and ethnic groups aged 20-74 were obese.
As late as 1980, the prevalence was only 13% for men and 17% for women. By 2000, the respective rates had doubled to
27% and 33%. In 2016, 93.3 million
adults (39.8%) were obese (BMI greater than 30). It
is estimated that 50% of adult Americans will be obese by 2030.
The trend for children and adolescents aged 2-19 is equally
dramatic. Between 1965 and 2014, the
incidence of obesity for children aged 2-5 increased from 5% to 10%; for
children aged 6-11, the rate increased from 4% to 18%, and for adolescents aged
12-19, from 5% to 22%.
By race and ethnicity, in 2017, the incidence of obesity was
47% for Hispanics, 46.8% for Blacks, 37.9% for non-Hispanic Whites, and 12.7%
for non-Hispanic Asians. Obesity-related
conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain kinds of
cancer. The estimated medical cost for
obese people is $1,429 higher than those of normal weight.
What is being done about the epidemic of obesity? Many organizations promote wellness,
encouraging their employees to exercise and eat a healthy diet of fruits,
vegetables, whole-grain foods, and fish.
Despite their efforts, obesity continues to rise.
Political correctness is part of the problem. Emphasizing “normal” weight BMI less than 25,
healthy-sized bodies constitutes a microaggression of fat-shaming. It also implies criticism of Pacific Islander
(Samoa, Tonga), Hispanic, and Black cultural dietary preferences. It appears that posting signs has little to
no effect.
Regardless of the reasons for obesity, it behooves policy
analysts to give serious thought to slowing and reversing the trend.
Minimum Wage
Raising the minimum wage is akin to a tax on the consumption
of labor. Tariffs raise prices on goods
and services, thus reducing demand for them.
By the same logic, raising the cost of labor by increasing the minimum
wage (or, for that matter, the payroll tax) should reduce the consumption of (demand
for) labor when the value of output produced by labor is lower than the minimum
wage. The result is that the unskilled
are denied a chance for employment and learning job skills to move up the ladder
of success.
Homicides
Americans decry mass shootings, whether in schools, hotels,
government offices, or businesses. Yet
the number of dead and injured in mass shootings pales against the annual
slaughter of inner city residents, who are poor and disproportionately people
of color, in Chicago, Baltimore, St. Louis, and other urban areas.
Why can’t this epidemic be brought under control? Because trying to do so brings charges of
racism. So, the slaughter continues.
Homelessness
To observe homelessness, look on the streets and under the
bridges on your next visit to New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles, three
cities with large concentrations of wealth and income. What’s the problem? Construction is heavily regulated to save the
environment, reduce traffic, maintain open space, as well as keep up property
prices for existing homeowners. Reducing
homelessness is no match for environmentalism and self-interest in local,
state, and national politics.
Deficits and Debt
Deficits don’t matter is the new mantra, especially with
much of the world at zero or very low interest rates. All politicians love spending taxpayers’
money and borrowing whatever else is required to keep voters happy. The ever-growing public debt also doesn’t
matter in the new mantra, apart from a few economists who warn that someday,
although perhaps not in our lifetime, it will all come crashing down around our
heads. But that’s for another place and
time, far, far away. Perhaps economists
have learned enough from studying the 2008 financial crisis to prevent another
one from happening.
French Political
Culture.
Hundreds of French economists signed a letter endorsing then
French Presidential candidate Francois Holland’s plan in 2012 to impose a
higher tax rate of 75% on those earning over one million euros. He did, but let it expire after two
years. After its failure in France, some
of these French economists teaching in U.S. universities are proposing similar
plans for the U.S. Some serve as
advisers to Elizabeth Warren and other Democrats.
Please take your terrible ideas back home to France with you
and leave them there when you return here to resume your academic duties.
Centers for the Study
of Inequality and Poverty Reduction
Centers for the Study of Inequality and Poverty Reduction have
popped up in every university, which portend the Frenchification of U.S.
thinking on taxes. If professors are
paid to study inequality, they will find it and propose a variety of new and
additional taxes to redistribute income and wealth to reduce it.
Speaking of inequality, is it fair that a small number of
universities win a disproportionate share of national athletic championships
and garner an overwhelmingly share of federal research grants? How about some redistribution to other
colleges in these two areas.
Endless Wars
Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, and who know what’s
next? Thousands dead, tens of thousands
wounded, millions of civilians killed or displaced, trillions of dollars spent,
and?
What does the United States have to show for all this
military activity? Does anyone think the
generals will say enough is enough.
Trump has completed almost three years of his presidency and the most he
can propose is pulling 4,000 troops from Afghanistan, over the opposition of
current and retired generals. We’ll see
if and when those 4,000 return home or if they are deployed elsewhere in the region.
November 2020
President Trump will be reelected. Democrats, liberals, leftists, snowflakes,
establishment Republicans, never-Trumpers, and EU politicians, to name a few,
will caterwaul, whine, cry, rage, riot, moan, demonstrate, and suffer shock,
pain, and mental turmoil for another four years.
Demand for mental health counselors will explode, especially
on universities where students are already experiencing an epidemic of mental
health illness. Given that faculties and
student bodies are overwhelmingly Democrats, universities and colleges will
need to have thousands of mental health counselors on standby and, if
necessary, close down for as long as it takes to give every student and faculty
member the necessary counseling.
This would give a whole new meaning to schadenfreude for
Trump supporters. As Martin Luther King
said, “I have a dream.”
