Citizenship test

 Posted by Doc Opp  Immigration  6 Responses »
Nov 302006
 

Immigrants who want to become US citizens are required to take a civics test, which ensures they have a basic understanding of how the U.S. government works and the history of the nation. I was reading recently about some proposed changes to the test and it got me thinking about the test in general (I wonder if they have psychometricians evaluate the properties of the test for reliability/validity/bias etc…. as a closet psychometrician, I think I’d enjoy that…).

I started thinking about the reason that we require the test. Clearly, the government has made the decision that in order to be trusted with the responsibilities of citizenship and the privileges that come with it (e.g. voting), a certain amount of knowledge is necessary. But there’s a hidden implicit assumption that if you were born a citizen then you have that knowledge… because born-citizens don’t have to take the test.

Continue reading »

Immigration and The American Economy

 Posted by Mike  Debt and Deficit, Fiscal Issues, Immigration, Latin America, Poverty, Social Security and Welfare, U.S. Politics  2 Responses »
Nov 282006
 

The biggest mistake we can make, with regards to immigration, is to underestimate the complexity of the American economy.

Pro-immigration forces like to say that immigrants are doing jobs that Americans refuse to do. At face value, that makes sense. Most Americans would shun the idea of becoming migrant farm workers. After all, the hours are bad, you have to either spend much of the year away from home, or uproot your family every six months, the labor is back-breaking, etc. Who would want that job? Except that there are plenty of Americans who are willing to take construction jobs, trucking jobs, etc. which require long hours away from home, often doing physically exhausting or mind-numbing labor. The issue isn’t “Americans won’t take the job”. The issue is that Americans won’t take the job given the wages and benefits that are being offered. Trucking is a horrible job that requires long hours, necessitates months away from home every year, gives very little prestige, and offers work that is both dull and stressful. And yet it also pays really well and the industry draws in plenty of American workers. Continue reading »

The Rise and Fall of the Powell Doctrine

 Posted by Mike  Bush Administration, East and S.E. Asia, Foreign Policy, Middle East, War in Iraq  No Responses »
Nov 272006
 

The Vietnam War was a debacle for military strategists and planners. The Pentagon entered that war thinking along the lines of most World War II era strategists: the guy with the biggest guns and the most men at the point of contact will win most fights. But in Vietnam, we out-manned and out-gunned our opponent consistently, and we won virtually every battle (or conflict that could reasonably be called a battle) that we fought… and yet we lost. So after the war, Pentagon strategists insisted upon learning from their defeats. And while they did dedicate some amount of time and energy to developing a more flexible, professional fighting force, they also wanted to ensure that they wouldn’t end up in a Vietnam-like situation ever again.

And so arose the Powell Doctrine. The Powell Doctrine was an attempt to understand both World War II success and Vietnam failure, and apply those lessons to future conflicts. Things that we did in World War II were good; things that we did in the Vietnam War were bad. Therefore, we should only go to war if the following conditions are met:

  • All Strategic and Political Objectives have been clearly defined.
  • Military Force is required to fulfill an important National Security goal.
  • We have broad domestic and international support for our actions.
  • We have well thought-out exit strategies and contingency plans.
  • Overwhelming military force can be applied.

The pinnacle of the Powell Doctrine was the 1991 Gulf War. We knew what we wanted, had a good plan, got everyone on board, kicked some serious butt, and went home. It was a great success, and all of the Powell Doctrine folks felt that they had finally gotten rid of the Vietnam War albatross; they knew how to approach warfare.

But not everyone bought into the Powell Doctrine. Continue reading »

Airlines Idea

 Posted by Doc Opp  Business And Regulation  7 Responses »
Nov 272006
 

I have spent 30 hours on airplanes or in airports in the last 7 days – the unfortunate consequence of Thanksgiving falling immediately following a conference. I noticed a large number of families with small children traveling — no doubt due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

As I sat through my fourth 3 hour+ flight of being serenaded by bawling babies and not being able to sleep because of it, I came up with an idea: child-free flights. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to prevent kids from flying in general. But if an airline were to create a child-free flight, I’d pay a little extra to not have to deal with the constant crying, kicking the back of my chair, and various odors that accompany young children’s pooping and vomiting.

I imagine that many business travellers who have to fly a lot would appreciate the extra hours of sleep, or work, or relaxation that screaming kids prevent.

And in the meantime – if the kid in the seat behind you kicks your chair non-stop for 2 hours, and the parent isn’t able to stop it, what is the appropriate response?

Happy Thanksgiving!

 Posted by Mike  Administration  No Responses »
Nov 232006
 

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! Give thanks, eat well, watch some football, take a nap. And pray for those who aren’t able, for whatever reason, to do any of those things.

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