John Quincy Adams Fan

The reason top tech companies often hire foreign-born & first-generation engineers over “native” Americans isn’t because of an innate American IQ deficit (a lazy & wrong explanation). A key part of it comes down to the c-word: culture. Tough questions demand tough answers & if we’re really serious about fixing the problem, we have to confront the TRUTH: Our American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long (at least since the 90s and likely longer). That doesn’t start in college, it starts YOUNG. A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers. A culture that venerates Cory from “Boy Meets World,” or Zach & Slater over Screech in “Saved by the Bell,” or ‘Stefan’ over Steve Urkel in “Family Matters,” will not produce the best engineers. (Fact: I know *multiple* sets of immigrant parents in the 90s who actively limited how much their kids could watch those TV shows precisely because they promoted mediocrity…and their kids went on to become wildly successful STEM graduates). More movies like Whiplash, fewer reruns of “Friends.” More math tutoring, fewer sleepovers. More weekend science competitions, fewer Saturday morning cartoons. More books, less TV. More creating, less “chillin.” More extracurriculars, less “hanging out at the mall.” Most normal American parents look skeptically at “those kinds of parents.” More normal American kids view such “those kinds of kids” with scorn. If you grow up aspiring to normalcy, normalcy is what you will achieve. Now close your eyes & visualize which families you knew in the 90s (or even now) who raise their kids according to one model versus the other. Be brutally honest. “Normalcy” doesn’t cut it in a hyper-competitive global market for technical talent. And if we pretend like it does, we’ll have our asses handed to us by China. This can be our Sputnik moment. We’ve awaken from slumber before & we can do it again. Trump’s election hopefully marks the beginning of a new golden era in America, but only if our culture fully wakes up. A culture that once again prioritizes achievement over normalcy; excellence over mediocrity; nerdiness over conformity; hard work over laziness. That’s the work we have cut out for us, rather than wallowing in victimhood & just wishing (or legislating) alternative hiring practices into existence. I’m confident we can do it. 🇺🇸 🇺🇸

A good exercise for interpreting news like this is to pretend that you heard it about a foreign country. For example what would it mean if the Russian or Chinese Defense Minister asked for the resignation of their army Chief of Staff a few weeks into a war?

My warm take on birthright citizenship: Wholly defensible to be against it as policy and wholly reasonable to want to reform it in some way. Also intellectually defensible to say that the 14th amendment is being misinterpreted. Doesn't mean I agree, but I don't think it's crazy either. But even if you win that argument, you still need to deal with century+ of precedent and statutory language that codifies it and has created massive reliance interests. I consider it an open question whether Congress can repeal or modify birthright citizenship. I think it is absolutely nuts and dangerous to think a president can repeal it through executive order, and defending the E.O. because you agree with the underlying policy is itself indefensible. That's it. That's my take.

My warm take on birthright citizenship: Wholly defensible to be against it as policy and wholly reasonable to want to reform it in some way. Also intellectually defensible to say that the 14th amendment is being misinterpreted. Doesn't mean I agree, but I don't think it's crazy either. But even if you win that argument, you still need to deal with century+ of precedent and statutory language that codifies it and has created massive reliance interests. I consider it an open question whether Congress can repeal or modify birthright citizenship. I think it is absolutely nuts and dangerous to think a president can repeal it through executive order, and defending the E.O. because you agree with the underlying policy is itself indefensible. That's it. That's my take.

We would be so lucky to have her back as Florida’s Attorney General!

DESANTIS SHOULD BE TRUMP'S AG!!! If he wants revenge AND his immigration agenda, D is the man.

Original intent does not matter. Original meaning matters. People often confuse or conflate the two, but they’re very different. Both Justice Scalia and Justice Barrett have written excellent books that explain the difference and why it matters.

The problem isn't NATO. The problem is crap political leadership in both this country and Europe. We are not living during the era of Reagan, Thatcher, Kohl, and John Paul II.

Pam Bondi was fired largely because Donald Trump grew dissatisfied with her inability to deliver on prosecuting his perceived enemies, sources tell me. Her allies find that reasoning frustrating, because they say she was hampered by the legal system, not by any unwillingness on her part. Critics say that whole project was corrupt, and that she “took a sledgehammer to the Justice Department and its workforce,” in the words of one former official.

The fact people can so easily frame justice for the People as "punishment" of Trump's enemies, is proof we're in BIG trouble. This has never been about righting the wrongs done to Trump, it's been about righting the wrongs done to the PEOPLE - and the rule of law.

This is correct Trump's attempt to punish his enemies will continue to face problems.

If this is true, Trump better just let this go, it’s not happening. All his enemies are in NY and DC. Maybe you get Comey in FL. Blue slips prevent any effective attorney from being confirmed where we want. Look at Halligan.