Was it the beautiful works of political philosophy written by Jefferson, Adams, and Hamilton that I read throughout my time majoring in political science? Could it be listening to Lin Manuel-Miranda’s Hamilton soundtrack on repeat for four days in a row leaving me with a perfect knowledge of every word to every song in the show? Both are excellent possibilities. Continue reading What Makes an American?: A 4th of July Retrospective
The 2016 election cycle was like a personal tornado for me. It started out fast-paced and exciting. Everything was upside down. The Republican party had nearly twenty strong candidates that could have easily defeated Hillary Clinton, Hillary Clinton looked mortal against the onslaught of Bernie Sanders supporters, and Donald Trump possibly changed the political process … Continue reading Why It Doesn’t Matter Who’s Elected President
There is a reason why the presidents who are elected during times of prosperity, and have prosperity throughout their tenure, are forgotten by history. There can be no great stories if there is no great conflict. In times of conflict, philosophic ideas and debates that center completely around the issues are not exciting enough and do not offer quick enough relief to the ills of the American people as concrete proposals. The Great Wall of Trump is so appealing because it offers a quick answer to a problem that Americans are worried about in a way that they understand. Continue reading Will Nice Guys Always Finish Last in Politics?
Merry Christmas Charlie Brown! The beloved holiday special turns fifty today, so it’s a pretty special day in my house due to my love of all things Peanuts. I also love philosophy and tend to notice little lessons in films and television. (See the film section of my site’s homepage if you don’t believe me.) I do this with just about any high minded piece of media that I watch so it’s only natural that I would try to find messages in my favorite Peanuts holiday specials. Thus, I have ranked the top five Charlie Brown holiday specials by philosophic content…because why not? Continue reading The Top Five Most Philosophic Charlie Brown Holiday Specials
Very few women have accomplished more in our government system on their own merit than Sandra Day O’Connor. More than being the first female Supreme Court Justice O’Connor deserves to be on the ten dollar bill because she is an extremely accomplished person, who served with a firm allegiance to the United States Constitution, and whose judicial decisions still affect America today.
Click to read on. Continue reading Justice O’Connor Fits the Bill: Why Sandra Day O’Connor Deserves to be on Currency
Hamilton did nothing to warrant being removed from the ten dollar bill but will be anyway. Andrew Jackson, on the other hand, should be removed from his place of prominence on the twenty dollar bill because his policies of executive overreach blatantly disregarded the Constitution. Jackson forced others to bend to his will, participated in cronyism, and placed his own popularity above the common good. These are all reasons that the founder of the Democrat Party should not have the honor of appearing on the twenty dollar bill. Continue reading Cut Down Old Hickory: Why We Should Remove Andrew Jackson from the Twenty Dollar Bill
The U.S. mint has decided to remove Alexander Hamilton from the ten dollar bill. I, for one, do not agree with this decision. Why should Hamilton be removed when he was one of the most influential men in the history of our nation? I understand the willingness to put a woman on our currency. In fact, I support the move considering the precedence that was set forth when Pocohantas was featured on the twenty dollar bill from 1865 to 1869 and Martha Washington was featured on the one dollar (in silver) note.1 (Not to mention the currently in circulation Sacagewea gold dollar coin.) Basically, this is nothing new under the sun. That being said, we shouldn’t replace Alexander Hamilton from the ten dollar bill because Hamilton was one of the only Founding Fathers to achieve the American Dream for himself, he was the driving force in the founding of the American banking system, and he wasamong the greatest proponents of the American Constitution. Continue reading Don’t Change the Face on the Ten Dollar Bill: It’s All about the Hamiltons
