By Dave B.

​I’ve mostly avoided talking publicly about novel coronavirus for the same reason that I’ve avoided discussing politics recently: they’re both topics in which reasoned public discussion is extremely unlikely and dealing with people’s emotions, when I’m much more interested in their thoughts, is very frustrating for me. That said, Covid-19 is important enough that I’ll share a few things for you to consider regarding a vaccine, immunity, and a long-term societal impact. But first, I want to share the perspective of a good friend of mine, Caterina V. She’s a doctor in Italy and she has a frontline perspective on what America, and much of the world, could likely be facing in the next couple of weeks (The message below has been lightly edited for clarity):

By Dave B.

Now that the (redacted) Mueller report is out, a couple things are unambiguously clear (if one chooses to be objective). Most importantly, despite both groups working towards the same goal, there isn’t enough evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump’s campaign engaged in coordinated efforts with the Russian government to win the election. And the fact that there isn’t enough proof to establish that beyond a reasonable doubt is a good thing, because of the second point that is clear: Mueller (correctly) decided that he lacked the authority to charge President Trump with obstruction of justice, but (and this part is EXTREMELY important) whether or not President Trump obstructed justice, his behavior was unworthy of a President of the United States. This is a correct decision, because fundamentally, America’s system of checks and balances between the branches of the federal government mean that it should be up to Congress to decide the matter. And it’s a good thing for the Democrats that it wasn’t proven that President Trump coordinated activities with the Russians because the Dems now find themselves in a hell of a bind.

By Dave B.

​Recently, a Chinese scientist announced that he genetically engineered a set of twin girls to be resistant to HIV. By any definition, this is a miraculous breakthrough (assuming the claims are true; until his claims are peer-reviewed, I’m remaining in the skeptical camp). I personally don’t have any moral objection to genetically engineering anything, including people. However, I recognize that genetically engineering the human race, particularly now, isn’t just opening Pandora’s Box; it’s opening the box, dumping out all of its contents, and then smashing it on the floor. If people can be designed to be resistant to disease, they can also be designed for enhanced intelligence and designer physical characteristics. Human civilization just isn’t capable of dealing with the consequences of engineered superhumans, which is the inevitable (and likely near-term) result of this event. Here are a few reasons why:

By Dave B.

​Because I apparently hate myself, I still occasionally have conversations with supporters of President Trump and Senator Sanders. I know that I shouldn’t, but there’s a part of me that can’t resist studying people. Would you like to know what I’ve learned? The supporters of each man, despite apparently believing in different things, have the EXACT same flawed mental processes. It would be fascinating if it weren’t frightening.

By Dave B.

​It’s funny to me that people are freaking out now about Facebook’s use of personal data. There are people who rail against corporations all day, but who are now acting like Facebook betrayed their deepest trust, slept with their spouse, and burned down their home. Come on now. 

​Recently, President Trump has made headlines by calling for across the board 25% tariffs on steel and 10% tariffs on aluminum. He also suggested that trade wars are good and that the United States can easily win them. I’m not going to go into the math of why trade wars are bad for all parties and free trade is a net good. Instead, as a fan of free trade, I’m going to offer a compromise solution that I believe is both politically feasible and economically rational: free trade with free countries.