Steve Kelman on Politics, Culture, and Life, 2.28.23
Steve Kelman, Harvard Kennedy School prof, moderate Dem, pro free speech/anti cancel culture, pro tax rich, pro-Israel. Research improving gov performance, China interest. Blog reprints Facebook posts
Banning TikTok
Another big Congress banning TikTok story in the Times today. Two questions: what is the alleged national security information that is claimed to be rife on TikTok, which is mostly dance videos? And do we still have a first amendment prohibiting Congress from limiting free speech?
Student loan forgiveness by executive order
The Supreme Court is hearing a case arguing that President Biden's cancellation of hundreds of billions of dollars of student loan goes beyond his executive order authority, that if he wanted to cancel these loans, he should have sought legislation. I am inclined to agree that Biden went too far. And it is not a good argument against what he did to state that Congress was unlikely to have passed such a law.
Lab leak and China princess and the pea
China's attack on the US Department of Energy for "defaming China" over its new report that covid likely came out of an accidental lab leak is their latest princess and the pea outburst. An accident doesn't suggest to me that China is "to blame" for covid. An accident is an accident.
“Iced salted cold foam”
There is an article in the Times today about fast food and coffee loyalty programs. It mentions a Starbucks customer who likes "iced shaken espresso with salted caramel cold foam." Huh, what is this???
Fewer teens getting driver’s licenses
There was a fascinating report on the Today show today about the dramatic decline in the proportion of teens who have gotten driver's licenses. Kids just use ride sharing services or interact with each other over social media. Even as a kid I was never a driving fanatic, but even for me getting a license was a major milestone of sort of growing up.
US economists criticize Netanyahu on Israel supreme court
A group of 56 economists have written a letter to Netanyahu stating that his proposed judicial changes “would adversely affect the Israeli economy by weakening the rule of law and thereby moving Israel in the direction of Hungary and Poland.”