Data Centers: Golden Goose or Godzilla?
Bookending the Flock camera debate is the equally loud war on data centers. Yesterday, the President declared a side. Like clockwork, the sharklike editors at the Washington Post smelled blood in the water and gleefully reported, “Trump says voters who oppose data centers will ‘kill the Golden Goose.’” Polls show Americans from both political parties […]
Florida Tells Flock Cameras to Get the Flock Out
Flock camera haters enjoyed a massive win yesterday. NBC reported, “Florida bans Flock and other license plate readers from state highways as backlash grows.” The subheadline added, “The state said it was ordering cameras removed from the right-of-way of state highways ‘to preserve Floridians’ sovereignty and quality of life.’” Yesterday, Florida’s Department of Transportation published […]
WaPo Wanted an Anti-Deportation Story. The Data Had Other Ideas.
Two days ago, the Washington Post ran a profoundly illogical immigration story that I wish every black-piller would read. Here’s the headline as it appears, because it is such wonderful news: WaPo’s entire argument can be summed up in one stupid logical fallacy that it was too chicken to say out loud: illegals who haven’t […]
The dog days of August
Getting out of August always is a relief, not only because the hot weather will begin to abate but because we are past the annual media blarney about atomic bombs. Each year they wail and woe about the plight of the Japanese citizens who were evaporated by two bombs U.S. aircraft dropped on their cities. […]
Fewer students, more spending
According to a new report, between 2020 and 2026: Government school student enrollment declined by 2.7%. Teacher employment declined by 5.5%. Administrator staffing increased by 9.6%. Counselors, social workers and psychologists increased by 4.7%. Other support staff increased by 4.6%. What all this means that, with students fleeing from the schools and choosing other ways […]
Can You Believe This? Your Tax Dollars Could Pay for Tattoos, Theme Parks and Vaping
Every once in a while, a news story comes along that makes you stop, reread the headline and ask: Can you believe this? News4JAX reports that Florida is moving to prohibit Temporary Cash Assistance benefits from being used to directly purchase things including tobacco and vaping products, video games, theme-park tickets, entertainment subscriptions, tattoos, spa […]
More privacy is slipping away
Big Brother is watching, just as author Geroge Orwell predicted. In Orwell’s novel 1984 government – or Big Brother — watched citizens via cameras located almost everywhere. This is happening in 2026, and the most recent innovation causing concern is automated license plate readers (ALPRs), also known as Flock cameras after the manufacturer. They are […]
Here we go again
I’ve never understood the mania for keeping every building in Jacksonville. If we did what some people seem to want, the city would look like it did in 1910, after rebuilding from the Great Fire of 1901. The latest ode to the old comes from my old friend City Council Member Matt Carlucci, in a […]
The White Coat Assault on the Constitution
Yesterday, the most important political battle of our lifetimes spilled out onto the anchor table at CNN in one contentious interview that splashed across social media. Yesterday, an appalled Politico reported, “RFK Jr. tells CNN host that constitutional rights take priority over public health” Visible between every printed line was the implied question: how could […]
City officials say taxpayers are making a profit
An interesting approach has been taken by the mayor’s office to present the city budget on the basis of what taxpayers receive in return for their “investment” (spending) on city services. Unsurprisingly, it finds that taxpayers are getting a good deal. It says: “The conclusion: the median Jacksonville household pays $2,864 per year into city […]