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Back Row America

I first walked into the Hunts Point neighborhood of the Bronx because I had been told not to. I had been told it was too dangerous and too poor, and that I was too white. I had been told that “nobody goes there for anything but drugs and prostitutes.” The people telling me this were my colleagues (other bankers), my neighbors (other wealthy Brooklynites), and my friends (other academics). All, like me, successful, well-educated people who had opinions on the Bronx but had never been there.

(See TWE Podcast, Number 41.)

The Warped and Surreally Sad World of the Deconstructed Left

Am I Fetishizing Trans Women as a Cis Guy Who Seeks Them Out for Sex?

I am a cisgender male who is attracted to people who are female-presenting despite their pronouns, sexuality, or genitalia. That last thing bothers me because I have read online about “trans chasers” in passing, and it seems the rule of thumb is not to specifically date or have sex with someone just because they're transgender.

The Great Student-Loan Scam

The magnitude of federal budget losses is becoming clearer.

Some economists are predicting a recession in the next year, but the New York Federal Reserve's quarterly household debt survey last week showed few portents. What it did show is that more Americans are defaulting on their student loans, and that government budget gnomes have vastly underestimated the future taxpayer charge.

Defaults have fallen for most forms of consumer debt as the economic expansion continues. Mortgage delinquencies last quarter hit a historic low. But severely delinquent student loans have soared ...

Immigration as Punishment

Should Harvard be required to accept the wretched refuse of its applicant pool even though they are likely to flunk out?

Should the Golden State Warriors be forced to draft the huddled masses of short and slow college basketball players who are likely to get torched in the NBA?

And should the United States government be mandated to let in immigrants likely to go on welfare?

Hotel Historians

Part reference librarian, part gossip columnist, distinct from a concierge, the historian has become an increasingly popular figure in high-end hotels or inns with actual history. Some are employees who take on the role for love (if not a paycheck), while others do it for fun. Still others are real-world professionals who find it a worthwhile project. As such, they've taken it upon themselves to learn, in elaborate detail, the background of their favorite lodge, resort, retreat or inn.

Only the Rich Will Pay

The agenda from Democrats aims to help the environment while expanding or creating programs to provide things such as health care, education, and "universal basic income" to millions of people. While that may sound good to some Americans, Joel Griffith of The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, says it is mathematically impossible to pay for that liberal agenda solely by taxing the rich.

"Most of the leading [presidential] candidates, or a number of them, have proposed Medicare for All; that's estimated to run about $32 trillion over ten years," he explains. "Then you have Universal Basic Income or Guaranteed Jobs; that's estimated to run or cost between $7 and $45 trillion over ten years."

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