inequality

US: 250 Years Later – Part 72: Income

by

America became one of the wealthiest nations in history, but the story of income has always been more complicated than numbers on a paycheck. From colonial land ownership and industrial fortunes to modern wage stagnation and billion-dollar empires, prosperity has often arrived unevenly. Two hundred fifty years later, perhaps the question remains the same: how do we balance ambition with fairness without leaving millions standing outside the gates?

Read the letter →

US: 250 Years Later – Part 37: Disease

by

In 1776, disease was not an interruption to life. It was woven directly into life itself. Epidemics moved through families, military camps, and entire communities with terrifying familiarity. Two hundred and fifty years later, medicine has transformed survival through vaccines, antibiotics, public health systems, and astonishing technology, yet disease continues changing form. This letter follows America’s long battle with illness and asks what sickness reveals not only about biology… but about society itself.

Read the letter →

US: 250 Years Later – Part 29: Crime

by

In 1776, crime was personal, local, and often brutally visible. People usually knew the thief, knew the victim, and sometimes knew the punishment before sunset. Two hundred and fifty years later, crime has expanded from frontier violence and organized syndicates into invisible digital worlds of cybercrime, surveillance, and artificial intelligence. This letter follows America’s changing relationship with crime and asks whether justice is truly about punishment, protection, or something deeper.

Read the letter →

An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 14 – Society 2 (Power) – Part 3: Did Dahmer deserve death?

by

When a crime is monstrous, something deep inside us demands that justice be served. Retributive justice says the punishment should fit the crime, and for many, the death penalty feels like the only fitting response. But what happens when we cross that line? When we grant the state the authority to take life? Justice, after all, is not just about punishment—it’s about distribution. Who gets to decide? The same system that punishes often distributes suffering unevenly. The death penalty and incarceration disproportionately affect the poor and disenfranchised. This isn’t an accident. It’s a feature of who has power. As we reflect on justice, we must ask: Do we trust the deciders? Do we trust the system to get it right every time, especially when the stakes are irreversible?

Read the letter →

There Was Never a Scarcity Problem

by

Nvidia just became worth $5 trillion – and if that doesn’t shatter the myth of scarcity, nothing will. The truth isn’t that there’s not enough money. It’s that too few people get to decide where it goes.

Read the letter →

Bread, Circuses, and the Pitchers We Choose to Punish

by

When MLB pitchers are indicted in a world where billion-dollar sports betting machines run nonstop, maybe the problem isn’t the players – maybe it’s the empire.

Read the letter →