Month: July 2025

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Not So Common Sense

The following ideas/concepts should not be controversial:

  • People who live in the US but aren’t citizens should not be able to vote in any election.
  • People who are here illegally should be sent back to the country from where they came.
  • People who are here illegally should not be eligible for benefits that are meant for poor US citizens people.
  • Children should not be permitted to receive life-altering elective cosmetic surgery, even if their parents agree.
  • Insurance companies should not be required to cover elective cosmetic surgery.
  • Humans have the right to defend themselves against attacks that could cause great bodily harm or death.
  • Countries have the right to defend themselves against attacks by other countries or terrorists. Note that this defense doesn’t prohibit disproportional responses.
  • Discrimination based on inherent characteristics of a person (race, sex) is wrong in any form.
  • Men should not be allowed to compete with women in women’s sports.
  • Anyone who wants to come to this country legally and spend any amount of time here should be required to know how to speak, read, and write English.
  • Children should be protected from being sexualized.
  • Science is never settled; it should always be tested.
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Some Pet Peeves

Here are a few things I’ve found annoying over the last few months.

  • I’ve noticed this disturbing trend of people watching movies or videos on their phones…without headphones or earphones. In other words, you get to hear every piece of dialog in whatever they’re watching. Are we to the point now where your ability to watch whatever you want when you want it trumps my desire to not be disturbed by it?
  • Here’s another trend I’ve noticed: someone will say “That’s 10 times less than something else.” Huh? Multiplication (i.e. “times”) is additive, not subtractive. I don’t even know what 10 times less than something even is.
  • Related to that is this: “This product has 80% fewer calories than brand X” or some such. Do you mean it has 20% of the calories than brand X? If so, just say it.