Author Archives: matt ohern

Scientific Knowledge vs Social Constructionism

C.E. Larson is a professor of mathematics and applied mathematics at Virginia Commonwealth University, and he’s a big believer in the scientific method as a way of thinking and accumulating knowledge. He’s also worried that a proposed new General Education … Continue reading

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Maintain the Old or Buy the New?

When your car has a flat tire, a dead battery, and needs an oil change, you have two choices. Take care of these tiresome but routine tasks, or buy a new car. Few of us can afford the latter option, … Continue reading

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The Potential of Mileage-Based User Fees

“A Higher Gas Tax Won’t Fix America’s Highways.” That headline on a March 2nd Bloomberg news story is correct, since per-gallon fuel taxes are increasingly unsustainable, due to ongoing changes in vehicle propulsion methods. That point was stressed in the … Continue reading

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Will Congress Finally Get Tough On Junk Science?

A growing problem for modern industrialized Western societies is the legion of government agencies and unelected bureaucrats and allied nongovernmental organizations that seem impervious to transparency, accountability or reform. Their expansive power often controls public perceptions and public policies. Prominent … Continue reading

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Medicaid Expansion: A Huge Budget Risk

The current budget stalemate over Medicaid expansion is similar to what the state faced in former Governor Terry McAuliffe’s first year in office. In 2014, in a reversal of players, the State Senate wanted to expand Medicaid through the budget … Continue reading

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