ED'S STACK

Today Joseph Robinette Biden ends a 55-year career in American politics that started at the county level and ended in the Oval Office. Today also marks the return of Donald Trump to the White House after a four-year hiatus that began with an insurrection and ended with him earning the moniker “Felon.”

Today, I’d like to put politics aside and talk about something completely different. Only a few years ago, I knew little about artificial intelligence (AI). It was my work on my local high school board of education that brought the future impact of AI to my attention. Our district is currently engaged in identifying ways to use AI in the classroom. We are also working to identify the more nefarious ways students may engage AI. 

It’s been a while. Life‘s kept me busy and I haven’t had time to write. But with the most important election of our lifetime less than two weeks away, I can’t help but wonder:

Despite everything we know about Donald Trump, why would someone STILL vote for him? I’m struggling to understand.

I’m struggling to understand how anyone can vote for a person who cares so little about our country and its citizenry, while caring only for himself and what he might gain from the presidency.

It seems we Americans have an inherent need to be outraged. Add to that a splash of self-righteousness and you have the makings of a wicked cocktail. This past Friday, that cocktail managed to inebriate millions of Americans, surely leaving them with a hangover that will linger well into Monday.

Up until very recently, most Americans did not know who The Heritage Foundation was, and were similarly, unaware of their signature initiative, Project 2025. Fortunately, Americans are waking up to the horrifying implications of the project’s goals and just this month, Google searches of “Project 2025” have overtaken those of Taylor Swift and the NFL. This must certainly outrage conservatives who waged an outright war on Taylor Swift this past NFL season. 

“Same day voting and paper ballots only!”

This has been a common Republican refrain since the 2020 presidential election. The claims that the election was stolen from Donald Trump, the result of massive voter fraud, have been thoroughly disproven. Yet, Republicans are doubling down, with continued calls for a return to the antiquated form of voting that takes place only in person and only using paper ballots. Is it because Republican’s genuinely believe mail-in ballots and voting machines are significantly prone to fraud, or is there a more nefarious motivation behind their demands for same day voting and traditional paper ballots? 

Since President Joe Biden took office, U.S. inflation has been a familiar refrain and a reliable talking point for his opponents. As the country and world emerged from a once in a lifetime pandemic, prices began to skyrocket as the supply chain was unable to keep up with demand. This spike in inflation was not unique to the United States. Countries around the world saw marked inflation. In fact, Turkey suffered a staggering rate of 54.8%, the highest in the world.