Gaius Publius

More on Cuomo's corruption problem — or one of them — here. by Thomas NeuburgerAndrew Cuomo takes money from rich people, sneers at principled rivals, says taxes on rich people aren’t politically possible, and then implements left policies only if he can get rich people to approve them first.—Lyta Gold's

Zephyr Teachout ran against Andrew Cuomo in 2014. Working Families Party endorsed Cuomo then, but not in 2018.by Thomas NeuburgerA Very Short Story in Three Short ActsAct I.

Exponential growth (red) vs. linear growth (blue).

by Thomas NeuburgerI’ve written before about the wide and deep rift that splits all three layers of the Democratic “party”*. Today, that split within these layers — office-holders and leaders; activists and campaign workers; voters and angry non-voters — is widening.A Legacy of BetrayalThe split is greatest in the third layer, among the voters, as the sense of betrayal is greatest there as well.

In the fictional Star Trek universe, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.by Thomas NeuburgerThe U.S. is at a national crossroads of world-historical proportions. Thanks to the COVID-19 epidemic we're headed for a collision, a heavy-engine oil train pileup, between two competing imperatives — does the nation serve the pathological wants of the few who control it or the immediate and existential needs of the many who live in it?Long put off, this question can no longer be avoided.

Click to enlarge (source)by Thomas NeuburgerThere's quite a lot to write about coronavirus, all of it of the PSA variety.

A simple graphic illustration of "flattening the curve," spreading out the incidence of disease in an attempt to not overwhelm a country's medical care facilities. "Protective measures" means social distancing, frequent hand-washing, quarantine of known cases and the like. It does not mean vaccination.

(Click to enlarge)by Thomas NeuburgerIt's easy to make the obvious connection between MSNBC's owner Comcast and the deplorable (yes, that word again) behavior of its hosts and invited guests. It beggars thought not to make it.Still, details — tangible connections — are sometimes lacking.

If you put all of the crowds that flock to watch Warren, Buttigieg, Bloomberg and Biden into this arena, would they fill even half of it?by Thomas NeuburgerThe "Prisoner's Dilemma" is a game often analyzed in game theory. In its simplest form, it looks like this:Two prisoners are accused of a crime.

Paradise lost. One misstep is all it takes to take the proud down low.by Thomas NeuburgerWhom the gods would destroy, they first make proud.—With apologies to Henry Wadsworth LongfellowThis is a small point that leads to a larger one.