In recent years I have become much more forward and public in expressing my dislike and distrust of organized religion. This occasionally leads to some uncomfortable exchanges with people I meet. But, organized religion is a force that must be dealt with.
Category: American Delusions
AmericanDelusions
All of my recent work in the area of history, economics, politics, sociology, and the like are to be found at AmericanDelusions.com
Concrete Dumping – more than a local Hudson nuisance
Posted on May 4, 2017 on CurrentMatters . Carole Osterink reported in her post “Unbelievable” on May 3rd about the dumping of waste concrete by F.H.Stickles Concrete on a site off north 2nd Street adjacent to a small stream that drains into the Hudson River perhaps a hundred yards away. This practice is in violation…… Continue reading Concrete Dumping – more than a local Hudson nuisance
Are We Over Taxed, Over Defended, Bamboozled by the Military-Industrial-Congressional-Presidential Complex?
Americans feel that government at all levels is sucking the life blood out of them through taxes and regulations. Lets just talk about the tax part of this perception. What are the facts of the tax burdens on Americans? – an essay from 2010.
6/2/2002 – Greenland and Global Warming
an essay from the original markorton.com website: Greenland and Global Warming When I looked down into the Grand Canyon for the first time, I paused only for a moment at its immensity and moved right onto a more self-centered thought, “How tiny human history is in all of this, and even further, how much less…… Continue reading 6/2/2002 – Greenland and Global Warming
1/23/2002 – Enron, Trust, and Malfeasance
Enron, Trust, and Malfeasance The collapse of energy giant Enron over the last six months has produced a surprising level of outrage especially for a cynic like me. As this drama continues to unfold, I have been trying to understand how Enron structured their business and made money. Until just last night I was operating…… Continue reading 1/23/2002 – Enron, Trust, and Malfeasance
When Work Disappears: The World of the New Urban Poor – book review
When Work Disappears: The World of the New Urban Poor Book Review: William Julius Wilson, When Work Disappears: The World of the New Urban Poor (New York: Alfred A Knopf, 1997) Race is never far from the surface in America’s public or private worlds. The mass media is filled with images of, or appeals to,…… Continue reading When Work Disappears: The World of the New Urban Poor – book review
The Marshall Plan and Jane Jacobs’ Cities and the Wealth of Nations – book review
The Marshall Plan and Jane Jacobs’ Cities and the Wealth of Nations Book Review/Essay 3/97 The recent celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the start of the Marshall Plan was more than just a bit of self adulatory puffery for this generation of politicians. Speeches flowed with congratulations all around for our forefathers’ cleverness…… Continue reading The Marshall Plan and Jane Jacobs’ Cities and the Wealth of Nations – book review
Michael Crichton’s Congo and the Transformation of the Western Mind
Book Review/Essay 2/97 (revised 1/29/02 – maps added at bottom) (revised 6/25/03 – map of Angola superimposed on the US) Michael Crichton’s 1980 pulp novel Congo opens with an introduction that is truly arresting . I quote here the first two paragraphs in their entirety. “Only prejudice, and a trick of the Mercator projection,…… Continue reading Michael Crichton’s Congo and the Transformation of the Western Mind