Navigating Public Policy, Technology, Health, Data, and Innovation for a Fairer Future
You can walk down any Main Street in America and see the small businesses policymakers so often call the “backbone of the economy.” Storefronts, shops, and local employers remain a visible reminder of entrepreneurial spirit. Yet what remains invisible, both on the street and in Washington, are the millions of businesses with no sign, no Read More “America’s Smallest Businesses, and Its Biggest Policy Blind Spot”
Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the New York City Democratic primary is being celebrated as a historic breakthrough for the progressive left. Rightfully so. A 33 year old democratic socialist backed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders unseated not only a former governor, but decades of centrist machinery in the nation’s most iconic city. We saw Read More “After Mamdani: Where Does the Center Go When the Edges Take Over?”
He was five years old the first time he understood that possibility and uncertainty can arrive together. The air in Long Beach smelled of salt and sunlight as his mother led him off a bus from Lima. They carried little beyond a battered suitcase, their shared language, and the quiet hope that America might be Read More “Who Is Robert Garcia and Why You Want to Know”
For years, autonomous vehicles have been framed as a distant technological frontier, an abstract promise of convenience, safety, and efficiency. But in Austin, Texas, that future quietly arrived. And with it, a critical public policy question emerged: how do we ensure that competition, consumer choice (i.e., Coke and Pepsi), and public interest guide the evolution Read More “Coke, Pepsi, and the Future of Autonomous Ride-Sharing. Why Austin’s Experiment Matters for Public Policy.”
The most consequential choices we make about technology often unfold quietly. Not in government hearings or viral headlines, but at the checkout counter, inside IT departments, or during a conversation with the person who configures your next computer. Today, the story of AI is told in grand, sweeping terms, billion-parameter models, generative breakthroughs, the reshaping Read More “The AI Future Is Quietly Taking Shape & It’s Sitting On Your Desk”
Tariffs are back, louder, sharper, and more lucrative than they’ve been in decades. As of mid-June, the federal government has collected over $72 billion from tariffs in 2025, an 81 percent increase from the same period last year. That kind of growth would turn heads in any revenue stream. But when it comes to understanding Read More “When Revenue Rises but Stability Slips”
Every so often, Congress confronts a decision that seems technocratic on the surface but reveals something deeper about our national character. The current debate over Medicaid funding for rural hospitals is one of those moments. At issue is a provision tucked into the Senate’s sweeping budget legislation. It would lower the threshold for provider taxes Read More “What Happens When Washington Forgets the Heartland”
Last year, I wrote about the mounting risks of student loan delinquency. It was bad then. It is worse now. The American promise was simple: work hard, get educated, and you can build a life. That promise is breaking. Student loans were never just debt; they were the toll you paid for entry into the Read More “The American Dream Is Collapsing Under Student Debt”
It starts the same way every time. You open a browser to check the weather, and seventeen clicks later you’re accepting cookies from a Croatian fishing blog, muting a video about luxury bathtubs, and trying to close an ad that has cleverly disguised itself as the article’s scroll bar. This isn’t the open web we Read More “Every Click You Make: The Slow Decline of the Internet (and the Hidden Cost of ‘Free’)”
Sheila Kennedy, one of Indiana’s sharpest public thinkers, just dropped a masterstroke of modern commentary. Her post, AI Talks to Trump, isn’t just clever, it’s necessary. The premise is simple but profound. What if ChatGPT could summon the rhetorical spirit of Thomas Jefferson, Jesus of Nazareth, and Ronald Reagan, then ask them to speak candidly Read More “AI, Trump, and the Voices of History”