Opinion

I was finally able watch the Super Bowl at home. We don't have cable, satellite or broadcast TV- and for the most part we don't miss it. Restricting our ability to channel surf has resulted in more reading and better (at least more purposeful) video selections. It has been a good choice for our family.

You know how a song can get stuck in your head, and you can’t get it out? That’s where I am with the idea floated in California to have students learn now and pay later.

I’ve written before about conversations that count — those written artifacts that will count toward tenure or promotion — and I’ve complained that non-traditional writing (e.g. blog posts) doesn’t count for much (or for anything, according to the latest TRIP report on the state of my field). But of course, I still have to play by the rules, such as they are, and I continue to work toward submitting articles to journals and hope for publication.

I am today philosophically close to where I was when I was in graduate school. I am a middle of the road economist. I recognize the importance of government fiscal and monetary policy and yet government needs to make sure it doesn’t micromanage where it isn’t necessary, and government needs to make sure that the laws are constructed in the fairest way possible.

In which certain mysteries are only prolonged.

In school, I was known as a "gifted underachiever." I scored high on standardized tests, won writing competitions, and excelled in subjects that were considered "frills," such as music, drama, and art. But my homework was disorganized, my math and science skills rudimentary, and my grade point average mediocre at best.

A response to my students' thoughts on the subject.