/u/smurfyjenkins's posts
The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the key legislative achievement in the first year of the Donald Trump administration, substantially raised the federal debt and disproportionately increased incomes for the most affluent. The effects on economic growth and median wages were modest at best.
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A National Review column argues that the Spanish Inquisition was was “ahead of its time”, “pioneer of many judicial practices we now take for granted”, and that the conventional wisdom of a repressive and fanatical court "is the product of Elizabethan propaganda". Is this column correct?
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In several WWII films and TV series, snipers stay behind in abandoned locations to kill occupying forces. These snipers were always killed after inflicting a few deaths. (1) Was this a common tactic on all sides? (2) How did they get snipers to engage in such suicidal behavior?
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During the height of the first wave of the COVID pandemic, Donald Trump called for the "liberation" of three states (MN, VA, MI) that implemented COVID restrictions. This led to decreased adherence to the restrictions, and an increase in arrests of Whites for crimes related to disobedience.
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Last night, on Question Time, the BBC's flagship political show, Jacob Rees-Mogg defended the use of concentration camps in the Boer War. He asserted that the mortality rate in the camps was similar to that of Glasgow, and that the occupants of camps were interned for their own safety. Is he right?
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In the film Patton (1970), the Allies competed with each other to be the first to seize strategic locations. It seems as if this competition made the war effort more risky and caused unnecessary casualties. Did competition of this type actually occur and did it incur significant unnecessary costs?
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Plea bargains in the criminal system are often framed as efficient for all parties while also sorting the guilty from the innocent. However, under a range of scenarios (e.g. if prosecutors derive a career benefit from trial wins), the innocent are more likely than the guilty to plea bargain.
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How have the micro/small states of Europe (Andorra, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, San Marino) remained sovereign states for so long?
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APSR study: Two New Deal programs (WPA, PWA) provided massive government subsidies to hire workers in the Great Depression. The WPA, wherein the government hired workers directly, substantially increased voter support for the Democrats. The PWA, which subsidized private sector employment, did not.
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