Michael Austin - Independent Voter News

Better Business Bureau Warns: Don't Fall for Internet Vehicle Scams

Buyers need to stay on alert; scammers are always coming up with tricky new ways to part you and your money. You can’t be too careful these days and

By Michael Austin

June 19, 2018

An Open Letter to My Daughter on the Eve of Her First Protest

Dear Clarissa, Well, Sweetie, it’s almost here. Tomorrow is the day that you join young people all over the country and walk out of your classes for 17 minutes

By Michael Austin

March 13, 2018

What "Doing Something about It" Looks Like: Examples from Recent History

There are two big lies going around in the wake of the Parkland school shooting last week. They are the same two big lies that go around every time one

By Michael Austin

February 23, 2018

Ten Purely Hypothetical, Absolutely Sincere Questions about the Safety of Children

(1) If hundreds of children every year were killed by falling out of windows, could we all agree that wanting to make windows safer had nothing to do with being

By Michael Austin

February 22, 2018

What Tocqueville Saw and Why It Matters

There is nothing more prodigal of wonders than the art of being free . . . but nothing is harder than the apprenticeship of liberty. —Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America In 1831,

By Michael Austin

February 20, 2018

3 Stocks That Could Skyrocket If Marijuana is Legalized in Canada

Earlier this year, Canada’s prime minister Justin Trudeau announced legislation to legalize recreational marijuana in 2018. The proposed legislation has support from both political parties and a majority of

By Michael Austin

August 17, 2017

“We’ve Always Been at War with Eastasia”: Twitter and Truth in the Age of Trump

Oceania was at war with Eastasia: Oceania had always been at war with Eastasia. A large part of the political literature of five years was now completely obsolete. Reports and

By Michael Austin

February 9, 2017

Why a Federal Commitment to Education Matters

“Before any great things are accomplished, a memorable change must be made in the system of education and knowledge must become so general as to raise the lower ranks of

By Michael Austin

February 7, 2017

"Napoleon Is Always Right": Trump, Truth, and the Origins of Totalitarianism

The Origins of Totalitarianism Let’s start with an absolutely unoriginal observation: Donald Trump started his presidency by contesting two easily verifiable facts with absolutely no evidence and for no

By Michael Austin

February 4, 2017

Here Is Why People Are Freaking Out about Trump’s Travel Ban when Obama Did (sort of) the Same Thing

Let’s all stop pretending that we are arguing about a simple administrative moratorium on entry visas and whether or not Obama did, or did not do the same thing

By Michael Austin

February 2, 2017

The Smoke Detector Principle; or, Why Freaking Out about a Muslim Registry is Good for Democracy

The popular phrase “where there’s smoke there’s fire” is a lie. Lots of things cause smoke without fire. Smoke bombs, for example. And barbecue, which is so integral

By Michael Austin

November 17, 2016

The Three Kinds of People Who Should Be Outraged by Steve Bannon

First of all, credit where credit is due: Donald Trump went on TV last night and told his supporters to “stop it,” with “it” referring to acts of violence and

By Michael Austin

November 14, 2016