Author: americanrespublica

“Free College” is Classic Liberal Branch Policy

Senator Bernie Sanders wants to eliminate all student loan debt and provide free college to all students, making his plan the most ambitious in regards to college education among Democrat presidential hopefuls.  This is an admirable measure, to be sure, though it’s fiscally irresponsible.  While most of the democrats’ plans have ideas similar to Sen. Sanders, they are all unified by a common theme. In true liberal fashion, they all attack the branch of the problem, as opposed to the root of the problem.  And while I believe everyone should have access to affordable higher education, I don’t believe that subsidizing every student’s tuition at these rackets of academia is the way to go.

Root and Branch Policy

If there’s one thing that liberals excel at, it’s proposing and advocating for policies that don’t solve a particular problem, but rather deal with the effects of that problem.  I liken it to a politician throwing fuel on a burning house; with that fuel being taxpayer money.  In contrast, conservatives tend to propose policies that attack the root of the problem, thereby, mitigating or preventing the problem from rearing its head in the future.  Outside of the student loan and tuition problem, liberals would rather take guns away from a law-abiding citizenry (branch policy), instead of dealing with the factors that contribute to gun violence (root policy).  And liberals would rather provide subsidized healthcare for everyone (branch policy), as opposed to fixing America’s corrupt healthcare system (root policy).

Both political sides, however, rarely propose a combination of root and branch policies.  These policies not only solve the problem, but also gives aid to those currently afflicted by the broken system.  To favor a branch policy is to play an endless game of Whack-A-Mole.  Nobody really wins, and it doesn’t get us anywhere.

A Real Solution

In the case of rising tuition costs, we should first develop a plan to retard the rise in tuition costs by placing regulations on public colleges and universities (root policy).  A couple of examples of this could be curbing the expansion of university administrators and providing oversight by mandating the publication of an annual justification report on rising tuition costs that would determine education subsidies.  Second, we need to develop a plan that provides conditional and subsidized relief to those suffering from the failures of our system (branch policy).  For this, we can apply more realistic policy plans from the likes of Sen. Elizabeth Warren by placing relief caps on household incomes over $250,000.

Additionally, the government should remove themselves from providing federal student aid (FAFSA).  As long as FAFSA continues to exist, it’ll serve as a guarantee to the universities that they will be paid with taxpayer money regardless of tuition hikes.  Indeed, it could be argued that FAFSA had served as the kindle that lit the conflagration of our tuition problem.

A Tax for Wall Street

While I believe Sen. Sanders’ policy plans do nothing to combat escalating tuition costs, his proposed mechanism for funding his plan, however, is absolutely worth considering—for other government programs. 

What Sen. Sanders has dubbed as a “Wall Street Speculation tax,” is commonly known as a “financial transactions tax” (FTT) or “financial activities tax” (FAT).  These taxes aren’t new, and Great Britain has levied a form of this tax of one-half of 1% on all stock trades since 1694.  The United States also had a similar tax from 1914 to 1966, until the growing lobbying power of the financial industry saw to its demise; and the Federal Exchange Commission (FEC) still imposes a fee on selling stock, called the “Section 31 Fee,” used to finance its regulator power of the markets. 

The effectiveness of the FTT in generating revenue is significant.  The Tax Policy Center in Washington estimates that such a tax of one-tenth of 1% on every transaction could amount to $66 billion a year.  That’s a lot of cheddar, y’all. And with that, we could fund government programs that truly merit taxpayer funds, such as K-12 education or infrastructure.

In the end, the problem of crushing student loans and rising tuition costs is of grave concern that demands an immediate solution. The ‘Millennial generation’ is absorbing the brunt of this problem, and as the largest demographic group, they will have the greatest impact on commerce in this country in the years to come. Their financial future is the financial future of America. Liberal policy alone will not solve this problem, but if they work with conservatives on developing a comprehensive root and branch policy, then all students, present and future, will be given compassion, justice, and financial freedom.

Tax data in this article was referenced from ‘A Fine Mess: A Global Quest for a Simpler, Fairer, and More Efficient Tax System’ by T.R. Reid. 

A(nother) Defense of Skimpy Running Clothes

In an appealing and agreeable blog post, ‘A Defense of Skimpy Running Clothes,’ the author, Caitlin, embraces skimpy running clothes such as bun huggers (running briefs) and booty shorts (spandex shorts with an inseam about 2″) worn by women. She argues that they serve both practical and psychological functions, and gives a strong defense against the public outcry and alleged objectification of them.  Caitlin loves her booty shorts, and if you want her to stop wearing them, “you’ll have to pry them out of [her] cold dead hands.”  She also posed a valid statement that particularly caught my attention:

“If we are going to badger female athletes about their choice of competition apparel, we should also ask men why they feel so uncomfortable wearing anything that shows a hint of skin or body shape.” 

As a man, and fellow runner, I feel it my duty to respond to this statement with why I think men–runner or not–seem to feel this way, and also give reasons why you’d also have to pry my booty shorts out of my cold dead hands.

First, there is a double-standard of “modesty” that many men have resigned themselves to. This standard says that men should cover up more of their body than women, while women should cover up less. If a man deviates from this and wears less clothing like women, then those men may be criticized for it. Vice versa, if a woman deviates from this double-standard and wears more clothing like that of men, then they, too, may be criticized for it, but probably not as harshly.

Let’s be real here. At least in the world of athletics in the 21st century, modesty has been supplanted in favor of performance and comfort, and this should apply equally to both men and women. Although, when wearing booty shorts (or tights, in general) certain men may see their man bulge as a problem. These are the same guys who wear 3/4 or full-length tights with long gym shorts over them, which I think kind of defeats the purpose of wearing tights. One could mitigate the modesty issue with underwear, or simply not pay any mind to it, just like professional male track athletes do, as well as I.

Another double-standard that prevents many men from wearing short shorts comes directly from women. On the one hand, many women see men’s leg hair, especially high on the thigh, to be an eye sore. But on the other hand, many women will be equally disturbed by the sight of shaved legs on men. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t! These women would would have us believe that they have exclusive rights to nice clean legs. But, yo…they don’t.

Double-standards don’t make sense and are often mired in irrational thinking, but since they tend to be rooted in societal norms, many men are afraid to break from it and become singled out as the odd ball.

Next, many men (and women) think that men wearing booty shorts or even split shorts make them look gay. So these straight (and homophobic) men will hold onto a sense of false masculinity, and will do what they must to preserve that masculinity; to prevent any embarrass, and not be called out on it in public. I’ve been heckled by many ignorant and douche bag bros yelling out, “Nice shorts!,” but I let those comments roll off my back and just think to myself, “Wait, what’s your marathon time, guy?” My PR is 3:02:22, by the way.

I think the fear of being perceived as gay and the measures taken in reaction to it came from two events in the late-1980s/early-1990s. During this time, the AIDS epidemic emerged and the STD was commonly diagnosed among gay men. And since straight men didn’t want to be associated with homosexuals, let alone the infectious disease, straight men adopted some fashion cues from the exploding Hip Hop culture at the time. If gay men wore short shorts, then straight men would wear baggier and longer clothes like that of Hip Hop artists. And since then, most men have grown accustomed to wearing clothes that cover up more of their body, on the streets, at the gym, and at the beach.

Lastly, I think men are simply self-conscious of their bodies, the same as women–perhaps even more. The aforementioned reasons could be enough to drive men to self-consciousness, but the afflicted man could very well think that he doesn’t have legs that are developed enough–not attractive enough–to be displayed. This could be a result of someone who only works out his upper body (what leg day?) and thus be mortified if he revealed his thighs to the public, even in an athletic setting.

Running the 2019 Boston Marathon

So, why then do I wear booty shorts against the reasons presented? My number one reason is comfort. When I run, I cannot be bothered by thoughts of what I’m wearing. In fact, it’s best to feel like I’m wearing nothing at all. Comfort is paramount to me.

When I see guys running in shorts that are almost to their knees I feel an empathetic sense of discomfort.  With every stride, all that fabric tugs ever so slightly, albeit annoyingly, on the legs.  It’s like having two babies strapped to your legs! No way, my legs demand freeeeedooooom! (Mel Gibson’s final scene in Braveheart). 

On a similar note, weather is another reason. As a native-Californian I’m no fan of warm weather. I know, it’s weird. I love winter weather and heartily enjoyed my years living in Michigan (Go Blue!) and Pennsylvania.  That being said, my body heats up super quickly during runs. If I’m running outside in the slightest hint of heat (high 60s), my body feels like it’s on fire. The weather warrants that I wear as little clothing as possible, and wearing some booty shorts or split shorts makes me feel cool so I can concentrate on other things, like my running form, or what I’m going to eat afterwards.  CARBS and PROTEIN.

Next is having the self-confidence of showing off. The human body, I think, can be very beautiful.  When I see the nude statues of ancient Greece and Rome, I see them as celebrations of the human form; full of elegant curves, definition, strength, and perfection.  It’s a standard that I strive for. Indeed, if the end of exercising, for many, is to build a better body, then they ought to have the right to wear clothing that proudly displays that body.

On top of building my legs through squats and deadlifts, I also shave them. So, these things give me a lot of self-confidence. I also get a mega boost of confirmation when girls throw me compliments about my legs.

My final reason is that I simply care not for the criticism people may have against my body and the clothes I chose to wear. Prior to writing this post, I did a bit of research into what men and women think of guys wearing “short shorts,” and the responses vary greatly. That should give guys reason enough to wear them because these opinions seem to matter just as much as a fully loaded baked potato does to a zombie.

My choice of running apparel has evolved through out my 16 years of running.  And with each thread of excess fabric that receded from my skin, the more comfortable and confident I became. I haven’t tried bun huggers yet, but I’d be open to them. In the end, runners should have the freedom to chose what type of clothing to wear without regard to people’s ridicule or double-standards. The runner should wear what makes him feel comfortable, so I think wearing booty shorts or split shorts are choices worth considering. So, I would entreat all men who haven’t done so to try them out. You never know.