Less Than Intelligent (Stupid) Decisions, from the California Government (Housing + Insurance Edition)

Why “fraudulently created, sold as reasonable policies” keep producing shortages, unaffordable premiums, and brittle systems — with case studies

Union Influences in Public Education

- It is a major structural factor—and it intersects with the federal vs. state control debate in several ways:

The Car Repair Estimate Moment — From the Kid’s View

The car makes a sound it’s not supposed to make.

Financial Stress: Living on the Edge of Insolvency, With Nowhere to Turn.

The Car Repair Estimate Moment

California Benefit Cliffs for Low-Earning Workers When Earnings Rise:

What to Watch and Where They Hit While Attempting To Live on a Subsistence Income

Low Wages: Getting By on $20 per Hour or Less (U.S. & California, mid 2025)

The wage floor, frozen in time and space.

The Quality of Intelligence Intersects with Philosophy, Motivation, Psychology, and Economics.

The Quality of Skepticism Is a Valuable Trait

Are We Dumbing Down the U.S.A.?

A Data-Driven Look at Declining Achievement and Racial Gaps in American Education

Open-End vs Closed-End Car Leases:

Key Differences, Pros & Cons with Real-World Examples and Tax Insights

Bureaucratic Drag: The Silent Killer of Productivity and Profits

Excessive rules, rigid hierarchies, and administrative overload are eroding organizational agility.

California Regulation 260.204.1 and Broker Due Diligence in Hard Money Lending

California Nonprofit & Church Property Tax Exemptions and SB 4: A Comprehensive Guide (2025)

It is essential to understand the criteria, filing requirements, and forms to ensure proper qualification for property tax exemptions and affordable housing programs.

Phishing Emails, Chatbots Scams, and Fraudulent Online Contacts: How Much Time is Wasted Daily?

Radicalization: At what point in society does violence send the country into civil war

That’s a profound and complex question, and there is no single threshold; it’s usually a convergence of factors that pushes a society from radicalization into civil conflict.

AB 3108: Expands Criminal Liability for Real Estate and Mortgage Brokers

Political Economy of Dependency: How Governments Benefit from Keeping People Poor- Part II

Dependency, driven by incentives in political institutions and program design, is a central social policy concern that policymakers and researchers must understand to address reliance and promote autonomy effectively.

Who Makes Money by Keeping People Poor, ignorant, and dependent: Part I

That’s a big, systemic question. Rather than a single villain, there’s a set of business models that reliably profit when people have less money, possess less information, and have fewer options. Below is a concise, evidence-based map of who benefits, how the mechanics work, and what countermeasures help.

Food Products with Natural Ingredients vs. Synthetic Additives- Quick Read

In today’s grocery aisles, consumers are bombarded with labels like “natural,” “organic,” “clean,” and “non-GMO.” These terms often suggest health and purity, but what do they really mean? Understanding the difference between natural ingredients and synthetic substances is essential for making informed choices.

Functional Illiteracy vs. Criminal Behavior: Part IV

Functional illiteracy is generally considered equivalent to low literacy. These terms are often used interchangeably to describe individuals who can read introductory texts but struggle to apply these skills effectively in everyday, practical situations.