Author: Daniel Keem
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Domestic violence restraining orders are too hard to get and victims pay the price
Restraining order systems were designed for a different era and routinely fail people in active danger. The procedural friction is itself a form of harm.
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High-deductible health plans are a wealth transfer from sick to healthy
HDHPs are sold as cost-saving and HSA-friendly, but the design quietly shifts costs onto the chronically ill. Here’s how the math actually works.
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Confidence can deter more than strength
Deterrence is psychological before it’s physical. The signal of certainty often prevents conflict more reliably than any underlying capability or force.
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The risk of overconfidence in defense strategy
Confidence in military doctrine has historically preceded the worst defense failures. Overconfidence isn’t a personality flaw — it’s a structural risk.
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Withholding is a behavioral trick the government uses to keep you docile
Tax withholding feels normal, but it was designed to make taxes painless and politically invisible. The behavioral economics behind it are worth understanding.
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Personal boundaries are often ignored
Stating a boundary doesn’t guarantee respect. Here’s why people ignore your limits, and what actually changes behavior when words alone fall short.
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Motivation isn’t required for consistency
Consistency is built on systems, not feelings. Waiting for motivation is the most reliable way to abandon goals you actually care about achieving.
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STEM hype has produced a generation of mediocre engineers
Two decades of pushing every kid into STEM produced enrollment numbers, not excellence. The result is a labor market drowning in average engineering talent.
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Short-term rentals are riskier than they look
Airbnb and short-term rental investing got sold as easy income. The risks—regulatory, operational, and economic—have been catching up to the spreadsheets.