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 Brilyn37@aol.com Mine Hill, NJ SHARE 
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Brian Lynch is a retired social worker who worked in the areas of adult mental health and child protection for many years. His work brought him into direct contact with all the major social issues of the day and many of our basic social institutions such as law enforcement, schools, hospitals, welfare agencies and private social service providers on both a local and state levels. This was a privileged vantage point for him to observe every level of human ecology, from the lives of individuals to the operations of government institutions. He was struck by the impact of state and federal policies on the lives of ordinary people, for better or worse. Political conflict and the clash of ideologies has real, observable and sometimes devastating consequences. He now writes and blogs on topics that relate to his social observations.
OpEd News Member for 925 week(s) and 4 day(s)
82 Articles, 7 Quick Links, 227 Comments, 1 Diaries, 0 Polls
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Monday, April 21, 2014
Main Street Meets Their Wall Street Landlords Wall Street's equity privateers are taking advantage of the depressed housing market to buy post-foreclosure homes they can fix up and rent back to those who lost them. They want to be your landlord.
Monday, April 21, 2014Main Street Meets Their Wall Street Landlords Wall Street's equity privateers are taking advantage of the depressed housing market to buy post-foreclosure homes they can fix up and rent back to those who lost them. They want to be your landlord.
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Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Understanding Intelligence - Essential for a Rational World We can't really know ourselves without an understanding of how our brain operates. The new theory on intelligence, regarding how our cerebral cortex functions, has important implications for understanding how we think. The subconscious organization that takes place in our brain frees our conscious mind to focus on what's most important, but it also leaves us especially vulnerable to media manipulation.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014Understanding Intelligence - Essential for a Rational World We can't really know ourselves without an understanding of how our brain operates. The new theory on intelligence, regarding how our cerebral cortex functions, has important implications for understanding how we think. The subconscious organization that takes place in our brain frees our conscious mind to focus on what's most important, but it also leaves us especially vulnerable to media manipulation.
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Saturday, February 1, 2014
Obama to Expand Executive Authority, Says Ezra Klein In a Lecture at Drew University the evening following President Obama's 2014 State of the Union Address, Ezra Klein expressed his view that Obama will expand his executive authority over the next few years to fill the power vaccuum left by our polarized and disfunctional legislature.
Saturday, February 1, 2014Obama to Expand Executive Authority, Says Ezra Klein In a Lecture at Drew University the evening following President Obama's 2014 State of the Union Address, Ezra Klein expressed his view that Obama will expand his executive authority over the next few years to fill the power vaccuum left by our polarized and disfunctional legislature.
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Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Carbon vs. Climate and Our Future in a Mirror The electric utilities are looking at the trends in future electricity generation and use. What their customers see as positive developments they may see as threats. How everyone responds to these changes may settle, for better or worse, the outcome that global warming has on our planet.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013Carbon vs. Climate and Our Future in a Mirror The electric utilities are looking at the trends in future electricity generation and use. What their customers see as positive developments they may see as threats. How everyone responds to these changes may settle, for better or worse, the outcome that global warming has on our planet.
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Monday, October 28, 2013
Bogus Claim: Obama Uses IRS to Buy Votes A crazy new claim is trying to resonate within the right-wing echo chamber, this one claiming that President Obama is using the IRS to create de-facto amnesty for illegal aliens and buy votes by making the IRS pay Child Tax Credits to illegal aliens.
Monday, October 28, 2013Bogus Claim: Obama Uses IRS to Buy Votes A crazy new claim is trying to resonate within the right-wing echo chamber, this one claiming that President Obama is using the IRS to create de-facto amnesty for illegal aliens and buy votes by making the IRS pay Child Tax Credits to illegal aliens.
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Thursday, October 17, 2013
Darwin, Religion, and the Rise of a Secular World Darwin's theory of evolution spawned a natural and secular view of creation that has challenged the power of religion to control social change. It has also allowed business to slip its moral bonds, leading to runaway capitalism. Much of today's headlines can be put into perspective by understanding the dynamics of these underlying forces.
Thursday, October 17, 2013Darwin, Religion, and the Rise of a Secular World Darwin's theory of evolution spawned a natural and secular view of creation that has challenged the power of religion to control social change. It has also allowed business to slip its moral bonds, leading to runaway capitalism. Much of today's headlines can be put into perspective by understanding the dynamics of these underlying forces.
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Monday, October 7, 2013
Ted Cruz, Money and the Power to Turn Out the Lights How is it that Ted Cruz, a freshman Senator from Texas, is able to call the shots in both houses of congress? Perhaps we are seeing a surface fracture caused by a much deeper rift in power structure behind American politics. Follow the money!
Monday, October 7, 2013Ted Cruz, Money and the Power to Turn Out the Lights How is it that Ted Cruz, a freshman Senator from Texas, is able to call the shots in both houses of congress? Perhaps we are seeing a surface fracture caused by a much deeper rift in power structure behind American politics. Follow the money!
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Wednesday, September 25, 2013
The Dark Side of Saudi Petro-dollars Passionate religious ideology isn't sufficient to fuel murderous terrorist outbreaks. It also requires piles of cash. A lot of that cash flows from or through Saudi Arabia, but we turn a blind eye.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013The Dark Side of Saudi Petro-dollars Passionate religious ideology isn't sufficient to fuel murderous terrorist outbreaks. It also requires piles of cash. A lot of that cash flows from or through Saudi Arabia, but we turn a blind eye.
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Thursday, September 5, 2013
Solar Success Generating Friction with Utility Companies The rapid growth of rooftop solar instillations has caught the attention of electric utility corporations who see both an unfair advantage and a potential threat to their business model. The current debate may shape energy policy and the race for renewable, carbon free energy for years to come.
Thursday, September 5, 2013Solar Success Generating Friction with Utility Companies The rapid growth of rooftop solar instillations has caught the attention of electric utility corporations who see both an unfair advantage and a potential threat to their business model. The current debate may shape energy policy and the race for renewable, carbon free energy for years to come.
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Tuesday, August 27, 2013
NSA Can't Make Data Collection Safe Just collecting and storing private communication on behalf of the government is a violation of the US Constitution and no checks or balances can keep us safe from government abuse.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013NSA Can't Make Data Collection Safe Just collecting and storing private communication on behalf of the government is a violation of the US Constitution and no checks or balances can keep us safe from government abuse.
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Friday, July 19, 2013
Texas, Where Greenhouse Gas is King The US Energy Information Administration reports shows how much carbon dioxide is being released in each of the states and DC. Over a ten year period one state, Texas, has been responsible for 12% of all US CO2 admissions. Targeting Texas, California and a few other states in the effort to reduce emissions might be a good strategy for more rapid results.
Friday, July 19, 2013Texas, Where Greenhouse Gas is King The US Energy Information Administration reports shows how much carbon dioxide is being released in each of the states and DC. Over a ten year period one state, Texas, has been responsible for 12% of all US CO2 admissions. Targeting Texas, California and a few other states in the effort to reduce emissions might be a good strategy for more rapid results.
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Monday, July 15, 2013
What Good Can We Salvage From The Trayvon Martin Case? In the aftermath of the Zimmerman verdict we see a society badly divided and in need of reconciliation. The contrasts are great while the opportunities for reconciling our opposing views of justice and society are narrow. We need to salvage whatever good we can from this moment and look to the future for real change
Monday, July 15, 2013What Good Can We Salvage From The Trayvon Martin Case? In the aftermath of the Zimmerman verdict we see a society badly divided and in need of reconciliation. The contrasts are great while the opportunities for reconciling our opposing views of justice and society are narrow. We need to salvage whatever good we can from this moment and look to the future for real change
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Saturday, June 22, 2013
Is Our Obesity Epidemic a Result of the War on Wages? Americans are consuming 25% more calories since the 1970's, which is about when hourly wages stopped rising with hourly productivity. Poverty rates have been rising since as has the obesity problem. New data link the cost of nutritional food and U.S. food policy with obesity and the poor.
Saturday, June 22, 2013Is Our Obesity Epidemic a Result of the War on Wages? Americans are consuming 25% more calories since the 1970's, which is about when hourly wages stopped rising with hourly productivity. Poverty rates have been rising since as has the obesity problem. New data link the cost of nutritional food and U.S. food policy with obesity and the poor.
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Friday, June 21, 2013
GOP Doubling Down on Student Loans House GOP pushes the "Smarter Solutions Act", a cynical bill that simply differs the profits lenders are expecting from the doubling of student loan interest rates starting in July.
Friday, June 21, 2013GOP Doubling Down on Student Loans House GOP pushes the "Smarter Solutions Act", a cynical bill that simply differs the profits lenders are expecting from the doubling of student loan interest rates starting in July.
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Sunday, June 16, 2013
Wealth Disparity and the Brewing Social Crisis Wealth disparity, the number of people in poverty and the social stress that disparity causes are all growing but our understanding of how these things are actually related is not growing. Pundits and most of the main stream media aren't sounding the alarm. Instead they are echoing the false naratives that mask the real motivations driving this economy.
Sunday, June 16, 2013Wealth Disparity and the Brewing Social Crisis Wealth disparity, the number of people in poverty and the social stress that disparity causes are all growing but our understanding of how these things are actually related is not growing. Pundits and most of the main stream media aren't sounding the alarm. Instead they are echoing the false naratives that mask the real motivations driving this economy.
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Monday, June 10, 2013
The Real IRS Scandal As happens often in today's politically charged atmosphere, the partisan conflagration set off by the revelations is sucking all the oxygen out of the room, leaving no one to explore why these practices developed in the first place. The "scandal" is a media-induced distraction from much more serious problems under the surface. This article asks questions that really do need answers.
Monday, June 10, 2013The Real IRS Scandal As happens often in today's politically charged atmosphere, the partisan conflagration set off by the revelations is sucking all the oxygen out of the room, leaving no one to explore why these practices developed in the first place. The "scandal" is a media-induced distraction from much more serious problems under the surface. This article asks questions that really do need answers.
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Sunday, June 2, 2013
When Beauty is Average Have you ever wondered how folks who can't agree on much else can generally agree on a beautiful face? Have you ever wondered how social or religious groups that go out of their way to be different nevertheless display great conformaty within their group? And this business of regression to the mean, does it apply to how we percieve the world?
Sunday, June 2, 2013When Beauty is Average Have you ever wondered how folks who can't agree on much else can generally agree on a beautiful face? Have you ever wondered how social or religious groups that go out of their way to be different nevertheless display great conformaty within their group? And this business of regression to the mean, does it apply to how we percieve the world?
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Tuesday, May 28, 2013
America's Social Contract and the Measure of Our Commitment The attitudes we have toward paying taxes, and the extent to which people and organizations will go to avoid paying them, is an underappreciated index of our consent to be governed. The inability of the federal government to collect taxes from the nation's elite and its biggest corporations is a serious sign of trouble. It signals a real strain in our social contract.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013America's Social Contract and the Measure of Our Commitment The attitudes we have toward paying taxes, and the extent to which people and organizations will go to avoid paying them, is an underappreciated index of our consent to be governed. The inability of the federal government to collect taxes from the nation's elite and its biggest corporations is a serious sign of trouble. It signals a real strain in our social contract.
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Thursday, April 25, 2013
Rupert Murdoch, Ayn Rand and A Sociopathic Economy Rupurt Murdoch, Ayn Rand and many of the corporate elite today have adopted a view of financial markets, distributive justice and social values that can only be described as anti-social, at best. Murdoch believes that free markets are morally superior to more socially centered ideas of what is fair or moral.
Thursday, April 25, 2013Rupert Murdoch, Ayn Rand and A Sociopathic Economy Rupurt Murdoch, Ayn Rand and many of the corporate elite today have adopted a view of financial markets, distributive justice and social values that can only be described as anti-social, at best. Murdoch believes that free markets are morally superior to more socially centered ideas of what is fair or moral.
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Saturday, March 16, 2013
Some Minor Edits to The Declaration of Independence A few modifications to the Declaration of Independence that perhaps reflect our modern reality and new direction in 21st Century America.
Saturday, March 16, 2013Some Minor Edits to The Declaration of Independence A few modifications to the Declaration of Independence that perhaps reflect our modern reality and new direction in 21st Century America.
