FORMAL PAPERS

I wrote this paper as an analysis of the rhetorical shift surrounding the immigration debate, specifically illegal immigration. I discuss the shifting platforms and expressions used by politicians relevant during the fall of 2019, comparing them with the dominant positions of the prior decade. The paper follows a more traditional essay format, and aims to highlight the distinct manner in which the left and right have diverged on the issue. Additionally, I explore how the nature of the American political system hinders efforts to identify rational, moderate solutions to the illegal immigration crisis.

Read Two Americas, One Border

This formal document fuses elements of a research paper with compelling infographics. Written in March, I focus on the need for executive intervention in order to minimize the costs imposed by COVID-19. Specifically, this issue brief compares different international responses to the crisis, and proposes specific policies to minimize the human and economic cost, without shredding Constitutional principles. The major subtopics include medical supplies, interstate travel, and modified criminal punishments, leading to the conclusion that certain strong measures implemented early on would prevent outright authoritarian measures from becoming necessary in the future.

Read The Cure: Democracy or Dictatorship?

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Update: Since the time of writing, the situation has evolved. I now strongly favor reducing or ending the lockdown as the economic threat exceeds the threat of the virus itself, and because many state governments have exploited the crisis to undermine basic constitutional rights. I still stand by my old proposals to produce more masks, reduce international and interstate travel, and severely punish crime.