Tracy Goodwin
My name is Tracy Goodwin and I am 32 years old. I live in Austin, TX with my wife and 2 children. I am preparing to start a masters program in political science at Stony Brook University in NY. In graduate school I plan to study social movements like occupy wall street, the tea party and the arab spring. I earned a bachelors of science in psychology and a bachelors of arts in philosophy from Arizona State University. I spent the last 2 1/2 years of undergrad working in psychiatric facilities so I am quite familiar with mental illness both from my education and experience. Currently I work as an actuary / statistician for the state of TX. I forecast Medicaid costs and caseload which gives me an intimate view of health care and health care related issues. I draw on my varied experiences in developing new ideas and solutions for the problems we face.
MY BLOGS
-
SocioPolitical Dysfunction
http://sociopoliticaldysfunction.wordpress.com/
SocioPolitical Dysfunction - Politics in a Psychotic World
The US is at war, our national debt is growing at an alarming rate, unemployment is high, the economy is down, corporate money is flooding the political landscape and individual rights are being trampled. Yet when we need solutions all our politicians can do is bicker amongst themselves like a bunch of children. Congress would rather argue over ideology than try and fix the problems that face our nation.
SocioPolitical Dysfunction is a blog for the discussion of both the problems and solutions. This is a place for civil and rational discussion of issues rather than focusing on political talking points. The purpose is to seek pragmatic solutions instead of focusing on purely ideological positions.
LATEST ARTICLES ( 68 )
-
New Study Links GMO Food To Leukemia OR Not
Currently there are articles spreading across the internet stating that GMO food causes Leukemia. Unfortunately these claims are false. Read more
Posted on 20 June 2013 POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Xbox One Chooses Customers Over Greed
Originally Microsoft wanted to control Xbox One games to the degree that you would be restricted from lending, sharing, reselling or renting games. For many,... Read more
Posted on 20 June 2013 POLITICS, SOCIETY -
NSA, Snowden and Meta-Conspiracy Analysis Part 3
To make conspiracy arguments palatable to audiences beyond small numbers of true believers, persuaders must create arguments with three essential ingredients:... Read more
Posted on 17 June 2013 POLITICS, SOCIETY -
NSA, Snowden and Meta-Conspiracy Analysis Part 2
In part 1 of this series we examined trust and distrust in conspiracy theories. Undermining trust in the official explanation is the first of three necessary... Read more
Posted on 13 June 2013 POLITICS, SOCIETY -
NSA, Snowden and Meta-conspiracy Analysis Part 1
It just happens that the book I have been reading (Persuasion and Social Movements) has an entire chapter dedicated to “Argument from Conspiracy in Social... Read more
Posted on 12 June 2013 POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Trust, Mistrust, Power and Fear
In the US there is an ever-present mistrust of the government, this is a long standing cultural element that dates back to the founding of the country. Read more
Posted on 11 June 2013 POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Edward Snowden: What Do You Think?
Reading and listening to the recent coverage of Edward Snowden I have come across a variety different opinions about the man and his actions. Read more
Posted on 10 June 2013 POLITICS, SOCIETY -
The US is a Surveillance State
There is little question anymore that the US has become a surveillance state. The US monitors citizens regardless of whether or not there is any specific... Read more
Posted on 06 June 2013 POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Minecraft – Electronic Legos
5 Reasons Minecraft is better than Legos5. $20 buys the whole world of Minecraft not just one Lego vehicle.4. Stepping on a Lego is hurts.3. A couple MB save... Read more
Posted on 05 June 2013 POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Al-Qaeda’s Administrative Nightmare
Mokhtar BelmokhtarRecently the Associate Press discovered a number of Al-Qaeda documents in Timbuktu. Among those documents was a letter written from Shura... Read more
Posted on 29 May 2013 POLITICS, SOCIETY -
“Government of the People, by the People, for the People”
We have all heard this quote by Abraham Lincoln during his Gettysburg Address unfortunately it no longer reflects our country. What power do we wield as... Read more
Posted on 24 May 2013 POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Syrian Transition is Unlikely If Assad Faces Criminal Charges
Bashar al-Assad President of SyriaNow that Russia is more amenable to international involvement in Syria there is increasing talk about pressuring Assad into... Read more
Posted on 16 May 2013 POLITICS, SOCIETY -
My Heart Goes Out to Federal Workers
Federal workers say they don’t have much to celebrate these days. Furloughs began in April, exacerbating already low morale for many government agencies as... Read more
Posted on 09 May 2013 POLITICS, SOCIETY -
A Positive Step Toward Medical Billing Transparency
In the past I have expounded upon general conditions necessary for consumers to drive market prices and specifically on market influences on health care. Read more
Posted on 08 May 2013 POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Thank You to All My Readers!
from Wiki CommonsIt has been almost four months since I created SocioPolitical Dysfunction. I originally created this blog to put my political ideas on paper fo... Read more
Posted on 07 May 2013 POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Syria, Hindsight and Foresight
The Syrian civil war has been raging for more than 2 years now with no end in sight. The conflict will only end with the fall of the Assad regime since there... Read more
Posted on 07 May 2013 POLITICS, SOCIETY -
End Gerrymandering! Implement Neutral Redistricting.
End the practice by both parties to create Congressional districts for political gain. Implement a neutral means of redistricting without political influence... Read more
Posted on 03 May 2013 POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Plan B Over-the-counter
The Food and Drug Administration has approved Plan B One Step, a brand of emergency contraceptive, to be available for women 15 and older without a prescription. Read more
Posted on 02 May 2013 POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Politicized Science
Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX)Yesterday I wrote a piece about a bill proposed by Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX), in that I focused on the three proposed... Read more
Posted on 30 April 2013 POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Science Policy by Those Without an Understanding of Science
US Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX) has proposed a new bill to set funding criteria for the National Science Foundation (NSF). According to the bill any award... Read more
Posted on 29 April 2013 POLITICS, SOCIETY