In the aftermath of the 2016 election, Scottie Nells Hughes, a surrogate for President Elect Trump, declared “There are no such thing as facts”. This is disturbing and if it is true does it not undermine a core principle of Thomas Jefferson?
“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.”
It is my belief that unless there is some acknowledgment of basic facts, ignorance of each of other and of the world we live in will prevail. This fosters a climate where “fake news” flourishes and is used to cement a view of those we disagree with as “immoral, ignorant others”.
I started “What We Should Know” as a place to vent my frustration with the sometimes glaring lack of context, fact and reason in public discussions on government, health and a myriad of other topics.
“What We Should Know” is also an attempt to provide basic background information. In this age of 24 hour news, it seems that commentators often begin discussions with the assumption that everyone watching has enough information to understand the conversation. What’s frustrating is that in many cases, providing background information would take less than 30 seconds. Commentators are much to enamored with hearing themselves talk and unconcerned with creating understanding.
“What We Should Know” is also an attempt to declutter the news provided by the 24/7 media. Most articles here will be short and provide the basics of an issue in less than 2 minutes.
“What We Should Know” is not unbiased but the goal is to provide information in an uncluttered manner that allows followers to tell the facts from the commentary quickly. The bias displayed here will be fiscally conservative, socially liberal with an eye toward working through the challenges of economic divisions.
I have a degree in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin – Platteville and an MBA from the University of Chicago. I have had the opportunity to work in Europe, Israel, China and the U.S. in a wide variety of industries including defense contracting, telecommunication, retail, real estate development etc.
Questions, comments and civil disagreement are encouraged.
Thanks for reading!
Kendra