Pen vs. PaperAbout     ·     RSS     ·     TwitterMay 17 One of us, one of themAlex Castellanos:Team Obama has turned the candidate of hope and change into a ferociously political animal. They’ve discarded their most valuable asset, his stature. The outsider who flew above the hated, polarized politics of red and blue now does nothing but campaign and polarize. The Obama who was “one of us,” apart from Washington, is increasingly and, to his detriment, “one of them.”May 14 DisillusionmentMost Americans believe that Obama’s declaration of support for same-sex marriage rights was politically motivated:Sixty-seven percent of those surveyed by The New York Times and CBS News since the announcement said they thought Mr. Obama made it “mostly for political reasons,” while 24 percent said it was “mostly because he thinks it is right.” Independents were more likely to attribute it to politics, and nearly half of Democrats agreed.From Hope and Change to Just Another Politician in four years flat.May 14 Mark Cuban on student loan debtMark Cuban:The point of the numbers is that getting a student loan is easy. Too easy.You know who knows that the money is easy better than anyone? The schools that are taking that student loan money in tuition. Which is exactly why they have no problems raising costs for tuition each and every year.Why wouldn’t they act in the same manner as real estate agents acted during the housing bubble? Raise prices and easy money will be there to pay your price. Good business, right? Until it’s not.There’s more student loan debt in this country than credit card debt or auto loan debt. Obscene. Throwing money at a problem does not a solution make.May 09 Obama endorses same-sex marriageNew York Times:President Obama on Wednesday ended nearly two years of “evolving” on the issue of same-sex marriage by publicly endorsing it in a television interview, taking a definitive stand on one of the most contentious and politically charged social issues of the day.Finally.Meanwhile, Mitt Romney is firmly (and unfortunately) opposed.May 08 The $100 StartupThe $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau comes out today.  Chris is one of the most inspiring people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting – not to mention also one of the most (unconventionally) successful.In The $100 Startup, Chris brings together advice, stories, and case studies from dozens of successful entrepreneurs who have managed to leverage their interests and passions into viable, profitable businesses. This is not one of those books that deals in vague generalities, but in useful concepts backed up by detailed, real-life examples.Check out the book here. It’s definitely worth your time.Older:May 07 Buzz Bissinger: Why College Football Should Be BannedMay 04 Wiping your old AndroidsMay 04 Those bad wordsMay 04 Stephen King on taxing the richMay 03 iPhone for the blindMay 02 Living bridgesMay 02 Mozilla slams CISPA