Housekeeping: Happy Third Birthday to RealityChek!

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Housekeeping

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How the time does fly!  I can hardly believe that I’m sitting here at the keyboard to announce that today marks the third anniversary of the first substantive blog posted on RealityChek!

I’m sorry to report that there’s still “so much nonsense out there, and so little time” – if not more of the former!  But I did want to make sure again to say thank you to everyone who’s decided that dropping by here occasionally, or even more often, is worth their while.  Special thanks to those who have taken the time to comment, and to everyone who’s decided to register a “Like” or to follow.

I’m doing the best I can to keep up with your questions, criticisms, and observations, and hope that my performance on this score has improved somewhat.  But I also want to make sure that the Likers and followers know that they’re greatly appreciated, too.

As regulars here are aware, feedback is always welcome.  If anything, the nation (and world?) have gotten more polarized over these last three years, and it’s also increasingly clear to me that the subjects of these posts can evoke strong reactions among readers.  Therefore, I’m as interested as ever to hear from you, and to know how passionately you may feel in favor or against something I’ve written.  If you want to employ more than a little snark along the way to make your point, please feel free!  I’ve been known to take this tack myself.  And if you run across material you think I may not have seen, it’s always great to get these heads-ups

But if at all possible, please try to be specific and concrete with criticisms in particular. And be sure to leave the profanity at home, along with the name-calling. Because if you don’t, you won’t be welcome any more.  It’s not that I’m thin-skinned. It’s just that if you need these kinds of crutches to express yourself, you’re clearly not qualified to participate in constructive, informative debate.  And therefore, you’re wasting everyone’s time.

One of the most rewarding aspects of blogging here for the last three years has been the number of acquaintances and real friends I’ve made.  They’ve reinforced my belief that, for all the bilge that’s infected our public life, individuals of intelligence (of all kinds), quality, and good will still abound.  So many of you have taught me a great deal, and led me to look anew at any number of issues.  In large measure, these posts are an attempt at least partly to return the favor.

 

 

 

Housekeeping: Happy Birthday to Us!

How the time does fly!  Today is the first anniversary of my first substantive blog here on RealityChek.  I’d put up a short introductory post the day before. But the rubber really hit the road with last June 3’s offering on how America’s Big Box retailers were starting to feel the pain of the job offshoring they’d encouraged for so long — which turned out to involve firing and driving down the wages of much of their customer base.

It’s been a great experience so far, and you readers have been such a big part of it. I’m very grateful to everyone who has dropped by to sample the wares here, and even more appreciative of those who have become followers, regulars, and semi-regulars.

Your comments and questions have been particularly valued. I know that I’ve struggled to respond promptly to all of them, but it’s been challenging keeping up with the correspondence while trying to post two items per weekday – and more often than not succeeding! Obviously there’s room for improvement on this front, but I hope you agree with my decision to prioritize researching and writing up original content.

There’s also obviously room for improvement on the tech front, and in that vein, I’m pleased to report that my new position on the Henry George School board of trustees is soon likely to bring along some badly needed assistance in that vein. So please be a little more patient with RealityChek’s technological primitiveness and spartan – at best! – aesthetic.

In the meantime, I hope you’ll spread the word about the blog, and I’ll keep doing my best to deliver the best available analysis and information on a wide range of policy topics. Here’s to a great second year for all of us!

Housekeeping: Holiday Greetings!

Best wishes to all readers and followers for the holiday season and the New Year, and I hope everyone has enjoyed reading RealityChek at least as much as I have creating and producing it.  All comments and questions have been deeply appreciated, and thanks for your patience when I haven’t been able to respond as quickly as I’d like.

This coming year, I hope to make the blog more visually appealing and exciting, and more reader-friendly.  If you have suggestions — and especially if you have technical expertise to offer — I’d be very grateful.  And of course, feel free to spread the word about RealityChek far and wide!

In the meantime, again, please accept my gratitude for your interest and support, and I promise to keep doing my best to make your visits to RealityChek worth your while.