William Smith

Bio

Hailing from the suburbs of Atlanta, I came to D.C. after finishing my M.A. for an internship with a nonprofit and began writing for PolicyMic earlier this year. I've been interested in politics, philosophy, and the sharing of ideas for as long as I can remember, and this is the perfect platform to indulge these interests. My main foci are education, drug, and immigration policy and broader sociopolitical culture, primarily from a libertarian perspective. When not working or writing, I like to play bass guitar and viola, try out new recipes, and do everything I can to escape the city and find some nature.
Ender's Game Boycott Isn't Making a Difference For Gay Rights — Here's Why
By William Smith
First Chick-Fil-A, then Barilla Pasta, and now the sci-fi flick Ender’s Game. These brands and products have all been the target of boycotts for their connection with opposition to anti-gay attitudes. But while the first two examples drew the ire of…
Marijuana Legalization in Mexico City is the First Step
By William Smith
Mexico is known for many things: tequila, the Aztecs, and almost unimaginable levels of violence associated with the war on drugs. But the last one may change, at least a little, if several lawmakers in the nation’s capital get their…
Pitbull Has a New Pet Cause: Charter Schools
By William Smith
The movement for greater choice in education now has a surprising ally: the rapper and promoter Pitbull. Best known for dance floor anthems such as “I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)” and for repping Kodak, Dr. Pepper, and Bud Light, Armando Christian…
5 Reasons Obama's Approval Rating Just Dropped 8 Points
By William Smith
According to a fresh-off-the-presses CNN/ORC International Survey, President Obama’s approval rating fell a massive eight percentage points over the past month, with only 45% approving of the job he is doing. More specifically, most Americans do not…
Marijuana Legalization: Scientists Want More Access to Pot For Research, and Most Millennials Agree
By William Smith
One stance that millenials are characterized by is our strong support for the legalization of (at least) medical marijuana: A recent Pew poll found that 65% of millenials support legalization of marijuana. But it isn’t just young adults who want the…
Sarah Murnaghan: Judge Michael Baylson May Have Just Saved Little Girl's Life
By William Smith
Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act seeks to help people stay healthy, and while it’s too early to gauge the effectiveness of that particular law, at least one current federal health care law could have directly led to one girl’s…
This Woman is Going On a No Food, No Water Diet — Because That's a Thing
By William Smith
The desire to eat a healthy diet is a universal phenomenon, and there is no shortage of diets claiming to offer the secret to a healthy life. Most of these diets are based in some sound science, but they all have some shortcomings. This is why it is…
Google Nutrition: Because It's Not Useful Enough Yet, Google Will Now Help You Eat Healthy
By William Smith
Healthy eating is about to get a lot easier, as search-engine behemoth Google unveiled a new service yesterday allowing users to find nutritional information for over 1,000 common foods through a simple Google search. Foods range from simple staples…
Massachusetts Welfare Audit: Don't Be Shocked When Huge Welfare Systems Get Abused
By William Smith
Earlier this week, a state audit found that Massachusetts doled out an astonishing $18 million in dubious “public assistance benefits” between July 2010 and August 2012. These include payments totalling $2.4 million to over 1,160 people who were…
Helen Mirren: Actress Has Tea With Dying Boy After Queen Declines His Request
By William Smith
Oliver Burton, a 10-year-old British boy with Downs Syndrome and terminal spine and bone marrow cancer, wanted nothing more than to have tea with Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. But when asked, Her Royal Highness denied Oliver’s simple…
'Preachers' Daughters' Reality Show: Proof We Need to Move Beyond the Abstinence-Only Approach
By William Smith
“Dear God, please don’t let my baby girl be a porn star.” Such is the plea of Ken Coleman, evangelical Christian pastor and father of Taylor Coleman, one of the titular daughters on Lifetime’s new show Preacher’s Daughters. The show follows the…
D.C.'s Overpriced, Mediocre Sandwich Shops Have Had It With Food Trucks
By William Smith
Eating in the nation’s capital is about to become much less convenient and enjoyable unless D.C.-area residents stand up and show their support for the area’s thriving food-truck industry. Rules proposed by Washington, D.C.’s Department of Consumer…
Immigration Reform 2013: MSNBC Host Touré Announces Support For Open Borders
By William Smith
The open-borders position just became a little more popular: Touré, co-host of MSNBC’s The Cycle, spoke out in favor of opening America’s borders on Monday’s show. Beginning his argument with an appeal to helping the lower classes, asking why…
Happiness Study: Money, Sex, and Alcohol Are the Keys After All
By William Smith
One of the timeless questions of the human condition is how to achieve happiness. All manner of religions, philosophies, and lifestyles have offered their own recipe for psychological well-being, but recent years have seen the development of an…
Contactually Study Finds a Correlation Between Rudeness and Productivity
By William Smith
The internet is notorious for at least two things: being a massive black hole where time is inevitably sucked away, and a haven for rudeness. Engineers at referral marketing company Contactually analyzed more than 100 million email conversations…
Immigration Reform 2013: If We Are Serious About Creating Wealth, We Will Open the Borders
By William Smith
A major component of the Gang of Eight’s recently released immigration-reform bill consists of a variety of measures intended to improve border security. But at the same time as some Republicans are questioning how effective these proposals will…
Frank Luntz: Prominent GOP Strategist Blasts Conservative Talk Radio
By William Smith
In an appearance before the University of Pennsylvania’s College Republicans on Monday, influential Republican strategist Frank Luntz blamed popular conservative talk radio show hosts Rush Limbaugh and Mark Levin for hindering the Republicans’…
Boston Bombings: Should the State Pay for Victims' Medical Expenses?
By William Smith
The almost 300 victims of the Boston Marathon bombing and their families will be able to rest a little easier knowing that they will receive insurance coverage for their treatment thanks to Massachusetts’ health insurance program, colloquially known…
Boston Bombing: Can Redditors Track Down the Boston Bomber?
By William Smith
After an event like the “Boston Bombing,” people are understandably left dazed and confused. When such a violent, disruptive act comes out of nowhere, we are desperate to regain some semblance of reason and order. “Who committed this?” and “What was…
Nahmad Family Art Gallery Raided By FBI
By William Smith
The sophisticated world of fine art collection was given a rude awakening when the FBI raided an art gallery owned by the Nahmad family Tuesday as part of an investigation into what is alleged to be an international gambling and money laundering…