Deep Something

The High Price of “Nice”: What Karen Gonzalez Pittman is Actually Costing South Tampa

January 7, 2026January 7, 2026 B. John 438 Views 0 Comments Karen Gonzalez Pittman, South Tampa Politics, Florida Property Insurance, Florida Legislature, District 65, Cost of Living, Culture Wars, Fiscal Responsibility, Florida GOP

This entry is part 3 of 8 in the series 2026 Elections

Is your State Rep costing you money?

On paper, Representative Karen Gonzalez Pittman fits South Tampa perfectly. She’s polished, presentable, and active in the community. If you met her at a Palma Ceia mixer, you’d think, “Now, there’s a reasonable person.” But for the wealthy and aspirational residents of District 65, voting for Pittman has become an expensive illusion. You think you’re voting for stability, but you’re actually paying a premium for a representative who consistently prioritizes Tallahassee’s culture war performance art over your bank account.

The most glaring receipt is your property insurance bill. For years, the Republican supermajority, of which Pittman is a loyal member, has promised that if we protected insurance companies from lawsuits, rates would trickle down. Pittman voted for every one of those protections. Yet, while your premiums have doubled, she and her colleagues have spent the legislative session banning books and policing bathrooms rather than fixing the financial crisis that is actually threatening our property values.

There’s a high cost to the “anti-woke” agenda, and South Tampa homeowners are paying it. This is a clear example of Patrimonialism: the state is run for insiders, while regular people get worse service and pay more. It’s time to see what her “nice” image is really costing you.

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Politics Religion Society Methodism Stoicism Featured

Justice as Responsibility: A Companion Examination

January 7, 2026 B. John 179 Views 1 Comment moral coherence, faith and ethics, justice as practice, Stoic philosophy, justice, Christian ethics, Social Justice, moral responsibility, civic virtue

This entry is part 56 of 59 in the series Journey Through Stoicism

This entry is part 5 of 7 in the series The Stoic Virtues

Justice is one of the most frequently used moral words in public life, and one of the least examined. It appears in politics, religion, social movements, and law. Because it is so familiar, we often assume we mean the same thing when we use it. We usually do not.

Serious moral traditions have resisted reducing justice to feeling or slogan. Stoic philosophy, Christian ethics, and modern research all return to a similar conclusion: Justice is not primarily about emotion or ideology. It is about responsibility. Responsibility to others, to the common good, and to living in a way that keeps belief and behavior aligned.

Seen this way, justice is not a moment or a performance. It is discipline. A steady practice carried out over time. It asks for clarity without cruelty, conviction without self-righteousness, and persistence without spectacle. Justice endures not because it is loud, but because it is rooted.

Culture Featured Politics Religion Society Stoicism

Justice as a Way of Life

January 6, 2026January 7, 2026 B. John 214 Views 1 Comment moral courage, justice, Stoic Virtues, Social Justice, Christian ethics, civic responsibility, faith in action, everyday justice

This entry is part 55 of 59 in the series Journey Through Stoicism

This entry is part 4 of 7 in the series The Stoic Virtues

Justice is a word we hear all the time, but people often understand it differently. It shows up in courtrooms, sermons, protest signs, and political speeches. Before it became a slogan, justice was seen as a way to live. Not just a stance or an opinion, but a mode of living.

For me, justice starts with faith. The prophet Micah says it simply: Do justice. Love mercy. Walk humbly with God. This command is not abstract. Justice is not something to admire from afar. It is something you do, often quietly, sometimes without certainty, and sometimes at a real cost.

I have seen justice take shape in public gatherings and protest marches, but I have also seen it in smaller, steadier acts. Helping someone get a meal. Standing up for a person who cannot speak for themselves. Showing up again when the work seems slow and unfinished. Justice does not always announce itself. Most often, it looks like ordinary people refusing to look away.

Featured Politics Election Legislature

The Rubber Stamp Comes to South Tampa

December 30, 2025December 30, 2025 B. John 376 Views 1 Comment Polk County, Special Election, Carpetbagger, DeSantis, Florida Politics, Senate District 14, Josie Tomkow, Tampa, Brian Nathan

This entry is part 2 of 8 in the series 2026 Elections

Florida Senate District 14 is facing a choice between a local voice and a corporate transfer. Josie Tomkow, a term-limited rancher from Polk County, is attempting to buy a Senate seat in South Tampa with $3 million in special interest cash. This essay examines her record of voting against our interests—on insurance, abortion, and education—and why we need a representative who actually lives here, like Brian Nathan.

Congress Election Economy Featured Politics

From Suppression to Sellout: The Laurel Lee Playbook

December 30, 2025 B. John 237 Views 0 Comments Voter Suppression, Laurel Lee, FL-15, Project 2025, healthcare, Corporate Donors, Infrastructure, Working Families

This entry is part 1 of 8 in the series 2026 Elections

A recent critique of Laurel Lee’s time as Florida Secretary of State shows her history of voter suppression, but her actions in Congress are an even bigger betrayal. She has voted against jobs and insulin price caps, and taken large corporate donations while her district faces high housing costs. Lee has shown she works for special interests, not FL-15 families.

Photo image of female looking across the distance

Featured Stoicism

Stoic Virtues: The Courage to Decide

December 22, 2025December 22, 2025 B. John 274 Views 3 Comments Moral Clarity, endurance, grief, wisdom, Courage, Life Lessons, Faith, Stoicism

This entry is part 3 of 7 in the series The Stoic Virtues

This entry is part 54 of 59 in the series Journey Through Stoicism

Most of us think courage looks like pushing forward, fighting, and refusing to give in. But sometimes courage takes a quieter form. Sometimes it shows up not as effort, but as clarity, not as resistance, but as resolve.

During my mother’s final hospital stay, she listened patiently as doctors talked about rehab and recovery. After they left, she said calmly, “I’m just done.” She wasn’t asking for permission or advice. She was stating a decision shaped by a lifetime of endurance. A woman raised in scarcity. A woman who carried family responsibility without complaint. A woman who knew the difference between fear, despair, and judgment.

In this essay, I reflect on what her final decision taught me about courage. Drawing on Stoic philosophy, scripture, and lived experience, I explore courage not as bravado, but as alignment. Not as clinging, but as choosing without illusion. If you’ve ever wondered what courage really looks like when life stops negotiating, I invite you to read more.

Economy Featured Politics Presidency Society Crack Pots

A Speech Built on Sand. Fact-Checking the President’s Address

December 18, 2025 B. John 248 Views 0 Comments inflation data, border policy, partisan rhetoric, public accountability, democratic norms, presidential address, fact check, political misinformation, economic claims

Last night’s prime-time presidential address was sold as a report to the nation. What it delivered was more like a campaign rally with a White House backdrop.

We were told inflation has been “stopped,” prices are “coming down fast,” the border is “fully secure,” wars have been ended, and the economy is suddenly the hottest in the world. The problem is that many of these claims aren’t true, and others are so exaggerated that they lose all contact with reality. Public data on inflation, jobs, migration, and global conflicts tell a far more complicated story than the one presented on screen.

The speech also leaned heavily into partisan attacks, repeatedly blaming Democrats and President Biden while offering little effort to speak to the country as a whole. Even new announcements, such as a promised cash payment to service members, were floated without any explanation of their legality or funding. Symbolism replaced substance. Confidence stood in for evidence.

Economy Featured Politics Presidency War

Is the Tail (Tale?) About to Wag the Dog?

December 17, 2025December 17, 2025 B. John 132 Views 0 Comments Latin America., Venezuela, U.S. foreign policy, Caribbean military buildup, Wag the dog, oil embargo, authoritarian politics, international relations, U.S. allies, domestic political distraction, military escalation, Trump Administration

Over the past week, the administration has steadily ratcheted up the drumbeat against Venezuela. Two more alleged “drug boats” were destroyed in the Caribbean, again without publicly released evidence. A sudden announcement of an embargo on ships carrying Venezuelan oil. The quiet but unmistakable presence of the largest U.S. aircraft carrier and its support fleet repositioned into the Caribbean. And now, after days of escalating rhetoric, a prime-time address to the nation.
Taken individually, each move could be explained away. Together, they form a pattern that deserves attention. This is not routine counternarcotics enforcement. This is coercive signaling, and it is happening at a moment when the president faces mounting pressure at home.
When facts are thin, and spectacle is thick, motives matter. History teaches us to be cautious when presidents under domestic strain suddenly discover urgent foreign enemies. The timing alone should give us pause.

General Economy Featured

United Healthcare and the Theater of the Absurd

December 5, 2025December 5, 2025 B. John 563 Views 1 Comment BayCare Imaging, dialysis mistake, health insurance bureaucracy, patient advocacy, insurance claim dispute, United Healthcare, coordination of benefits, Medicare error, medical billing problems

nited Healthcare just sent me a letter asking about my “dialysis treatments” for a claim from July 2025. Small problem. I wasn’t on Medicare in July. I’ve never had dialysis. And the provider was BayCare Imaging. which does… imaging.

After 2 hours and 57 minutes on the phone with five reps who couldn’t grasp any of this. I’m sending them a bill for my time. Welcome to the American healthcare system. Pull up a chair.

Featured Religion Society Stoicism

Introduction to Stoic Virtues

December 4, 2025December 3, 2025 B. John 171 Views 0 Comments Mercy, Restraint, self-control, Integrity, humility, Stoic Virtues

This entry is part 53 of 59 in the series Journey Through Stoicism

This entry is part 2 of 7 in the series The Stoic Virtues

Most of us try to live with some mix of courage, honesty, and patience, but we rarely stop to ask where those instincts come from or what they are pulling us toward. I spent months working through the Stoic practices without realizing they were preparing me for something larger. Only later did I see that these routines were pointing me toward the four Stoic virtues. Wisdom. Courage. Justice. Temperance. Not as lofty ideals, but as quiet directions for daily life.

This new essay opens the door to that deeper work. It reflects on how the practices steady us and how the virtues give that effort its shape and purpose. If you want to see where this journey leads next, the full piece is up now.

Featured Stoicism

How to Begin the Stoic Practices

December 3, 2025 B. John 296 Views 0 Comments daily habits, evening contemplation, Memento Mori, Journaling, Stoic practices, sympatheia, morning reflection, voluntary discomfort

This entry is part 52 of 59 in the series Journey Through Stoicism

This entry is part 1 of 18 in the series Stoicism Practices

Most people imagine Stoic practice as a long list of habits they should somehow manage to fit into an already crowded day. The truth is simpler. Most practices don’t begin with a grand plan. They begin the way mine did. A quiet morning walk becomes a morning reflection. A hard season pulls you into sympatheia. Three lines in a notebook settle into evening contemplation. The practices grow inside an ordinary life. They do not sit on top of it.

This closing essay is an invitation to begin without pressure. You don’t need every practice. You don’t need hours of silence. You only need one small place to start. A moment of attention in a day that is already unfolding. If you want to build a steadier inner life without turning Stoicism into homework, this is the place to step in.