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Merit & Excellence

Paul Graham is pushing back on AOC's claim that billionaires can't earn their wealth, arguing his two decades evaluating founders at Y Combinator proves the opposite. Meanwhile, Sacramento is moving to gut Prop 209's K-12 protections through ACA-7—letting race determine gifted program admissions—despite California voters rejecting affirmative action twice. Both fights are part of a broader struggle over whether merit or identity should determine who gets ahead in California's schools and economy.

Yes, You Can Earn a Billion Dollars
Asset Seizure Taxes Merit & Excellence

Yes, You Can Earn a Billion Dollars

May 08, 2026 · 5 min read

AOC says you can't earn a billion dollars. Paul Graham, who spent 20 years predicting which founders become billionaires, has the data to prove her wrong.

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California Will Lose a Million Students
Housing & YIMBY Merit & Excellence

California Will Lose a Million Students

April 23, 2026 · 6 min read

Federal data projects a 15.7% enrollment collapse by 2031, the worst of any major state. Meanwhile, Idaho and Florida are growing. This isn't inevitable—it's what happens when the cost of housing skyrockets and the quality of education declines.

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California Democrats Are Coming for Your Kids' Schools. Again.
Merit & Excellence Asian American Issues

California Democrats Are Coming for Your Kids' Schools. Again.

March 03, 2026 · 4 min read

ACA-7 would gut Prop 209's K-12 protections, letting race determine who gets into gifted programs. Voters said no twice. Sacramento doesn't care.

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She Graduated With Honors But She Can't Read
Merit & Excellence

She Graduated With Honors But She Can't Read

February 17, 2026 · 4 min read

She's suing the district that failed to teach her. Virtue signal destroyed teaching. How do we restore real education in schools?

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How One Professor Helped Kill a Bad Bill
Merit & Excellence State Politicians

How One Professor Helped Kill a Bad Bill

February 17, 2026 · 3 min read

Jelani Nelson drove to Sacramento for months, recruited allies, and won: Academic standards at UCs matter

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MacKenzie Scott's $26 Billion Sugar Pile
State Capacity Merit & Excellence

MacKenzie Scott's $26 Billion Sugar Pile

February 15, 2026 · 5 min read

Forbes celebrates her as history's greatest giver. But without stewardship, the outcomes are spotty at best.

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