By: David A. Swanson

“Opinions don’t affect facts. But facts should affect opinions, and do, if you’re rational.”—Ricky Gervais
David Swanson verifies what Jon Humphrey has said for years: good internet access benefits people, cities, counties, and states.
"Sweet Jesus,” shrieked the thralls of the Sehomus Republic,as ABC the Yochlowitz,successor to GorgoPacificus the Destroyer,forced them to call upon the nomadic advocatusto loose the girdle of
The effect of WWU students on Whatcom County’s rental housing market
In 2020, there were 464.29 abortions per 1,000 pregnancies among women aged 15-19 in Whatcom County.
What is the probability of dying from COVID-19 among the un-vaccinated?
Income inequality is a national issue driving many social and health problems. This article explores income inequality in Whatcom County.
How many patient-contact hours have been lost due to COVID-19 deaths of health care professionals?
What do the Hopi, the Lummi, broadband, and the Census have in common?
“Differential Privacy:” A statistical adjustment system that may render 2020 census population data unusable.
Whatcom county - and Benton County - did better than expected in terms of the Covid-19 Post Thanksgiving surge
In the three Whatcom County school districts carried by Trump-Pence the covid-19 infection rate is 1.4 times higher than found in the 4 districts carried by Biden-Harris.
As is the case, nationwide, it appears that Trump assisted Democrats in carrying the 2020 presidential and gubernatorial elections in Washington
Trump advocated behaviors that placed his followers at higher risk to being sickened and even dying from covid-19. Did a reduction in republican voters aid in the election of Joe Biden?
Only four US counties remain covid free, each of them rural. We discuss how the pandemic reached rural, isolated counties.
Relative to the state’s other 38 counties, Whatcom is doing reasonably well in terms of COVID-19 deaths
The 30 Republican-leaning states now lead in total COVID-19 cases
So far, so good for San Juan County. The July 4th holiday visitors have not led to either a “Yellow” or “Red” alert for covid-19 cases among its residents
Along with potential “super-spreader” venues, rates of interaction, and other factors, “being Republican” also could represent a COVID-19 risk factor.
Authors find that their method produces estimates of unconfirmed cases consistent with an announcement by the CDC that there are ten times more cases than reported.
David A. Swanson

David A. Swanson

Citizen Journalist · Writing Since Feb 28, 2025
David A. Swanson, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Sociology, University of California Riverside, has an extensive record of research. According to ScholarGPS, Swanson is 56th among the world’s 60 most Highly Ranked Scholars in the field of demography: “His prolific publication record, the high impact of his work, and the outstanding quality of his scholarly contributions put him in the top 0.05% of all scholars worldwide.” Swanson has produced over 128 refereed sole- and co-authored journal articles and 11 books, as well as having edited or co-edited six other books. His first peer-reviewed article (sole-authored) was accepted for publication in 1972 while he was an undergraduate. One of his most recent articles (co-authored, 2024) is found in the world’s leading interdisciplinary science journal, Nature. Google Scholar shows more than 7,700 citations to his work. Swanson served as a member of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Scientific Advisory Committee for six years, from 2004-10. He chaired the committee from 2009-10. He has served as an expert witness, testifying before Congress, state legislatures, and local government bodies. He is an elected member of the Washington State Academy of Sciences, an elected Fellow of the Mississippi Academy of Sciences, and has received many academic and professional grants and awards. Aided by the G.I. Bill, he earned his B.Sc. from Western Washington State College (now Western Washington University). His Ph.D. is from the University of Hawai’i.

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Recent Comments by David A. Swanson

Sat Mar 1, 2025

The Demontors that descended on the Port Authority may be visiting the city council.

City Council Fails Us Again