Federal courts have struck down gerrymanders on racial grounds, but not on grounds that they unfairly give advantage to a political party — the more common form of gerrymandering. The case could now go directly to the Supreme Court, where its fate may rest with a single justice, Anthony M. via Pocket
Critiquing the rationality of public policy, ruminating on modern life,
and exposing my inner nerd.
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Judges Find Wisconsin Redistricting Unfairly Favored Republicans
Monday, November 21, 2016
How Democrats Killed Their Populist Soul
In the 1970s, a new wave of post-Watergate liberals stopped fighting monopoly power. The result is an increasingly dangerous political system. It was January 1975, and the Watergate Babies had arrived in Washington looking for blood. via Pocket
Thursday, November 17, 2016
How extralegal actions with a veneer of normalcy can lead to a nightmare
Community Voices features opinion pieces from a wide variety of authors and perspectives. (Submission Guidelines) Seventy-eight years ago next week there was a meeting in Berlin that was extraordinary in the way that it was ordinary. via Pocket
Executive Pay Clawbacks Are Gratifying, but Not Particularly Effective
If the goal is to keep corporate executives honest, compensation clawbacks aren't doing the job. That's what the recent action by Wells Fargo's board shows. via Pocket
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
My Four Months as a Private Prison Guard: A Mother Jones Investigation
Have you ever had a riot?" I ask a recruiter from a prison run by the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA). "The last riot we had was two years ago," he says over the phone. "Yeah, but that was with the Puerto Ricans!" says a woman's voice, cutting in. "We got rid of them. via Pocket
The U.S. Constitution: Time to update, to ensure a functioning government
It has become increasingly clear that the U.S. Constitution is in dire need of amendment. via Pocket
After Three Decades of Neglect, Antitrust Is Back on the Democratic Platform
An activist displays a stylized US flag at an Occupy Wall Street rally in New York City on September 18, 2011. (Photo: David Shankbone) For the first time in 28 years, the Democratic Party platform calls for vigorous, stepped-up enforcement of our anti-monopoly laws. via Pocket
http://ift.tt/2dwDnCu
The article, entitled "Under Pence, state gave incentives to companies that offshored jobs," ran August 28 and is here. Cook's exposé is a textbook roadmap for reporters in every state. via Pocket
Thursday, October 13, 2016
Daughters and Trumps
As the father of no daughters, I'm appalled by Donald Trump's comments about groping women. As the husband of no wife, I'm offended. via Pocket
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
This Republican mayor has an incredibly simple idea to help the homeless. And it seems to be working.
Republican Mayor Richard Berry was driving around Albuquerque last year when he saw a man on a street corner holding a sign that read: "Want a Job. Anything Helps." via Pocket
Saturday, July 23, 2016
Death in Black and White
This essay has been updated to reflect news developments. We, black America, are a nation of nearly 40 million souls inside a nation of more than 320 million people. And I fear now that it is clearer than ever that you, white America, will always struggle to understand us. via Pocket
Monday, May 02, 2016
If Not Trump, What?
Donald Trump now looks set to be the Republican presidential nominee. So for those of us appalled by this prospect — what are we supposed to do? Well, not what the leaders of the Republican Party are doing. They're going down meekly and hoping for a quiet convention. via Pocket
There’s No Such Thing as a Free Rolex
THIS week, the Supreme Court heard McDonnell v. United States, the case of Bob McDonnell, the former governor of Virginia who is appealing his 2014 conviction for public corruption. via Pocket
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
The Real Reason Middle America Should Be Angry
Like many "flyover" cities, St. Louis's decline is not mainly a story of deindustrialization, but of decisions in Washington that opened the door to predatory monopoly. The people of St. via Pocket
Thursday, March 31, 2016
What Research Says about Defeating Terrorism
So what have psychologists had to say about the problem? Quite a lot. But their cool-headed observations seem to have been drowned out by the all-too-familiar chorus of senators, celebrities and others waging their own rhetorical jihad against Islam. via Pocket
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
New study sheds light on what happens to women who are denied abortions
In the US, there are many laws limiting when and how women can receive abortions. But there is almost no research on what happens to women who seek out abortions and are denied them. via Pocket
The Case for Reparations
Two hundred fifty years of slavery. Ninety years of Jim Crow. Sixty years of separate but equal. Thirty-five years of racist housing policy. Until we reckon with our compounding moral debts, America will never be whole. via Pocket