Voting, November 2012
Comments Off on Voting, November 2012 I was surprised at several things about voting this morning. First, since I’ve moved, I have a new polling place, at an elementary school. There was very little signage Read more »
Category: Politics
Comments Off on Voting, November 2012 
It’s Time for Pete Stark to Retire; But Is There an Alternative?
Count me among the Democrats in U.S. Representative Pete Stark’s district who believe he should retire, and that if he doesn’t, we should vote him out of office to avoid further embarrassment. Unfortunately, his current challengers don’t appear very attractive.
Apologies
Comments Off on Apologies What’s an apology? Today, I was baffled by Rick Santorum’s comments this morning on Meet the Press: Read more »
How Facebook Suppresses Opposing Views and Reinforces Enclaves
Facebook and other online communities are unintentionally suppressing opposing views and isolating us into “enclave discussions” instead of public exchanges. Here’s how.
Democracy In Action: Ohio, Wisconsin, and …
“There’s something happening here. What it is, ain’t exactly clear.”
In Ohio, public employees needed 231,000 citizens’ signatures to force a statewide ballot regarding SB5 — which outlawed collective bargaining by Ohio’s public employees.
This past Wednesday, opponents of that law delivered petitions with 1,298,301 signatures — more than five times the required number.
Common Goals and Other People’s Intentions
Comments Off on Common Goals and Other People’s Intentions Sometimes when we criticize others, we find a mirror. Here’s my story, and my plea that we stop talking past each other, and instead focus on our common goals for our children’s education.
Education Reform: Perverse Incentives
Comments Off on Education Reform: Perverse Incentives Over the past few weeks, I’ve read many dozens of news articles, editorials, and research studies about current “education reform” efforts.
Today, I realized that nearly all the “disputed” ideas involve accusations of perverse incentives.
Wisconsin? Really? (Every Vote Counts)
Comments Off on Wisconsin? Really? (Every Vote Counts) The most expensive judicial election campaign in history. In Wisconsin? Really?
School Funding and Teachers’ Cars
Today, I was astonished to read a blog post in which a parent, angry about her local school’s budget battle, wrote of her desire to smash teachers’ “expensive sedans” in a school parking lot on “back to school night.”
Marsia Mason, please note: if I find your car in a parking lot . . . Read more »
