This is going to be short but not necessarily sweet, as I only have a few things to add to the fountains of words flooding the digital lake on this topic.
A few thoughts:
Conway’s “Seeds” — A Good Ad … Except
Jack Conway’s campaign released two ads this week, both of which will start airing across the state, and both of which are viewable on the web site here.
I watched the “Seeds” ad, and overall it’s a good ad. Starts with his family’s seed business, and ends with his agency’s record of returning $3 to the state for every $1 spent. A solid, calm, competent ad. Except …
JCPS Central Office Takes Care of Its Own — and Insults Teachers In the Process
When you outsource work, you eliminate the positions. Sometimes, if you can, you try to find other jobs that those people can fill. I get that.
But who in their right mind puts someone in a teaching position when that person has no credentials and no experience — and then pays them twice the going rate?
JCPS, that’s who.
“Inequality Tower” – A Powerful Infographic
I love statistics. (“stat nerd” – yep) If they are well-researched and well-analyzed, they can help us see past the rhetoric and memes and outright lies that make up so much of our current political discourse. They can get us moving up the conversation meter by focusing on facts rather than opinions. Sometimes, though, you … Read more
Explainer: TPP, TAA, and Other Trade Things to Know
With all of the talk about “fast track” and “TPP” and “TAA” and other fun TLAs (three-letter acronyms), I thought it might be helpful to do an Explainer covering the main terms:
- TPA
- TPP
- TAA
- ISDS
- USTR
If you think of one I’ve left out, let me know and I’ll add it. Enjoy!
This Use of Religious Freedom Is Wrong … and Dangerous
We’re all aware of the recent attempts by many across the country to use “religious freedom” as an argument for various actions. Whether it is denying service to certain people at retail establishments, or refusing to fill prescriptions for contraceptives at a pharmacy, or turning away couples wishing to get marriage licenses, the argument has … Read more
“Progressive” Doesn’t Always Mean Progressive (Looking at you, PPI)
We’ve known for a long time that the name of an organization is often a smokescreen (h/t to Source Watch):
- Center for Consumer Freedom is a front group for tobacco, restaurant, and alchoholic industries.
- National Wetlands Coalition opposes policies to protect U.S. wetlands.
- The Global Climate Coalition is funded by the oil and coal companies.
Front groups just turn my stomach, because essentially they are lies from the start. They use a name that is supposed to make you trust them, then they sneakily (or brashly) push their agenda, hoping you won’t notice the disconnect.
There’s another set of groups that aren’t front groups, but they are arising as well. They are the new “third way” organizations that are the DLC made over, trying to find a middle ground between conservatives and progressives. While I often disagree with the results (the policies are often conservative ones with the rough edges removed), I can at least sympathize with what they are trying to do. Politics is, after all, about compromise, and if we can find a way to move even part of the progressive agenda forward through compromise, then I’m willing to look at it.
Note that I said they aren’t front groups, because they don’t call themselves one thing but promote something else. If you call your organization The Third Way, then you’re being pretty clear.
Then there’s the Progressive Policy Institute.
Miracle: I Agree With Jeff Hoover on Debates
I rarely agree with Jeff Hoover on anything. He’s a conservative Republican and I’m a progressive Democrat, so the odds of us supporting the same programs and policies are usually somewhere between Slim and None.
Those odds got a little shorter over the weekend, though, when I found myself reading his editorial in the C-J and nodding my head Yes. Here’s what we agreed about:
Should You Have A Boycott List?
You’re an activist. You are committed to effecting change in your world. You know that hitting the corporate or institutional pocketbook can be an good way to get someone’s attention. But, you’re just one person. So, why should you have a boycott list?
More Roundabouts, Please
Want to reduce traffic accidents, calm traffic in general, AND make your city more friendly to pedestrians and bicycle users? One word: roundabouts.
Study after study have all shown that roundabouts are exceptionally effective at reducing auto accidents and making crossing the street more safe for pedestrians. Here are some results: