Politics of the Pigskin
The NFL referee controversy has implications off the field as well.
On the Newsstand:Unions
Charlotte and Chicago: The Coming Battle for Control of the Democratic Party
Conditions are ripe for a showdown between union and non-union factions.
The Perspective on Harvard’s Workers
Many students watched the Harvard Workers’ Labor Day Protests from afar, but the effects of the negotiations between those workers and the University hit close to home. The Perspective joins the debate, encouraging students to support the various Harvard employees. Read the full article at the Perspective.
Mark Warren Supports Unions and their Rights
In a recent post for the Perspective, Mark Warren writes in support of the unions in Wisconsin. The proposed budget cuts are simply “a case of states trying to balance their budgets by throwing their own employees under the bus, and not by negotiating economic concessions in good faith by collective bargaining, but by restricting unions’ rights.” Read the full ... Read More
Wisconsin Lawmakers Need to Face the Music
Wisconsin Democrats are shirking their duties by refusing to attend legislative sessions.
Rallying in Solidarity: From Egypt to Wisconsin to Cambridge
The Crimson gets it wrong when they accuse American youth of apathy.
An Overcompensated Public Sector?
We have something like a bipartisan consensus that public sector unions are a major cause of states’ budget shortfalls and that public sector workers are overpaid. The first claim, at least, seems to be lacking in evidence. And the second is no better. This goes back to an exchange I had with Alex Sherbany a couple months ago. I suggested ... Read More
Weighing Superman’s Argument
Even if you’re not an education policy wonk, you’ve probably heard about Davis Guggenheim’s new documentary, Waiting for “Superman.” And, like many Americans, you may be planning to watch it. After all, Guggenheim’s last film, An Inconvenient Truth, changed the way many people think about global warming. What’s not to like about the fact that he is now exerting his ... Read More
“Public Employees who Make a Lot of Money” Journalism
I’m sure this genre has been around as long as some public employees have made large salaries, but I’ve noticed a couple of recent such articles which I’d like to discuss. One is a Politico article about Capitol Police officers who make up to $175,000, with forty-four of them earning more than the average House chief of staff. Another is ... Read More
Rand Paul a Racist? I Think Not.
Sam Barr’s most recent post makes the rather shocking claim that Rand Paul, the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate seat in Kentucky being vacated by the retiring Jim Bunning, is a racist, or at least that he is not a non-racist. Sam deduces this from the fact that Mr. Paul is not a “consistent libertarian,” that he “picks and ... Read More
The State of the Union – LIVEBLOG
Follow us as we watch President Obama’s State of the Union! Summary: Obama’s State of the Union Address was reminiscent of his victory speech on the day he was elected. He appealed to voters on all parts of the political spectrum by focusing on issues that are at the forefront of the minds of most Americans. Obama touched on nearly ... Read More
Conditional Solidarity
Trouble Ahead If Democrats Cannot Deliver to Labor In a speech to the AFL-CIO convention on Sept. 15, President Obama reminded his labor allies that any public insurance option “would just be an option.” Two days later, the AFL-CIO unanimously endorsed single-payer Medicare for all. Clearly a mere option is not the union’s preference when it comes to health care ... Read More
