Citizen Election Forum in Ohio
The race in Ohio's 16th Congressional District has attracted loads of attention, including this recent effort by Minnesota-based Jefferson Action to create a process through which the citizens of the district would have a voice in setting the agenda for discussion during the campaign. It is called Reclaim November and the link includes additional links to media coverage.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Living and Learning in Our Global Village
Playing my daily lunchtime game of Chinese chess with Laozhang, Beijing 1980. He regularly instructed me to re-consider moves (even suggesting alternatives), always won, and never missed an opportunity to tell anyone who would listen what an amazing chess player I was. We shared less than an hour together, four times a week for several months, but this picture always reminds me of the many life (and chess) lessons this revolutionary veteran with only one front tooth taught me.
Playing my daily lunchtime game of Chinese chess with Laozhang, Beijing 1980. He regularly instructed me to re-consider moves (even suggesting alternatives), always won, and never missed an opportunity to tell anyone who would listen what an amazing chess player I was. We shared less than an hour together, four times a week for several months, but this picture always reminds me of the many life (and chess) lessons this revolutionary veteran with only one front tooth taught me.
Whenever there are three of us walking together, one must be my teacher. -Confucius
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
An Irony of Democracy is it Depends on Elites to Make it Work
This Alternet analysis of struggle between two competing elite factions for control over the US strikes me as worth reading. It is possible that, as a Red Sox fan (just can't call myself a Yankee, so this will have to do), I am overly willing to see southern politics as a 'brutal strain of American artisocrats.' Even if that is the case, however, this still seems like a worthy read.
This Alternet analysis of struggle between two competing elite factions for control over the US strikes me as worth reading. It is possible that, as a Red Sox fan (just can't call myself a Yankee, so this will have to do), I am overly willing to see southern politics as a 'brutal strain of American artisocrats.' Even if that is the case, however, this still seems like a worthy read.
When we only have one source of news...no matter how high quality...we are only able to parrot back what that source says. Be sure to have multiple sources, representing diverse perspectives, for your daily news so you can learn to see the spin and framing and learn to make your own judgments with some confidence.
Repeating Falsehoods to Confuse and Distract
Good Plain Dealer article about the impact the court decision on Obamacare might have on specific races in Ohio. Note that within the article they point out that Republican candidates continue to repeat several statements that have been rated by Politifact as 'pants on fire' falsehoods, such as who case the deciding vote on Obamacare, that Obamacare is a government takeover, and that it is the biggest tax increase in history...all untrue, shown to be untrue, and yet continuousy repeated anyway...incivility and a failure to lead.
Good Plain Dealer article about the impact the court decision on Obamacare might have on specific races in Ohio. Note that within the article they point out that Republican candidates continue to repeat several statements that have been rated by Politifact as 'pants on fire' falsehoods, such as who case the deciding vote on Obamacare, that Obamacare is a government takeover, and that it is the biggest tax increase in history...all untrue, shown to be untrue, and yet continuousy repeated anyway...incivility and a failure to lead.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Krugman Puts Supreme Court Decision in Context
Paul Krugman provides the best analysis of the recent court decision on the Affordable Care Act., noting that “the real winners are ordinary Americans — people like you.” The 30 million ordinary Americans that the Congressional Budget Office estimates would get insurance as a result of the Affordable Care Act. Plus the ordinary Americans who regularly lose insurance when their employers downsize, or could not afford insurance, or have a pre-existing condition that…before Obamacare…would have resulted in being denied insurance.
Paul Krugman provides the best analysis of the recent court decision on the Affordable Care Act., noting that “the real winners are ordinary Americans — people like you.” The 30 million ordinary Americans that the Congressional Budget Office estimates would get insurance as a result of the Affordable Care Act. Plus the ordinary Americans who regularly lose insurance when their employers downsize, or could not afford insurance, or have a pre-existing condition that…before Obamacare…would have resulted in being denied insurance.
“In short, unless you belong to that tiny class
of wealthy Americans who are insulated and isolated from the realities of most
people’s lives, the winners from that Supreme Court decision are your friends,
your relatives, the people you work with — and, very likely, you.”
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