Throughout time immigrants have driven the growth and prosperity of this country. The concept of illegal immigrants is a relatively recent one. The idea that we should keep out those who don’t look like us, however, is an age-old effort. Whether we like it or not, immigrants are critical to the future of the US economy. There is a simple way to solve this problem. Make them … [Read more...] about Save the Economy – Save the Immigrants
The Decision to Go Over a Cliff
Congress is facing a Butch-and-Sundance moment today in the debate over hurtling into the unknown as relentless mercenary forces close in. The Senate has thrown them some goodies to slow down the stampede but essentially left the $700 billion cost unchanged--in fact, adding $150 billion in reduced taxes to the ransom. In the House showdown, it will still be an odd … [Read more...] about The Decision to Go Over a Cliff
Palin Did OK Last Night, Except for…
I think that Sarah Palin did OK last night, except for: Her misrepresentations and flat-out lies (taxes, votes on funding the Iraq war, etc.) Her lack of humanity and compassion (She did not miss a beat getting back to idolizing John McCain’s “maverickness” after Joe Biden choked recalling the loss of his wife and child in a horrible car accident). Baring her … [Read more...] about Palin Did OK Last Night, Except for…
Credit Crunch: Winners & Losers in Higher Ed
The Chronicle reporters and editors analyze the fallout from the money crisis. Short version: WINNERS Colleges with big endowments, low debt, and strong name brands Community colleges, affordable public colleges that can handle the demand, and distance-education programs Deep-pocket institutions that can expand programs, poach faculty members, or buy up stocks on the … [Read more...] about Credit Crunch: Winners & Losers in Higher Ed
Free to Speak Their Minds
Though we have never met and likely never will, our politics are remarkably similar -- which is one reason why, I think, Polimom emailed me this WaPo/Marc Fisher report. It's dated yesterday, and someone else here might have already linked to and/or commented on it, while I was distracted by that damn paying job I have. Regardless, it's worth linking to again, in case anyone … [Read more...] about Free to Speak Their Minds
Stampeded by Fear, Scammed by Lies: Why the Bailout Failed (Guest Voice)
The second attempt at a bailout is expected to come to a vote in the House of Representatives today. In this post, written before the Senate passed the newer version, Walter Brasch looks at why the bailout failed. Journalism professor and author Brasch is an award-winning syndicated newspaper columnist and radio commentator, and president of the Pennsylvania Press Club. Guest … [Read more...] about Stampeded by Fear, Scammed by Lies: Why the Bailout Failed (Guest Voice)
October Is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month (Guest Voice)
Filmmaker Will Drinker has a reminder about the importance of this month and about a must-see project he's working on with his brother: October Is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month by Will Drinker Are you aware of Dan Drinker? Dan is a 23 year old man with Down syndrome who is not only aware of the current presidential race, he's participating. Dan endorsed … [Read more...] about October Is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month (Guest Voice)
An Obama Election Day Blowout: The Thing That No One Yet Dares Speak The Name Of
My capacity for being surprised has somehow endured despite writing thousands of news stories, commentaries and blog posts about pretty much everything from the fact that pigs really can fly (in reserved USAir seats) to O.J. Simpson being acquitted for murder (despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary). And so it is with signs that Barack Obama may be on the verge of … [Read more...] about An Obama Election Day Blowout: The Thing That No One Yet Dares Speak The Name Of
Pakistan: United Nations’ Staff Worried
In view of the growing militant attacks, the United Nations has ordered children of its international staff to leave Pakistan. According to The Independent, the alert came as a suicide bomber killed himself and three others in north-west Pakistan in an attack aimed at a prominent politician. "Asfandyar Wali Khan, leader of the Awami National Party (ANP) which is part of … [Read more...] about Pakistan: United Nations’ Staff Worried
Biden Palin Vice Presidential Debate: Two Survivors
In the end, it didn't happen. In the highly-watched Vice Presidential debate Republican Gov. Sarah Palin didn't flop, but she didn't match the home-run excitement she generated with her GOP convention acceptance speech. Democratic Senator Joe Biden didn't stick his foot in his mouth and generate a major gaffe that would dominate the news cycle for days. Most likely the … [Read more...] about Biden Palin Vice Presidential Debate: Two Survivors
Palin and Biden: Low Bars and High Standards
Tonight's debate was kind of a letdown, eh? No embarrassing gaffes (though there's plenty of fodder for parsing and picking). No bumbling or incoherence. No bullying. Not even any bias from the moderator. Kind of bland for those of us who popped popcorn and expected a show. I did, however, come away with some impressions. First and foremost, of course, is that Sarah … [Read more...] about Palin and Biden: Low Bars and High Standards
Quick Takes on the Biden-Palin Debate
Accolades: I've seen every vice presidential debate since they began. This was the best one ever. It was certainly the most substantive. While both candidates engaged in misconstructions of their opponents' positions and records, neither was egregious in this. Sarah Palin Didn't Crash and Burn: I admit that my expectations of Palin going into the evening's debate were … [Read more...] about Quick Takes on the Biden-Palin Debate
VP Debate Reaction from Ohio
I watched the vice presidential debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin with a group of women in my hometown. Three of us are lawyers and one is a speech pathologist who detailed problems in unfunded mandates related to NCLB. The children of our host watched part of the debate, filling out the Palin and Biden Bingo cards (they got FULL!) and the husband of the host watched … [Read more...] about VP Debate Reaction from Ohio
Palin Survives, Biden Thrives
Sarah Palin did not fall on her face or make any major gaffes. If the bar was subterranean, Sarah Palin passed it. But that was not the bar. The bar was: is she a credible Vice President and does she bolster the ticket? In my opinion, Palin hovered around credibility in the early part of the debate. I was a bit surprised at how well she handled herself on the … [Read more...] about Palin Survives, Biden Thrives
Choosing Your Phrases Carefully
Oh, and one more thing on the debate.... Was I the only (Jewish?) person who winced when Sarah Palin repeatedly used the phrase "never again" to refer to how we should respond to the financial crisis? Obviously that phrase has very particular connotations to me that aren't appropriately applied to even the worst economic situation, but I can't decide if I was being … [Read more...] about Choosing Your Phrases Carefully
Palin Wins By Not Failing Utterly
Short and sweet from my tweet: Everyone tuned in to see if she repeats CBS. She does not. Even if he wins on policy, on facts, on points, she wins by not failing utterly. I'll be eager to see the ratings. I expect they'll be substantially higher than last week's debate. I'd bet money on a bounce in the polls for McCain. But no fundamental change: Obama wins in the … [Read more...] about Palin Wins By Not Failing Utterly
VP Debate: How I Saw It
These are off-the-cuff reactions, without having seen any commentary on the debate. In my only post on the subject prior to the VP debate, I talked a little bit about the "expectations game" and the extent to which it's reasonable or unreasonable to use it as a frame for evaluating the debate. The basic theme I tried to lay out was that while beating expectations -- … [Read more...] about VP Debate: How I Saw It
The Biden-Palin Showdown: Winners and Losers
I went into the debate tonight with a few expectations and key points to watch out for. One was to make sure that the moderator didn't go overboard in her treatment of the candidates, either worrying too much about accusations concerning her book and treating Sarah Palin with kid gloves, or heading overboard in the other direction and doing 90 minutes of gotcha questions. Next, … [Read more...] about The Biden-Palin Showdown: Winners and Losers
Naked At The Wall Street…
Even with the global financial crisis looming large on the horizon, and its consequent crippling effects becoming clearer, the US media's/blogs' continued obsession with "what Obama/McCain/Palin/Biden said", and then "what Obama/McCain/Palin/Biden replied" would appear myopic and tragic. The media/blogs have seemingly abdicated their traditional responsibility of … [Read more...] about Naked At The Wall Street…
Show Me the Veeps!
I'm live-blogging the Biden-Palin debate over at The Reaction. I'll be updating frequently over the next couple of hours. If you're interested, click here. … [Read more...] about Show Me the Veeps!