Archive
Making the World Safer for the Next Bernie Madoff
Sometimes, members of Congress follow harebrained logic. If the consequences weren’t so serious, it would be hilarious. Consider a House bill co-sponsored by Reps. Spencer Bachus (R-AL) and Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) that would essentially let investment advisers regulate themselves.
Running for Magician-in-Chief
Our long national nightmare is over. Mitt Romney has won the Republican nomination for president. Let the etch-a-sketching begin.
Wisconsin’s Alien Seed
Walker will get to stay in office for the rest of his term, but he didn’t win the election — money did. This was a victory for the Citizens United edict issued two years ago by the Supreme Court’s five-man corporatist majority. This anti-democratic ruling opened the door for unlimited sums of corporate cash to barge into our national, state, and local elections and take charge. Walker is the first ugly sprouting of that alien seed.
The War on Drugs Is the Dumbest of Them All
America recently commemorated the 40th year of its “War on Drugs.” Celebrations were muted because of the war’s dismal failure. How many candles are appropriate for shooting yourself in the foot? Congratulatory cards from sister nations were sparse, since many are urging us to abandon what was a stupid idea in the first place. Gee thanks, Richard Nixon.
Broken Planet
Blogging the Rio+20 Earth Summit for the Rest of Us: What’s at Stake with the Green Economy
President Barack Obama may be steering clear of the Rio+20 summit, but thousands of government delegates, civil society activists, and business lobbyists are already streaming into Brazil.
The Lineup: Week of June 11-17, 2012
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Mining Gold, Undermining Democracy
A tribunal in Washington, D.C. that nobody elected recently issued a verdict that will potentially constrain the democratic rights of millions of people. Its three members ruled that a foreign company may continue to sue El Salvador for not letting the company mine gold there. The impoverished Central American country could potentially be forced to pay a Canadian mining company called Pacific Rim $77 million or more in damages
Wisconsin Wakeup Call
We’re nice people out here in Dairyland. Just ask anyone — that’s our reputation. But the purple state of Wisconsin is a political microcosm of today’s divided America.
Clearing the Air
Here’s some good news: the Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a new rule that would make coal-fired power plant operators clean up their act. It would block up to 123 billion pounds of carbon pollution annually from entering our skies by limiting emissions from next-generation power plants.
