Rights and Democracy
Forget Fake Girlfriends, Republicans Have an Imaginary President
The bizarre story of Manti Te'o, the Notre Dame football player, and his dying girlfriend gives new meaning to the term "fantasy football." Te'o very nearly rode the heart-rending story of his tragic online romance into a Heisman Trophy (college football's highest...
7 Progressive Steps Obama Should Take in His Second Term
Most progressives aren't exactly thrilled with President Barack Obama's track record so far. Sure, he came out in favor of gay marriage, raised taxes on at least some of the richest Americans, made history by being the first non-white man to occupy the White House,...
Filling Solis’s Shoes Won’t Be Easy
As President Barack Obama's second term begins, change is coming. Change to his cabinet, that is. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis is the latest of the administration's leaders to announce her resignation. Obama's cabinet was already becoming more male and pale. With...
What Happened to the Violence Against Women Act?
Democrats and Republicans in Congress are having a hard time agreeing on anything these days. But there are some things that should never fall victim to partisan bickering. One of these is protecting women against domestic violence and sexual assault. But for...
Why does a university need a Chief Marketing Officer?
A new fad is sweeping across America's university campuses — and it's seriously goofy. This latest craze is not led by students making a cultural statement, but by top administrators trying to make a corporate one. It's called "rebranding," an attempt to modernize the...
Don’t Blame Me if Obama’s Second Term Disappoints
Lesser evil Ain’t enough, Back someone Who’s got the stuff. It’s hard for me to vote against an incumbent Democratic president — especially after those eight abysmal years with George W. Bush at the helm. Indeed, it seemed unlikely to me that any sentient creature...
Corporate-Sponsored Inauguration
A Newsworthy Investment
Let us address the declining fortunes of today's mainstream mass media. (Yes, I can hear your pained screams of "Nooooo…we don't want to!" However, we really must, because it's not about them, but us — about our ability to be at least quasi-informed about...
The Magic of Privatizing Public Schools
The Public School Business
As the latest round of data culled from tests taken by schoolchildren around the world showed yet again, kids in Finland, South Korea, and other countries are outscoring our kids. Overall, we're ranked No. 17. Our schoolchildren perform worse overall than they should...
