News
Talking Inequality
05-08-2008
How can progressives be effective in framing issues of social and economic inequality? This two-part document from the Social Equity and Opportunity Forum at Portland State University documents and addresses the fact that when activists and advocates say one thing, their audiences often hear a very different message.
Market Myth Four: Financial Markets Thrive when Regulation is Kept to a Minimum
05-01-2008
John Maynard Keynes reminded us during the Great Depression, “When the capital development of a country becomes the by-product of a casino, the job is likely to be ill done.” The role of hedge funds in the recent meltdown of the home mortgage market is a powerful reminder of his wisdom.
Fred Block: Mortgage Meltdown for Dummies
03-20-2008
In a piece posted on the Dissent webpage, Fred Block connects the dots behind the mortgage meltdown and suggests the lessons for the Presidential election
Ruth Rosen: Democracy in Action
01-18-2008
In a piece published in Dissent, Ruth Rosen draws on her experience as a juror to tell us what democracy looks like.
Paul Krugman: Blindly into the Bubble
12-23-2007
For years, former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan refused to regulate the subprime lending market because of his faith that the market would regulate itself. Now that the crisis has hit, Paul Krugman writes, both the former and current chairmen have acknowledged that, for some completely unforeseeable reason, "market discipline has, in some cases, broken down."
Groveling for Choice: What Good Doctors Will Do
11-12-2007
On RHrealitycheck.org, Carole Joffe tells the stories of two doctors who, thirty years after Roe, have to beg hospitals to perform abortions on their patients, even in cases of medical necessity.
Ruth Rosen: What's fueled the U.S.-Iran war of words?
10-24-2007
In the San Francisco Chronicle, Ruth Rosen praises Reese Erlich, author of The Iran Agenda: The Real Story of U.S. Policy and the Middle East Crisis, as a "truth teller" who predicted the harsh consequences of war with Iraq before it began. His new book, Rosen writes, "can help readers understand why Iran and the United States may - or may not - soon be involved in yet another war."
Market Myth No. 3: Regulation of business is wasteful, unproductive and usually unnecessary
10-09-2007
Market Fundamentalists have insistently argued that since markets will punish firms that sell shoddy or dangerous products, there is no need for governments to regulate business. But three current battles have made it crystal clear that these claims are dangerously wrong
Ruth Rosen: Soft Crimes Against Democracy - What Ever Happened to Freedom of Information?
09-07-2007
At tomdispatch.com, Ruth Rosen traces the Bush administration's many attempts to suppress information in the name of national security and reminds us how much we have already lost due to secrecy and deception.
Carole Joffe: Bush and SCHIP: It’s Also About Fetuses
08-07-2007
George W. Bush's treatment of children's health issues represents a perfect marriage of two of the main pillars of his presidency: a full-throttle opposition to effective government programs, and a relentless promotion of measures favored by his Religious Right base.
Troy Duster: Lessons from History: Why Race and Ethnicity Have Played A Major Role in Biomedical Research
07-17-2007
Although scientific researchers might think of themselves as purely objective, especially on issues of race, Troy Duster draws a parallel between today’s study of racial difference through population genetics and the justifications for racial discrimination produced by scientists of previous decades. His analysis leads him to predict the emergence of mutually reinforcing research and policy that will tie race to behavior, especially misbehavior, all under the banner of unbiased inquiry.
Troy Duster: The molecular reinscription of race: unanticipated issues in biotechnology and forensic science
07-17-2007
Research into health disparities between different racial groups is on the rise, but Troy Duster argues that these mostly well-intentioned efforts, along with recent forensic science, could reinforce ideas of racial difference and pave the way for new forms of racial profiling.
Lawrence Wallack: Retelling the American story
07-17-2007
Americans pride ourselves on self-reliance, but we also celebrate our ability to come together as a community to solve common problems, writes Lawrence Wallack. In this cogent meditation on America’s national stories, Wallack argues that our recent focus on individualistic values must now give way to a sense of shared purpose as America confronts the challenges of economic inequality and environment change.
Carole Joffe: The Loneliness of the Abortion Patient
05-29-2007
Rather than expressing solidarity with others experiencing unwanted pregnancies, Carole Joffe and Kate Cosby write on Alternet.org, many abortion patients take pains to distinguish themselves as different from other women getting abortions.
Ruth Rosen: Rising Women Float All Boats
04-20-2007
In The San Francisco Chronicle, Ruth Rosen praises Ellen Bravo's Taking On the Big Boys: Why Feminism is Good for Families, Business, and the Nation. "Bravo's book," Rosen writes, "is such an enjoyable and accessible read it just might galvanize general readers to put the problems faced by working women on the national public agenda."
