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US Healthcare: A "Disaster" of a System
No full textThe United States has seen presidential administrations with lofty goals for healthcare policy come and go time and again since its founding, but never an efficient healthcare system. The healthcare debate has been raging in America for years. Should healthcare be universal? Should it be publicly or privately funded, or both? Should all citizens have the right to healthcare? Should all citizens be required by law to have healthcare? The case for universal healthcare seems to be the strongest because it is the most cost-effective way for society to fulfill its humanitarian obligations
Influence and the New American Revolution
Get PDFContemporary political discourse in the United States is rife with ideas on how our society can change and reform — in particular, issues such as campaign finance reform, income inequality, and the use and control of firearms are in need of a comprehensive response that is attentive to the needs and will of the American people. Sadly, the relationship between the American people and our government is currently in a dismal state. This relationship between the people and the government has become unbalanced and unfair, reducing the likelihood of change and deterring individuals from believing in their ability to influence such reform. The need to understand our capacity to effect change, though, is absolutely necessary. The issues facing the American government at this time are as numerous as they are serious, but ideas and proposals are coming forward with the potential to rebalance this relationship. More importantly, they have the potential to usher in a new American Revolution that makes good on the democratic promise of a government for, of and by the people.
Land of the Free: Prison Reform Following the War on Drugs
Get PDFince its beginnings in 1971, the war on drugs has been largely unsuccessful in reducing drug use. Instead, it has had many unintended consequences, one of which is a huge increase in the federal prison population over the past 40 years. Despite making up only five percent of the world population, the U.S. is home to 25 percent of its prisoners. Since the 1970s, the prison population in the U.S. has skyrocketed due to the implementation of War on Drugs policies. The main reason for the failure of the War on Drugs can be attributed in part to mandatory minimum sentencing laws. Implemented as a part of the Anti- Drug Abuse Act of 1986, these one-size-fits-all policies require a certain punishment based on the amount and type of drug in possession without allowing for flexibility based on context.
Environmentalism: Now With More Empathy for Conservatives
Get PDFWe live in an age where stories of war, disease, hatred and celebrity wardrobe decisions spread at the speed of light. Some activists see waste and ignorance that needs to be toppled — others among us see an opportunity to widely disseminate a story that also speaks to people’s fears, indignance and boredom, but swiftly moves them to an inspiring new vision of what is possible for them to create here and now. It appears we have the raw materials for such a thing: The task of turning cynicism and apathy around has, in fact, a grounding in recent Ivy-League, Nobel Prize-winning psychological research. Tesla Motors\u27 slick electric cars make headlines and high stock prices, with promises of bigger industrial feats to come. Better Block’s citizen activist- entrepreneurs, though without explicitly environmental aims, take over and renovate abandoned lots and storefronts with a joyful and reckless glee that\u27s already gone viral. The idea that one could wrap these names, and the stories they represent, into a bigger and more powerful narrative — a story that reframes environmentalism as a sane, responsible, happy, energetic, and even profitable endeavor that inspires even the most apathetic to act — is less unthinkable.
Student as Consumer: What Three Decades of Higher Education Policy Mean to K-12
Get PDFThe diminishing educational outcomes and academic rigor, which have come to define the American collegiate experience, result from a misguided economic policy that places students as consumers in an “educational marketplace”.
When Elephants Fight, It’s the Grass That Suffers
Get PDFPublicly, the United States positions itself as the world’s protector and enforcer of democracy. This role, however, is more preferential than universal — especially in the case of the developing conflict in Syria. As the policy has evolved along with the ever-changing dynamics on the ground, it is clear that there are inherent contradictions between the moralistic rhetoric of policy and the amoral empirical realities of policy implementation. U.S. government officials have publicly pledged their support of the Syrian people, called for the abdication of Assad, and stated that the use of chemical weapons is a red line that, if crossed, would provoke military intervention. The U.S., however, has delivered on none of these commitments. In fact, the administration’s foreign policy response to Syria has left many questions unanswered. On one hand, the lack of impactful initiatives to deter the bloodshed over the past five years makes it clear that the U.S. policy did not aim to do so in the first place. If the U.S.’s response to this crisis continues in its current form, and Assad’s regime continues, violence and repression will persist. To this end, democracy will be impossible in Syria, and those who will truly bear the burden of such inaction will be the people of Syria. What exact proposals in need of reversing this conflict are uncertain, but what remains clear is that the U.S. faces an impasse due to its irrevocable decisions, and whatever is to occur in the future will ultimately be decided by the will of the Syrian people.
Fighting For a Seat at the Table: Why Women Can Be Formidable in 2016 Elections
Get PDFIt’s a matter of general consensus that Hillary Clinton is at the center of the 2016 presidential buzz and speculation. With near- celebrity status, unmatched qualifications and a brand name to boot, many believe that she’s the best candidate for the nation’s highest office and the key to the Democratic Party’s success in 2016. While Clinton is undoubtedly the most talked-about potential female candidate, she’s far from the sole woman in the Democratic Party that could launch a formidable campaign for the Oval Office. Though no female candidate has confirmed a 2016 presidential bid, a remarkable number of women are considered some of the most viable potential candidates for the Democratic nomination. These women are worth discussing not simply because of their gender, but because they happen to be some of the most legitimate candidates other than Clinton.
The Ethical Implications of the Kafala System
Get PDFDespite regional and culture differences, Persian Gulf countries such as Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are bound together by their use of the kafala system. Established in the 1930s, the kafala system came from the Bedouin custom of providing foreigners protection, or in some cases, affiliation with a tribe when passing through controlled territory. It was described by Azfar Khan of the International Labour Organization in The Guardian as “the best tradition of Arab hospitality,” a high compliment in a culture characterized by generous people and traditions. However, the current incarnation of the kafala system is a bastardization of previous forms, replacing generosity with greed, and honesty with deceit
Renewable Energy: Non-environmental Reasons to Make the Transition
Get PDFEnvironmentalists continuously push for us, as a country, to decrease our fossil fuel usage and transition to a society powered by renewable energy. The money of oil companies and other corporations persuade our government to continue investing in fossil fuels as opposed to renewable energy. There are, however, other reasons which should convince us as a nation to invest in alternative energy sources. Eliminating our dependence on fossil fuels will benefit the nation economically and prepare us for a rapidly changing future. We, as Americans, should increasingly pursue renewable sources of alternative energy not only for the documented environmental reasons but also because investing in renewable energy technologies will provide jobs for Americans, decrease our dependence on other nations, and benefit the health of all Americans while decreasing our dependence on fossil fuels
Oil, Hard Power and U.S. Hegemony
Get PDFIn late 2014 and early 2015, the United States dramatically increased its presence in the oil market. This tremendous increase in production, which placed the United States ahead of every OPEC country besides Saudi Arabia, caused a global change in supply and demand that dropped the price of crude oil to 2.55 per gallon nationally on Dec. 15, 2014. The price drop reverberated throughout the global economy, affecting countries from Malaysia to Norway. In Venezuela, for example, it is estimated that a one dollar drop in the price of oil will cost the country approximately $770 million in annual revenue. The United States’ decision to act influenced the entire world, and this is no surprise – economic control is just one of the many facets of hard power and hegemony