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Preaching to the base
2007-07-18 01:45:00
Liberals worry about the working class average. We worry how to advance a humane agenda and not alienate “NASCAR Man” (Beinart, 2006). Yet, we may be misdirecting our efforts. True, liberalism is an ideology most common in the upper realms of the middle class. According to a 2005 study by the Pew Research Center, liberals are the most educated (49% college graduates) and highest earning (41% reside in mass affluent households) ideological demographic (Pew Research Center, 2005). In preparation for the 1996 presidential race Bill Clinton was told that we was gravely mis-positioned for the working class vote. But even if the Democratic base has shifted increasingly away from the working class and organized labor towards the intelligentsia and professional class progressives, (Rust, 1995) we needn’t worry about the working class vote. In the 2004 and 2006 elections the vast majority (over 60%) of those with incomes of less than $40,000 voted Democrat. The worrisome trend is visib...
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Cheap Stuff!
2007-07-13 07:51:00
Cheap stuff is good for us! Yet, many feel the need to condemn the avalanche of low-priced goods that has engulfed us. The leading theory seems to be that low priced goods equate into lower wages. This theory, however, is overly simplistic and short-sighted. Much of the discount-ware Americans consume is made in countries such as China; countries that need jobs and economic growth. It is our increasing demand that has helped places like China grow more prosperous at phenomenal rates. According to the World Bank, the percentage of Chinese living on less than $2 a day has dropped 43% between 1990 and 2002. People across the developing world are finally gaining a foothold in the global economy and with it access to the luxuries of plumbing and electricity. In the U.S. low-prices increase consumption which increases the demand for high-paying jobs – those who design and market products. Local communities who derive much of their revenue from sales tax profit from increased consumption...
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Take time to smell the roses, literally.
2007-07-12 07:22:00
Rose bushes are no longer confined to our yards - so there should be greater opportunity than ever to do so. City-scapes around the U.S. are getting becoming increasingly beautiful. It is as our societal appreciation of esthetics has increased over the past several decades. Most strip malls just 30 years ago were asphalted wastelands. Their design was based purely on utility and landscaping was limited to asphalt. Today, nearly every newer shopping center features lush landscaping. Supermarkets have dimmed their lights and faux hardwood floors have become the standard. In my area, every new gas station is equipped with professional landscaping. While this post doesn't fit the usual format of my blog, I think it is important to stop and smell the roses from time to time. Fortunately their numbers are increasing.
More About: Roses , Time , Smell , Literally , Tera

Why conservatism is inherently UN-American
2007-07-10 22:55:00
Conservatives have developed an affinity for labeling progressive-multiculturalists as un-American "destructionalists." Yet, it is conservatives whose ideology is threatening the "American way of life." Conservatism in the U.S. is an ideology that aims to create a culturally more homogenous country, a nation-state. Conservatism, by definition, is aimed at maintain the socio-economic status-quo. Restricting immigration, opposing any type of social reform (i.e. universal health care) and attempting to force all American to speak English are at the very top of the conservative agenda these days. All of these ideas are as un-American as can be. The U.S. was founded as a progressive country, a country meant to charter unknown waters. It is the purpose of this country to be as open as possible, to everybody and everything. Maintaining the status-quo for the sake of maintaining the status quo combined with the unwillingness to explore new options and the closing of geographical as well as ...
More About: Rent , Cons

Money, not bombs
2007-07-07 21:28:00
The way to win the "war" on Islamic fundamentalism is not through using military might. Instead we need to use the same weapons that won us the cold war: prosperity and freedom. Using bombs and missiles, however sophisticated the technology may be, is the most primitive way of settling any type of conflict. The idea of bringing freedom to a country accustomed to authoritarian dictatorship through a semi-permanent military occupation is even more ludicrous. In order to reduce the threat of radical Islam and rouge states is to invest in them. Instead of issuing sanctions on Iran, for example, we ought to increase our trade with the Iranian people. Giving American banks incentive to fund Middle-Eastern entrepreneurs, eliminating trade barriers and advertising ourselves is the way to go. Once people in the mid-east have employment, education and prosperity their world outlook is going to change dramatically. A shoe maker in Tehran is going to be quite fond of the U.S. and EU after the R...
More About: Money , Bombs

Happiness Index?
2007-07-07 07:58:00
The nef economic think tank has just released a list of countries by happiness. No, you haven't misheard. A group of professional economists are putting their reputation on the line with something they like to call the HPI (Happy Planet Index ). Don't get me wrong, I will be the first to agree with anyone pointing to the many deficiencies of income and wealth as a measure of well-being. Clearly one's quality of life is affected by factors other than financial well-being; leisure time or being passionate about one's work to name a few. An enthusiastic sociology professor making $67,000, for example, may very well be better-off than a bored MBA making $88,000. The assembly-line worker and hobby philosopher living on a mere $45,000 ($1,000 less than the media for households) might be the happiest of them all. True money does make happy, so long as it provides a lifestyle we in the first world would call "average." Research has shown that money has little effect on happiness once ann...
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Fallacy of the Strawman
2007-07-02 07:39:00
The two party system in the U.S. boast an easy attack-plat form for conservatives to paint social liberals, such as myself, as Marxists. There is a large difference between social liberals and those who believe in social democracy or socialism. Social liberals believe in a free market based economy in with some government involvement. We advocate the provision of positive rights anti-trust laws to prevent companies from forming monopolies. We are capitalists and tend to be centrist or center-left on fiscal issues. In the European Union, most countries tend to have a separate political party dedicated to a social liberal agenda. In Sweden the Centre Party, not the Social Democrats, represent our agenda. In the UK, the Free Democrats, not the Labour Party, represents our agenda. Our beliefs are too economically centrist and socially progressive in order to be found on the agenda of social democrats or socialists. Even social liberalism is the dominant form of liberalism in the U.S., t...
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Universal Health Care - A Must Have
2007-06-30 20:59:00
As Michael Moore's new movie, Sicko, is making its way into theatres, the discussion over universal health care has once again come to the attention of the American public. Conservatives argue that a) the government is an inefficient bureaucracy and b) the private sector allocates resources more efficiently (though I should mention that 51% of GOPers favor universal health care). While it is true that the private sector is more efficient in allocating resources, some services ought to be left to the government. The profit motive and "invisible hand" of the market can lead to amazing progress in innovation, technology and standard of living. But the private sector is simply unfit for certain tasks. Most Americans would be outraged if Police and Fire departments were privatized and run by for-profit companies. Health care, much like protection from fire and crime, is a basic need. As with police and fire services, health care is not a consumer good. As with police and fire services, ...
More About: Health Care , Care , Universal , Univ

Democrats arn't always liberal
2007-06-29 21:22:00
It is common in the mass media to label all Democrats liberal and all liberals Democrat, but such is not necessarily the case. The Democratic Party has a large working class base. Data shows a strong correlation between education and liberalism. The more educated a person is, the more likely he or she is to be liberal (O'Bannon, 2003). Yet, the Democratic Party –which represents many liberal ideals– has a large working class base. 2004 and 2006 CNN exit polls showed the vast majority of those lacking a college education voting Democrat, even though conservatives outnumber liberals at this level. On the other end of the educational strata, those with graduate degrees are liberal with the majority voting Democrat (O'Bannon, 2003; CNN, 2004 & 2006). The most liberal demographic, of course, remains college professors, the vast majority of whom identify as being liberal and are registered democrats (Kurtz, 2005; Chow, 2002). This data suggests that many Democratic votes do not come...
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Who votes Republican?
2007-06-28 03:35:00
Well, apparently a lot of mass affluent households - except for those in academia - and the Christian, conservative right. Considering the increasingly extreme positions held by the Grand Old Party, it is amazing to see that so many college graduates and affluent households vote Republic a n . In the 2006 mid-term elections 46% of college graduates and 52% of those in households with six figure incomes favored the GOP. (CNN, 2006) While, the country's most educated, talented and knowledgeable demographic, academicians, is overwhelmingly liberal - 80% of all political science professors identify as liberal (Kurtz, 2005) and 95% of sociologists are democrats (Stannard, 2007) - academics are a small group. Though most professors are among the top 15% of income earners, they constitute only a small percentage of the mass affluent. Those with Bachelor's degrees, many of whom have attained a six figure household incomes through marriage, favor the Republican Party (CNN, 2004 & 2006). Why? ...
More About: Votes

U.S. Census Bureau income data, deficient?
2007-06-27 23:04:00
In some aspects, definitely. For example, the U.S. Census Bureau does not provide a table detailing the distribution of per capita household income - that is the distribution of households depending on the amount of gross income they are able to allocate to each member. Per capita household income is, however, more meaningful than gross total household income. For example, a household of two making $75,000 will likely have a higher standard of living than a family of four living on $105,000. The former has a higher per capita household income (37,500) than the ladder ($26,250) and, therefore, is able to spend more on each person, leading to a higher standard of living. This is precisely why the U.S. government uses per capita household income to assess eligibility for well-fare and student aid. Yet, not one table exhibiting the distribution of household by household income per household member is available on the Income Statistics forum. Only a mention of the median income per house...
More About: Data

Open thy gates America!
2007-06-27 01:30:00
Open door immigration, including amnesty for the current 12 to 20 million "unauthorized migrants" is the only ethical and sensible policy. I was recently involved in a debate while editing the United States article on Wikipedia. The debate was a classic example of the kulturkampf between the left and right; cosmopolitan vs. nationalist. In order to support their unethical and socio-economical unjustifiable views, nativists insist on dehumanizing those who want to work in this country. They insist on applying the term "illegal" unto a human being. Some even propose using the term "alien" rather than "immigrant." Seldom does one see such rampant demonization and dehumanization of the down-trodden in what is otherwise a relatively civil society. But how else could one support nativist ideology?Truth is that restricting immigration is immoral in most cases; it marks an unjust infringement of right of human beings to move throughout their planet. People ought not to be bound by the shack...
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Social Injustice is rising.
2007-06-26 09:28:00
Income inequality is rising and so is social injustice. There is a widening canyon of inequality between the very top and the rest of society, including the upper middle class. True, those in the upper quintile work harder and are better educated that those in lower places on the income strata. Yet, most of those in the upper quintile are middle class professionals. The true social injustice, which is growing at a phenomenal rate, is between the rich –those at the very tip of the top- and everyone else. To examine social injustice in contemporary America one must not compare the working to the upper middle class. Injustice is found in the rising gap between the upper and upper middle class. The incomes of almost all those in the top 20% can easily be justified. But can those of the top 1%? Since 1973 an increasingly disproportionate share of income has gone to the top 1% (Yellen, 2005). In 2005 alone the mean income of those in the upper percentile increased by 14% to $1.1 million...
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Academia is liberal, as it should be.
2007-06-26 00:10:00
A 2005 study, published in the Washington Post, I just found states academia to be left-wing. My personal experience supports the studies results. In the study, 72% of surveyed college faculty members identified as “liberal” while only 11% identified as “conservative.” The figure was even slightly higher for the social sciences, 75%, with 80% of political science professors being liberal. In short, those with the most profound understanding of society and human interaction, social scientists, tend to be liberal. While I was not at all surprised to see the vast majority of college faculty members and social scientist identifying as liberal, I it is interesting to see actual figures.These figures support what I have long known: the more you understand humankind, the more likely you are to be a liberal. Libera l ism, especially social progressivism, is an ideology that requires complex theoretical and critical thinking skills. That is not to mention the time it takes to actually ...
More About: Academia , Cade , Demi