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Europe at the Crossroads: It?s Now or Never!
2010-03-02 16:42:00 The European Union is one of the grandest projects in human history ? the creation of a new economic, and eventually social, super-state out of the ashes of post-war despair. The founders had a cunning plan: They would create an economic imperative around the production of essentials such as coal and steel, convinced that a ...
David Cameron and Social Policy
2008-01-12 14:05:00 Does Tory leader David Cameron’s new welfare plan work? This from his newsletter to supporters: “Our radical programme is designed to end the culture of long-term welfare dependency, and involves measures such as time limits on out-of-work benefits and US-style return-to-work programmes for jobseekers.” Who are these people, and how did this begin? Well, they are the ...
By: Carson's Post
Scrooge & Republican Social Policy
2007-12-21 16:59:00 The following is from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. This book was published in 1843. It does seem that the attitude and policy suggestions offered by Ebenezer Scrooge in response to a solicitation for charity at Christmas, would fit in well with Republican and conservative social policy in modern America. From the book? (Don?t miss the last ...
Something is Wrong with Our Justice System
2007-12-10 19:14:00 There is something wrong with our justice system. Michael Vick gets 23 months in prison Monday for his role in a dogfighting conspiracy, and Barry Bonds faces a 30 year in prison term if convicted for lying to a grand jury about steroid use. The US has the highest rate of imprisonment of any country in the world, 40 percent greater than those of our nearest competitors (the Bahamas, Belarus, and Russia). One in 32 Americans are in jail or prison. Too many are young African Americans and way too many are imprisoned for petty drug offenses. Not only are we creating more victims, we're ensuring their future success as criminals in the best training grounds (prisons). We can no longer afford this sick system, by taxes, or moral responsibility.
The Get-Tough-On-Crime Bug is Making Us Sick
2007-12-06 04:37:00 AlterNet Doctors recommend people get the flu shot this time of year. And I recommend folks get inoculated for the get-tough-on-crime bug before the campaign season gets in full swing. The highly contagious mental malady prevents people from thinking clearly about crime and punishment. It's how we get legislation like the "Aid Elimination Penalty" provision in the Higher Education Act (HEA) that bars students with drug convictions from receiving federal financial aid for college; apparently, to teach them a lesson. By "them," in this case, we're talking about disproportionately disadvantaged students. Rich, stoner kids don't need financial aid. The push to repeal the provision from the HEA was dropped in Congress two weeks ago, despite the efforts of the Coalition for Higher Education Act Reform, though they did get one small victory in getting the law amended so that the AEP applies only to offenses committed while a student is getting financial aid. Still, an estimated 200,... |
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