Chicago’s ‘machine’ in the 21st century “Machine politics in Chicago started in 1871 as a partnership between saloonkeepers, brothel owners, and politicians,” Richard Simpson, former Chicago alderman and current head of the political science department at the University of Illinois at Chicago, explained to the HPR. The Chicago machine became one of many urban juggernauts … Read more
The impact of new innovations on urban school systems The 1983 report of the National Commission on Excellence in Education, entitled “A Nation at Risk: The Imperative For Education Reform,” established the need for a comprehensive assessment of the nation’s schools in order to meet the challenges of a changing national and international community. The … Read more
Obama’s education plan Speaking at the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in March, President Obama called for reforming American education with the goal that we “once more [become] the envy of the world.” The president’s ambition is reflected in his proposed five-year, $2.5 billion Access and Completion Incentive Fund, which aims to create reliable pathways … Read more
George Will worked himself into quite a lather today about a law review article by some visiting assistant law professor at Duke that argues that the principle of free speech might be subordinated to governmental interests in combating corruption and the distorting influences of wealth on the political process. No surprises here: Will is a … Read more
How inequality can spiral out of control “Let me tell you about the very rich,” F. Scott Fitzgerald once wrote. “They are very different from you and me.” To this, Ernest Hemingway famously replied: “Yes, they have more money.” This exchange occurred in 1926, a time in America that was very good for the very … Read more
Concerns over the role of the poll are misguided The high number of public opinion polls was impossible to miss during the 2008 election, and, though the horserace is on break, professional pollsters are keeping busy. Polling is no longer a part-time business, and a wide variety of opinion polls, covering everything from congressional and … Read more
Ban Ki-moon’s first two years at the United Nations Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary General of the United Nations, has cultivated many nicknames over the course of his long and illustrious career as a diplomat. As the foreign minister of South Korea, he was called Ban-chusa, a moniker meaning both “bureaucrat” and “administrative-clerk.” His colleagues in … Read more
Jim Himes on his journey from Goldman Sachs to Capitol Hill Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) was born and lived for 10 years in Lima, Peru. He has worked at Goldman Sachs and at the New York non-profit Enterprise Community Partners. In Congress, he has worked to improve veteran benefits and increase middle-class tax cuts. Harvard … Read more
The connection between economic diversity and urban renewal Urban areas have a tendency to build upon themselves. Perhaps as long as cities have existed, they have been in the process of being ‘renewed.’ In modern urban America, the issue of renewal is intricately intertwined with the concept of gentrification, whereby the demographics of a neighborhood … Read more
How Obama will influence the genre On his posthumously released hit Changes, 2Pac rapped, “Although it seems heaven sent, we ain’t ready to see a black president.” The song addresses problems like police violence, drug use, poverty, and the epidemic of incarceration in the black community. Blasting what he sees as the offenses of a … Read more