This past Wednesday, Alderman Joe Moore from the 49th Ward of Chicago visited Harvard to speak of America’s very first experiment with a powerful practice in participatory democracy: Participatory Budgeting (PB). Alderman Moore, who had first heard of PB at the US Social Forum in Atlanta four years ago, oversaw its first session from November … Read more
This post is the first of a two-part series on participatory institutions. The second will address participatory budgeting, following Chicago Alderman Joe Moore’s visit to Harvard on April 13th. “Have you heard of Community Action?” It was to my surprise that, as I asked this question to my peers over the course of several days, … Read more
It isn’t over yet. With legal challenges from 26 states en route to the Supreme Court, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) remains a subject of political, legal, and constitutional dispute. The case may well prove important legal precedent. “This will be the most important Commerce Clause case since cases upholding the Civil … Read more
In her blog post from Tuesday, Caroline Cox criticizes my recent editorial in the Harvard Crimson for its opposition to the Supreme Court’s decision in Snyder v. Phelps. In an 8-1 ruling, the Court decided that the First Amendment protected the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) from paying damages incurred for the “intentional infliction of emotional … Read more
More so than its predecessors, the current administration is administrative, with an academic twist. It makes decisions for you because it can discern what is truly good for you, in a way that you cannot. Many of its posts are filled by ex-professors, of law, of economics, of various sciences. Though some have slunk back … Read more
In a recent editorial for the Harvard Crimson, Peter M. Bozzo writes a passionate dismissal of the recent Supreme Court decision in Snyder v. Phelps. He argues that the Court’s ruling errs in two respects: “First, it overlooks the difference between restrictions on freedom of speech and restrictions on the how, when, and where of … Read more
Anyone who hasn’t watched President Obama’s speech on Libya should. When you do, obviously pay attention to the important foreign policy questions involved, but also keep your ears tuned for a favorite Sarah Palin image snuck into Obama’s speech. And as I’ve said before, our strength abroad is anchored in our strength here at home. That … Read more
There are many interesting aspects to the conflict in Libya and the decision of the United States and now NATO to intervene. Lost in the rain of tomahawks and declarations of opposition is the evolution of Barack Obama’s choice and what it tells us about American leadership abroad. A vision of Obama as interventionist is … Read more
I awoke this morning hungry and groggy. Today is Harvard’s last day of spring break and the last day the campus dining halls are closed. Rightfully branded by my friends as too cheap to spend money on Noch’s, Berryline, or even printing, I was thrown into a tailspin upon my realization early this morning that … Read more
CNN’s John Blake published a fascinating article on white Americans’ position in society. While I found many of its points, like his use of Glenn Beck’s antics, to be stretches and some of them, like his use of extremists like James Edwards (who runs the white supremist blog thepoliticalcesspool), to be quite offensive, the piece … Read more