https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300232752/responsible-parties Was America really ever supposed to have parties, or factions, as some called them at the founding of the republic? Yale political scientist, Ian Shapiro, first answers that question as a predicate to making the case that what our democracy really needs are stronger parties, primarily with more cohesion in Congress. Parties are designed …
http://drelainageorge.com/ The United States of Fast Food might be an apt description of our culture. And it’s now verifiable. The Centers for Disease Control study reveals a startling statistic: 40% of Americans eat fast food every day. Really? Come to think about it, if we add processed foods and quickie meals made at home, it …
https://www.amazon.com/Can-Governments-Earn-Our-Trust/dp/1509522468 The numbers are startling. Our faith in government was once very strong. It, and many other institutions, have fallen sharply in our estimation, if you believe the numbers. Or, just ask a friend. How did we get to this place where we have such disdain for the institution meant to maintain ‘the common good’ …
https://www.amazon.com/Uninhabitable-Earth-Life-After-Warming/dp/0525576703 It is worse, so much worse, than you think’. And that’s just the first line of David Wallace-Wells’ book, ‘The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming’. So, you read on to be reminded that much of what we have to fear about the new climate reality is already upon us. Yet, failure to push back …
https://www.mentalhealthnewsradionetwork.com/our-shows/mental-health-news-radio/ How quickly social mores change. For some of us of a certain age, it’s hard to look back at shows like ‘Friend’s’ and label them homophobic or purveying stereotypes.. In the case of ‘Seinfeld’, in its day it won a media award from GLAAD, a defender of gay rights(not that there’s anything wrong with …
https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Victory-Triumphed-Stalemate-Vietnam/dp/1538114771 In ‘Anatomy of Victory’, John Caldwell does a remarkable job of trying to unpack why the United States triumphed in World War II, fought to a stalemate in Korea, lost in Vietnam, and failed in Iraq. Wouldn’t we all like to know? For all the resources expended in blood and treasure, Americans should demand …
https://www.naomiriley.com/ There Are Worse Things Than Foster Care So headlined an article written by Naomi Schaefer Riley, published recently in the New York Times. And what is ‘worse’ for youngsters in troubled situations may surprise you. So, we talked to Ms. Riley, a Resident Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, to get a fulsome explanation …
https://www.amazon.com/Populist-Explosion-Recession-Transformed-American/dp/0997126442 To understand the populist phenomenon that led to Donald Trump’s election, many turned to John Judis’s book. ‘The Populist Explosion’, back in 2016. He gave a clear-and prophetic-explanation of the rise of populism. Two years into the Trump Administration, and with similar political upheavals around the world, he attempts to explain the resurgence of …
https://www.amazon.com/Judicial-Fortitude-Chance-Administrative-State/dp/1641770082 Peter Wallison feels there is an argument to be made that this is the case. Nameless, faceless bureaucrats are left free to write the language and regulations that underpin broad laws passed by Congress. In the process, they define much about what the federal government’s growing role is in our lives. Congress was meant …
https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Commerce-Illicit-Economy-Threatening/dp/0691170185 Illicit trade has been with us since the dawn of antiquity. We even glamorized the craft in folklore about the pirates on the high seas. Yet, the pace and sophistication of illicit trade has broken with all historical precedents over the last thirty years, according to Louise Shelley, author of ‘Dark Commerce’. The anonymity …