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Will Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker Doom Public Sector Unions?
Tweet Share on Facebook February 28, 2011 Comment (5)Is the Madison, Wis., standoff the beginning of the end of public employee unions? Should it be? The remarkable confrontation between the new Republican governor and state employees that began earlier this month and spread to other states has raised a major public policy debate. The notion of government workers forming unions and bargaining collectively (see the U.S. News debate on whether public workers should have collective bargaining rights) was controversial in the early days of the labor movement. Even Franklin Roosevelt and other strong unionists opposed the idea. But it gradually came to be accepted. Now, in this cash-strapped era, some think the early concerns have been borne out with unions essentially spending the public's money to lobby for more public money. Where do you stand? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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What Should Obama Do About Iran?
Tweet Share on Facebook February 22, 2011 Comment (16)However they turn out, the protests sweeping across the Middle East and North Africa are a profound spectacle that evokes the fall of communism and transformation of Eastern Europe two decades ago. Like those earlier revolutions, it's worth remembering that some repressive oligarchies are more important than others. Specifically, Iran. The mullahs rule over the world's most dangerous country. Unlike, say, the anxieties over radical Muslims taking over Egypt, it's hard to envision how the regime's downfall could bring about something worse. So what should the United States do about it? Can President Obama help assure the fall of the Iranian government? Or is it best to stand by and let events unfold? I'd like to hear your thoughts below.
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Democrats Go Left, GOP Goes Right--Good for Politics?
Tweet Share on Facebook February 15, 2011 Comment (3)Is the center of Democratic politics dead? This week, the Democratic Leadership Council folded. The group that reshaped the party after disastrous defeats by steering a middle course and helping elect Bill Clinton in 1992 had lost support and funding. Democrats aligned with that view—Evan Bayh, Kent Conrad, Jim Webb, Jane Harman, and others—are dropping out of politics by the week. The Democrats seem to be reasserting a staunch liberalism, even as Republicans move toward a more conservative stance. Is this good or bad? Some think that having starkly opposed parties is the way a two-party system should work. Others see a damaging divide that could make Washington nastier, and less effective, than it already is. What do you think? Post your thoughts below.
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How Did Obama Do in his State of the Union?
Tweet Share on Facebook February 1, 2011 Comment (2)How did he do? President Obama in his State of the Union speech, I mean. It was a long and complex piece of oratory with multiple objectives. He was simultaneously trying to inspire a nation beset with a series of economic woes, reposition his presidency in the wake of a profound midterm election defeat, and set the table for some kind of interaction with the opposition party. Do you think he accomplished any of that? And what about the Republican response by Rep. Paul Ryan? The advance hype was that he'd become the new face of the party and frame the hard questions and choices posed by the gargantuan federal deficit. Did he? I'd like to hear your thoughts on the theater and substance of this week. Please share your thoughts on Obama's State of the Union and Ryan's response below.
