That Was Quick…..
Posted by Sheila Kennedy in Random Blogging on May 11th, 2013
Heritage Foundation analyst Jason Richwine, the co-author of a study claiming the immigration reform bill pending in the Senate would cost taxpayers $6.3 trillion, has decided to spend more time with his family. Or something. His departure from Heritage was hasty, to say the least. Among other things, Richwine’s “study,” which was widely panned (even Paul Ryan [...]
The Quotes Tell the Story
Posted by Sheila Kennedy in Racial Equality on May 10th, 2013
Charles Blow has a must-read column in the New York Times, in which he foregoes characterizing for quoting. That is, rather than attributing attitudes to political figures like Romney, Gingrich, Ryan, et al, he simply quotes them. It’s devastating.
Will He or Won’t He?
Posted by Sheila Kennedy in Local Government on May 9th, 2013
I believe today is the last day Governor Pence can veto the “Imperial Mayor” bill. (If he fails to either sign or veto it, it becomes law without his signature.) Leaving aside the numerous problems with the bill itself (the provisions eliminating the At-Large Councilors have gotten most of the attention, but they are the [...]
We’re All Becoming Texas
Posted by Sheila Kennedy in Constitution on May 8th, 2013
My husband says I’ve been in a bad mood since 2000. I’m entitled. On Monday, the Republican-led Texas House passed HB 1076 , a bill that would ban state agencies from enforcing any new federal gun laws, including background checks. The self-satisfied know-nothings who voted for this bill are very pleased with themselves. Talk about [...]
The Personal is Political
Posted by Sheila Kennedy in Gay Rights on May 6th, 2013
Back in the heady early days of the women’s movement, activists fashioned a slogan: the personal is political. It was a rejoinder to those men and women who denied the political nature of social attitudes that kept women “in our place,” social attitudes that dictated “proper” and decidedly unequal feminine behaviors and occupations. That slogan [...]
Tribal Nihilism
Posted by Sheila Kennedy in Random Blogging on May 5th, 2013
A recent study found that self-identified conservatives were less likely to buy a product, even if the purchase was cost-effective (i.e., better price or longer-lasting product), if it carried a label indicating that the item was good for the environment. This was true even if they had previously purchased the same item–an energy-efficient light-bulb, for example–when [...]
The Blame Game
Posted by Sheila Kennedy in Public Policy and Governance on May 5th, 2013
When I first began practicing law, there were still very few women in the profession. One of the very first to have broken the gender barrier was a local divorce lawyer who had become legendary (not in a good way) in the legal community. Whether she’d become embittered by barriers she’d faced, or was just [...]
Here’s My Question
Posted by Sheila Kennedy in Public Policy and Governance on May 4th, 2013
A study recently published in The Archives of General Psychiatry adds to a body of evidence linking the growing incidence of autism to early-life exposure to pollution. According to the study, children with autism are two to three times more likely than other children to have been exposed to car exhaust, smog, and other air pollutants [...]
Mom and Pop and Skin in the Game
Posted by Sheila Kennedy in Random Blogging on May 2nd, 2013
A 2006 study by sociologists Stephan Goetz and Anil Rupasingha documented a decline in civic participation, including voter turnout and the number of active nonprofit organizations, after Walmart moves into a community. Those behaviors are markers for social capital, the connections citizens have to each other, characterized by what scholars call “norms of trust and [...]
Poor Marginalized Micah….
Posted by Sheila Kennedy in Gay Rights on May 2nd, 2013
In his most recent newsletter –shared with me yesterday by a friend who follows pronouncements from the fringes– Micah Clark of the American Family Institute professes amazement at the notion that there is anything newsworthy about the recent “coming out” of NBA player Jason Collins. “When asked about this previously unknown mid-level player, I said [...]
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