Before President Bush’s "faith-based initiative" there was Charitable Choice.
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Category Archives: Public Policy and Governance
Studying Charitable Choice
I recently attended a lecture by the eminent sociologist Robert Wuthnow. At the reception preceding the lecture, we were introduced by one of my colleagues, who mentioned that I am just finishing a three-year study of the first Charitable Choice legislation–the precursor to President Bush’s Faith-Based Initiative. Wuthnow responded with a question. "Based upon what you have learned so far, what would you tell President Bush?"
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Who Do We Trust?
If we don’t trust government, we resent (and often evade) its laws. If we don’t trust charities, we stop giving. If we don’t trust the clergy, we lose respect for religion. If we don’t trust the media, we tune it out. The problem is, when distrust and cynicism become too widespread, society comes apart.
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Outsourcing Patriotism
Last December, The Guardian reported that private corporations "are now the second biggest contributor to coalition forces in Iraq after the Pentagon." An estimated 10,000 "private" soldiers were then in Iraq; one out of every ten servicemen and women. Nearly a third of the budget earmarked that year for the war, or $30 billion dollars, went to private companies. "a booming business which entails replacing soldiers wherever possible with highly paid civilians and hired guns not subject to standard military procedures." Whether such contractors are mercenaries (whose use is banned by the Geneva conventions) is one concern. But the practice raises much graver issues, among them whether the ability to "hire" soldiers has allowed policymakers to wage war by proxy and without the kind of congressional and media oversight to which conventional deployments are subject.
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Mixed Messages
We are hip-deep in our quadrennial passion for Get out the Vote activities–from politicians to rock musicians, everyone’s reminding us of the importance of casting a ballot. It’s a nice sentiment, but have you ever wondered how things would change if we really believed that everyone should vote?
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