Beyond the Achievement Gap
Richard Rothstein on the challenges facing American education
On the Newsstand:federal government
A New Approach to a Chronic Issue
Affordable housing in uncertain times About 12 million Americans spend more than half of their annual income on rent or mortgage, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Affordable housing is of particular concern in urban centers, due to high population densities and costs of living. Even after the collapse of the housing bubble, paying rent remains ... Read More
“Quarterly Profits”
Goldman Sachs reported profits of $1.6 billion for the first quarter of 2009, and is hoping to put their newly demonstrated strength to use, by paying back their TARP money and getting that pesky federal government off their backs. Quick thoughts: In that quarter, how much have they taken in government money, either direct (TARP) or indirect (Government-financed payouts from ... Read More
From the Editor
Times are tough. In just the last few weeks the Dow Jones fell to a level not seen since 1997 and the unemployment rate in the United States, now over eight percent, reached a 25-year high. The bulk of the finance industry, including our largest and formerly most successful banks, exists only because the federal government has decided it must. ... Read More
Comeback to the Future
A proposal for rejuvenating the Republican Party American conservatism is in disarray. Democrats won decisively in the 2006 midterm and 2008 presidential elections. Once reliably conservative constituencies like married couples and regular churchgoers are shrinking in size, and young voters voted overwhelmingly Democratic. Conservatism is out of power and out of steam. With both the White House and Capitol Hill ... Read More
D.C. v. Heller and “Liberal Originalism”
In last summer’s issue, I predicted that the seemingly momentous gun-control case of D.C. v. Heller might turn out to be not such a big deal. I was mainly referring to the politics of the decision; it seemed likely to me that Heller would take gun-control off the table, so to speak, and lessen the danger that the issue poses ... Read More
Reforming Washington: Rhetoric
Pressing issues may eclipse the push for change in Washington The 2008 Presidential election buzzed with discussions of change, as the candidates referred to it as a motto or a scapegoat, a pathway or an excuse. The American electorate has become excited about the concept of changing Washington by cleaning up the political process. More Americans see real faults in ... Read More
Rescuing Finance
Does the federal government have too free a hand? In 1792, the United States faced a financial crisis as the price of government bonds plummeted nearly 25% in a two-week span. Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton acted quickly, buying hundreds of thousands of dollars of government bonds and asking banks to accept bonds as collateral for their loans. As a result ... Read More
Cities Sing the Budget Blues
The economic crisis strikes Main Street
The Original Culture War
Rewriting the history of the Civil War
A Small Court in D.C.
How the D.C. Circuit Court shaped the war on terror We have assumed, as we must, that the allegations made in the Government’s charge against Hamdan are true…But in undertaking to try Hamdan and subject him to criminal punishment, the Executive is bound to comply with the Rule of Law that prevails in this jurisdiction.” So concluded Justice John Paul ... Read More
