Politics
Free Press & Aid in Africa
Andrew Mwenda is incredible. Sometime in the middle of his talk you will hear Bono speak out. It makes me not like Bono. The TEDBlog covers the feud between Bono and Mwenda.
One of the best economists out there, William Easterly, has a short blog post on Mwenda. Mwenda established a newspaper in Uganda, The Independent, after being frustrated by government censorship of the newspaper that previously employed him.
NO EARMARKS!!!
Bear with me people…I’m an engineer, not an artist.
Turning Inward?
The economic crisis is pushing nations in two directions: first, inward toward protectionist or isolationist policies; second, toward developing an international system that can respond to and prevent these crises. How we handle these pressures will affect our economy, our security, and the way we think about the world. Read more…
Improving Urban Transportation
I’m quite literally dropping a very short policy paper on the balance between individual transportation and mass transit alternatives.
Introduction
Urban transportation involves highly complex and interrelated systems which people use as a means to accomplish a variety of ends. Transportation in urban areas can take the form of pedestrian traffic, bicycling, private automobiles, buses, and railways. Each of these forms has its functional purpose as well as limitations. This paper will focus primarily upon the use of private automobiles and mass transit systems (buses and railways) in urban areas as well as their benefits, problems, and potential solutions to those problems.
- A magnetic levitation train
Obama Delivers the Awesome
In a discussion of the political impact of Tracy Flick and the movie Election, the New Republic reports:
Alexander Payne, the film’s director, said that President Obama has told him on two separate occasions that it’s his favorite political movie.
I just got a thrill up my leg.
No more term limits for elected officials in Venezuela
The Associated Press reported that a referendum removing term limits for electe
d officials in Venezuela passed 54 to 46 today. This means that along with Cuba, Bolivia, and Nicaragua, we’re going to be seeing a lot of the same faces in Venezuela for the next several decades. I wish Chavez would stop being so narcissistic and realize the benefits of the regular transfer of power in creating a lasting and more responsive government. Chavez has lots of examples in history to turn to realize that this seizure of control will not create sustainable progress in Venezuela. Simply put, one-man shows only work while that one-man is around. Look at an even recent example of a one-man show going south– Trump Entertainment is filing for bankruptcy after Donald Trump resigned from the board, for example. What is happening to South America and how is this happening?
Fear, Cowardice, and D.C. Politics
A president once said that there is nothing to fear but fear itself. He was wrong. Fear can be good. Fear, so long as it does not dictate our actions, can be a moderating influence. Read more…
The Filibuster Continues to Ruin America
The Washington Post reports that the Senate lacks the votes to pass the stimulus bill. And by that, they mean they don’t have 60 votes, the necessary number to defeat a filibuster. This is crazy, and why can’t we all agree to get rid of the stupid filibuster already? It was undemocratic when the Democrats did it for Bush’s judicial appointments, it’s undemocratic now. The Senate itself is sort of an absurd institution in modern America, and I’d be in favor of tossing the whole thing and having just a House of Representatives. But that’s not gonna happen anytime soon, so can we at least get rid of the insane, obstructive filibuster? The number of veto points in American politics is ridiculous, and it’s moments like these that it can be extremely frustrating and dangerous.
Late update: Nothing in this post takes away from my love for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington or this episode of the West Wing.
On the Inauguration and Religion
I watched the Inauguration here in London with the other students in my program, a group of mostly non-Americans happy about Obama’s election and ready to join in the celebration. The experience was not particularly different from what it would have been like to watch with a group of friends in the US, with one notable exception: the surprise and distaste for the religious overtones throughout the ceremony.
President Obama’s Inaugural Address
Hit the jump for the full text of the speech. Please post your thoughts on his speech on this thread. Read more…