27 05, 2010

Politics: Is the Anger in American Politics Good or Bad?

By | May 27th, 2010|Categories: Politics|1 Comment

As I have written about several times (here and here and here), the blogosphere and, more generally, the "politicosphere" has gotten pretty darned ugly these days. Gone are the days of passionate though reasoned discourse and respectful disagreement. Where the focus was on the common good, practical solutions, and where differences could be worked out [...]

23 05, 2010

Politics: A Recipe for Civil Political Discourse

By | May 23rd, 2010|Categories: Politics|4 Comments

Is it possible to have a civil and substantive conversation about politics between people of differing (opposing!) ideologies these days? It sure doesn't seem like it if you read the increasingly over-the-top blogosphere, listen to the hyperbolic talk radio, and watch the overblown 24/7 cable new channels. The result is a truly toxic "mocktail" that [...]

9 05, 2010

Politics: “_______” Gone (Absurdly) Wrong: You Fill in the Blank

By | May 9th, 2010|Categories: Politics|0 Comments

Back in February, I posted a blog post, Public Education Gone (Absurdly) Wrong, that described what I considered to be a too-bizarre-to-be-true-but-it-was scenario between a frustrated parent and her son's school administration. In response, a commenter insightfully pointed out that you could replace 'public education' with just about anything happening in politics today and the [...]

28 04, 2010

Parenting/Education/Politics: Should Bad Parenting Be a Crime?

By | April 28th, 2010|Categories: Education, Parenting, Politics|0 Comments

Hey, it wasn't my idea; a commenter raised the question in response to a recent blog post in which I argued that bad parenting is the number-one cause of failing students and failing schools and, consequently, the best point of intervention for public education reform. But it is an intriguing idea. Now, you may be [...]

29 03, 2010

Politics: Politicians’ Ethical Race to the Bottom

By | March 29th, 2010|Categories: Politics|0 Comments

It seems like every time you turn on the TV, listen to the radio, open a newspaper, or go on line these days there is a new scandal du jour erupting, giving our sensationalism-addicted, bottom-feeding media culture a reason for being. It's gotten to be a competition to see who can shock America the most [...]

3 03, 2010

Politics: 3 Words I Wish Washington Would Learn

By | March 3rd, 2010|Categories: Politics|0 Comments

Recent surveys have shown that trust and regard that Americans hold for their elected officials in Washington is at historic lows. And those government officials wonder why they are aren't on anyone's Most Popular list these days. Let me count the ways: bailouts, backroom deals, tax cuts for the wealthy, extreme partisanship, election-year politics, the [...]

23 02, 2010

Politics/Technology: The (Mis) Information Age

By | February 23rd, 2010|Categories: Politics, Technology|1 Comment

We have just concluded what was one of the most tumultuous and divisive decades in our nation's history. I've been thinking about what made this period so difficult. Unexpected and, in some cases, uncontrollable events certainly played a role. The 2000 Presidential election, the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, [...]

11 01, 2010

Politics: Outrage 2.0

By | January 11th, 2010|Categories: Politics|2 Comments

What do the following have in common? ?Too big to fail? government bailouts. Executive pay on Wall Street. The absence of universal health care in America. The influence of lobbyists on government. All of the above should immediately generate profound outrage among all of our citizens, regardless of their geography, race, ethnicity, politics, or religion. [...]

1 12, 2009

Politics: Is Civility Dead?

By | December 1st, 2009|Categories: Politics|5 Comments

Is civility dead? It sure seems so. In recent years, the quality of discourse in America has declined dramatically. Rarely in discussions of any import these days, whether politics, religion, the economy, education, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the list goes on, is there a respectful exchange of ideas. Instead, such interactions are either [...]