So, my very favoritest Op-Ed writer has put a piece up on his blog on the tragically misunderstood racial legacy of the Gipper (so known for his “constant and exuberant gipping”, according to a reputable source). And I have to say, I think he’s really on to something. After all, not a few other prominent Republicans have made similar statements, even into the present day. And if these weren’t just innocent mistakes, what else are we to believe? That for decades one of the two dominant political parties in America has founded its success in large part on racist appeals of remarkable toxicity? Why, David Broder would get the vapors at the mere suggestion of it. No, that’s clearly ridiculous.

…Right?

Did you know that last year Congress passed the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFAT Act) of 2006? Once (if ever) this legislation is implemented there will be the creation of a free, searchable website that will list every recipient of every federal award. Did you know that this legislation was co-sponsored by Senator Obama and that he and two other republican presidential candidates are the only presidential hopefuls to sign an oath of presidential transparency? I’m in no way putting my word in for Obama (I personally have not decided yet) but it is interesting to think about the implications of this oath. From bad experience with the present administration, more presidential transparency can’t hurt. But the FFAT Act on the other hand seems positive in theory but will take an estimated $15 million to set-up the actual website. Playing the devil’s advocate, is there such a thing as too much information availability? Or is there a price we should set the cost at? A price we as a society are willing to pay (such as is in tax dollars) that could otherwise go towards say healthcare or reducing our deficit? It’s something worth thinking about.

…Is the title of the latest action-packed epic of heroism to emerge from the traveling circus of wingnuttia that is the Republican presidential primary. Go check it out.

And as a side note, I especially love how this spoofs the typical wingnut fantasy that each and every action they do or do not perform is a unique and beautiful example of American Heroism (TM).

A great place to start is looking at the data:

Gallup Poll “Education” 9-5-07

If you read this Gallup Poll analysis and then come to the PVC meeting I will love you!

Next article: Europe’s bold moves toward parental choice show radical de-bureaucratizaiton (What? Since when am I not allowed to make up words?). What can Americans draw from this “blind man and an elephant” parable to the our education system?

Schools unchained: How to go about giving parents the schools they want

This week in PVC you’re gonna get schooled! …so to speak.

This Pew survey released yesterday (fun graphs included!) shows a decrease in support for conservative positions and Republicans.

• The Cal State University faculty authorized a strike this week due to stalled contract negotiations. Contract negotiations have been ongoing for over twenty months. CSU faculty, on average, are paid less than community college professors and in some cases less than high school teachers. Their salaries have been rising at a rate lower than inflation. Not to worry, CSU executive salaries continue to rise; in some cases, they are paid as they leave. Want the breakdown? The CSU faculty strike will be the first CSU strike ever and the largest university strike in US history.
• In similar education news, we forgot to tell you last week that the UC Regents voted to raise student fees in accordance with the UC Compact. Remember four years ago when fees were almost half of what they will be next year?
• John Edwards’ wife’s cancer has returned. Edwards is staying in the race.
• Al Gore lobbies Congress to take action to prevent (further?) global warming. Rep. Joe Burton remains convinced that global warming does not exist.
• Karl Rove, among others, has been subpoenaed.
• In more important news, it seems that the key to success is a British accent.

Did you think that the mostly privatized health care system in America means we spend less on care and have lower taxes than countries which provide universal coverage?

These charts help to put the U.S. healthcare system in perspective (link):

more »

Since we’ve spent the last month discussing the problems existing in the American healthcare system as well as possible reforms, I thought it might be useful to consider the highly successful Japanese healthcare system as a model. While Japan spends 5.4% less of its GDP per year on healthcare than the Unites States, unlike the US, Japan provides universal coverage to Japanese citizens. The Japanese system requires all citizens to purchase health insurance. Insurance companies pay privately owned service providers directly at rates set by the government. All employees in Japan are provided health insurance by the Social Insurance System (SIS). Employers shoulder between 50-80% of the cost of insurance, while the remainder is covered by premiums paid by employees based on their financial ability. The average worker’s premium is 4% of their salary. Citizens who are not employed are covered by National Health Insurance (NHI). A third insurance agency caters specifically to the healthcare needs of the elderly. Patients are allowed to choose their own doctors and preferred facilities. This system seems to integrate private healthcare providers with government subsidy quite effectively in a way that might appeal to insured American voters preoccupied with maintaining the freedom of choice they have with private insurance companies. While the Japanese system is highly successful on a whole, primary problems include long waits to see doctors and a shortage of doctors and medical facilities in rural as compared to urban areas.

With the 2008 presidential campaign just barely begun, it’s entirely fitting that, already, things are getting nasty. While some (yours truly included) are waiting for a Lewinsky-size scandal to rock American politics and finally wake the nation up to something called the government and its workings, for now we’ll have to settle with yet another irritating billionaire stirring things up—in this case movie and music maverick David Geffen.

more »

John McCain has officially declared his candidacy for President in the 2008 Election, and some have wondered whether “his age may be Mr McCain’s biggest handicap. If he won the presidency, he would by then—at 72—be the oldest man ever elected to the White House.”

I think it’s more likely that McCain’s unpopular stances on issues, especially his support of sending more troops to Iraq, would overshadow concerns about his age in the minds of voters. What do you think?