Wednesday, January 28, 2009
The Nazi Pope
Move over, Pope Pius XII. Pope Benedict XVI is living up to his Hitler Youth days by reinstating a Holocaust-denying bishop to good standing with the Roman Catholic Church. Elie Wiesel, author of the Holocaust memoir Night , recently expressed "puzzlement, shock, and immense sadness" at the decision. A full list of Catholic-Jewish tensions can be found here.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
California's Perennial Budget Crisis
A couple of ideas that Californians seriously need to consider moving forward:
-Abolish Proposition 13, which has kept property tax rates artificially low for thirty years. Property taxes go disproportionately to fund education, which has been cut or remained stagnant for the better part of Governor Schwarzenegger's term. In order for California to improve its education system, sacrifices must be made on the part of its taxpayers or we will no longer be a global leader in the 21st century.
-Make it more difficult to pass initiatives. Initiatives undermine the Legislature, which has now had its wings clipped with the recent passage of Proposition 11, so it should only be in special cases where the California electorate intervenes when its elected leaders fail to act. The myriad of initiatives that appear on the ballot every election have promoted a culture where the popular passions of the moment override the long-term interest (see Prop 8) and tie the hands of the Legislature to shape future budgets. Unfunded mandates now take up a huge portion of every year's budget, leaving lawmakers little discretion to cut funding on programs outside of education and healthcare. Perhaps the threshold for future initiatives should be fifty-five percent, and sixty percent for budget-related items (and a requirement to fund new spending).
-Extend term limits. Current law limits Assembly members to three two-year terms and Senators to two four-year terms. The term limits should be adjusted to allow for at least twelve years of continuous service in each chamber. While term limits can be valuable, currently lobbyists in Sacramento have more institutional memory than lawmakers. The new competitive districts allowed by Proposition 11 will allow for a more centrist and accommodating Legislature made up of professionals willing to reach across party lines to do what is right by California.
-Abolish Proposition 13, which has kept property tax rates artificially low for thirty years. Property taxes go disproportionately to fund education, which has been cut or remained stagnant for the better part of Governor Schwarzenegger's term. In order for California to improve its education system, sacrifices must be made on the part of its taxpayers or we will no longer be a global leader in the 21st century.
-Make it more difficult to pass initiatives. Initiatives undermine the Legislature, which has now had its wings clipped with the recent passage of Proposition 11, so it should only be in special cases where the California electorate intervenes when its elected leaders fail to act. The myriad of initiatives that appear on the ballot every election have promoted a culture where the popular passions of the moment override the long-term interest (see Prop 8) and tie the hands of the Legislature to shape future budgets. Unfunded mandates now take up a huge portion of every year's budget, leaving lawmakers little discretion to cut funding on programs outside of education and healthcare. Perhaps the threshold for future initiatives should be fifty-five percent, and sixty percent for budget-related items (and a requirement to fund new spending).
-Extend term limits. Current law limits Assembly members to three two-year terms and Senators to two four-year terms. The term limits should be adjusted to allow for at least twelve years of continuous service in each chamber. While term limits can be valuable, currently lobbyists in Sacramento have more institutional memory than lawmakers. The new competitive districts allowed by Proposition 11 will allow for a more centrist and accommodating Legislature made up of professionals willing to reach across party lines to do what is right by California.
China's Male Prostitutes
China's rapid economic growth over the past three decades has produced a middle class that seeks new commodities, and this includes young men as sex workers. In an environment where homophobia is the order of the day, these men have to be very careful with how they express their sexuality. Watch their story below:
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
PostGlobal
David Ignatius and Fareed Zakaria - two very smart guys who know a thing or two about foreign policy.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Brzezinski pwns Joe Scarborough
I've been pondering the recent Israeli incursion into Gaza and the seemingly disproportionate response Israel has taken to the Hamas rocket attacks. It seemed to me that at the cost of a few dead Israelis, four hundred dead Palestinians and over a thousand wounded seemed a bit over the top. Thankfully my thoughts on this matter were confirmed by Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, former National Security Adviser to President Carter, who schooled Joe Scarborough on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" regarding the Israeli-Palestinian peace process:
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Money is Power
Having just found out that my financial aid went through for the winter quarter, I've now become convinced of the primacy of money in our society. Where just 5 minutes ago I was depressed and worried sick over what bureaucratic nightmare I had to endure during the first weeks of school, now the suicidal thoughts have subsided and a sense of calm has swept over me. This is the first blog post I've written for my new Blog, and it's just as well.
Without money, I feel powerless and afraid. With money, I feel a sense of control and the ability to acquire things I need or want. Money dictates whether we are raised in squalor and poverty or in affluence and freedom from want. Money means the difference between a single mom of seven children struggling for existence every day and having her babysitter take the kids to the park while the cleaning people scrub the house spotless.
For years I've said I don't want a lot of money, just enough to live comfortably. That's a lie. I want lots of money. The more the better. Why? Because money is power. Power to make a difference in your life and the lives of others. Power to make the difference in a campaign to end gay marriage. Power to send Barack Obama to the White House on a hope and a prayer. Money doesn't buy love or happiness - it gives us the ability to make changes on a daily basis in how people interact with one another.
Without money, I feel powerless and afraid. With money, I feel a sense of control and the ability to acquire things I need or want. Money dictates whether we are raised in squalor and poverty or in affluence and freedom from want. Money means the difference between a single mom of seven children struggling for existence every day and having her babysitter take the kids to the park while the cleaning people scrub the house spotless.
For years I've said I don't want a lot of money, just enough to live comfortably. That's a lie. I want lots of money. The more the better. Why? Because money is power. Power to make a difference in your life and the lives of others. Power to make the difference in a campaign to end gay marriage. Power to send Barack Obama to the White House on a hope and a prayer. Money doesn't buy love or happiness - it gives us the ability to make changes on a daily basis in how people interact with one another.
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