The Difference between Charlie Hebdo and the American Freedom Defense Initiative
In response to the “cartoon contest” in Garland, Texas, that provoked an attack by two “Muslim extremists,” the news media has not been able to avoid making parallels to the much more devastating attack on the editorial offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris. Most of those commentators have felt uneasy enough with the comparison that…
Corporatization Run Amok—Beyond Academia but with Equivalents within Academia
In higher education, the imposition of “civility codes” and the institutional appropriation of the intellectual property rights formerly assigned to faculty have both started to emerge as major issues. What most faculty may not be aware of, however, is that many corporations have already imposed versions of both of these things not just on their…
Michelle Obama’s 2014 Commencement Address at Dillard University
We are entering another season of commencement addresses. Given the unrest in many African-American communities over this past year, as well as the financial challenges being face by many HBCUs, Michelle Obama’s 2014 commencement address at Dillard University seems as timely now as it did then—perhaps all the more so. _________________________ UNO Lakefront Arena New…
A New Far-Right Theory: Liberal Immigration Policies Have Been the Primary Cause of Falling Incomes for Most Americans
This is an excerpt from an article distributed by the Far-Right news service Newsmax: “Wages for the overwhelming majority of Americans have fallen below 1970s levels as the percentage of the population that is foreign-born has surged. “A memo from the Congressional Research Service (CRS), released in response to a request for data from the…
Sometimes the Economic Equations Are Simple: Addendum 1: More Graphs on the Current vs. Historical Scale of Corporate Profits
Leading Higher-Ed Consulting Firms
Same-Sex Marriage, Urban Discontent, and American Values: A Postscript from the Lunatic Fringe
Follow the Money–Literally
Consider what has occurred during an extended period of unprecedented growth in administrative positions and administrative staffing. Our administrations have employed consultants, usually at exorbitant cost, to provide professional guidance on almost every sort of initiative imaginable. Although no one can be have expertise in everything, it seems peculiar, at best, that any major initiative…
The Current Either-Or Choice in “Solutions” to Poverty
Aaron Barlow’s post highlights a major difference between how Progressives and those on the Far Right have sought to address endemic poverty. Progressives have been accused, sometimes with much justification, of being willing to waste millions on wrong-headed “solutions” to poverty. On the other hand, the Far Right has essentially ignored solutions and has turned…