How to Make Recall Elections Fair

Welp. That was over quickly. Within an hour of the polls closing at 8 PM PT on September 14, the recall race was already called for Governor Newsom. Governor Gavin Newsom’s victory was basically the same as his 2018 landslide (both 61.9%).  The recall race has been estimated by Sonoma State University Professor David McCuan […]

The Continued Struggle for Open Access

Even at a young age, he had this sense of “American optimism.” He’d see something he didn’t like, take note of it and do everything in his power to change it. Aaron Swartz was one of the country’s fiercest “hacktivists,” and still remains so nine years after his death.  On January 11, 2011, Swartz, a […]

The Case for Military Justice Reform

For eight years, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York has introduced the same bill in the Senate: the Military Justice Improvement Act (MJIA). Despite the fact that this bill has failed year after year, Gillibrand’s bill has time and time again been cosponsored by the most unlikely of allies – Texas Senator Ted Cruz. Thus, […]

Lights, Camera, Deregulation! Big Banks Get Their Big Break

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Tackling one of America’s most dire, pressing issues, Congress turned its attention in March away from passé, low-stakes issues like gun control and immigration to — you guessed it — banking reform. By May 22, the House passed the duplicitously-named Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (EGRRCPA), a law that will roll back aspects of the […]

Did California Just Cash Out?

On August 28th, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed SB 10 to eliminate cash bail in in the state. After advocating for the removal of cash bail since the late 1970s, the new legislation will go into effect starting October 2019. Today, cash bail is seen as a predatory institution that has directly targeted and predominantly […]

Make Education Great Again

How politics and campaign funding affects the future of school reform “If confirmed, will you insist upon that equal accountability in any K-12 school or educational program that receives federal funding whether public, public charter, or private?” asked Senator Tim Kaine. “I support accountability,” replied Education Secretary nominee Betsy Devos. “Equal accountability for all schools […]

Detention or Detox: Deconstructing America’s New Face of Heroin

Austin, Indiana, in many ways, is remarkably unremarkable. A small, mostly white, non-Hispanic population nestled in the center of the state, Austin may be your quintessential small-midwestern town. Family-owned ranches interspersed with mobile homes and yard signs that read, “”No Trespassing,” “Private Property,” “Keep Out.” A lackluster main street and struggling small businesses typify the […]