Disclaimer: I haven’t been following the health care stuff too closely, because it is exhausting, but this particular aspect interests me. The National Organization for Women is very upset because the Stupak Amendment passed and is part of the health care bill that passed the house the other day. According to the NYT, the Amendment “would …
Category Archives: politics & political
retroactive legitimization of regulation
This NYT article caught my eye: New York’s Cabbies Like Credit Cards? Go Figure New York’s cabbies howled when the city began forcing them to take credit cards. Some even went on strike, calling the requirements a kowtow to tourists and a burden on drivers. But two years later, the back-of-the-cab swipe has emerged as …
business-izing higher ed: I’m not scared
A few days back, this post about higher ed in the UK appeared over on one of my favorite blogs, Feminist Philosophers. Here’s the big quote: “Business secretary wants students and parents to be treated more like customers in proposals to overhaul higher education.” The original poster worries that “universities get put under a great …
is cultural libertarianism entailed by political libertarianism?
A couple of months ago, I had a debate with a libertarian friend over whether cultural libertarianism is correct/good/necessary/whatever. At the time, I was sure that I was what you would call a “cultural libertarian feminist,” as specified in the Liberal Feminism entry on the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (a reputable source). Recently, Kerry Howley …
competition is as american as apple pie, except in education
Recently, I saw the above video on Facebook. Basically, it illustrates the argument that a public option in health care would compete against private insurers to the benefit of those covered under both kinds of plans. This argument seems like it is supposed to appeal to the market-minded among us, who are into competition amongst …
state control of abortion: funding, or failing to provide?
I am genuinely confused by this recent Feministe post, Michele Bachmann: radical pro-choice feminist? The author offers two pieces of information that she seems to believe are contradictory. 1. A quote by Michele Bachmann: “That’s why people need to continue to go to the town halls, continue to melt the phone lines of their liberal …
my least favorite facebook group: "cancel student loan debt to stimulate the economy"
I found out about this little movement through its Facebook group, “Cancel Student Loan Debt to Stimulate the Economy.” Basically, a guy named Robert Applebaum hatched an attractive-to-some but crazy plan to have the government bail out those carrying college debt by paying off their loans. This would, allegedly, cause all those formerly oppressed by …
feminism, abortion and universal health care
So, I’ve been warming up on this blog for a while now, so I figure it’s time to start linking to other blogs that I read. Today’s subject is a post over at Feministe, “one of the oldest feminist blogs designed by and run by women from the ground up.” Just as background, let me …
FYI, Nancy Gibbs, society doesn't own me
I subscribe to Time magazine because two years ago they made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. However, at this point, I don’t think I would renew even if they paid me to do so. Their recession coverage has been laughable, and the opinion pieces seem ever more ridiculous. One of the latest in a …
boycotting marriage, part two
I was thinking about my previous boycotting marriage post some more, and I figured out that this is a great chance to give a little ethics lesson on deontic verdicts. “Deontic” just means something like “related to duties.” In this case, we’re interested in moral duties, as opposed to legal duties, or some other kind. …
