Archive for ‘Role of government’

99 results.
Jun05

Public schools win internationally: part 1

by Don Smith on June 5th, 2013 at 1:54 pm
Posted In: Education, Politics, Role of government

Conservatives are eager to destroy public education, to complete their plan to dismantle the New Deal and to further enrich the 1%.  Their favorite stratagem is to blame public schools for failures of education in poor communities. But let’s look at the facts. Internationally, do the nations with the best school systems have public schools […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…

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May22

WA Senate keeps creating more tax loopholes

by John Burbank on May 22nd, 2013 at 3:02 pm
Posted In: Justice, Economic Justice, Politics, Washington State Politics, Rodney Tom, Politics, Role of government, Taxation, Politics, Washington State Politics

It’s the job of the Legislature to make sure our kids get a good education, open the doors to higher education, keep us safe at home and on our roads, and to maintain parks for our recreation, enjoyment, and quality of life. It takes money to do this. So how’s the Legislature doing now? I […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…

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May19

How do liberals and conservatives differ? Review of Jonathan Haidt’s The Righteous Mind

by Don Smith on May 19th, 2013 at 9:01 pm
Posted In: Politics, Conservativism, Politics, Libertarianism, Politics, Politics, Role of government

According to Jonathan Haidt, author of The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are divided by politics and religion, liberals and conservatives differ significantly on the moral foundations on which they base their lives.  Haidt thinks that conservatives base their ethics on additional principles beyond those used by liberals, and those extra principles give conservatives an […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…

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May16

Republicans “get” transportation. They need to “get” other things too.

by Don Smith on May 16th, 2013 at 7:58 am
Posted In: Politics, Conservativism, Politics, Government, Politics, Conservativism, Regressives, Politics, Government, Regulation, Politics, Republicons, Politics, Role of government, Taxation, Transportation, Politics, Washington State Politics

At the meeting of the 41st LD Democrats last night, Rep. Judy Clibborn, state house transportation leader, discussed the gas tax, tolling I-90, and auto tab fees.  She said that the gas tax will be raised maybe $0.10, and eventually I-90 and other roads will have some sort of tolling. I asked: but will Republicans […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…

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May13

Without government, we’d be hunter-gatherers

by Don Smith on May 13th, 2013 at 9:49 pm
Posted In: Activism, Anarchism, Politics, Libertarianism, Activism, Occupy Movement, Politics, Role of government

According to the Pulitzer Prize winning book Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond, the transition from a society based on hunter-gathering  to a modern state progressed hand-in-hand with the development of agriculture.  Government protections and laws enabled trade, storage, and distribution systems. Surpluses resulting from agriculture funded government.   Farm labor could be enlisted for […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…

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