It’s one of the few things that Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump agreed on, but it’s nowhere to be seen on the current legislative agenda. Why do both a majority of both parties want paid family leave, and when are they going to get it? This isn’t just a matter of mothers and babies. It…
Read Raphael Bostic’s last post in our partnership with Home Matters.
We have a long history of mobility. It’s one of the advances that set the New World apartfrom the Old. Our founders wanted us to move. They didn’t want us confined to the class we were born into or the name we were given or the land our parents could bestow on us. They wanted us to set out across this vast continent, and they didn’t want us to settle until we found a home we could call our own.
If you live in a major city, you probably know that the rent is “too damn high.” What if the city’s rental affordability crisis were in your hands? Would you do something about it? We think you might, and that’s why you’ll want to hear from the one renter who’s taking on big-city politics and showing us all how it’s done.
In this episode, we get down to the grassroots of housing advocacy with Sonja Trauss.
To listen to this episode of Our American Discourse, click the arrow in the Soundcloud player here. Or you can download it and subscribe through ApplePodcasts, Soundcloud, or Google Play.
Bureaucracy is so boring. Who cares? Not you, right? Well then, you’re in for an unwelcome surprise because the people who run our government from day to day aren’t the ones you voted for. Our democracy depends on the men and women of the bureaucracy. They execute the laws, and lately they’ve been doing it without supportive leadership, without the trust of the public … without a voice.
In this episode, William Resh is their voice, and we would be wise to listen.
Listen to this episodes of Our American Discourse by clicking on the orange play arrow, or subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, or Google Play.
They say we live in the Information Age, but more and more, it feels like the public understands less and less about what really matters. How should you invest your money in a volatile economy? How should you vote when you don’t like your choices? The information is out there, but often it’s manipulated, spun, and diverted from your attention. The more information we have, it seems, the more education we need to understand it. That’s why, according to Paul Haaga, good financial advice and good journalism have never been more valuable. In this episode, he gives us an ample share of both.
Listen to this episodes of Our American Discourse by clicking on the orange play arrow, or subscribe at iTunes, Soundcloud, or Google Play.
Americans are fed up. The government is not living up to their expectations. Trust is deteriorating every year.
Donald Trump rode this wave of dissatisfaction all the way to the Oval Office. But does he really understand why citizens are dissatisfied? Do citizens themselves understand why the government appears to be failing them?
In this episode, we question these perceptions—and the solutions they imply—with Gregg Van Ryzin, Professor and Interim Dean of the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers University-Newark.
PhD candidate Anthony Orlando discusses the “Ethics of Democracy” in the latest episode of Our American Discourse.
Democracy is a dialogue. It requires our leaders to ask, to listen, and to react. Good governance thus hinges on conversation and consent—and whether we like it or not, conflict. Planners and policymakers have to balance competing needs, never more so than in today’s polarized environment. How do they do the right thing? Does such a thing even exist? Citizenship demands that we engage with these uncomfortable questions, especially in this troubled era.
Listen to this episode of Our American Discourse by clicking on the orange play arrow on this post, or subscribe at iTunes, Soundcloud, Google Play, or anywhere you listen to podcasts.
PhD candidate, Anthony Orlando, writes an op-ed about Los Angeles voters and Measure S within the larger political context:
The voters of Los Angeles have taken a stand—and the world should pay heed.
“Measure S,” the ballot initiative defeated in yesterday’s election, was not just a local issue. True, it would only have halted high-rise construction in one city. But like Brexit, like the election of Donald Trump, its effect would have been global.
The “causes of faction are…sown in the nature of man,” said James Madison. But could the founders have foreseen the level of political polarization we’re seeing today? They certainly tried. That’s why we have separation of powers, checks and balances, and the Bill of Rights. In many ways, these institutions are under attack. Power has been concentrated, and minority rights have been threatened. How shall become of our constitutional system?
In this episode, we navigate this treacherous onslaught with Dean Jack Knott.
Listen to the individual episodes on the Our American Discourse page, or subscribe at iTunes, Soundcloud, or Google Play.
Immigrants exist between two words: their country of origin and their new home. In this nexus lies unique challenges—and opportunities. The immigrant communities who maintain bonds with their origin, or “diasporas,” can bring what they have learned back with them. They can transform developing nations and spur economic growth with their entrepreneurship. They can bridge the divide between the prosperous and the poor—and inspire lasting change.
In this episode, we explore these transformative individuals with Jennifer Brinkerhoff.
Listen to this episode by clicking on the orange play arrow to the right here, or subscribe at iTunes, Soundcloud, or Google Play.