So a proposed policy looks sensible and helpful. Is it really? Here are some things to think about when evaluating policy proposals.
Are you suuuure that policy is a good idea?
Tag: policy
Please learn civil procedure before you drag us through hours of frustration
Learning about civil procedure in your area can help you more easily understand how and where to direct your efforts when it comes to issues that matter to you, like development and urban planning.
Who’s afraid of the big, bad science?
This country is in a crisis of scientific illiteracy. On the everyday level, many people aren’t familiar with even the rudiments of the scientific method, critical thinking, and how they function, issues that have real and serious repercussions for society — in a prominent recent example, people who can’t comprehend how vaccines work are endangering […]
Our policy is killing women — and we don’t care
Much of the talk about the ‘war on women’ has surrounded our country’s horrific approach to reproductive justice and the crackdown on reproductive rights across the United States. Every year, more and more bills targeting cis women are introduced — term limits for abortion, mandatory ultrasounds, stiffer requirements for facilities offering abortion services, funding cuts […]
When Big Ag Claims to Be Helping ‘Small Farms’
When big corporations, especially groups and trade associations of big corporations, appear to be lobbying for small businesses, I always get deeply suspicious. I see no particular reason why these firms should support smaller rivals in the industry, even if they are small and unlikely to ever threaten the larger company’s market share, because this […]
Deconstructing the ‘Model Minority’ Myth
The Asian and Pacific Islander community has long been heralded as a ‘model minority’ in the US, with people pointing at the success of some individuals as some kind of evidence that there is a right way to be an immigrant, and a right way to be a person of colour in the US. If […]
Have We Forgotten the Separation of Powers?
As leader of the Executive Branch, the President holds a considerable amount of power, both in the literal and metaphorical sense. Presidents are capable of issuing executive orders, vetoing legislation, appointing people to key government posts, and shaping policy decisions. And as the Commander in Chief and occupant of the White House, the President also […]
If You Fear Mentally Ill People, Why Won’t You Fund Our Care?
Society’s deeply ingrained fear of mental illness has ancient roots; we are not the first or the last culture to turn away from those who don’t mesh with our expectations for performance, emotions, and competence. At the same time, though, the options for managing mental illness are broader and more effective than they ever were […]
Mental Health Policy: Actual Mental Health Services Are A Good Place to Start
A few months ago I read an interesting piece in The Seattle Times about the creation of a mental health crisis center that provided emergency beds for patients in distress discovered on the streets. It offered a radical new alternative to the city’s existing framework for handling people in a state of mental health crisis, […]
The Raw Milk Underground
Raw milk has become a fascinating flashpoint of agricultural rebellion in the United States. In some states, it’s explicitly illegal; you cannot buy or sell raw milk, period, end of story. In others, it’s legal and regulated, to varying degrees. And it comes with its own sets of evangelists on both sides, the people who […]