Linkagogo Archive 1: Conservatives

Showing posts with label Conservatives. Show all posts

Stephen Hill Linkography: Electoral Politics

Fixing Elections: The Failure of America's Winner Take All Politics
Book: published - Routledge, 2003. On November 9th 2000, two days after the presidential election, as the nation was beginning to absorb the full extent of the five-week debacle that was about to ensue, USA Today published a map (similar to the one printed on the back cover of this book) that was portentous in its message.

Study Shows "Top Two" Could Elect More Extremists, Not Moderates
Post: 10 March 2009 on a blog from New America's Political Reform Program. Here is some brand new analysis from Washington state results that might shed light on the efficacy of the top two primary, which many are promoting as a good thing for CA. It is especially directed at whether the top two would elect more moderates -- or more extremists? This evidence below suggests it's a bit of a crapshoot, the top two primary could as easily elect more extremists as elect more moderates. Follow the link above for details.

Who's Right Now? Europe's Far-Right Resurgence Fizzles Out
Article: 1 February 2003 - The American Prospect. The idea of European society as a "melting pot" or "rainbow quilt" is alien and new, and undoubtedly there will be strains for some time to come. But for the American media and punditry -- right, left and mainstream -- to portray the situation as one in which Nazis and fascists are gaining a real foothold in Europe is erroneous and hyperbolic.

Why Progressives Lose: Affirmative Action For Conservatives
Article: June 2003 - Progressive Populis. It is deeply ironic that, for all the radical conservative philosophy oozing from the ideologues of the Republican Party, low-population, conservative, and predominantly white states have benefited from the most flagrant form of representational affirmative action. The representation scheme for the U.S. Senate and Electoral College was founded on quotas for low-population states that have disproportionately favored conservative and white-dominated states for decades.

The World Wide Webbed: The Obama Campaign’s Masterful Use of the Internet
Article: 6 April 2009 - Social Europe Journal. Just as President Barack Obama has shaken up the status quo in his first 100 days in office, his campaign overturned old formulas about how to win the presidency. The Obama campaign did not focus only on battleground states, but instead charged into states that previously had been solidly Republican turf.

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Stephen Hill Linkography: California

Monetary Fix For California: Let’s Ditch
The U.S. Dollar
Article: 13 March 2011 - Sacramento Bee. (a version also was published in The Guardian) Many solutions have been proposed to the political and economic crises of our Golden State, with Gov. Jerry Brown calling for a June election to deal with the state budget.

Make State Government More Efficient, Less Expensive
Article: 11 May 2011 - Los Angeles Times. Having four separate agencies controlling finance and taxes, and three separate entities covering education, seems like overkill. And do we really need a lieutenant governor?

Schwarzenegger vs. Gerrymander
Article: 19 February 2005 - New York Times. A nonpartisan redistricting commission may make a few more legislative seats more competitive. And it certainly would have the salutary effect of changing the public perception that incumbents have a hand in rigging their own district lines. But such tinkering is not likely to change much else.

Steven Hill on Rewriting California's Constitution
Interview: 19 August 2009 - KALW's Ben Trefny sat down with Steven Hill. (AUDIO) A small and growing group of California citizens are angry that the state's budget process appears to be broken and they've decided to take action. Legislators are crafting dozens of plans to ease the budget process, but civic groups aren't waiting. The Bay Area Council is calling for a constitutional convention for the state--one comprised of randomly selected citizen delegates who would determine policy without the pressures of voters or the influence of lobbyists. But, how would it work?

What the U.S. (Even California) Can Learn
From Europe

Event featured speaker: 16 February 2010 -
CSAC (California State Association of Counties)
Legislative Conference. The New America Foundation hosts a conversation with Steven Hill about his new book: Europe's Promise: Why the European Way is the Best Hope in an Insecure Age. Watch this video and find out why California would be better off seceding from the U.S. and joining the European Union!

Pros And Cons of a Top-Two Primary: State Sen. Abel Maldonado Wants One, But Will It Help California?

Article: 20 February 2009 Los Angeles Times. State Sen. Abel Maldonado, a Republican legislator from the Central Coast, had the Democrats over a budget barrel and extracted from them the ultimate insider's deal -- they would put three of his pet ideas on the 2010 ballot (as constitutional amendments) in return for his deciding vote on the budget. You have to admire Maldonado's moxie even as you're appalled at this latest example of how broken the legislative process in Sacramento has become.

The Way Forward for Political Reform
Article: 19 December 2006 - San Francisco Chronicle. A new opinion poll finds that California voters overwhelmingly support improvements in the election process, but there's a catch -- it depends on who is proposing them. Turn the details over to a California Citizens' Assembly, and let average citizens decide what political reform is best for California.

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Stephen Hill Linkography: Europe Ponders

Trial By Fire: Populist Party Makes Gains In Vienna's Municipal Elections; The Challenge Of Rainbow Europe

Blog: How's Europe Doing - posted 13 October 2010 - The Washington Monthly. Hill observed the municipal elections, and the populist, anti-immigrant Freedom Party (FPO) nearly doubled its vote total from the last election to 27 percent. The long-time governing Social Democrats (SPO) finished with 45 percent forcing them into a coalition government for the first time since the 1990s. However, the Freedom Party’s 27 percent of the vote will be overwhelmingly outvoted by whatever majority coalition emerges, headed by the Social Democrats, so none of their proposed policies will come to pass.

Who's Right Now? Europe's far-right resurgence fizzles out
Article: 1 February 2003 - The American Prospect. The idea of European society as a "melting pot" or "rainbow quilt" is alien and new, and undoubtedly there will be strains for some time to come. But for the American media and punditry -- right, left and mainstream -- to portray the situation as one in which Nazis and fascists are gaining a real foothold in Europe is erroneous and hyperbolic.

The Prime Ministers Weigh In; What Is The Proper Role and Social Function Of A Bank?
Blog: How's Europe Doing - posted 30 September 2010 - The Washington Monthly. Panel discussion in Budapest entitled: Rebuilding confidence in financial markets: financial regulations, budgetary discipline, monetary stability.

The heart of Hill's speech concerned values-based banking and finance and dealt with the question of 'What are the right values for a banking and financial system?' He explored how banks and the financial industry could be turned away from the casinos they have become and made into responsible institutions.

The Plight Of The Roma Minority: Signs Of Hope Amidst This Challenge To Rainbow Europe
Blog: How's Europe Doing - posted 14 October 2010 - The Washington Monthly. Hill had a fascinating interview with Professor Rudolf Sarkozi, a recognized and sought-out European leader of the Roma, who gave his frank opinions on the persecution of the Roma, the recent French president Sarkozy’s policy of Roma expulsion from France, the general treatment of ethnic minorities in Europe and Austria, relations with other minorities such as the Turkish Muslim minority in Vienna, and more.

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