The Problem of Student-Funded Education As both Grant and David point out, over the last generation the cost of higher education has been substantially shifted from the public to the individual student. For a nation that prides itself on equality of opportunity, this is really a scandalous development, for reasons I articulated in a previous post. From a…
Defining Moderation
The Purpose of Education in a Democratic Society
I think it is fair to say that the educational system in the United States faces an existential crisis. From the university level on down it, the expense continues to increase without producing recognizably better outcomes. The United States continues to lag behind other nations in student performance while our system of higher education (once…
A Moderate Path on Same-Sex Marriage, Part II
Courtney! raised a crucial point in her comment on the last piece: Will this prove emotionally satisfying to those who have spent years imagining and planning their perfect wedding (rather than a perfect ‘civil union’)? I think yes, and here’s why: When I got married (in California), my wife and I went to the county registrar…
A Moderate Path on Same-Sex Marriage
One of the challenges of moderate politics is to find creative solutions that will appeal to (or at least resolve the concerns of) those on either end of the political spectrum. This is particularly true for those seemingly binary issues that so easily divide us. Here is what I think we should do about one…
A Speech for Obama
Recently, David Brooks called on Obama to take up the mantle of reformer, leading a charge to make government “simple, elegant and user-friendly.” Though his column was directed at liberals, Brooks suggested a program designed to appeal across ideological lines. Since my purpose here is to articulate a moderate politics dedicated to a better practice…
Structuring Better Outcomes
Once I was part of an organization that was trying to design a group t-shirt. Our discussion was a mess. There were simply too many of us with too many ideas to reach a consensus. The more we talked and voted, the more frustrated people grew. Eventually someone realized that in addition to the split…
Perry’s Answer
I’ll admit that I wasn’t watching last night’s debate when Gov. Rick Perry made his infamous “oops.”* But an earlier statement he made had already caught my attention. Perry was hammering on government regulation. And he had a proposal: Audit all federal regulation since 2008 and ask whether it creates jobs or hinders job growth….
The Need for Bureaucracy
I listened to an interview the other day with Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI). The interviewer (Ari Shapiro) asked him about a Treasury Department report finding that over-regulation was not killing business. In fact, the most highly regulated industries are experiencing the strongest growth. His response was, “Well, that’s just not what I’m hearing from my…
How to Compromise
I appreciate the Gail Collins/David Brooks exchanges, and this week’s was especially good. They played at a sort of reverse one-upmanship, exchanging concessions of liberal or conservative sacred cows as an example of bipartisanship. Beyond their ideas (which I think are good), the exchange is worth considering for why it is possible. I see at…
Hearing Extremes
One of the problems with our contemporary political discourse is the assumption of extremes. It shapes how we read the statements of opponents and how politicians speak to their base. Two examples have caught my attention of late: A recent conversation with a conservative revealed that he interpreted Elizabeth Warren’s remarks on claims of…