All Articles
License to Spill
As a nation and as a world, we must start thinking about the long-term impacts of our actions, rather than the short-term economic and energy benefits. Sustainable growth today will be more profitable in the future. Rejecting Keystone XL this spring is the right choice both for the nation and for the planet.
Blast from the Past: Citizens United; Columbians Divided
Columbia Students, from libertarians to socialists, debate the Citizens United ruling and campaign finance more generally.
Gentrification or Economic Development?
“Seaport City can provide… protection, while also expanding opportunities for new economic development.”
New York's Bloomberg Problem
Essentially, Bloomberg could have been able to ‘buy’ votes by utilizing funding resources unavailable to other city employees or mayoral candidates.
So how unique was Sandy?
By highlighting the frequency of significant tropical cyclones striking the New York City region, this article is not meant to reduce the importance of finding solutions as quickly as possible; rather, it is meant to heighten awareness of the special risk that New York City has always faced, but has never fully addressed.
After The Storm
Because if anything was made clear in this past week, it’s that regular people can and will make the choices that politicians won’t. We will take care of each other, and that is a principle we should all strive for our society to embody.
Indus Valley Restaurant Workers Protest
I’m tired of eating club themed cupcakes, attending cosponsored lectures, flyering for discussions, and rambling about interesting ideas in class. If we never put our high minded philosophy into issues as clear cut as this, it’s all useless.
To Serve and Protect?
Some folks go into the police force genuinely wanting to protect and serve, but it’s not just that those good apples are overshadowed by the bad ones. The institution itself is rotten to its core.
Occupy Wall Street: A Birthday in Context
“There are decades when nothing happens, and there are weeks when decades happen.” This past year was a year of such weeks, and now the first anniversary of the occupation of Zuccotti Park is just around the corner.
Race Won't Win the Race
The Republican Party’s formula may in fact be a strong one, and its success may be continued, however it will not be if the Party overlooks factors as big as prior leadership failure and political scandal and nominates Malcolm Smith.
Remember Me?
The question left to be answered is whether sending sexually revealing pictures to a young woman will continue to haunt Weiner. Given his strong legislative record and his ability to spend up to $6 million on the race, Anthony Weiner should throw his hat in the ring in the public advocate’s race to find out.
Depressing Implications of NYC's 13th District
While it is important to maintain an attitude that individual participation is vital to a thriving democracy, it is easy to lose sight of this when staring at overwhelming voting patterns and the media portrayal of electoral trends.
Carbonated Controversy
Today’s most pressing debate should center on the latest economic initiative or education proposal or MTA budget - not the size of a Pepsi. And unfortunately, with Bloomberg’s relentless campaign to dictate the health choices of every New York City resident, issues that really matter – and that are really the business of the office of the mayor – are being sidelined.
Points for Participation
If the system is broken, then it must be fixed. The question, of course, is how. It might be helpful to first look toward public policy elsewhere that has succeeded in reducing inequality and involving citizens more in governmental deliberations. In Belo Horizonte, Brazil, a municipal policy called participatory budgeting (PB), which has democratized the process of city budgeting, has succeeded in accomplishing just that.
Running in the 15th District
Clyde Williams, a potential challenger for the 15th Congressional District of New York, is laying the groundwork for a campaign against longtime representative Charles Rangel.
Schoolhouse Crock
Proponents of the standardized curriculum say it promotes continuity and consistency throughout the public school system, but opponents, especially teachers, say it prioritizes cosmetic changes over real classroom needs.
The Business of Politics
Mike Bloomberg is breaking down walls at City Hall. Literally. With no walls to separate the rows of desks lining the room, the atmosphere resembles a frenetic, high-energy trading floor more than a government office. Bloomberg’s desk—the command center for the operation—sits directly in the middle of the room, right in the heart of the action.