More NYC Schools elite administrators “retiring” under a cloud of investigation
This post is from Advocatz.com, with thanks to Betsy Combier.
John Neely Kennedy and the sad persistence of (North) American ignorance
There wouldn't even be an excuse for such ignorance of a neighboring country if it were to come from an ordinary citizen. But when it comes from a citizen who's paid $190+K a year and is supposedly qualified to represent the rest of us, that's a problem.
Do Our Electeds Have to Talk to Us?
Widely available guidelines produced in multiple states note that “to responsibly enact laws, it is important that the legislator be in tune with the specific interests and problems associated with his or her district.”* What better way to be in tune with one’s constituents than to talk to us?
What You`ve Lost
During the school year 2020-2022, Department of Education employees worked remotely for an entire year once the Covid19 shutdown reached NYC, then they worked inside the schools when many other employees chose to remain remote. We were praised as heroes for rising to the challenges of Covid and getting the work done for City kids. [...]
Chapter from a non-fiction book in progress
She hesitated. She looked like she might faint. For a minute I thought she needed a doctor herself. "Because your replacement is here."
Scarcity, Misdeeds, and Violence? Or Universal Basic Income?
Andrew Yang, Presidential candidate writes, "A culture of scarcity is a culture of negativity. They attack each other. Tribalism and divisiveness go way up."
Disastrous Homelessness Policy Makes Us All Crazy
This month, we read that a woman set another woman afire at a shelter in Queens, New York after an argument. In 2016, a man was practically beheaded at a Manhattan shelter after an argument gone bad. A DHS spokesperson said of the fire starter, “this unconscionable act goes against everything we stand for.” This [...]
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families federal block grants
What used to be the centerpiece of U.S. social welfare policy, Aid to Families with Dependent Children, however imperfect it was, has become a slush fund for states to plug their own budget gaps instead of an anti-poverty program.
Creation vs. Consumption
There is something very satisfying about saving a piece of old furniture. I think of the people who have sat on it, or at it, maybe talking out a problem not different from the problems I have; or maybe they planned a birthday party, or a trip, or how they'd make the rent on a [...]
“Doorbusters” and the American Way
I would like to remind people that the term "doorbusters," that is now used widely by Kohl's, JCPenney, and practically every retailer in their advertisements was created after the death of a Wal-Mart worker named Jdimytai Damour in 2008. He died on Black Friday, trampled to death by shoppers who cared about nothing but scoring [...]