By Maddie Cahill
I recently saw a fantastic documentary called “The Cove”. The documentary explores the annual dolphin slaughter in the Taiji, Japan. Close to 23,000 bottlenose and risso’s dolphins are slaughtered each year in this secretive cove. A few of the more beautiful dolphins are selected and kept alive only to be sold to aquariums and dolphinariums around the world. The rest of the dolphins are slaughtered and sold for meat. Interestingly enough, dolphin meat is so high in mercury that it is extremely dangerous to eat. A lot of times the dolphin meat is then mislabeled and sold as whale meat. As I understand it, it is a small number of Japanese fishermen that profit from this practice. The fishermen claim that the annual dolphin slaughter is tradition. The documentary really opens up a discussion about animal rights, as well as the issue of national health. The documentary is geared toward possibly sparking a change in Japan’s whaling policy. Japan is known to be the most powerful holdout on the worldwide ban of whaling. Dolphins are some of the most intelligent animals, and we are probably just scratching the surface in understanding just how smart they are. Has anyone seen “The Cove”? What are your thoughts on whaling?
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Health Care: Another Reason to go Postal?
By: Tevis Blom
For some time I have had positive thoughts about nationalized health-care. My experiences with insurance companies, HMO's, and 'Western Medicine' have left a sinking feeling that our 'health care providers' care very little about our actual well being. Having been without insurance in the past, I was eager for some sort of nationalized care.
I engaged in a [friendly] debate with my father about the health care scenario recently, and I believe he has changed my mind. His argument was this: In San Jose, CA, in the 1990's, the state of public schools was such that schools were closing and students were being crowded into schools that remained open. The high school I would have attended had subsequent overcrowding problems, gang issues, lack of adequate services, etc. My parents decided that perhaps private school was an option.
My father's simple argument was this: If a state can not successfully run its schools, then how can it possibly run health-care? He furthered his argument by noting that he had to pay taxes that supported schools he no longer used, and received no tax break on tuition to a private school (tuition that was payed with wages already taxed). In the case of health care, he argued that he would be paying for services that he would "prefer not to use", I.e. in his mind he'd rather pay for private care than deal with "governmental health care".
If health care achieves the same standards of excellence as academics in our country, I think I will be searching for private care!
For some time I have had positive thoughts about nationalized health-care. My experiences with insurance companies, HMO's, and 'Western Medicine' have left a sinking feeling that our 'health care providers' care very little about our actual well being. Having been without insurance in the past, I was eager for some sort of nationalized care.
I engaged in a [friendly] debate with my father about the health care scenario recently, and I believe he has changed my mind. His argument was this: In San Jose, CA, in the 1990's, the state of public schools was such that schools were closing and students were being crowded into schools that remained open. The high school I would have attended had subsequent overcrowding problems, gang issues, lack of adequate services, etc. My parents decided that perhaps private school was an option.
My father's simple argument was this: If a state can not successfully run its schools, then how can it possibly run health-care? He furthered his argument by noting that he had to pay taxes that supported schools he no longer used, and received no tax break on tuition to a private school (tuition that was payed with wages already taxed). In the case of health care, he argued that he would be paying for services that he would "prefer not to use", I.e. in his mind he'd rather pay for private care than deal with "governmental health care".
If health care achieves the same standards of excellence as academics in our country, I think I will be searching for private care!
Friday, September 4, 2009
Another Opportunity
For those of you in my class interested in energy policy--if you attend and compose a reflection on the following event at the law school, you can use it as your blog post or to replace a missed class session:
A National Energy Policy for the 21st Century
James E. Rogers,
Chairman, President and CEO, Duke Energy
Thursday, September 10, 2009
5-6 PM
University of Colorado Law School
A National Energy Policy for the 21st Century
James E. Rogers,
Chairman, President and CEO, Duke Energy
Thursday, September 10, 2009
5-6 PM
University of Colorado Law School
Values and Policy Analysis
Nathan Briley’s Blog Post:
When using the social sciences approach to construct a policy analysis, a considerable emphasis is placed on identifying the values that drive the rest of the analysis. Performing policy analyses with a plurality of values in mind makes a lot of sense, but it leads to an important political question: whose values? For example, should justice, quality of care or economic efficiency drive health care reform? One plausible answer is that the will of the people should determine this. If the people desire an efficient health care system, then the goals of our policy analysis should reflect that value. Of course, if we hold this principle for determining which values drive policy, we then face the additional problem of determining what the people actually value and then integrating that into our policies. No small task. For one potential solution to this general political problem, we can turn to what the State of Oregon has created through their Oregon Shines program. In brief, the Oregon Shines program allows state legislators to systematically determine what the citizens of the state value in regards various policy areas. State legislators are then supposed to be guided by these citizen created values and associated goals. Instead of simply assuming that political representatives will actually craft policy with the values of the citizens in mind, the Oregon Shines program provides an additional mechanism for ensuring that the values of the people being governed are the values driving policy decisions.
When using the social sciences approach to construct a policy analysis, a considerable emphasis is placed on identifying the values that drive the rest of the analysis. Performing policy analyses with a plurality of values in mind makes a lot of sense, but it leads to an important political question: whose values? For example, should justice, quality of care or economic efficiency drive health care reform? One plausible answer is that the will of the people should determine this. If the people desire an efficient health care system, then the goals of our policy analysis should reflect that value. Of course, if we hold this principle for determining which values drive policy, we then face the additional problem of determining what the people actually value and then integrating that into our policies. No small task. For one potential solution to this general political problem, we can turn to what the State of Oregon has created through their Oregon Shines program. In brief, the Oregon Shines program allows state legislators to systematically determine what the citizens of the state value in regards various policy areas. State legislators are then supposed to be guided by these citizen created values and associated goals. Instead of simply assuming that political representatives will actually craft policy with the values of the citizens in mind, the Oregon Shines program provides an additional mechanism for ensuring that the values of the people being governed are the values driving policy decisions.
Class meeting on Friday
If you're in my class:
There has been a change of plans--next week, class will meet on both Wed. and Fri. at the normal times.
Sorry for the confusion, guys. I'm going to be back from D.C. earlier than I thought I would, so we'll have class on Friday.
There has been a change of plans--next week, class will meet on both Wed. and Fri. at the normal times.
Sorry for the confusion, guys. I'm going to be back from D.C. earlier than I thought I would, so we'll have class on Friday.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Fate of Afghanistan
Blog by: Joe Blinn
A NY times article wrote today that the deputy chief of intelligence of Afghanistan was killed by a suicide bomber Wednesday morning in Afghanistan. Dr. Abdullah Laghmani was leaving the mosque in Laghman when a man ran up to him and detonated an explosive. The city of Laghman was not known to have much Taliban influence, but this just goes to show that the Taliban isa ruthless society with no boundaries.
I ultimately came to this question. In Afghanistan, where does the political obligation lie? Here in the United States of America it is clear that citizens have large political obligation towards our government to follow laws and things of that nature. All I hear in the news and in the media regarding the middle-east seems to just be an update of the latest suicide bomb, or newest terrorist threat, or most recent death toll; indicating that in Afghanistan there is little to no political obligation- to the Afghan government. The Taliban has such a huge influence in this part of the world they have many followers, which takes away support for the local government.
Is it possible to have two powers of authority in a functioning society? In this case I would say absolutely not, simply because the values of the Taliban, and the values of the Afghan government are vastly differing.
What then is the solution to the problem in Afghanistan? I realize that has been a question that has been attempted to be answered for years and years, so perhaps a better question would be; Will Afghanistan always have the fear of the Taliban lurking over their shoulder or will they every be freed from this barbaric group?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/03/world/asia/03afghan.html?_r=1&hp
By STEPHEN FARRELL and ABDUL WAHEED WAFA
Published: September 2, 2009
A NY times article wrote today that the deputy chief of intelligence of Afghanistan was killed by a suicide bomber Wednesday morning in Afghanistan. Dr. Abdullah Laghmani was leaving the mosque in Laghman when a man ran up to him and detonated an explosive. The city of Laghman was not known to have much Taliban influence, but this just goes to show that the Taliban isa ruthless society with no boundaries.
I ultimately came to this question. In Afghanistan, where does the political obligation lie? Here in the United States of America it is clear that citizens have large political obligation towards our government to follow laws and things of that nature. All I hear in the news and in the media regarding the middle-east seems to just be an update of the latest suicide bomb, or newest terrorist threat, or most recent death toll; indicating that in Afghanistan there is little to no political obligation- to the Afghan government. The Taliban has such a huge influence in this part of the world they have many followers, which takes away support for the local government.
Is it possible to have two powers of authority in a functioning society? In this case I would say absolutely not, simply because the values of the Taliban, and the values of the Afghan government are vastly differing.
What then is the solution to the problem in Afghanistan? I realize that has been a question that has been attempted to be answered for years and years, so perhaps a better question would be; Will Afghanistan always have the fear of the Taliban lurking over their shoulder or will they every be freed from this barbaric group?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/03/world/asia/03afghan.html?_r=1&hp
By STEPHEN FARRELL and ABDUL WAHEED WAFA
Published: September 2, 2009
For My Students: Health Care Reform Town Hall
Folks,
Jared Polis is holding a town hall meeting tomorrow night (Friday Sept. 4th) at CU regarding health care reform. If you're interested in attending and putting together a writeup that expresses your thoughts on the meeting which I can post here (on the blog), and you're in my class, I'll put it up right away and it will take the place of the date you signed up for the first week.
If you'd rather blog on your assigned date, you can still do that. I'll post your writeup and you can use the writeup as a replacement for a missed day in class that you would like to receive credit for.
The announcement:
Townhall meeting with US Congressman Jared Polis
The University of Colorado Student Union (UCSU) would like you to come join Congressman Jared Polis at a townhallmeeting to discuss healthcare 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4 in the UMC’s Glenn Miller Ballroom. Doors will open to students and the public at 6:30 p.m. Rep. Polis will begin with a short speech and then will answer questions from the audience on health care reform. Rep. Polis represents the campus and students of CU and UCSU would like to encourage as many students as possible to attend the event. If you have any questions please contact anthony.delarosa@colorado.edu
Jared Polis is holding a town hall meeting tomorrow night (Friday Sept. 4th) at CU regarding health care reform. If you're interested in attending and putting together a writeup that expresses your thoughts on the meeting which I can post here (on the blog), and you're in my class, I'll put it up right away and it will take the place of the date you signed up for the first week.
If you'd rather blog on your assigned date, you can still do that. I'll post your writeup and you can use the writeup as a replacement for a missed day in class that you would like to receive credit for.
The announcement:
Townhall meeting with US Congressman Jared Polis
The University of Colorado Student Union (UCSU) would like you to come join Congressman Jared Polis at a townhallmeeting to discuss healthcare 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4 in the UMC’s Glenn Miller Ballroom. Doors will open to students and the public at 6:30 p.m. Rep. Polis will begin with a short speech and then will answer questions from the audience on health care reform. Rep. Polis represents the campus and students of CU and UCSU would like to encourage as many students as possible to attend the event. If you have any questions please contact anthony.delarosa@colorado.edu
AIDS education
Always a contentious issue, the AIDS education debate is another area where the primary issues under debate are not over appropriate policies to combat an agreed-upon problem, but over appropriate goals and values, and by extension, the very nature of the problem at issue. A new UNESCO report encourages explicit discussion of sexual topics with children to prevents AIDS transmission and conservative groups react, as discussed in the New York Times here. Thoughts on these values?
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Unbiased sources of information
A number of people commented on my posts about sources of unbiased information on health care--seems there is a consensus that such information is at a premium.
I got to thinking about this question, and it occurred to me that private news media should be such a source of information for average people--in theory, the media sees itself as an institution that passes on comprehensible and balanced information about political topics to normal people. Is this any longer the case, however?
I remember once upon a time when CNN was such a source of unbiased information (a time before FOX and Bill O'Reilly), but those times are long gone, and don't appear to be coming back.
There was also a time when people believed that the internet (and alternative sources of information like blogs, etc.) would replace profit-seeking media with another model. This may ultimately prove to be true, but the problem is that internet media models mostly seem to segment people into similar ideological groups. People read the stuff that interests them, not the other side, so we all get more polarized in the process. I find that this is true of my own blog reading, though it's not a particular ideological slant that I have, but I mostly read Political Science and Latin America stuff, with the occasional nerdy comic strip thrown in.
I got to thinking about this question, and it occurred to me that private news media should be such a source of information for average people--in theory, the media sees itself as an institution that passes on comprehensible and balanced information about political topics to normal people. Is this any longer the case, however?
I remember once upon a time when CNN was such a source of unbiased information (a time before FOX and Bill O'Reilly), but those times are long gone, and don't appear to be coming back.
There was also a time when people believed that the internet (and alternative sources of information like blogs, etc.) would replace profit-seeking media with another model. This may ultimately prove to be true, but the problem is that internet media models mostly seem to segment people into similar ideological groups. People read the stuff that interests them, not the other side, so we all get more polarized in the process. I find that this is true of my own blog reading, though it's not a particular ideological slant that I have, but I mostly read Political Science and Latin America stuff, with the occasional nerdy comic strip thrown in.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Glad I'm in the good 'ol U.S. of A.
Shenanigans like this make me glad that I'm a citizen of the US--especially since my wife works as a district attorney. Let's hear it for the rule of law and a functioning criminal justice system!
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