4 Years of Citizens United: The Damage and Its Solution
January 2014 marked the 4th anniversary of the highly controversial Citizens United v. Federal Electoral Committee verdict, in which the Supreme Court granted corporations and unions complete first amendment rights. The Court ruled that these entities are allowed to spend unlimited amounts of money on political advocacy as long as that money is not given […]
Tap Water: The Cleaner, Cheaper, Tastier Choice
The world is consuming bottled water at a rapid rate. Global consumption of bottled water is increasing by 10 percent annually and global expenditures amount to approximately $100 billion per year.[1] The largest market for bottled water is in developed countries, with the United States being the top consumer.[2] In the US, people are […]
Professor Kirsten Rodine-Hardy Tackles Global Telecom Regulations in New Book
Northeastern professor Kirsten Rodine-Hardy tackles hot topics of globalization and liberalization in her new book, Global Markets and Government Regulation in Telecommunications, and she’s not afraid to take on conventional wisdom. Her book rejects the idea that countries adopt economic regulatory changes solely to keep up with a competitive market and, instead, she looks […]
The Bull, the Bear, and the Wolf
The Wolf of Wall Street, by Martin Scorsese, has just become the veteran director’s top grossing film after more than 40 years behind the camera.[1] The movie stunned audiences and critics alike, with its crude language and hedonistic plot. However, what makes the film so appalling to some members of society is what makes […]
The Democrats’ DIY Government
Two weeks after his 2014 State of the Union address, President Barack Obama sat down and signed an executive order raising the minimum wage for federal contractors to $10.10 from $7.25. A month later he signed another executive order expanding overtime pay. The orders were small steps, but they back up the underlying message […]
Getting Off the Fence: Why Immigration Reform Can’t Wait
During President Obama’s first presidential campaign in 2008, he advocated for immigration reform on pivotal issues such as tightening borders, cracking down on employers of illegal immigrants, and establishing an “effective way to recognize and legalize undocumented workers who are here.”[1]The 2008 Democratic platform on immigration included plans for allowing illegals to “get right with […]
The Importance of Honeybee Health to Humans
Honeybees and human beings are in a long-term relationship. Humans have been seeking the honeybees’ product since as far back as 2400 BCE, when the first beekeepers were building hives in Egypt. Besides being captivated by the honey that bees produce for themselves as food, people all over the world are fascinated by the […]
The MBTA U-Pass: Connecting America’s College Town
It is hard to argue against the sentiment that Boston is a college city. According to data from the United States Census Bureau, there are approximately 250,000 college students attending school within the Boston area at 85 different institutions of higher learning.[1] Boston leads the nation in per capita student enrollment, and The Bureau […]
Towards Mindful Growth and Genuine Measurement
In 1968, Robert Kennedy made history with the bold statement that: “[the Gross Domestic Product] measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile. And it can tell us everything about America except why we are proud that we are Americans.” Over 40 years later, Kennedy’s words fall on still-deaf ears, as the GDP […]
Commercializing Vice: Marijuana, Tobacco and Alcohol Policy in the US
“Please drink responsibly.” These words are etched into every bottle of booze and embedded into the fine print of television advertisements, reminding consumers that the producers and distributors of beer, wine, and spirits have the public’s best interests in mind. However, as public policy expert Mark Kleiman notes: “responsible drinkers don’t build breweries.”[1] The […]