Fund the Child
September 8, 2006, 4:00pm – 6:00pmFor too long, the public schools serving our wealthiest students have received more than their fair share of resources. In contrast, high-quality schools are in short supply for most low-income, minority, and immigrant children. These students are more likely to have inadequately prepared teachers, dilapidated school facilities, and outdated materials than those who live in more affluent areas. Not surprisingly, the result is significant disparities in academic achievement– the prime culprit of which is the widespread archaic, unjust, and inefficient systems of education funding in the U.S.
More Than A Choice
September 13, 2006, 2:00pm – 3:30pmThe Center for American Progress was established to address the domestic and international policy challenges facing our country in the 21st century. Protecting and ensuring reproductive health and rights are among these important challenges. In a political atmosphere that is increasingly hostile to reproductive health services, it is imperative for progressives to articulate an integrated and comprehensive agenda for reproductive health and rights that reflects our commitment to freedom, opportunity, justice, and human dignity. Please join the Center for the release of its position paper, More than a Choice: A Progressive Vision for Reproductive Health and Rights, and a discussion of the agenda laid out in the paper.
American Energy
September 18, 2006, 9:00am – 11:00amThe Worldwatch Institute and the Center for American Progress are pleased to invite you to the launch of the landmark report, American Energy: The Renewable Path to Energy Security. The event will feature national leaders who support the vision of an American energy economy that is highly efficient and far more reliant on clean, domestic energy sources. Speakers will address the roles of Congress and the business, finance, and NGO communities to make a strong case that renewable energy is now poised to become a strategic centerpiece of the country's environmental, economic and security future.
Middle Church
September 19, 2006, 9:00am – 10:15amThe radical religious right has put the wrong issues at the top of the moral agenda for America, according to Bob Edgar’s new book, “Middle Church.” As the general secretary of the National Council of Churches and a former six-term congressman, Edgar argues that the moral issues that really matter to America's faithful majority – the "Middle Church” – are peace, poverty, and planet Earth.
The Growing Gap
September 21, 2006, 12:30pm – 2:00pmWhile President George W. Bush served in the National Guard, he never went to Vietnam. Both former Vice President Al Gore and Congressman Jack Murtha did go to Vietnam. The three men have differing views of the war in Iraq, and are certainly influenced by the nature of their military service. Vice President Dick Cheney had more important things to do than serve in the military, although he led the Pentagon during the first Gulf War. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell was a four-star general. All five of these individuals are members of the leadership class of the United States. Three fought in wars; two did not. Their world views have been shaped by the nature of their military and public service. But increasingly those entering public life, particularly individuals from the upper classes educated in the nation's elite schools, have not served in the military and may not even have a family member who served. Does this matter?
Workers' Rights Threatened
September 22, 2006, 9:00am – 10:30amThis fall, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) will decide on a trio of cases commonly known as the “Kentucky River” cases. The NLRB’s decision could broaden the definition of “supervisor” to include anyone who assigns or directs work of others, including those who are not officially part of management. According to a July report from the Economic Policy Institute, this broad expansion of the definition could strip as many as eight million private sector workers of their remaining federal labor law protections to form unions and bargain collectively.
Screening of Crossing Arizona
September 25, 2006, 7:00pm – 9:00pmCrossing Arizona examines the crisis through the eyes of those directly affected by it. Frustrated ranchers go out day after day to repair cut fences and pick up the trash that endangers their livestock and livelihoods. Humanitarian groups place water stations in the desert in an attempt to save lives. Political activists rally against anti-migrant ballot initiatives and try to counter rampant fear mongering. Farmers who depend on the illegal work force face each day with the fear that they may lose their workers to a border patrol sweep. And now there are the Minutemen, an armed citizen patrol group taking border security into their own hands. As up-to-date as the nightly news, but far more in-depth, Crossing Arizona reveals the surprising political stances people take when immigration and border policy fails everyone.
The Moral Center and the Politics of Values
September 28, 2006, 12:30pm – 2:00pmFor the last several years, political and public policy discussions have inevitably moved to values. Unfortunately, divisive conservative messages and ballot initiatives have often dominated the discussion. Rather than discussion that exploits popular moral anxiety, David Callahan argues in The Moral Center that as conservatives veer into zealotry, liberals can find common ground with the moderate majority. But liberals need a powerful new vision that reflects the true American center, focused on how market forces are undermining our values. Callahan outlines a strong progressive agenda that addresses the concerns of parents, families and all those concerned with a sense that our values are being undermined by the broader culture and economy.
Presidential Signing Statements
September 29, 2006, 9:00am – 10:30amPresidential signing statements, once a largely ceremonial instrument used to express a president’s views on legislation, have become in recent years a means by which the president can sign a bill while stating his intention to decline to enforce it, in whole or in part. Last April, Charlie Savage reported in The Boston Globe that President Bush had issued signing statements purporting to disregard over 750 legal provisions—more than all of his predecessors combined. This revelation has sparked a fierce debate. The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on the practice and bills have been introduced that would limit its use. The Constitution Project issued a bipartisan report expressing concern and the American Bar Association (ABA) adopted a formal policy opposing the misuse of signing statements as contrary to the rule of law and the system of separation of powers.
Does American Democracy Still Work?
September 29, 2006, 12:30pm – 1:30pmIn Does American Democracy Still Work? Alan Wolfe identifies the current political conditions that endanger the quality of our democracy. He describes how politics has changed, and calls for a democracy protection movement designed to preserve our political traditions not unlike the environmental protection movement's efforts to safeguard the natural world. Voters who know little about issues, leaders who bend rules with little fear of reprisal, and political parties that are losing the ability to mobilize citizens have all contributed to a worrisome new politics of democracy. Wolfe concludes that Americans need to understand the danger that their indifference poses and take public policy matters more seriously.