Karen Cyphers - page 12

Go figure on this one: early voting dampens voter turnout.  This finding, born from a Pew Research study that used multivariate regression to analyze turnout data from 2004 and 2008, suggests that the nation’s most popular voting reform achieves the opposite of its intent. What’s more, early voting states include large, electorally important ones such as Florida, Ohio, Texas and New Jersey. When implemented on its own without other voting reforms, early voting appears to rob Election Day of its…

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Today on Context Florida, Bob Sparks shares the “PolitiFacts of Life” with a view that would make Mark Twain proud; and regarding education for students with autism, Julie Delegal shares why it is essential that we make good on our promise to “build ramps for people whose minds are wired differently.” Darryl Paulson shares the seventh in his series on black voting in Florida, this time looking at how the Democratic party adopted policies to suppress black voting. His next…

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The first thing I thought of when learning about Citizinvestor were my imaginary friends in the Pawnee, Indiana, Parks department. Projects that are important to citizens don’t always get top bill from cash-strapped local governments. Think Leslie Knope’s pit-to-park proposal. Knope, who didn’t have access to Citizinvestor’s public project crowdfunding platform, nearly succumbed to taking $35,000 from Pawnee’s America-shaming Venezuelan sister city. Taxes may be the original “crowdfunding” source, but they only go so far. And often, taxes aren’t spent…

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Just reported by Chris Conover, contributor to Forbes.com, Medicare actuaries have estimated that in its first 10 years, Obamacare will boost health spending by “roughly 621 billion” above what Americans would have spent without the law. The Medicare report breaks this figure down to mean that that between 2014 and 2022, the increase in national health spending attributable to Obamacare will ring in at about $7,450 per family of 4. This is a far cry from President Obama’s June 2008…

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Today on Context Florida, Martin Dyckman segues from the poor optics of Pam Bondi’s request to delay an execution to the much larger issue of timely justice in capital cases; and Ed Moore ups the philosophy ante with a column linking the writings of Thomas Paine to modern challenges. Then, Steve Kurlander takes issue with Michelle Obama’s obesity initiatives (this time on “simply drink more water”), stating that while the job of the First Lady is not easy, her intent…

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SETTING THE TONE We march toward another fiscal showdown. If left unchanged, federal debt held by the public will rise from 73 to 100% of GDP by 2013. CNN’s Jim Acosta coined the term “Gridlock-nado” to describe the budget mess, and Karl Rove’s PAC released a web video called “Obamacare-nado“.   So I guess this means  -nado becoming the –gate of political flaps? Via William March of the Tampa Tribune, with a reputation as the land of opportunity, the U.S. by…

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Today on Context Florida, Cary McMullen challenges readers to consider the complexities of American exceptionalism, particularly in light of recent events; and Darryl Paulson offers the fifth installment on black voting in Florida with an analysis of “vote dilution” — a practice that can take the form of run-off primaries, at-large elections and multi-member districts. Peter Schorsch asks, “When, oh when, Charlie?”  and lays out some detailed logic for why Florida’s former governor will announce his candidacy later rather than…

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