Political Reform Ideas

Gifts and Corruption

jadelay — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 11:47:19 -0800

Wanting to be in the spirit of season, at a2ethics.org we have been writing about gifts. More accurately, in our roles as ethics correspondents, barcode 2x and I have been obsessed with the ethics surrounding gifts. We have also talked about gifts with a group of local gift-giving experts from local nonprofits, including representatives of the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation (one of whose donor-advised funds also funds a2ethics.org) and The Salvation Army in our most recent and final podcast in the ethics and nonprofit series: www.a2ethics.org/node/502.

Ethics Tools: Banishment

jadelay — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 10:45:10 -0700

Seeing pictures of former employees walking with their personal effects (and trade secrets for future use?) boxes out of the revolving doors of the offices of the now bankrupt Lehman Brothers a few weeks ago, I was somehow reminded of the common ethics tool used by employers and many other institutions, known variously as disappearing, gone, out the door, and in the ancient usage: banishment.

Lost Knowledge: Dealing with the Financial Crisis

jadelay — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:14:43 -0700

As the insolvency and frozen credit crisis has yet to unthaw, like many other Americans, I have been trying to understand it. And given my lack of understanding of economics, my metaphor to grasp its meaning has remained decidedly literary and simple-minded. As I recall, it was Ernest Hemingway's character, Mike, who went bankrupt in The Sun Also Rises. Someone asked Mike how he went bankrupt. He replied, "Gradually, and then suddenly."

How About Starting a Michigan Consensus '08: Right Here, Right Now?

jadelay — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 10:28:01 -0700

I first heard about a project called the Copenhagen Consensus a few years ago. As I understood the idea, it was all about prioritizing the world's greatest social and economic challenges and then deciding which solutions were the most effective, based on proven "what works" practices and on the results of "the biggest bang for the buck" social and community studies and research.

Today's Election and A Primer on Gerrymandering

jadelay — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 09:28:20 -0700

Today, August 5th is primary election day. In Ann Arbor, that means voters will be deciding the probable winners for the mayoral race as well as for City Council. There has been a lot of talk over the past decade (at least) about how America has become a nation of like-minded enclaves and clone communiities, where people hold the same political views and come from the same socioeconomic class.

A Cure for Voter Fatigue

barcode 2x — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 20:56:12 -0700

Originally submitted by: barcode 2x

On Voting and Bowling Together

jadelay — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 21:09:06 -0700

Originally submitted by: jadelay