dacosta-pubfin2017-blog

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Republicanism and Campus Free Speech patterns

This article highlighted an ‘institutional bias’ against Republican ideology on campuses. “1960s saw an explosion of campus activism and clashes, sometimes violent, from the free speech movement in California and anti-Vietnam War activism to a significant outpouring of conservative energy following Barry Goldwater’s 1964 campaign. All of that significantly affected politics in both parties for decades. Fifty or so years later, with campus battles ebbing and flowing in the interim, Trump’s win last year has only escalated the tension of recent years”.

This is an interesting policy issue because it hinges on what it means to be a safe space and if safe spaces are politically neutral and how that define’s students rights to free speech. While I agree that free speech should not impact a student’s rights on campus but I do agree that provocatism in speakers should be a negative value in campus speakers. Substance should be regarded by institutions of higher education rather than chasing speakers that normalize extreme views or actions. 

https://www.buzzfeed.com/henrygomez/the-campus-free-speech-wars-are-dramatically-changing-what?utm_term=.npEOreqWL#.bfkrXEqmA

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Climate Change Progress

As 45 reduces policies protecting our carbon footprint and dedication in the study of climate change. 

As of the 23 of October, companies are at 31% progress in reducing emissions. I thought it was a good approach on behalf of policymakers to target the companies responsible for 12% of global greenhouse gases and encouraged 89% to set emission standards however the significance is that 14% of the 89% have used scientifically based reduction methods. To solidify the impact of the intervention of climate change, mandates for scientific methods for reduction of greenhouse gases should be used by all companies targeted.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/big-business-carbon-goals-cdp_us_59ee1528e4b0a484d064d33e

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Congestion Pricing Plan

It is interesting to that NYC has begun to make the steps to reduce an externality of urban living which has presented in NYC as overpopulation and thus heavy traffic congestion. Currently, London, Singapore, Oslo and Stockhom have city congestion taxes, demonstrating the model can be adapted for other urban cities.

MoveNYC’s congestion plan  introduces cashless tolls to vehicles traveling below 60th street during peak transportation hours. The plan also reduces tolls on other bridges in the city. It is speculated that the correction for congestion will spur more revenue for MTA. However MTA has recorded that bus ridership is on the decline and record numbers of subway riders at peak hours have shown that the MTA subway must be improved before a congestion pricing plan be implemented.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/nyc-congestion-pricing-rush-hour_us_59ea683fe4b0958c468217ea

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College has become increasingly unaffordable for those families who need it most

New York Fed President William Dudley

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-09/congrats-college-grads-now-good-luck-paying-off-all-that-debt

We spoke in class about accounting for externalities in the market and this article reminded me about how the economy continues to be skewed in distribution of wealth. 

This gave an interesting lens of how increases in tuition rates have a lasting impact on perceptions of college, statistics show that 47% of Americans believe college is not worth the cost. Additionally those who do some college or an associate’s degree have on average the same net worth as those who hold a high school degree.

Value of college should be determined in a more responsible way. Its clear that certain fields have larger benefit to having degrees but the value can't be the same if the salary is not the same. Schools should be more accountable for their cost by tracking alumni a year post graduation. The information to solidify their rising cost should be the median salary value for the degree program plus facilities and student government fees. 

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The Aftermath of Maria

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-09/fed-s-dudley-sent-puerto-rico-a-cash-filled-jet-as-money-ran-low

This post was interesting in that in emergency management services we think of providing electricity, water and basic necessities but the need for currency to move forward is paramount to the return of normalcy. 

Puerto Rico has been crippled economically because of the storm, with businesses unable to operate and laying off employees, half of the island lacks safe drinking water and access to electricity reaches 1/10 Puerto Ricans. 

“The blackout also means that this corner of credit-card dependent America is relearning how to function almost entirely in cash. When some generator-powered ATMs finally opened, lines stretched hours long, with people camping out in beach chairs and holding umbrellas against the sun.”

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The purpose of the United Nations should be to protect the sovereignty of nations, large and small This week the implication of Trump's address at the United Nations has threatened the purpose of the body. In terms of public policy, this is another instance of bad judgement by our leader. Since western ideology dominates global governance, the political implication of defining states as masks of corrupt dictatorships, impedes the ability of states to work within global norms because it excludes others. Why would these states work within the system if they are defined as outsiders and continue to work within the global norms framework if they are defined as illegitimate governance structures?

Nikita Khrushchev

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Thankful that @POTUS quickly committed federal funding to help Floridians as #Irma continues to batter the state.

Gov. Rick Scott

This week the news surrounding FEMA funding was I believe the best demonstration as to why individuals in the private sector cannot effectively make decisions for a public budget. The rescinding of $876 million to FEMA should be a source of outrage for everyone since it demonstrates a failure of the government to secure its citizens which in nature is what the United States asserts as a pinnacle of what it stands for. 

Living in the Tampa Bay area of Florida throughout my undergrad, flash floods were a constant issue and logically speaking any cut to an emergency budget was for lack of a better word, dumb. 

Rick Scott’s tweet demonstrates awarding the government for doing something that they should have never took away and giving accolades to an administration that ultimately is providing the bare minimum for things they should be doing.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/30/politics/donald-trump-congress-fema-disaster-relief/index.html

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Behind the facade of elected government are a bunch of corporate controlled gangsters running the country.

Steven Magee

After perusing the New York Times article “What Real Tax Reform Could Be”, I default to this quote by Steven Magee because it embodies the issue at the root of tax reform which are the corporations which sidestep taxation through calculated responses to changes in tax regulations. Corporations are able to continually backseat social responsibility by corporate write offs like private jets without being questioned or penalized for deferring what would have been taxable profits.  

I do have a contention with the addition of VAT (value added taxes) as apart of a potentially new tax reform because their application in foreign countries have hurt lower income households as well as tourism there. After visiting Guyana and the Bahamas pre and post VAT, I asked locals what the tax was intended for and even in educated circles, the answer was unclear. Additionally VAT has impacted service industry jobs because VAT is mistaken as a service charge when it is an additional tax intended for government. If clear perimeters of what VAT is intended for are not clearly iterated to the general public, the tax of itself does nothing but target the working and lower classes to pay more and have no idea of what the revenue garnered from this tax is applied to. If VAT is applied in the United States, politicians must be able to clarify the difference between this tax and others and how the revenue streams are different in what they supplement because otherwise it seems like another way for corporations to reduce their responsibility to pay for and into societal goods.