Blog
States Should Reform Health Care
Sean Evans, Chair and Associate Professor of Political Science
Apr 9, 2013 - Last week, Governor Bill Haslam decided to delay expanding Medicaid because the Obama Administration rejected his request for flexibility. Under Haslam’s Tennessee Plan, the state would provide subsidies to poor Tennesseans to purchase health insurance while requiring co-pays for those who can afford it, tying medical payments to outcomes, and providing an opt-out if federal payments decrease.
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Jury Duty a Lesson in Civics
Hunter Baker, Associate Dean of Arts & Science
Mar 8, 2013 - I have been tapped for jury duty in Madison County. Recently, I joined 70-80 other citizens in a courtroom. A very polite judge provided our orientation and explained that for the next two months the state of Tennessee would have first claim on our time.
After the orientation, the judge met with many individuals, including me, who petitioned for particular days off during the two months because of plans already made or other special circumstances. When it was my turn to speak to the judge, he treated me with respect and granted my request. I walked out of the courtroom, down the stairs, and got into my car. By the time I sat down and grabbed the steering wheel, my hands we...read more
Can We All Get Along?
Sean Evans, Chair and Associate Professor of Political Science
Mar 1, 2013 - As we face another budgetary crisis through ideological conflict, many Americans ask, a la Rodney King, “Why can’t we all get along?” The simple answer is that we argue because we have differing assumptions about the world, and ask questions that lack overlapping answers.
The typical liberal believes that humans are naturally good but have been corrupted by their environment. Since we have seen society progress over time, they believe that government can step in and fix broken institutions to continue humanity’s development. However, they do not belie...read more
Create a Path to Work
Hunter Baker, Associate Dean of Arts & Science
Feb 1, 2013 - Immigration is heating up again as a political issue with the second-term president and others discussing possible answers to the low-level chaos which currently characterizes the movement of workers between Mexico and the United States.The basic outlines of plans to address the problem shift to fit familiar lines of argument. I would like to suggest a novel approach which changes the nature of the debate to reduce the role of citizenship.
To state the matter very succinctly, we should deal with immigration in the context of the North American Free Trade Agreement. NAFTA provided for the free movement of goods across the border. The best way to handle the immigration probl...read more
Obama's Tactics May Fail
Sean Evans, Chair and Associate Professor of Political Science
Jan 25, 2013 - In the 2008 presidential election, Barack Obama said that “Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of America in a way that Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton did not.” In his second inaugural address, President Obama makes his claim to be the “liberal Reagan.”
With the public still blaming Republicans for our economic troubles and gridlock in Washington, the GOP brand is tox...read more