Cutting Edge: New ideas / Sharp opinions
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On the Supreme Court ruling last week to overturn a century of precedent and allow corporations, unions and other associations to spend whatever they want to influence elections:
Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York: "The Supreme Court has just predicted the winners of the next November election. It won't be Republicans. It won't be Democrats. It will be corporate America."
Lisa Graves, executive director of the Center for Media and Democracy: "Today's decision is a huge gift to corporations from a Supreme Court that has been radicalized by right-wing ideology, whose political agenda was made obvious in the Bush v. Gore case ..."
Hendrik Hertzberg in The New Yorker reviews a new book by Steven Hill, "Europe's Promise: Why the European Way Is the Best Hope In an Insecure Age":
"Like a reverse Alexis de Tocqueville, Steven Hill dauntlessly explores a society largely unknown to his compatriots back home. Sweeping away the ideological posturing, he shows us exactly how the modern European Way works and the promise it holds for an America which has slipped to become, in terms of social, economic and energy policy, the Old World."
Mike Madison at Pittsblog takes on the romanticized image of his hometown that often finds its way into local media:
"My suburb, Mt. Lebanon, is Pittsburgh's Lake Wobegon, a place where all the women are strong, the men are good-looking, and the children are above average. The skies above Mt. Lebanon are always clear and blue; everyone is extremely pleasant."
Mr. Madison says, excuse me, but Mt. Lebo is a real place:
"That Mt. Lebanon, the Mt. Lebanon of pleasantness and kindness ... bears very little resemblance to the actual Mt. Lebanon, which is full of caring people and mean people, under-assessed homes, barren public bank accounts, the shouts of joyful children, and the hurt, and anger and horror of violent crime.
"Not that anyone else in the Pittsburgh region cares. Really, why would most of Pittsburgh want to read more about Mt. Lebanon?"
First Published January 24, 2010 12:00 am
