This chapter considers some misguided responses to public health emergencies, or perceived emerge... more This chapter considers some misguided responses to public health emergencies, or perceived emergencies. At one extreme was the arrest and lifetime confi nement in Hawaii and elsewhere of sufferers from leprosy, or Hansen's disease. This, of course, was not an example of presidential policy, but is included as an example of horrible overreach. An opposite approach was the refusal of the Eisenhower administration to mount a vaccination program to deal with the Asian fl u pandemic of 1957. President Eisenhower was devoted to private solutions to such emergencies, and these were manifestly inadequate. There was yet another extreme example of a misguided approach, and that was President Woodrow Wilson's militant passivity to the 1918 infl uenza pandemic. Disregarding advice from medical consultants, he refused to discontinue the shipment of troops abroad to fi ght in the Great War, which resulted in an even greater spread of the contagion because of the great numbers of men confi ned to small quarters aboard ships. Incompetence can always be a danger in public health emergencies. Although this was not a pandemic, the George W. Bush administration handled the health crisis caused by Hurricane Katrina so poorly that it became a national scandal. On the other hand, President Bush did move to plan wisely for a possible infl uenza pandemic when he ordered the creation of national stockpiles of antiviral medication.
Even in Garfield’ s brief presidency, he made his mark, defying the Senate on appointments, and w... more Even in Garfield’ s brief presidency, he made his mark, defying the Senate on appointments, and winning resoundingly. He strengthened the presidency. Arthur had not held elective office until he became vice president. Despite his background in machine politics, he ran a clean and efficient government. He signed into law the Pendleton Act creating a merit-based civil service, and had campaigned vigorously for it. He used the veto wisely and effectively, generally pursued wise policies, and he too, added strength to the presidency.
ABSTRACT The preoccupation of media and Beltway insiders with “bipartisanship” to the exclusion o... more ABSTRACT The preoccupation of media and Beltway insiders with “bipartisanship” to the exclusion of policy content is an obstacle to the adoption of effective anti-poverty measures.
Max Skidmore reviews Michael Harrington's 1962 Classic The Other America: Poverty in the United S... more Max Skidmore reviews Michael Harrington's 1962 Classic The Other America: Poverty in the United States, assessing the work's staying power over nearly two generations.
Max J. Skidmore reviews The Power of a Promise: Education and Economic Renewal in Kalamazoo by Mi... more Max J. Skidmore reviews The Power of a Promise: Education and Economic Renewal in Kalamazoo by Michelle Miller-Adams, who analyzes extraordinary efforts by anonymous donors to combat poverty and enhance economic development-literally to create economic renewal-in that Michigan city.
Editor-in-Chief Max J. Skidmore reviews Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaimi... more Editor-in-Chief Max J. Skidmore reviews Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream and uncovers possible insights into the president's upcoming poverty agenda both at home and abroad.
An analysis of America's social insurance systems, demonstrating that the bleak future proje... more An analysis of America's social insurance systems, demonstrating that the bleak future projected by Social Security's opponents--and by many of its supporters--is highly unlikely to materialize, and that in fact Social Security is financially sound.
On June 3, 2017, a “Congress on Iceland’s Democracy” met in Berkeley—an outgrowth of a previous e... more On June 3, 2017, a “Congress on Iceland’s Democracy” met in Berkeley—an outgrowth of a previous effort in Iceland to “crowd source” a new constitution. The citizens of Iceland had led their parliament to create a new and extraordinarily representative convention consisting of citizens more-or-less chosen randomly from all walks of life. The convention functioned completely in the open and excluded all politicians. The result, approved overwhelmingly in a 2012 national referendum, would truly have been a “constitution of the people.” Despite the approval by huge majorities, in 2013, it failed in parliament as a result of fierce lobbying by vested interests against the provision that Iceland’s natural resources would be constitutionally mandated to benefit the public, rather than continuing to be held by private owners. Regardless of its prospects for success, Icelandic efforts should be of great interest to all constitutional scholars, and to those scholars and practitioners who seek...
An analysis of America's social insurance systems, demonstrating that the bleak future proje... more An analysis of America's social insurance systems, demonstrating that the bleak future projected by Social Security's opponents--and by many of its supporters--is highly unlikely to materialize, and that in fact Social Security is financially sound.
Editor Max J. Skidmore provides a concise history and political analysis of the attacks on Americ... more Editor Max J. Skidmore provides a concise history and political analysis of the attacks on American efforts to achieve near universal health care, and also reviews an innovative history of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
An oral history presents special characteristics. These require the author/editor (and any review... more An oral history presents special characteristics. These require the author/editor (and any reviewer, as well) to adapt accordingly. There inevitably are many voices: in this instance, the voices of dozens of important officials who were intimately involved in the beginnings of the "war on poverty" and its development. The task is always to avoid a rambling and unfocused discourse. The author must select and secure the cooperation of the most valuable subjects, begin with carefully crafted questions to elicit the most important information and provide continuity, and then blend the voices sufficiently to produce a coherent work. Michael Gillette has succeeded brilliantly. His Launching The War on Poverty is an insightful look into the heart of what was one of the most energetic and broad-ranging efforts in American history to deal sincerely with poverty.
Max J. Skidmore surveys the history and politics of the development of health care delivery in th... more Max J. Skidmore surveys the history and politics of the development of health care delivery in the United States, and reviews Health Care Reform and American Politics: What Everyone Needs to Know, by Lawrence R. Jacobs and Theda Skocpol. This study, by two prominent scholars of health care in America, is a detailed analysis of the process that led to adoption of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, and of the details of the Act.
This chapter considers some misguided responses to public health emergencies, or perceived emerge... more This chapter considers some misguided responses to public health emergencies, or perceived emergencies. At one extreme was the arrest and lifetime confi nement in Hawaii and elsewhere of sufferers from leprosy, or Hansen's disease. This, of course, was not an example of presidential policy, but is included as an example of horrible overreach. An opposite approach was the refusal of the Eisenhower administration to mount a vaccination program to deal with the Asian fl u pandemic of 1957. President Eisenhower was devoted to private solutions to such emergencies, and these were manifestly inadequate. There was yet another extreme example of a misguided approach, and that was President Woodrow Wilson's militant passivity to the 1918 infl uenza pandemic. Disregarding advice from medical consultants, he refused to discontinue the shipment of troops abroad to fi ght in the Great War, which resulted in an even greater spread of the contagion because of the great numbers of men confi ned to small quarters aboard ships. Incompetence can always be a danger in public health emergencies. Although this was not a pandemic, the George W. Bush administration handled the health crisis caused by Hurricane Katrina so poorly that it became a national scandal. On the other hand, President Bush did move to plan wisely for a possible infl uenza pandemic when he ordered the creation of national stockpiles of antiviral medication.
Even in Garfield’ s brief presidency, he made his mark, defying the Senate on appointments, and w... more Even in Garfield’ s brief presidency, he made his mark, defying the Senate on appointments, and winning resoundingly. He strengthened the presidency. Arthur had not held elective office until he became vice president. Despite his background in machine politics, he ran a clean and efficient government. He signed into law the Pendleton Act creating a merit-based civil service, and had campaigned vigorously for it. He used the veto wisely and effectively, generally pursued wise policies, and he too, added strength to the presidency.
ABSTRACT The preoccupation of media and Beltway insiders with “bipartisanship” to the exclusion o... more ABSTRACT The preoccupation of media and Beltway insiders with “bipartisanship” to the exclusion of policy content is an obstacle to the adoption of effective anti-poverty measures.
Max Skidmore reviews Michael Harrington's 1962 Classic The Other America: Poverty in the United S... more Max Skidmore reviews Michael Harrington's 1962 Classic The Other America: Poverty in the United States, assessing the work's staying power over nearly two generations.
Max J. Skidmore reviews The Power of a Promise: Education and Economic Renewal in Kalamazoo by Mi... more Max J. Skidmore reviews The Power of a Promise: Education and Economic Renewal in Kalamazoo by Michelle Miller-Adams, who analyzes extraordinary efforts by anonymous donors to combat poverty and enhance economic development-literally to create economic renewal-in that Michigan city.
Editor-in-Chief Max J. Skidmore reviews Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaimi... more Editor-in-Chief Max J. Skidmore reviews Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream and uncovers possible insights into the president's upcoming poverty agenda both at home and abroad.
An analysis of America's social insurance systems, demonstrating that the bleak future proje... more An analysis of America's social insurance systems, demonstrating that the bleak future projected by Social Security's opponents--and by many of its supporters--is highly unlikely to materialize, and that in fact Social Security is financially sound.
On June 3, 2017, a “Congress on Iceland’s Democracy” met in Berkeley—an outgrowth of a previous e... more On June 3, 2017, a “Congress on Iceland’s Democracy” met in Berkeley—an outgrowth of a previous effort in Iceland to “crowd source” a new constitution. The citizens of Iceland had led their parliament to create a new and extraordinarily representative convention consisting of citizens more-or-less chosen randomly from all walks of life. The convention functioned completely in the open and excluded all politicians. The result, approved overwhelmingly in a 2012 national referendum, would truly have been a “constitution of the people.” Despite the approval by huge majorities, in 2013, it failed in parliament as a result of fierce lobbying by vested interests against the provision that Iceland’s natural resources would be constitutionally mandated to benefit the public, rather than continuing to be held by private owners. Regardless of its prospects for success, Icelandic efforts should be of great interest to all constitutional scholars, and to those scholars and practitioners who seek...
An analysis of America's social insurance systems, demonstrating that the bleak future proje... more An analysis of America's social insurance systems, demonstrating that the bleak future projected by Social Security's opponents--and by many of its supporters--is highly unlikely to materialize, and that in fact Social Security is financially sound.
Editor Max J. Skidmore provides a concise history and political analysis of the attacks on Americ... more Editor Max J. Skidmore provides a concise history and political analysis of the attacks on American efforts to achieve near universal health care, and also reviews an innovative history of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
An oral history presents special characteristics. These require the author/editor (and any review... more An oral history presents special characteristics. These require the author/editor (and any reviewer, as well) to adapt accordingly. There inevitably are many voices: in this instance, the voices of dozens of important officials who were intimately involved in the beginnings of the "war on poverty" and its development. The task is always to avoid a rambling and unfocused discourse. The author must select and secure the cooperation of the most valuable subjects, begin with carefully crafted questions to elicit the most important information and provide continuity, and then blend the voices sufficiently to produce a coherent work. Michael Gillette has succeeded brilliantly. His Launching The War on Poverty is an insightful look into the heart of what was one of the most energetic and broad-ranging efforts in American history to deal sincerely with poverty.
Max J. Skidmore surveys the history and politics of the development of health care delivery in th... more Max J. Skidmore surveys the history and politics of the development of health care delivery in the United States, and reviews Health Care Reform and American Politics: What Everyone Needs to Know, by Lawrence R. Jacobs and Theda Skocpol. This study, by two prominent scholars of health care in America, is a detailed analysis of the process that led to adoption of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, and of the details of the Act.
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