voting
Postmortems of voting woes, disenfranchisement, and how countries around the world elect government officials.
Rights
I’m having a really hard time making sense of some of the things I’ve heard and seen this week. So, the Democrats won big time. The American people have short memories and “gimme right now” lifestyles. Violent crime is down across the country. Inflation is low, even though prices haven’t come down nearly as much as we’d hoped. Median incomes are up, unemployment is low, and American production is booming. The border is sealed, and illegal crossings have all but stopped. But gas is still expensive because of the conflict with Iran, and I think those prices hoisted the Dems to victory. Of course, the Republicans did very little to help themselves over the past two years. Congratulations, nevertheless.
By The Bantering Welshman8 days ago in The Swamp
The Arc Doesn't Bend - It's Bent
“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We often repeat this line as reassurance. It gives us the simple motivation of the more perfect, and equitable union we seek to aspire to be. As if justice is a destination we are slowly but inevitably approaching. But history suggests something far less comforting: The arc does not bend on its own.
By Caleb Scott Policy9 days ago in The Swamp
Waking Up Post-Election Day
I'm not used to waking up after election day with glee. Now, that's probably because in the last few years there hasn't been much to be gleeful about. Did I celebrate when Mamdani won? Absolutely. But I'm nowhere near New York even if my state's painted blue.
By caitodoesstuff11 days ago in The Swamp
Lame Duck or...?
So we are still waiting on the senate races in Mississippi (who would have ever thought, but the vote difference there at the moment is 65, yes, sixty-five, leaning the Democratic candidate) and Alaska (might take awhile because of the state's ranking system of voting), but the Dems have won big last night, in both the Senate and the House races. JD Vance sourly pointed out that the GOP has lost the Senate for the next six years.
By Lana V Lynx11 days ago in The Swamp
Understanding Trickle-Down Economics: A Critical Perspective
The Promise of Prosperity There is something interesting about the way economic policies are presented to the public. Governments frequently promise that particular reforms will create prosperity, encourage investment and eventually improve the living standards of society. Yet behind these familiar promises lie questions that are rarely examined with the same enthusiasm. Who is expected to benefit first? Who must wait for the benefits to arrive? And what happens when an economy grows without producing a comparable improvement in the lives of those whose labour sustains it?
By Sergios Saropoulos18 days ago in The Swamp
Election Cycle 2026
Election cycle in full swing! Millions of American rush to the polls to make their voice heard in a quintessential election year. The mud slinging from various political parties entangles Americans, bringing up various questions. What has happened so far?
By Iris Harris22 days ago in The Swamp
What Happens After Election Day 2026 Could Be Worse Than You Think
On November 3rd, Americans will decide who controls Congress, how much power the White House can exercise, and what the next two years of American government might look like. Then comes the scary stuff!
By Jason Morton25 days ago in The Swamp
Why Tennessee Must Reject Amendment 1
By Elliott J. Schuchardt In November 2026, Tennessee voters will face a critical decision on their ballots that threatens to fundamentally alter the state's legal landscape. Tennessee Amendment 1 , a proposed constitutional amendment passed by the state legislature, seeks to significantly expand the categories of crimes for which judges can completely deny bail. Currently, the Tennessee Constitution guarantees the right to bail for all defendants, with a singular, strict exception for capital offenses—which in practice applies almost exclusively to first-degree murder. Amendment 1 proposes to strip away this historic protection, allowing judges to deny bail entirely for a broad list of additional offenses, including aggravated rape, rape, aggravated stalking, terrorism, and certain domestic violence charges.
By Elliott J. Schuchardt25 days ago in The Swamp
When a Society Stops Replacing Itself: The Consequences of Declining Birthrates and the Path Toward Recovery. AI-Generated.
Introduction: The Consequences of a Changing Population In Part One, we examined the changes that reshaped American family formation across more than sixty years. From the expansion of contraception and changing marriage laws to rising living expenses, declining religious participation, increasing chronic illness, digital socialization, changing relationships between men and women, and the growing complexity of raising children, numerous developments have contributed to the conditions surrounding modern reproduction.
By Peter Thwing - Host of the FST Podcast26 days ago in The Swamp
The Declining Birthrate: How Six Decades of Change Reshaped Marriage, Family, and Reproduction. AI-Generated.
Introduction: Understanding How We Got Here For much of American history, marriage and raising children represented an expected progression into adulthood. Young men and women generally married earlier, began having children earlier, and formed families within communities where religious institutions, extended relatives, neighbors, and established social expectations reinforced family life. The Baby Boom, extending from approximately 1946 through 1964, represented the culmination of a period in which relatively early marriage and larger families were common features of American society.
By Peter Thwing - Host of the FST Podcast26 days ago in The Swamp
