Common Myths of Obamacare Reform

- January 28, 2017

Even before Donald Trump was elected our nation’s new president, Republicans were calling for a repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly referred to as Obamacare. However, many wonder what kind of plans Republicans have for a replacement. According to President Trump, he wants “insurance for everybody” that “lowers costs and deductibles.” That sounds nice, but how will it be accomplished? After all, Tim Michling, an analyst for the Citizens Research Council of Michigan summed it up nicely when he said, “healthcare is complex and requires trade-offs in terms of how best to use limited resources. It’s time to make some tough decisions.” However, there are many misconceptions about healthcare reform floating around out there that should be addressed before anyone makes any concrete plans for Obamacare reform.

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State Juvenile Detention Officer Found Guilty of Workers’ Compensation Fraud

- January 27, 2017

Workers’ compensation is one of those great programs that provides financial relief to those who need it most. It’s a form of insurance designed to provide “wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured in the course of employment in exchange for mandatory relinquishment of the employee’s right to sue his or her employer for the tort of negligence.” Unfortunately, all too often people try to take advantage of the system, like a state juvenile detention officer who was recently busted for workers’ compensation fraud.

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USDA’s Food Safety Testing Disrupted By Trump’s Federal Hiring Freeze

- January 27, 2017

It’s only been one week, and already President Trump has ticked off a lot of boxes on his to-do list. Unfortunately, one of those things has been to implement a hiring freeze for federal organizations, including the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. So what’s the big deal? Is it possible that the media and opponents of this freeze are just blowing things out of proportion. After all, Trump probably has his reasons, like trying to reign in wasteful spending and the lot. Well, the big deal is that a federal hiring freeze has the potential to negatively impact the Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS).

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Michigan Environmental Officials Accused of Racial Discrimination

- January 27, 2017

Another instance of racial discrimination has been uncovered, this time by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s civil-rights office. It’s been discovered that the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) discriminated against African American’s residing in Flint “during the permitting of a power plant” in Genesee County more than two decades ago. Since it’s construction, the Genesee Power Plant burned “wood waste and other debris from 1992 through 1994.”

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On Producing and Consuming Democracy

- January 27, 2017

A week ago today, thousands of women and their allies were preparing to protest. Some were putting the finishing touches on their signs. Some were already on board buses headed across the country. The next day, from Washington D.C. to Antarctica, women marched peacefully, to show their solidarity with each other. They marched to show their disdain for misogyny. They marched to be counted and heard. But will their efforts amount to real change? It depends upon what happens after the march. While many people perceive protest marches as an exercise in democracy, that may be the wrong way to think about them. Protests are about consuming democracy. What matters more is the production of democracy.

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Nebraska Lawmakers to Take on Debt Collectors

- January 27, 2017

After years of being allowed to run rampant, a bill was proposed which would Nebraska lawmakers to take on debt collectors and put a hold on their practically punitive powers. In a small state with a population just under two-million, nearly 79,000 lawsuits were filed in 2013 against individuals struggling not to let their bank

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$1.25M Awarded To Student Forced To Urinate In Bucket

- January 26, 2017

Schools and especially teachers should be two things that students can count on to make them feel safe and comfortable. Unfortunately for one student in the San Diego Unified School District, this wasn’t the case. What happened, you ask? Well, the former student was “forced to urinate in a bucket after her request for a bathroom break was denied.” After years of battling depression, having to put up with gossip and “lewd texts,” and suffering from a suicide attempt, the student has finally been granted justice after winning a lawsuit against the San Diego Unified School District, who has been “ordered to pay more than $1.25 million in damages.” The settlement comes after her initial claim seeking $25,000 was denied by San Diego Unified.

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