After Mass Shootings, Republicans Pass Laws to Loosen Gun Restrictions
Via Tyler Cowen, a new paper analyzes the response of state legislatures to mass shootings: Democrats and Republicans respond differently to mass shootings…. Republican legislatures enact 32% more laws the year after a mass shooting than in other years…. When there is a Republican-controlled legislature, mass shootings lead to more firearm laws that loosen gun…
Climate Change Is Our Only Existential Problem
MHJ/Getty Michael Grunwald is no climate squish. He’s all in favor of radical action to fight global warming. But he’s not so sure about using it as a pretext to socialize the entire economy: Then there’s the other climate radicalism, the GND idea that focusing on climate isn’t enough, that the entire system needs to…
Is Tax-and-Dividend a Good Idea?
Mother Jones illustration; Getty Yesterday I wrote that carbon taxes, by their nature, are regressive: they hurt poor families much more than richer families. To take care of this, most carbon tax proposals these days are versions of “tax and dividend,” in which part of the money is rebated to low-income families. I didn’t think…
North Carolina GOP Cries Uncle. Or Has It?
Republican state senators in North Carolina review historical maps in February 2016. Corey Lowenstein/The News & Observer via AP, File Today a three-judge panel unanimously ruled that North Carolina’s state legislature was illegally gerrymandered. Those of you who have followed this story won’t be surprised: North Carolina’s redistricting history at both the local and congressional…
North Carolina Judges Toss Out Gerrymandered Maps as Unconstitutional
Paul C. Ridgeway makes comments as a three-judge panel of the Wake County Superior Court presides over the trial of Common Cause, et al v. Lewis.Gerry Broome / AP On Tuesday, a panel of three judges ruled that legislative districts drawn by Republican lawmakers for state legislative races “do not permit voters to freely choose…
The Rehab Racket Is Still a Racket
A few years ago we ran a piece called “The Rehab Racket,” a close examination of the seamier side of drug and alcohol rehab facilities in the United States. A few months ago, Julia Lurie followed this up with a look at the “Florida shuffle,” an insurance scam in which addicts are paid to occupy…