What have we here? The Harvard Crimson, Harvard U’s “paper of record,” has just completed a survey of the class of 2021 (this year’s incoming freshman). If you’ve been paying attention, you won’t be surprised to learn that 29% of the class have relatives who attended Harvard. To make matters worse, things are getting worse. In a 2015 survey of incoming freshman, the same paper reported that only 16% of the class had a mommy or daddy or other close relative who called Harvard alma mater. These alumni children (“legacy admits”) get a leg-up when they apply to Harvard, Yale, and other highly selective colleges. So much for the canard that egalitarianism and meritocracy are the bedrock of American democracy. The smart money knows that the U.S. has never had much truck with those pesky values reserving them for pre-election rhetoric. Sadly, it doesn’t take much more than highfalutin double-talk to convince a majority of gullible Americans that their kids have the same chance of being admitted to Harvard (or Yale or any other prized institution) provided they have super grades, high (perfect) scores on standardized tests, and fabulous recommendations. Here’s the associate dean of admissions at Notre Dame on what an ordinary kid really has to do to overcome the two-tier admission system — “walk on water.” That’s the way it is in the empire and don’t let sleazy politicians and duplicitous college administrators tell you any different. But “the times they are changing.” In “The Legacy Preference Scam: Closing the Door to Social Mobility in U.S. Colleges” we point the finger at the outrageous behavior of our most prized colleges and universities but also bring you good news — how a courageous band of first generation Ivy League students are stepping up, stepping out and agitating for change. You owe it to yourself to check it out.
Category: 1st Issue
The Ugly Face of Government: How It Threatens You and Everything You Hold Dear
Commies under the bed, Russian bad guys in the outhouse, Russian spies trying to take down our electric grid (after they destroy “our democracy’)— the derangement syndrome is alive and well in the mainstream media (and sadly in some of the alternate media as well). The media is “all in” as they solemnly pronounce our way of life in a death spiral caused by the Russians who “hate us for our freedom.” (despite recent disclosure that our freedom is already taking a big hit courtesy of our own Department of Homeland Security). Few would deny that the U.S. landscape is littered with uncertainty, fear and unrest. Despite what you may have heard, there’s no evidence that the Russians are to blame. There’s plenty of evidence to look no further than homegrown corruption and self-dealing. We look at how a bought-and-paid for president and a Congress on the corporate dole are reshaping federal agencies. If you want to know how catering to the wealthy and powerful can destroy an exceptional nation, check out “The Ugly Face of Government: How It Threatens You and Everything You Hold Dear”
Suspicious Angels Gets It Wrong
Want to gloat a little? Run don’t walk to “Suspicious Angels Gets It Wrong.” That’s right, we are confessing that our overly optimistic hope that Neil Gorsuch would grow a moral vision consonant with democratic values flew in the face of our recognition of how an increasingly authoritarian, billionaire-run government, with leaders from both sides of the aisle profiting by our endless war strategy chooses justices who know the game and how to play it. We make up for our egregious faux pas by shining the light on departing Justice Arthur Kennedy, not swing-justice Kennedy, but right-wing Justice Kennedy appointed by the right’s lodestone, Ronald Reagan and never forgetting for a moment whose beat he was marching to. What does it all come down to? Democracy sold to the highest bidder and a Supreme Court willing to sanctify the transactions which include installing a president, legalizing voter suppression laws and dealing a death-blow to the U.S. union movement. Abortion rights are probably their next target. Justice takes on new meaning when democracy is corrupted by wealth and power. One thing for sure – the U.S. has left its democratic “cred” in the dust and the corporatist warmongers now control both politics and policy.
Getting the Short End of the Stick —Why #Me Too Might Not Be the Best Answer
I met them all. Some were vicious and crooked. But…
you saw Hollywood with their eyes—an overcrowded
brothel, a merry-go-round with beds for horses.” —Marilyn Monroe
“One-in-four women [25%] said they have earned less than a man who was
doing the same job; just 5% of men said they have earned less than
a woman doing the same job.” —Pew Research Center
We Want to Hear From You. . .
We’ve changed our LOOK and we’d love to know how you feel about it. Do you: 1) Like our new format 2) Like the original format better 3) Think we should keep looking Put your answer in the “Comments” section of the SA blog. Much appreciated. If you prefer to fly under the radar, […]
“As we know, there are known knowns…”
“As we know, there are known knowns. There are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns. That is to say, we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns; the ones we do know we don’t know.” Bush Sec. Def. Donald Rumsfeld 2/12/2002 […]
Legacy: Obama’s & Ours
2016 promises to be a remarkable year. The election in November, the new president in, the current president out — well not exactly. The “old” president will be preparing the traditional defense of his presidency in the form of a doorstopper (AKA book) dumping fairy dust over his more nefarious policies and generally giving high […]
Eyes on the Prize
Written as a response to the prospect of the White House becoming a Clinton Family outpost, this article uncovers the blueprint Clinton loyalists hope will propel the Diva into the White House. For openers, let’s take a peek at the loyal opposition. As an antidote to the Clinton brand of overweening ambition, phony claims, and […]
Hope and Change
In this short story, we pay homage to an Obama volunteer. No one special, not a heavy roller, not a paid pro, not part of the inner circle, just an ordinary Josephine who was the quintessential pigeon in the Obama shell game. How many tens of thousands of Josephines did Obama use and abuse? Their […]
Hits & Myths
HITS AND MYTHS Making of the President 2016 — The Primary Season in Overdrive “If elections were that effective, they’d be illegal” [Emma Goldman who played a pivotal role in the development of anarchist political philosophy and supported women’s rights and other social causes in the early 20th century. The US deported her to Russia […]
