September 2019
Can We Get Along? Talking to Each Other About Controversies Now
Democracy is based on hope, the hope that we might solve our problems by talking to each other. Current controversies reflect our nation’s complex history, politics and values. Our views on whether or not America has changed for the better, or for the worse, can differ sharply within our families, our friends, and co-workers. Cultural changes, technological developments, and 24/7 media shape our sense of inclusion and exclusion, what is true and false, what connects us and divides us. How…
Find out more »November 2019
Crime, Punishment, and Prisons in America
The United States officially incarcerates more persons than any other nation on earth. Incarceration cost U.S. taxpayers more than $80 billion in 2016. Some states such as New York in the East and Washington in the West spend between $50,000 and $60,000 a year for each prisoner. What does that cost buy? What purposes does imprisonment serve or should it serve? Who should be imprisoned? For what? Why? Who should operate prisons in the United States–government or for-profit corporations? Join…
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