Politics

The Limits of Presidential Power

Category: 

In my operational risk seminar this spring, students ranked and then restacked and ranked the top operational risks present in our world.  No one was especially pleased with the results, and the top three risks – cyber-threats, global uncertainty, and terrorism – seemed nearly interchangeable, depending upon the month. As we came to the end of the quarter – particularly with the terrorism acts in Manchester, London, and Tehran -- “global uncertainty” seemed to encapsulate the other two risks, particularly when the elections in France and Great Britain are taken into account along with the performance of the U.S. president on his first diplomatic trip abroad. 

read more..

Latest Posts in Politics

How Much Authority Is Enough?

The issue of civil rights has gotten a lot of play of late in the media. Police behaving like thugs, the TSA practicing "risk-based security," the right of the LGBT community to marry, the NSA listening in – all of these issues raise legitimate concerns about our relationship with authority.

                  It has always been a push-pull with us; there are always “bad guys” looking for an unfair advantage. On the other hand, we...


The "F" Word

University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island 1978 - It had started to snow and that winter we had already experienced two of the worst storms in New England history. I trundled myself into a white Volkswagen beetle with three women whom I did not know. I had signed up to travel in a carpool. We debated whether we should drive to Connecticut. The beetle was old, dented, had a throaty muffler and a tail pipe...


The Golden Rule Begins PNW Voyage for a Nuclear-Free World

The Golden Rule, sailing for a nuclear-free world, successfully began her epic Pacific Northwest voyage in June. After sailing for seven days and nights from Humboldt Bay in northern California, along the rugged beauty of the Oregon coast, and up the Columbia River to the Willamette River, the Golden Rule and her intrepid crew arrived in Portland, Oregon on June 7, for five days of action and public meetings. Highlights...


Election 2016 | The P.R. Strategy of Middle School Twerps

From a P.R. perspective, our three major Presidential hopefuls are like the twerps we’ve known in Middle School. Remember how bad everyone felt about their bodies when the birth of a new pimple could ruin your day? Here we are adults, all grown up, and agitated over who will be the next leader of our great country. Under the lens of P.R., let’s take a look at our twerps, their greatest strengths, their greatest flaws and ultimately decide...


Changing The Rules Of Work

Though it was far from front-page news, the Obama administration’s Labor Department action this month on overtime pay may be one of the most significant of his entire presidency. 

Prior to the new rules change, employees earning more than $23,500 a year (a salary close to the poverty level) could be re-classified as managers, allowing their employers to avoid paying them the time-and-a-half overtime premium, or even paying them...