New America in California: Latest Articles

The Little Unions That Couldn't

Erin Drankoski — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:35:00 -0500

The Perfect Lieutenant Governor: Me

Erin Drankoski — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:07:00 -0500

Dear Gov. Schwarzenegger,

I hear you're searching for a new lieutenant governor. If I may be so bold, I can think of one Californian who is the right fit for the job.

Me.

Now that Lt. Gov. John Garamendi is vacating the office to take a seat in Congress, I know you're considering smart politicians of both parties. But selecting a proven leader would be a terrible mistake. Someone with real experience in government would be frustrated by the utter powerlessness and insignificance of the lieutenant governor's office.

Don't Count Illegal Immigrants? That Doesn't Add Up

Erin Drankoski — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:50:00 -0500

Sen. David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican, has introduced legislation that, if passed, would instruct the U.S. Census Bureau not to take into account illegal immigrants and other noncitizens in the 2010 census. I'm all for it. Furthermore, I propose that the government no longer recognize deficits in budgets, record violent crimes in police reports, acknowledge casualties of war or count -- let alone give proper names! -- to hurricanes in weather reports.

The Conversation: Cut Health Costs? Here's A Prescription

Erin Drankoski — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 09:58:00 -0400

There is widespread agreement that if federal health care reform passes, making it work will depend in great part on getting a handle on spiraling medical costs that already consume nearly one of every five dollars spent in the United States.

Romania's Amnesia-induced Ambivalence

Erin Drankoski — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:35:00 -0400

Three weeks ago, when the Nobel committee awarded its literature prize to Romanian writer Herta Muller, it lauded her courageous and unflinching fictional portraits of "daily life in a stagnated dictatorship" in communist Romania. What they did not mention, however, was Muller's ongoing nonfictional critique of the leadership of post-communist Romania.