Political Reform

The Progressive Era, a time of social, political, and economic reform in the United States, spanned the years 1877 to 1929—the end of the Civil War to the beginning of the Great Depression. In those decades, the rural way of life was replaced by the siren call of teeming cities filled with new immigrants, agitators, and unruly women.

A vivid sketch of White House work in an age of resistance. Perfectly timed to the unfolding of the most consequential Presidential administration in decades, this narrative by a former West Wing aide provides a brisk portrayal of the professional demands and personal pressures of service in the White House. The story is told in three quite different and intertwined styles: There is the absorbing transcript of an intimate conversation in which two historians quiz the author about his experiences in Washington. A string of lucid documentary chapters chronicle events at the highest levels of ...

On December 16, 2019, Jerrold Nadler, Chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary House of Representatives, and the full Committee on the Judiciary released an updated version of the Impeachment Report. Now officially titled Impeachment of Donald J. Trump, President of the United States, Report of the Committee on the Judiciary House of Representatives, this document serves as the latest government-issued report from the Democrat-led House.

Over the past several years, Jonathan Kozol has visited nearly 60 public schools. Virtually everywhere, he finds that conditions have grown worse for inner-city children in the 15 years since federal courts began dismantling the landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education. First, a state of nearly absolute apartheid now prevails in thousands of our schools. The segregation of Black children has reverted to a level that the nation has not seen since 1968.

A. C. Grayling makes the case for a clear, consistent, principled, and written constitution, and sets out the reforms necessary - among them addressing the imbalance of power between government and Parliament, imposing fixed terms for MPs, introducing proportional representation, and lowering the voting age to 16 (the age at which you can marry, gamble, join the army, and must pay taxes if you work) - to ensure the intentions of such a constitution could not be subverted or ignored.

In They Don’t Represent Us, Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig charts the way in which the fundamental institutions of our democracy, including our media, respond to narrow interests rather than to the needs and wishes of the nation’s citizenry. But the blame does not only lie with “them” - Washington’s politicians and power brokers, Lessig argues. The problem is also “us.”

For a short time after his divorce, Donald Burlington was not only the President of the United States, but also the most eligible bachelor in the world, not a title he wanted to keep. At a much-needed weekend retreat at Camp David, things heat up between him and his trusted assistant, Nicole, even though they both know their relationship is a potential weakness and political nightmare for the administration. They hope to be able to hide their budding relationship from the White House staff, the media, and the American public—but will they be exposed and eaten alive? Back in DC, President ...

We the People CAN Drain the Swamp. November 8, 2016 will be remembered as an electoral earthquake. Washington, DC is bracing for the most fundamental challenge to the status quo since Franklin Roosevelt assumed the presidency in 1933. Donald Trump, against all odds, upended the Bush, Clinton, and Obama political machines. Now comes the ultimate challenge: Will President Trump tear down the Special Interest State that has dominated Washington for decades? 'Disrupt Politics' makes the case for fundamental reform. It exposes how Washington works. It presents an action plan for a peaceful ...

Girolamo Savonarola—his name evokes images of fiery sermons, relentless reform, and a city gripped by revolution. If you’ve ever wondered how one man, armed with nothing but his faith and words, could shake the foundations of Renaissance Florence, this book is your answer. • Discover the rise of a prophet who dared to defy the Medici, the Pope, and the cultural excesses of his time. • Uncover the passionate conviction that led to the infamous Bonfire of the Vanities, an event that forever altered the course of history. • Witness Savonarola’s fierce battle against corruption and ...

In this searing and deeply researched examination of the promises and realities of racial integration, award-winning Washington Post journalist Laura Meckler aims to uncover where the problem lies and to shed light on what’s being done to move forward—in housing, in education, and in the promise of shared community.

Locked In is a revelatory investigation into the root causes of mass incarceration by one of the most exciting scholars in the country. Having spent 15 years studying the data on imprisonment, John Pfaff takes apart the reigning consensus created by Michelle Alexander and other reformers, revealing that the most widely accepted explanations - the failed War on Drugs, draconian sentencing laws, an increasing reliance on private prisons - tell us much less than we think.

The Mexican American War has ended, but in a California divided between two nations, Anglo squatters continue to antagonize citizens of Mexican descent by making claims on their land. Against this charged backdrop, the lives of the Alamar family - the rightful owners of a San Diego ranch - become politically, economically, and romantically entwined with a family of New England settlers, the Darrells. Inspired by experiences in her own life, Ruiz de Burton insightfully captured a troubling time in American history - a period of intense corruption, greed, racism, and classism.

Exploring the full sweep of federalism from the founding to today, Kettl focuses on pivotal moments when power has shifted between state and national governments - from the violent rebalancing of the Civil War, when the nation almost split in two, to the era of civil rights a century later, when there was apparent agreement that inequality was a threat to liberty and the federal government should set policies for states to enact. Despite this consensus, inequality between states has only deepened since that moment.

American democracy is at an impasse. After years of zero-sum partisan trench warfare, our political institutions are deteriorating. Our norms are collapsing. Democrats and Republicans no longer merely argue; they cut off contact with each other. In short, the two-party system is breaking our democracy, and driving us all crazy.

This book delves into the world of high-cost pharmaceuticals in the United States, examining the complex web of industry practices, political dependencies, and structural barriers that drive drug prices ever higher, placing an immense burden on American patients. At its core, the issue goes beyond mere economics—it's a system built on policies and incentives that allow costs to rise unchecked, without sufficient safeguards for the public. Despite widespread support for reform, both major political parties—Republicans and Democrats—are unlikely to implement the transformative changes ...

Buying the Vote analyzes the rise and decline of campaign finance reform by tracking the evolution of both the ways in which presidential campaigns have been funded since the late nineteenth century. Through close examinations of major Supreme Court decisions, Mutch shows how the Court has fashioned a new and profoundly inegalitarian definition of American democracy.

Judicial decisions assessing the constitutional rights of students in the nation’s public schools have consistently generated bitter controversy. The Schoolhouse Gate gives a fresh, lucid, and provocative account of the historic legal battles waged over education and illuminates contemporary disputes that continue to fracture the nation.

Using campus social justice movements as an entry point, Leigh Patel shows how the struggles in higher education often directly challenged the tension between narratives of education as a pathway to improvement and the structural reality of settler colonialism that creates and protects wealth for a select few.

Journey to a World Led by Integrity In an era marked by political disillusionment, rampant corruption, and a growing distrust in leadership, "Beyond Tyranny: Creating a World Led by Integrity" emerges as a clarion call for change. This transformative eBook invites readers on a profound journey that challenges the very foundations of governance and explores the essential qualities of ethical leadership. A Vision for Authentic Leadership Imagine a world where leaders are universally respected for their wisdom and compassion—where the highest offices are filled not by those who seek power ...

Tatum O’Neill knows her life is a mess, and escaping her violent family seems the only solution, but then, she finds herself in a terrorist conspiracy and must evade the cabal’s grip to bring them to justice. The New Reform Quartet is the complete dystopian political thriller series.