Instead of ordering expensive books I can teach my students all they need to know about American politics using two headlines. But that won't work for my Massachusetts Politics class; for that I'll have to use Office of Campaign and Political Finance press releases.
Extra protection for the lucky. That's one way of looking at an absurd equal protection claim by Massachusetts plutocrats now headed to the Supreme Judicial Court.
Americans profess to hate governments that deny their people basic political rights. But given our corrupt campaign finance system, that pretty much describes us.
From introductory texts in American Government through
well-developed theories of democracy students of politics ask, Who rules? Two
political scientists have the answer, and you won’t like it.
When the Progressives of a century ago amended the
Massachusetts Constitution to institute the referendum process, they envisioned
a process by which the people would make policy. That’s now how it has turned
out.
