Policy

Casting about for Your Vote

Death panels. Maybe you flinched when you heard it. Or fought the thought of moving to Canada. Or maybe the expression made perfect sense to you—”Obamacare” was going way too far. One thing is for sure: Whatever your stance, the phrase tapped into strong feelings. Can two words really hijack a national debate, sweep through the media, and sway public sentiment? Can they ultimately change the way people vote? Psychologists... Learn more »

Featured Stories

  • « Wild, Wild Life
    Around 2 a.m. on Tuesday, August 31, Berkeley police were alerted to a surprise visitor, a young mountain lion roaming the streets behind the famous Chez Panisse restaurant. An agile jumper (pumas can leap as high as 18 feet and as far as 40 feet), the cat fled over fences and through parking lots and backyards until, an hour and a half later, the police killed it with a shotgun. On local blogs and news sites later that morning, community... Learn more »
  • « Propping Up California's Budget
    Nobody ever called Howard Jarvis elegant or subtle. He was a gruff, curmudgeonly sort from the Republican political grassroots who had no problem saying what he meant, loudly and often profanely. When he pushed Proposition 13 onto the ballot in 1978 over the objection of virtually every politician in California, Jarvis made no bones about his goals. He wanted to slash the soaring property taxes that were threatening to price many seniors... Learn more »

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