President Mandela joined the African National Congress (ANC) because he believed in a person’s right to political self-determination. He had the courage to question authority and build an international condemnation against Apartheid. Although he spent twenty-seven years in prison, he managed to become the President of South Africa. President Mandela played an influential role in shaping public policy. His dedication to advancing the well-being of humanity sets a paradigm for other leaders to follow. During his career he championed for universal education, affordable housing, and clean elections.
During the 2012 United States House of Representatives election Democrats won 48.3% of the popular vote (compared to 46.9% of the Republican Party). Even though Democrats surpassed Republicans by over 1.7 million votes nationwide, the Republican Party walked away with 53.79% of House seats. For the longest time politicians have used gerrymandering to protect incumbents and increase the number of wasted votes. This technique has reduced competition and distorted the political geography across America.
The Australian Labor Party (ALP) is fortunate to keep control of the Australian Senate. Shortly after the election, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd resigned from office. Rudd told reporters that he would be retiring from politics if his party lost. Rudd’s departure from Labor allows the party to select new leadership going forward. The next leader must unite the country. The Labor Party should listen to this famous quote from Nelson Mandela, “If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.”
The electoral defeat of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) in this past election was widely expected. For the past several months, Labor was trailing in national polls. Although Australians gave Tony Abbott the keys to the Prime Minister’s office and House of Representatives, Labor managed to hold onto the Australian Senate through a partial coalition with The Greens. The Red-Green coalition is expected to last until next July because that is when the new senators will be sworn into office. Minor parties scored major victories in the Australian Senate elections. The Greens picked up 1-2 seats and other minor parties such as the Australian Sports Party and the Australian Motoring Enthusiasts Party scored victories as well. For the next year, Tony Abbott is going to need support from The Greens to push his legislative agenda through the Senate. The Greens are likely to clash with Tony Abbott on major policy issues such as Australia’s Carbon Tax and immigration laws.
Social stratification and commodification of public goods is not a new idea embraced by conservatives. In 1965 President Johnson signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. This legislation was part of a series of education reforms to tackle the “War on Poverty.” This provision required states to administer standardized tests in order to receive federal education grants. Title I states that the federal government gives funding priority to schools that demonstrate a commitment to improving their test scores. Schools receiving Title I funding are regulated by federal legislation. Nebraska is the only state that does not have a standardized test. In 2001 Congress passed No Child Left Behind (NCLB). The education reforms behind NCLB rely on standardized tests to hold schools accountable. NCLB reduced academic freedom because many school districts were fixated on delivering better test scores. School districts across America competed to “teach the test.” Many electives were eliminated and school districts began imposing a subject-base curriculum.
Federal elections in Australia are scheduled for next month. As the campaign season comes to an end, I can say that I am very disappointed at how the Australian Labor Party (ALP) has reached out to voters.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced that federal elections will be held on September 7. The Australian Labor Party (ALP) is expected to face a tough election this year because the party has trailed in recent polls. Despite a larger than expected budget deficit, Australia is one of eight countries to maintain both a stable outlook and AAA credit rating from each of the three major credit rating agencies. According to the International Monetary Fund, Australia has the third lowest public debt per capita among developed countries.
Next year is going to mark twenty years since South Africa’s first post-Apartheid election. Since 1994 the African National Congress (ANC) has dominated South African politics. In 2009 the ANC won 65.9% of the national vote. The ANC is so large that the party experiences a lot of infighting. In 2008 former South African President Thabo Mbeki was forced to resign from office because the ANC national executive committee threatened to hold a leadership spill. Shortly after Mbeki’s resignation, Jacob Zuma became the President of South Africa.
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Gabriel FilerThis blog started as a place to dump my thoughts as I tried to wade through the complexity of this world. It also serves as a platform to put my ideas out into the ethers. Archives
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Although the outcome of this election was far from great, it could have been much worse. Australians did not completely force the Labor Party out of government.