The Mad Sociologist Blog

  • Troy Davis and the Death Penalty

    So why am I against the death penalty? The case of Troy Davis is probably the best answer. This case demonstrates beyond any doubt that the State is not competent enough to fairly assess who should live and who should die. This week the Supreme Court was asked to decide if it was exceptable to Read more

  • Public Schools (and students) Set Up to Fail by NCLB

    How about this.  You go to work every day and you work your but off.  You are doing a difficult job and there are standards for increasing productivity.  If you don’t increase productivity, you could lose your job, or have your pay cut.  But you’re not worried because every year you’ve increased your productivity, and Read more

  • Latest Agitate: Voting Third Party

    The latest Agitate has been linked.  It is the August issue…yeah, yeah, I know.  Give me a break. I work for a living. This month we debate the virtues of voting for a third party candidate.   Are you just throwing your vote away, or are you making a statement of principle? Read this months Read more

  • What is a Nation? What is a Leader?

    Last night, during the debates, Tom Brokaw asked an interesting question.  He informed the candidates that this question required only a one word answer, then asked is Russia the Evil Empire? Of course, that’s not a one word answer, and to their credit, neither candidate answered so simply.  But the question got my sociological imagination Read more

  • The Cost of "Free" Markets

    If anything, the most recent, but certainly not the last, economic crisis and proposed solution (read bailout) should shatter two myths perpetuated by conservatives. Myth 1:  The Free Market solves all problems. Indeed, there is no such thing as a “free” market in the ideal sense of the term.  All American markets are heavily influenced, Read more

  • The Most Honest Candidate! You must be kidding, right?

    And the winner of the Most Honest Candidate Award for the Presidential Campaign of 2008 iiiissss…a drum roll please!… …depressing. After looking at the numbers offered on Politifact.com (Which has become one of my favorite websites)I must admit that it does not look good for Americans who love the truth.  Yeah, there are Republican apologists Read more

Trending