Politico 02/03/2012 By Michael Shank Most people have a very classic notion of what it takes to be a peacemaker. If surveyed, what likely comes to most people’s minds is someone on the front lines of violent conflict, poverty or extreme injustice, sparing no effort while enduring every trial and […]
Politico 01/14/2012 Huffington Post 02/02/2012 By Michael Shank With climate change a non-starter in Congress and among Republican presidential candidates, it is becoming clear that something more than mere nation-state commitments will be needed to counter climate change and reduce global warming. With nations reluctant to recommit to another climate […]
Politico 11/25/2011 By Michael Shank With Washington blaming supercommittee failure on partisanship and lackluster presidential leadership, it is worth taking a different track, examining the system not the parties operating within it. This is important for America because it’s drifting from fundamentals that kept it strong. The Institute for Economics […]
Politico 11/24/2011 By Michael Shank The best political book I read this year and one that I encouraged everyone to read while I was working in Congress for U.S. Rep. Michael Honda is “The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger.” After reading the book, which is authored by […]
Politico 11/20/2011 By Michael Shank A report released earlier this month by nonprofit groups Citizens for Tax Justice and the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy shows that 30 of the top 300 companies paid no taxes at all or used loopholes to end up with negative tax rates. Washington’s […]
Politico 11/12/2011 By Michael Shank Things are changing quickly in Cuba. This week, on Nov. 10, the Cuban government, under President Raul Castro’s leadership launched its most progressive economic reform initiative yet by legalizing the sale and purchase of private property. For Cuba watchers and Castro critics, this is noteworthy […]
Politico 11/09/2011 By Michael Shank Having grown up in small town Kidron, Ohio, tucked between the Smucker’s plant in Orrville, the Rubbermaid plant in Wooster, and the Hoover plant in North Canton, I can attest to the depressed wages and flagging industry plaguing Ohio. Thanks to the U.S. tax, trade […]
The Politico 05/01/2007 By Michael Shank and Saira Yamin Order and stability in Pakistan, a high priority for the national security policy of the United States, is in jeopardy. The American military presence and Pakistan’s strong-arm tactics have fomented a rebellion in its tribal regions. Now the region—mainly the Waziristan […]