Roosevelt @ Michigan State University

Break Up Amazon

Last Friday, Amazon announced its plans to acquire Whole Foods for $13.4 billion. This was the latest in a series of acquisitions by the company, which now owns Twitch, a video game streaming service; Zappos, an online apparel retailer; and Diapers.com, an online retailer for childcare essentials. This latest acquisition represents another milestone in Amazon’s … Continue reading Break Up Amazon

foreign policy

America’s Abandonment of Its Role Abroad

President Trump has proven in the short 140 days of his presidency that his “America First” ideology is nothing but dangerous isolation. While the president has struggled in carrying out many of his more specific goals and promises (tax reform, repealing and replacing Obamacare, infrastructure, building a wall) this one broad belief in self-imposed American … Continue reading America’s Abandonment of Its Role Abroad

Michigan, Rethinking Communities

Shuttered for Years, Mines in the Upper Peninsula Remain Hazardous

The state of Michigan is home to Motown, a world-class baseball team, America’s largest ski jump - and thousands of extremely dangerous abandoned mine shafts. As the mining industry began leaving Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in the mid-twentieth century, few steps were taken to ensure the safety of existing structures. Today, there are over 700 abandoned … Continue reading Shuttered for Years, Mines in the Upper Peninsula Remain Hazardous

Human Rights

Promoting T Visas: A New Approach for Helping Survivors of Human Trafficking

The way we understand human trafficking is fundamentally flawed. It’s informed by the media we consume daily, from news broadcasts to blockbuster films. Our understanding of trafficking is a reflection of our culture: a culture that prioritizes women’s “purity” and white bodies. These narratives have led to the creation of bad policy. The people who … Continue reading Promoting T Visas: A New Approach for Helping Survivors of Human Trafficking

economics

“THEY’RE NOT STEALING OUR JOBS”: The Working Class, Neoliberalism, and Immigration

“They’re stealing our jobs” has been the rallying cry of the working class against immigration for decades now. Many displaced industrial workers feel as though illegal immigration has severely reduced their abilities to find jobs and provide for their families. These beliefs are supported by politicians who support and advocate for more stringent immigration policy, … Continue reading “THEY’RE NOT STEALING OUR JOBS”: The Working Class, Neoliberalism, and Immigration

Education, Health Care

Against Means Testing

Every once and a while an idea comes around that is both quite popular among Very Serious People and pretty dubious. One of the latest examples of this age-old phenomena is means testing. Programs are said to be means tested when they phase out at the point where the government believes beneficiaries would be able … Continue reading Against Means Testing

democratic access

Majoritarian Democracy and the Paradox of Corruption

If you asked the students at my university to name their state representatives, many would be unable to do so. If you asked the students at my university to name one bill up for a vote in the next legislative session, most would be unable to do so. If you asked the students at my … Continue reading Majoritarian Democracy and the Paradox of Corruption

foreign policy

Threats to the Grid in the Age of Cyberwarfare

On June 17th, 2010, Sergey Ulasen was at a party when he received a call from one of his clients, an Iranian company. Ulasen worked at VirusBlocAda, a small computer security firm in Minsk, when he came across a curious report from an Iranian client. The clients’ computers were caught in a “reboot loop”, turning on and off repeatedly, and on-site technicians were unable to reassert control over them. In the following days, Sergey Ulasen remotely accessed the computer in order to examine the operating system. He located the worm, which was exploiting an unknown bug in the Windows operating system.

foreign policy

In Renewed Conflict With North Korea, Caution is Crucial

North Korea is once again provoking the international community as the rogue nuclear regime seems to be on a collision course with the United States. While the situation is not as dire as some in the media may suggest, there is a real risk to global peace and stability developing on the Korean Peninsula. The … Continue reading In Renewed Conflict With North Korea, Caution is Crucial

Announcements, MSU

Roosevelt @ MSU Featured in 10 Ideas

The Roosevelt Institute's premiere student publications are the 10 Ideas journals. Published every spring, the 10 Ideas journals aim to showcase the best ideas from Roosevelters across every policy area, from education to foreign policy. They are an important resource for us in our lobbying efforts, and the launching point for broader projects of policy change. This year … Continue reading Roosevelt @ MSU Featured in 10 Ideas