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economics, Education, Health Care, Human Rights, Rethinking Communities

“Necessitous Men Are Not Free Men”: The Case for FDR’s Second Bill of Rights Today

By: Brian Krause  On January 6th, 1941, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave his historic eighth State of the Union address and inspired the American people with his famous Four Freedoms. The freedoms of speech and worship, with the right to live without fear and want, were spoken to be as inalienable as the rights laid … Continue reading “Necessitous Men Are Not Free Men”: The Case for FDR’s Second Bill of Rights Today

MSU

10 Ideas: Holding Universities Accountable for their Sexual Assault Prevention Policies Through Student Input

Thesis:  Currently, Michigan State University reviews its sexual assault prevention and response policies without sufficient feedback from students, thus Michigan State should make the process more accessible to student concerns. This will allow policies to more actively reflect campus realities and changes. Background & Analysis: In response to the well-publicized indictment of former Michigan State doctor … Continue reading 10 Ideas: Holding Universities Accountable for their Sexual Assault Prevention Policies Through Student Input

Education, MSU

MSU Needs more than a Resignation

One year ago Larry Nassar’s trial showcased the negligence and lack of accountability of MSU’s administration. After the trial, resignation of MSU President Louanna K. Simon, the appointment of former Michigan Governor John Engler as Interim President, numerous investigations, an announcement of a closed-presidential search, a Board of Trustees election, the closing of the Healing … Continue reading MSU Needs more than a Resignation

foreign policy

The U.S. Military: Its Expansion, its Impact, and Its Role

Despite 80% of Americans placing their confidence in the military and that it “will act in the best interests of the public,” most of the American people have no idea how expansive the military is as an institution in the modern era or the realities of military life. Less than one percent of Americans currently … Continue reading The U.S. Military: Its Expansion, its Impact, and Its Role

Human Rights

Thinking Local for LGBT Nondiscrimination

Since the moment that Trump was inaugurated, his administration has made direct attacks on the rights of LGBT citizens and undermined the progress made by generations of activism. As of 2018, twenty-eight states including Michigan, still lack explicit legal prohibition of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment and housing. Due to … Continue reading Thinking Local for LGBT Nondiscrimination

foreign policy, Human Rights

Turning Back the Clock on Human Rights

By: Katarina Huss and Vishnu Kannan  Since the 2016 election, commentators, former officials, and scholars have worried over the state of the “liberal international order.” The order, established in the aftermath of the Second World War, refers to the framework of international institutions, laws, and norms which have reduced war and promoted economic well being … Continue reading Turning Back the Clock on Human Rights

economics, Education, Rethinking Communities, Uncategorized

Burning Bridges: How Michigan’s Tax System has Eroded its Infrastructure

One of the most common maxims of the United States is: “everyone hates taxes.” The collective consciousness of taxes is that they are a heavy social burden and an irreconcilable nuisance. Even those who support raising taxes feel the need to vilify it by complaining about the percentage of their paychecks removed by the federal … Continue reading Burning Bridges: How Michigan’s Tax System has Eroded its Infrastructure

foreign policy

Dissecting the Haspel Nomination: Fulfilling a Civic Obligation

This post was contributed by a member of Roosevelt @ MSU. On this Fourth of July, our politics is characterized by the bitter partisanship and outrage which has plagued our politics for the past several years. So, it only seems right to try and return some degree of civility to that politics—hence this piece. High-profile … Continue reading Dissecting the Haspel Nomination: Fulfilling a Civic Obligation

Rethinking Communities, technology

What’s Testimonial?: The Fifth Amendment in the Digital Age

One of the perils of our increasingly-connected lives is the extent to which many of the constitutional protections we rely on in our non-digital lives either do not apply or work differently when applied to our electronic devices. Perhaps the most important example of this lies in fifth amendment jurisprudence, or what is more commonly … Continue reading What’s Testimonial?: The Fifth Amendment in the Digital Age