Archive for the ‘Give Page’ Category

Are college students too “foolish” to vote?

Monday, March 7th, 2011

If you ask some politicians, they are. And they’re mucking up the whole political system, dag-nabbit. According to a Washington Post article, some lawmakers have had it up to here with whipper-snappers voting with their feelings.

Average taxpayers in college towns, [Sorg] said, are having their votes “diluted or entirely canceled by those of a huge, largely monolithic demographic group . . . composed of people with a dearth of experience and a plethora of the easy self-confidence that only ignorance and inexperience can produce.”

Their “youthful idealism,” he added, “is focused on remaking the world, with themselves in charge, of course, rather than with the mundane humdrum of local government.”

– New Hampshire State Rep. Gregory Sorg

The solution? Proposals differ from state to state, but basically every voter would be required to show ID or proof of residence in order to vote. That would mean anyone without an appropriate ID would have to get one.

But identification costs money! That’s unconstitutional! It’s akin to the poll tax used to disenfranchise African-American voters in the 19th century!

What does this have to do with me and my money, you say? Well, since state governments can’t legally force people to buy the right (or the ID) to vote, taxpayers would have to absorb the costs.

And according to one estimate, the state of Wisconsin alone would have to pony up $2.7 million just to provide valid identification cards to voters who do not currently have them.

What do you think? Do you want to pay for that? Or are you too foolish to know?

North Carolina Schools Attempt to Modernize Educational Integration

Friday, March 4th, 2011

little-rock-school-integration.jpg
(photo credit: The U.S. Army)

The Wake County school system has led the nation in fighting educational inequality for forty years. But a series of challenges have forced leaders to be creative when it comes to integration that pleases parents.

  • The system’s race-based attempt at integration was deemed unconstitutional in 2001, so it switched to school assignment based on socioeconomic status (wealth and income). But keeping schools balanced between high- and low-income families meant students were frequently bumped from school to school.
  • In 2009, a new conservative school board decided that students should be sent to the schools closest to their homes, ensuring that the racial and economic barriers in the broader community would be repeated at school. The decision sparked outrage throughout the country.
  • As a compromise (and a nod to the results-oriented business community), a new proposal suggests that students be permanently assigned to schools based on achievement. That way, no student is forced into a low-achieving school simply because of their race, class, or location, and school shuffling will be kept to a minimum.

Facts & Figures

  • Under the current integration plan, each school has 40% of students qualifying for free lunch and 60% who do not qualify
  • Under the new proposal, each school would have 70% of students at grade level or higher, and 30% performing below their grade level

Best Quote

“What’s the use of living in a gated community if my kids go to school and get poor all over them?” – Stephen Colbert, Fake News Reporter

What do you think?

How will students be labeled as high or low-achieving? And what happens if a low-achieving first-grader becomes a highly successful third grader?

Get to it!

Does educational inequality get you riled up? Make a statement.

As Seen on the Web… Money, Health, and One Crazy Statistician

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

Seriously, we’ve never been so excited to watch someone talk about statistics.

In just four minutes, learn everything you need to know about the relationship between income and lifespan, and how the wildly the world has changed since 1810. Very cool.

The Government Says Your Life Is Worth Saving…

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

“WASHINGTON — As the players here remake the nation’s vast regulatory system, they have been grappling with a subject that is more the province of poets and philosophers than bureaucrats: what is the value of a human life?

The answer determines how much spending the government should require to prevent a single death.

To protests from business and praise from unions, environmentalists and consumer groups, one agency after another has ratcheted up the price of life, justifying tougher — and more costly — standards.

The Environmental Protection Agency set the value of a life at $9.1 million last year in proposing tighter restrictions on air pollution. The agency used numbers as low as $6.8 million during the George W. Bush administration.”

What do you think?

How much is YOUR life worth? (We’re not just talking about your net worth, either!)

“Last In, First Out” Rule Could Make Some Schools Nearly Teacherless!

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

“Some of New York City’s 1,600 schools would lose more than half their teachers while others would lose none under Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s plan to lay off 4,600 teachers if the last-in, first-out policy is not changed.

Under the last-in, first-out policy, schools that are new, have grown heavily in recent years or are situated in high-poverty neighborhoods would be hit the hardest. Columbia Secondary School on West 123rd Street would lose 14 of its 20 teachers, or 70%.”

What do you think?

How would you handle teacher layoffs? Is there any way to balance the city budget without cutting public school jobs?

Strategies for Change: An Introduction

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

Welcome to our new series, showing you how the changes you want to see in the world actually happen!

Check out our other SfC shorts:

Strategies for Change, Part 1: Activism
Strategies for Change, Part 2: Advocacy
Strategies for Change, Part 3: Direct Service
Strategies for Change, Part 4: Education

Get Spent!

Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

Ever wonder how people end up homeless or hungry? It’s easier than you may think.

Think it could never happen to you? Play SPENT to get a sense of what life is like for the 55% of Americans living paycheck-to-paycheck.

How much carbon is that orange worth?

Friday, February 25th, 2011

The folks at GE put together this neat-o interactive feature that shows you how much carbon is created by your every daily move.

It will either depress you, or make you more of a conscientious carbon consumer. Probably both.

Modern Giving: Why Internet Freedom Is A Good Cause

Friday, February 25th, 2011

internet-cafe-china.jpg
(photo credit: Tim Yang)

It turns out the Internet is about way more than pictures of cats and x-rated websites.

  • It’s safe to say that the Internet surprised us all with the way it changed the world. It certainly surprised the despotic leaders that have been threatened and overthrown by citizens organizing themselves through Twitter and Facebook.
  • The Ford Foundation recently made a plea to the philanthropy community (at the Wired for Change conference) to recognize that the Internet is now an essential tool for empowering people and spreading democracy throughout the world.
  • The Foundation hopes that other organizations will increase funding and grantmaking for initiatives that protect online freedom of speech.

Facts & Figures

Internet freedom should not be taken for granted:

  • Web access was completely cut off for five days during the protests that eventually overthrew the Egyptian government
  • Access is limited and online content is censored for Internet users in China and Saudi Arabia
  • Even in the United States, there are fierce battles in Washington about “net neutrality,” or whether Internet providers can determine the amount of access each user has based on how much they pay or use

Best Quote

“We use the Internet and mobile technology to build society, and we take it for granted that the open Internet will always be in place.” – Brett Solomon, Executive Director of Access

What do you think?

Could the massive political upheavals in the Middle East have happened without the Internet? What can you do to support something like Internet freedom?

Get to it!

Do you know what *your* cause is yet? Take the Your Causes quiz to find out!

What An “Advanced Economy” Really Looks Like

Thursday, February 24th, 2011

“It’s time for us to stop lying to ourselves about this country.

America is great in many ways, but on a whole host of measures — some of which are shown in the accompanying chart — we have become the laggards of the industrialized world. Not only are we not No. 1 — “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” — we are among the worst of the worst.” (from the original opinion piece)

Click here to see the chart.

What do you think?

Are we as bad as the chart says? Where do you see room for improvement?

How can you, as a philanthropist, help the U.S. improve its standing?