Enabling Recovery: Safe Drug Consumption Sites in the Face of Opioids
130 people a day die from opioid-related drug overdoses in the US, ten times the number in 1999. The opioid epidemic is a crisis that has plagued Americans for decades, taking hundreds of thousands of lives. The United States fervently seeks a solution, yet many Americans in favor of addiction harm reduction argue that the […]
The Pharma Parasite: Pharmaceutical Greed and its Consequences
The United States health care system is a business. Providers and policymakers across the country attempt to improve the quality and accessibility of national health care, but the profitability of these services stands in the way. In 2016, the United States government spent more than $3.3 trillion—which is 17.9 percent of our gross domestic product […]
Why Inequality Matters
In an adorable experiment known as the “Fairness Study,” two capuchin monkeys in separate cages are tasked with handing rocks to a researcher in exchange for pieces of cucumber. While both monkeys are willing to conduct this transaction, when one monkey begins receiving grapes as the other receives only cucumbers, the underpaid monkey becomes clearly […]
The Republican Tax Bill: The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly
Ever since losing control of the government in 2006, Republicans have been striving relentlessly to reclaim their hold on power. Throughout their obstructionist escapades during the Obama administration, Republicans made promises to their voters to enact large-scale conservative reforms once voted back into power, and they were especially intent on reversing the enactment of the […]
“Crimmigration”: Immigration Enforcement & Detainment
On October 3rd, U.S. Representatives Adam Smith and Pramila Jayapal, both from the state of Washington, introduced the “Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act of 2017.” The act would increase transparency and accountability for immigration enforcement in this country, while improving the conditions of immigrants detained by the Department of Homeland Security.[1] Rep. Smith has a […]
The U.S. Lags Behind in Paid Parental Leave… Here’s Why
The United States is the only developed nation that does not have any law guaranteeing paid family leave. This translates to many parents, particularly those from low-income families, going back to work much sooner than they should simply because they cannot afford to take unpaid leave. The benefits of paid family leave have been proven […]
How Our Tax Code Inflates the Cost of Healthcare
Despite our nation’s deep political divide, there is consensus that reducing rising healthcare costs should be a top policy priority. While overall U.S. prices grew on average at below 2% in 2016, health care grew at 4%. For decades, healthcare costs have continued to grow faster than our economy with no signs of stopping. Health […]