Summer 2011 PENN POLITICAL PPR REVIEW Chasing after Independents?

The Cost of Pursuit p. 13

National Global Interview Heckling for North Korea’s Congressman the Truth Jasmine Revolution? Chaka Fattah page 6 page 20 page 26 Politics Journals from Routledge

Critical Review: A Journal of Politics and Society Critical Review focuses on analyzing democracy realistically, given widespread public ignorance of government activities and of the causal relationships that determine policy effects. “ A must for idea-hungry political scientists.” David R. Mayhew, Yale University “ The best-edited journal in political science.” Martin Shefter, Cornell University Critical Review offers a special rate for APSA/AHA members: Regular Price: $58.00 APSA/AHA Member Price: $30.00 For more information email: [email protected] or visit www.tandf.co.uk/journals/rcri and click on the news and offers tab.

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www.informaworld.com/pair Politics Journals The Staff PPR penn political review Volume VII Issue 3 from Routledge Editor-in-Chief Ned Shell p. 6 Senior Managing Editor Critical Review: A Journal of Politics and Society Stephen Fritz Critical Review focuses on analyzing democracy realistically, given Layout Editor widespread public ignorance of government activities and of the causal Laura Paragano relationships that determine policy effects. Online Editor p. 13 “ A must for idea-hungry political scientists.” John Gee David R. Mayhew, Yale University “ The best-edited journal in political science.” Interview Editor Martin Shefter, Cornell University Jessica Mayer Critical Review offers a special rate for APSA/AHA members: Chief-of-Staff Regular Price: $58.00 APSA/AHA Member Price: $30.00 Ben Wofford p. 20

For more information email: [email protected] or visit President and Publisher www.tandf.co.uk/journals/rcri and click on the news and offers tab. Lucas Blanchard

Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties is offering FREE Marketing Manager online access to the top 10 downloaded articles. Angel Contrera p. 26

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To celebrate the continued success of Representation, highlighted NATIONAL GLOBAL articles from the past two years have now been made FREE to access online. Managing Editor Interview Staff 4 A Primary Concern 18 Next to Fall? China’s Chris Shimamoto Lalita Clozel Graham White Complacency View these here: www.tandf.co.uk/journals/rrep Nick DiStefano Luke Hassall Senior Editors Collin Lyou 6 Heckling for the Truth Sarah Heinz Danielle Marryshow Lauren Harding 20 North Korea’s Jasmine Political Communication is an interdisciplinary, international journal, Emily Kim Michael Soyfer Revolution? published quarterly, that features cutting-edge research at the Samuel Lee 8 A Tale of Two Cities Jonathan Fried intersection of politics and communication, broadly conceived. Ariela Rosenberg Layout Editors Ben Wofford View the journal’s 5 most downloaded articles here for FREE: Jon Roth Jeremy Brinster 22 The End of History Revisited www.tandf.co.uk/journals/upcp Nick Yu Adan Juarez 10 Appalachian Spring No More Mihir Garud Ned Shell Stephen Fritz Copy Editors 23 Join the Club Don’t forget to explore the full collection including: Maya Bradon Soapbox Blog 12 To Intern or Not To Intern? Darina Shtrakhman David Chen Jonathan Fried Brian Collopy Charles Gress Luke Hassall Scott Lee Alex Kern INTERVIEW Robbie Shell Urja Mittal FEATURE Laura Paragano 24 Student Activism: Staff Artists 13 The Age of Independents Meghna Chandra Chiyel Hayles Business Committee Greg Kurzhals Laura Paragano Jae Ahn 25 Spotlight on: Professor Kailun Wang Casey Anderson 17 Fringe-O-Meter Ann Mayer Robert Chajson Adan Juarez Cover Art Kevin Grant 26 Pennsylvania Congressman Kailun Wang Cole Kosydar Chaka Fattah

Copyright 2011 www.informaworld.com/pair Penn Political Review NATIONAL WHO REALLY DECIDES WHO GETS TO STORY BY GRAHAM WHITE RUN FOR PRESIDENT? A PRIMARY CONCERN The prevailing trend in Ameri- the states felt an increasing amount of ly are Super Tuesday voters even that can history has been one toward the pressure to adopt primary elections af- lucky. The winner of the party’s nomi- further democratization of our repub- ter 1968, there was a noticeable lack of nation is most often a foregone conclu- lic. Virtually every aspect of how we strong leadership by both of the major sion by the time February rolls around. choose our leaders has been modified parties. State leaders consequently chose The unfortunate bottom line is that since the ratification of the Constitution primary dates that were most convenient most primary voters tend to echo the well over two centuries ago. The arrival for them, and the result was the drawn- decision already made by a small frac- of secret ballots, the vast expansion of out primary campaign that we know tion of the electorate in the early states. suffrage, the 17th amendment, and the today, which stretches from the first Part of the reason why this is the introduction of ballot initiatives and week of January to the last week of June. case is due to the momentum each can- the recall are just several examples of The primary campaign is problem- didate receives from an early primary this trend. But perhaps one that is most atic for several reasons. The first is that victory. More often than not, the win- overlooked is the presidential nomi- the lengthy schedule allows earlier, less ner of the first contest goes on to be the nating system. This system has always populated states like Iowa and New party nominee - Obama in 2008, Kerry been a work in progress; indeed, we are Hampshire to have more influence in the in 2004, Bush and Gore in 2000, Dole far removed from the days of the invin- nomination process than bigger states in 1996, etc. Increased media attention cible party machines and the smoke- such as Texas, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. following a primary win only magnifies filled rooms of Tammany Hall. With Many candidates tend to drop out fol- this effect. Due to intense media scru- the Iowa caucuses fast approaching, lowing poor performances in the early tiny of the first results, the contest in however, a serious examination of our states that tend to not be fairly repre- Iowa tends to legitimize the campaign primary system is needed, as any such sentative of the nation as a whole. For of the victorious candidate, while con- examination would yield the inevitable instance, five of the seven viable candi- versely exacerbating the effects of los- and inconvenient conclusion that the dates for the Democratic nomination in ing on the other candidates. John Kerry mechanism by which we choose our Pres- 2008 dropped out before the first round and Barack Obama saw their campaigns idential nominees is inherently flawed. of major primaries during the first week legitimized by their Iowa victories, and The calls for reform to the nomina- of February, known as “Super Tuesday.” one could certainly make a compelling tion process reached a turning point Of those five, two dropped out follow- argument that the party nominees would following the madness that was the ing disappointing results in the first have been Howard Dean and Hillary 1968 Democratic National Convention. election, while another dropped out fol- Clinton, respectively, had the results in Doubtless the primary campaign we vot- lowing the second. By the time voters Iowa gone another way. The momen- ers enjoy has alleviated the frustrations in Democratic base states like Califor- tum that the victors of early states re- that came with pre-determined nomi- nia, New York, and Massachusetts got ceive also results in an influx of political nees. The transformation was well in- their say, the choice was between Barack donations. These donations can often tended, albeit poorly implemented. As Obama and Hillary Clinton - and rare- push one candidate over the top, as seen

4 | PENN POLITICAL REVIEW | SUMMER 2011 NATIONAL 12 OUT OF THE LAST 18 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEES WERE PREDICTED BY VOTERS IN THE IOWA CAUCUS. IOWA IS HOME TO THE ELECTION’S FIRST PRESIDENTIAL CAUCUS AND 3,007,856 AMERICANS. THAT’S ABOUT 0.98 PERCENT OF THE POPULATION. THE SAME RECORD CAN BE SEEN IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, WHERE 1.3 MILLION AMERICANS, MAKING UP ROUGHLY 0.43 PERCENT OF THE POPULATION, VOTE IN THE SECOND PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY. most recently in the Obama campaign’s voting, after which candidates that did theory the ideal solution, it would prove historic fundraising efforts in 2008. not meet the 15% threshold are elimi- difficult to implement. States that hold The caucuses present another prob- nated from contention. Supporters of early primaries would certainly protest, lem for our presidential nomination these candidates must then align them- as a national primary day would strip process, especially due to the fact that selves with a different candidate, which them of the revenue stream they earn caucuses are used by several of the early sometimes results in bribery and other from endless months of fundraisers, ral- states like Iowa and Nevada. As previous- questionable practices. Unfortunately, lies, and debates - Obama and Clinton ly mentioned, Iowa’s situation is prob- this antiquated method is used by the started campaigning in Iowa almost a lematic because its voters do not reflect critical early states of Iowa and Nevada full year before the caucuses. Further- the whole of the American electorate. To and eight of the Super Tuesday con- more, Americans love an epic primary make matters worse, the voters who par- tests. Needless to say, the results of these struggle; not only is it a great media sto- ticipate in caucuses aren’t even reflective caucus elections are not always repre- ry, but it directs attention to the demo- of the Iowa electorate. Unlike the con- sentative of the electorate as a whole. cratic process and increases the amount ventional primary election, in which all The problems with the current nomi- of Americans getting involved. The 2008 a potential voter has to do is spare 10 nating system may be clear, but how primary duel resulted in an unprec- minutes and pull a lever, push a button, clear is the solution? A national pri- edented amount of voter registrations or punch a hole in a paper ballot, caucus mary day, akin to “Super Tuesday” but during the campaign that proved essen- elections require a significant amount of instead including all states, would un- tial to Obama’s general election victory. time. In most cases, prospective voters doubtedly alleviate the aforementioned While it seems easy to identify the prob- must set aside several hours of their day problems. The nominees would not be lem, it may not be so easy to implement to go to a designated caucus site. This the candidates with the most momen- the solution. The presidential nomina- fact alone makes it difficult for many tum, or the candidates who appealed tion process remains a work in prog- workers and parents to participate, while most to the small, early states. Rather, ress, and while it is a long and bumpy political enthusiasts and college students the nominee would be the candidate ride, it is certainly an exciting one. tend to be overrepresented. Most caucus who best presented himself or herself to processes begin with an initial round of the electorate at large. While this is in

SUMMER 2011 | PENN POLITICAL REVIEW | 5 NATIONAL Heckling for the Truth LAURA PARAGANO • ART BY LAUREN HARDING STORY BY

Our nation is a nation of dissenters. Examples of hecklers easily come to mind. Those From our dear Mr. Franklin and his co-Founders who watched The Muppet Show are reminded of breaking from British rule during the Revolution Statler and Waldorf, two elderly men who heckle to South Carolina’s secession from the North dur- both fellow puppets and the viewing audience from ing the Civil War, dissenters have shaped Ameri- their balcony seats. Last year, during the Health can history. Yet dissent need not be monumental, Care Reform debate, hecklers were a constant pres- as Americans critique our government in varying ence at town hall meetings across America. The degrees, from chastising blogs to protesting out- most recent example of a heckler in a Penn student’s side of the Supreme Court. While these rebels-of- memory may be Isabel Friedman (C’13), president sorts are essential to democratic discourse and par- of the Penn Democrats. She chastised Newt Gin- ticipation, they rarely make history books. Their grich during his March campus speech, asking criticisms may sting an official’s reputation, yet about his extramarital affairs while still a public their identity quickly evaporates into anonymity. official. Although she disagrees that her comment A specific type of dissenter, however, maintains was a heckle under the typical connotation, as she her identity through the crisis: the heckler. Chas- says “some crazy nut job interrupting an event with tised for her lack of tact, inappropriate timing, a provocative but irrelevant or meaningless com- and desire for fame, the heckler is an invaluable ment,” she agrees her comment was a heckle under asset to a functioning representative government. the more formal definition. Friedman’s chastis- Defining the heckle and distinguishing it from ing comment, attempting to expose a hypocritical mere criticism or dissent is necessary before eval- flaw in Gingrich’s public and private morals, was uating the arguments in favor of heckling public the most recent in a long history of heckles. Penn officials. The Oxford English Dictionary defines Political Science Professor Jeffrey Green identi- “to heckle” as “to catechize severely, with a view fies “Thersites from the Odyssey as one of the first to discover the weak points of the person inter- hecklers in the Western literary tradition.” Ac- rogated.” This distinguishes heckling from mere cording to Homer, Thersites “regularly abused” criticism, as there is a poignancy to the comment. Achilles and Odysseus with “unruly...speech” and Moreover, the heckle intends to expose a flaw, rath- “disruptive words.” Homer’s account of the heckle er than to vent frustration. More than a “tweet” or identifies an important quality to hecklers: while letter to the editor criticizing policies or officials, heckles may be tactless, they are not illegal. Nei- a heckle directly confronts the public figure in a ther Ms. Friedman’s sharp questioning of Gingrich visible arena. Just as in a court of law, the heck- nor Thersites’s quarreling with kings was illegal. ler acts as the prosecutor of the defendant, or the Not only are heckles of political figures within public official, who is “on trial” before “the jury.” the realm of the law, they are essential to American 6 | PENN POLITICAL REVIEW | SUMMER 2011 NATIONAL

representative government for four reasons: they tion and answer section following the speech: Heckling for test the politician’s quickness and wit, revealing his ability to respond to crisis; challenge the au- “You adamantly oppose gay rights... dience’s tacit acceptance of the politician’s speech; but you’ve also been married three times the Truth promote accountability and serve as deterrents to and admitted to having an affair with your committing moral, although not legal, offenses for current wife while you were still married fear of embarrassment; and promote political dis- to your second. As a successful politi- course and participation essential to democracy. cian who’s considering running for presi- First, heckles test the politician’s quickness dent, who would set the bar for moral and wit. For instance, Bill Clinton was heckled conduct and be the voice of the Ameri- in the 1992 presidential election by Bob Rafsky, can people, how do you reconcile this a member of an AIDS activist group. Rafsky in- hypocritical interpretation of the religious terrupted Clinton’s rally to ask, “What are you values that you so vigorously defend?” going to do about AIDS? We’re dying!” After a brief exchange in which Clinton tried to defuse Her comment was pointed and direct, with- the heckler with a specific AIDS policy, Rafsky out the typical fanfare of outrage and interrup- shouted that Clinton was “dying of ambition to tion seen in some heckles. Friedman’s comment be president.” Rafsky’s comments tested Clinton exposed the hypocrisy between beliefs and action by exposing him to public scorn—an effective in- in a public forum which promoted accountability. troduction to a position bathed in it. In addition A heckler leaves no immoral action, however le- to offering a peak into the realm of public criti- gal, left unquestioned. The potential embarrass- cism and accountability, Rafsky’s comment illu- ment of being exposed on a public stage therefore minated Clinton’s ability to respond to the heckler serves as a deterrent for public officials from com- under the glare of public lights and scrutiny. His response was prompt but long-winded. Rafsky, in fact, inspired an almost 500-word speech in Perhaps heckling public figures lies in human which Clinton showed political maturity through nature, as heckles are chronicled from Antiquity to sympathy, specific policy prescription, and per- The Muppets. Regardless, heckles are a necessary sonal charisma. Clinton said, “The reason I’m component to a transformative political system, still in public life is because I’ve kept my commit- “in which no officeholder is left unscathed in the ments.” This ability of a politician to respond to competition for power and no rock is left unturned in a heckle may be an initial test of the candidate’s the citizens’ search for their politicians’ true characters.” ability to respond to crisis once in office. The heckle, then, may uncover an able office holder. The heckler often challenges the audience’s ac- mitting moral transgressions, from extramarital ceptance of the politician and his words. When affairs to extortion to bribes. Many hecklers be- Perry Patterson interrupted Dick Cheney during a lieve in the public’s right to know about the public rally in 2004, both Cheney and the pre-selected au- and personal lives of officeholders and use expo- dience members were caught off guard. Her com- sure and embarrassment as its cruel punishment. ment “No, no, no, no,” did not fall under the per- Most importantly, heckles promote a fierce de- mitted supportive rallying cries and caused her to bate concerning not only the politician’s abilities be arrested for criminal trespass. Patterson’s out- but also a whirlwind of subjects important to dem- burst within a group of like-minded conservatives ocratic processes. In the aftermath of Friedman’s may have prompted frustration, but it also may comment, Penn’s campus and the national airwaves have disrupted the natural order, causing audience were astir with gossip about its appropriateness, the members to question Cheney’s legitimacy. While role of morality in politics, the separation of private her comment was un-substantive and her presence and public lives of officeholders, and the nature of was made a mockery after being forced to leave, political discourse itself. This discourse promotes Patterson’s heckle disrupted the natural rhythm, transparency of government and creates the foun- challenging the audience members’ own beliefs. dation for a functioning democracy, which feeds Heckles also promote accountability, and on the public’s opinions and political participation. their embarrassing aftermath may serve as a de- Perhaps heckling public figures lies in human terrent. Friedman said she aimed to “uncover a nature, as heckles are chronicled from Antiquity to weakness” in Gingrich’s words; she “wanted to The Muppets. Regardless, heckles are a necessary highlight the incongruence in Gingrich’s adher- component to a transformative political system, in ence to his ‘family values’ platform and his op- which no officeholder is left unscathed in the com- position to gay marriage, an issue very close to petition for power and no rock is left unturned in the the Penn community.” With this intention, Fried- citizens’ search for their politicians’ true characters. man asked Gingrich during the formal ques- SUMMER 2011 | PENN POLITICAL REVIEW | 7 NATIONAL A TALE OF TWO CITIES STORY BY BEN WOFFORD

WHAT SINGAPORE AND MADISON TELL US ABOUT CIVIL SERVICE REFORM

It was a classic budget showdown. Twenty years after Rendell, little has the culmination of a decades-long con- Invigorated by a resounding off-year changed in the messy way we settle dis- servative counter-narrative, disabus- election and emboldened by his per- putes with public-sector unions. Other ing the conventional ideal of workers’ ceived political mandate, a young politi- countries are taking notice, designing rights. In addressing Madison, conser- cian stepped into his newly-won execu- democratic systems that avoid the stale vatives painted a picture of union bosses tive office and initiated a staring contest American-style labor disputes altogether. bullying workers into organizing, un- with public sector unions. With his For those paying attention, this fits justly peddling political influence and government facing a considerable defi- neatly into the narrative of American money, and perpetuating a de facto cit—let’s just say a number followed by downfall, a tragedy sung well by any labor racket that raises costs, stifles ef- a ‘b’—municipal unions and their gen- politician these days who gains by doing ficiency, and eliminates jobs. “The big- erous pension benefits seemed ripe for so, mostly Republicans. The decidedly gest myth about labor unions,” summed the chopping block. For weeks the bud- foreign dynamic here is key—beware the conservative columnist Thomas Sow- get proposal languished against mount- Irish with their crushing debt, the Greeks ell, “is that unions are for workers.” ing protest, until the administration’s with their lavish pensions, the British Soon, conservative spinsters and budget finally forced its way through. with their despicable socialized services. their aide-de-camp (hint: rhymes with But this isn’t the story of Repub- But one foreign influence shines for Fox) began molding the debate into a lican Governor Scott Walker of Wis- conservatives: Singapore, the halcyon dispute of raw numbers. Figures flowed consin, whose chaotic budget fiasco metropolis of invincible free market across televisions and talking points, gripped the state capitol earlier this year. dominance and supreme efficiency. Sin- showing that Wisconsin public sector It was Ed Rendell. Facing a mas- gapore usually tops the same rankings workers are compensated at—gasp!— sive budget shortfall in the opening that rate the US so poorly. The Malay- slightly above average, at $55,000 per months of his first term as Philadel- sian city-state places first in the world year. It was high time unions surrender phia Mayor in 1992, Rendell initiated in a dozen categories, including educa- their bloated pensions and overcom- a public standoff with the city’s mu- tion, international competitiveness, and pensation, conservatives argued, and nicipal unions and eventually won nu- science investment. Politicians across to a certain extent, they were correct. merous concessions in reduced pen- ideologies have all pointed to Singapore But American conservatives were so sions and benefits. The episode sparked as an example for American revitaliza- overwhelmed defending the moral high Rendell’s rise as “America’s Mayor,” led tion, but conservatives have peddled ground against public sector overcom- to Philadelphia’s balanced budget, and the economic lessons harder than most. pensation that they failed to sniff out the proved a Democrat could decisively Politicos from Newt Gingrich to John most bloated, high-paid public sector cure budget crises, not cause them. Boehner have frequently invoked Sin- city on earth, where bureaucrats are paid But it also proved something else. gapore’s corporate tax rate (10%) and in the millions. Way higher than Phila- Rendell’s union standoff became a po- unemployment rate (1.6%). Both are delphia in 1992 or Wisconsin in 2011. litical victory, resulting in a landslide the lowest in the world and, as we’re It’s Singapore, and the corrupt pub- reelection despite retribution from or- meant to believe, not by coincidence. lic sector bullies of conservative folklore ganized labor. Whether a similar fate At the same time as they were exalt- are nowhere to be found. In fact, like awaits Governor Walker remains to be ing one city in Malaysia, Republicans everything else, Singapore’s civil service seen. Regardless, the similarities be- targeted one city in Wisconsin. Walker’s is regarded as arguably the best in the tween Rendell and Walker are already proposal to eliminate collective bar- world. Top-level bureaucrats are some- enough to signal an alarming trend. gaining for public sector unions was times paid over $2 million. Public sec-

8 | PENN POLITICAL REVIEW | SUMMER 2011 Two-Face Tim: An Opinion Art Piece BY CHIYEL HAYLES NATIONAL A SUPERLATIVE SINGAPORE RECORD EASIEST PLACE IN THE WORLD TO DO BUSINESS // THE WORLD BANK

HIGHEST LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY // TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL

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tor workers don’t unionize because they ever. When Fox News, Governor Walker rankings in hypocrisy detection too). don’t need to; for top talent in Singapore, and the GOP’s remaining children-of- “Yesterday’s [US] conservatives believed salaries and benefits generally rival the the-Koch rehearse the Singapore narra- in small government,” wrote Singapore’s private sector. And predictably, Singa- tive, Democrats can call their bluff by Straits Times in a recent editorial. “To- pore’s civil service has one of the low- showing that America’s best days are still day’s conservatives believe in no govern- est corruption rates of any in the world. ahead if we can attract the brightest and ment…government starved of resources Singapore’s success perfectly illus- best-qualified young workers to serve. and leached of all meaning. Community trates America’s mistakes. Besides an In a recent joint report, Harvard and doesn’t show up, sacrifice doesn’t show endlessly complex system of dual fed- IBM showed that a $10 billion invest- up, pulling together doesn’t show up.” eralism, nearly 40% of America’s public ment to streamline, retrain and redesign It all comes back to narratives. Re- sector workforce is age fifty or older, America’s civil service would yield $600 publicans are successfully mastering the third of the OECD countries. This, com- billion in productivity gains. Imagine a debate about curtailing the public sec- bined with a federal budget showdown in public sector that vies with Wall Street tor. But that’s the wrong debate to have. 2011 and the rancor in Madison, might for the best talent at Penn; it’s the dif- Democrats and unions can outmaneuver create the rare opportunity for civil ser- ference between talented citizens de- their political rivals by taking the high vice reform—an overhaul with an em- signing credit default swaps versus new ground on civil service reform, espous- phasis on productivity and efficiency, policy solutions and public vaccinations. ing the conventionally Republican ideals and not the senseless slash-and-burn of That’s not Singaporean, it’s uniquely of increased efficiency, less corruption Walker’s budget (followed by the salt- American—and if Governor Walker and waste, and improved productivity. sowing of his anti-bargaining provision). and the Republican budget horsemen The GOP is in favor of making govern- This is where Democrats could win— don’t agree, they’re more than welcome ment smaller. Democrats can be in favor what Rendell partially proved—not in to move to Singapore and stay there. of making government smarter. After a partisan rallying cry, but in an over- Because while conservatives may be in Republicans all-too-eagerly unleash whelming win for the country, at a time love with Singapore, the love goes unre- their chainsaw on the budget, Democrats when Americans need one now more than quited (Singapore seems to lead the world will reap rewards from this distinction.

SUMMER 2011 | PENN POLITICAL REVIEW | 9 NATIONAL

APPALACHIAN The Impact and Consequences SPRING NO MORE of Mountaintop Removal STORY BY STEPHEN FRITZ • ART BY KAILUN WANG

Imagine a nearly 500-million- source of water in Appalachia, contained those splotches of gray amid the swath year-old mountain, covered with green higher levels of toxic chemicals from of green are active or “reclaimed” MTR oaks and yellow wildflowers. Now mine runoff than those in non-mining sites. A consequence of this permanent picture a barren sheet of rock, covered areas. These results merely confirm ecological transformation is the loss with gray boulders and yellow bulldoz- what everyone in Appalachia knows of hardwood forest habitat. The EPA ers. Place the two right next to each intuitively: those who live near mines are estimates that over 2,200 square miles of other, and you have a pretty good in poorer health than those who don’t. Appalachian forest will have disappeared picture of the scene at Black Mountain, Beyond these costly health by 2012. Valley fills also have disastrous which straddles the Kentucky-Virginia impacts, MTR also causes devastating consequences, as coal sludge and state line. While Kentucky has preserved environmental degradation. Most waste block and seep into mountain its side, Virginia has allowed its side obvious is the transformation of the streams. Over 1,200 streams have simply to be imploded. For what? The cursed region’s topography.STORY BY Coal DAVID companies CHEN • disappeared,GRAPHIC BY buriedJEREMY under BRINSTER MTR waste. blessing of Appalachia, old King Coal. are replacing age-old mountains, and The streams that remain are not much Bituminous coal has defined Central their complex ecosystems, with bare better off. The same Maryland study Appalachia since the late nineteenth and rock and artificial grassland plateaus. found that between 50-60% of the fish early twentieth centuries, when it came All you have to do to observe this born in streams in heavily mined areas are into widespread use in producing steel change is go to Google Earth and look deformed due to toxic levels of selenium. and generating electricity. Company at Eastern Kentucky, Western Virginia, As one of the researchers stated, “To towns sprung up across Kentucky, and Southern West Virginia. All of put it quite bluntly, my jaw dropped West Virginia, and Virginia. This was the typical underground mining we all imagine when we think of coal. Yet as the twentieth century unfolded, operators largely moved away from this familiar method toward surface mining, specifically mountaintop removal (MTR). MTR is exactly what it sounds like. A mountaintop full of coal is filled with dynamite and blown off. A few workers with bulldozers can then sift through the rubble and extract the coal. As destructive as this is, what happens next has far more perilous consequences. Once the coal is fully removed, the tons of rubble are compacted down into hollows in what is known as a “valley fill.” The former mountaintop is then leveled off and covered with grass. These practices have many negative consequences that far outweigh their limited economic benefits to the region. Perhaps most harmful are the impacts on human health. A 2010 University of Maryland study published in Science found elevated rates of chronic pulmonary disorders, lung cancer, chronic heart disease, and mortality in areas around MTR sites. It also found that wells in mining areas, still a significant Alternative possibilities vs. mining in Appalachia: pollution, destruction of valuable land, and missed economic opportunities

10 | PENN POLITICAL REVIEW | SUMMER 2011 NATIONAL Out-of-state conglomerates take the money and run, while local “residents are left with flattened ex-mountains and without jobs.”

because right away I saw concentrations well over 100,000 coal jobs, retained only What can be done? The Maryland that were far above toxic thresholds.” around 20,000 in 2010. These relatively study calls for a federal ban on new MTR While some will dismiss these high-wage, union jobs, which formed permits unless “unless new methods can environmental consequences as the price the backbone of the regional economy, be subjected to rigorous peer review of progress, less easily dismissible are are gone. The few jobs MTR does create and shown to remedy [MTR’s human MTR’s effects on Central Appalachia’s last only until the coal is exhausted. health and environmental effects].” economy. Its most obvious impact is Throughout this whole process, MTR While we’ve seen that these impacts are on employment. An MTR site employs, fails to invest its profits in the regional indeed devastating, a full ban on MTR is on average, around 10% of the workers economy, contributing to Appalachia’s politically and economically unfeasible. a comparable underground mine low economic development and high We must take care not to vilify coal employs. This shift from labor-intensive poverty. Out-of-state conglomerates or deny its potential benefits. Coal is underground mining toward capital- take the money and run, while local Appalachia’s greatest natural resource, intensive (heavily mechanized) surface residents are left with flattened ex- and it will be a critical component of the mining has contributed to Appalachia’s mountains and without jobs. Local and region’s future economic development. overall negative job growth since the state governments are left with increased Demonizing coal represents the greatest 2001 recession. This trend cuts across demand for social services and a mistake outside environmental activists states. Kentucky, for instance, has lost decreased ability to pay for them. These often make. Such positions alienate local around 60% of its coal jobs over the last economic realities are perhaps the most residents and businesses alike, many of 15 years. West Virginia, which once had pernicious of any of MTR’s consequences. whom depend on mining in some fashion. Instead, government policy should promote a return to underground mining, where practical, and compel much more stringent waste disposal and post-mining land use standards for surface mining. Valley fills should be subject to particular scrutiny, as they have the greatest potential harms. The federal government should also make substantial investments in carbon- capture and clean coal technology research. Such technologies, as pilot projects in Germany have demonstrated, will allow us to continue using our most abundant domestic energy source while mitigating its impact on global climate change. Finally, and most importantly, Appalachia needs direct investment to diversify its economy. As central as coal is to the region, it is finite. Long- term economic growth in Appalachia, essential to lifting the region out of chronic poverty, will only come from diversification. MTR is ultimately nothing more than a symptom of the current single-track economy. Old King Coal must eventually yield his kingdom. It is our national duty to ensure that when he does, Appalachia will have a Alternative possibilities vs. mining in Appalachia: pollution, destruction of valuable land, and missed economic opportunities firm foundation to build a future on.

SUMMER 2011 | PENN POLITICAL REVIEW | 11 NATIONAL The Pros and Cons of Interning on the Hill... TO INTERN OR NOT TO INTERN? STORY BY BRIAN COLLOPY

Hopping on the underground of going through stacks of constituent bosses actually prefer you get off the train that connects the offices for Con- mail, reading the subject that a super- phone pretty quickly. In both a district gressmen in the House of Representa- visor had circled and clicking through office and less so in DC, you receive tives to the Capitol building, flashing windows to send back the appropriate many calls and tally them up so that an ID, and wandering around restricted form letter to the right constituent. My the office can keep track of popular areas, I found myself thinking that I had duties also included manning phones opinion and send mail to the callers. a pretty good job. During the summer and going to storage or to a office sup- These opportunities and the people of 2010, I interned for a congressman on ply store. But what I seized upon were you meet make up for the less appealing Capitol Hill, learning how things actu- the opportunities to go to as many hear- aspects of the internship. There are great ally get done in the seat of government. ings as possible, to get to see how meet- staffers in their late twenties to talk to Interning on the Hill allows you to ings about substantive issues really take and learn from who are each responsi- understand how Washington works. place, to be present at a press conference ble for their own various legislative top- And even if you think you know what when a patch to the Medicare Part D ics. You also hear stories going decades goes on in Washington, you’ll probably “Donut hole” was announced by then- back, while you turn a lever to forge the be surprised by the extent to which staff- Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Health signature of the member of Congress on ers, lobbyists, public relations, constitu- and Human Services Secretary Kathleen each and every letter. And stories of no ent correspondence, and fundraising Sebelius, and to see the 20 cameras that holds barred verbal fights in the Senate dominate the scene. Seeing how some threaten to outnumber the small actual for hours, but which would then never be parts of government work can be fas- audience. Other great opportunities in- recorded because Senators had the right cinating, and other parts can make you cluded sitting in on BP Oil Spill hearings to strike what they liked from the public frustrated that they currently exist. Take and the Rules Committee hearing for record. Though in ways you can still see for instance my main job as an intern— the 2011 Military Appropriations Bill. these fights, you only get this realness sending form letters back to constituents During uneventful times in the con- from being on the Hill. You get a sense who had written to the congressman. gressman’s state district office, I enjoyed for how things actually get done, and Certain opportunities make up for a 40-minute discussion with an elderly why they sometimes fail due to political these very basic office duties, though. Marine constituent, though if that’s not conflicts. For all of these reasons, it is Most work was a never-ending cycle for you, that may be for the best. Your well worth applying to work on the Hill.

12 | PENN POLITICAL REVIEW | SUMMER 2011 FEATURE The Age of Independents

STORY BY GREG KURZHALS • ART BY KAILUN WANG

“Disappointed, disillusioned, and in some cases, down- right disgusted.” This was the alliterative description used in an October 2010 article by CBS anchor/commentator Ka- tie Couric to characterize the prevailing attitudes among what is perhaps America’s most misunderstood voting demographic: Independents. While self-professed In- dependent voters have always played a relevant role in American politics (one need only recall Ross Perot’s independent candidacy in 1992), it is only in the last few years that the number of unaffiliated indepen- dents has risen to truly unprecedented levels. Ac- cording to a September 2010 Pew Research Cen- ter study, fully 37 percent of American voters are registered Independents, a figure higher than the respective percentages of both registered Demo- crats (34 percent of voters) and Republicans (29 percent). In an election cycle defined by a fail- ing economy, the looming specter of government shutdown, a Congress paralyzed by partisan stand- offs, and the rise of extremist factionalism within the ranks of the major parties (tea, anyone?), the American public’s “disappointment” and “disgust” with the federal government has ultimately mani- fested itself in a growing antipathy towards party politics and a newfound desire among many in- dividuals to self-identify as non-partisan voters.

SUMMER 2011 | PENN POLITICAL REVIEW | 13 FEATURE

Given such diversity of political opinion, to speak of “independent voters” as a unified demographic is patently fallacious and short-sighted.

The numerical increase in regis- be non-partisan, the notion that the political party. The supposed 37 tered Independents has been mir- support of moderate Independents percent of the American electorate rored by an increasing media em- is essential to a successful cam- to whom the “Independent” appella- phasis upon the role of independent paign has permeated even the high- tion technically applies thus includes voters as a potentially decisive politi- est levels of American government. voters with ideological beliefs who cal force. Couric’s characterization But in spite of all popular belief fall across the full range of the po- of the supposed legions of disaffect- to the contrary, the idea that Inde- litical spectrum, from radical leftists ed non-partisans is emblematic of a pendents are a voter group ripe for to quasi-fascist militia members who broader media fascination with the electoral plucking ignores demo- make Tea Partiers seem positively electoral clout of independent voters, graphic reality. The enticing no- progressive by comparison. Given a fascination reinforced by the impor- tion that a full third of American such diversity of political opinion, tant role that Independents played in voters are uncommitted to one side to speak of “Independent voters” the Republican triumph in the 2010 or the other is in fact an illusion as a unified demographic is pa- midterm elections (as well their role wrought by wishful and overly opti- tently fallacious and short-sighted. in electing President Obama back in mistic thinking. Should Republicans Of course, most mainstream polit- 2008). What one might justifiably or Democrats, in the run-up to the ical strategists care little about cur- call the “cult of the independent vot- 2012 elections, sacrifice their ideo- rying favor with ideological extrem- er” now seems to be a generally ac- logical core by actively pursuing the ists, and instead focus upon courting cepted component of American po- independent vote through moderate the so-called “true Independents” – litical culture, as many observers and policy platforms, they may well find the (supposed) collection of moder- commentators seem to believe that themselves unable to fully exploit ate, centrist non-partisans who claim the “need” for partisan candidates their targeted moderate sections to make voting decisions based upon to court moderate Independents is of the electorate and incapable of the strengths of each candidate and the new gospel of modern politics. achieving significant electoral gains. policy rather than upon party affili- And, significantly, politicians The major problem with the be- ation. But even these moderates are seem to be listening. For Obama lief in the power of the independent far from ideologically unified, and and his advisors, the shock over population lies in assuming that In- all indications are that these avowed the mass defection of former inde- dependents actually are what they “Independents” may in fact be as par- pendent supporters to the Repub- claim to be: namely, “non-partisan” tisan in their voting habits as card- licans in the 2010 midterms cer- and (ironically) truly “independent.” carrying Republicans or Democrats. tainly played a part in shaping the Part of this issue stems from an ambi- For instance, data from the 2008 new, more centrist policy platform guity that is not statistical, but lexical. National Election Survey Poll (an that the president outlined in his After all, the term “Independent” is election that is particularly relevant, January State of the Union Address. not an ideological classification, but given Obama’s victory on the backs Clearly, in a day and age where a merely a reference to an individual’s of Independent supporters) sug- third of the electorate professes to lack of affiliation with an established gests that nearly three-quarters of all

Key for the graphs

Red = Republican Blue = Democrat Green = Independent

14 | PENN POLITICAL REVIEW | SUMMER 2011 FEATURE

Given such diversity of political opinion, to speak of “independent voters” as a unified demographic is patently fallacious and short-sighted.

self-professed Independents actually a small minority who can justifiably pendents alluded to by Couric, and identified more closely with one of be referred to as “true Independents.” their voting habits reflect a deep be- the major parties over the other, a Thus, rather than constituting a lief in the inability of “government” fact that would seem to fly in the face substantial plurality of the American (as embodied by whichever admin- of the perception of moderate Inde- voting public, the number of totally istration is in office at the time) to pendents as a group truly divorced non-partisan true Independents in all address their real-world problems. from partisan politics. Similarly, the likelihood comprises no more than a These disaffected voters are those September 2010 Pew Research Cen- third of all registered Independents, responsible for the wide shifts in in- ter Survey states that an estimated and thus may only make up a mere 5 dependent voting patterns witnessed 83 percent of all registered Indepen- to 10 percent of the total electorate. over the past two elections; for ex- dents either strongly “favor” or “lean” Moreover, the fact that these voters ample, while in the 2006 midterm towards the ideologies of one party may self-identify merely out of sim- election (the last midterm of the or the other; moreover, the survey ple apathy and ignorance further re- Bush administration) Independents claims that Independents as a whole duces the potential electoral impact as a whole supported Democrats are in fact heavily divided along ide- of “true” Independents. Voter turn- over Republicans 57 to 39 percent, in ological lines, with self-identified out among these pure Independents the 2010 midterm election, the result Independents being apparently just is consistently lower than among was almost the exact opposite (Inde- as likely to favor Republican policies partisan voters and Independents pendents voted for Republicans over as Democratic ones (42 to 41 percent who lean towards a particular party. Democrats 56 to 38 percent). Given of all Independents, respectively). Of course, even partisan-leaning the expressed anti-government sen- The results of these studies, as Independents can and do shift their timents of these voters and the fact well as similar analyses of recent fed- voting allegiances between elections, that their predominantly working- eral elections, would seem to refute a fact that explains why Independents class status places them among the the myth of a homogenous and ideo- in general have gained a reputation people most affected by economic logically flexible independent com- as game-changers in election season. crisis, it seems likely that this group munity capable of giving an election The Pew Center surveys point to a of blue-collar Independents tends to the party who best appeals to its group of predominantly blue-collar, to simply vote against the party al- moderate sentiments. Instead, the working-class moderates with only ready in power. Rather than being supposed “independent electorate” mild partisan leanings, who com- receptive to any ideological conces- can be rather definitively divided prise a third of all independent vot- sions or rhetorical appeals from the into two distinct categories: a sub- ers and whose anti-government atti- mainstream right and left, these stantial majority comprised of so- tudes and vulnerability to economic moderate Independents seem to em- called “shadow” partisans, who de- uncertainty cause their voting habits body a “kick-them-out-of-office” spite professing to be independent to vary from election to election. mentality and are likely to sim- voters actually vote either the Demo- These are the real “disappointed, ply support opposition candidates, cratic or Republican party-lines, and disillusioned, [and] disgusted” Inde- whom they believe represent the

SUMMER 2011 | PENN POLITICAL REVIEW | 15 FEATURE The supposed 37 percent of the American electorate to “whom the ‘independent’ appellation technically applies thus includes voters with ideological beliefs who fall across the full range of the political spectrum.”

best promise of economic recovery. timents. For both the Republican the political position is obviously a The flaw in the “cult of the inde- and the Democratic parties, then, bit more difficult. Faced with a Re- pendent voter” thus ultimately lies the best strategy for achieving elec- publican House and a surging tide in the incorrect belief that all mod- toral success in 2012 may well be to of right-wing populism, the presi- erate Independents can be wooed in continue to appeal to their respec- dent and his Congressional sup- the same way as avowed partisans: tive partisan bases, and avoid vain- porters are already being forced to namely, through a mixture of an ly trying to steal an independent adopt a centrist policy platform that ideologically-compatible political vote which may be aligned against threatens to destroy the foundations platform and sympathetic rhetoric. them from the start and which for recovery and growth laid by the This is obviously not the case. For will never be theirs in its entirety. more ambitious economic measures “shadow” Independents, their true For Republicans, such an appeal- of Obama’s first term. But even if partisan sympathies make them un- to-the-base strategy is not hard to political realities force Democrats willing to shift their vote in response stomach given the party’s newfound to compromise on some key issues, to the appeals of another party. For strength in Congress and the rising they must ensure that such policy “true” Independents, their disre- public disillusionment with the per- adjustments are made in the pursuit gard (or at least claimed disregard) ceived inability of Obama Democrats of tangible real-world progress, not of partisan ideologies makes their to effect positive economic change. out of some vain attempt to win over voting habits more result-oriented If the Obama administration fails an ill-defined and ideologically- than partisan voters, and based more to deliver on its promised economic fragmented independent bloc that upon the perceived inability of the and reform initiatives, Republicans lacks the unity or wherewithal to current administration to tangi- can likely expect considerable sup- support their cause. The brilliant bly help them than upon any sup- port from Independents regardless rhetoric and forward-thinking poli- port of one candidate or position. of the official ideological stance that cies that won over mainstream Dem- To summarize, the statistical re- the GOP ultimately adopts. Many ocrats in“ 2008 will ultimately not be cord ultimately suggests that Inde- right-leaning Independents have enough to guarantee a progressive pendents: 1) are not an ideologically themselves already been swept up by triumph in 2012 if these are not unified bloc of voters that can be the Tea Party, whose populist appeal, complimented by a record of mea- easily exploited by candidates’ ap- promise of tax cuts, and efforts to surable domestic accomplishments peals to the political center, and 2) distance itself from the main wing of (especially reduced unemploy- have voting habits that are prede- the GOP have made it an attractive ment) behind which result-oriented termined by either existing partisan option for these non-partisan voters. moderate independents can rally. sympathies or anti-government sen- For Obama and the Democrats, Senate House

CURRENT PARTY MAKE-UP IN CONGRESS

Democra(c Party HOUSE Democra(c Party SENATE Republican Party Republican Party 241-192-0 Independent 51-47-1 Independent

16 | PENN POLITICAL REVIEW | SUMMER 2011 FEATURE

ADAN JUAREZ PRESENTS: *

*thermometer denotes degree of partisanship

SUMMER 2011 | PENN POLITICAL REVIEW | 17 GLOBAL

Next to Fall?

CHIYEL HAYLES China’s Complacency As I write this, the ultimate outcome not rule of law but rule by law, where the power of the revolutionary fervor sweeping the Arab monopoly of the elite must never be questioned.

• ART BY world has yet to reach a clear outcome. But from Economically, they suffer from similar problems. Mauritania to Oman, a clear tide of political, eco- China has a distorted labor market where internal nomic, and social discontent has swept regimes migration is heavily regulated and many peasant long presumed invulnerable to such forces. Most migrants find themselves trapped on the margins observers, if asked to pick a Middle Eastern state of urban society, effectively rendering them illegal liable to revolution, would have gone with Iran or immigrants in their own country. Growing num- perhaps Lebanon. Few would have imagined that bers of Chinese college graduates either cannot get LUKE HASSALL in just a handful of weeks, protest movements a job or find that their education is unsatisfactory could oust the authoritarian Arab Nationalist for the professional employment they covet. The strongmen of Tunisia and Egypt. For external job market can be heavily politicized, with connec- participants, these events threaten to undermine tions and patronage the only truly reliable route to

STORY BY long-standing diplomatic relations. Israel and easy job security. At the top, the elite meddle in eco- the US fret that the entire system of pro-West- nomic activity and no one is allowed to grow too ern Arab leaders now teeters on the brink of col- rich without paying their dues to the party. China’s lapse and with it a generation’s worth of foreign biggest tycoons live in Hong Kong for a reason. policy calculations. Yet for another nation, the These are all features that characterized Tunisia threat is not merely strategic but in the precedent and Egypt as the discontents of a corrupted, frag- these uprisings have set. That nation is China, mented economy rose up against their oppressors. and if Hu Jintao is not scared yet, he should be. Perhaps most concerning are ideological similar- When comparing China and the Arab states, the ities. Though founded in 1949 in the name of Com- similarities can seem foreboding. They are politi- munism, the People’s Republic of China has become cally closed and authoritarian. To the extent that a thoroughly non-ideological state. Under the lead- some Arab nations allow elections, they are typi- ership of Deng Xiaoping from the late 70s through cally entirely fraudulent. China, despite periodic early 90s, China undertook broad economic, politi- discussions of reform, allows only stage-managed cal and social reform that created the global power elections at the local level and nothing more. In we know today. It also stripped the state of ideo- Beijing as in pre-revolutionary Egypt, the legisla- logical substance. Deng, a pragmatist to his core, ture is a rubber stamp for decisions made by po- was results-focused and unconcerned with dogma. litical elites. There is no meaningful way for peo- Communism as conventionally practiced has been ple to enter the political process except by joining junked, and nothing has ever taken its place. The the repressive and corrupt elite class. China has Arab world is divided between two sets of similar- a vast and powerful secret police network which ly ideologically barren regimes. First are the Arab monitors and represses any sign of dissidence. In Nationalist Authoritarians, presidents who came to 1989, China made clear its willingness to use vio- power as heirs of an early revolutionary surge. Their lence against the people, as tanks rolled through promises of economic transformation and modern- Tiananmen Square to end demonstrations there. ization and the victory of the Arab peoples against To the extent that Arab states and China are rela- enemies and foreign interference have long since tively de-personalized dictatorships, they exhibit rung hollow. On the other hand are the monarchies,

18 | PENN POLITICAL REVIEW | SUMMER 2011 GLOBAL “If Hu Jintao is not scared yet, he should be.” who utilized tribal relations and peasant awe to le- to decide on one of two paths: they can replay the gitimize the ruling families. The relentless march tape from 1989 and hope they still have the means of technology and social change has upended these to affect mass violent repression, or they can give beliefs, shredding the rationale for birthright rule. the people true reform. The first course leads In the absence of ideological arguments and to North Korea and a country that China’s lead- with the uprisings in the Arab world shredding ers decided years ago they did not want to lead. the hegemonic notion that the people could not The latter may result in the government’s extinc- defeat the authoritarian state, only economic tion and the painful birth of democracy in the performance survives as a means of legitimiza- Middle Kingdom. One day, the ghosts of Tianan- tion. No matter how they tried, most Arab states men Square may be exorcised by those of Tahrir. have never been able to provide comprehensive economic benefits for the mass of citizenry. Even the rentier states of the Gulf hide vast underclasses beneath their glisten- ing prosperity. Central planning and neo-liberal reform alike have failed to provide substantial improve- ment at the median. China is differ- ent. For all the flaws of the Chinese economy, it has provided thirty years of reliable growth in living stan- dards for large numbers of Chinese. While those left behind are a grow- ing mass, the current leadership in China is still able to provide expand- ing opportunities for much of their vast population. For now that may be enough. What pushed the Arab states over the edge was a situation where no meaningful segment of so- ciety still benefited from the status quo. Only the elite itself stood to lose from a revolution. So long as China sports 10% growth rates, the PRC will find its defenders, and no Jas- mine Revolution will reach Beijing. But nothing lasts forever. Eco- nomics has gravity, and China’s growth rates must eventually fall to earth. The Chinese government will eventually have to deal with the mounting discontents of its current trajectory. On that day the people of China may rise up and demand a new and better deal, for while the state has lost ideological substance, the people have not. When the gloss comes off the economy, the people may decide they have had enough of being told what to do by a cor- rupted elite. The elite will then have

SUMMER 2011 | PENN POLITICAL REVIEW | 19 GLOBAL

NORTH KOREA’S STORY BY JONATHAN FRIED ART BY CHIYEL HAYLES

JASMINE REVOLUTION? With autocratic, dictatorial re- the Chinese have the leverage to force phones are rare commodities indeed. gimes falling left and right in the Arab North Korea into economic collapse, According to a March 6th Reuters arti- world, one might anticipate a few dem- but they simply aren’t willing to use it. cle, the Internet is only available to elite onstrations by the oppressed in other China aside, the prospect of a North state supporters, and the nation’s single corners of the globe. North Koreans in Korean revolution is exceedingly slim, cell network is strictly monitored and particular have been receiving news Jasmine Revolution or not. When faced incapable of international calls. More- of the uprisings via leaflets flown in with unemployment, corruption, and over, argues Foreign Policy in Focus co- by balloon from the South. “A dictato- oppression, the Egyptian and Tunisian director John Feffer, North Korea has rial regime is destined to collapse,” they people took to the streets and overthrew no civil society that can take democratic claim. Sadly, so long as China continues the governing elite. In Korea, when 5% ideals and translate them into a North to prop up the North Korean regime, of the population starved to death in Korean context. Accustomed to oppres- inspiring uprisings will remain a far- the late 1990s, dissent was noticeably sion and with state forces monitoring off dream. The Jasmine Revolution will absent, and Kim Jong-Il maintained a their every move, ordinary citizens have not spread to North Korea, but there is firm seat on his trembling throne of de- become apathetic to their own plight. reason for optimism in the long term. ceit. Why? Because North Korea is the South Korean Unification Minister Hyun In-Taek puts it best, stating that the impact of the Arab revolutions on the The prospects for a North Korean North will, for now, be “insignificant.” Surrendering to the status quo in revolution are exceedingly slim, Jasmine North Korea, however, is not an option. With 28,000 troops just south of the “Revolution or not.” border and tensions running high on the Korean Peninsula, the United States certainly has reason for concern. The A common justification for the paragon of isolationism taken too far. North Korean military has up to 9 mil- DRPK’s continued existence is its po- The government works hard to ensure lion troops at its disposal and maintains tential to create millions of refugees in that its citizens know nothing of the a small but worrisome nuclear stock- the event of state collapse. China, ex- outside world. The life of a North Ko- pile. A madman with nuclear weapons perts say, lends North Korea its support rean citizen is nightmarish: a complete atop a wobbly throne cannot be ignored. because it is unwilling to deal with the lack of civil liberties, an endless stream Still, options are scarce. The military problems created by twenty million lost of Dear-Leader-glorifying propaganda, option is suicide: with North Korean souls streaming across its borders. In and hard labor camps for dissenters artillery aimed directly at our troops in reality, argues former U.S. ambassador characterize daily life for all. An ongo- Seoul, any military provocation could to South Korea Christopher Hill, China ing famine has left over three million lead to the deaths of thousands of Amer- could handle the refugees; the true is- dead since 1995; people sometimes sub- ican soldiers. A decapitating first strike sue is one of bureaucracy. The Chinese sist on twigs, bark, and grass. Yet the aimed at either the North Korean rulers government, he contends, is fairly in- ruling regime’s information monopoly or nuclear stockpile comes with unac- decisive regarding Korea, and inertia has left the population brainwashed and ceptable risk. Hard power is not an op- prevails in the inner circles of state. accustomed to their extreme poverty. tion. Traditional diplomacy, too, has China may also fear a unified Korea The importance of social networking failed: the Six-Party talks have stalled on its doorstep, especially one friendly in the Arab uprisings only underscores and restarted dozens of times, yet North to America. Regardless, China controls the vital role of information and civil so- Korea still has nuclear weapons. Most North Korea’s fate, as its economy is al- ciety in provoking dissent. In North Ko- experts are pinning their hopes on West- most 90% dependent upon China. Only rea, however, Internet access and mobile ern soft power: the attractive force of 20 | PENN POLITICAL REVIEW | SUMMER 2011 GLOBAL

Western democratic ideals and success. all forms of cultural diplomacy that can create a “North Korean-brand democ- Will the soft approach work in North make the North Korean populace recep- racy.” The hope is that the four M’s will Korea? Many remain skeptical. “We can tive to Western influence. Indeed, the in- provide a spark to light a reformist blaze be a bit delusional about the impact of ternational diplomatic community laud- in a choked society cut off from the oxy- [American] soft power,” claims Feffer. ed the New York Philharmonic’s 2008 gen of information, but the fact remains North Korea, he says, understands that visit to Pyongyang, by far the largest that they are naught but a spark in an ex- the West is hoping for a soft power-fu- contingent of U.S. citizens to visit since pansive darkness. Korean society is no- elled revolution and has taken precau- the Korean War, as proof that cultural where near ready for even preliminary tionary steps. Its propaganda machine diplomacy can open Korean minds in a democratic reforms; it may take a several depicts the wonders of the West as a way that traditional diplomacy cannot. generations before North Koreans even “poisoned apple.” It likens openness to a Ultimately these elements should be realize the true magnitude of their plight window; while opening the window lets combined in a cohesive policy of laissez- as a society. But if it ever comes, a North in a cool breeze, it also lets in flies. Thus, faire diplomacy, a hands-off approach Korean democracy will not smell of jas- Koreans have put in a “screen” to filter that gives North Korea enough space to mine; its flavor is for Korea to decide. out the evils of capitalism and Western thought. Since North Korea lacks a civil society, even passive soft power looks like the West is imposing its ideas upon Koreans. Without a platform for pub- lic debate, all information is filtered through the propaganda machine. A suggestion becomes a demand, the in- nocent idea of liberal reforms a danger- ous gambit doomed to fail. Acclimated to oppression and blind to the realities of the outside world, the North Kore- ans are unlikely to revolt any time soon. In truth, so long as the current re- gime can maintain its information mo- nopoly, reform will not come to Korea. Until the chronic instability that often cripples oppressive, elderly dictator- ships rusts a hole in Korea’s iron cur- tain, no amount of soft power can safely provoke a revolution without putting U.S. troops in a dangerous position. When these cracks begin to appear, however, prudent soft policy may play a role in catalyzing an “Arirang revo- lution.” Such a strategy must focus on what Feffer calls the “four M’s of Asian soft power”: media, missionaries, mar- ket, and music. Media involves the use of broadcasts such as Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, and South Korean radio stations to transmit news and informa- tion from the outside world to show the North Korean people that there is a bet- ter alternative to their way of life. Bal- loon-borne messages from the South are already accomplishing this goal. Mis- sionaries are straightforward: using reli- gion in the form of human missionaries and the ongoing dispersion of flash drive bibles along the Chinese border to estab- lish unity and promote values. Market means training North Koreans in free market technologies and theories from the West. Music, finally, is symbolic of SUMMER 2011 | PENN POLITICAL REVIEW | 21 GLOBAL THE END OF HISTORY REVISITED: ARAB REVOLUTIONS IN THE 21ST CENTURY STORY BY MIHIR GARUD

It took just 18 days for one of the cate reality. Although the Arab world ily or easily travel from the West to the most entrenched leaders in the Middle will change drastically after the cur- rest of the world. Western governments East, Hosni Mubarak, to be forced out rent unrest, the final outcome remains must show that they possess ample of power. Despotic leaders from around uncertain. Egypt, Tunisia, and Bahrain knowledge about the history and culture the region are feeling the pressure that will likely transition into democracies of the local regions without making it revolutions may be inevitable. Leaders in the future, but recent developments seem as if they are purely in the business in Libya, Tunisia, Syria, Bahrain, Jordan, in Libya show that it is still too soon to of exporting democracy. In a new and and Saudi Arabia are struggling to pre- assume that the Arab world has reached more democratic Middle East, America’s vent their countries from losing their its End of History. The unequivocal fact own policies will come under greater position in an increasingly complicated still remains that the new Middle East examination and criticism, while the world. Transition into a democratic style will be more uncertain than the old. space available for the US to pursue its of government in the Arab region could It is fallacious to argue that Islam is agenda is likely to contract. These will trigger draconian geopolitical shifts in inherently different and represents a be key issues for US policy to address. world order. Promotion of US and EU severe obstacle for societies to modern- It remains unclear what precisely the styles of democracy threatens the end ize politically and economically. Fu- motive behind the uprising of the Arab of oppressive monarchies in the Middle kuyama’s contention is that Islamic re- states was. The persistence of undemo- East. In his book The End of History jection of modernity is due to a loss of cratic states in Africa, the failure of Rus- and the Last Man, Francis Fukuyama ar- identities by people caught in between sia to support democracy, and the esca- gues that the advent of Western liberal traditional and modern societies, not lation of global Jihad are just a few bleak democracy can be seen as the endpoint from Islam itself. Muslim culture and reminders of the challenges democracy of mankind’s ideological evolution and society possess the ability to create and faces. Although the idea that current in turn the final form of human govern- sustain a liberal democracy. Turkey, uprisings in the Middle East are driving ment. Revisiting Fukuyama’s argument, Malaysia, Mali, Senegal, and Indonesia the Arab world towards its own End of it is compelling to see how the concept (since 1997) are all cases of successful History is resonating with some people, of “the end of history” would apply to models of development. The Arab peo- it still remains to be seen what happens the current Arab revolutions. While ple, especially the youth, see the benefits in Libya in the long term. If Western- Fukuyama’s thesis successfully captured of a democratic government as well as style democracy is indeed the final form a specific moment, the end of the Cold the peaceful coexistence between Islam of human government, it is still pre- War and the victory of liberal democ- and democratic politics in most cases. mature to argue that the Arab world is racy and capitalism over communism, Despite this recognition, history has heading towards The End of History. his claims oversimplify a more intri- shown that democracy does not read-

22 | PENN POLITICAL REVIEW | SUMMER 2011 GLOBAL JOIN THE CLUB STORY BY DARINA SHTRAKHMAN THE NECESSITY OF ACCEPTING AUSTRIA BELGIUM BULGARIA CYPRUS CZECH REPUBLIC DENMARK ESTONIA FINLAND FRANCE GERMANY GREECE HUNGARY IRELAND ITALY LATVIA LITHUANIA LUXEMBOURG MALTA NETHERLANDS POLAND PORTUGAL ROMANIA SLOVAKIA SLOVENIA SPAIN SWEDEN TURKEY UNITED KINGDOM INTO THE EUROPEAN UNION

East or West? Turkey has been accession is the country’s top foreign Turkey “the China of Europe”—a favor- debating this question as long as it has policy priority, Turkey truthfully no able indicator of continued growth. If been a country, perhaps even since the longer needs the European Union. Poll- Turkey joined the EU, that growth would Ottoman era a century earlier. After ing indicates that while many citizens benefit the Union, which has been strug- World War II, Turkey made a name for would like to see Turkey join the Union gling with economic stability for the past itself by maintaining a secular democ- for prestige purposes, they no longer year. Furthermore, accepting Turkey racy in a predominantly Muslim coun- consider it a requisite for their country’s would send a strong message to the world try—an impressive straddling of Middle political or economic success. In fact, that Europe would rather work with Is- Eastern and Western values which has Turkey can continue trading with the EU lam than against it. Turkey may have an- made it a strong American ally and even without being a member and could gered the West with some recent actions, a role model for unstable neighbors. arguably gain more from focusing east- but the EU must be willing to look be- Over the past decade, Turkish as- ward on powerful, oil-rich neighbors. yond that and recognize that Turks bring pirations to join the European Union The prospect of the EU accession pro- diversity and the promise of new growth have motivated it to pursue liberal re- cess continuing to drag on—or, worse yet, prospects. More than any other country, forms. Turkey has aggressively pursued Turkey losing interest in accession com- Turkey can bridge the divide between the EU accession since 2004 but has en- pletely—would have dire consequences, West, the Middle East, and North Africa, countered many roadblocks along the though, for the United States and its Eu- making it vital for the Western coalition. way. To obtain entry, an applicant must ropean allies. If Turkey begins to priori- Yet if Brussels continues to rebuff Tur- fulfill 35 distinct criteria, such as pro- tize Iran, or even Russia or China, over key’s ambitions, Ankara will quickly lose tecting human rights and workers’ free the West, America will lose its demo- interest in cooperation. As several Euro- movement and unanimous acceptance cratic liaison in the region. Think tanks pean foreign ministers recently opined in from all 27 EU member states. Yet Tur- repeatedly criticize the Obama adminis- the New York Times, “The crucial ques- key has only completed one chapter, tration for simply backing Turkey’s EU tion is not whether Turkey is turning its and 18 chapters remain frozen. Lead- ambitions rather than developing a co- back on Europe, but rather if Europe is ing the opposition is Cyprus, whose herent, US-Turkish foreign policy. If the turning its back on the fundamental val- Greek Cypriot population continues EU negotiations crumble, will America ues and principles that have guided Eu- to have problems with its Turkish Cy- even continue to have Turkey as a friend? ropean integration over the last 50 years.” priot neighbors and Turks themselves. The turmoil in the Middle East has The European Union contains coun- As this struggle continues, Turks proven that reliable allies in the region tries with divergent, messy histories, have increased trade with neighbors like are hard to come by. Though there will but they have learned to coexist. More- Syria and countries throughout North inevitably be conflict over issues like over, the 27 countries work as a team. Africa. While America fussed over the Gaza flotilla incident and sanctions Even when Germany is reluctant to other Middle Eastern issues, Turkey be- against Iran, it is to America’s benefit to bail out Greece, it does so in the inter- came more than just a pliable Western maintain a close relationship with Tur- est of the Union if not because of its ally: it became a regional powerhouse key. Ankara’s soft power is crucial in own immediate interest. Now, it is Eu- in its own right. Under the Justice and negotiating with countries like Iran and rope’s turn to remember that a handful Development Party’s leadership, For- Syria, and as Turkey’s economy blos- of critics like French President Nicho- eign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu crafted soms into one of the world’s largest, las Sarkozy do not speak for the en- and implemented Turkey’s “zero prob- American businesses will invest even tire Union. It is time to move past the lems with neighbors” policy, which more in commercial hubs like Istanbul. stalemate on Turkey’s accession process. prioritizes interactions with every The European Union similarly has Ankara’s patience is not infinite, and if country in the region. Of course, being much to gain from embracing Turkey. it shifts its focus entirely eastward, the friendly with countries like Iran inevi- Ankara proved its economic strength by Western countries will lose a key ally. tably means angering the United States. weathering the 2009 global downturn While Davutoglu maintains that EU well, with The Economist nicknaming SUMMER 2011 | PENN POLITICAL REVIEW | 23 INTERVIEW Student Activist Spotlight Professor Spotlight on MEGHNA CHANDRA ANN MAYER ACTIVISM ON PENN’S CAMPUS PROFESSOR OF LEGAL STUDIES AND BUSINESS ETHICS

INTERVIEW BY LAURA PARAGANO INTERVIEW BY JESS MAYER

With the three-year drama over Penn’s No longer a novice in the art of activ- reinvestment from HEI Hotels and Resorts ism, Meghna’s experience highlights the coming to a climax this past semester, fact that the opportunities for activism Meghna Chandra has kept herself busy by are as diverse as the interests of those scheduling meetings with administrators, on campus. “Penn has a really wonder- marches, letter drops, mop deliveries and ful and diverse community of people the occasional party crashing. Penn SLAP who are thinking about structural issues, (Student Labor Action Project, http:// though they are spread out and hard to www.pennslap.blogspot.com), a student- find. There are several professors, in par- run, non-hierarchical organization that ticular Andy Lamas and Walter Palmer, stands in solidarity with workers for eco- who teach alternative ways of thinking nomic justice, has been heading the fight and are extremely supportive of the work against HEI. But SLAP is not Meghna’s we do. In their classes, I have been able to only activist group on campus. “I’m also find a community of people with whom an intern for Media Mobilizing Project, a I can grow and learn and ultimately act. media rights organization that is working However, all said and done, it is difficult to build a media infrastructure for people to bring everyone together because we are in movements for social justice. I’m cur- all so busy and our interests are so varied.” rently part of a Labor Collective with folks But her experience has also allowed from Labor Justice Radio, Media Mobiliz- her to understand Penn activism’s short- ing Project, and the Taxi Drivers Alliance.” comings as well, which she describes as a lack of critical thinking on structural issues. “I believe we are all very bright individuals at Penn, and many of us are interested in changing the world. How- ever, I don’t believe enough of us look at the roots of these problems and scrutinize our own privilege in the work we choose to undertake. For example, when we tu- tor in West Philadelphia, we must realize that there are issues of structural violence at play that keep children from succeed- ing… I do not suggest that we stop tutor- ing, but I do believe that we, as students, must stand politically on the side of poor and working class if we are to change power relations that oppress people.” Underappreciated and tightknit, the community of activists on Penn’s cam- pus remain strong and unwavering. “People sometimes tend to dismiss us as “those crazy protesters” rather than en- gage with us. However, I am proud of who we are and what we do and I hope we are able to get our message out!” 24 | PENN POLITICAL REVIEW | SUMMER 2011 INTERVIEW Professor Spotlight ANN MAYER PROFESSOR OF LEGAL STUDIES AND BUSINESS ETHICS

INTERVIEW BY JESS MAYER

we face in modern society, where very of- I have never found that there is a cultural ten you need to have a job for a variety of reasons, including the fact that the extend- barrier to the appreciation of human rights ed family, isn’t working as well anymore “ and isn’t guaranteeing your livelihood. in the Middle East; I find people in the West I think at this juncture it’s very possible that we’re going to see all sorts of appeals tend to exaggerate the impact of Islam and to Islam as a rationalization for putting women back into a domestic role. There to assume that there is this deep cultural is a lot in Islam that would confirm that women should play a domestic role in the bias against everything that’s Western.” home and that men should be the bread- winners. That’s not the only interpretation of Islam; I don’t want to mischaracterize To what extent are the protests in the places like Iran. What kind of systems it, though there are lots of reasons to look Middle East rooted in the concept of do you believe need to be put in place to at it differently. But I can easily see people rights, and in general how do you think avoid revolutions, like the ones in Egypt? slipping into that and if all these men are the protesters in these countries think drafting a constitution and they’re think- about their rights? Are they similar or dif- First of all, they have to have a good ing in these terms, I wouldn’t be a bit sur- ferent to the way we think about “rights”? constitution. It’s a little scary that the con- prised if they would say something like, stitution, at least the interim constitu- “The Egyptian family should be governed I have never conducted extensive inter- tion, is being drafted out in secret, and by the principles of Islam” and then slide views with these people, and I think that there is not one woman participating in from that into saying “Well, women should would be very important. There was an ex- the process, which is very worrying be- have a domestic role” and then maybe cellent Front Line documentary about the cause women’s rights are very vulnerable you are really reducing the number of uprising in Cairo. It was combined with a right now, and not exactly for the reason young people who are competing for jobs. discussion of the Muslim Brothers. I was many people might surmise. Many people Since men tend to be politically more struck by how one of the very young lead- would say that there is probably going to powerful, then you’re placating the young ers of the demonstrations said, “People be an Islamic reassertion, and this is go- men by giving them a better shot at get- know their rights now, and they’re not ing to be detrimental for women’s rights. ting employment. So this could be misun- going to give up their rights.” I think that I think right now what we’re seeing in derstood by people by saying that Islam is rights consciousness is very strong there, these uprisings is that one of the major the barrier to women’s employment, but and I for years have been trying to convince concerns is joblessness. The figures vary it’s more complicated than that. You’ve people that Islam is not this all-encompass- so much, but I think ballpark estimates in got very weak economies, devastated by ing cultural totality that shapes every as- these countries would be that 25% or more the unrest, and then you have all this en- pect of a person’s life, even if people make of the young people are unemployed or ergy unleashed, all these young people who very numerous references to Islam when grossly underemployed. It is then so easy to just really want to have decent jobs and they’re talking about subjects. When you slip from that to saying, “Well, the problem the kind of prospects for their lives that distill down what they’re talking about, it’s is we have too many people competing for people have at the University of Pennsyl- recognizable grievances, things that would jobs. Women are competing for jobs, so let’s vania. You get a good education, you have make us upset if they happened to us. define this as an era when we really need a good shot at a rewarding career. That’s to rebuild families, so women should stay the kind of thing that they want, and I just You’ve been very critical of some of the at home. And Islam, because it is a religion think that under the circumstances peo- specific instantiations of “Muslim hu- that developed in the era before women ple tend to say that they need to sacrifice man rights schemes,” particularly in were faced with the kind of problems that something, and why not sacrifice women? SUMMER 2011 | PENN POLITICAL REVIEW | 25 INTERVIEW PPR SITS DOWN WITH CHAKA FATTAH

INTERVIEW BY JESSICA MAYER Fattah is the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania’s 2nd congressional district (West Philly), serving since 1995. He is a member of the Democratic Party and a Penn alum.

Why did you first decide to enter politics? has been extraordinarily successful in all 50 between a high school diploma and a col- Have your motivations changed through- states. In Pennsylvania alone, 335,000 fami- lege degree is well over $1 million in life- out your career? lies have used the tuition tax credit last year, time earnings. It also is citically important I got involved because I saw it as an out- for an average credit of $2,000. I’ve been to our ability to have a strong economy. growth of my community activities. I had very active throughout my career in educa- Also, I appreciate the need for us to fo- been raised in a family that was very ac- tion, and I am actively pursuing a number cus in on math and science, on engineer- tive in terms of helping young people. My of major education initiatives right now. I ing and technology. In the hard sciences, parents founded and are still operating a have two bills that are before the Congress there is a critical need for our country to boys home in West Philadelphia. They were on what is normally referred to as equity is- do more than we’ve ever done in those ar- quite involved in addressing the gang prob- sues. One is called the Fiscal Fairness Act, eas. Take a small country like Singapore, lem in the city in the early seventies. So I which helps to level the playing field rela- with less than 5 million people, [that] in- was active as a teenager, and when 18-year- tive to federal funds as they impact poorer vested $5 billion in their national science olds were granted the right to vote I became schools, and the other is the Students’ Bill foundation. It is not possible for us to involved with a program to register young of Rights, which is a broader effort to re- keep up with smaller or larger countries if people to vote. I led the effort in Phila- quire states to provide a more equitable we don’t take a more aggressive approach. delphia. I kind of grew into it naturally. educational opportunity for young people. I have some other responsibilities now And that stretches through all the levels Are you still motivated by the same things on the Appropriations Committee for the of education, from primary and second- now? Commerce, Justice and Science agencies ary to university education? Over the years I’ve had significant ac- for the country, including NASA, the Na- Absolutely. I have become involved in complishments in the area of educational tional Science Foundation, and the Na- education for children ages 0-6, where we opportunities for young people. I created tional Institutes of Standards and Tech- now know that young people can learn the Gear Up Program, a nationwide col- nology. I am quite involved in science at a much earlier age. We need to ex- lege access program. It’s the largest in the issues, both on the education and on the pose them and stimulate them a lot more nation. I’ve also been active through the technology-transfer side, to commercialize than we have done, but we also need CORE scholarship program, to help Phila- those technological advances. In the com- to introduce young people much ear- delphia youngsters go on to college. Just merce area I’m quite involved with exports, lier to higher order math skills. Our fu- in the last session I passed the tuition tax economic opportunities. It’s safe to say ture prosperity as a nation depends on it. credit, a $2,500 tax credit to help young that my first love is education, and about people pay for college. But from my early 50% of my time is focused on that issue. Is our lack of competitiveness due to a days in the state legislature (I was elected lack of funding, family life, teacher qual- in 1982, so I’m ancient) I was the young- Would you say that education is the most ity? Where do you it stems from specifi- est person elected, and I served on the ed- pressing issue facing our country today? cally? ucation committee. I did a lot of work in I think singularly education is the linch- There is obviously a mix of factors. But education, served on the boards of colleges pin to the country’s future. Our ability to the principle one is that we as a nation, as like Penn State, Temple, Lincoln Univer- compete internationally with countries the world’s only superpower, have kind of sity, and the Community College of Phila- with much larger populations, like China assumed that we would always be a domi- delphia. With Gear Up, for instance, we’ve and India, is dependent on how well we nant nation. The truth now is that our dom- invested over $4 billion in that effort, and can encourage our young people to pursue inance is only relative; it’s no longer abso- 12 million young people have benefitted. their God-given abilities. I think it’s critical, lute. China made a commitment six years 700,000 people are in the program today. It and we know for a fact that the difference ago to create a hundred science-only uni- 26 | PENN POLITICAL REVIEW | SUMMER 2011 INTERVIEW

For the FAFSA Completion Campaign , representative Chaka Fattah discusses Mayor Michael Nutter’s plan to increase the number of students who fill out the FAFSA form to receive free federal financial aid. (Photo credit: phillyeducation via flickr.com) versities nationwide. They’ve been created. the point. People who want to make pri- Pennsylvania is a private university; my They’ve been built. If you go back to 1981, vate choices should pay for them privately. daughter attended there; I attended and Japan was outproducing us in the number For example, we pay for the Phila- my wife attended. But Temple University of engineers. The conventional wisdom at delphia police department publically. If is a public university. The reason why we the time was that it was a much smaller we want to have a different level of se- support through our tax dollars public country, and we were still the powerhouse. curity, then we would need to pay for universities is because it provides low cost, Well, now China is outproducing us in a that privately. That’s not something that high quality education. Our society needs number of industries, and it’s a much larger you put on the public to accomplish. both public choices and private choices. country. So we have a lot of work to do. We have to find the will as a nation to push our But aren’t those children who are going What was the general mood like in Con- young people to greater intellectual curios- to private schools instead of the public gress during the recent budget negotia- ity and achievement. We also have to invest schools saving the public money? tions? Was there ever a time when you more as a country in scientific research Less than 16 percent of the people in thought an agreement would not be and technological advancement. We need Philadelphia have children in the public reached? to help the manufacturers in our coun- schools. The vast majority of people who pay I’ve been here for a while. I’ve seen this try learn how to apply technology better. taxes don’t have children in public or private dog and pony show before. There’s always schools. But they pay their taxes for schools going to be an agreement reached; the You have stated repeatedly that you are because it’s important for the society that question is what is the basis for the agree- committed to public education in Phila- schools exist, in the same way that we need ment. The bottom line is that we are really delphia, and you oppose voucher pro- a fire department to exist. Whether we need operating at the margins. We were having grams that would allow low income fami- to use it or not, we need it to exist. If you a discussion about whether we were going lies in Philadelphia to send their children look at the 70 contiguous school districts to cut $61 billion or $38 billion in hopes of to private schools. However, your own surrounding Philadelphia, they’re spending doing something about a deficit of $1.6 tril- daughters go to a private school. Why do on average $100,000 more per classroom. lion. So whether you cut the high number you not send them to public schools? So if you then deplete dollars from Phila- or the number that was eventually agreed to Two of my four children went to public delphia to private schools, you are then tak- at $38 billion, it does nothing about the ac- school, as did my wife and myself. My two ing away the capacity that the schools need. tual financial deficit of this country in real youngest daughters go to an all-girls school. Now I am very supportive of private terms. But what we had was not an appro- It’s a decision that my wife insisted upon. schools. I am leading an effort to help -fi priations bill; it was actually a spending bill. She worked with a young lady who had at- nance a cafeteria at a Catholic school in The press is sometimes focused on the back tended this school, and she always wanted North Philadelphia. My wife and I sup- and forth and not on the substance. So the to have the opportunity for her daughters ported Stepping Stones, which is a pro- question becomes whether we addressed to experience an all-girls education. It is a gram that provides scholarships for pri- what we needed to address to ensure the decision that we pay for privately, and that’s vate school students. The University of future of the country 10, 20 years from now. SUMMER 2011 | PENN POLITICAL REVIEW | 27 The Philadelphia Orchestra Unlimited ConCerts $25 Membership

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