Political Reform Program: Latest Articles

Better and Cheaper Elections for Vancouver

Erin Drankoski — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:32:00 -0500

The most expensive mayoral race in Vancouver's history is over. The bad news: It took two elections, hundreds of thousands of dollars and a fair amount of mud-slinging to produce a winner. The good news: Vancouver has the ability to cut election costs and campaign spending as well as restore civility to the electoral process in one fell swoop.

A Radical Solution for California's Intractable Woes

Erin Drankoski — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:37:00 -0500

"Are you ready to put on your white wigs?" That is a question I have been posing lately to many everyday Californians, as the Golden State considers if a constitutional convention composed of regular folks might hold the solution to California's ongoing political and budgetary woes.

The Problem Is Minority Rule

Erin Drankoski — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 06:21:00 -0400

The health care drama in the U.S. Senate is cresting. After months of hearings--and decades of dithering--it is time to see if the United States is going to remain the only advanced industrial nation in the world that does not provide universal health care.

Health-Care Cooperatives Can Work

Erin Drankoski — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 04:52:00 -0400

Health-care cooperatives have gotten a bad rap. But if properly designed, they could offer quite a lot to both the left and the right, as well as to anyone interested in expanding health-care coverage and reducing costs.

Obama's Cunning Co-Op Plan

Erin Drankoski — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:31:00 -0400

Throughout the healthcare debate, President Obama has not always appeared very "presidential". He hasn't engaged in LBJ-like arm twisting or FDR-like brinksmanship, or exerted the strong leadership that the office of the presidency has been known to possess. Other than his brilliant healthcare speech in early September, Obama has mostly seemed content to lay low while the Senate thrashes out the details.