Kay Steiger

LEDBETTER LEGISLATION. George Miller has introduced legislation today that would essentially overturn the Court’s decision in Lilly Ledbetter‘s case. It spells out that discriminatory acts occur by extension “each time wages, benefits, or other compensation is paid.” The legislation has more than a dozen bipartisan co-sponsors, and is expected to be introduced into the Senate […]

UNINSURED VETERANS. Various news outlets are reporting that there are more than 1.8 million uninsured veterans, according to a study and recent testimony by Steffie Woolhandler of the Harvard Medical School and co-founder of Physicians for a National Health Program. Technically, all veterans are eligible for enrollment in the Veterans Health Administration, but that doesn’t […]

SLAUGHTER ON THE AMERICAN IDEA. Former Prospect intern Asheesh Siddique‘s review of The Idea That Is America by Anne-Marie Slaughter over at Campus Progress is worth a look. He captures the essence of the book here: Most important for Slaughter, by engaging in the torture of “enemy combatants” suspected of association with Al Qaeda at […]

TAKING THE PENTAGON TO TASK. The Pentagon today admittedtoday it’s understaffed on doctors to treat mental illness. The House Veterans Affairs Committee has already begun the process of gathering expert evidence to support more funds designated for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental illnesses. The Pentagon’s task force estimated as many as […]

GERRYMANDERING FOR DUMMIES. A video game called the Redistricting Game premiered this week. Gamers can dramatically alter the outcomes in a series of fake elections simply by redrawing the lines — if Tom DeLay could do it, why can’t you? You can even test it out yourself. –Kay Steiger

SUICIDE SOLDIERS. The BBC reports that a study published recently by the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health indicates that soldiers are more than twice as likely to commit suicide than the general civilian population. Lead researcher Mark Kaplan, of Portland State University in Oregon, said doctors should “scrutinise veterans for signs of suicidal behaviour […]

VA RATING SYSTEM. Via WaPo: the Institute of Medicine released a report yesterday asking the department of Veterans Affairs to update its rating system to evaluate disabled veterans. This system, which has been around in some form since World War II, doesn’t account for many kinds of brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder. Adjustments to […]

MINNESOTA POLITICIANS. Brother Ezra asked today at lunch, “What’s the deal with Al Franken?” It was a good question. I hadn’t heard much in a little while about his Senate bid in Minnesota. Polling shows that Franken is likely to win the nomination, as he leads trial lawyer and fellow DFL contender Mike Ciresi 52-29, […]

THE LAW OF WAR. Marine Lt. Col. Jeffrey R. Chessani is in court today to testify about what happened when a group of Marines went “out of control” in violating the law of war, killing 24 Iraqi civilians, “some of them children still in their pajamas.” Chessani is under scrutiny because he didn’t report the […]