Politicians love to say “yes” to their constituents, but sometimes social justice requires that we give policy-makers a little help in getting to No. In 2006 Californians voters passed Proposition 84, a $5 billion bond measure to pay for water quality improvements and improved park access. As part of the language of the proposition […]
Author Archives: Fred Zimmerman
12
May
May
Here is a visual blog post that largely speaks for itself. The light gray lines represent other OECD countries. Some talking points, if you like: Taxation now is slightly below the level it was in the Nixon administration. Taxation in the US has always been below average among developed countries. Now it’s the absolute lowest […]
Visual representation is a big deal in public health. How we show what we know shapes how public health is known. Geoffrey Rose wrote an article about the difference between causes of cases and causes of incidence that is de rigeur in public health. Rose’s article is often—and justifiably—remembered for its appeal to […]
04
May
May
Without Jane Jacobs, our cities wouldn’t be less diverse and public health would suffer. In honor of Jane Jacobs’ 100th birthday today, there are many wonderful encomiums on the web, including at Vox, the Guardian, and a rich, multi-faceted post at Curbed. And of course, more on Google. All are well worth reading, but Jacobs is chiefly remembered […]
28
Apr
Apr
You wouldn’t claim to have identified a meaningful pattern in data if you had a p-value of 0.6. Gender is random at birth, but you wouldn’t try to publish a randomized trial if your randomization strategy involved putting boys in the intervention arm and girls in the control arm. And you wouldn’t try to attack […]
25
Apr
Apr
As the life expectancy gap widens between the rich and poor and suicides increase at alarming rates, could financial stress be a contributor to both? Life expectancy continues to improve for the wealthiest top 1 percent. They’ve gained three years in this century alone. However, the poorest are not seeing the same gains. The […]
21
Apr
Apr
Not so long ago, people believed that because walnuts look like brains, eating walnuts must be good for the brain. In just the same way, it’s been easy to persuade people that because skim milk has its fat removed, it must help remove fat from those who drink it. Makes sense, dunnit? Except that […]
Arleen lost her 2 boys suddenly and by force. She had fallen behind on her rent and couldn’t pay the electricity bill. No electricity means no food in the refrigerator, no clock to get to school on time, no lights for evening homework. And for Arleen, no more kids. Child welfare determined that her sons […]
07
Apr
Apr
As inequality reaches unprecedented heights in America, there is growing—and increasingly realistic—concern for social and political stability. Although inequality could be redressed by explicit redistribution, political gridlock in Washington and in many states makes this solution unlikely, and potentially economically disruptive. Yet many Americans, hostile to redistribution, are sympathetic to the need to create […]
06
Apr
Apr
Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx is getting serious about the damage done to African-American neighborhoods by highway construction. As Angie Schmitt reports: Growing up in Charlotte, Foxx’s own street was walled in by highways, he recalled in a speech today at the Center for American Progress. Building big, grade-separated roads through thickly settled neighborhoods devastated communities, uprooted residents, and cut off […]