At least it’s not a school ...
We are living in the Age of Mass Shootings. What is it doing to us ... and who’s going to stop it?
Neal Turpin
Dr. Neal Turpin is a City Planner, and also part-time faculty in U of L's Department of Political Science. He lives in Louisville with his wife and children. (Read the rest on the Contributors page.)
The housing crisis: public problems, social solutions
We have a housing crisis in this country – and most answers people propose are either inadequate or don’t work at all. Neal Turpin lays out a Big Idea for a solution.
SE Kentucky – a world of hurt, and about to get much worse
If you've got an area that already deals with a number of challenges, and you throw two more challenges on top, what happens? SE Kentucky is about to find out.
Voting with disabilities: Major improvements in Kentucky
In 2016, Kentucky was dead last in disability voting rates. In 2020, we had the largest increase in disability voting rates in the country. Dr. Neal Turpin explains why.
Why we should use vote-by-mail in November
The primary election in Kentucky was, overall, a success. Allowing voting by mail kept people safe during a pandemic and increased turnout at the same time. There were certainly issues [https://www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article243731882.html]. Ballots took too long to receive. Early voting hours in many places
Republicans, do you REALLY want to condemn political violence? Do this.
The actions at the Capitol on Sunday were evil. This is obvious to any person with any sort of morals, and repeating it won’t make a difference. (And let me note right up front, actual lynching [https://interactives.courier-journal.com/projects/lynchings-in-kentucky/] took place in this state’s history.
Churches, COVID-19, and the First Amendment: An analysis
Growing up, my mother had a framed copy of the First Amendment. As someone who is an active member of my church and who writes for a media outlet, I share this reverence. The rights and freedoms guaranteed (speech, press, religion, assembly, and petition) are fundamental to our society and
Should we move elections for statewide office to presidential election years?
Kentucky is one of just five states to hold elections for statewide office in off years. Currently, 36 states hold elections in midterm years, 11 hold them in Presidential election years, 2 hold them the year after a Presidential election, and 3 hold them the year before. Vermont and New
Three reasons the Voter ID bill is bad — and what we should do instead
Last week, Republicans in the state Senate debuted SB2 [https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/20RS/sb2/orig_bill.pdf], a law requiring voters to possess a photo ID in order to cast a ballot. Supported by newly-elected Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams, SB2 appears to be part
Want to improve student safety and education outcomes? Start schools later.
Every year as school starts back, there are stories of children being killed while waiting for the school bus. These stories are absolutely heartbreaking, and much of the blame has rightly fallen on distracted or speeding drivers. As a result, there have been increased calls for vigilance on the part
Kentucky’s “Opportunity Zones” certainly present opportunity – but for whom?
Local governments across the country are in a frenzy. The cause of this excitement is a program establishing “Opportunity Zones” in hopes of spurring development in economically tenuous communities. Opportunity Zones (OZs) were added to the tax code as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. The
Let's do marijuana legalization the right way
Making some noise in Kentucky, two bills have recently been filed to legalize marijuana. HB 136 [http://www.lrc.ky.gov/record/19RS/hb136.html], proposed by Reps. St. Onge and Nemes, would legalize medical marijuana in the state, and SB 80 [http://www.lrc.ky.gov/record/19RS/sb80.
It's time to raise the minimum wage in Kentucky
As 2019 begins, 19 states are raising their minimum wages, and several more are scheduled to raise them later this year. Many of these states already have minimum wages above the federal level of $7.25 and are undergoing their second or third round of wage increases. This leaves 21
Separating children: Our national Milgram study
In 1961, Stanley Milgram began a series of experiments to study obedience. Nazi atrocities were still fresh on people’s minds, and he attempted to show that Americans were less inclined to mindlessly follow unjust orders than Germans. This proved not to be the case. In these now famous experiments,
Voting with disabilities? It’s tough in the Bluegrass
The ability to freely cast a ballot is fundamental to democracy. While most adults in the US have the right to vote (those convicted of felonies [https://forwardky.com/time-to-restore-felon-voting-rights/] being a major exclusion), many in this country still face serious practical barriers to casting a ballot. One group facing
Preemption – Stealing Power from Our Cities
The relationships between state and local governments in the U.S. have changed many times. In recent years, however, one change has become both relevant and troubling: the dramatic rise in state preemption of local laws. Preemption is the process in which a higher level of government creates a law
