Cross-Subsidies: Government\u27s Hidden Pocketbook

Governments can use regulation to pay for public goods out of the pockets of consumers, rather than taxpayers. For example, the Affordable Care Act underwrites care for women and the infirm through higher insurance premium payments by healthy men. Building on a classic article from Richard Posner, we show that these “cross-subsidies” between consumers are a common feature of modern law, ranging from telecommunications to intellectual property to employee benefits. Critics of the ACA, and even some of its supporters, argue that taxes would be a better choice. Taxes are said to be more transparent, and to fit better with the recommendations of public finance economics. We show how these same arguments can be extended to many other contemporary cross-subsidies. We also argue, however, that the critics may well be wrong. Drawing on recent theoretical and empirical advances, we show that cross-subsidies can be more efficient than taxes, especially when they are used to redistribute wealth on grounds other than income, such as the ACA’s transfer from men to women. We then apply our analysis to several key contemporary cross-subsidies, including personal-injury law, patents, class action lawsuits, paid family leave, and of course the ACA

Empowerment through journalism: social change through youth media production in northeast Brazil [abstract]

Abstract only availableJournalism is a process in which people can begin to understand their realities and can be used as a powerful force in democratic societies for or against change. Specifically, youth journalism engages students in identifying themes that elicit social and emotional involvement and a high level of motivation to participate. This thesis intends to explore the question of how journalism can be used as a tool of empowerment in building the capacity of youth to become aware of their own realities and communicate these realities to others through a newspaper. I also explore how the production is linked to social justice by analyzing how it allows the youth of Daruê Malungo, a Center for Arts and Education, in Recife, Brazil to examine visible and invisible systems shaping their interactions and identities. My methodology for this research included teaching a journalism class using Paulo Freire's theory in the Pedagogy of the Oppressed and the development of a newspaper made by the students. I argue that the newspaper by the students at Daruê Malungo allowed them to navigate experiences of difference in terms of race, class, privilege, and oppression. Their production was linked to social justice because it was cry, “”um lamento” as the students decided to name their newspaper, for social action in terms of the racial prejudice that still surrounds them, the violence and drug problems in their community, the lack of education they receive, the pollution and abuse of the environment, and an explanation of how they express themselves through their culture. This journalism production created a space for youth development and empowerment, in which students said they weren't afraid to be silent anymore: they were given the opportunity to tell their community, their country and the world what was important to them and why they wanted change.School for International Trainin

The Effect of Social Problem Solving Skills in the Relationship between Traumatic Stress and Moral Disengagement Among Inner-City African American High School Students

This study examined the relationship between traumatic stress, social problem solving, and moral disengagement among African American inner-city high school students. Participants consisted of 45 (25 males and 20 females) African American students enrolled in grades 10 through 12. Mediation was assessed by testing for the indirect effect using the confidence interval derived from 10,000 bootstrapped resamples. The results revealed that social problem-solving skills have an indirect effect on the relationship between traumatic stress and moral disengagement. The findings suggest that African American youth that are negatively impacted by trauma evidence deficits in their social problem solving skills and are likely to be at an increased risk to morally disengage. Implications for culturally sensitive and trauma-based intervention programs are also provided

Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma Metastatic to Small Bowel Mucosa Causing Polyposis and Intussuseption

A report of alveolar soft part sarcoma metastatic to the small bowel is presented. Hematogenous metastases to the small bowel from primary tumors outside the abdominal cavity are uncommon, and most remain asymptomatic and are not discovered until autopsy. However, small bowel metastases can lead to intestinal obstruction, intussuseption or even perforation. While metastases to the small bowel have been described for other tumor types, including melanoma and lung cancer, this is extremely uncommon for sarcoma, especially alveolar soft part sarcoma. We describe a 42-year-old male with a long history of alveolar soft part sarcoma, metastatic to the lung and brain, who developed an intussuseption from metastases to the small bowel

A Novel Method for Remediation of PCBs in Weathered Coatings

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a group of synthetic aromatic compounds with the general formula C 12H1oCl that were historically used in industrial paints, caulking material and adhesives, as their properties enhanced structural integrity, reduced flammability and boosted antifungal properties. Although the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has banned the manufacture of PCBs since 1979, they have been found in at least 500 of the 1,598 National Priorities List (Superfund) sites identified by the USEPA. Prior to the USEPA's ban on PCB production, PCBs were commonly used as additives in paints and asphalt-based adhesives that were subsequently applied to a variety of structures. Government facilities constructed as early as 1930 utilized PCB-containing binders or PCB-containing paints, which are now leaching into the environment and posing ecological and worker health concerns. To date, no definitive in situ, non-destructive method is available for the removal of PCBs found in weathered coatings or on painted structures/equipment. The research described in this paper involves the laboratory development and field-scale deployment of a new and innovative solution for the removal and destruction of PCBs found in painted structures or within the binding or caulking material on structures. The technology incorporates a Bimetallic Treatment System (BTS) that extracts and degrades only the PCBs found on the facilities, leaving the structure virtually unaltered

Executive Summary of Propulsion on the Orion Abort Flight-Test Vehicles

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Orion Flight Test Office was tasked with conducting a series of flight tests in several launch abort scenarios to certify that the Orion Launch Abort System is capable of delivering astronauts aboard the Orion Crew Module to a safe environment, away from a failed booster. The first of this series was the Orion Pad Abort 1 Flight-Test Vehicle, which was successfully flown on May 6, 2010 at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. This report provides a brief overview of the three propulsive subsystems used on the Pad Abort 1 Flight-Test Vehicle. An overview of the propulsive systems originally planned for future flight-test vehicles is also provided, which also includes the cold gas Reaction Control System within the Crew Module, and the Peacekeeper first stage rocket motor encased within the Abort Test Booster aeroshell. Although the Constellation program has been cancelled and the operational role of the Orion spacecraft has significantly evolved, lessons learned from Pad Abort 1 and the other flight-test vehicles could certainly contribute to the vehicle architecture of many future human-rated space launch vehicle

The Grizzly, March 9, 2006

Two Juniors Attend C.O.O.L. Idealist National Conference in Tennessee • Celebration of Student Achievement • SPINT: Overview of House Projects • Understanding Abortion • Imperfect World of Auguste Rodin • Kelly Stirs Up Laughs • Marche aux Puces and Other Shopping Advice • Opinions: Letter to the Editor; Gimme Fiction Drips with Musical Ambition; Line Between Personal Offense and Free Speech • Bears Crush Crusaders • Respect!https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1709/thumbnail.jp