The progression of personal maturity is often listed as: dependence, independence, and, finally, inter-dependence. Sociology is displaying the same stages. Early human history saw significant gains in dependence with dictatorships. Recent history saw significant progress in individuality with the promotion of free markets. We are at a new stage as we question the value of the pursuit of personal gain. As individuals and entities we are starting to see the significance of shared values.
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Real health care equity
Wednesday, October 24, 2012Women of all colors have historically faced discriminatory practices by health insurers and racial and ethnic minorities have suffered disproportionately from health disparities.
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High expectations for Baltimore’s youth
Monday, October 15, 2012This August, Writers in Baltimore Schools held its first sleepaway writing camp, the weeklong Baltimore Young Writers Studio. We’ve held two-day writing studios in Baltimore before, but this year, we took fourteen kids between the ages of twelve to sixteen to the woods of western Maryland for an intensive writing experience. It was a homegrown project, staffed by local writers and Teach for America dynamos, and created in the image of the writing camp that perhaps changed the direction of my young life, the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio.
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Make addiction treatment accessible
Monday, October 08, 2012The White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy last year came out with the report Epidemic: Responding to America’s Prescription Drug Abuse Crisis. Its four central recommendations focused on education, tracking and monitoring, proper medication disposal, and enforcement. This is another glaring example of our 100 years of failed drug policy. Supply reduction has not worked and will not work. If this new “crisis” is truly an epidemic, then there should be a health response to it.
