The Millennial Democracy

Education reform in the United States has followed similar trends over the last twenty years or so. Back in 2001, the No Child Left Behind Act, advocated for by the George W. Bush administration, was passed through both chambers of the legislature and signed by the President. Based on the claim he'd overseen a "Texas Miracle" as the namesake state's governor, Bush upheld if every student between the 3rd and 8th grades were annually tested, with high-performing schools rewarded and low-performing schools penalized, the nation would see test scores increase, teacher performance rebound and graduation rates soar. Under this new education regime, America would supposedly undergo a massive investment into underprivileged children by giving teachers and school districts the motivation they needed to perform. In 2009, President Barack Obama's "Race to the Top" initiative doubled down on the concepts implemented during the Bush years with a new round of $5 billi...

In 1949, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of the United States implemented a policy regarding broadcast media known as the Fairness Doctrine. This policy required companies and individuals with broadcast licenses for radio or television to present controversial issues of public importance, and to do so in a manner which fairly showed differing viewpoints and opinions. All news stations and radio shows across the country were required to discuss current affairs deemed important to the American public, and they needed to present their coverage in a non-partisan, level-headed way. This policy tended to keep news reporting around the nation rather 'boring', notably steering coverage away from opinion or talk shows and towards news segments, public affairs shows or editorials. Yet, this was perhaps the greatest era of journalism in American history. News outlets under the Fairness Doctrine eventually gave us an industry which was likely the closest we've ever come to ...