Alan Ehrenhalt

Recent Articles

• Beware The Amnesty Binge
• Jan 1, 2003
• Amnesty and forgiveness are two different things. Amnesty is indiscriminate--the canceling of debt, obligation or penalty not out of a desire for individual justice but out of a belief that there is something to be gained by simply wiping the slate clean.

• Myths and Realities of Statehouse Power
• Dec 1, 2002
• The importance of governors lies not in their being electoral power brokers or potential presidential candidates but in making policy.

• Moving Mountains
• Dec 1, 2002
• Desperate to modernize West Virginia's economy, Governor Bob Wise is pushing business-labor collaboration.

• The School-Renewal Fallacy
• Nov 1, 2002
• "If all who are engaged in the profession of education were willing to state the facts instead of making greater promises than they can possibly fulfill, they would not be in such bad repute with the lay public."

• Tragic Official of the Year
• Oct 1, 2002
• Every year, this magazine honors people who have accomplished impressive things in state or local government.

• Taxing Smoke and Beers
• Sep 1, 2002
• You've heard it said, no doubt, that states have been a little timid this year about raising taxes to get themselves out of economic trouble. That's true--at least for those who don't smoke or drink.

• The Deadly Dangers of Daily Life
• Aug 1, 2002
• Citizens and public officials alike aren't very good at evaluating risk and making intelligent decisions about it.

• The Monkey or the Gorilla?
• Jul 1, 2002
• States are the level of government we go to because we don't expect the others to succeed.

• Urban Vision Through Corporate Ayes
• Jun 1, 2002
• Once upon a time in this country, architects did everything they could to sound like romantic poets. Generations of history students have faithfully copied down Daniel Burnham's pompous but powerful admonition to "make no little plans--they have no magic to stir men's blood."

• Back to the Future
• May 1, 2002
• Forty years ago, American society looked into the transportation future and found it thrilling. The first U.S. astronaut had orbited the earth. Preparations for a moon landing were underway.

• 'Caucusgate' in the Badger State
• Apr 1, 2002
• How's this for a juicy scandal: A state legislature sets up publicly funded caucuses to assist its majority and minority parties with legislative research and strategy.

• The Teenage Highway Slowdown
• Mar 1, 2002
• It isn't the teenagers who are the main obstacle to safer licensing laws; it's their parents.

• Meetings of the Minds
• Feb 1, 2002
• When people think about Montana, "consensus" isn't the first idea that pops into their heads. "Conflict" would be more like it. The history of Big Sky Country is filled with epic confrontations between farmers and ranchers, miners and copper companies, environmentalists and property owners.

• The Problem With Promises
• Jan 1, 2002
• Oregon has long had a reputation as a health-conscious place, so you probably won't be surprised to learn that people there don't smoke quite as much as people in the rest of the country.

• Hizzoner's Finest Hours
• Dec 1, 2001
• Since crises aren't predictable, we can only hope to have the right leader at the right moment.