Why States Can Lead America Forward

Pursuing Progressive Policies on the State Level Can Move the Dial on Major Issues Like Citizenship, Immigration, and Health Care

American states, conventionally seen as threats to Americans’ constitutional rights, also can be powerful forces for protecting and extending rights in ways that benefit the whole country, said panelists at a Zócalo/Center for Social Innovation virtual event yesterday titled “Are American States Better at Protecting Human Rights Than the U.S. Government?”

The discussion dug deep into the complexities, contradictions, and cross-pressures of American federalism, and how states and the federal government push and pull each other on citizenship, immigration, and health care. While noting all the ways that states have infringed …

Should We Embrace Our Divisions to Build a Better America? | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

Should We Embrace Our Divisions to Build a Better America?

Rather Than Chase National Unity, Our Best Hope for Protecting Our Rights and Building a Better Future Lies at the State Level

Do you trust your state more than the U.S. government? Do you dream of California independence? Does breaking the U.S. into regional republics intrigue you?

Then you might be a …

Could The Politicians’ #Calexit Fantasy Bring Real Change?  | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

Could The Politician‘s #Calexit Fantasy Bring Real Change? 

The Golden State Should Write a Fairer, More Equal American Constitution for the 21st Century

“Go to my website or use the hashtag #LetsGetTheCalOuttaHere,” shouts Gwyneth Paltrow in the Netflix series The Politician. Running for governor on a promise to lead California’s secession from the …

Forget North and South Korea. California and Texas Really Need a Peace Summit.

To Keep the American Republic Together, Its Two Biggest States Must Learn How to Agree to Disagree

To: Governor Jerry Brown of California and Governor Greg Abbott of Texas

From: Joe Mathews

Re: Summit

If North and South Korea can have a peace summit, why can’t California and Texas do …