EMPLOYMENT, RACE AND THE LAW

The Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 in favor of 18 white firefighters, determining that the city of New Haven wrongly threw out the results of an exam in which minority firefighters fared poorly. The ruling overturned the appeals court decision that Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor supported. But some say it’s now not clear how or when employers should consider race in hiring and promotions. To learn more, see our Choicework guide to affirmative action.

 
 

The Citizen's Survival Kit

The Economy:
Keeping Up
and Getting
Ahead
Iraq and Beyond:
Staying Safe in
a Dangerous
World
Health Care:
Your Money
or Your
Life
Taxes, Spending and Debt:
Has the Bill
Arrived?
Immigration:
Who Gets to
Come, Who
Gets to Stay
Climate Change:
Is it Getting
Warm in
Here?

 
 

OUR FAVORITE POLITICAL MOVIES

It's hard to top the drama of the times we're in – with enormous decisions facing the White House and Congress – but sometimes we find inspiration in the movies. From scandals to dreams and tears to laughs – we love the way movies let us look at real issues through new eyes. Check out our list of favorites, then log on and add your own picks to the list.

 
 

Get Widgets! Great Tools For Active Citizens

Being an active part of our democracy means keeping informed about the challenges facing our nation, discussing them with others, and telling our elected officials and other leaders how you feel about the issues and what you'd like them to do. Our nonpartisan Citizen's Survival Kit helps you get the job done. Here's a little more help: handy free fact-based, nonpartisan widgets you can put onto your own web site.

OpenCongress
This widget, from OpenCongress.org, helps you keep track of what's going on in Congress.


You Decide
There's a lot at stake for the new president and Congress - and a lot to debate. This widget, from KQED, asks people to take a position on a issue, then argues the other side – a nonpartisan way to help voters think about the choices involved in proposed solutions to public policy problems.


Campaign Cash Counters
Here it comes: the 111th Congress, which begins on January 3rd, 2009. What did it take, money-wise, for these men and women to win or hang on to their seats? These OpenSecrets.org widgets track election spending by candidate, political party and issue.


The National Debt Clock
The National Debt Clock, from FacingUp.org, an initiative of which Public Agenda is a partner, updates constantly to show the current amount owed by Uncle Sam and his taxpayers (you, me, and if nothing is done, our children and grandchildren).


What's On The Front Page?
This widget, from NewspaperIndex.com, displays the front pages of U.S. newspapers - a different newspaper each time the widget is loaded – each newspaper chosen at random.


Google's Historical Elections Map
A cool map that can be embedded on your web site or blog which shows voting trends, including demographic breakdowns, for presidential elections going back to 1980.


Presidential Money Race
This widget, from MAPLight.org, can tell you who backed who, in terms of fundraising, in the presidential race.