Author: TheConversation

By Christopher Beem, Managing Director of the McCourtney Institute of Democracy, Co-host of Democracy Works Podcast, Pennsylvania State University “When the rich rob the poor, it’s called business. When the poor fight back it’s called violence.” – Mark Twain In Wisconsin, Democratic candidates won the 2018 elections for governor and attorney general. But the Republican-controlled legislature quickly introduced and passed lame-duck legislation that takes power away from these incoming officeholders and hands it to the state legislature, which will remain in GOP control. Outgoing Republican Governor Scott Walker signed these bills into law on December 14. The Wisconsin GOP’s...

By Lisa Bitel, Professor of History & Religion, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Santa has several aliases, depending on the part of the world you live in. The English call him Father Christmas, the French know him as Père Noël, and Kris Kringle seems be a version of the Christkind, or Christ Child, who leaves treats for good German Lutherans. In the Netherlands, he arrives in town on a steamboat or horse from Spain. On the night of Dec. 5, Dutch children put their shoes on the hearth – these days near the central heating duct...