Tiger GPS: Government and Public Service Blog

A NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION by Lori Dickes

Dear MPA Friends, As we celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this month and all of those who fought for civil rights before him and continue to fight against inequities today, I hope you will reflect on opportunities to choose inclusiveness in your professional and personal life. I read a book recently […]

LEGISLATION DOESN’T CHANGE HEARTS by Tracy Cooper-Harris

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) became a policy maker for same sex marriage (SSM) in 2015.  In a split 5-4 decision in Obergefell v Hodges, SCOTUS ruled that the remaining sections of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which gave states the choice to honor or perform SSMs, were unconstitutional. Obergefell followed Windsor v USA, which […]

REMEMBERING MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. by Robert J. Pape, Jr.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”  So were the immortal words of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as he envisioned the dream of our nation. […]

AS SCIENCE PROGRESSES, DOES THE LEGISLATION? by Sarah Martin

Advances in environmental science over the twentieth century are what have pushed our environmental policies forward. Measurement methods and an increased understanding of matter, particles, and substances led to federal regulations of air quality; these regulations are still politically-debated as scientists continue to discover causes of air pollution from our daily activities. The Clean Air […]

MAKING THE GRADE by Perryn Freeman

In the last weeks of 2018, the South Carolina Department of Education released report cards for the public schools as required by state and federal law. These grades are meant to reflect how the school is performing and areas of improvement. These report cards in theory are a tool to see how schools are doing […]