For more information, please contact:
Gwen Osborne, director of public affairs, (312) 906-5251
ADVISORY TO PRODUCERS, COLUMNISTS, AND ASSIGNMENT, LEGAL, BUSINESS, POLITICAL, INTERNATIONAL, SPORTS, PLANNING, CITY DESK, FEATURES AND DAYBOOK EDITORS
CHICAGO–January 15, 2009–Chicago-Kent College of Law and Stuart School of Business have experts available to discuss current issues. To reach experts on IIT's Downtown Campus, please call Gwen Osborne, director of public affairs, (312) 906-5251. Press releases and earlier advisories are available on our Web site: www.kentlaw.edu/news/advisory.
President George W. Bush will deliver his farewell address to the nation this evening. It will be his last scheduled public address before he leaves office January 20. Faculty from Chicago-Kent College of Law and Stuart School of Business are available for interviews about the 43rd president and his legacy. Experts are available to discuss a variety of topics, including Bush v. Gore, the "War on Terror" and the economy.
The four experts who are quoted below have shared their opinions about the Bush legacy as it relates to the environment, sports, technology, Wall Street and women's issues. All are available for additional comment.
"As Bush leaves office, the unemployment rate is as high as it has been since 1945, and we are in the midst of an unprecedented financial crisis, marking the close of what might be understood as the second gilded age," says Chicago-Kent professor Felice Batlan. "The policies of the Bush administration demonstrate the failure of the powerful neo-liberal movement for deregulation and privatization that began with the Reagan presidency. As we have seen, the idea that Wall Street and the financial markets can adequately regulate themselves has proven resoundingly incorrect. Hit by a multitude of scandals, including Enron, WorldCom, Tyco and most recently Madoff, it is clear that regulatory agencies that were created after the Great Depression have not adequately protected investors. Moreover, complex financial instruments, such as derivates, and large market actors, such as hedge funds, remain unregulated." Professor Batlan, who teaches corporate law and securities regulation, was an adviser to the Securities and Exchange Commission's historical society.
"The eight years of the Bush legacy are characterized by the transition to the 21st century and the establishment of fundamental trends. In the U.S. and globally, there have been tremendous successes in the evolution of technologies, such as the Internet, medical devices and genetics, nanotechnology and wireless. In these past eight years, by allowing the free markets to operate, the world has become much more connected: globalization is now irreversible," says Professor Eliezer Geisler, director of Stuart School of Business' Center for the Management of Medical Technology.
"Few, if any, gains have been made by women as a group during the Bush years. Two-thirds of minimum wage workers and below-minimum wage workers are women. Of the 37 million Americans who live in poverty, 27 million are women. In the last eight years, welfare safety nets have continued to disappear, having the greatest impact on women and children," says Chicago-Kent professor Felice Batlan. "Current statistics also indicate that the subprime crisis has disproportionately affected minority women. In addition, during the Bush administration the EEOC has not vigorously enforced anti-discrimination laws. Likewise, the Supreme Court issued a number of decisions which have made it more difficult for women to bring employment discrimination suits. Women's reproductive rights also continue to be eroded as demonstrated by the Supreme Court upholding a federal law prohibiting certain types of abortions. One area in which women have made gains is in the military. Although it remains policy that women are not allowed to hold combat positions, the nature of the Iraq/Afghanistan War has blurred the concept of the front line and women veterans have performed valiantly." Professor Batlan is available for interviews.
"President Bush made a critical error relative to the environment and energy. In his first term, he developed an energy policy by a committee chaired by Vice President Dick Cheney. The members of the committee were primarily executives from the energy, i.e., oil, industry. No wonder the energy policy had deficiencies," says Professor George P. Nassos, director of Stuart School of Business' Center for Sustainable Enterprise and its Environmental Management Program.
"Sports and politics have crossed paths many times before. Other presidents--especially Kennedy, Nixon, Ford and Reagan--showed an interest in sports, but President George W. Bush came to the White House with direct ties to major league baseball as the former co-owner of the Texas Rangers. President Bush directly set the stage for the steroid wars on Capitol Hill and ensured Congressional hearings when he purposely mandated steroid reform at all levels of sports--from high school to the pros--during his 2004 State of the Union address," says sports attorney and Chicago-Kent adjunct professor Eldon L. Ham. Professor Ham is the author of Larceny & Old Leather: The Mischievous Legacy of Major League Baseball and The 100 Greatest Sports Blunders of All Time. He is available for interviews.
Downtown Campus experts are available for interviews about a variety of issues, including:
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