Mike Alberti

Mike Alberti has worked for Remapping Debate since its launch. He has been our chief correspondent, and is currently a senior contributing reporter.  Mike graduated with a B.A. in English from Vassar College in 2009. He has previously contributed to The Colorado Springs Independent, The Independent Weekly in Durham, N.C., and The Weekly Beat in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. He is originally from Albuquerque, N.M.

ma@remappingdebate.org
GOP advances in attempts to "repeal" climate science
Story Repair | By Mike Alberti | Environment
Votes in both houses of Congress last week demonstrate strong support for the denial of climate science, despite the sweeping scientific consensus that supports it. While some Republicans have been frank about denying the science, many other Republicans (and some Democrats) attempted to frame the votes to amend the Clean Air Act and strip the Environmental Protection Agency of its authority to regulate greenhouse gases as responses to EPA “overreaching.” In fact, the charge of overreaching appears to be largely an attempt to obscure the fact that some members of Congress are unhappy that EPA went ahead and used the authority the Supreme Court has confirmed that the Agency possesses. The charge also diverts attention from the decision made by some members of Congress that action on climate change is less important than protecting the short-term interests of local industries. More
A new deficit narrative?
Original Reporting | By Mike Alberti | Taxes
Rep. Jan Schakowsky recently proposed a new bill, the Fairness in Taxation Act, that would reduce the deficit by creating five additional marginal income tax rates for earners of more than $1 million a year. If enacted this year, the proposed bill would raise an estimated $78 billion — $17 billion more than the $61 billion that House Republicans have insisted on cutting from this year's budget — and would do so without cutting funding for popular programs. The proposal is part of Schakowsky’s attempt to change the focus of the deficit conversation from cutting programs to preserving them. More
If it's broke, why not fix it?
Original Reporting | By Mike Alberti | State government, Urban Policy
For several decades, economists and good-government advocates (as well as some state officials) have pointed to New Jersey’s fragmented system of 566 municipal governments (in addition to separate school districts and county governments) as a key source of the state’s fiscal problems and high property taxes. In 2007, the state finally created a consolidation commission — modeled in part after the successful federal defense base closure commission — in order to change the status quo. But, ironically, New Jersey’s commission has had its work stalled through defunding imposed by consolidation-supporting Gov. Chris Christie. More
Passing new bucks?
Original Reporting | By Mike Alberti | Budget deficit, Economy, Taxes
Some New Jersey towns and cities will hold referendums next month to put a difficult question directly to local voters: raise property taxes above a recently-enacted, state-mandated two percent cap...or continue to cut services to make ends meet. While Gov. Chris Christie has placed the blame for rising costs and taxes squarely on the municipalities, some local officials point out that it is state policy that forces them to rely on property taxes in the first place, and effectively ties their hands in regard to alternative potential sources of revenue. More
Recruitment of foreign physicians: a zero-sum equation?
Original Reporting | By Mike Alberti | Health care, Medicine
Increasing U.S. dependence on foreign doctors to address the physician shortage strikes some as a cheap and easy solution. But while concerns about the quality of those doctors might be addressed, others point out that the U.S. already relies heavily on foreign doctors, and question the ethics of that policy. And there is another issue: will a "temporary" solution have the potential to harden into a permanent arrangement? More
Unintended consequences: Chamber report shows that “good” for business may be bad for people
Story Repair | By Mike Alberti | Economy
A new Chamber of Commerce report gives states good grades for not having employment regulations that go beyond minimum federal standards. It turns out that the Chamber's “good” for business ratings routinely went to states that fared poorly on measures of social well-being, and that its “poor” for business ratings routinely went to states that fared well on measures of social well-being. More
Nurses to the rescue?
Original Reporting | By Mike Alberti | Health care, Medicine
With little action being taken to deal with an increasing shortage of physicians, some say that expanding the scope-of-practice of advanced practice nurses can help fill the gap. Others insist that, in the long-term, the U.S. needs to ramp up production of both doctors and nurses. More
Warnings of doctor shortage go unheeded
Original Reporting | By Mike Alberti | Aging, Health care, Medicine
Despite a looming public health crisis, lawmakers have yet to seriously address the problem of physician supply. And because it takes a long time to train a doctor, the window to act is closing fast. More

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