Here are some totally random links I stumbled upon this week that I thought may be of interest. Have a great weekend!

First, this essay by Alec Karakatsanis tells a story that deserves more notice. You may have heard about the discriminatory nature of mandatory minimum penalties for possession of crack cocaine, which were much higher than the penalties for possession of powder cocaine. In 2010, the Fair Sentencing Act sought to remedy these sentencing disparities to some extent, but now the Justice Department is seeking to overturn a recent decision that would retroactively apply the Fair Sentencing Act to inmates who were sentenced under the old discriminatory laws. The Justice Department’s decision is depressing, but what is perhaps even more depressing is that this incredible injustice has received so little attention.

I also just found Michael Huemer’s new TED talk. Check it out before the symposium for some background about his ideas on morality and moral progress.

Next up, you are probably sick of hearing about politicians’ sex lives, but this is a great take on the issue.  The author, Meliza Petro, is a former sex worker who lost her job as a schoolteacher when she wrote about working as a craigslist escort. Petro now writes, “I would be fine with Spitzer’s return to politics if sex workers were allowed the same dignity of returning to normalcy.” Her article is a reminder of the sexist double standards at work in these recent scandals.

Finally, it turns out that the people who will be enforcing the coverage requirements of the ACA quite reasonably do not want to be included in the exchanges. The IRS employees’ union officials are encouraging members to advocate against proposed legislation that would push federal employees into the insurance exchanges established by the Affordable Care Act. When the ACA passed, proponents of the Act argued that the exchanges would be a good alternative to employer-provided coverage. Turns out not so much?