In a September 17 report on National Public Radio, Kansas’ Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a Republican, defended new voter identification laws because they “protect the integrity of our elections and ensure that in those rare cases, elections are not stolen.” Democrats throughout Kansas (and Texas, which recently passed its own voter ID law) argued […]
Category: Politics and Governance
Move over, Arizona – Alabama now holds the dubious honor of having the toughest immigration law on the books in the United States today. Alabama isn’t the only state passing legislation similar to Arizona’s notorious Senate Bill 1070. Georgia, Indiana and Utah have all passed similar laws, but none of their laws stand up to […]
As the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 effectively came to an end in September of this year, many have begun to take stock of the massive stimulus package. Much has been said of its positive attributes a la job creation, infrastructure improvement and housing market stability by the administration and its proponents. Those […]
From its inception, the “Occupy Wall Street” movement was attacked on all sides for a lack of clear goals and subsequent policy prescriptions. It’s as if pundits expected a succinct public affairs memo: 12 point font, 1-inch margins and clear policy recommendations to ease whatever woes have beset those who participate in the movement. As […]
If the president wants to win reelection, he needs to pass his jobs and debt bills. And by that I mean they need to fail. Since his election in 2008, the Republican Party has routinely come out against nearly everything the president has championed through Congress. Even when the president proposes policy ideas that […]
In the 1973, as U.S. involvement in Vietnam ended and the truth behind the Watergate scandal unfolded, journalists in America had a revelation; relentlessly questioning the actions of government leaders was an essential part of their role, as was preserving the integrity of the political environment. In the years following the tragedy of September […]
Austin needs public officials who can understand and base their decisions upon statistics. Austin also needs money, lots of money. Austin City Council planned to generate $3 million by extending parking meters downtown until midnight Monday through Saturday. Currently, parking is free after 5:30 pm on weekdays and all day Saturday and Sunday. The […]
There is something watching you. It can access your bank records, your credit records, who you texted on your cell phone, whether or not you are vaccinated … all without your knowledge. It isn’t an identity thief searching through your garbage, it is a highly sophisticated federally funded data center called a Fusion Center. […]
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Leadership in America
The January 8 shooting in Arizona was a tragedy. A democratic society cannot condone political violence, and all sides of the political spectrum quickly condemned the attack. Yet, instead of uniting people, this event had a polarizing effect on a nation struggling to reach a political consensus on a just about every issue. The […]
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” I remember clearly reading the First Amendment on the building […]