“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 […]
Brazilian poverty is a familiar subject to many of us. Images of the favelas or massive slums surrounding Brazil’s major cities have reached us one way or the other, whether through movies, newspapers or some other route. According to the World Development Indicators, the top 10% of Brazilians hold 43% of the income, while the […]
Not long ago, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist put the last nail in his GOP-Senatorial campaign coffin by vetoing state legislation that would have implemented wide-ranging teacher performance pay. Crist said the bill was “rushed through” and contained “significant flaws;” under the proposed legislation, Florida teachers’ pay would have been tied directly to student performance on […]
Watching the Gulf oil spill unfold this past week has been surreal. Almost on cue, we have a coal mining disaster and catastrophic oil spill occur as we begin to ramp up climate and energy legislation talks. You can bet that these two disasters will shape the role of carbon-based fuels in this country moving […]
The energy and climate baton has been held by the Senate since last June, after the House passed their bill (H.R. 2454). Over the past several months, this baton has been carried by three senators: Lieberman – an Independent from Connecticut Kerry – a Democrat from Massachusetts (also the home state of Representative Markey, a […]
To those who have a heart for military service, those who can handle the ever-changing, ever-demanding lifestyle, and those who can embrace the risks and rewards of today’s U.S. military, we should award respect. In the spirit of this honor and respect, full and equal military benefits should be extended to families of homosexual servicemen and […]
Carbon capture and sequestration technology is absolutely necessary to stave off the worst effects of climate change because it’s the only way to use fossil fuels for power generation without emitting colossal quantities of carbon dioxide into the air. Moreover, CCS technology is ready for large-scale demonstration today; implementing government incentives for CCS will help […]
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Thirsty Texas
Mark Twain allegedly once said, “Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting over.” While Mark Twain was a Missourian, his words also ring true for Texans. And boy, do we fight over water. Water makes frequent appearances in Texas Supreme Court trials about rights to pump groundwater and flooding due to construction and the […]