C-SPAN does not cover many federal appellate courts hearings. On Monday, in Perry v. Schwarzenegger, the case involving the constitutionality of California’s voter-approved Prop 8, the cable public service provider made a not-at-all surprising exception. Before a three-judge panel in a San Francisco courthouse, defenders of traditional marriage squared off against proponents of inventing a new federal constitutional right to marry a person of the same sex. The goal of the same-sex marriage proponents is to make history; the goal of traditional marriage proponents is to preserve a core institution …
A recent Reuters article on Chinese health care points to a problem endemic in much of the developing world: a massive shortage of trained health care workers. China’s problem is unique in that it has the money for equipment, and is supplying top-notch tools and clinics, but as it considers spreading health care coverage to its rural areas, it does not have enough skilled technicians and doctors to work the equipment and run the clinics. A man whose company trains rural doctors says, “The single biggest issue today is still …
With cap and trade out of the realm of possibilities, Members of Congress have turned their attention to mandating so-called clean energy. Some Members hoped for a lame duck vote on a renewable electricity standard (RES), which would require that a certain percentage of our nation’s electricity production come from wind, solar, biomass, and other government-picked renewable energies. With that looking less likely, Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu mentioned a clean energy standard that includes other carbon-free sources of energy as a possible compromise between Democrats and Republicans next …
In an article entitled “Waiting for ‘Superman’, Spiderman, Batman and the Whole Education Justice League,” Sajan George outlines one of the major problems for one-size-fits-all public education: How exactly do we replicate the results of a few excellent teachers all over the nation? The real question is how do we create a scalable superhero-making machine? The simple answer is we can’t. George, who designs hybrid online learning schools, argues that virtual education is one potential solution to the problem of “scaling up” excellent education to fit the needs of each …
No one is more familiar with the health care system than doctors. So what do they have to say about Obamacare? Nothing good, according to a recent survey. The Physicians Foundation found that “rather than a sign of progress, the survey suggests that most physicians view health reform as a further erosion of the unfavorable conditions with which they must contend.” Furthermore, Obamacare “has further disengaged doctors from their profession, with potentially negative consequences for both the medical profession and for the quality and accessibility of medical care in the …
The bilateral arms control treaty between the United States and Russia, known as New START, has critical implications for the security of the U.S. and its allies. In a recent article, Senator John Barrasso (R–WY) addresses concerns regarding the treaty. They include limits on U.S. missile defense capabilities, a weak verification regime, and an outdated view of the world that embraces the paradigm of the Cold War by focusing only on Russia with its porous limits on nuclear warheads, delivery vehicles, and inspection regimes instead of looking at the new …
On December 7, 1941 the United States of America was attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. Pearl Harbor, Hawaii counted 2,390 Americans dead and 1,282 wounded. Eight battleships, three destroyers, three cruisers and one minelayer were destroyed along with 188 aircraft. Most of us were not alive then yet we can understand how they felt. We experienced something similar on September 11, 2001. Our job is to remember and never forget that evil men hate the goodness of America. They always have and they always …
The New START Treaty is promoted by the Obama Administration as a means toward a reduction of nuclear weapons.The Treaty is fatally flawed within the four corners of the document and in a side agreement to dismantle missile defense in consideration for Russia’s signature. And now the Obama Administration and allies in the House and Senate have inserted a position in a draft of the Continuing Resolution to condition money for nuclear modernization on ratification of the Treaty. The Continuing Resolution is the appropriations bill that will keep the government …
Last night, President Barack Obama emerged from negotiations with Congressional Republicans and told the American people: “For the past few weeks there’s been a lot of talk around Washington about taxes and there’s been a lot of political positioning between the two parties. But around kitchen tables, Americans are asking just one question: Are we going to allow their taxes to go up on January 1st, or will we meet our responsibilities to resolve our differences and do what’s necessary to speed up the recovery and get people back to …
Maybe it’s the holiday season, but if the reports are true President Obama and congressional Republicans have reached a compromise on extending the Bush tax cuts that gives taxpayers and the economy a wondrous gift. While details are sketchy and ever-so-important, President Obama announced he has agreed to extend all the Bush tax cuts for two years, through 2012. The necessity of economic growth trumped the ideology of redistributionism, though the President did take plenty of jabs at the wealthiest Americans. The compromise also includes the unfortunate resurrection of the …
