There’s something different about modern space policy. For the past 40 or so years, space related headlines tended to revolve around yet another shuttle mission, or perhaps pictures from a telescope or probe. Yet, in the last few years, everything seems to have changed. SpaceX and other private companies are the face of space exploration, […]
Tag: President Obama
The Modern American Colony: Puerto Rico
“TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION.” The three-word political slogan at the forefront of the American Revolution and the foundation of our “democratic-republic.” Although the history of “taxation without representation” seems ancient and distant, for Puerto Ricans, it’s a political reality. Many Americans are unaware or confused about what Puerto Rico is in relation to the United States. […]
Stuck in Limbo: Asylum Seekers in Nauru Unsure of Their Fate Under President Trump
Nauru, the world’s smallest republic which lies about 1800 miles off the coast of Australia, has recently been in the spotlight because of President Donald Trump’s and Australian Prime Minister’s Malcolm Turnbull’s well-publicized phone call. The week after Trump issued his executive order, which banned travel by non-citizens from 7 Muslim majority countries and all […]
“Buyer’s Remorse”: Will Congress Regret Overriding President Obama’s Veto on Saudi Arabia Bill?
On Wednesday, Congress overrode President Obama’s veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JUSTA), the first veto override of Obama’s presidency. The vote in the Senate was 97-1 in favor (with only retiring Minority Leader Harry Reid voting against it) and 348-77 in favor in the House, well surpassing the ⅔ votes needed. […]
The State of Affairs in Congress: In the Era of Hyperpolarization, Embrace Bipartisanship or Fail
As the 2016 US primary season nears its end, so too does the current session of Congress. Both houses will be off for half of July for the Democratic and Republican conventions, as well as for most of August and October. A RealClearPolitics average of congressional approval polls from the last month shows only 14.5% of […]
The Truth on ObamaCare
Throughout the Obama administration, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has undoubtedly sparked controversy between both sides of the political aisle, becoming arguably the most contentious piece of legislation in recent history. Liberals tout its overwhelming success in lowering the uninsured rate in America, while conservatives disdainfully dismisses the act on ideological grounds, balking at the […]
Barriers to Improving Our Crumbling Infrastructure
Amidst the political issues of gun control, immigration policy, and economic crises consistently dominating national headlines, the topic of fixing America’s broken infrastructure continues to be crowded out by the media’s agenda, ignoring an important problem that should be addressed more persistently. Unlike many other debatable issues, fixing our crumbling infrastructure should not be and […]
The Critical Need to Enact Gun Control
This is one part of the larger debate on gun control in the U.S. The opposing article can be found here. Infuriating political stalemate aside, Congress must act to bring about gun control legislation. The current trajectory of federal inaction in the wake of a record number of gun-related massacres suggests the likelihood that it […]
The Controversy Around Hillary
Hillary Rodham Clinton. One would be hard-pressed to find someone who didn’t know the name. Hillary—spelled with two l’s—Clinton made a name for herself first at Wellesley College where she became the first student to deliver a commencement address in 1969. The speech was so great, it received a standing ovation and was reprinted in […]
AUMF 2015 and the War on ISIL
There is a common refrain in American politics when politicians discuss taking military action in foreign countries. “[insert country of interest here] is going to be another Afghanistan… another Iraq… another Vietnam.” In Vietnam, what began with light air support and humanitarian aid lead to deployment of “advisors,” who invariably were involved in firefights, escalating […]