Debating holds a storied place in the American political tradition. The Lincoln-Douglas debates between two Senate candidates in Illinois in 1858 made a household name out of a one-term congressman, putting Abraham Lincoln on the path to the presidency two years later. Americans have come to expect their presidential candidates to debate, with three different events the norm in recent elections. C... Read more »
The urge to explore new frontiers is a natural human characteristic. Governments have long recognized this fact and supported exploration in order to gain the benefits of knowledge, resources, and skills uncovered in the quest to go where no one has gone before. In the twentieth century, this quest took its most notable form in the Space Race as the United States and the Soviet Union competed, see... Read more »
National defense ranks among the highest priorities of the Federal Government. If you recall the words of the Constitution’s preamble, you will know that providing for the common defense is identified as one of the document’s purposes. When considering this subject, it is important that decisions be based on our long-term national interests, the resources we possess, and a clear assessment of the ... Read more »
More Coronavirus Resources for Nursing Homes As a novel coronavirus, many characteristics of COVID-19 have taken time and research to uncover. One aspect of it has been clear from the beginning, however: it poses the most danger to the elderly and people with underlying health conditions. Nursing home residents are especially vulnerable to the coronavirus as a result. They are most likely to be in... Read more »
As someone who reads every bill before I vote for it, let alone any bill I introduce myself, I would not endorse a bill before it is even written. So I was puzzled to learn that Congresswomen Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) had endorsed a bill called the BREATHE Act, which has yet to be introduced (not to be confused with an unrelated bill with the same name, H.R. 585, introduced l... Read more »
July 4 is an important date in our country’s history. It was also an important date in the lives of two notable Founding Fathers who were friends and rivals. On July 4, 1776, both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were in Philadelphia as the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. The Massachusetts lawyer Adams had been an outspoken advocate for independence from Britain... Read more »
Energy production in the United States had soared to new heights in recent years. Unfortunately, while vast swathes of the economy were devastated by the impact of the coronavirus, few have been hit as hard as the energy sector. Consumption of energy plummeted as businesses closed their doors and stay at home orders kept cars off the roads and planes on the ground. This month, the U.S. Energy Info... Read more »
Make Sure You’ve Been Counted in the Census Every ten years, the Census counts the number of people living in our country. The Constitution obligates this count, and although the 2020 Census ran into the extraordinary circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic, the count continues with adjustments. It began with an invitation to complete the Census, mailed to most households in mid-March. Household... Read more »
June 6 was the 76th anniversary of the D-Day landings, when Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe who oversaw the landings, called D-Day a “great and noble undertaking.” Indeed, it was among the greatest undertakings in history, an enormous and complex operation of men and machinery moving toward the goal of freeing Europe fro... Read more »
George Floyd Like many Americans, I am appalled by what happened to George Floyd. The officers involved in his death did not recognize his constitutional rights to due process or even his dignity as a human being. I am glad the Department of Justice is investigating. It is right and proper, and the actions by these particular police officers was disgraceful. FISA All Americans fall under the prote... Read more »
