D.C. Council Runs Amok as Members Run for Office
Four members of the D.C. Council are running in the Democratic primary and one Independent is raising money and announced he is exploring a run for Mayor. They all want to challenge incumbent Mayor...
View ArticleMeet Your Plutocrats!
America's youngest female billionaire didn't build an empire, but instead did what many American billionaires do: Lynsi Torres was born into the right family. Her grandfather founded In-N-Out Burger in...
View ArticleTokers React to High-Priced Legal Marijuana Sales in Colorado
By Russ Belville When the first legal marijuana sales in America began January 1 in Colorado, Facebook and Twitter lit up with posts by excited tokers showing their sales receipts for their first legal...
View ArticleNew York Governor To Announce Plans To Legalize Medical Marijuana
It's been reported that New York's Governor Cuomo has a strategy to use executive action rather than legislative to bring the legal use of marijuana for medical dedications to his republic. Governor...
View ArticleThe Hyper-tight-collars and Weed
This is a response to the David Brooks column Been There. Done That. (Link); a meditation of the moral frame work of marijuana laws. He needs to think harder. The hyper-tight-collars (I was going to...
View ArticleImmigration Reform Is Counting on House Republicans More Than Ever in 2014
When Republican Mel Martinez abruptly resigned from his position as Chair of the RNC and subsequently his seat in the Senate in 2007, many speculated it was over the tone of the immigration debate...
View ArticleWhere Mayor de Blasio Can Find Some Real Money
It is likely that the Financial Plan Mayor Bill de Blasio is scheduled to release in February will significantly increase municipal spending beyond the amounts previously planned by the Bloomberg...
View ArticleAmerica's Joblessness Crisis
As many unemployed Americans have faced their unemployment insurance benefits being cut over the past few weeks, questions are arising as to why the unemployment numbers seem to be declining, yet polls...
View ArticleWhat You Need to Know About Filing the FAFSA
Happy New Year! It's that time of year again when families that have a child starting college this coming fall need to complete their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Don't make the...
View ArticleSustainable City Building
Getting a glimpse of Yangon's new urban planning infrastructure was an eye opener to me. They had brought in Japanese contractors and financiers who had adopted a copy-paste approach to rebuilding...
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Stamping Out Dark Money
"Who are the men, who really run this land? Why do they run it with such a thoughtless hand?" Crosby, Stills, & Nash have been singing this song for many, many years now, and we've had enough. With...
View ArticleChris Christie Got 51 percent of the Hispanic Vote: So What?
One of the most striking political statistics in 2013 was Chris Christie's 51 percent share of the Hispanic vote in November's New Jersey gubernatorial election. While Christie was expected to easily...
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The Roads to Same-Sex Marriage
Reformers often argue about how conducive our system is to social change. Some claim that U.S.-style federalism promotes reform by enabling local majorities to enact their preferences. Others assert...
View ArticlePolitical Predictions for California and the Bay Area in 2014
In 2014, California ballot initiatives could boost progressive change and the June and November ballots feature intriguing races for state offices. Oakland tries again to elect an effective mayor, and...
View ArticleIsraeli Extremists Gear Up to Oppose Kerry Peace Initiative
Naftali Bennett, the leader of the hardline "Jewish Home" Party, who is Israel's Economics Minister, made a significant speech today which tells us how serious the peace negotiations being pushed by...
View ArticleHow Will 'Made in America' Fare in 2014?
This week, two new data sets will tell us just how well "Made in America" is doing as we begin 2014. Today, the Department of Commerce released international trade data for November. And, on Friday,...
View ArticleHow to End Brazil's Homicide Epidemic
Co-authored by Daniel Mack* As Brazilians hastily prepare for the 2014 World Cup, there is one competition the country has already won by a landslide: homicides. Almost one out of every ten people...
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Make 2014 the Year to Pass Well-Written 911 Good Samaritan Overdose Laws
Let 2014 be the year that we revise current 911 Good Samaritan Overdose Laws and expand the Delaware 911 Good Samaritan Overdose Law into every state. Passing well-written 911 Good Samaritan Overdose...
View ArticleThe Politics of Interim, Confidence Building Agreements
In recent weeks we have seen two agreements between distrusting parties. Neither the budget agreement between Democrats and Republicans about funding the U.S. Government, nor the agreement between Iran...
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