Archive for the ‘Domestic Policy’ Category

A Rush to the Middle… Class

It’s the speech the White House Communications Office spends a year writing, and the news media spends a couple days dissecting.  It was important enough that the Framers mandated that the president “shall, from time to time, give to the Congress information of the state of the union, and recommend...
January 28th, 2010 | Conservative/Liberal, Democrats, Domestic Policy, Economy, Politics | Read More

Political Science: BPA and the FDA

The FDA will soon release its latest findings on the plastic-strengthening chemical, bisphenol A (BPA).  As I’ve written before, BPA’s supposed health risks have been highly publicized to the benefit of both businessmen and politicians—so much to their benefit, in fact, that it would be hard to...
January 7th, 2010 | Culture, Domestic Policy, Politics, Science | Read More

Rural Studies and the Death of Main Street

The small towns of America’s heartland are becoming an endangered species, argue researchers Patrick J. Carr and Maria J. Kefalas in Hollowing Out the Middle: The Rural Brain Drain and What It Means for America—a lengthy title for a slim and troubling ethnography. In a nation where urban studies...
January 6th, 2010 | Book Reviews, Culture, Domestic Policy, Education, Family Issues, Heritage & History | Read More

Regulating Rumors: The BPA-Free Kids Act

Senator Charles Schumer cares a lot about the milk your children drink- why else would he want to make sure you to buy only the most expensive baby bottles and sippy cups on the market? I’ve written before (here and here) about the BPA controversies – now, thanks to Senator Schumer,...
November 24th, 2009 | Culture, Domestic Policy, Family Issues, Other, Politics, Science | Read More

California Air Resources Board & Cool Glass

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is about to pass legislation intended to reduce heat in automobiles by requiring automakers to use metallic reflective window glazing on “rigid windows.”  Curiosity naturally prompts one to wonder why legislators in California are desirous of the...
November 7th, 2009 | Domestic Policy | Read More

A Conservative Argument From Principle Against Universal Healthcare

The nature of the current debate surrounding the implementation of universal healthcare in America is troubling because it is comprised almost entirely of pragmatic arguments void of concern for the principles behind the project.  Before one asks how much a thing will cost, how it will be organized,...
September 23rd, 2009 | Domestic Policy | Read More

No On David Michaels: A Chance to End the Sale of Science

When scientific evidence becomes a commodity, it is cheapened and easily misused, making it difficult for anyone to sort life-saving facts from fiction.  Remember this story about the “scientifically based” scare tactics used to market Bisphenol A -free plastics?  Thanks to the efforts...
September 8th, 2009 | Domestic Policy, Other, Politics | Read More

Red Herring: A Summer Speciality

If you are at all familiar with film and cult classics, you’ve probably seen the 1985 film, Clue, which features multiple endings and one consistent red herring (Communism).  Those willing to learn from pop culture may learn a lesson from the film: regardless of the motives and the outcomes of the...
August 3rd, 2009 | Domestic Policy, Politics | Read More

Proposal: The Ensured Family Health and Disease Prevention Act

President Obama: Finally we have a President that wants to actually protect wellness of citizens and immigrants. I am pleased to see your progress towards nationalized health care despite harsh criticism. Much of this criticism noticeably concerns money. What kind of person would put money above life? You...
June 29th, 2009 | Domestic Policy, Outtakes, Politics | Read More

An Exciting Day for the Judicial Branch

This morning dawned with the Obama administration’s announcement of his nominee for Justice Souter’s replacement.  The well-managed leaks from the West Wing made sure Sonia Sotomayor’s name was already familiar in the press, but commentators have found plenty to discuss on air anyway.  It seems...
May 27th, 2009 | Domestic Policy, Family Issues, Grand Schemes and Government, RML, Rights Reason & Religion | Read More