Political Equinox

Today at 10 AM Chris Wright, Tyler Platt (two of my high school friends) and I will begin an 8 hour drive out to Des Moines to immerse ourselves in the last few days of the Iowa Caucus.

The stakes are high: Iowa will provide two candidates, one from each of the major political parties with momentum going into the nation’s first primaries and will most likely prove to spell the death knell for others. The battle is even more intense this year as Iowa on both sides is anybody’s game - there is a three way race on the Democratic side and a two way race for the …

Tags: Barack Obama, IRS, president, republican, The Caucus

Back in 2005 Congress quietly passed the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief, 2005. Quite a mouthful there. But the real meat comes in Division B entitled “REAL ID Act of 2005.”

The REAL ID Act establishes federal standards for all state-issued drivers license cards. Each card will be issued a national identification number and contain “common machine-readable technology.” According to author and activist Katherine Albrecht these machine-readable technologies, commonly known as RFID chips can be used as tracking devices. While I’m not much for these “Big Brother is watching” conspiracy theories Ron Paul seems to pump out (Yes, he is associated with battling this one.), the law very clearly states what is …

Tags: Congress, Democrats, homeland security, IRS, michigan, privacy, real id act, ron paul

The Issue: In today’s New York Times there was an interesting article regarding Harvard University’s change in the way they distribute financial aid. They have decided to “…expand financial aid to students from families earning as much as $180,000 a year” which would include many middle and upper middle class families. Harvard, as a leader in financial aid practices, has already inspired other institutions to follow their lead. Some believe this is fortunate for the US postsecondary system, as it would expand financial access to elite private institutions, not just to the wealthiest and to the poorest that already receive significant “need based” financial aid.

Many colleges and universities feel they would not be able to provide that much financial …

Tags: financial, income tax, Middle Class, New York Times

Imperial Life in the Emerald City
By Rajiv Chandrasekaran
Understanding the full ramifications of the Iraqi invasion, occupation and insurgency that has become ever so potent in the aftermath of Saddam’s fall will take years and good retrospective analysis to fully grasp. Nevertheless, Mr. Chandrasekaran’s book is an excellent start.
Mr. Chandrasekaran documents the effort and ultimate colossal failure of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) to lay the foundation of a successful and democratic Iraq. Although their job would be monumental even under the best …

Tags: Bush, finance, financial, foreign policy, president

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About the Editors

You can read the full biographies about the editors on the About page.

Patrick McAlister is sophomore at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, IN. He politically tends to lean towards the left; he believes in an emphasis on strong public education, equal protection under the law, and helping those in need. He is also, however, a strong proponent for government efficiency and strongly dislikes government excess and waste.

Neil Kelty is senior at Carroll High School. Republican values tend to dominate his political leanings embracing lower, simpler taxes and smaller government, in terms of efficiency. Neil is also strong …

Tags: republican, taxes