Author Archive for Kerry Wakely
Gunning for Government Ganja
Another trend that is just as encouraging as the momentum toward accepting gay marriage is another classic hot button issue: the legalization of marijuana. We came close a couple of years ago in California, but discovered that outright legalization isn’t quite as accepted as limiting the drug for medical use. 16 states allow medical marijuana, [...]
Guilty Republicans?
Election season is in full swing and we’ve already endured nearly a month of back and forth controversies and accusations that one side or the other has engaged in cheap tricks. President Obama politicized the death of the world’s most notorious terrorist (at least until Kony came along), and Mitt Romney politicized Obama eating a dog as a child after the Democrats politicized him putting his dog on his car.
Revisiting the Buffett Rule and Fair Share
Surprising no one, the Senate failed to pass the Buffett Rule after the Republicans unleashed another filibuster. It’s not just that the Republicans block anything President Obama and his allies in Congress try to get done. This time one of their principles was at stake: the rich must be protected at all costs. Keeping in mind that the rich effectively pay less in taxes than the rest of us, the Republicans did their duty and maintained the status quo for their true constituents.
Super Tuesday: A Review
Super Tuesday has come and gone, to little fanfare. In past elections, this was the decisive point in the presidential campaigns where the eventual nominee was decided, but as with the Democratic presidential contest in 2008, it did not end this year’s Republican nomination contest.
Super PACs and the Next POTUS
This is the age of Citizen’s United. Every major Republican candidate for president left in the race has a not-so-secret billionaire backing him (Romney of course has several), and the usual wave of disgusting, negative ads has grown to tsunami-like proportions thanks to the prevalence of super PACs, which, and it cannot be repeated enough, do not coordinate with the candidates. Considering the state of campaign finance, it is no surprise that President Obama has authorized super PACs to act on his behalf.
End Internet Piracy, Not Liberty
The 21st century so far is the age of the Internet, and with the dominance of the Internet come certain basic expectations. Generally speaking, we expect free and easily accessible content, and the ability to easily contribute to that content or distribute it to our friends and family.
Up for Debate: Compulsory Voting – No, voting should not be mandatory
The United States is known for its generally apathetic electorate and low voter turnout. Compared to other democracies, we just don’t seem to care all that much about self-governance. To counteract this, some advocate compulsory voting.
The 99 Percent Keeps Growing
A recent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) study revealed that the richest 1 percent of Americans has gotten richer in the last 30 years while everyone else has only seen modest improvement, but anyone who has been paying attention to Occupy Wall Street probably already knew that.
Occupy Wall Street: A Movement Ignored
It’s only taken three weeks, but the Occupy Wall Street movement is finally receiving the attention it deserves. Sure, a lot of this attention has to do with the harsh response of the New York police to the protestors, as well as some of the movement’s more outlandish costumes and behavior, but it’s better than being ignored (I myself did not even know it was happening until they had been camped out for a week).
Big Man Upstairs Ends Huckabee Campaign
God does not want Mike Huckabee to run for President. Last Saturday night, the former Arkansas governor and 2008 GOP presidential candidate announced on his Fox News program that he would not be entering the 2012 race.
