The American public does not tend to think highly of Congress. Gallup’s historical poll shows public approval of our national legislature has hovered around 20 percent over the past decade. Very rarely have more than half of John and Jane Q. Public given the thumbs-up to the first branch of government. That being so, why […]
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How are elections fueling partisan polar...
Last month, some Republicans in the House of Representatives called for the ousting of some of their colleagues. What crime had these GOP legislators committed? They voted for an infrastructure bill that had been supported by Democrats. Never mind that the legislation would actually benefit these members’ constituents. Never mind that voting for infrastructure spending historically has […]
How can we get election losers to admit ...
“We were robbed” is an age-old kvetch in American politics. Candidates, who toil and suffer innumerable indignities while campaigning understandably will feel pain when votes tallies indicate it was all for naught. And, it must be admitted, election fraud and mischief do occur — although rarely on a scale that affects outcomes. In recent years, […]
The Postal Service has been independent ...
Last week, the US Postal Service (USPS) announced that it had brought in $77 billion in revenue in the past year. That record-setting number popped a few eyes. It is $4 billion more than the agency reaped last year, and it exceeds the agency’s high-water mark (2008) by $3 billion, buoyed by soaring parcel volumes…. (Read more)
Review: Dan Briody, The Iron Triangle: I...
I got this book (John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2003) from a friend many years ago, but it sat on my shelf unread. Recently, I was thinking about this late friend and decided it was past time to crack The Iron Triangle. I study governance for a living, and I like investigative journalism and efforts […]
Congress passes resolution that may rais...
Nobody can argue that Congress or recent presidents have been particularly serious about managing the nation’s finances responsibly. Excepting the fiscal bargain struck in 2013 that slapped caps on outlays, our nations’ leaders have shown themselves happy to cut taxes while jacking up spending…. (Read more)