(Courtesy of www.heritage.org) By Benjamin Park As of January 23, 2014, the US national debt was seventeen trillion, two hundred seventy-six billion, five hundred eighty-two million, one hundred seventy thousand, three hundred forty-seven dollars and seven cents. The National Debt has continued to increase an average of $2.52 billion per day since September 30, 2012. […]
Category: Politics
Healthcare.gov’s Failed Launch
On October 1, Healthcare.gov, launched to a resounding thud. The core element of Obamacare is that many people can buy health insurance through a national healthcare exchange. Healthcare.gov was designed as the platform for people to do this. On the opening day, the marketing of the plan made by this agency was so successful, that […]
Should Fracking be Part of Michigan’s Future?
In May 2010, the state of Michigan raised $178 million through leases to extract minerals on public land, the majority of which was natural gas. This amount nearly totaled how much the state of Michigan raised in the previous 82 years. Given Michigan’s recent economic woes, it’s obvious why fracking is attractive. The main mechanism […]
Centerstage: A Look into the 2013 Gubernatorial Elections
It is not surprising that the few national elections that fall on odd-numbered years tend to not receive a great deal of media hype, given the low level of electoral activity that surrounds them relative to races held during midterm or presidential years. As consistent as this reality normally is, it was certainly not the […]
Obamacare Won’t Solve Our Public Health Problems: Look at Romneycare
To judge mandatory health care successful by observing the number of people insured sounds great superficially, but to understand the reason for implementing mandatory health care in the first place, one must look to other measures to understand whether such reform is effective. Looking at how many people are insured after forcing them enroll in […]
Thoughts On American Exceptionalism
Recently, in an op-ed for The New York Times, Russian President Vladimir Putin disputed President Obama’s claim of American exceptionalism, warning of the danger of such a term. But is America exceptional? And if so, is this mindset dangerous? America is most definitely exceptional. However, many feel uncomfortable hearing this statement, especially at a […]
Economics of Health Care System
There should be government interventions insomuch that the government helps fix market inefficiencies so that the health care system can in the future be semi-autonomous. The worry of inefficiency is well grounded in the fact that the system is absurdly expensive compared to other developed countries. Nearly 18% of GDP ($2.5 trillion) is contributed by […]
The Shutdown: An Overview
Photo Source: NBC Politics On October 1st, congress failed to authorize spending for the new fiscal year, resulting in the United States Government entering into a partial shutdown. Plagued by partisan gridlock, members of Congress played the “blame game” in the days leading up to the shutdown and even after. The shutdown was […]
Why the US Should Not Intervene in Syria
On September 14, 2013 the US and Russia reached a treaty which forestalled imminent US military intervention in Syria. However, this was far from inevitable. Just six days prior, Secretary of State John Kerry laid out the case for intervention and stated that beyond a reasonable doubt the Syrian regime had used chemical weapons on […]
Affirmative Action: An Insult to Equality and Fairness
Affirmative Action is racist. In it’s most basic form, the practice of admitting students based on race ingrains within community, especially those affected by Affirmative Action, the notion that certain races need a leg up, that without such a policy, they are unable to gain entry into prestigious universities. Worse, it may instill in some […]