The Farm Bill: Convenient Coalition or Market Manipulation?
America / Fiscal policy / Tax / U.S. Senate

The Farm Bill: Convenient Coalition or Market Manipulation?

In early June, a coalition of urban and rural politicians in the Senate banded together to pass the Farm bill, a legislative piece that distributes welfare benefits to an unlikely pair: wealthy agro-businesses and the inner-city poor. Although widely popular among constituents, a common sense look at the bill reveals serious flaws. The Senate’s version … Continue reading

Geopolitical Impacts and Pokemon: Looking for a Bipartisan Voice Amidst an Oil Boom
America / Energy / Environment / Environmental Regulation / Foreign Policy / Regulation

Geopolitical Impacts and Pokemon: Looking for a Bipartisan Voice Amidst an Oil Boom

The Bipartisan Policy Center recently hosted an event discussing the geopolitical impacts of the US’s recent tight oil boom. Tight oil, or shale oil, production has increased with the expansion of hydraulic fracturing technology used to access shale gas from shale or sandstone formations. Amidst the rallying cries of a “qualified abundance” instead of a … Continue reading

The Future of STEM Education rests on the shoulders of the Private Sector
America / Education

The Future of STEM Education rests on the shoulders of the Private Sector

With the recent surge in America’s engineering and technical services sectors, jobs in these sectors have become more readily available and those companies are looking to hire within the United States. Reviewing data from the Department of Commerce, the American Action Forum has found, positions in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields are … Continue reading

Rep. Ross Seeks the Start of Tax Reforms and to Bridge the Bipartisan Gap
America / Economy / Fiscal policy / Taxes

Rep. Ross Seeks the Start of Tax Reforms and to Bridge the Bipartisan Gap

Congressman Dennis Ross (R-FL) is making efforts to relieve bipartisan stress and initiate action on reducing the nation’s debt. Earlier this week he submitted two bills that would reduce government spending, the BOLD Act and the ZERO Act. The BOLD Act seeks to reform how the government handles money by reducing the White House’s and … Continue reading

Now Batting for Dodd-Frank: The State Department steps in to help save the Resource Extraction Rule
America / Dpt. of State / Fiscal policy / Regulation

Now Batting for Dodd-Frank: The State Department steps in to help save the Resource Extraction Rule

Late last week a seldom heard voice echoed throughout the regulatory reform debate forum when the U.S. Department of State openly stood behind the controversial Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ‘Resource Extraction Rule.’ This rule, developed as part of the continuing cavalcade of Dodd-Frank initiatives, went into effect last August with the goal of requiring … Continue reading