Articles by Bob Conner

http://youtu.be/DON-aM2tze4 I am not a subscriber to the opinion that the United States is “the best there is.” In fact, I am of the opinion that it is indeed not the best. Rather, our nation, like many others, is in an ongoing evolutionary process -- a collection of efforts by many before us attempting to become the best, and one in which we'll very likely be a reference for future efforts. With this perspective, curiosity as to how the world views the U.S. is a vanguard concern for me and th...

It’s no secret that the Keystone issue is a political powder keg. Neither is it a secret that it’s a controversial topic pitting two traditional foes: environmentalists versus big oil. Very murky, however, is what benefit Keystone XL offers the United States.As in so many situations, in order to understand the present, we need to understand the past and Keystone has a bit of a checkered and rapidly evolving past. With blinding speed, progress on the Keystone project began in 2005 when it was pr...

As citizens, we should be aware of all bills in the "House Bill Hopper."  It's really not that difficult; in fact, it takes but a few minutes to do so in order to form our own views. Well, it shouldn't be difficult, but many people still rely on cable news outlets -- colloquially known as the mainstream media -- to stay informed of current events. Unfortunately, these news sources rarely report on important pieces of legislation unless there is controversy. Here are 5 bills currently being con...

The Baby Boomers: we now find ourselves approaching the exit side of the revolving door. But, we didn't just enter the theater as passive viewers. Rather, we heartily participated in, and directly influenced the most spectacular of all shows -- life. A generation of astonishing idealists who brought about the Civil Rights Movement, the feminist movement and anti-establishment in one of the country’s most influential cultural eras, we are the possessors of wisdom and the harbingers of hope.But, ...

With the primaries either underway or rapidly approaching, we again find ourselves facing a crisis in democracy created by our elections process: the escalating power of partisanship from partisan primaries, determining for us who will be filling congressional seats in 2015. In record numbers, 42 percent of the electorate are disenfranchised by the two major political parties and results of this year’s primaries in most states may very well be determined by as little as 5 percent of the elector...

Gallup’s recent report suggests that the number of Americans perceiving global warming as a serious threat is declining, with almost half of Americans say the concern is exaggerated in both directions of the issue. Yet, in the same report, in what may be perceived as a contradiction, Gallup shows that a clear majority of Americans say scientists believe that global warming is in fact happening. And straight from the mouths of scientists? So where is the disconnect? To understand the complexi...

Oregon's political atmosphere, with its wide range of official political parties, gives one an initial feeling that the election process is somewhat representative, but a closer look at the process belies this initial perception. The Oregon secretary of state indicates that as of February 14, of the 2,153,889 registered voters in the state, approximately 38.9 percent were registered with the Democratic Party, while 30.5 percent were registered with the GOP.  Meanwhile, the percentage of registe...

Article II, Section I of the U.S. Constitution provides for electors to the Electoral College: “Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress:” The only change to this constitutional provision is the Twelfth Amendment changing the manner in which the vice president is selected and providing the District of Columbia three electors. ...

Public funding of political party activities is certainly not a new concept in the United States. In fact, the idea was floated as early as 1907 by President Theodore Roosevelt. However, electoral systems have evolved dramatically since President Roosevelt's time. That evolution has created many concerns and questions which must be addressed. For example, why are voters subsidizing private political organizations though their taxes? Why is subscription to ideology-driven partisanship a prerequi...