Articles by Timothy Troutner

Michael Bryant / The Philadelphia Inquirer For months, a battle has been raging in Pennsylvania parallel to the presidential race. It is a battle over the rules governing the election itself. With so much at stake this election cycle, party leaders are taking advantage of every opportunity to gain votes. The battle over requirements for photo identification is just another way for the parties to influence the election. The controversial Pennsylvania voter ID law is revolving around two competin...

Credit: voterocky.org As Romney and Obama march toward November, all eyes are focused on the two parties and their battle for the White House. Many Americans are unaware of the struggle of third-party candidates such as Justice Party candidate Rocky Anderson to gain media attention and ballot access. Rocky Anderson's fight for ballot access depends on a web of laws governing elections. Although ballot access laws vary from state-to-state, naturally most of them favor candidates who can obtain ...

As November approaches, the political debate in this nation is focused on issues parties hope will resonate with voters. All too often, these issues are not central to the ideological differences between the parties, but a reflection of talking points that fire up the base and make an impact in the media. This year, one of these issues that has become a partisan squabble is the alleged $716 billion the Democrats took from Medicare to pay for the Affordable Care Act, President Obama's health care...

Todd Wiseman / Texas Tribune It is election year in America. This means that voters and potential voters are deluged with all the muck PACs and action groups can dig up. The parties scramble to manage the image of their candidates. In Congress and in state capitals across the nation, politicians stop their partisan bickering over laws of substance-- and engage in partisan bickering over laws about the election itself. Voter ID laws have long been a point of contention between Republicans and D...

Reuters / Kevin Bartram Now approaching 16 trillion, Washington DC's debt casts a shadow over federal elections and politics. Perhaps more concerning is the debt facing cities and states across the nation. States and cities cannot print money, and it is not as easy for them to obtain loans. Nations do not go bankrupt easily. Even Greece has found a way to avoid total fiscal collapse for now. Cities and states have traditionally found it more difficult to run up massive debt. If there is one st...

Photo: Reuters The Olympics have always been a conflict of two trends. The games bring us together. As people across the world watch the opening ceremonies, we celebrate the culture of the host nation. The athletes from all the nations represented parade through the stadium, with the ceremony culminating in a diverse sea of humanity. The spirit of friendly competition is supposed to reign supreme. Over the years, the shadow of international conflict has also been a part of the Olympics. The ga...

Ralph Lauren / Reuters As the Olympic Games draw near, Americans prepare for weeks of cheering on their favorite athletes, and patriotism becomes more popular than ever. The eyes of the sporting world are focused on London. With so much national pride at stake, it is not surprising that the US Olympic team has already seen its first controversy. When word leaked out that the parade uniforms of the US Olympic team were made in China, the media quickly stirred the populace into an uproar. How cou...

Steve Petteway / Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court is the forgotten branch of our government. Our nation celebrates the democratic process that yields our presidents and congressmen. Every four years, the media machine builds to a near fever pitch in the months before the presidential election. There is no escaping the phenomenon that is the presidency, and almost everyone has a strong opinion on the election. In schools, children are taught about the legis...

In each presidency there is a watershed moment. For some, it is a positive triumph that defines the presidency. Wartime presidents like Lincoln and FDR cemented their legacy by leading the nation to victory. Nixon's Watergate scandal left a permanent blemish on his record. For Obama so far, his healthcare bill, the Affordable Care Act, has widely been considered that watershed moment. For supporters, it was the major reform of his first term. However, great moments attract critics. Opponents of...