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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

For the 46.5 million Americans living below the poverty line, 16 million of which are children, life has become a consistent struggle. This struggle does not simply begin and end with monetary concerns, but in fact surrounds both a physical and mental exertion of the individual.Using the national U.S. census and NCCP, researchers found that in 2013, the poverty line rested at $11,490, a number which equates an individual working full time while only making $5.00 – far below the national minimum

With the announced retirement of South Dakota U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D) back in March, it seemed that a takeover of the seat by Republicans was all but certain due to a lack of viable Democratic candidates. However, the surprise reemergence of former Republican Senator Larry Pressler, now running to reclaim his seat as an independent, has served to make the race more interesting "What I'm trying to do is win," said Larry Pressler in an interview for IVN. "I'm not worried about other candidat

On Wednesday, May 14, The Centrist Project launched The Centrist Project Voice, a political action committee supporting centrist candidates, regardless of party affiliation, who are willing to put partisanship aside to focus on the issues most critical to Americans. According to the organization, it is the first PAC of its kind. "Most Americans are moderates, yet we are represented by officials who pander to the extremes of the electorate and put partisan politics ahead of what's best for our c

It seems that in every cycle there is debate about which states should hold the first presidential primary elections. Some state always seems to try to jump ahead of Iowa and New Hampshire. Since 1972, the Iowa Caucuses have been first in the nation and New Hampshire has been the first "primary" since 1920. There, of course, have been states that have attempted to circumvent Iowa and New Hampshire, claiming that they don't truly represent America as they are small states with seemingly narrow

Lake Oahe before and after a six-year drought // Credit: NASA/GSFC/METI/Japan Space Systems and the U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team Global Climate Change : A four part discussion on long-term global socioeconomic goals and the impact those goals will have on climate change. Drought, North / South Dakota When the right-hand image was taken, the Missouri River was six years into a severe drought. Because of reduced snowpack in the Rocky Mountains in Montana, where the river has its headwaters, le

President Obama signs healthcare reform in 2010 // Credit: Reid.senate.gov Can a state unilaterally suspend the operation of ObamaCare within its borders? Of course not. That measure would violate the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution. We fought a Civil War over that question. What if two states banded together to suspend the operation of ObamaCare within their common territory? Can they do that? The answer remains the same. No. But let's try this. Let's have those two states - and others

In the wake of the Supreme Court ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act (more commonly referred to as DOMA), Conservatives across the country are up in arms. As a Conservative, this baffles me to some degree. Conservatives are supposed to believe in smaller government, not overreaching, allowing more choices to be made by the individual states not an overarching federal government. However, that does not stop many Conservatives from being upset because they want smaller government on their terms.

Since Obama won reelection a week ago, the White House website has been flooded with petitions from citizens in various states wanting their states to secede from the union.  It is important to note that these are not official petitions by the state governments but rather petitions started by individual citizens. The threat of secession is nothing new in the United States.  It seems that after any election, people want their states to secede so that they don't have to live under a leader they d

Credit: ciclt.net Teachers' Unions Election Day included important victories across the country. California's Prop 30 passed and Prop 32 failed. South Dakota, Idaho, and Michigan defeated unfavorable education laws. Indiana's incumbent State Superintendent was unseated by a union-supported challenger. Education issues sometimes fall within party lines. Republican and Indiana's incumbent State Superintendent for Public Instruction Tony Bennett lost to 33-year Indianapolis teacher Glenda Ritz. B