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After every election, we always manage to hear the winning side say that they have a mandate from the American people.  The people have spoken, and they want their plan over their opponent's plan.  And there is no doubt that after the presidential election in November, whoever comes out on top will be declaring the same thing.  But is there really anything to it?  Can any side really claim a mandate just because they win the election? A presidential election is a good place as any to start.  It

As the primary season for the 2012 election has ended, all sides are now focused on the general election and the march to Election Day in November.  On that day, millions of Americans will go to their local polling place and cast a vote for President/Vice-President.  Some will choose the Democratic candidate, some will choose the Republican candidate, and some will choose a third-party candidate such as the Green Party or Libertarian Party.  When we walk out of those voting booths, we feel as if

Following the controversies surrounding the presidential election of 2000, in which George W. Bush lost the popular vote but won the presidency, there was renewed interest in reforming the Electoral College system. That interest has held steady over the course of the last decade. In a Gallup survey from late last year, 62% of those polled said they would prefer that the president be elected by a direct popular vote rather than via the indirect system characteristic of the Electoral College. The

On Wednesday, TransCanada, the company planning the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline, submitted alternate routes for the project after much criticism over its possibly harmful environmental effects. The original plan mapped the pipeline through the Sand Hills region of Nebraska which is considered one of the most intricate wetland ecosystems in the United States. The wetlands are sourced by an aquifer which provides water to 8 states. See: Keystone XL pipeline map News of the alternate p

Jobseekers might consider moving to fly-over states instead of perhaps making dismissive comments about them while on transcontinental flights. With a few exceptions, the lowest unemployment rates are in the heartland. Those looking for jobs there should also get ready for living in the country because the bulk of such jobs are in rural and exurban areas. This certainly is the opposite of the commonly accepted knowledge that big coastal cities are the primary drivers of employment and job growt

The task force report on the November 18th UC Davis pepper spray incident took some surprisingly strong swipes at the university’s chain of command, attacking decision-making and communications at the level of the police’s and the school’s leaders. The report was released Wednesday after several weeks of delays based on court challenges by the police union seeking anonymity for individual officers involved in the incident. A number of faculty members that I spoke with over the past week had no

[Update - US Department of Health and Human Services website is now healthcare.gov] The Affordable Care Act, before the Supreme Court this week, includes partial elimination for “gender rating”, a practice that costs women $1 billion a year. According to statistics, women between the ages of 19 to 55 tend to use more health care services than men of the same age. They are more likely to visit doctors for regular checkups, have certain chronic illnesses and take prescription drugs. Because of t

The US Supreme Court will hold hearings this week on a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Obama’s health care plan. The lawsuit was filed by twenty six states, four small business owners, and the proudly ferocious National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB.)  The lawsuit contends the federal government does not have the authority to order people and businesses to buy health insurance (and face fines if they don’t.)  The hearings will surely be closely watched. Indeed, the future

While most Republicans, according to recent polls, are adamantly opposed to a brokered convention, given the new party nominating rules it is highly unlikely that the primary process will be wrapped up quickly. Newt Gingrich predicted at this weekend's California Republican Convention that the presidential primary season may well extend to California, putting the state's 172 delegates into play in June. 2012 could host an unusually prolonged primary season for a presidential race in recent his

The Canadian Tar Sands have become a hot topic on the campaign trail this year especially since President Obama rejected the proposed Keystone Oil Pipeline extension.  Yes, I said extension because there already exists one Keystone Oil Pipeline running from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, but because of increased production, there now needs to be a second pipeline.  But this extension has environmentalists raising their voices, and even some throughout the country not so sure about it.  The issue,