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This afternoon, I participated in my 24th commencement ceremony. This one (like the last nine) was for the students at Newman University in Wichita, Kansas, where I am an administrative drudge. It is always fun to see our students graduate, and it is always hard to see them go. What follows will be a sentimental and optimistic tribute to the students who graduated today. Continue at your own risk. Perhaps no narrative is older, or more culturally diffuse, than the one that starts “these kids to

The Second Amendment And States' Rights This past Wednesday night, the Missouri legislature passed a series of bills during a late night session.  One of these late night bills was aimed directly at the federal government.  It is a bill that is designed to "protect" the residents of Missouri of their Second Amendment rights from the federal government.  The bill states that all federal gun laws are banned within the state and enforcement of such laws is a misdemeanor.  Residents would also be a

On my own time, I play at political punditry. But my day job—by far the most important part of my professional life—is to be a college administrator. Specifically, I am the Provost and Vice President of Academics at a small liberal-arts university in Wichita, Kansas. And, in my official capacity as an evil administrator, I have spent a lot of time talking about MOOCs. A MOOC, for those who have spent the last eighteenth months somewhere other than in university administration, is a “Massive, Op

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

Every two years approximately one-third of the US Senate is up for re-election. The following 13 Republican US senators face re-election in 2014. Click here to read about the 20 Democratic US Senators who also face re-election in 2014. 1. Lamar Alexander (Tennessee) Before election to the Senate in 2002, Alexander was governor of Tennessee, US Secretary of Education, and a two-time presidential candidate. Alexander resigned from his position as chairman of the Senate Republican Conference in

[Update 8:18 PM PST] IVN.us announces Barack Obama has been re-elected to a second term. [Update 8:17 PM PST] CNN projects President Barack Obama will win re-election by taking the state of Ohio. [Update 8:15 PM PST] With the projection of Oregon going to Obama, statistically speaking it is very unlikely Romney will be able to pull off a victory because one more state will put the president over the top. CNN also projects Missouri to be carried by Mitt Romney. -- [Update 8:10 PM PST] Th

Source: Wikipedia According to the Pew Hispanic Center, 97% of Latinos are confident in voter ID laws. Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, and Tennessee will have a “strict photo ID” requirement this election cycle. Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana, Michigan, New Hampshire, and South Dakota have each stipulated provisions if a voter is unable to present a photo ID. Within these 11 states, 95% of Latinos are confident they possess proper identification to vote. The 11 states that have enacted voter ID l

Credit: wggb.com There is no denying the rise of independent voters as a major voting bloc. Some polls now show registered independent voters outnumbering either Republicans or Democrats. Those numbers, however, translate into very limited power or influence. The conventional wisdom is that, come election time, independent voters will end up splitting down the middle between the established parties. Only a small number – 10% or less – actually remain undecided to the end, and those can usually

After a confusion, voluntary of not, over medical terminology, Arizona became the most restrictive state with a ban of abortion after 18 weeks of pregnancy. The last version of the "Women Health and Safety Act" signed by Arizona Governor provides a de facto ban of abortion after 18 weeks of pregnancy, except for medical emergency. Arizona is thus joining the fast growing club of states that have in the past two years been trying to limit access to abortion by limiting the number of weeks during

On Thursday, the California State Senate passed a bill to allow Election Day Registration (EDR), which will allow citizens to register to vote up to and on the day of an election. The bill, AB 1436, passed the State Assembly in May. The bill will now return to the Assembly for a final vote before going to the desk of Governor Jerry Brown for final approval. However, if the bill does become law, which is likely, it will not take effect until 2016. The passage of EDR by the California legislatur