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Credit: Raul Roa // Glendalenewspress.com Concern over the government's surveillance powers continues to receive bipartisan support. After Michigan congressman Justin Amash's amendment to defund the surveillance programs of the NSA was narrowly defeated, a new bill has surfaced to place a brake on the government's powers. Late last week, U.S. Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) introduced the "Ensuring Adversarial Process in the FISA Court Act." Instituted during the Cold War, the Foreign Intel

Remember mid-summer, when the reports circulated during the two very expensive special sessions of the Texas legislature called pretty much just to force through anti-abortion legislation?  Remember the sight of law enforcement confiscating feminine hygiene products which brought a heady mix of laughter at the expense of the LEOs and scorn for fear of tampons and other sanitary products? There was a serious side to that, which had everything to do with what received media attention - and what d

The controversy surrounding federal data collection has spilled over into education, prompting debates over student data collection. NPR reporter Cory Turner spotlighted critics and defenders of the Common Core State Standards Initiative, which seeks standardized curricula across state educational systems. Opponents charge that central planners have used the initiative to intrude on citizens' privacy by soliciting information about students' and parents' religious views, voting habits, income l

Demand, meet Supply Amidst some disenchantment with both major political parties, the chart above shows, when looking across the 50 states, the share of votes earned by candidates that were not either Democratic or Republican has fallen significantly for U.S. House of Representative elections since 2000. The State Data Lab resource (Votes Cast for House Election – Other), developed by Truth in Accounting, shows that states with relatively high shares of non-major party votes in 2000 also had s

Earlier this year, Michigan became the 24th state in the nation with a ‘right-to-work’ law. And two weeks ago, a Michigan court ruled that the state’s new ‘right to work’ law applies to unionized state government workers. This means that state workers will not be forced to pay union dues as a condition of employment beginning next year. These developments inspired some dramatic public debate. Thus far, however, business leaders and labor lawyers are reporting little dramatic change in the degre

Nonprofit VOTE examined the impact of nonprofit organizations on voter behavior within seven states in an August 2013 study. It found that those contacted by a nonprofit organization -- in regards to the election -- turned out at 74 percent while 68 percent of all registered voters turned out. The data from the study suggests that nonprofit organizations fight an uphill battle when trying to increase turnout since their target audience has a historically low propensity to vote. However, nonpro

California State Senator Alex Padilla // Credit: voxxi.com The California State Auditor's report, released earlier this month, exposed millions in wasted taxpayer dollars. According to the report, inconsistent policy spanning multiple secretaries of state and a failed government contract wasted nearly $26 million in federal Help America Vote Act funds. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) is running against fellow Democrats Derek Cressman and Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) to replace Debra B

(Credit: Gage Skidmore) Not more than two weeks after he tried to defund the National Security Agency's (NSA) surveillance programs of Americans, US Rep. Justin Amash claims documents were withheld by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) related to the program. Amash claimed that the committee withheld a declassified 2011 document that explained in general terms the program he was seeking to defund. Amash said on his Facebook page that members elected in 2010, of which

On Monday, Lansing City Clerk Chris Swope received an approximate total of 6,400 signatures that were collected by the Coalition for a Safer Lansing for its marijuana legalization initiative. City Clerk Swope stated that the measure appears to satisfy legal requirements for placement on the November ballot. Also on Monday, Lansing’s Mayor Virg Bernero publicized his consent for said ballot initiative which would not only revise the city charter, but would also legalize the possession, consumpti

Climate change usually leads people to think about the North and South poles. After all, the polar bear is the unofficial mascot of climate change. However, climate change shows its effects right here in the united States. Perhaps one of the most obvious regions is the Midwest. Home to tornadoes, flooding, blizzards, and drought, the Midwest is - with the exception of hurricanes - home to many of the weather extremes within the continental United States. With some research pointing to climate ch