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Image credit: defense.gov Leaders from across the Department of Defense and Veteran's Administration came together last week at the Military Health System Research Symposium to discuss the state of mental health care for military members and veterans. The discussion turned to the National Research Action Plan (NRAP), the product of an executive order signed by President Obama last year mandating improved mental health care for service members, their families, and veterans. In response to the e

Dear IVN Readers, While much of the mainstream media is covering the same old stories with tired talking points, check out some of the discussions on IVN, like: The Alternative Minimum Tax is and how it affects the Middle Class? Did the Supreme Court just rule that cell phone companies own your personal information? What do the results of the special election in New Jersey mean to the rest of us? As always, we look forward to seeing you on IVN.us. - Shawn and the IVN Team What You Missed

Rule number one in effective communication is to establish the relevancy of the topic to the audience. Why should they care? How does it affect their quality of life? Truthful accounting might do just that. For one measure of the states’ quality of life, we turn to the recent work done by Ballotpedia, a “collaborative encyclopedia designed to connect people to politics.” The site focuses on providing a comprehensive and non-partisan analysis of numerous candidates and political efforts. The Lu

credit: University of Georgia If states are to rebuild and retool their economies, they must establish innovative and cost-effective solutions to increase student access to public colleges and universities, according to a recent report. Researchers at the nonpartisan think tank, the American Enterprise Institute, released a study titled, “Taking Charge: A State Level Agenda For Higher Education.” In it, the organization argues that governors and state legislatures must leverage the two-year an

Two weeks after key parts of the Defense of Marriage Act were struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court, the American Civil Liberties Union announced it would pursue a lawsuit against Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Virginia, challenging their bans on same-sex marriage. "The ACLU has been a leader on this front since bringing our first marriage lawsuit in 1970 and we've been deeply involved in opening marriage up to same-sex couples in each of the 13 states plus the District of Columbia that now

credit: thv11.com The 2014 midterm election is more than a year away. Nevertheless, congressional incumbents have been busy gearing up for the ever-longer campaign season. The fundraising deadline for Q2 was June 30 and fundraising powerhouses like Paul Ryan and Lindsey Grahm have continued to post seven figures. Paul Ryan - Wisconsin According to Federal Elections Commission filings, Congressman Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) was able to raise $1.1 million in the span of three months. Ryan's camp n

(Credit: PressTV.ir) As the US prepares to begin directly providing arms to rebels fighting the government of President Bashar al-Assad, one of the country's religious minorities faces increasing amounts of violence. Through a series of recent events, the Syrian Christian population faces a difficult existence. This past week, several Christians were murdered by elements of the Syrian opposition. Francois Murad, a Syrian Catholic priest, was killed in a monastery in northern Syria. The monaste

Now for the slippery slope arguments—those rationally indefensible, but emotionally satisfying predictions of what "something" is going to lead to. The “somethings,” of course, are the two recent Supreme Court rulings on same-sex marriage. The “what they are going to lead to-s” are getting more interesting by the hour. The following five potential world-ending catastrophes have all been culled from statements of politicians and pundits over the last few weeks. From what I can tell, they represen

Now for the slippery slope arguments—those rationally indefensible, but emotionally satisfying predictions of what "something" is going to lead to. The “somethings,” of course, are the two recent Supreme Court rulings on same-sex marriage. The “what they are going to lead to-s” are getting more interesting by the hour. The following five potential world-ending catastrophes have all been culled from statements of politicians and pundits over the last few weeks. From what I can tell, they represen

constantcontact.com The largest organization of independent voters in the country, New York City-based IndependentVoting.org, hosted a national conference call with over 150 attendees Tuesday, June 25, in which the organization's president, Jacqueline Salit, explained a new campaign designed to assist the Presidential Commission on Election Administration in identifying and redressing perceived shortcomings. The “nonpartisan” Presidential Commission on Election Administration was established t