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When President Barack Obama was re-elected in 2012, immigration reform was spotlighted as one of the main issues to undertake during his second term in office. Republicans even appeared to be in support of these efforts: Hispanic and Latino voters, who made up 10 percent of the electorate, voted for Obama over his GOP challenger, Mitt Romney, by a 44-point margin. Republicans began soul-searching after the loss and realized the positions of the more conservative wing of their party had turned o

Rarely is there an issue as contentious as taxation. Thick walls of partisan gridlock form around taxes like very few other issues. Reform is supposed to be a kind word and describe a way to make taxes simpler for people to understand, but the tax code actually sees changes on a regular annual basis or so. The problem is these changes haven't made things simpler for taxpayers. True reform -- like a comprehensive restructuring of the tax code from the bottom up -- is the ideal goal, but realisti

It is an election year and the president isn't very popular right now. Just like some Republicans did in the 2006 elections with George W. Bush, some democrats are shying away from being seen with President Obama or even having it reported in the press that they were in the same city as the president. In Texas of all places, one would certainly not judge Wendy Davis if her schedule "coincidentally" happened to be full when President Obama made a trip to the Lone Star State.However, the democrati

Edward Snowden famously noted that his greatest fear regarding his revelations is that “nothing will change.” But on March 24, almost a year after Snowden's first interview, President Obama spoke about proposing legislation to Congress which would end the NSA’s bulk collection of American phone records. Although appearing progressive on its face, the politics at play behind Obama's NSA reforms deserve further investigation. First, Snowden has indefinitely shifted the political discourse regard

Despite police fears that legal marijuana businesses attract crime, including under-the-table drug dealing, weapons violations, and robberies, a new study says the opposite might be the case. Researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas analyzed major crimes from 1990 to 2006 in the United States, paying particular attention to early medical marijuana states: Alaska (1998), California (1996), Colorado (2000), Hawaii (2000), Maine (1999), Montana (2004), Nevada (2000), Oregon (1998), Rhode

The one mistake people can make when considering the libertarian movement is that all libertarians are alike. When some people think of libertarians, they think of college students who kneel at the alter of Ron Paul. This is a mistake. Ron Paul is considered by many to be the godfather of the liberty movement, but not everyone who self-identifies as a libertarian, or is labeled as such, will agree with Paul 100 percent of the time. Not all libertarians are like the former Texas congressman. Not

Stereotypes are common in the geography of politics. Democrats dominate urban cityscapes while Republicans’ strength lies in suburban and rural areas. California is a relaxed western liberal state while Texas is a southern bastion of conservatism. These stereotypes change through the decades and can be challenged, but these two states are so different it is worth comparing them. Which state most adequately represents their electorate? On a statewide level, Texas is considered a government trif

Studies have verified that most online readers do not stick around to finish an entire article. Most of us simply do not have the time to sit down and read a full article, and in the age of Twitter, we often rely on quick reports that may not tell the full story, but they are enough to satisfy some. This is a simple truth that has not escaped online news publications, so they try to get the message of the article summed up for the reader in the headline and presentation of the article. After al

Through the vote, citizens communicate information about their interests, preferences, and needs and make important decisions about who should hold office. Unfortunately, at the local level that voice is exceptionally weak. Disadvantaged segments of the population—racial and ethnic minorities, the poor, those with a limited education—tend to vote significantly less regularly than others…This is an excerpt from " Municipal Institutions and Voter Turnout in Local Elections," authored by Zoltan L.

As we learn through the study of history, important issues are never stagnant, but ever-changing based on many catalysts of the day. Today, the perspective Americans have of the Middle East, the culture, and, more specifically, the people is a major question. The negative connotations associated with these individuals is unfortunate, but undeniable.If we look back in history, we see many of the same trends. From the first arrival of Europeans in the New World all the way into the early 20th Cent