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My hat is off to the Science Guy. Even though most of his fellow scientists told him not to debate the merits of evolution with the noted young-earth creationist, Ken Ham, Bill Nye went ahead and did it. Not only that, he did it in the belly of the beast: Ham’s own Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky. Good for him. As I have argued many times in this space, people who believe things strongly have a moral obligation to persuade others. Ken Ham is not a lone voice in the wilderness. Millions

The electric chair could make a comeback in Virginia. Due to a shortage of the drugs used for lethal injection, the Virginia House of Delegates recently passed a bill (proposed by Del. Jackson Miller, R-Manassas) that would allow electrocution of condemned prisoners, rather than giving them a choice which way they prefer to die. The bill still has to go through the Senate before becoming law, however, and Death Penalty Information Center Executive Director Richard Dieter thinks it's unlikely to

As it was pointed out in a recent federal court decision in Hawaii, which upheld the state's open primary system, the court cannot base its decision on the assumption that something is happening. There must be clear evidence that the burden on the state, an organization, or a person is real. In the case of the Hawaii decision, the Democratic Party of Hawaii could not present sufficient evidence that its First Amendment right of association was severely burdened by non-members being able to parti

Primaries first began in the early twentieth century as a response to increasingly strong party control over elections. At the time, voters wanted a larger say in who would be chosen as their candidate, instead of the long-standing tradition of party bosses choosing who would run for office. Progressive reformers viewed direct primaries as a way for constituencies to increase transparency and allow for citizens to participate in the electoral process. As primaries became a feature of local, stat

I’ve written here previously asking if we, the People, should be subsidizing obesity? In response, it seems a super majority (84%) believe we should not. However, many people may not know that the U.S. subsidizes sugar and high fructose corn syrup manufacturers. There is overwhelmingly good science that excess simple sugar consumption over-stimulates insulin production and can lead to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Yet, cash-strapped Americans will eat what they can afford to put on the

California lawmakers put aside party labels this week to engage in an informed conversation with representatives from the tech and manufacturing industries on the need for a comprehensive plan for economic development in California during a panel discussion at the Independent Voter Project Conference. The panel on economic development was one of a series of 5 panels at the IVP Conference focusing on major issues facing California. The purpose of the panels was to have a substantive conversation

Legislators from California, Texas, and Illinois gathered last week to participate in the Independent Voter Project Business and Leadership Conference in Hawaii. Also in attendance were representatives from key business sectors including energy, high tech, bio tech, and manufacturing. The stated goal of the annual conference is to create a space for open dialogue and candid policy discussion. Its location, alone, always stirs objections from Common Cause and the media. But, this year, the confe

On Friday, many Americas will take some time to remember the life and death of President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated on the streets of Dallas, Texas 50 years ago on Friday, November 22, 1963. For the 26 percent of Americans who were at least 5 years old at the time, the events of that day will forever be seared into their memory. People will have different perspectives on the type of president Kennedy was. Some will argue he was a progressive-liberal. Others will say he was more cons

There are basically five ways for money to flow into politics; well, six if you include the revolving door -- oh wait -- there's also the spousal side door and family back door — so that makes seven. The following is a list of the top 10 individuals who donate to 527s, nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations with the primary purpose of influencing elections. Data was collected from the Center for Responsive Politics on OpenSecrets.org, which supplies a wealth — pun intended — of information. 10. A

A group of Hispanic and African-American voters from South Texas have joined the litigation fray over Texas voter ID law with a new lawsuit filed in Corpus Christi.Like the existing suits, the new suit challenges Texas’ voter ID law under section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, contending that the law has discriminatory effect and was adopted by the Texas Legislature with the intent of discriminating against African-Americans and Hispanic voters.The suit also alleges that the law violates the 14th a