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As a constitutional republic, the US system of government is designed on the principles of federalism. In our federalist system the federal government is one of enumerated powers and those powers not explicitly granted to the federal government are reserved to the states. The framers of the Constitution established this system through the Tenth Amendment, which reads: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the stat

As a Coloradan, I am heartbroken over the massacre that took place at Century 16 in Aurora. It is senseless, as are so many things. When a violent action takes the lives of innocents, we ask ourselves why someone would do this and how can we stop it from happening again. The sad reality is that you cannot stop every destructive action of mentally ill people who are prone to violence. There are no laws that can be written and enforced with a 100% success rate that can stop human beings from acti

Credit: Bill Oetjen The Pentagon has admitted it was wrong about basic facts relating to basing the F-35 stealth fighter-bomber in Vermont, so of course the announcement was made late last week in a story spun to be about public participation. While most Vermont media missed the story entirely, the Burlington Free Press got the scoop and missed its significance, focusing instead on the extension of the public comment period on the Air Force’s environmental impact statement.   Mission accomplish

This week is expected to give way to a lengthy discussion on the impending defense budget cuts via sequestration, as part of the federal budget deficit negotiations of 2011. The threat of automatic cuts will be considered closely this week in a number of events in Washington D.C. The Sequestration Transparency Act of 2012 and the 2013 defense appropriations bill will both reach the floor of the House later this week. What do you think will happen? Will Congress reach a new agreement to avoid t

Rep. Lamar Smith, Republican sponsor of the new IPAA bill. Credit: deathandtaxesmag.com This year, supporters of digital rights and internet freedom have achieved a number of significant political victories against the proponents of draconian regulation and censorship of digital content in both government and industry. In January, advocates of an open internet succeeded in blocking further development of the so-called “Stop Online Piracy Act” (SOPA) in the US House. Sponsored by Republican Lam

As the primary season for the 2012 election has ended, all sides are now focused on the general election and the march to Election Day in November.  On that day, millions of Americans will go to their local polling place and cast a vote for President/Vice-President.  Some will choose the Democratic candidate, some will choose the Republican candidate, and some will choose a third-party candidate such as the Green Party or Libertarian Party.  When we walk out of those voting booths, we feel as if

Touting a new mandatory treatment program for non-violent drug offenders in the state of New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie is the latest high-ranking US government official to condemn the decades-long War on Drugs. In a speech Monday at the Washington, DC-based Brookings Institution, Christie called the War on Drugs a well-intentioned public policy failure: "The War on Drugs, while well-intentioned, has been a failure, and that we're warehousing addicted people every day in state prisons in N

Speaking at Brookings Institute in Washington, D.C., on Monday, the New Jersey governor said: “We shouldn’t be listening to political consultants whispering in our ears, ‘Say as little as possible,’ we shouldn’t be listening to those voices that say, ‘Just use the party doctrine and don’t stray.’ We should be telling people how we think and how we feel and let them judge us up or down. [...] You can’t lead by being a mystery. You can’t lead by being an enigma. You can’t lead by being aloof. You

Colorado is leading the way concerning several policies, and may eventually be a good model for other states for how to take divisive issues and hold positive and creative dialogue among the stakeholders (constituents). At least that is what I think thus far in our journey around the state. Colorado, in general, has a diverse mix of voters (713,506 Democrats; 829,259 Republicans; 668,182 Independents), which makes Colorado a swing State– a testing ground for ideas, and a stomping ground for inde

The United States’ Military and Department of Defense make up a huge portion of our country’s expenditures and has greatly influenced our government and citizens. Many Americans, however, don't know the facts. Our nation considers the security of our citizens and our nation to be of the utmost importance in terms of our government's priorities. Here is a list of ten interesting facts about the US military and the Department of Defense that you may, or may not have known: 1. 30 of the 43 Presi