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On three separate occasions, I have had the opportunity to speak with Ted Cruz in person. This was before he became the junior U.S. senator from Texas and during a time when he was growing in popularity with the tea party movement in the Lone Star State, a celebrity he was able to use to his advantage in the 2012 elections. When speaking with him it is clear from the beginning that he is intelligent, well-educated, well-spoken, which is the case for most politicians on Capitol Hill. Cruz has an

The partisan battles in North Carolina are extending their reach into the court system. Over the past year, the Republican controlled legislature, aided by a Republican governor, Pat McCrory, enacted a host of controversial legislation that banned gay marriage and put in place new abortion restrictions. Then last week, they passed new voting laws which MSNBC called "a truly abominable piece of anti-democratic legislation." The bill was purportedly to prevent fraud, although fraud has not been a

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

Credit: Calin Tatu / Shutterstock.com California is the only state that does not have an official oil severance tax, but an initiative cleared for circulation could create the tax. Revenues are intended to fund public education, clean energy projects, and state parks. The initiative's summary details: Imposes 9.5% tax on value of oil and natural gas extracted in California. During first ten years, allocates revenues: 60% to education for classroom instruction (split equally between UC, CSU, co

anthonyturducken / Flickr Last week, the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a magistrate judge's 2010 ruling that made cell phone data constitutionally protected from government intrusion under the Fourth Amendment. Cell phone data refers to calls, texts, emails, voicemails, photographs, Internet usage, and GPS tracking systems. Whenever a call is made from a cellular device, the carrier knows where the call is coming from. It needs to know this information in order to relay the si

There is an idea, a myth if I may, that gets more attention in the mainstream media concerning the reasons behind political gridlock in Washington than any other explanation. It is an idea that says increased polarization in Washington is merely a reflection of increased polarization and ideological division in the electorate. Is there any truth to this? While nationwide trends show an increase in nonaffiliated voters, I am not going to focus on this aspect of the argument because lawmakers ar

Can legislation on technology ever reflect the fast-paced nature of the digital frontier? Credit: readwrite.com In a push toward increased privacy in the social media realm, Washington became the most recent state to enact a law banning employers from asking for the website or password of an employee's personal social media profile. "We're trying to assure people's privacy in this space, that we (have) vigilance and the ability to move on a moment's notice when people's privacy has been violat

credit: Dell, Inc./Flickr While most four year colleges and universities are retooling and transforming their institutions to prepare students for positions at top, large-scale corporations, community colleges are developing initiatives to help students find work with small businesses and startups. A report released by the American Association of Community Colleges found that if community colleges partner with small business and startup initiatives, they have the ability to educate and train t

Governor Jerry Brown and Corrections Secretary Jeffrey Brown are in hot water with the Supreme Court. The system appears to be 9,600 inmates over the legally determined cap. They have until year's end to make the deadline. How will the state realign inmate numbers with constitutional standards without endangering the public? The state has formally requested a stay of the court order. Twice they have asked for more time to amend numbers and twice they have been denied. The system is currently ru

a katz / shutterstock.com 3D printing is a budding technology that has already made waves in the scientific and medical fields. Another application that is catching lots of attention is  the 3D printed gun. Although Cody R. Wilson's semiautomatic revolution is taking place in Texas, it is New York City that is moving to ban these guns. The ATF has not recognized printed guns as "durable" as conventionally manufactured ones. Up to this point, the agency has not had a reason to enforce policy on