|
Rudy Takala: Posted on Sunday, May 19, 2013 7:07 PM
With revelations this week of three scandals involving the Obama administration, it's a fitting time to reflect on the president's biggest controversies since he took the national stage. 9. Michelle Obama Little must the president have known in February 2008 that when his wife was criticized for saying that she had never been proud of America before her husband won support for elective office, it would be one of the smallest problems of his elective career. |
|
|
Rudy Takala: Posted on Monday, May 13, 2013 5:54 PM
Though he was elected in 2010 by a razor-thin margin of 8,770 votes, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton has aggressively pushed policies that have at times been to the left of Minnesota's voters. Since Democrats won control of both legislative chambers in 2012, he has pushed the envelope even more to the extreme. Still, if the state's Republicans nominate a candidate who is less politically competent than Governor Dayton, Democrats may increase their margin of victory in 2014. |
|
|
Rudy Takala: Posted on Sunday, May 12, 2013 10:59 PM
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed the Working Families Flexibility Act, which would give hourly
private-sector workers the option to reject overtime pay in in favor of
compensatory time off. The Senate is unlikely to take up the
legislation, as Democrats vociferously oppose it. Their reasoning would
make more sense if their arguments were more consistent.
Under the legislation, comp time would accumulate at the rate of 1.5
hours per hour of overtime worked, employees would be permitted to
accumulate a maximum of 160 hours annually, and employers would be
required to pay out unused time at termination. |
|
|
Rudy Takala: Posted on Saturday, May 11, 2013 7:36 PM
Though firebrand Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was just elected to the Senate in 2012,speculationhas erupted in the last week that he may be a top presidential
contender in the coming cycle. He joins potential contenders Senators
Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), both just elected in 2010.
Their emergence has inspired observers to wonder whether the prospect of
presidential contenders coming out of the Senate has become a new norm.
Though they do follow President Obama |
|
|
Rudy Takala: Posted on Thursday, May 09, 2013 12:04 AM
A map recently released by the Solar Foundation highlights the industry’s claim that 119,000 Americans are now employed in the solar industry. Its authors exclaim, “The United States solar industry employs more workers than coal mining.” What the map doesn’t touch on is whether solar energy is the most economical energy source. Solar advocates certainly think solar is economically beneficial. The average salary for a solar panel installer is “between $30,000 and $40,000 per year” according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). |
|
|
Rudy Takala: Posted on Monday, May 06, 2013 11:56 PM
Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson wrote an editorial for the Washington Post on Monday, reminding readers that they have a plan to reduce the nation’s $17 trillion debt. Released on April 19, the latest edition of their proposal would reduce the nation’s deficit $2.5 trillion by 2023. That means debt would end up constituting 69% of gross domestic product. That figure nearly aligns with President Obama’s own plan, which projects debt at 73% of GDP, and stands substantially higher than the 55% target passed by the House of Representatives in the Paul Ryan Budget. |
|
|
Rudy Takala: Posted on Tuesday, April 23, 2013 4:25 PM
On Monday afternoon, United States Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) announced he was suing six members of the House for allegedly mishandling Ethics Committee proceedings that led to his censure. The decision means that more tax dollars will need to be spent on building and promoting Rangel’s legacy. In December 2010, a Democratically-controlled House voted to censure Rep. Charles Rangel on 11 counts of financial wrongdoing. Among the charges were that he had concealed hundreds of thousands of dollars in income, filed misleading financial disclosure reports with the IRS, improperly |
|
|
Rudy Takala: Posted on Tuesday, April 16, 2013 1:44 PM
The Republican National Committee on Friday unanimously reaffirmed its support for traditional marriage. It seemed to contradict the party’s “Growth & Opportunity” report that just last month declared, “We need to campaign among… gay Americans and demonstrate we care about them, too.” The party’s ongoing failure to adopt a consistent position has hurt it and the conservative movement at large. Republican leaders seem panicked trying to figure out which position would be the most electorally feasible. |
|
|
Rudy Takala: Posted on Saturday, March 30, 2013 10:44 PM
The Republican Party’s recently-released “Growth & Opportunity” report seems to indicate that party leaders are having a hard time grasping their electoral failings, particularly among young and minority voters.The Growth & Opportunity Project was chaired by former Bush Press Secretary Ari Fleischer (52) and consisted of four additional long-time party members: Sally Bradshaw (47), Henry Barbour (48), Glenn McCall ( |
|
|
Rudy Takala: Posted on Sunday, March 24, 2013 10:22 PM
As the U.S. commemorates the 40th anniversary of passage of the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline Authorization Act of 1973, it is worth remembering the challenges the project overcame and how they mirror the challenges facing the Keystone XL Pipeline today. An 800-mile engineering marvel, the Alaska Pipeline was completed in two years and two months—but only after Congress acted to end interminable delays forced on the builders long after they completed the required environmental impact statements. |
|