By James Dail (CMC ’20) Something has gone horribly wrong with Congress. In 2015, there was a study done analyzing Congressional Roll Call Vote Data that found that over the past sixty years, there has been a marked increase in the partisanship of Congress. This has led to fewer Democrats voting for Republican sponsored bills and vice-versa, as well as fewer bipartisan co-sponsorships of...
By James Dail (CMC ’20) The thing that makes the United States unique among most nations is that Americans are not united by a common race or culture, but by a shared ideal. As it stands however, there is little agreement over what that ideal actually is. Majorities of Democrats believe that diversity and immigration are central to the United States’ national identity, while Republicans...
By James Dail (CMC ’20) In the first article in this series, it was established that in the future, widespread worker automation is a highly probable phenomenon, barring an intervening legislative fix. It was also established that adopting a universal basic income for displaced workers would be an insufficient fix for this problem. The next two proposals to be examined will taxing...
By James Dail (CMC ’20) The 21st Century has brought an explosion of new technology unlike anything ever seen since the Industrial Revolution. Yet, while the Industrial Revolution drastically improved the well-being of the American people, the Digital Revolution promises to have mixed results. Even as new technology brings increased life expectancy and daily efficiency, the threat of...
By James Dail (CMC ’20) Republicans are still reveling over their passage of the new tax bill, as they should. It is the first major legislative victory of the Trump era. Reception for the bill among the general public has been mixed, and it largely falls alongside partisan lines. Only time will tell if the bill is broadly helpful or harmful to the U.S. economy. What the bill does make...
By James Dail (CMC ’20) As it stands, Arizona has one of the worst education systems in the United States: it consistently ranks as one of the lowest performing states in the country. For its performance to improve, an increase in teacher pay and per pupil funding is needed. The solution to this issue may be a proposition on the ballot next year, courtesy of local businessman Robert...
James Dail (CMC ’20) The bachelor’s degree has traditionally been a surefire way of attaining the American dream of a financially stable middle-class lifestyle. This is increasingly not the reality for college graduates today. More students are going to college than ever before, a trend that has coincided with a staggering increase in college tuition, and therefore student debt. Trade schools...
By James Dail (CMC ’20) A group of Republicans have just passed a resolution of disapproval addressing the proposed repeal of a regulation that benefits the financial industry over consumers. The proposed repeal would prevent consumers for filing class action lawsuits against financial companies. Though it might not be as newsworthy as some of their other Republican legislative initiatives...
By James Dail (CMC ’20) On October 3rd, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case Gill v. Whitford. At stake is whether Wisconsin state legislators acted unconstitutionally by apportioning legislative districts to favor Republicans, thus diluting the effectiveness of votes for Democrats. If the Court rules that the legislators did act unconstitutionally, the implications for the U...
By James Dail (CMC ’20) Congressional Republicans have talked about overhauling the tax code for years, and it is now going to be the next item on their agenda since their healthcare push is winding down. They have partnered with two senior Trump administration officials, Director of the National Economic Council Gary Cohn and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, to release a framework proposal...
