Until this year, out of the ten largest metropolitan areas in the Untied States, Los Angeles was the only city where selling food or merchandise on the streets could still be charged with a criminal misdemeanor.[1] Under the current LA Municipal Code, the use of sidewalks for vending anything other than items protected under the First…
Lindsey Mattila (CMC ’17) On April 18th, 2017, President Trump signed an executive order to reform the H-1B visa program. This program has traditionally been used for companies to hire highly-skilled foreign workers in tech, medical, industrial, and science fields. The United States currently admits approximately 85,000 H-1B visas annually. This executive order comes as…
Isabel Simon (PO ’18) In October 2016, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) under the Obama Administration voted to require that broadband providers (Comcast, Verizon, AT&T, etc.) get permission from users before collecting and selling their private information. The requirements were set to take effect later this year. On March 28th, Congress voted 215-to-205 along party…
Dina Rosin (CMC ’20) An ongoing debate over the death penalty has been taking place in Arkansas over the last several weeks. The state is racing to execute convicts before the end of April. This urgency is present because one of the drugs necessary for executions will expire after that date. If Arkansas fails to…
Gabe Magee (PO ‘20) Currently an opioid epidemic is ravaging the Northeast and Midwest areas of the United States, taking almost 13,000 lives by overdose in 2015, an increase from 8,000 in 2013.[1][2] This increase in deaths is part of a rapid and troubling upward trend — a 244% increase in deaths from 2007 to…
James McIntyre (PO ’19) On June 23, 2016, for the first time in his judicial career, Justice Anthony Kennedy voted to uphold racial preferences in university admissions. His liberal shift provided the swing vote for the 4-3 decision, thereby cementing the legal basis for countless college admissions policies around the country intended to correct…
Dina Rosin (CMC ’20) Administered by the United States Department of Education, a Pell Grant is a subsidy given to students to help pay for college, an expense that is rapidly rising at institutions across the nation. The Pell Grant is awarded to students with demonstrated financial need, and the amount given to students is…
James Dail CM ’20 – The United States is in the midst of its worst-ever drug crisis. Every day 91 Americans die from opioid overdose.1 To make matters worse, the crisis is not affecting all facets of American society. Poor and working class Americans bear the brunt of the carnage.2 Unless viable solutions are devised,…
Lindsey Mattila (CMC ’17) The United States is currently the only developed country that does not have universal health coverage. While the Affordable Care Act provided access to healthcare for millions of people that would have otherwise been unaffordable, nearly 13 percent of the American population, ages 18 to 65, are still uninsured. Beyond extending…
Lindsey Mattila (CMC ’17) In my last blog post, Reducing Healthcare Costs Through Pharmaceutical Policy, I analyzed the pharmaceutical industry and explained why it is the most promising healthcare sector to improve in order to decrease rising health care costs. To put a stop to rising costs, which are predicted to rise even more dramatically…