American Voice 2004: Will baby boomers bankrupt social security?

Date: 1 Jun 2004 | posted in: From the Desk of David Morris, The Public Good | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Q.  In early January Toby Ziegler, the most liberal member of the liberal Administration of TV President Josiah Bartlett on West Wing announced the impending bankruptcy of social security as the baby boomers retire. A few weeks later Alan Greenspan, one of the more conservative real-life Chairmen of the conservative Federal Reserve System told Congress the … Read More

American Voice 2004: What’s the deal with recess appointments?

Date: 1 Jun 2004 | posted in: From the Desk of David Morris, The Public Good | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Q.  President Bush made two recess appointments of federal judges in early 2004. Democrats condemn him for bypassing the traditional Senate confirmation process. Republicans counter that recess appointments are a President’s constitutional right, a common historical practice that as recently as 2000 Democratic President Clinton has been utilized. What gives? Answer: Bear with me. This gets … Read More

American Voice 2004: Where do I find information on campaign funding?

Date: 1 Jun 2004 | posted in: From the Desk of David Morris, The Public Good | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Q.  I constantly see in the paper about how much money the candidates are raising and from whom. Do I have to be an investigative reporter to uncover this information or is it readily available to the general public? Answer: The bad news is that the need for billions of dollars in campaign money is perverting … Read More

American Voice 2004: Should judges be allowed to give out lenient sentences?

Date: 1 Jun 2004 | posted in: From the Desk of David Morris, The Public Good | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Q. What is going on with federal sentencing? First I heard that Congress had made it very difficult for judges to mete out lenient sentences. Now I hear that the federal courts have decided that federal sentencing guidelines may be unconstitutional because judges are imposing sentences that are too harsh. What gives? Answer: Before 1986, federal … Read More

American Voice 2004: Why didn’t military jets intercept the hijacked airliner before it crashed into the Pentagon on 9/11?

Date: 1 Jun 2004 | posted in: From the Desk of David Morris, The Public Good | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Q.  On September 11 why didn’t military fighter jets intercept the plane that crashed into the Pentagon? Wasn’t there enough time for the jets to get there after the first hijacked plane hit the World Trade Center? Answer: The 9/11 Commission is examining this issue. As Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball commented in Newsweek last fall … Read More

American Voice 2004: Does the Supreme Court allow gerrymandering?

Date: 1 Jun 2004 | posted in: From the Desk of David Morris, The Public Good | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Q. Didn’t the Supreme Court recently decide to allow gerrymandering? Doesn’t it mean the incumbents can now redraw the political map to guarantee they remain in power? Answer: Yes, and probably. In April of 2004 the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a challenge to Pennsylvania’s newly drawn congressional boundaries[1] brought by Democrats who claimed that Republicans created … Read More

American Voice 2004: Why are the military contractors who abused Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghairb not subject to the same laws and penalties as the military soldiers who did so?

Date: 1 Jun 2004 | posted in: From the Desk of David Morris, The Public Good | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Q. I’ve heard that the civilians involved in the abuse of prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq will not be prosecuted. Why are they treated differently from the soldiers they worked with? Answer: Before the 1991 Gulf War private companies routinely provided logistic and transportation services for the military. Since the Gulf War private … Read More

American Voice 2004: Can I vote for a third party candidate without undermining a major party candidate?

Date: 1 Jun 2004 | posted in: From the Desk of David Morris, The Public Good | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Q.  I’ve heard that there is a way in which a vote for a third party candidate like Ralph Nader would not take a vote away from the major party candidate, in this case John Kerry. It would work like this. Nader would direct any Nader elector to the Electoral College to vote for John Kerry. … Read More

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