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May 20, 2013, 8:30 am
By
Gov. Alejandro Garcia-Padilla
Last November my administration was tasked with tackling the many
challenges facing Puerto Rico, including, rampant crime, high
unemployment and an economy in deep recession. Sadly, ever since losing
the election, instead of joining me in addressing these challenges, the
previous administration has chosen to focus on misrepresenting the
outcome of the 2012 Puerto Rico plebiscite on self-determination.
Falsely claiming that a majority of Puerto Ricans voted in support of
statehood, Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi and his allies from the
prior administration continue to spread in Washington the politics of
division.
In their zeal to attempt to demonstrate support for
statehood, the New Progressive Party has worked tirelessly to
mischaracterize the results of the plebiscite – so much so that both
houses of the Puerto Rican legislature felt it necessary to pass a joint resolution on Wednesday to set the record straight.
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May 17, 2013, 4:00 pm
By
Rev. David Beckman
The message from Congress is clear: inconvenience trumps hunger.
Several
weeks ago, Congress passed the Reducing Flight Delays Act of 2013,
giving the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) the flexibility to
spend up to $253 million of its current budget to ensure that more
flights depart on time. As a frequent flyer, I certainly appreciate it
when my flight takes off on schedule. However, as the president of Bread
for the World, I find lawmakers’ swift action on air travel
irresponsible, considering that people living in hunger still face
drastic cuts to anti-poverty programs.
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May 17, 2013, 2:30 pm
By
Saket Soni
In a U.S. economy where tens of millions are struggling, guest workers
on H-2B visas are trapped at the bottom. These so-called “low skilled”
temporary workers occupy fields from hospitality to construction to
landscaping to food processing — alongside 24 million U.S. workers in
the same sectors. And the job quality of those 24 million depends on
whether guest workers can blow the whistle on abuse.
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May 17, 2013, 1:00 pm
By
David Balto and Hal Singer
The upcoming incentive spectrum auction offers a chance to inject vitally needed spectrum into the broadband marketplace.
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May 17, 2013, 11:23 am
By
Naureen Shah and Tarek Ismail
Last month’s tragic attack on the Boston marathon leaves us wanting
answers — not just about why it occurred, but why we failed to prevent
it. One tempting answer is that the FBI could have prevented the Boston
attack if it had more power and fewer legal encumbrances. That seems to
be the wrongheaded if understandable impulse of former Sen. Joe
Lieberman (I-Conn.), who at last Thursday’s House Homeland Security
Committee hearing on the Boston attack, urged Congress to review the
Attorney General Guidelines that regulate the FBI’s surveillance and
investigation power.
In our democratic society, a thought crime
is no crime at all. Yet Lieberman and some members of Congress suggested
that the FBI should be able to keep investigations open based on a
person’s religious and political beliefs. That change would be ruinous
to an agency that prides itself on upholding the Constitution, and it
would not help prevent terrorism.
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May 16, 2013, 4:00 pm
By
Monte Shaw
Big Oil is back to its old tricks, this time trying to convince Congress
and the Environmental Protection Agency that the Renewable Fuels
Standard (RFS) cannot work and should be eliminated.
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May 16, 2013, 2:30 pm
By
Nina Parikh
“No thank you, I don’t want to join the national marrow donor
program today. If you register, aren’t you forced to undergo an
invasive, expensive surgery to save a stranger? I don’t want to risk my
own health for someone else’s.” It's shocking that people in our country have that mindset, let alone have the courage to say those thoughts out loud, right?
Working
at “Be the Match” foundation, a part of the national marrow donor
program, these past few weeks has really opened my eyes to the types of
people and myths this foundation deals with and must overcome to ensure
its success.
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May 16, 2013, 1:00 pm
By
Larry Thompson
There are three distinct phases of leadership when attempting to
implement change: vision, structure and implementation. This same
process can be applied to congressional leadership regarding U.S.
financial reform.
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May 16, 2013, 11:25 am
By
James Kakalios
Congress’s recent action to allow the Federal Aviation Administration to
avoid furloughs of air traffic controllers is an indication that the
fiscal sequester is starting to bite. Less visible, but no less real, is
the harm to our economic growth that will result from drastic
across-the-board sequestration cuts to agencies that support scientific
research.
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May 16, 2013, 6:00 am
By
Rep. Scott Tipton (R-Colo.), Chairman, Small Business Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy and Trade
Small Business owners are concerned about the threat of rising fuel and energy costs. According to a U.S. Chamber of Commerce survey, 77 percent of small businesses say that rising energy prices pose an immediate threat to their business. The Chamber’s survey shows that 80 percent feel that the administration is not doing enough to keep gas prices low, increase domestic energy sources, or develop an energy policy that supports American jobs. The United States can do a number of things to ease these concerns but one in particular stands out from the rest.
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