Author
States with strong antiabortion laws have high maternal and infant mortality rates
As someone who considers himself pro-life, I should be celebrating the recent Dobbs case that the Supreme Court used to overturn Roe v. Wade. But I’m very concerned today. I believe such a ruling will not only fail to reduce the abortion rate, but could very well lead to an increase in maternal death rates […]
These disease surveillance dogs can help our economy and environment
As we finally turn the corner from COVID-19, I’m sure you are going to be dismayed to learn that we’ve got another problem heading toward the United States. African swine fever has ravaged sub-Saharan Africa, China, Mongolia, and Vietnam, has entered the European Union, and could be headed toward the United States. Fortunately, America may […]
Presidents declare more disasters during reelection years – and the decisions come faster
When torrential rains tore apart Middle Tennessee, Tropical Storm Fred hit the Gulf Coast and Henri hit the northeastern U.S. all in one week of August 2021, the scope of the deaths, injuries and damage quickly overwhelmed local resources. Federal disaster declarations came even before the storms hit, and governors in affected states have called […]
Civics education isn’t boosting youth voting or volunteerism
After the insurrection, the impeachment, the trial and ongoing partisanship in 2021, many Americans are looking to civics education as a source of hope, according to George Washington University’s Center on Education Policy, which reports that “Nearly all Americans (97%) agree that public schools should be teaching civics.” According to the Center for American Progress, […]
Could curtailing absentee voting crush conservatives in future elections?
Republicans seem on a mission to reverse the 2020 Election results. One step for the GOP involves making it harder to vote in the future. If these misguided initiatives succeed, then America will be a little less democratic, but will see a lot more Democrats win at the ballot box. That’s because absentee voting has […]
Political prediction models aren’t necessarily more accurate than polls – or the weather forecast
As the presidential election approaches, everyone wants to know who will win. But nobody wants to wait until the election is actually over and the votes are all counted up and double-checked. In an effort to predict the winner weeks, or even months, in advance, pollsters take to the phones and the internet, and academics […]