What You’ll See is Tradition, Not Law Every year, the president delivers his State of the Union address to a special joint session of Congress. President Obama will do so Tuesday night, January 28, at 9:00 PM. The usual fanfare will accompany the event. Maybe there will some surprises too. The U.S. Constitution divides ourRead… Read more »
Our Schools Need to Teach This Stuff. As Americans tackle the annual tax-filing ritual, millions will panic. It’s confusing. Many don’t understand it. Some are afraid of it. Relax. Just slow down and read the forms, one line at a time. It’s easier than you think. As adults, we are all responsible for managing ourRead… Read more »
Our Schools Need to Teach This Stuff. As Americans tackle the annual tax-filing ritual, millions will panic. It’s confusing. Many don’t understand it. Some are afraid of it. Relax. Just slow down and read the forms, one line at a time. It’s easier than you think. As adults, we are all responsible for managing ourRead… Read more »
Too many Americans don’t know what Congress is, or how it works. Congress has most of the political power in the United States. Public support for Congress has reached another all-time low. Our disapproval should be based in reality, not in fantasy, rumor, or ignorance. Our schools don’t bother to teach this stuff. What’s aRead… Read more »
Here We Go Again. News reports have been chattering about a possible government shutdown since July. Both Democrats and Republicans have been posturing and saber-rattling and making a lot of noise, but none of them bother to explain what that means for the public. First, some background. Each federal fiscal, or budget, year begins onRead… Read more »
Join Your Friends and Neighbors in the Labor Day Parade On Monday September 2, Americans will observe the 132nd Labor Day celebration. The Allegheny County Labor Council will host its 32nd consecutive parade downtown. Pittsburgh’s parade is one of the largest Labor Day events in the United States, with nearly 200 groups and 80,000 peopleRead… Read more »
The Founders Tried to Protect Us From Religious Extremists America’s founders deliberately kept god out of our Constitution because they didn’t want a theocracy. But many Americans now try to force all of us to practice their faith, and prevent some from practicing different faiths. Nothing is more un-American. James Madison and Gouverneur Morris wroteRead… Read more »
An Act of Treason; Not a Law The Declaration of Independence was more a process than a moment in history. This act of treason against an empire sparked the Revolutionary War and, eventually, the United States of America. It is not, and has never been, a law, but it is worth reading. This week, AmericansRead… Read more »
“Nonprofit” Does Not Mean “No Money” Recent news reports claimed that the IRS targeted extra scrutiny to conservative groups applying for nonprofit tax exemptions. It was much ado about nothing. But it’s time to clarify nonprofits’ legal status and their social roles in our culture. The Internal Revenue Service’s regulation of nonprofit organizations was aRead… Read more »
Why Won’t Americans Just Read the Constitution? Recently, Bill Maher and Michael Moore rightly criticized Congressional Republicans for their relentless obstruction of government. Plenty of liberal bloggers and their followers jumped on the bandwagon. But they all went too far in calling it treason. Republicans have tripped over each other to obstruct every budget proposal,Read… Read more »