Commemorating Muhammad Ali — An African American Muslim Who Refused to Be Silenced
On January 17th, 2017 Senator Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT) introduced a Federal bill that, if it passes, will order coins to be minted in commemoration of an African American Muslim who played a significant role in our country’s cultural history — Muhammad Ali. Ali – who was an American professional boxer and an activist known for …
Should the Government Pass Laws that Prohibit Cyberbullying?
https://youtu.be/GoOJnpSsHtY
Six Million Americans Celebrate Kwanzaa — But Did You Miss it?
Did you celebrate Kwanzaa this year? According to the NPR, citing the National Retail Association, two per cent of Americans did so — six million of your friends and neighbors. But did you miss it altogether? A new bill proposed by a Pennsylvania Democrat might make sure that  residents of her state, …
Autistic Children and Alzheimer’s Patients Who Wander — Do Need Help. But Does it Require the State to Install a Tracking Device in People Against their Will?
In 2008, after wandering from his home. Kevin Curtis Wills, nine years old,  jumped into Iowa’s Raccoon River and drowned. Six years later, after having left school, 14-year-old Avonte Oquendo drowned in the East River of New York City. Both of these boys were autistic. In honor of these children …
Cyberbullying Crackdown?
Has anyone by now not been the victim of online harassment and bullying at some point? The issue of online bullying is endemic, now that kids grow up with their social lives essentially online. Bullying that used to be confined to the schoolyard, now tracks children, teenagers and adults in cyberspace. And …
What the Heck Is An “Executive Order”? — Everything You Need To Know…But Were Afraid to Ask
Since his inauguration in late January, President Donald Trump has already signed seven Executive Orders, including an initiative to prevent refugees from entering the country and one to build a wall between the United States and Mexico. Whether or not you support Trump’s actions, it’s important to know exactly how much power his Executive Orders actually …
Fourteen Connecticut Representatives Propose 14 Different Bills to Remove the Same Unpopular CT Tax on Health Centers
This month, fourteen different Connecticut lawmakers proposed fourteen different bills, all set to accomplish, if passed, Â essentially the same thing. These bills, sponsored by both Democrat and Republican lawmakers, are each only a sentence long, and all aim to either repeal or to phase out a tax on ambulatory …
Puerto Ricans Are Welcome to Serve in the US Military…but Are Forbidden to Vote in US Presidential Elections
People at a Political Rally Kate Rubins is a 38-year-old astronaut for NASA — born in Connecticut and raised in California. She is one of the few Americans ever to cast a vote from outside Planet Earth; she cast her vote for President in the 2016 US election from the International Space Station, which soars hundreds …
Should Protesters Be Allowed To Burn US Flags?
While many Americans cheered the victory of Donald J Trump in the US election, others were distressed that this candidate had become the new President of the United States. Some of those opponents expressed their sentiments in a controversial but time-honored form of protest — they burned the American flag. …
The Electoral College May Never Die
Yesterday, across the country, members of the Electoral College cast their ballots at last, and confirmed Donald J. Trump as President-Elect. There is a lot of protest and dissension right now about the institution of the Electoral College. Many voters oppose it — who don’t actually understand what it is. …
Should September in New Jersey Be Devoted to Telling Families How to Help Suicidally Depressed Teens?
Is suicide something that happens only to a few marginalized families, or only to people whom ‘no one knows’? Hardly. It happens down the street, to our friends and neighbors. Shockingly, suicide is the third leading cause of death for New Jersey children and young people between the ages of …
Should We Tax Addictive Prescription Drugs — To Fund Addiction Treatment?
Americans are addicted to prescription drugs in huge numbers. As headlines in tabloids regularly confirm — as one pop star or musician after another confesses that he or she has a painkiller problem — Americans  are especially likely to be addicted to opiate-based prescription drugs. According to a National Survey …
LGBTQ Seniors: Equality at Last?
On March 3rd, 2016, Congressman Patrick Murphy (FL-D), proposed “Ruthie and Connie LGBT Elder Americans Act of 2015,” which will, if passed, amend the Older Americans Act of 1965, and will better ensure equal treatment of LGBT “older individuals.” The bill is named in honor of Ruthie Berman and Connor Kurtz who in 1988 …
Moms-To-Be to Receive Medical Care from the Day they Know that they Are Expecting
Pregnancy can, of course, bring joy and anticipation to expectant mothers and their families. However, pregnancy also comes with enormous new financial responsibility; cost of proper maternity care is one. Some low-income pregnant women are eligible to receive affordable prenatal care through Medicaid; but many uninsured women are not. According …
Turning Federally Protected Lands Over to Ranchers and Farmers?
On July 14, 2016, Representative Paul Gosar (AZ-R) proposed a bill that will, if passed, provide for the “dissemination and disposal of federal lands” in order to use them for grazing and water rights. The bill would make a major change in the Antiquities Act of 1906, which is an …