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. …
House and Senate Democrats Push to Address the Opioid Addiction Epidemic by Funding Treatment Centers
Twenty-three members of Congress, including Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) and Rep. Elizabeth Esty (CT-05), have written a letter that calls for funding as soon as possible, to deal with what they call the major US problem of opioid addiction. What are “opioids”? “Opioid” is a general term that refers to …
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 …
The House Just Passed A Stealth Provision Permitting Discrimination Against LGBT Americans by Federal Contractors
On Wednesday, the House passed the hefty National Defense Authorization Act of 2017 (the ‘NDAA’). Â Hidden within this thick, must-pass, military spending bill, is a little-noticed provision allowing the government to discriminate against LGBT-identifying employees who are working under federal contracts. The provision, introduced by Republican Representative Steve Russell of …