Received his Bachelor's degree in Political Science from San Diego State University. Keeping an eye on the role of money in politics. When #moneytalks you listen.
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IRS Building in Washington DC // Credit: Wikimedia Commons As lawmakers broil and simmer over budget reform, many Americans are primarily concerned as to whether or not their tax obligations will go up in 2013. One possible contributor to higher taxes for middle class Americans is the alternative minimum income tax,
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Photo: The Office of Senator Akaka The Hatch Act Modernization Act of 2012 passed the Senate with unanimous consent on November 30th. The Hatch Act, passed in 1939, bars civil servants from running for partisan elective office and from engaging in biased, partisan-promoting activities. The Hatch Act reform abridges the
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The Aviation Subcommittee held a hearing on Thursday, November 29. Acting Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security, Charles Edwards, and Government Accountability Office Director of Homeland Security, Steve Lord, offered their findings regarding multiple TSA-related investigations and complaints. However, one glaring absence was clearly evident. The government-owned and
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California is often criticized for its budget crisis. However, looking more into the state's finances, it appears that California only receives 78 cents from the Federal Government per dollar paid in taxes, thus it is reasonable to believe that California could be better off alone. California alone is,
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source: Economics and Statistics Administration // Department of Commerce After being defeated in September, The STEM Jobs Act, is poised to make a return to the House floor. Sponsor Lamar Smith (R-Texas) introduced the original, H.R. 6429, and the bill failed to win a 2/3 majority to pass under
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As the United States diversifies its energy portfolio to include greater investments in solar, wind, geothermal, hydro, and others forms of energy, it can be difficult to gauge their effectiveness. Carrington College California created this infographic showing the future of renewable energy. It projects renewable energy usage trends, compares investment
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source: finance.senate.gov As negotiations on how to resolve the ‘fiscal cliff’ broil on, the Senate Finance Committee acts as a crucible to determine policy outcomes. The Finance Committee naturally maintains heavy influence over policy relating to taxes and entitlement programs and Chairman, Max Baucus (D-Montana), has revealed somewhat
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Cognitive Match released this infographic soon after the 2012 election. Obama lost independent voters in every state except North Carolina, compared to 2008. North Carolina was the only swing state that went to Romney.
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Although Obama is set to reclaim the presidency, several of his appointments might not follow him to the end of his second term. It is probable that Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, will not seek reappointment at the end of his term in 2014. It has been speculated
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In a report released last week, California’s Legislative Analyst’s Office found that the state is facing budget gap of $1.9 billion for the fiscal year 2013-2014, but will likely see a budget surplus in California after 2014. “We also expect that the state faces a $936 million
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photo: Wikimedia Commons JP Morgan and Credit Suisse settled their cases with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Friday regarding charges of fraudulent bundling and sale of mortgage securities. The charges encompassed transactions from 2005 to 2010 for Credit Suisse and 2005 to 2008 for JP Morgan Chase. The
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US Department of Justice // Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons The British-based oil corporation, British Petroleum, plead guilty to criminal charges and agreed to pay $4.5 billion in settlements Thursday. “[BP] has reached agreement with the United States government, subject to court approval, to resolve all federal criminal charges and all