Understanding the Absentee Voting Debate
While absentee voting in the United States can be traced back to the Civil War Era, the Pandemic created an unprecedented demand for absentee ballots as an alternative to traditional polling locations. Absentee voting or voting by mail is a process that allows voters to cast their ballots before election day either by dropping off […]
Understanding the Access to STD Resources and Healthcare Debate
What are Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)? Also known as sexually transmitted infections (STIs), sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are “infections that are passed from one person to another through sexual contact”. While there are more than 20 types, the eight most common in 2018 included chlamydia, genital herpes, HIV, HPV, syphilis, trichomoniasis, and hepatitis B. STDs […]
Pros and Cons of 2023 NATO Military Aid to Ukraine
Introduction The North Atlantic Trade Organization, NATO, has maintained a strong relationship with Ukraine since the 1990s. NATO allies uphold that Ukrainian sovereignty is a shared security goal. The invasion of Crimea in 2014 furthered cooperation, especially through the Comprehensive Assistance Package (CAP). This aid package has aimed to improve Ukraine’s security and defense sectors […]
Understanding the Affirmative Action Debate in Higher Education
Background Affirmative action refers to policies which seek to positively discriminate towards racial, ethnic, gender, or other groups that may be underrepresented or have been discriminated against in the past. In the U.S. affirmative action is typically used in the admissions process of higher education institutions to help increase racial diversity at universities. Though race-based […]
Understanding the No Surprises Act
What is Surprise Billing? Surprise billing refers to any unexpected bill received by patients but is especially prevalent with balance billing. Balance billing is the process of billing a patient the remainder of what insurance has not agreed to cover for a medical service or treatment. Even though emergency services are required by law to […]
Understanding the Pesticide Debate
Pesticides are chemicals that target and kill organisms which humans have deemed as harmful. Pesticide is a generalized term for many different types of chemicals including herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides. These chemicals must be registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in order to be used. This process entails examining their ingredients, which crop they […]
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and US-EU Relations
The Inflation Reduction Act The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) was signed by President Joe Biden on August 16, 2022. The bill was designed to reduce US dependence on fossil fuels in the transportation and manufacturing sectors. It will also create clean energy jobs, and is projected to create up to 9 million jobs […]
US Involvement in the Lithium Triangle
Lithium, also known as white gold, is an important component in rechargeable batteries. These batteries are used in portable technology such as cell phones and laptops, as well as large scale electrical components. Specifically, Lithium-ion batteries store energy for solar panels, electric vehicles, and wind turbines making the resource essential for shifting away from fossil […]
Successes and Failures of US Response to Ukrainian Refugees
Background In February of 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, a continuation of Russian expansion that began with their annexation of Crimea in 2014. The invasion was not localized—like the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula—and Ukrainians were forced to leave the country on a large scale (8.1 million fled as of March 2023) in order to escape […]
Pros and Cons of Enacting Supreme Court Term Limits
Background Article III Section 1 of the U.S. constitution outlines that Supreme Court justices are to “hold their offices during good Behaviour”, a phrase which framer Alexander Hamilton in Federalist No. 78 explained means “for life”. A justice can either die on the bench, retire, or be removed from office after committing an impeachable offense; […]