Raised to love my country and our flag, and because it's reserved for time with my family, the Fourth of July is a day that I look forward to from the very first signs of summer. For me, at least, I sense that this year will somewhat bittersweet
Unearmarking comes with the same uncertainty. To be clear, unearmarking does not generate any new money.
Tuesday night, the GOP picked up seven seats in the U.S. Senate resulting in their first majority (52-46) since 2006. House Republicans expanded their majority by twelve seats, bringing their total to 246. The election results nationwide indicate the voters' desire for a new direction.
Probably the key differences right now between conservative and liberal women as a voting bloc is the fact that liberal women are more organized and tend to have a more specific agenda. There are more women leading in liberal politics and thus, there tends to be a more consistent message on issues and a unified voice telling us how women are feeling about things.
It's been a bad year for the Obama Administration at the U.S. Supreme Court. Just last week the Court released opinions striking down three of the President's recess appointments and nullifying a law that prevented pro-life protests in certain spaces around abortion clinics. On Monday, the Court handed down its long awaited decision in the Hobby Lobby case and ruled in favor of the company, 5-4.
The Circuit Court for Montgomery County ruled on Wednesday that the state's year-old school choice law, the Alabama Accountability Act, is unconstitutional and that the state is enjoined from taking any measures to further implement the law. This is the third lawsuit filed in an effort to halt the Act -- the previous two were unsuccessful.
On Monday, May 5th, the United States Supreme Court upheld the practice of Greece, a small town in the State of New York, to open monthly town meetings in prayer.
For those who thought the exposure of the IRS, as a political weapon was an exaggerated anomaly, think again. During Congress's Thanksgiving recess, the U.S. Treasury and the IRS quietly published a new rule to change the parameters of permissible activities for 501(c) (4) organizations that could severely weaken these groups leading up to the 2014 elections.
In 2008, under the leadership of Governor Bobby Jindal, Louisiana launched an educational scholarship program in New Orleans. The Louisiana Scholarship Program, similar to Alabama's new scholarship program created by the Accountability Act, is designed to provide low-income students zoned for underperforming schools with opportunities to attend qualified private schools within the State.
On November 1, a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals decided Gilardi v. HHS ruling against the controversial "birth control mandate" instituted under Obamacare. People of faith from around the nation have waited for an answer on this question, with nearly 75 similar cases pending in federal courts. While this decision is a major victory for religious liberty, the issue will likely face another round at the U.S. Supreme Court.
