Owatonna, NC Correspondent-A ballot referendum in California this fall will decide if Californians will be able to petition the Federal government to split the state into three separate states: (new) California, Northern California, and Southern California. Polls show that a large majority of California voters oppose the referendum (an April 2018 poll by SurveyUSA.com showed … Continue reading Will Californians succeed in dividing the current state into three separate states?
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How can we solve the growing labor shortages and get foreign workers into US jobs where they are needed?
Gastonia, NC Correspondent-There are tens of thousands of businesses across the U.S. hanging out help wanted signs for technical and professional jobs that are going unfilled. We simply don’t have the talent base in our native workforce to fill them all, and it will be decades before we’ve got enough workers trained to meet the … Continue reading How can we solve the growing labor shortages and get foreign workers into US jobs where they are needed?
The Supreme Court recently upheld President Trump’s travel ban on people from primarily Muslim countries. Will this encourage Trump and future presidents to become more autocratic?
Owatonna, MN Correspondent-Until recent decades, the Supreme Court upholding an executive order (EO) issued by the President wouldn't be particularly noteworthy. Challenging EOs is a normal, healthy component of this country's system of checks and balances used to ensure none of the three branches of government acquires too much power. But now that politics has … Continue reading The Supreme Court recently upheld President Trump’s travel ban on people from primarily Muslim countries. Will this encourage Trump and future presidents to become more autocratic?
Will the rise of student activism after the Parkland, Florida school shooting help reduce mass shootings?
Gastonia, NC Correspondent-Ah, the idealism of youth! I sometimes long for the days when I truly believed that walking out of class, painting signs and marching while singing protest songs could actually bring about change. Sadly, I have lived a half-century now and realize that our government has been completely bought and paid for by … Continue reading Will the rise of student activism after the Parkland, Florida school shooting help reduce mass shootings?
Will the new relationship between The US and North Korea lead to real peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula?
Owatonna, MN Correspondent-President Trump's summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was historic and significant only in that it was a first of many small steps toward creating a better relationship between the two nations. Most experts have said nothing substantial came out of the summit in terms of tangible policy like North … Continue reading Will the new relationship between The US and North Korea lead to real peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula?
What can be done about reducing the amount of plastic trash from numerous sources that are seriously threatening the oceans?
Owatonna, MN Correspondent-Plastic is ubiquitous in modern daily life because of its light weight, malleability, and versatility in making hundreds of different products from straws to containers to automobile parts to siding for houses. It's generally accepted plastic has been positive for the world in many ways. But the downside of this wonder material is … Continue reading What can be done about reducing the amount of plastic trash from numerous sources that are seriously threatening the oceans?
Is the growing gap between coastal economic performance and that of the interior becoming a structural political problem rather than a temporary one?
Wheeling, West Virginia Correspondent — It's felt structural here for thirty years, and I'd gently suggest that the question is only being asked now because it started showing up in national election returns. Coastal metros captured most of the high-value service and technology growth. Many interior communities were left with weaker job markets and falling … Continue reading Is the growing gap between coastal economic performance and that of the interior becoming a structural political problem rather than a temporary one?
How can the United States reduce its dependence on single foreign sources for critical rare-earth minerals without triggering new trade conflicts?
Novi, Michigan Correspondent — Diversify among allied countries, invest in domestic processing, improve recycling. The automotive angle is that an electric motor needs magnets and the magnets need these elements, and the industry is committing to electrification on the assumption that the supply exists. Nobody in my business has a plan B for neodymium. We … Continue reading How can the United States reduce its dependence on single foreign sources for critical rare-earth minerals without triggering new trade conflicts?
Will the continued rise in student loan balances eventually force a broader political confrontation over higher-education financing?
Dayton, Ohio Correspondent — It's already moved from background complaint to active fight, and I'd date that shift to about two years ago. What makes it political rather than economic is that three different groups arrived at the same grievance from different directions. Families feel the debt. Employers see the mismatch between the degree and … Continue reading Will the continued rise in student loan balances eventually force a broader political confrontation over higher-education financing?
Is the current regulatory approach to large technology companies sufficient to address concerns about market power and data privacy?
Prescott Valley, AZ Correspondent — The current approach lags the reality of how these platforms operate, and the gap is widest on the data side. Existing antitrust doctrine can be applied more vigorously to mergers and exclusionary conduct. That's a question of will rather than of authority. Privacy and data portability are different — there … Continue reading Is the current regulatory approach to large technology companies sufficient to address concerns about market power and data privacy?
