| April 2006
Politics & Government: Bush Administration | Federal Government | The Courts |
Government Initiatives: Crime & Law Enforcement | Homeland Security | Social Security & Welfare | Tax
Reform |
Politics & Government:
C1 - Democracy, Realistically
Owen, John M IV.
The National Interest, Spring 2006, #83, pp35-43
"Realist critics have repeatedly chastised the Bush Administration
for its "utopianism", arguing that, in using American
power to spread political liberty around the world, the president
is at best wasting America's resources and at worst wooing disaster.
Many of the critics subscribe to the proposition that the promotion
of democracy and the preservation of American power are contradictory
goals. Here, Owen compares the two complementary goals: advancing
US interest and global democracy promotion." John M.
Owen IV is Associate Professor of politics at the University of
Virginia. Fulltext
C2 - The Contemporary Presidency: The Sixth Year Curse
Shogun, Colleen J.
Presidential Studies Quarterly, March 2006, v36, #1, pp89-101
"The author describes the scandals, economic depressions,
and weakened political coalitions that have plagued sixth-year
presidents since Ulysses S. Grant. Shogun describes the serious
scandals and problems that dogged Presidents Clinton, Reagan,
and Nixon and the less calamitous events of the Roosevelt and
Eisenhower years. The article includes graphs depicting downturns
in numbers of the congressional representatives from the sixth-year
president's party during the mid-term elections. Shogun asserts
that it is never an easy task to figure out the political prospects
of George W. Bush but difficult fifth-years and generally followed
by the "cursed" sixth year." Colleen J. Shogan
is Assistant Professor of government and politics at George Mason
University. Fulltext
C3 - Lobbying Reform: Lobbying Reform:
Accountability through Transparency
Mann, Thomas E.
House Committee on Rules, March 2, 2006, online edition
"The revelations from the prosecution and guilty pleas of
lobbyist Jack Abramoff and Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham
have understandably brought to public attention the laws, congressional
rules, and enforcement mechanisms regulating the interactions
between lobbyists and Members of Congress and their staff. Congress
is under enormous pressure to act quickly to deal with the perceived
inadequacy of that regulatory system. The good news is that these
scandals could provide the boost required to enact long-needed
changes in that system. The bad news is that whenever Congress
acts quickly to deal with a politically embarrassing situation
and without sufficient deliberation, it runs the risk of producing
a flawed product, one that fails to deal with the problems identified
and possibly even does more harm than good. Thomas E. Mann
is a Senior Fellow, Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution.
Fulltext
C4 - Defense Attorney
Brian Friel
National Journal, March 4, 2006, v38, #9, pp19-25
Supporters of U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales regard
him as committed to the administration of justice and the war
on terrorism, while critics argue that because of his prior position
as chief White House counsel, he is serving as the President's
defense attorney rather than the nation's top prosecutor. The
author compares Gonzales' relationship with President Bush to
that of former attorneys general and the presidents that they
served under, and uses a graphic to demonstrate the various roles
that previous attorneys general have played in the administrations
of John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush. Friel concludes that Gonzales'
legacy as attorney general may depend not on whether he is too
close to the president to be effective as his opponents argue,
but whether or not that closeness "ultimately benefits the
nation." Brian Friel is National Journal staff correspondent
since July 2003 and covers transportation and education.
Fulltext
Government Initiatives:
C5 - Juvenile Offenders and Victims:
2006 National Report
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, March
2006
“The report draws on reliable data and relevant research to provide
a comprehensive and insightful view of juvenile crime across the
nation. It offers Congress, state legislators and other state
and local policymakers, professors and teachers, juvenile justice
professionals, and concerned citizens empirically based answers
to frequently asked questions about the nature of juvenile crime
and victimization and about the justice system's response. Citing
FBI and other data sources, the Report demonstrates that the rate
of juvenile violent crime arrests has consistently decreased since
1994, falling to a level not seen since at least the 1970s. However,
during this period of overall decline in juvenile violence, the
female proportion of juvenile violent crime arrests has increased
(especially for the crime of assault), marking an important change
in the types of youth entering the juvenile justice system and
in their programming needs.” Fulltext
C6 - Transnational Organized Crime: Principal Threats
and U.S. Responses
Wagley, John R.
Congressional Research Service (CRS) Report for Congress,
RL, 33335, March 20, 2006, 24p
“This report examines the growing threat of transnational organized
crime to U.S. national security and global stability. The report
also outlines the U.S. response to international crime. While
U.S. policy is framed within the 1998 International Crime Control
Strategy, it is also shaped by other more recent federal and agency
plans. Key federal programs and initiatives and their interagency
coordination are discussed.” John R. Wagley is an Analyst
in Foreign Affairs with the Congressional Research Service.
Fulltext
C7 - Empowering America: A Proposal for Enhancing Regional
Preparedness
The Heritage Foundation and the George Washington University
Homeland
Security Policy Institute Task Force, Special Report #06,
April 7, 2006, 12p
"Regional preparedness is crucial to building a national
response system that allows local communities, states, and the
federal government to work together to make sure that the right
resources get to the right place at the right time to do the right
thing during a catastrophic disaster. Significant local capabilities
already exist, including those of domestic military, state, and
local first responders, the private sector, and nongovernmental
organizations. The challenge is to access and integrate these
capabilities to improve preparedness in the near term." Fulltext
C8 - Complete Cargo Inspection and Port Security Grants
Do Not Promote Homeland Security
Kochems, Alane; Carafano, James Jay Ph.D.
The Heritage Foundation, April 3, 2006, Executive Memorandum
#998. 2p
Homeland security efforts that waste scarce resources by focusing
on the least likely maritime threats do not further homeland security...
The U.S. simply cannot “child proof” the entire supply chain,
eliminating every conceivable vulnerability and opportunity
to attack U.S. interests... Closing the real gaps in U.S. maritime
security means focusing the government on stopping terrorists
and criminals and focusing the private sector on sensible, reasonable,
transparent, and uniform action that will enhance the security
of the global supply chain. Much can be done to improve maritime
security without placing undue burdens on maritime commerce. Alane
Kochems is a Policy Analyst for National Security and James Jay
Carafano is Senior Research Fellow for National Security and Homeland
Security in the Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy
Studies, a division of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute
for International Studies, at The Heritage Foundation. Fulltext
C9 - Pension Crisis
Greenblatt, Alan
CQ Researcher, February 17, v16, #7, 2006, 24p
"Many private pension plans won't be able to pay the benefits
they have promised; they are underfunded by an estimated $450
billion. Even the federal agency that insures them is in the red
$23 billion -- and its shortfall could hit $142 billion in 20
years. The biggest pension failures have involved companies in
struggling industries such as auto, steel and airlines -- but
even healthy corporations such as IBM, Verizon and Hewlett-Packard
have recently frozen their pension plans. Congress is crafting
legislation to make the nation's private pension system more stable,
but many observers worry that tightening funding rules could lead
more companies to drop their pension programs. It seems certain
that more of the responsibility of saving for retirement will
fall to individuals -- and Americans are notoriously bad savers.
As the first wave of baby boomers turns 60 this year, many experts
warn that they and coming generations won't be able to retire
as comfortably as their parents." Alan Greenblatt is
a staff writer for “Governing” magazine and writes for Congressional
Quarterly and other publications on politics, government and culture.
Order Article
C10 - Paying For It
Schieber, Sylvester
The Wilson Quarterly, Spring 2006, v30, #2, pp 62-69
"There aren't many mysteries about the financial challenges
posed by the aging of America's population. While America dithers,
Sweden and other countries have pioneered creative and surprisingly
hard-headed reforms to cope with the mountain of retirement costs
that lie ahead. [...] If the United States does not take to heart
the lessons that some other countries have learned, it will be
forced to repeat the unpleasant experiences of those that refused
to act until there was no alternative. [...] The future that looms
before the United States is neither a blur nor a mystery. Its
outlines can be seen with all the clarity of an actuarial table,
and so can the choices." In this article, Schieber compares
recent social security reforms in developed countries and their
applicability to U.S. social security. Sylvester Schieber
is Vice President and Director of U.S. Benefits Consulting at
Watson Wyatt & Company, a global consulting firm focused
on human capital and financial management. Fulltext
C11- Building Automatic Solvency into U.S. Social
Security: Insights from Sweden and Germany
Capretta, James C.
The Brookings Institution Policy Brief #151, March 2006, 8p.
"The payroll taxes that support Social Security's "pay–as-you-go"
system will begin to fall short of outlays in 2017 and will be
sufficient to finance only 74 percent of scheduled annual benefits
by 2041, when the Social Security trust fund is projected to be
exhausted.[...] Ideally, U.S. policymakers will reach a consensus
on Social Security solvency reforms. Sweden and Germany have shown
that it is possible and desirable to put in place provisions that
can automatically self-correct underfunding of pay-as-you-go pension
systems. The U.S. should put in place such provisions for Social
Security, ensuring permanent solvency for the program." James
C. Capretta is a Visiting Fellow in the Economic Studies Program
at the Brookings Institution. Fulltext
Tax Reform
C12 - Greening the Tax Code
Hanson, Craig & David B. Sandalow
Tax Reform and the Environment, Brookings Institution Policy
Brief, April 2006, #1, 12p.
"In recent years several Republican and Democratic governors
have imposed new pollution taxes, often winning bipartisan acclaim.
Analysis indicates that taxes on air and water pollution could
generate substantial revenue for the U.S. Treasury while improving
environmental quality, stimulating technological innovation and
enhancing energy security. Reducing tax expenditures with adverse
impacts on natural resources could do the same." Craig
Hanson is Senior Associate, with the Sustainable Enterprise Program
at the World Resources Institute. David B. Sandalow is Director
of the Environment & Energy Project at the Brookings Institution.
Fulltext
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