TS-Si Policy Review
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Washington, DC, USA. A former Maryland senator won’t be answering his phone for a few years. A Michigan ballot reform group needs a better proofreader. And an astronomical impossibility ensures that South Carolina’s new license plates won’t be heading off into the sunset. In case you missed those stories this week, Worth Noting fills you in.
Looking to call former Maryland senator Tommy Bromwell (D)? Feel free to leave a message, but don’t expect a callback. According to The Gazette, Br... |
July 19th, 2008
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Lancaster, PA, USA. John McCain is winning — and winning handily. This is from the latest Franklin & Marshall College National Poll of 1,501 registered adults conducted in partnership with Hearst-Argyle.
McCain is cleaning up more than 3 to 1 among voters who think the country is headed in the right direction, he’s ahead 20 points among voters whose personal finances are better off compared to last year, he’s clobbering Obama 4 to 1 among voters who think family values are... |
July 12th, 2008
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Washington, DC, USA. Vermont’s governor unexpectedly gets pie in the eye. Ohio State University, a runner-up in football and basketball, earns a dubious top ranking in something else. And the National Football League raids the Pennsylvania State Police for talent. In case you missed those stories this week, Worth Noting fills you in.
Was it at least Boston cream? Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas (R) encountered an unexpected slice of Americana as he marched in Montpelier’s Independence Day... |
July 12th, 2008
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Washington, DC, USA. While 70 current and former governors hobnob and reminisce in Philadelphia July 11-14 during the National Governors Association's 100th anniversary celebration, the sitting governors also plan to strategize on how to influence the next president on policies ranging from energy to health care.
Former governor-turned-president, Bill Clinton, who will give the keynote address July 12, is a reminder of how the governor’s mansion has been the training ground for fou... |
July 11th, 2008
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Washington, DC, USA. At a time when the presidential candidates are feverishly trying to flip red and blue states, a group of governors is finding that switching a state’s partisan leaning is no easy matter.
How hard is it to change the political complexion of a state? Not even a strong legislative record and high popularity may be enough for four Republican governors in predominantly Democratic states and four Democratic governors in heavily Republican states.
Two of th... |
July 10th, 2008
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Washington, DC, USA. Not every state is having budget troubles. Alaska, Texas, West Virginia and others are faring better than most because of their booming energy industries.
But North Dakota stands out because it has energy and agriculture — and not many people.
Devil’s Lake, North Dakota is as remote a place as there is in America. Canada lies about 60 miles to the north, Minnesota about 80 miles to the east. It is here, on farms such as Eric Aasmundstad’s, where you b... |
July 8th, 2008
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Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Declaration of Independence
The Unanimous Declaration
of the Thirteen United States of America
When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires t... |
July 3th, 2008
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Washington, DC, USA. For many states, 2008 will be remembered for record numbers of home foreclosures, $4-a-gallon gasoline and the beginning of a slide into new fiscal trouble after two years of overflowing coffers.
Stateline.org’s annual state-by-state look at legislative accomplishments, covering 36 states so far, finds lawmakers uneasy over finances and largely shying away from major expansions of public health-insurance programs or free preschool classes. A basket of new worries em... |
July 3th, 2008
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Washington, DC, USA. As of July 1, Colorado gamblers who are deadbeat parents will see their winnings diverted to pay unpaid child support, drivers in California and Washington state can no longer use hand-held cell phones in transit and people who attend animal fights in Virginia risk felony charges. And New Mexico targets human traffickers.
This is a sampling of the hundreds of new laws that take effect July 1, the beginning of the fiscal year for 46 states. Among the more ... |
July 1th, 2008
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Washington, DC, USA. Criticism of the Washington state Democratic Party for an attack ad that linked an Italian-American politician to fictional organized crime. The Pennsylvania Senate ponders expansion of bathroom access to people with bowel disorders. North Carolina's motor vehicle department embarrassed by a sample license plate on its Web site.
In case you missed those stories this week, Worth Noting fills you in.
The Washington state Democratic Party has had to literally... |
June 28th, 2008
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Washington, DC, USA. Finally, the last primary votes have been cast, and Barack Obama and John McCain are jousting with each other.
Obama has double-digit leads in two national polls, but the election poises for decision in a half-dozen toss-up states.
So much has happened in the presidential race over the past three months that voters can be forgiven if they feel dazed. But despite all the political and media frenzy — and despite Democrat Barack Obama’s double-digit lead... |
June 27th, 2008
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Washington, DC, USA. Alabama state Rep. Ken Guin’s (D) nutrition bill was dead from the start.
So dead, in fact, that he won the Legislature’s “shroud” award, a gag honor that for three decades has marked the end of the session for lawmakers in Montgomery.
Alabama and many other states conclude their sessions with traditions that are funny, bizarre and even poignant. With half of state legislatures concluding in the past two months, and several more to adjourn within a fe... |
June 23th, 2008
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Washington, DC, USA. The Colorado Lottery turns to scratch-and-sniff. Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley evicts Scout, one of his family’s dogs, from the governor’s mansion. Georgia puts mental health on the Xerox. A Florida prisoner bids for the state House. And the Quaker State slams its door on Muslims. In case you missed those stories this week, Worth Noting fills you in.
Scratch-and-sniff technology made the jump from stickers to lottery tickets, The Denver Post notes. The Colorado... |
June 21th, 2008
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Washington, DC, USA. A new survey says states could be facing two years of budget troubles as revenues continue to fall and spending pressures mount.
The budget year that begins July 1 will be one of the bleakest for state governments in the last three decades, according to a report [C1] released on 19 June 19 2008.
In some ways, the fiscal survey of states by the National Governors Association (NGA) [N1] and National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO) [N2]... |
June 19th, 2008
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Washington, DC, USA. Some governors on the shortlist of potential picks for vice president could turn their states upside down politically if they actually got the nod.
If picked to serve in an Obama administration, at least three Democratic governors would have to leave their states to Republicans, who are now second in command. A McCain presidency could mean at least one “red’ governership going Democratic “blue.”
While many people assume that lieutenant governors are o... |
June 18th, 2008
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