by jpitney | Jul 10, 2025 | Congress, Deliberation
R Street Institute and other think tanks comment on proposed cuts to congressional capacity: Specifically, the bill reported by the House Appropriations Committee on June 26, 2025, would decrease funding of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) by $396.5 million,...
by jpitney | Jun 4, 2025 | Civic Education, Civility, Deliberation, Higher Education
Claremont McKenna College Commencement, Hiram Chodosh “Your traverse of the stage today is the road the world needs to follow. You prove the possible. The 64% of Americans who have lost confidence in higher education have not met you. You face and surmount the...
by jpitney | Apr 3, 2025 | Congress, Debate, Debt, Deliberation
Mike Johnson (the former Michel guy, not the current speaker): The framers of the Constitution were in good measure geniuses who had a vision for the future and took lessons from the accomplishments and failures of the budding European democracies. That genius is not...
by jpitney | Jan 8, 2025 | civic virtue, Congress, Deliberation, Elections, House of Representatives, Transparency, Volunteering
Philip Wallach at AEI: As it scrambled to pass a continuing resolution and avoid a government shutdown at the end of 2024, the 118th Congress ended much as it began—with serious doubts as to whether America’s legislature can rise to the level of bare competence. The...
by jpitney | Oct 29, 2024 | Civility, Debate, Deliberation, Middle East
At Inside Higher Ed, Jessica Blake reports on a GWU debate on the Middle East: The event was co-sponsored by BridgeUSA, a student-led viewpoint diversity group; Braver Angels, a broader depolarization nonprofit; and the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, a...
by jpitney | Sep 24, 2024 | Civility, Deliberation, Science
Dr. Francis Collins, former director of NIH, at NYT: Here are some specific ideas about actions we can all take. First, we should each take the time to get our own mental house in order. Let’s begin with a fundamental principle: There is such a thing as truth,...
