The Mission Ahead
National thought leaders propose and debate innovative and dramatic public policy ideas in an ongoing project Roll Call has started with Big Think, an online global forum.
Energy and Environment
Zubrin: It’s Time to Open the Fuel Market to MethanolNov. 17, 2009 Here’s a fact that is worthy of lawmakers’ attention: Methanol is currently selling internationally, without any subsidy, for $1 per gallon. |
Economy
Reid: Obama Needs to Follow Ron Brown's ExampleNov. 18, 2009 As Americans lose jobs and the unemployment rate balloons to double digits, now is not the time to demonize business and be adversarial. |
| • More on Energy and Environment | • More on Economy |
Health Care
Lauer: Connecting Americans to Health Insurance Coverage OvernightNov. 18, 2009 Bringing the 46 million uninsured Americans — 6.7 million in California alone — into the health insurance marketplace under a health reform bill would be difficult. |
Foreign Relations
Al-Fahim: Obama Is Taking the Right Steps in the Middle EastNov. 17, 2009 President Obama has helped re-establish America’s standing in the Arab world, and the recent criticism regarding his failure to advance the Middle East peace process is undue. |
| • More on Health Care | • More on Foreign Relations |
Telecommunications Shapiro & Hassett: Broadband Investment and 100 Percent Adoption: Who Pays?Nov. 16, 2009 To fully participate in contemporary life, every American needs broadband. The question for public policymakers is how to make this happen as quickly and equitably as possible. |
Labor Durkin & Smith: A Better Way for Say-on-PayNov. 16, 2009 The near-collapse of financial markets a year ago and the resulting economic crisis underscore the importance of corporate governance policies that encourage wise stewardship of company resources and shareholders’ investments. |
| • More on Telecommunications | • More on Labor |
Crime and Punishment
Lamm: Youth Offenders Deserve a Chance for RehabilitationNov. 11, 2009 laws should protect children who make impulsive, criminal decisions from being exposed to irreversible life sentences. |
Technology
Chun: Cyber Attacks Demand Strong Public-Private ResponseNov. 6, 2009 The federal government is increasingly taking a leadership role in improving the nation’s cybersecurity. But, with a threat that is quickly growing and more sophisticated each day, it’s clear that the government — for all of its good intentions — cannot win this battle without a robust commitment from technology companies. |
| • More on Crime and Punishment | • More on Technology |
Defense
Allmond: Bill to Secure Chemical Plants Has Unintended ConsequencesOct. 30, 2009 Imagine a society in which you walk into a pharmacy and there is no common pain reliever, such as ibuprofen, on the shelves. |
Children’s Issues
DiNorcia: Piece on Abstinence Education Was MisleadingOct. 9, 2009 On Oct. 6, I was shocked to find an opinion piece in Roll Call online, masquerading as a news article. Written by Valerie Huber, executive director of the National Abstinence Education Association, the piece was a slanted and misguided rant in favor of abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. It was so rife with misleading statements and outright lies, that I felt it necessitated a response. |
| • More on Defense | • More on Children’s Issues |
Congressional Relations
Peabody: How to Build a Better Confirmation ProcessAug. 10, 2009 Last week, immediately after the Senate approved Sonia Sotomayor to sit on the Supreme Court, national leaders praised the hearings leading up to this vote. |
Transportation
Special Report: Rebuilding America's Highways and SkywaysJuly 13, 2009 Every six years, Congress and the administration attempt to set transportation policies, goals and spending priorities — a process that is currently under way on Capitol Hill. In this special report, experts lay out their vision for America’s transportation future. Among the writers: |
| • More on Congressional Relations | • More on Transportation |
Entitlements
Kennelly: Commissions, Cuts and Crisis CallsMarch 11, 2009 While Congress and the White House continue to consider economic recovery proposals designed to bring our country out of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, some deficit hawks are promoting the notion that the short-term costs of the economic downturn and the recovery plan ought to be linked to long-term reductions in Social Security and Medicare. They have characterized expenditures for these critical programs as representing an “entitlement crisis” or a “long-term fiscal crisis.” |
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| • More on Entitlements | |
Schumer Advocates for Many on Panel
Nov. 16, 12 a.m.
As Senate Majority Leader, Lyndon Johnson once said of the Joint Economic Committee, “It’s as useless as tits on a bull.” But as that panel’s chairman during the 110th Congress, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) seized the opportunity to elevate the traditionally low-profile post to the forefront of shaping policy. Read Full Article
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