Tag: politics

Will America’s Foreign Policy Remain Cyclical Under Trump 2.0?

From Southwest Ledger Possibly the biggest story of the past week is our involvement with Ukraine. Most Americans’ opinion of President Trump’s handling of the situation probably has as much to do with their opinion of foreign assistance as it does with the way Trump handled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In weighing in on this … Continue reading Will America’s Foreign Policy Remain Cyclical Under Trump 2.0? →

DOGE Underscores Gradual Power Shift Between Legislative, Executive Branches

From Southwest Ledger This may be the most difficult column I have ever written. When it comes to the Department of Government Efficiency, I really have no idea what’s going on. How is that for an opener? What makes me feel better is I don’t think anyone else really has an idea of what is … Continue reading DOGE Underscores Gradual Power Shift Between Legislative, Executive Branches →

Controversy over Cabinet Secretary Choices is Nothing New in American History

From Southwest Ledger Amongst the many perceived controversies of Donald Trump’s second term as U.S. president are some of his choices for cabinet secretaries. Of the 15 secretary positions, so far 11 have been confirmed by the Senate including controversial nominees like Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense and Robert Kennedy Jr. for Health and … Continue reading Controversy over Cabinet Secretary Choices is Nothing New in American History →

Pardoning Proves Power of Presidency

From Southwest Ledger December 2024 and January 2025 may possibly go down in history as one of the most politically significant moments in recent history. In December then-President Joe Biden broke a record by issuing pardons or commuted sentences of more than 1,500 people. Several of his pardons were preemptive ones for family members and … Continue reading Pardoning Proves Power of Presidency →

Constitution 101: Senate Qualifications Clause

From Southwest Ledger As our Founding Fathers were discussing the creation of the Senate, or upper house in Congress, they had to consider qualifications for members to hold such important positions. What they determined constitutes Article I, Section III, Clause III, of the Constitution or what is known as the Senate Qualification Clause. This clause … Continue reading Constitution 101: Senate Qualifications Clause →

Birthright citizenship among barrage of challenging executive orders

From Southwest Ledger I have spent more class time discussing the barrage of executive orders and pardons from both the outgoing and incoming presidents this week. As a federal judge has blocked President Trump’s executive order to change birthright citizenship, that topic seems to be the best place to begin. I should mention that I … Continue reading Birthright citizenship among barrage of challenging executive orders →

No taxation without representation was not only for the American Revolution

From Southwest Ledger “No taxation without representation” may be one of the most famous sayings in American history. Although the phrase had its roots in the Glorious Revolution and was an inspiration behind the American Revolution, and just about every elementary student can repeat it, with recent toll increases in Oklahoma, it seems to have … Continue reading No taxation without representation was not only for the American Revolution →

Jan. 6 marks first time since 2000 that Democrats have not challenged Republican victory in Electoral College

From Southwest Ledger January 6, 2025, was an important day as a joint Congress confirmed the electoral votes certifying that Donald Trump was indeed the newly elected President of the United States. Much was made this year of the difference between this meeting and the one four years ago where protesters stormed the Capitol to … Continue reading Jan. 6 marks first time since 2000 that Democrats have not challenged Republican victory in Electoral College →