Issues

Retiring Senator Tom Harkin and Eleanor Holmes Norton introduced a bill to prohibit discrimination in the payment of wages on account of sex, race, or national origin, and for other purposes. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)/Read the first time (1/29/13)---A bill to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 entirely. Senators Patrick Leahy and Mike Crapo rging Senate support for their bill to renew and strengthen the Violence Against Women Act. more »

When the seed catalogs arrived in the mail, I handed them to Tommy. Instead of snatching them, he pointed to the coffee table. I dropped them there. Later, when I saw him stuff them, unopened, in the straw basket on the side of the couch, I asked, “Too much work?” “Yes” was the nod. I wondered: had the lapses in his brain that ended his speech, also turned his cherished pastime into something too complex. more »

Doris O'Brien writes: Who can fault frightened people for blaming the metal instead of the mentality? The concept of a ban on a commodity as a way of preventing bad behavior is nothing new. In the 20s, Prohibition was enacted to do just that. A law was passed making the sale and use of liquor illegal. If we didn't have access to booze, the argument went, there wouldn't be so many drunken brawls, accidents, killings. But Prohibition failed. more »

Nurse practitioners, registered nurses with advanced degrees, are capable of providing primary-care services such as diagnosing and treating illnesses, prescribing medication, ordering tests and referring patients to specialists. But only 18 states and the District of Columbia currently allow nurse practitioners to perform these services independently of a doctor. more »