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What the U.S. Still Owes in Iraq and Afghanistan
Tweet Share on Facebook March 25, 2013 CommentEveryone knows life is dangerous for a soldier in an active war zone. It's also dangerous for journalists, foreign service officer and aid workers. But one group has been tragically ignored: the fixers, translators and local staff who risk their lives to help Americans in combat zones.
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Obamacare Is Lowering Some Health Care Costs
Tweet Share on Facebook March 22, 2013 CommentThe snippy tone of the letter from my health insurance company really threw me for a minute. Very officious, very much this-is-totally-not-our-fault-the-bad-government-made-us-do-it, the letter informed me that because of the Affordable Care Act, my premium might change. Under the law, as of this year, insurance carriers would no longer be allowed to differentiate (or discriminate) on the basis of gender, and this, I was informed in a letter dripping with derision, might end up affecting how much I have to pay for my individual insurance each month.
Well, it did. My premiums are now 7 percent lower than they were.
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Pope Francis Opened the Door for Women's Equality in the Church
Tweet Share on Facebook March 21, 2013 CommentNewly-installed Pope Francis made some startling comments last year about the possibility of lifting the celibacy rule for priests. And the move has implications not just for the church and the men who run it, but for women too.
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Rand Paul's Immigration Plan Is a Big Step for the GOP
Tweet Share on Facebook March 20, 2013 CommentIf there was an open question about Senator Rand Paul's, R-Ky., interest in the 2016 presidential campaign, it was resolved this week, when Paul—one of the deepest-steeped members of the Tea Party movement in Congress—endorsed the idea of a path to legal status for the millions of undocumented immigrants already in the United States.
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The Left Shouldn't Criticize Rob Portman's Gay Marriage Support
Tweet Share on Facebook March 19, 2013 CommentSenator Rob Portman of Ohio has been taking some heat for his recent endorsement of gay marriage, a turnaround for the Republican lawmaker. But not all of the criticism has come from opponents of same-sex marriage.
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In the Steubenville, OH Rape Case, Adults Should Have Known Better
Tweet Share on Facebook March 18, 2013 CommentWhat happened to a 16-year-old girl in Steubenville, OH—in a car and in a house—was horrible.
What happened to her afterward was arguably worse. And even more horrific is the fact that adults who should know better were apparently part of the post-rape drama.
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Ted Cruz's Patronizing Constitutional 'Lesson' for Dianne Feinstein
Tweet Share on Facebook March 15, 2013 CommentForget about civility. Sadly, many members of Congress have never been acquainted with the idea. The even more pervasive problem on Capitol Hill is the decline in the basic respect for the institution and its veteran members—and the lack of respect is alarmingly prevalent among some of the newer Hill denizens.
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What the GOP Can Learn from the Catholic Church's Pope Francis Pick
Tweet Share on Facebook March 14, 2013 CommentThe cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church are hardly a liberal lot. They've doubled down against abortion and gay marriage (or even acceptance of gays). Church hierarchy has verbally slapped down nuns who have gently challenged the priorities of the church. So it really says something when the GOP last year nominated a white guy named Mitt to run for president, while the cardinals—who could be described as the tea party caucus of the Catholic faith—picked a South American guy named Jorge.
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Mitch McConnell Isn't an Easy Target for Ashley Judd
Tweet Share on Facebook March 13, 2013 CommentShould Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell be worried about keeping his job?
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Bloomberg's Big Soda Ban Won't Eliminate Big Waistlines
Tweet Share on Facebook March 12, 2013 CommentNew York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's imperiled ban on selling sugary sodas bigger than 16 ounces is a great idea in theory. It would just have been better if he didn't try to tell concessioners and consumers where the line is—even though the line between common sense and courting obesity was crossed a long time ago.
