The 10 States Suffering from Brain Drain

The Huffington Post listed the 10 states having the greatest difficulty educating students to an exceptional level and keeping those students within their borders.



I think it is important to note that this list not only reveals what states have deficient education systems, but economies bad enough that their students prefer to take their education and look elsewhere for opportunities. Notice that supposed economic and growth powerhouses like Texas and Arizona make the list, but states that are supposed to be languishing under higher tax burdens actually retain their educated populace and attract new intelligent workers from these other states. Thus, we can assume that the higher tax burden in places like California, Illinois, New Jersey and New York does not repel most business, but actually attracts a higher concentration of desirable industries like tech and information businesses.

The US Right wing is now directing bigotry toward Democrats

It is beyond denial that the right wing movement in the united states has a long history and tradition of hate and bigotry and that history is embodied by the Tea Party. A new poll by the University of Washington confirms the racist attitudes of the Tea Party movement's members even as they try to deny that their anger at the Obama administration is in any way related to bigotry.

The race problems plaguing the mainstream GOP are hard to hide. Tea Partiers, however, seem to revel in their own homogeneity.

Of course, the media mavens of the Republican elite have wasted no time in blaming the victims for the hatred of the right-wing movement. They also are going through great pains to distance themselves for the threats of violence against Democrats that their own media personalities have encouraged.

With the recent spate of conservative violence extending into the past week, most concerning is the diversion of conservative bigotry away from race, religion and sexual preference and into the political arena. Conservatives are now openly denying liberals their health care rights and are suggesting that discriminatory hiring practices are adopted to keep liberals out of their work places.

I would like to think that this will all blow over and we can settle our differences at the ballot box, but the newfound militancy of the right wing Tea Party fringe in the United States foreshadows a future with the potential for political violence.

Obama should appoint a liberal to the Supreme Court

With the recent announcement of John Paul Stevens retirement and resignation from the Supreme Court the Obama administration has the opporunity to maintain the balance on the Court by nominating a liberal judge to replace him.

Though Justice Stevens was appointed by Republican Gerald Ford, his decisions and opinions had drifted to the left over the last few years and he served as a counterbalance to the court's powerful conservative bloc led by Bush-appointed Chief Justice John Roberts. Obama now has his second opportunity to appoint someone young to the court who can carry on the president's legacy long after his term ends.

If recent debate over Obama's nominees is any indication, there is potential for a nasty battle over the next nominee as Republicans hypocritically stand poised to try to use the filibuster yet again, even though the current short list for the court seat is quite moderate by today's standards. I believe that such a conflict would work to the Democratic party's favor going into the election season as the majority of Americans would prefer to see ideological balance on the Supreme Court. It would be in this country's best interest for Obama to meet the party of negativity head on by nominating a strong liberal to the highest court in the land.