Montana Maven

One of the most polarizing political questions of this day and age is as simple as it is divisive: Should the wealthy pay more in taxes? There are arguments raging on both sides. It’s difficult to determine which side has more validity behind their arguments. However, when looked at objectively, we’re able to determine that the wealthy could indeed afford to pay more in taxes. However, the question is now should they pay more in taxes. The subtle Read more…

The job of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection is to prevent the illegal entry of goods and individuals into the United States, while ensuring that legitimate border crossers are not unduly inconvenienced. With thousands of miles of borders to protect, this section of the government certainly has a large job. Every year thousands of illegal persons and goods are smuggled into the country, despite ever effort made.

The two largest points of illegal entry into the US are the Canadian and Mexican borders. The Canadian Read more…

Line item vetos have always been a contentious topic in national politics, and with the recent budget debates, its something that has been coming to the forefront yet again. In essence, a line item veto would allow the chief executive to veto specific parts of a bill, without vetoing the bill in its entirety. Currently, although line item veto power is common on a state level, with 44 state governers wielding this power, the president is barred from performing a line item veto by the Supreme Court (Clinton v. City Read more…

U.S. Patriot Act was introduced to House of Representatives on October 23, 2001 as a response to September 11 Attacks. It was introduced by Jim Sensenbrenner, a Conservative Republican who sought to decrease some of national restrictions on law forces such as FBI and CIA. This bill has been controversial in many ways as many people criticized it for its extra loose laws that allow police, CIA, and FBI wiretap people, start surveillance without District Attorney-s Read more…

Of course it is! We’ve all heard stories about hammers that cost 300 and toilet seats that cost 400 but the truth is much much worse. Spending 25 million annually to maintain vacant or unused federal owned buildings is not only ridiculous but insulting to the American taxpayer. Now Congress is crying that they can’t pay their mortgages on just 174,000 a year! Well, I’m not sorry to say too bad! The rest of the country already has that problem and guess what they get; foreclosed.
Many Americans are living paycheck to paycheck and the government is Read more…

Ever feel left out when your friends start talking politics and you’ve got nothing to contribute? We don’t understand because we’re all about the party lines but here’s our best suggestions for looking effortlessly interested without being too intense
Get the Basics: Get out your internet and research the main playersdo you know who Michelle Bachmann is? You should, and a few of her rivals, just enough to mention their name and a fact or two about their policy.
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Should America get involved in Egyptian affairs of state? This question, like many others regarding such an issue needs to be defined for further discussion. Just what constitutes involvement?

When considering Egypt, keep in mind that this country is one of the world’s oldest civilizations. Its culture, mores and political structure has been in development for many thousands of years. From the pharaohs to the pan Arab nationalism of Nasser, Egypt has weathered many political storms.

The rise of Anwar Sadat and his refutation of Nasser’s nationalistic policy and his willingness to engage in progressive peacemaking served Egypt well Read more…

The question behind whether or not the president deserves the power of line item veto has been discussed a lot lately. Many people don’t fully realize what this means but specifically it means the president can veto part of a bill but approve the rest when it reaches his office. The biggest question is if this is even constitutional or not.

The constitutionality of the line item veto is at the center of this debate. This particular type of veto was never addressed in the constitution Read more…

In an ideal country, the federal budget would not only be balanced by the next session, but it should be balanced every session. However, in the history of the United States, these fiscal problems have never fully solved every year. Plus, the issue of government spending tends to be rather complex, with issues of debt maturity, bond issues and what sorts of spending are mandates, as opposed to discretionary. In this regard, it will be likely impossible Read more…

It was reported by The New York Times back in June 2009 that former Vice President Dick Cheney had signed a deal with an imprint of Simon & Schuster (Threshold Editions) to write his memoirs about the time he spent in politics over the past 40 years (in which he was involved in service with four presidential administrations). In addition to his political linkage Cheney will reportedly write about his private business experience where he served as Chief Executive of the Halliburton Company (an oil field services provider) that has been linked closely with former President George W. Bush and campaign dealings. Cheney concurred on a recent interview on the Today Show that the book will be “candid and blunt” and may even “settle some scores.” This book falls in line with a register of figures from the Bush administration like Condoleeza Rice and Karl Rove who also have book deals it seems to be an attractive way to air viewpoints while still collecting a nice paycheck (it has been reported that Cheney will receive around 2 million for his book). And as far as airing viewpoints, Cheney commented in the Today Show interview that his book will cover some regrets he carries to this day an emotion many believed he was not capable of. The book is slated to hit the shelves later this year so reserve your copy now if there’s an interest to learn more about the frustrated man cloaked behind the president he served.