If you live in a hotly-contested state like Iowa or Florida, you’ve probably noticed the recent flood of “issue ads,” which are officially designed to raise awareness about certain issues rather than to advocate the election of a specific candidate. Less than a year ago, it looked like these ads wouldn’t be airing at all by now, but in June of 2007 the US Supreme Court handed down a decision that allowed them to continue.
The case was Federal Election Commission v. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc. But first, some background.
In 2002, the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (popularly known as the …read more

I can think of no better time of the year to discuss the institution of the National Holiday.
In the US, legislation declaring a ‘national holiday’ is passed by Congress and signed by the President, just like any other law. On these Congressionally-designated holidays, most employees of the federal government are given the day off. But although Congress can close down the federal government, it can’t do the same for private businesses or even state governments. It is up to each company, and each state, to decide whether or not to give its employees the day off. If you are …read more