The power of the Oval Office continues to grow While the Constitution meticulously lays out the workings and duties of the legislative branch, the founding fathers’ commentary on the executive branch proved significantly more limited. The powers explicitly granted to the President are wholly contained within Article II, Section II. Among the few responsibilities listed … Read more
Political catch-phrase or principled doctrine? Penned by our Founding Fathers 224 years ago, the Constitution has long been construed differently by political forces to justify their own political agendas. Conservatives in particular have been active in using this document to advocate for fundamental changes in government policy. Their efforts have culminated with congressional proceedings questioning … Read more
In 2009, 33 legal scholars pushed for a Judiciary Act implementing regular appointments to the Supreme Court, term limits for Justices, ousting aging Justices, and reforming the Court’s process of granting review. An observer might have expected the reformers to gain traction; after all, most of America’s government remains spectacularly unpopular. Yet such expectations proved … Read more
Political catch-phrase or principled doctrine? Penned by our Founding Fathers 224 years ago, the Constitution has long been construed differently by political forces to justify their own political agendas. Conservatives in particular have been active in using this document to advocate for fundamental changes in government policy. Their efforts have culminated with congressional proceedings questioning … Read more
Can America solve its current fiscal crisis? The rapid mushrooming of America’s national debt, combined with the resurgence of limited government sentiment, has revived interest in a once dormant legislative prospect: a federal balanced budget amendment. To be sure, the idea of constitutional controls on government finances is nothing new. In 1936, a per-capita limitation … Read more
Recently, the Marshall Scholarship announced its 2012 winners, rewarding 36 students with scholarships. The Crimson reported that Harvard only had one recipient this year, noting in the title that Mr. McAuley was our “sole” winner. The article quickly goes on to mention that a few of our colleagues from the Ivy League either tied or exceeded the mark. Princeton won 5, Penn had … Read more
Jeffrey Sachs’ bestselling book The End of Poverty argued for eradicating extreme poverty in the third world through foreign aid. Previously, the author made his academic reputation as an economic advisor to former Soviet Bloc countries. Thus, it is a gloomy irony that Sachs’ most recent book, The Price of Civilization, is his attempt to … Read more
Buddy Roemer ’64 is a former Louisiana Governor and representative to the US House of Representatives. He is currently making news with his campaign for President as a candidate in the Republican primaries, setting himself apart by focusing on campaign finance reform and refusing to accept any donation over $100. HPR: So, to put it … Read more
Retaining top talent to manage Harvard’s endowment Occupy Harvard has voiced strong criticism of income disparity among Harvard employees. In particular, protesters have voiced anger at the level of compensation for top executives at Harvard Management Company (HMC). Select supervisors of Harvard’s endowment bring home seven-figure salaries on an annual basis. Many students believe that … Read more
The pervasive influence of globalization has touched education. Many American universities have started opening campuses in different countries in order to expand options to study abroad and to capitalize on the growing demand in many developing countries for quality institutions. Despite the fact that several of its peers have begun capitalizing on clear benefits of … Read more