Congressman (D-OR)
Democratic Congressman for Oregon’s 3rd District, which includes most of the city of Portland and Multnomah and Clackamas counties; and member of the House Ways and Means and Budget Committees, as well as the new Select Committee on Energy Independence and Climate Change; founder and Chairman of the Congressional Bicycle Caucus
The Federal Dilemma over States Rights and Marijuana Federal law says marijuana's more dangerous than cocaine — as bad as heroin. Yet a lot has changed since the Federal Controlled Substances Act became law in 1970, and 52 percent of Americans want it legalized for recreational use.
Is the Fight against Global Warming Already Lost? In his first week as President, Barack Obama called for urgent measures to combat global warming. At the same time, researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research released discouraging new findings .
Is Climate Change Irreversible? Just as President Obama cracks down on climate change , scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research have issued discouraging new findings . This new “wake-up call” says that if carbon dioxide levels were cut back to pre-industrial levels, it would still take 1000 years to reverse the climate change that's already happened.
To Drill or Not to Drill The price of oil crossed the $100-a-barrel threshold at the first of this year. Last week, it hit a record $147, then dropped below $130. But it's creeping up again today. Nobody expects to see $100 a barrel ever again. That means high gasoline prices are here to stay.
Climate Change: International Challenge and Business Opportunity Receiving the Nobel Prize today, Al Gore warned that failure to act against global warming will mean "mutually assured destruction." He had strong words for the US and China, two of the 190 nations meeting in Bali to hash out guidelines for a new treaty for reducing greenhouse gases.
No end in sight More than 800,000 federal employees continue to go without pay in what could soon be the longest government shutdown yet.
Politics, the World Order and Donald Trump’s New Year Newly divided government could mean change in this new year… or not. House Democrats don’t always stick together--and presidential campaigns could get in the way. The GOP might not heed Mitt Romney’s call for respectability. Meantime, will America’s allies unify to sustain world order without America’s leadership?
Throw caution to the wind Zocalo commentator Joe Mathews has some advice for incoming California Gavin Newsom: don’t follow in the footsteps of Jerry Brown.
What are charter schools? LAUSD teachers were picket lines for a second day Tuesday. And this morning the teachers union organized a march to the California Charter Schools Association office downtown, to draw attention to their criticisms of local charter schools. But what are charter schools anyway?
