Ripon Forum
Articles in this issue
A Note from the Chairman Emeritus
by BILL FRENZEL
Two hundred and twenty years ago this summer, fifty five delegates from America’s thirteen states locked themselves in a room in Philadelphia to hammer out a new Constitution for our Nation.
The Search for Common Ground – A Q&A with Howard Baker
The former Tennessee Senator discusses a bipartisan effort he is leading to break the political logjam and forge a consensus on some of the key challenges facing our Nation.
The Truth about Congressional Gridlock
by BOB MICHEL
He spend 40 years in Congress. Now, the former House Republican Leader writes the institution is suffering from neglect and proposes some reforms that, he says, are long overdue.
The Making of the President’s Health Plan 2008
by TOM MILLER
Recent calls for universal health coverage remind some of similar proposals made during the 1992 presidential campaign. But differences exist in today's debate, and the chances for sweeping reform are slim.
Bloomberg Tackles Poverty
by REID CRAMER
The Mayor of New York establishes a public-private partnership to help his city's less fortunate. His plan is bipartisan and innovative. But will it work?
Finding Consensus on an International Counter-Narcotics Strategy
by ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN
According to the Ranking Republican of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, politics is standing in the way of a plan to stem the flow of drugs into America.
The AMT: Not Such a Minimal Tax
by JOHN W. DIAMOND
The Alternative Minimum Tax is affecting more and more moderate income taxpayers. The solution does not lie in raising taxes on others, but rather in broader reform of the tax code itself.
The Road to Fundamental Immigration Reform
by DEMETRIOS PAPADEMETRIOU
Congress is on the verge of reforming an immigration system that is 40 years old. An assessment of the legislation, from the politics of the measure to what it will achieve.
Hoping for a Medicare Miracle
by MATT MOORE
This year's Medicare Trustees' Report once again found the system in trouble. Because of a new law, however, the President now has to do something about it.
Making Government Work
by DAVID WALKER
In an excerpt from a speech delivered this past April, America's Comptroller General discusses the need to transform the federal bureaucracy so it better meets the demands of 21st century life.
Form Follows Function
by BILLY PITTS and LOU ZICKAR
Senator Joe Lieberman's decision to change the seating chart on his Committee drew chuckles. But it also served a purpose.
Ripon Profile — Governor M. Jodi Rell
The party must move to the center – cease polarizing every issue – and listen more closely to everyday people.
