The Ripon Forum
Volume 52, No. 1
February 2018
In this edition
by LOU ZICKAR
The Ripon Forum kicks off its 52nd year of publication with an examination of the American electorate as we begin 2018.
In Defense of the Institution of Congress and the Return of Earmarks
by TOM ROONEY
After many frustrating appropriations cycles, continuing resolutions, and shutdowns, the earmark ban has accomplished few, if any, of its intended goals.
Keep the Ban on Earmarks
by TOM SCHATZ
Earmarks are corrupt, unfair, and wasteful. They should be permanently banned, and oversight should be increased into how federal funds are being spent.
Red Ink Reality Check
by MAYA MACGUINEAS
The return of trillion dollar deficits in the next year or so should be a wake-up call given we are in an expanding economy, not a massive recession.
The Rise of “Letter-Marking”
by RUSSELL W. MILLS & NICOLE KALAF-HUGHES
The earmark ban has given rise to a practice that is even less transparent to taxpayers, and has given even more power to the President over how tax dollars are being spent.
Creating One Out of Many: The Military Way
by MIGUEL HOWE
As America once again debates immigration, we can learn from the military and how they take recruits from different backgrounds and turn them into a cohesive unit.
STATE OF THE ELECTORATE
by DAVID WINSTON & MYRA MILLER
The results of The Ripon Society’s annual survey of the American voter are analyzed by two of America’s leading political strategists.
Understanding GENERATION Z
by JEFFREY M. BRAUER
Americans born after 1995 had a big impact on the last election. Now that more of them are reaching voting age, their political influence will continue to grow.
How Generation Z Gets their News
by JACK MYERS
Gen Z has the strongest “BS” filter of any generation — that is, they can see through the spin. They also have a worldview that’s shaped by their online friends and social networks.
What Generation Z Thinks of Washington
by KYLE CHANCE
Six students at Miami University — three Republicans and three Democrats — share their thoughts on their elected leaders and politics in our nation’s capital.