Gene C. Gerard

Bush's Use of Pardons Isn't Very Compassionate

Gene C. Gerard — 2006-12-31T08:44:00Z

The White House recently announced that President Bush issued pardons to 16 individuals. To date, he's issued 113 pardons and three commutations. That's less than any two-term president in the modern era. In fact, you have to go back to George Washington to find a president who served two-terms and made fewer acts of clemency. -

Limiting Family Planning for the Poor

Gene C. Gerard — 2006-11-21T14:02:00Z

Last week President Bush appointed Dr. Eric Keroack to oversee the Office of Family Planning, which provides access to contraceptive information and supplies to low-income individuals. But Dr. Keroack has a long-standing opposition to contraception and abortion. Through this appointment, President Bush will severely limit contraceptive information and choices to many of America's poorest women. - / Dissident Voice

The Political Corruption of Science

Gene C. Gerard — 2006-08-12T13:27:00Z

Unions representing thousands of scientists and other specialists employed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently complained that EPA officials are ignoring science. The unions indicated that agency administrators are allowing numerous toxic substances to be used in agricultural pesticides. This revelation comes on the heels of a survey of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) scientists which found that the agency has become so political that it's no longer protecting public safety. While all presidential administrations, by their very nature, are political, it's increasingly clear that the Bush administration is using politics to corrupt science. - / Dissident Voice

Backpedaling at the IRS

Gene C. Gerard — 2006-08-06T17:07:00Z

The New York Times reported that the Bush administration is eliminating almost half of the lawyers at the Internal Revenue Service who audit the tax returns of the wealthiest Americans. These lawyers specialize in auditing the returns of those who are subject to gift and estate taxes. Since taking office in 2001 President Bush has consistently lobbied Congress to repeal the estate tax, but he hasn't been able to get Congress to go along with him. Instead, the Bush administration has now decided to force the IRS to backpedal and circumvent the tax laws. (...) - / Dissident Voice

Prescription Politics

Gene C. Gerard — 2006-07-27T23:16:00Z

Two recent studies have shown that prescription drug prices rose significantly during the first quarter of the year. AARP, an advocacy organization for older Americans, found that the prices charged by pharmaceutical companies for brand-name drugs increased by almost four percent. A similar study by Families USA, a healthcare advocacy group, found a nearly identical increase. Given the vast sums that the pharmaceutical industry has spent lobbying against price controls, the dramatic increase in the cost of drugs isn't surprising. (...) - / Dissident Voice

Bush Administration Failing America's AIDS Crisis

Gene C. Gerard — 2006-07-01T07:26:00Z

In 2001 the Bush administration joined 188 other governments in adopting the United Nations Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS. This committed each government to improving their response to its domestic AIDS epidemic and establishing targets for financing, policy and programming. Last week, in an address before the United Nations commemorating the 25th anniversary of the AIDS epidemic, Secretary General Kofi Annan warned, “The epidemic continues to outpace us. There are more new infections than ever before.” While we expect third world nations to have difficulties coping with the epidemic, a new report suggests that the Bush administration is failing to adequately combat the crisis in America. (...) - / Dissident Voice

Religion Running Roughshod Over Cancer Science

Gene C. Gerard — 2006-06-13T22:00:00Z

Late last month a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel unanimously recommended approval of a vaccine for the human papilloma virus (HPV). The vaccine appears to be 100 percent effective at protecting against the most prevalent viruses that cause cervical cancer. While public health professionals view the vaccine as miraculous, many conservative organizations opposed it on the grounds that it might encourage promiscuity among adolescent girls. Now that it appears certain that the FDA will approve the vaccine, conservatives are attempting to discourage its use. (...) - / Truthdig

Abstaining from Sex Education Politics

Gene C. Gerard — 2006-06-11T20:59:14Z

Last month the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) held a conference on sexually transmitted diseases. The conference was slated to include a panel discussion entitled “Are Abstinence-Only Until Marriage Programs a Threat to Public Health?” However, Indiana's Republican Congressman Mark Souder complained to the Health and Human Services Department about “the controversial nature of this session and its obvious anti-abstinence objective.” Consequently, the title was changed to “Public Health Strategies of Abstinence Programs for Youth,” and advocates of abstinence-only sex education replaced two members of the panel. It's troubling that a conservative Republican was able to wield so much influence over a federal agency at the expense of science. - / OrbStandard.Com

A Very Questionable Nomination

Gene C. Gerard — 2006-05-10T18:28:00Z

The Senate will soon vote on the nomination of Terrence Boyle to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. President Bush nominated Mr. Boyle, who has served as a federal district court judge in North Carolina for the last 20 years, in 2001. But Democrats have blocked his nomination since that time, owing to his poor judicial record. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has recently said that he will force a vote on Judge Boyle, even if it requires triggering the so-called “nuclear option” of abolishing the longstanding tradition of the filibuster. But a new report revealed that Judge Boyle has repeatedly ruled on litigation in which he had a financial interest. - / Dissident Voice

The Decider Nominates Chief Polluter for the EPA

Gene C. Gerard — 2006-05-05T23:41:00Z

President Bush, the nation's self-appointed “Decider,” has nominated William Wehrum to serve as Assistant Administrator for the office of air quality at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). He's been serving as legal counsel and interim head of this office since 2001. During his tenure at the EPA, Mr. Wehrum has consistently worked to weaken the nation's air pollution laws and regulations. And his actions have resulted in a revolt within the EPA and serious criticism by the federal courts. - / OrbStandard.Com

Iraq Can't be Compared to Post-World War II

Gene C. Gerard — 2006-04-23T22:07:00Z

In the past three years the Bush administration has vigorously made comparisons between reconstruction in Iraq and post-World War II Germany and Japan. Many of the administration's analogies have been forced, at best. A variety of historians, political scientists, and even former government officials have suggested that the comparisons are rather tenuous. But a new report by the Congressional Research Service has essentially demolished the administration's analogies. (...) - / OrbStandard.Com

The Politics of Foreign Aid

Gene C. Gerard — 2006-04-20T12:48:00Z

On March 29, 2006, the Senate confirmed Randall Tobias as the new administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice also appointed Mr. Tobias to serve as the Director of Foreign Assistance, a newly created position that will oversee $19 billion in foreign aid. USAID has operated independently from the State Department's political and military concerns for more than 40 years. But with the confirmation of Mr. Tobias, foreign aid will almost certainly become victim to the whims of the Bush administration. (...) - / OrbStandard.Com

The Air Force Soars to the Right

Gene C. Gerard — 2006-04-14T12:29:00Z

The Air Force recently released new guidelines on religious expression. The guidelines come after several investigations that documented a lack of religious tolerance at the Air Force Academy. Consequently, last year the Air Force issued revised guidelines that struck a good balance between the right to free speech and religious toleration. But evangelical Christian organizations and members of Congress complained, prompting the Air Force to issue new guidelines that pander to the religious right. (...) - / OrbStandard.Com

Housing Cuts for the Poor, Tax Cuts for the Rich

Gene C. Gerard — 2006-03-28T00:24:00Z

President Bush's 2007 budget that was released last month includes significant cuts in housing assistance. The new budget for the Housing Choice Voucher Program underfunds 70 percent of the state and municipal housing agencies that oversee the program, according to a study by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Although the Republican Congress has debated the cuts affecting the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), it appears unlikely that Mr. Bush's cuts will be opposed. Ironically, Congress is also considering yet another tax cut for the wealthy. (...) - / OrbStandard.Com

Out of Touch with the Military's Reality

Gene C. Gerard — 2006-03-05T17:26:00Z

For the last two years the Bush administration has insisted that the war in Iraq has not handicapped the military. To the contrary, the administration has insisted that our military is stronger than ever. Last month, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld gave a speech in which he stated that the armed services “is probably as strong and capable as it has ever been in the history of this country. They are more experienced, more capable, better equipped than ever before.” But a report on military supplies from the Government Accountability Office, the nonpartisan investigative office of Congress, indicates that Secretary Rumsfeld is seriously mistaken. (...) - / OrbStandard.Com