Opinion polls can provide some insight into the thoughts of broad populations and have been used to gauge public perception for decades in the United States and other Western countries. Since shortly after the start of the conflict in Iraq, household surveys have been conducted by a variety of news outlets, non-governmental organizations, and other groups in order to…

Now that General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker have made their long-awaited statements to Congress, what should policymakers and the public take away from the hearings? And what should guide the debate on Iraq going forward? Naturally, there was a great deal of discussion from both men on the varying facets of the surge, but there are four issues that…

When General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker testify before Congress this week, much of the discussion will focus on population security. Civilian casualty rates, in particular, are a very important measure of success in Iraq. Though some critics of U.S. Iraq strategy focus on rates of sectarian violence, broader measures present a better picture of the…

On September 10, General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker will report to Congress on the status of U.S. and Coalition efforts in Iraq. While many Members of Congress will use the opportunity to assail U.S. efforts there, these two men will have a number of important points to make. Though no one knows with certainty what will be said in the hearings, recent…

The current battle over the guest worker provisions of the Senate's Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act (CIRA, S. 2611) centers on the amount of time that guest workers would be allowed to remain in the United States. As Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) noted, "There is nothing temporary about this guest worker program,"[1] and he is correct. The current bill would…

The Senate's compromise on immigration reform, which could be put to a vote as soon as the evening of April 6, is a problematic approach to the issue of illegal immigration. Brokered by Senators Mel Martinez (R-FL) and Chuck Hagel (R-NE), the compromise deal has the following broad provisions: Likely amnesty for immigrants in country five or more years: These…

On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to mark up a technical amendment to the Immigration and Nationality Act as part of a reconciliation bill that would recapture unused H-1B and immigrant employment ("EB") visas from previous years. Chief among the benefits of this reform are that it would increase flexibility in hiring foreign workers, would…

In 2008, the oldest of the baby boomers will turn 62, become eligible for Social Security benefits, and begin to retire en masse. As the retired population swells, so will the number of seniors living in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. Because the Medicaid program often pays for these long-term care services, the aging of the baby boomers will…

On August 30, 2005, the Census Bureau reported that the poverty rate was essentially unchanged in 2004 and that the level of income inequality was unchanged, as well.[1] Still, expect the familiar refrain that the "rich are getting richer" to be echoed once again. It is important to understand what the Census numbers on poverty and income inequality really say…

Last week, the National Center for Education Statistics released its new "long-term trend" data on math and reading achievement, known as the "Nation's Report Card," or National Assessment of Educational Progress. The new data show statistically significant improvements among 9-year-olds in reading and math and among 13-year-olds in math.[1] The U.S. Department…