The United States Congress returned from summer recess after Labor Day, and marked its arrival, and the emphasis of the now year old Sept. 11 attacks, by holding a ceremonious session of both houses of Congress at New York City’s storied Federal Hall, the original home of the legislature.
This next session of Congress, between now and Election Day, will undoubtedly be a polarizing one. With the mid-term elections to determine party control of both closely contested bodies and war looming in Iraq, members will be in a highly contentious and public battle for political capital.
The Democrats will use the leverage gained from supporting President Bush’s campaign against terror to attempt to repeal some of the original Bush tax cuts and divert resources back towards the various social and economic programs that the cut took funding from.
They will also focus on the burgeoning national debt, the first deficit spending the nation has seen in over eight years.
President Bush and the Republican leadership can be expected to utilize the bully pulpit in pushing controversial judicial nominees through Senate confirmation hearings, citing the importance of being non-partisan as a means to restructuring the judiciary.
Foreign war and contested elections will bring international and domestic policy to the forefront of culture in the next few months. This page will attempt to define the issues of the day, including the death penalty, gun control, military action, the two-party system, health care and education. Our writers square off and present a wide and varied range of perspectives. I personally urge all students to respond to the things they read, and submit their own viewpoints for publication. This open forum should not be taken for granted.