On April 22nd, the House of Representative voted 216-208 to pass legislation to make DC the next state in the union. This vote will have challenges moving forward in the Senate, but until that moment, the piece of legislation is historic. This is a push for furthering our nation’s principle of representation and fairness in self-governance. It sounds simple and certain to be pivotal in U.S. politics, however the movement faces legal, political, and social challenges. There is opposition to statehood, and today we will go over what the proponents and opponents say about DC statehood. We’ll talk about the bill and what the push for statehood means, as well as what this would mean for the United States moving forward.

Should Washington, DC become a state?

What are the arguments for and abasing it?

What will this mean for the United States?

The Forever Wars have been intertwined with American policy and society for the last 20 years. These are the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; these are the wars started by the attacks on 9/11 and the U.S. invasion to secure weapons of mass destruction. Today we have the former example regarding recent actions from the Biden administration of withdrawing troops. This action is critical to the United States, its policies at home and abroad. What are we going to see from the Biden administration? The reaction of troop withdrawal, the potential repercussions abroad, and the strategies needed to do so. Is this the end of the Forever Wars?

The Supreme Court is the highest court in the nation. It is composed of judges that serve to uphold the laws under the Constitution when presented cases. According to Article 3, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution, “The Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour, and shall at stated Times, receive for their Services, a Compensation, which shall not be diminished during their Continuance in Office.” These judges provide a service to the stability of the country, and the integrity of American laws. Nine judges serve on the bench, however that may change soon under the Biden administration. What has been known as “Court Packing” has brought controversial issues in American society. It is important that we understand what these means in today’s society, and how it will impact the United States moving forward.

Infrastructure is the fundamental structure of any country. I’m talking about your roads, bridges, aqueducts, pipes and energy supplies used to facilitate an economy. It brings the economy together; it is what makes or breaks a country’s economy. Infrastructure builds an economy, however the United States has not been prioritizing its own infrastructure, and it comes with much cost in having done so. It is important that we understand what infrastructure means and its importance, but also its cost. Recently, President Biden announced his infrastructure proposal.

This proposal is known as the American Jobs Plan. Immediately we can see it is not entirely about infrastructure, but about creating jobs. On March 31st, the White House released the details of the proposal and President Biden announced his plans to the country in pursuit to win the confidence of Americans. So what is in this proposal, and what will it mean for the United States moving forward?

What do you think is the greatest foreign policy issue out there for the United States? Is it Russia, China, or Iran? Is it the endless wars in the Middle or a potential future war in Asia? What about climate change and energy technology? Let’s not forget international terrorism. These are all important issues to consider when listing potential threats to the United States. Right now, at this moment, the threat may not come from my list of security concerns. Arguably, the greatest foreign policy issue for the United States is nuclear weapons in North Korea. This week, North Korea launched its first missiles in over a year? What does this mean? What is the response from the Biden administration. Why is this important you may ask? Well, nuclear weapons are a threat to humanity, there is concern in the leadership of North Korea. It is important to understand the issue because it may become a greater threat in the future. My name is Derek Gutierrez, and welcome to America’s Moderate Voice.

International relations are the basis for foreign policy. Oftentimes it involves the relations of one’s country’s allies and adversaries. Sometimes it involves the working of allies to solve crises or discuss solutions to security concerns. So why is this important? For those interested in foreign policy or international relations, this episode would be something I think is worth researching further. But it is something we can all learn from. It is how the United States works abroad: for better or for worse, it is how we conduct our relations and policies. Recently, the United States met with its allies in the Indo-Pacific region; those allies included India, Japan, and Australia. They are known as the Quad, and they are about to create a path for a more strategic path of their multilateral partnership, not only with each other and in the region, but in the world.

They met Friday, March 12th. It was a significant meeting, especially since it was President Joe Bien’s first foreign leader meeting during his presidency. Here, the leaders talked about the present and the future. They talked about the coronavirus pandemic and issues that will change the world. But what was part of the meeting and the policy goals? 

What is representation in the United States? We have Senators and House Reps; we have Governors and Mayors; we have district and town officials. They represent us. But what if they don’t truly represent me? What if they represent such a broad length of land with people of extremely different lives and different interests, can one person really represent everyone’s interests without contested procedures? This all brings up a topic in the United States: the breaking up of larger states into multiple smaller states to better represent their constituents. There are arguments for both for and against this. And today we are going to hear more about this topic and learn more together about what it means for the United States.

Welcome to America’s Moderate Voice. Today we have a guest today. His name is Taylor Ealand from Contrarix. He and I will talk on the topic of splitting up larger states and what it means for Americans. It is such an interesting topic, one that I wasn’t too familiar with before we met. But I am glad I know more because for many people it is an important topic. I hope you enjoy our interview.

Article 1 Section 4 of the Constitution, says that only “the Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof.” On Monday, March 8th, Governor Kim Reynolds signed a bill known as Senate File 413 into law. According to the bill, it relates “to the conduct of elections, including absentee ballots and voter list maintenance activities, making penalties applicable, and including effective date and applicability provisions.”

What do you all think of the matter? What is the Iowan bill about? How can states or the federal government make voting easier, but fair; open, but legitimate? How can it further be protective while giving all groups of people an equal opportunity to vote how they wish?

Why does the United States have so many military operations around the world? Have you ever thought about that? Did you know that sometimes the President of the United States can call an airstrike at certain countries and groups without getting Congressional approval? That’s a lot of power for one person, especially someone leading a country with the strongest military. My name is Derek Gutierrez, and welcome to America’s Moderate Voice. Today we will dive into Congresses latest move on the Wars Power Act. Does that sound familiar? Well maybe because it is responsible for the description I laid out before. We are going to find out why Congress has made a move to limit President Joe Biden’s power of military actions abroad and what that could mean for the United States’ foreign policy moving forward.