A Forum for Undergraduate Perspectives on Public Policy and Leadership
By Carter Hanson ’23
Managing Editor, Ike’s Anvil
Ike’s Anvil gets its name from “Eisenhower,” which translates from German as “iron miner.” It is in the spirit of President Eisenhower’s moderate and bipartisan consensus-driven leadership that Ike’s Anvil acts as a forum for students to hammer out compromise, constructive politics, and policy solutions.
By Miranda Zamora ’23
I originally had no intention of watching President Biden’s State of the Union Address. The only reason that I did was because I was assisting with the watch party hosted by the Eisenhower Institute. With recent events in Ukraine, I was optimistic for President Biden’s State of the Union Address, as he had an opportunity to give a unifying and career changing speech. The President began his address with that very issue, highlighting not only how it has brought us together as a nation, but also how it has strengthened relationships on an international scale. This reflected the patriotic and determined qualities that many people value and the United States; qualities that I have not seen in our society for quite some time.
Continue reading “Reflecting on President Biden’s State of the Union”
Nicole DeJacimo ’22
COVID-19. Russia’s invasion. The Supreme Court. Inflation. Mass resignations. Student debt. Global warming. The United State’s role in the world. Recently, these are at the forefront of our thoughts at one time or another, and for some, every day. This week, President Biden will likely address all of those and more at the 2022 State of the Union (SOTU).
Continue reading “A Forecast of President Biden’s First State of the Union”
Ava Burchell ’25
People are smoking more marijuana than ever before. As the usage and social acceptance of this substance continues to increase, more Americans are in favor of its decriminalization and legalization for medical use. In spite of these favorable national trends, marijuana is still federally considered a Schedule 1 drug, a substance with no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. This federal ruling contradicts various literature and scientific findings. Studies show that marijuana is not a gateway drug and its usage does not contribute to subsequent addiction later on in life— at least not any more than stress and “life-course variables.” Legislation must change to reflect changing American values and scientific findings. In doing so, the MORE Act will promote racial equity, economic prosperity, and well-being as it would ensure the protection of minorities, is fiscally beneficial, and protects consumers.
Continue reading “Taking the High Road: Support for the MORE Act”
Abby Dryden ’24
The 2020 election cycle broke campaign spending records totaling $14.4 billion.
This is only one of the effects of the landmark Supreme Court decision, Citizens United v Federal Election Commission. Rather than their constituency, campaign funds now greatly influence Congress members’ decisions. Citizens United created a democracy that no longer works for the citizens, but rather for those with the largest pockets. Consequently, for democracy to return to the hands of the people, the Citizens United decision needs to be overturned.
Continue reading “A Solution for a Hurting Democracy: The Importance of Overturning Citizens United”
On March 25th 2021, only four and a half months after the 2020 election, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed into law SB 202, a bill designed to limit the vote in a politically contentious state through restricting early voting and vote by mail; processes often used by communities of color. This bill is one of hundreds introduced in the state legislatures in almost every state. These bills will only weaken our increasingly fragile democracy, which like all representative democracies, is dependent upon a voter base that reflects the population. With states and local governments enacting a myriad of often contradictory policies, only Congress possesses the ability to fully protect the right to vote and prevent further backsliding of our democratic process. Consequently, it is imperative that Congress pass the Freedom to Vote Act, exercising its right under Article 1, Section 4 of the Constitution to enact laws governing federal elections.
Continue reading “The Freedom to Vote Act: Saving our Democracy”
Noah Albanese ’24
Most Americans are aware of the Plessy V. Ferguson Supreme Court case, however many are not familiar with the Insular cases, which were decided by the same Supreme Court justices. The Insular cases were a series of Supreme Court cases from the early 20th century which determined the constitutional rights of those who live in United States territories. Currently, the United States territories are composed of Puerto Rico, the American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S Virgin Islands. In these cases, the courts concluded that Americans living in American territories are not granted automatic citizenship and that Congress has the authority to grant citizenship to these territories. Although there have been several improvements to their conditions, these cases have yet to be overturned; in some of the American territories, citizenship continues to not be an automatic right.
Blake Dudley ’23
From the third of November to the sixth, I had the privilege of attending West Point’s Student Conference on United States Affairs. This annual gathering grants students from across America the opportunity to get together and draft memos for future policy initiatives. Each year, there is an overarching theme, with this years’ being Disruptive Technology. This broad theme is split into more specific topics, which vary table-to-table. From the impacts of social media to space technology, students gathered to discuss varying matters; my table was assigned the concern of China.
Continue reading “A Reflection on the 76th Student Conference on United States Affairs”
Jackson Boyle ’25
In the 1990s, Five Mualimm-ak was a successful real estate investor, a passionate community leader, and a loving father of a 5-year-old boy. In 2000, he was wrongfully arrested for possession of illegal weapons and spent twelveyears in prison until the Innocence Project exonerated him. During his imprisonment, Mualimm-ak spent five years in solitary confinement. He was not put in solitary for dangerous behavior, but rather for minor infractions that include having too many postage stamps in his cell and not eating his apple. While in confinement, Mualimm-ak would spend 23 hours a day in his 6×9 foot cell with no social interactions. Another former inmate, who spent over seven years in isolation, described the smell as a combination of “defecation, unwashed armpits … [mixed] with the pepper spray officers use to extract prisoners from their cells”. After being released, Five Mualimm-ak was dropped off in Times Square by a bus filled with inmates who had also been in solitary confinement. Of the 15 people who were on the bus, 5 committed suicide within a year.
Continue reading “An End to Solitary Confinement in the United States”
Sam Arkin ’23
The Coronavirus pandemic has profoundly furthered the existing schism between the “global North” and the “global South.” The North-South divergence emerged after WWII as developed nations transitioned into industrialized manufacturing-based economies. The largely agricultural developing nations had not been a part of the post-war discourse, excluding them from politics thereafter and thus, becoming the global South. Since WWII, many of those developing nations have transitioned into or surpassed a manufacturing-based economy. While this has greatly minimized the divide between developed and developing nations, those of the global South still lack equal status with members of the global North. As a result, developing nations are entering a predefined international system that excludes them from any level of ascendancy established post WWII.
Continue reading “The Coronavirus and its Impact on the Global North-South Divide”
