Author / Michael Fogarty

Michael Fogarty '19 studies in the College of Arts & Sciences. He can be reached at michael.fogarty@wustl.edu.
    Loading posts...
  • No, Donald Trump is Not a Constitutional Crisis

    “Constitutional crisis” is quite possibly one of the most overused (and misused) phrases in political commentary. Recently, pundits predicting the end of the world as we know it have, for a broad assortment of reasons, taken to calling Donald Trump’s victory a constitution­al crisis. These reasons include the apparent un­constitutionality of some of his policy…

  • Read My Lips: One New Tax

    “Tax” is a dirty word in politics. Tax increases are always unpopular with voters; no one likes to give up more of their salary to the government. Politicians are aware of this, and frequently include anti-tax rhetoric in their campaigns. George H.W. Bush’s famous campaign promise “Read my lips: no new taxes” exemplifies the power…

  • The Case for the National Popular Vote

    When I cast my ballot by mail later this year, it is extremely unlikely that it will influence the results of the election. I live in Illinois, a Democratic stronghold. No mat­ter which candidate I vote for, Hillary Clinton will almost certainly win the state’s 20 elec­toral college votes. Based on current polling, FiveThirtyEight predicts…

  • Venezuela: The anatomy of a failing state

    Venezuela is spiraling out of control. Inflation is above 700 percent, and only rising. There are drastic shortages of basic consumer goods. Venezuelans wait in lines several blocks long just to enter grocery stores, only to find empty shelves. Even when certain products are avail­able, the sky-high inflation rate is eating away at Venezuelans’ ability…

  • Economic Policy: Putting “Magic” in the Campaign

    The Oct. 9 debate between the economic advisers to Trump and Clinton may have lacked allegations of sexual harassment, threats of jailing the opposing party’s nominee, and a television audience numbering in the tens of millions, but it did contain allegations of “magic” and plenty of wild hand gesticulations. Early in the afternoon on Oct.…

  • Cap and Trade: A Practical Solution to a Pressing Problem

    Last fall, the United States and 194 other countries inked a historic climate accord. The Paris Agreement, as it is called, aims to prevent global temperatures from rising two degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. Signatories can ratify the agreement starting this month, and the provisions take effect in 2020. Climate scientists generally agree that keeping…

  • Unfair Elections: Canada and Electoral Reform

    Canada’s recently elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised many changes following his Liberal Party’s victory, which ended 10 years of Conservative rule with a commanding majority in Parliament. Trudeau has promised to address many liberal Canadians’ priorities, including raising taxes on the rich, increasing government spending on infrastructure projects intended to boost Canada’s struggling…