1 Mar 2011
The REINS Act:
Would it work as intended?
by Richard Belzer
in Regulatory Policy
House and Senate Republicans have proposed legislation (HR 10, S 299) intending to substantially change federal regulatory practice. The proposed Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 2011 (The "REINS Act").
What is the bill supposed to do? What is it likely to do?
More...11 Feb 2011
Presidential Succession in Egypt:
The unconstitutional epilogue
by Richard Belzer
in Governance
News reports say Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has resigned. Apparently, the constitutional procedure for succession is not being followed, and instead there has been a coup.
More...Presidential Succession in Egypt:
What does the constitution require?
by Richard Belzer
in Governance, People & Institutions
As the eyes of the world focus on Egypt, Western news media appear to be following events the same way they would follow a US election -- as a horse race. Who is up? Who is down? What to the experts say? What do the polls say?
An alternative approach is to look at what the Egyptian constitution requires. Fortunately, the Egyptian government has published an English language translation of the constitution. It's a very long document, but on matters relevant to presidential succession, it seems to be quite clear.
More...
