Posts by: Erin Drushel

Erin Drushel

May 14, 2014October 2, 2016

A Patriotic Shame

The recent revelations at an Arizona Veterans Administration (VA) hospital serve to highlight an underlying problem in North America. It was uncovered that a number of veterans were placed on ... Read more

May 2, 2014October 2, 2016

An Education in Education – A Comparison of Systems Between Canada and the U.S.

News Commentary + Rants

Here in Ohio, the end of the academic year is quickly approaching. Universities are already winding down, and in the next month or so the secondary, middle, and elementary schools ... Read more

April 16, 2014October 2, 2016

Keeping Elections Fair – Much Bigger Issues Than Voter ID

News Commentary + Rants

Fair Elections Act assures Elections Canada ‘a longer reach and freer hand’ – Harper Government Both Canada and the United States are currently tackling the issue of requiring voter identification ... Read more

April 3, 2014October 2, 2016

Keystone XL: Reaffirming Relationships Since 1812

News Commentary + Rants

I’ve been holding off on writing about the Keystone XL underground pipeline for some time because – simply put – I think it’s a bad idea, period. Not much more ... Read more

March 20, 2014October 2, 2016

For Conventions and Short-Term Gain, “Cleveland Rocks!”

News Commentary + Rants

I live in the largest Democratic stronghold in Ohio; the county which arguably secured President Obama’s second term win. Now the Republicans are mulling the idea of holding their 2016 ... Read more

March 5, 2014October 2, 2016

Today’s Social Defender: The NFL

News Commentary + Rants

Last week Arizona’s Governor, Jan Brewer, vetoed legislation that would have granted business owners the right to refuse service to those customers whom they felt violated their personal religious freedoms. ... Read more

February 24, 2014October 2, 2016

“Dear America: Sorry We’re So Awesome” – Love, Canada

News Commentary + Rants

…with apologies to my American friends who aren’t jerks. Everyone loves Canadians; until we best them at hockey. Then apparently we become maple syrup-sucking “eh”-holes…please forgive my “French-Canadian.” The public ... Read more

February 6, 2014October 2, 2016

The Dis-“Union” of College and Football

News Commentary + Rants

I love NFL football. Of all the quintessentially American things I could have latched onto after moving to the United States, this was the most unexpected. You may have heard ... Read more

January 29, 2014October 2, 2016

Putting the “Union” Back in the State?

News Commentary + Rants

A Recap on President Barack Obama’s 2014 State of the Union Address Considering the overall tone of Congressional animosity in recent years, Tuesday night’s State of the Union was a ... Read more

January 22, 2014October 2, 2016

2014 Olympics: Road to Sochi… and Beyond?

News Commentary + Rants

2014 Sochi Winter Olympics: Everyone’s invited… but check your protests at the door. The Olympic Games are not only about demonstrating national pride and prowess, but stand as a symbol ... Read more

January 15, 2014October 2, 2016

Governor Christie: Still a Contender?

News Commentary + Rants

Last week it became apparent that aides to Republican Governor Chris Christie were the cause of a chaotic commuter nightmare where local lanes of the George Washington Bridge in New ... Read more

November 13, 2013October 2, 2016

Canada’s New Age?

News Commentary + Rants

Last week the Canadian Senate voted to suspend Sens. Patrick Brazeau, Pamela Wallin and Mike Duffy, as they are under investigation for claiming wrongful expenses and/or abusing housing allowances. This ... Read more

November 6, 2013October 2, 2016

Censorship vs. Idealism: Reddit’s Mistake

News Commentary + Rants

At a time when internet giants such as Google are making strides to work around censorship in more oppressive countries, the American social news internet company Reddit seems to be ... Read more

October 23, 2013October 2, 2016

Problems with Online Healthcare? “Blame Canada!”

News Commentary + Rants

Last week the U.S. Congress finally reached an agreement to not only end the government shutdown but also raise the country’s debt ceiling until February 2014. The U.S. government is ... Read more

October 16, 2013October 2, 2016

Does America Need a Revolution?

News Commentary + Rants

There appears to be a lot more activity toward ending the U.S. government shut down which is now entering week three. The Senate has been involved in bipartisan talks attempting ... Read more

October 9, 2013October 2, 2016

Preserving American Democracy

News Commentary + Rants

A notion that has really solidified for me this week is that America is really two countries masquerading as one; and, America has (at least) three political parties masquerading as ... Read more

October 2, 2013October 2, 2016

I Miss My Canadian Politics: Something American Politicians can Learn From

News Commentary + Rants

Who said the manufacturing industry is dead? It’s clearly alive and well in the right-most wing of the Republican Party where they continue to manufacture any number of crises. (Read: ... Read more

September 25, 2013October 2, 2016

The U.S. Congress on ‘Cruz’ Control

News Commentary + Rants

The U.S. Congress has until midnight September 30 to make sure the government continues to be funded or face a government shut-down. At the heart of the debate is – ... Read more

September 19, 2013October 2, 2016

I Miss My Canadian Healthcare

News Commentary + Rants

A Canadian Perspective on American Health Insurance The first official day to start signing up for health insurance in the U.S. under the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA / Obamacare) Health ... Read more

July 24, 2013October 2, 2016

Congress: ‘Wait a Minute, Mr. Postman!’

News Commentary + Rants

What’s Keeping the U.S. from Going ‘Postal’ on Rates and Services? The United States Postal Service (USPS) has been trying for the past two years to get Congress to help ... Read more

July 17, 2013October 2, 2016

A Verdict on America’s Legal System

News Commentary + Rants

…Not Guilty. That was the verdict for the killing of Trayvon Martin. It doesn’t sit well. It doesn’t feel right that an unarmed young man is dead and no one ... Read more

July 10, 2013October 2, 2016

Immigration Reform vs. A Divided GOP

News Commentary + Rants

The great hope for a bipartisan solution to reforming the immigration system in the United States continues to falter along the way. Two weeks ago – in a bipartisan vote ... Read more

June 26, 2013October 2, 2016

American Voting Rights: Erosion or Modernization?

News Commentary + Rants

Yesterday, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) struck down a key provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act where certain specified states and counties are required to get federal ... Read more

June 13, 2013October 2, 2016

Conflicting Expectations

News Commentary + Rants

It was a two-for-one sale on privacy last week when a whistle-blower revealed that the National Security Association (NSA) has been authorized to track all Verizon phone records – including ... Read more

June 5, 2013October 2, 2016

The Long Road to True Equality

News Commentary + Rants

We are witnessing history in the making. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to make a ruling on gay marriage within the next few weeks, there are a growing number ... Read more

May 27, 2013October 2, 2016

Disaster Politics

News Commentary + Rants

The last thing anyone needs to worry about following a natural disaster is whether or not your federal government will come through to help you rebuild your life. Last Monday, ... Read more

May 20, 2013October 2, 2016

Freedom & Security: A Complicated Balance

News Commentary + Rants

It was revealed last week that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) secretly subpoenaed and seized some phone records of the Associated Press (AP) as part of a leak investigation ... Read more

May 13, 2013October 2, 2016

It’s a Miracle, Not a ‘Reality Show’

News Commentary + Rants

Miracles do happen. And apparently, they happen in Cleveland. On May 6th, Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight – three young women who were kidnapped and missing for around ... Read more

May 6, 2013October 2, 2016

A War on Science? It’s One Hypothesis

News Commentary + Rants

The scientific community is under attack. The desire for political control over science and its findings threaten the integrity of the entire system. The Science, Space and Technology Committee Chairman, ... Read more

April 22, 2013October 2, 2016

America’s Bad Week

News Commentary + Rants

Last week began with the Boston Marathon bombings where three people were killed and more than 170 injured. That was followed by the intense pursuit of the alleged perpetrators, which ... Read more