Word: reformer
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...religious fault lines have opened up around issues like stem - cell research, therapeutic cloning, assisted reproduction and euthanasia, but gay rights is perhaps the most divisive. In Spain, whose kings and queens were once the most fervent defenders of the Christian faith, the Socialist government has launched a radical reform of family law that will grant gays and lesbians full legal status as parents and allow them to marry. In Ireland, another former Roman Catholic bastion, politicians from all parties meet this week to discuss whether the constitution should be changed to give homosexual couples the same rights as heterosexual...
...doesn't make any further concessions, it will be very close," says one parliamentary official. The dispute holds dangers for both sides. If Barroso gives in, "the Parliament will have set an important precedent," denting the President's authority, says Alasdair Murray of the London-based Centre for European Reform. But tossing out the entire Commission could backfire, too. Murray believes Parliament would have to prove that the group was so bad it should be thrown out before it's done anything. "I'm not sure they can do that," he says. "Both sides could end up playing a game...
...That election and the resulting legal battles did us all a favor, sort of. By exposing the many problems in election procedures, it forced the country to make critical reforms for the first time in decades. Unfortunately, the reforms have not gone far enough, in part because the parties have been fighting, worried the other side is trying to gain an unfair advantage, and also because there hasn?t been enough time. Then too, since 9/11, many Americans haven?t considered voting reform the nation?s top priority...
...even more alarming than these uber-present SWAT teams, is the lack of election reform in the post-Bush v. Gore era. In 2002, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act to give states money to upgrade equipment, develop computer registration lists, and provide guidance through the newly created Election Assistance Commission. The actual election commissioners, however, weren’t appointed until Dec. 2003, and there is a conspicuous lack of funding. Moreover, the technical voting problems of the Florida ballot still exist; an estimated 32 million voters in 19 states will use the ill-fated punch cards. Thus...
...presidential election, a process which has occurred for over 200 years, will inevitably be lengthened and determined by lawyers and the courts—for a second time no less. This is a result of both the country and the states’ inability to institute effective election reform. States must streamline election procedures; technical glitches of the 2000 election should no longer be utilized in any state. Before the 2008 election, the U.S. government must amend the election process to ensure that campaigns are spending money on reaching out to voters—not on arguing over ballots long...