Joseph A. Palermo, 03/06/13

Associate professor, historian, author

Hugo Chavez defied this history of power relations in the hemisphere. And for that defiance elite voices will vilify him, but a far larger number of people will see him as a hero.

Flynt and Hillary Mann Leverett, 03/06/13

Going To Tehran authors; Penn State Professor and American University Senior Lecturer

The most disturbing aspect of Looking at Iran is its implicit usefulness for those arguing that America could use force against Iran with little risk of regional blowback. This argument is profoundly -- and dangerously -- mistaken.

Mark Cassello, 03/06/13

Assistant Professor of English, Calumet College of St. Joseph; founder, Love Notes from the Indignant Left

Inciting a partisan brawl over the minimum wage is clearly political posturing on the part of the Democrats rather than a sincere attempt to solve a deepening problem.

Claire McCarthy, M.D., 03/06/13

Pediatrician, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School

A study just released in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) has found that the states with the most firearm legislation have fewer deaths from guns than the states with the least firearm legislation. But is having more laws the cause?

Algernon Austin, 03/06/13

Director, Program on Race, Ethnicity and the Economy at the Economic Policy Institute

The growing black-white wealth gap means that not only is this generation of blacks worse off, but the next generation too will face greater challenges. A good jobs agenda that provides full employment for blacks, higher wages and better benefits can reduce the black-white wealth gap.

Anthony Gregory, 03/06/13

Research Fellow at the Independent Institute; Author of forthcoming 'The Power of Habeas Corpus'

Many struggle to reconcile their genuine commitments to human rights with their admiration for the president. But here no reconciliation is possible.

David Halperin, 03/06/13

Attorney, advocate, writer at RepublicReport.org

Daniels should tell the APSCU members that they should curb their arrogant lobbying campaign, improve their programs, and halt their misconduct.

Chris Weigant, 03/06/13

Political writer and blogger at ChrisWeigant.com

As expected, Obama's "second honeymoon" in the polls is starting to fade. The election is long over, the inauguration is fading from memory, and now the real legislative struggles of Obama's second term have begun.

William Astore, 03/06/13

Writer, Professor, Retired Lt. Colonel, Air Force

What happened? How did "sequestration" -- a banal, bureaucratic, deliberately opaque word -- replace "fiscal cliff" in the media and in Congress?

Dave Johnson, 03/06/13

Fellow, Campaign for America's Future

Economics 101, Europe's austerity experiment and the experience of history all tell us that cutting government is contractionary policy. This is the time to invest, and the investment returns will pay for the investment and more.

Tavis Smiley, 03/05/13

PBS talk show host, PRI radio host

Daniel Marans, 03/06/13

Executive Producer, Take Action News with David Shuster

I am a longtime fan of MSNBC. I have watched it regularly for years and admired its growth into a commercially successful platform for smart news and analysis. That is why I am so disappointed.

Rep. John K. Delaney, 03/06/13

U.S. Representative for Maryland's 6th Congressional District

Do we invest in our future and pay for it by raising revenues, reforming Social Security and Medicare, and trimming other programs? Or do we do nothing, underinvest in our country, and surrender our children's future to a world rapidly changing?

Joe Peyronnin, 03/06/13

Hofstra Journalism Professor

President Hugo Chavez's death, while not unexpected, brings an uncertain future to a country that he ruled with an iron fist. It also may present a great opportunity for American diplomacy in Venezuela and Latin America.

Steve Heilig, 03/06/13

Health care ethicist, editor, epidemiologist, environmentalist, and ethnomusicologist

As it turns out, according to much evidence, being part of a family can be a very healthy thing -- straight or gay. And now no less than the American Medical Association has officially opined on the issue.

Craig Holman, 03/05/13

Government affairs lobbyist, Public Citizen

At the height of the 2012 elections, Chevron Corp. gave an unprecedented $2.5 million campaign contribution to a super PAC intimately tied to House Speaker John Boehner. The problem: Chevron Corp. is a government contractor.

Robert Reich, 03/05/13

Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy, University of California at Berkeley; Author, 'Beyond Outrage'

Today the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose above 14,270 -- completely erasing its 54 percent loss between 2007 and 2009. Yet the real median wage is now 8 percent below what it was in 2000, and unemployment remains sky-high.