Ryan Farrick is a freelance writer and small business advertising consultant based out of mid-Michigan. Passionate about international politics and world affairs, he’s an avid traveler with a keen interest in the connections between South Asia and the United States. Ryan studied neuroscience and has spent the last several years working as an operations manager in transportation logistics.


The Congressional Budget Office Might Sink Republican Healthcare Plan

A report from the Congressional Budget Office could leave the Republican healthcare plan dead in the water. The non-partisan committee’s findings have given much-needed ammunition to Democratic leaders in the House, as well as their moderate conservative allies. According to the CBO, a proposed plan sponsored by the GOP would leave tens of millions of


Scott Gottlieb Nominated as Commissioner of FDA

On Friday, President Donald Trump nominated Scott Gottlieb as commissioner of the FDA. The second week of March marks what must be at least the third or fourth controversial appointment by the commander-in-chief. Up until now, Trump has stacked the cabinet with billionaires and named industrial captains to head major federal departments. Andrew Puzder infamously


Drug-Resistant Fungal Infection Lands on American Shores

Dozens of people along the Eastern seaboard have been diagnosed with a deadly and drug-resistant fungal infection. Federal health officials had warned physicians to be on the lookout for the pathogen since last summer, cautioning that it had been making its way across the sea from East Asia. First found in the ear of a


First Year Medical Residents to Work 24-Hour Days

Almost everybody knows that doctors are among the most overworked professionals in the United States. Medical school graduates often have to toil through grueling shifts after being matched with a specialty. For first-year physicians in training, the days are about to get even longer. A new rule issued by a Chicago-based regulations group now allows


Democrats Introduce Bill to Boost Airfare Transparency

Two House Democrats introduced a bill to increase airfare transparency on Wednesday. Spearheaded by a ranking member of the House Transportation Committee, Peter DeFazio (D-OR), and Rick Larson (D-WI), the bill would unravel a few of the many mysteries of what goes into making airfare so expensive. Possibly in a response to tactics by budget


Republican Healthcare Plan Will Leave Millions Uninsured

Conservatives in Congress have made no secret of their intention to overhaul former President Barack Obama’s hallmark Affordable Healthcare Act. A new bill is pending, courtesy of House Republicans, which, if adopted, could take effect as early as 2020. The initiative would replace income-based subsidies with age-based tax credits. Touted as the free-market alternative to


A Grand Crusade Against Consumers and Class-Action Lawsuits

A vote is due next week on an interesting bill proposed by Representative Bob Goodlatte. The Virginia Republican is bringing back an idea he failed to push through Congress last year which would tighten the controls on class-action lawsuits. Detractors inside government and from without are deriding H.R. 985, the Fairness in Class Action Litigation


Tennessee Confirms Local Outbreak of Bird Flu

Tennessee health officials confirmed on Sunday that a farm in the southern part of the state had been hit with an outbreak of bird flu. Highly pathogenic avian influenza, popularly called the “bird flu,” was the basis for a widely publicized health scare in 2013 and 2014. Contagious for chickens and turkey alike, the bird


CFPB Reveals Credit Reporting Abuses and Corrections

On Thursday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (or CFPB, for short) released a report detailing numerous problems which it had uncovered and corrected within the credit reporting industry. Since the beginning of the year, the CFPB has been taking on credit reporting agencies such as TransUnion and Equifax. The Bureau found numerous instances wherein credit


Interest Groups Asks Congress to Remove Internet Privacy Rules

Conservative interest groups and industry lobbyists are begging Congress to roll back Obama-era internet privacy rules. The groups sent a letter to the Senate Commerce Committee on Tuesday, laying out an argument for why the regulations should be reversed. Signed by 18 groups – including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, US Telecom, and the Consumer