Brandon Fallon

Things are starting to fall apart in Washington. We're 16 days into the first government shutdown since the '90s, and if Congress can't patch together a deal by the end of the day, the U.S. is at risk of defaulting on its debt for the first time…

It is easier for businesses to cross over into politics than it is to cover on social issues. Both companies on Wall Street and off, big and small, have a social component to them that goes beyond the Human Resources department. A diverse workforce…

The current government funding battle takes the concept of sequestration to the extreme, implying only "essential government functions" will be running, but for how long? How would that affect FEMA and help survivors of natural disasters? Take the…

Student-athletes are the unsung heroes on college campuses across the country, in terms of financial recognition. Yes, they are idolized by their fellow students and may receive special consideration from their professors, but in terms of financial…

Revolutions! Coups! Internal and multinational tension! Economic sanctions! Chemical weapons! Russian allies! Many of these terms can describe the goings-on in any number of Middle Eastern nations, but they all apply to Iran, the regional…

The first Olympic Games were meant as a sign of world unity and genial athletic competition. The games put the civil wars in Greece on hiatus long enough to honor the Olympic gods. Now, fast forward almost 2,800 years and the first games are still…

A lot can happen in 20 years. A newborn baby would be getting ready to graduate college. A young college graduate would be halfway to retirement. A retired couple would have two decades to look forward to enjoying their final years. That is…

Can you imagine a world where the United Nations (UN) has control over your country? Imagine a world with a collective sovereignty. In this new world order, each country has their own head of state, but the UN acts as an uber-parliament, or…

North America is rapidly expanding into the Middle East, at least in terms of energy production. Canada has the enviable oil sands. The United States is a world leader in natural gas. Now, Mexico, which has a state-run oil industry, is looking…

Washington has become so polarized that the city now has more extreme points of view than those belonging closer to the center — despite the fact that most people throughout the country are fairly moderate. Washington dysfunction should not stop…

The world has undergone a tremendous climate shift in the last 100 years. As global temperatures have risen, so too have sea levels. Arctic ice is decreasing as well. All of this points to one conclusion: that climate change is real. Detractors can…

Declining credit-card debt is for the most part a good thing, but can have some adverse effects. Credit habits among millennials have changed in recent years as a result of the recession and federal laws, and now it may effect their future…

The current surveillance controversy brings to mind other countries' methods of spying on their citizens. Even though the NSA is searching for possible terrorists, they are data mining hundreds of millions of U.S. citizens in their pursuit for…

Even though the improving economy has its benefits, such as a decreasing budget deficit and increasing tax revenue, the problem is far from over. With the near-term outlook appearing less turbulent, the focus on the deficit may be waning. But if…

With the recent May jobs report showing the United States added 175,000 jobs last month, there is not much attention on the much smaller number of jobs the federal government shed. The government cut 3,000 more federal jobs than in April. Even…

The Obama administration has released new guidelines for one of the most profitable industries, the oil and gas industry, over how to frack safely on public land. As a work-in-progress, there have been several revisions over the past few years; a…

Barack Obama entered the White House as president for the first time on January 20, 2009 after defeating Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.). Ever since then, no other United States president has encountered as much partisan gridlock, controversy, and…

Sen. Rand Paul's strongest attribute thus far has been his relationship to his father, former Rep. Ron Paul. They represent the epitome of contemporary libertarian ideology in Congress, but in his speech before a dinner in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the…

Majority state-owned Chinese banks, in the midst of uncertain economic times, have seen greater than expected returns in the first quarter. For the first quarter in 2013, the banks' loans increased 12%, or to 2.76 trillion Yuan, compared to last…