Melanie Breault

Bio

Melanie Breault just returned from teaching English in Seoul, South Korea. She now works for a women's nonprofit in Downtown NYC. She earned her bachelor's degree in economic and political journalism from Ithaca College in upstate New York. She likes to tackle issues facing marginalized workers and struggling students in her free time.

Military Sexual Assault is a Growing Problem, But We're Not Doing Anything About It

By Melanie Breault

A jury decided to acquit the former head of the Air Force Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office after a woman accused him of grabbing her buttocks. After two days of testimony in Arlington County Circuit Court last week, the jury dismissed…

Is Obama Approval Rating Making Him As Politically Toxic As Bush?

By Melanie Breault

President Obama stopped by Texas last Wednesday to smooth over the national disappointment with the glitches in the new HealthCare.gov website. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, he brought with him some volunteers to help consumers become more…

ENDA: A Landmark Gay Rights Bill is Set to Pass — If Republicans Would Listen to Their Constituents

By Melanie Breault

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act is up for a vote on Monday evening and will likely pass the Senate with the 60 votes needed to avoid a filibuster, according to the Huffington Post. As of last Thursday, 59 senators publicly support the bill,…

5 Reasons College is Not Right For Everyone

By Melanie Breault

We know there are plenty of young entrepreneurs out there who didn’t finish college — Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, and David Geffen, just to name a few. And with the ridiculous cost of education these days — $30,094 in tuition and fees for a private…

Virginia Gay Marriage Ban Will Be Struck Down, If Millennials Have Their Way

By Melanie Breault

The same Virginians who voted 57% in favor of ratifying a constitutional amendment defining marriage as “between one man and one woman” in 2006 now believe it should be legal for gay couples to get married. According to Virginia’s statewide election…

New Jersey Gay Marriage is the Beginning Of a Marriage Equality Trend

By Melanie Breault

Over the next two weeks, we may see some serious changes to the political and legislative landscape of the U.S. in favor of marriage equality. The day the Supreme Court ruled to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act, the president of the Human…

Debt Ceiling 2013: Start Caring, Millennials, Or We'll Pay the Price

By Melanie Breault

Congress has until this Thursday to make a decision about the debt ceiling, whether they will increase the nation’s borrowing authority or cause the U.S. to default on its loans. Progress was made during the Columbus Day weekend, but a final budget…

Janet Yellen, Mary Jo White, and Christine Lagarde Shatter Gender Stereotypes

By Melanie Breault

With the nomination of Janet Yellen to head the Federal Reserve, Mary Jo White chairing the SEC, Christine Lagarde as the managing director for the International Monetary Fund and Angela Merkel as the "dominant Eurozone leader," according to…

Revenge Porn Illegal? New Laws May Not Be Vengeful Enough

By Melanie Breault

As of last week, it is illegal to post nude photos or videos of someone online without his or her permission, a practice termed, “revenge porn.” California Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law Senate Bill 255, which penalizes those who intend to cause…

What Obamacare Means For Me: Prevention and Peace Of Mind

By Melanie Breault

As Monday's events showed, Obamacare is the Republicans’ Moby Dick and they will not concede until they catch their whale (or in this case, destroy it). The House attempted to delay the Affordable Care Act by one year and cut a tax on medical…