Jillian Bandes is the National Political Reporter for Townhall.com. She previously served as assistant editor and blogger at the late Culture11, and had stints at the Weekly Standard and Roll Call newspaper. Jillian has been a freelancer for various publications, including the St. Petersburg Times, Human Events, the American Spectator and the North Carolina Conservative. http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JillianBandes http://media.townhall.com/TownHall/icons/TH-feed-icon-128x128.gif http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JillianBandes TownHall.com, Where your opinion counts. 128 Copyright (c) 2012 Townhall.com, A Salem Communications Web. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED jim.dearras@townhall.com (Jim De Arras) Mon, 20 Dec 2010 05:01:00 GMT Mon, 20 Dec 2010 05:01:00 GMT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ The battle over booze is a sexy, dirty, political mess that could leave you dizzier than a drunk after a long night at the pub. At stake is the alcohol industry's ability to ship products across state lines,... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JillianBandes/2010/12/20/the_fierce_booze_battle db0caddb-be12-4133-9cde-499aa84ba639 Mon, 20 Dec 2010 05:01:00 GMT In 2010, the EPA granted exactly two new coal mining permits in West Virginia. There are fifty outstanding permits, because according to the EPA, bugs are more important than jobs. Mayfly populations are disrupted... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JillianBandes/2010/12/15/can_a_state_bypass_the_epa 7ce0b40b-f6a7-4959-9e20-30ff76028a49 Wed, 15 Dec 2010 05:01:00 GMT A half-dozen staunchly conservative Members of Congress have been beating around the bush on the anti-earmark ban. They support the GOP's current ban, but not permanently, and not enthusiastically. ... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JillianBandes/2010/12/10/far-right_republicans_dont_hold_the_line_on_earmarks_ban 310f5374-bb9e-4ade-8a7c-49d42926a051 Fri, 10 Dec 2010 13:38:40 GMT Netty Aranguren wants her ears surgically pinned back. That way, she'll feel more prepared to embark on the journey of marriage. Aranguren, 23, moved into the Bridalplasty mansion to compete with a... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JillianBandes/2010/12/09/bridalplasty_is_a_new_low_for_womens_reality_tv 784ea095-46ed-400e-bb3c-a84e445437c5 Thu, 09 Dec 2010 05:01:00 GMT Tax code reform has the potential to achieve what seems to be an impossible goal: increasing revenue while lowering tax rates. But legislators have put it on the backburner in favor of short-term quick-fixes, like tax... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JillianBandes/2010/12/04/simplification_of_the_tax_code_not_likely cf6128f8-1dd4-425e-8387-462ce8252ec2 Sat, 04 Dec 2010 05:01:00 GMT Glenn Beck has come out against him. Rush has come out against him. Tea Party activists from every different angle are snarling over charges that he's one of the biggest RINO's in the jungle. Depending on your... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JillianBandes/2010/12/02/energetic_infighting_for_energy_and_commerce_chair 0ea70144-ce09-4cc1-be7e-f2ef39bf84e7 Thu, 02 Dec 2010 05:01:00 GMT The saga of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit continues, as Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas finally called for an unconditional release of the 24-year-old hostage. Abbas had previously given... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JillianBandes/2010/12/01/israeli_hostage_gets_a_hand_from_abbas e4a1498f-4a05-433b-8bfe-6b16da530568 Wed, 01 Dec 2010 05:01:00 GMT It's become a common refrain to say that the November elections were more of a rejection of Democrats than an endorsement for the Republicans. Two pollsters from opposite sides of the political spectrum have proven... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JillianBandes/2010/11/24/down_with_the_democrats_polls_point_to_rampant_voter_dissatisfaction 16bc55da-7a73-4191-bbcd-55f7d0339d99 Wed, 24 Nov 2010 05:01:00 GMT The legal arguments surrounding the constitutionality of the health care debate are nuanced, and at the center of the debate is whether Congress can regulate a citizen's inactivity. The Federalist Society holds its... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JillianBandes/2010/11/19/taking_the_gloves_off_is_the_health_care_bill_constitutional 893d509a-f924-4f2f-8e21-f012f82e9e16 Fri, 19 Nov 2010 05:01:00 GMT It's worse than your kids at the dinner table: the battle over food safety has gotten worse after the Senate voted to move forward on the bill Wednesday. With a 74-25 vote on the motion to begin debate, passage has... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JillianBandes/2010/11/18/food_fight_breaks_out_in_senate 9196fb25-a72c-4e90-b59b-43e6a284ee4d Thu, 18 Nov 2010 05:01:00 GMT A bill up for consideration in the Senate today would update food safety regulations for the first time since the 1930s. It would also be a massive expansion of government bureaucracy and a deadly threat to small... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JillianBandes/2010/11/17/lame_ducks_take_on_food_safety 525d7980-af90-459a-b9dc-414fbe90b010 Wed, 17 Nov 2010 05:01:00 GMT Townhall readers don't seem too enthusiastic about the new GOP House majority. For the past week, they've been bellyaching that the new class of Republicans won't do much of anything. In stories and blog posts,... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JillianBandes/2010/11/12/your_opinion_counts_the_incoming_gop_congress 8ea52cb4-d27f-4858-99dd-0cea6776ae98 Fri, 12 Nov 2010 05:01:00 GMT The GOP transition period - when the newly-elected Republican majority starts to run the House of Representatives - is like a campfire sing-along, combined with an ongoing public relations party. There's also the very... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JillianBandes/2010/11/11/is_the_gop_transition_team_talk_or_action 03ec4ecd-3bc2-4b44-82a1-2b83726fbdaf Thu, 11 Nov 2010 05:01:00 GMT Fiscal conservatives had some big wins last Tuesday, but their post-election statements indicate that they might not mean what they say.For example, Pat Toomey refused to take on the issue of the debt limit during an... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JillianBandes/2010/11/08/time_to_hold_new_gop_accountable 1f61dc38-5b64-4098-a2f8-072e141a962c Mon, 08 Nov 2010 05:01:00 GMT President Obama smacked his lips repeatedly and declared his love for Slurpees in a wide-ranging press conference on Wednesday that highlighted his charisma and unwillingness to compromise. The fact that he even... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JillianBandes/2010/11/03/slurpee-loving_president_goes_for_the_gold d65fc5de-6031-4299-b8d1-347f271617c2 Wed, 03 Nov 2010 18:14:00 GMT