Alan W. Dowd is a Senior Fellow with the American Security Council Foundation, where he writes on the full range of topics relating to national defense, foreign policy and international security. Dowd’s commentaries and essays have appeared in Policy Review, Parameters, Military Officer, The American Legion Magazine, The Journal of Diplomacy and International Relations, The Claremont Review of Books, World Politics Review, The Wall Street Journal Europe, The Jerusalem Post, The Financial Times Deutschland, The Washington Times, The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Examiner, The Detroit News, The Sacramento Bee, The Vancouver Sun, The National Post, The Landing Zone, Current, The World & I, The American Enterprise, Fraser Forum, American Outlook, The American and the online editions of Weekly Standard, National Review and American Interest. Beyond his work in opinion journalism, Dowd has served as an adjunct professor and university lecturer; congressional aide; and administrator, researcher and writer at leading think tanks, including the Hudson Institute, Sagamore Institute and Fraser Institute. An award-winning writer, Dowd has been interviewed by Fox News Channel, Cox News Service, The Washington Times, The National Post, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and numerous radio programs across North America. In addition, his work has been quoted by and/or reprinted in The Guardian, CBS News, BBC News and the Council on Foreign Relations. Dowd holds degrees from Butler University and Indiana University. Follow him at twitter.com/alanwdowd.

ASCF News

Scott Tilley is a Senior Fellow at the American Security Council Foundation, where he writes the “Technical Power” column, focusing on the societal and national security implications of advanced technology in cybersecurity, space, and foreign relations.

He is an emeritus professor at the Florida Institute of Technology. Previously, he was with the University of California, Riverside, Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute, and IBM. His research and teaching were in the areas of computer science, software & systems engineering, educational technology, the design of communication, and business information systems.

He is president and founder of the Center for Technology & Society, president and co-founder of Big Data Florida, past president of INCOSE Space Coast, and a Space Coast Writers’ Guild Fellow.

He has authored over 150 academic papers and has published 28 books (technical and non-technical), most recently Systems Analysis & Design (Cengage, 2020), SPACE (Anthology Alliance, 2019), and Technical Justice (CTS Press, 2019). He wrote the “Technology Today” column for FLORIDA TODAY from 2010 to 2018.

He is a popular public speaker, having delivered numerous keynote presentations and “Tech Talks” for a general audience. Recent examples include the role of big data in the space program, a four-part series on machine learning, and a four-part series on fake news.

He holds a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Victoria (1995).

Contact him at stilley@cts.today.

Executive Orders Work for the Moment, But Legislation is Necessary

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

Written by Karen Hiltz, Ed.D

Categories: ASCF Articles

Comments: 0

en.wikipedia.org Ex Order.PNG

The Trump administration isn’t wasting any time getting to work. Executive Orders (EO) were signed on day one to remedy broken departments, systems, and processes. He’s firing swamp creatures, locking doors, and offering buyouts for federal employees, which many are accepting.

Regardless of the number or types of EOs being issued, the public should embrace an administration seeking to protect America. The results may not be as immediate as one would like because government is slow, ill-equipped, and filled with too many egos. Not to mention the barrage of lawsuits already filed.

There is one expectation not discussed enough that came out of the 2024 election, and it is the necessity for the Legislature to move forward to ensure issues are fixed legislatively. Bills, not EOs, need to be signed to ensure we do not continue to govern via whimsical changes every four years.

Immigration needs reformed

This is urgent because as illegal aliens are being removed from our country, the lawfare being waged against EOs need to be minimized. It’s baffling why so many feign sympathy for persons entering our country illegally. What do people not understand about illegal? We are a nation of laws. It’s not about feelings or beliefs; it’s about following the rule of law.

The administration stated they will find and extract criminals and terrorists first, which they are doing. There are so many it could take several months to complete this phase. However, this gives opportunity for people to self-remove on their own volition. If you are here illegally, regardless of how many years, ICE and DHS are required to uphold the law and provide accountability.

Whether someone crossed the border illegally, overstayed a visa, or is born to illegal parents, legal avenues must be taken to enter the United States. This is where the legislature has been derelict in their duty. Legislation must be revised to ensure laws are enforced at all levels, the legal process is reasonably obtainable, and loopholes are removed. Now is the time!

Government Efficiency

Who doesn’t want our government to work efficiently? Democrats must not as they are falling off the rails with their political rhetoric. Their shouting and handwringing are nothing more than a mockery of our intelligence. Wasteful spending at US Agency for International Development (USAID) is not a surprise. They, and others, passed budgets allowing this abuse of power with taxpayer dollars.

Our elected representatives lose their minds when the mirror reflects the very antics they are engaged in and promoting. Musk isn’t an elected official, but he is a Trump hire and is doing what the administration tasked him to do.

We all know there is a treasure trove of wasteful spending, funding for pet projects, ridiculous research projects, as well as propping up foreign countries providing no value or benefit to the United States. The legislature must scrub and pass a reasonable budget, end wasteful spending, and break the cycle of continuing resolutions. Now is the time!

Education bureaucracy

The U.S. Department of Education needs to be dismantled and return education to the states. The additional layer of bureaucracy has not improved student learning. It merely piled on unnecessary requirements and used the carrot-and-stick approach to coerce states to buy into ideology counter to American culture.

Its primary functions are to house data, award grants and contracts, and dole out unfunded mandates. Federal funds make up, on average, approximately 8% to10% or less of a school district’s budget. Eliminating requirements is one solution to reducing funds. Our republic needs an education system void of multiple layers of bureaucracy, union dominance, and favored publishers. Parents must be in the driver’s seat.

Recent NAEP scores generated articles speaking of test scores, graduation rates, and options parents do or do not have. COVID-19 has been blamed for recent failures, yet basic subject proficiency rates have been declining for decades. The pandemic merely facilitated awareness of the array of failures within the education system.

President Trump campaigned on dismantling the U.S. Department of Education and returning education to the states, which will be a challenge on several levels. This is a campaign promise that needs to be acted upon sooner rather than later. The legislature must revise old laws and move away from micromanaging education. Now is the time!

The Trump administration has been in office less than two months. We have already realized pro-American policies enacted, government efficiency actions taken, criminal illegal aliens deported, information transparency, and much more. We trust President Trump to focus on ensuring safety and prosperity are restored so We The People can retain our tax dollars for our best interests. Now is the time for the legislature to act.

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