Warning: Fracking May Harm Public Health

Warning: Fracking May Harm Public Health

What do public health advocates like me tell people all the time? Get tested. Use protection. In practice, that means we’re always explaining how everything from cancer screenings to immunizations to bike helmets can save lives. The same logic ought to apply to...
How to Honor the Kids Who Died at Sandy Hook

How to Honor the Kids Who Died at Sandy Hook

Confronted by a hostile Republican Congress, President Barack Obama has chosen to flex his political muscles on a range of pressing issues. He increased the minimum wage for employees of federal contractors. He struck a climate deal with China. He’s protected as...
Neighbors Don’t Let Neighbors Frack

Neighbors Don’t Let Neighbors Frack

All my life, I’ve been a good citizen. I vote. I volunteer. I know my neighbors. Moreover, I take care of my property. I garden. I make jams and jellies to give away for Christmas. In short, I fulfill my obligations as a rural homeowner. Still, there’s one...
An Overdue Fix to Overtime

An Overdue Fix to Overtime

There are a lot of ways that businesses are squeezing worker pay. Here’s a big one. On the one hand, millions of Americans are stuck in low-paying part-time jobs that don’t offer them enough hours. On the other, millions more are now routinely forced to work...
Fueling Corporate Welfare

Fueling Corporate Welfare

Getting something for nothing is a pretty sweet deal — at least if you’re the one getting something. Not so much if you’re the one receiving nothing in exchange. Oil and gas companies are extracting gas from federal lands and paying nothing for much of it, according...