Archive
Teachers Shouldn’t Have to Panhandle for School Supplies
Back to school! These three simple words used to leave America’s public school teachers giddy with anticipation. Now they leave them opening up their wallets and worrying. The problem? Teachers have been spending out of their own pockets for generations to decorate...
Trump’s Pardon of Joe Arpaio Is Deeply Disturbing
During a speech to a group of police officers in July, President Trump returned to one of his favorite themes of the campaign season: violence. "Please don’t be too nice" to the "thugs being thrown into the back of a paddy wagon," Trump advised the officers. Be...
‘Farm to Table’ Has Jumped the Shark
Now that Amazon's taken over Whole Foods, a natural foods grocery known for its high prices, the new owners have pledged to lower prices. I stopped by the store to see what had changed. In addition to a few discounts — organic apples went from $2.99 to $1.99 per pound...
Not Even Robert E. Lee Wanted Confederate Monuments
While our president's moral character seems stuck somewhere between boorish and brutish, it's only fair to note that he also has an aesthetic dimension. This surprising side of Trump popped out several days after the Charlottesville attacks by raging white...
America’s Whitest Sheriff
In OtherWords: August 23, 2017
Last week's Charlottesville debacle concluded with a major development for the Trump administration: the exit of chief strategist Steve Bannon, a longtime lightning rod for the White House on race issues. In this he was only the latest Trump confederate to get the ax,...
Stop the Buzz Killing Beer Barons!
Next time you reach for a cold beer on a hot summer day, you'll have some uninvited drinking buddies: the beer barons. Two conglomerates now control 90 percent of U.S. beer production. They use their power to raise prices, squeeze out small brewers, and limit your...
Lessons on North Korea from the Cuban Missile Crisis
Nearly 55 years ago, in October 1962, I was a college student who'd just turned 20. The Cuban Missile Crisis began the day after my birthday, and it seemed entirely possible that I (along with tens of millions of other people) might die in nuclear fire and fury before...
Trump’s Running Out of Friends, and It’s His Own Fault
I hate to say this, but I'm starting to feel sorry for Donald Trump. He's only been in office for half a year, and already he's running out of Americans to attack. Of course, he came into office already having notched his AK-47 Twitter rifle with hundreds of hits on...
The President Is Removing Litter Protections from National Parks
By most measures Trump's had an ineffective presidency. If you oppose his agenda, as I do, this is no doubt a good thing. Like countless others, I rely on Obamacare for my health insurance. I sleep soundly at night only because Trump and congressional Republicans...
