Archive
What We Can Learn from War Memorials
In Dryden, New York, a proposed solar farm recently caused a stir. Thousands of solar panels — enough to power 7,500 homes — are scheduled to be installed near a rural cemetery in the town. Some opponents complain that it’s disrespectful to the veterans buried there....
Saving America’s Great Places
I'm writing this from Yellowstone National Park. Established in 1872, this was our first National Park. The world's first, in fact. In an interesting window into how politics worked then (and now, arguably), Congress agreed to preserve this land only after being...
Using Lunch to Punish the Poor
One of the lucky things about being rich is that you automatically become handsome, your jokes are hilarious, and politicians treat you with fawning deference. On the other hand, the unlucky thing about being poor is that … well, you're poor. And society generally...
Loose Lips
In OtherWords: May 17, 2017
Jim Comey — there's a name you've probably heard this week. The former FBI director, recently fired by Donald Trump over his probe of the evolving "Russiagate" scandal, apparently recorded a memo detailing a conversation with Trump that troubled him. The president,...
The Hidden Bombshell in the Comey-Trump Story
How can you tell an authoritarian when you see one? We know the 20th century hallmarks — brown shirts, street rallies, and the like. But there’s an autocratic attitude, some historians suggest, that can easily be traced across the centuries. To put it simply, New York...
Congress Wants to Cut Your Health Care — And Billionaires’ Taxes
Members of the House GOP were in a hurry on May 4 to pass their bill to gut Obamacare. They rushed it through before anyone even had a chance to check its cost or calculate its impact on people's access to insurance. Their urgency, however, had little to do with...
Have You Seen George W.’s Paintings? They’re Missing Something.
George W. Bush has been on something of a public relations tour recently, showcasing paintings he's done since leaving office. The tour seems designed to rebuild his image as a tortured artist wrestling with his demons — a flawed but morally introspective tragic...
Billionaires Lay Siege to State Governments
It’s easy to become mesmerized by The Donald Show in this year's political circus. But a lot of the real action is in the outer rings, where the Koch brothers, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), and their corporate cohorts have laid siege to our state...
Cement Shoes
