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Pinocchio Nose
In OtherWords: May 31, 2017
Donald Trump is recently returned from his first trip overseas as president. Numerous gags from the trip made headlines — some sharp elbows during a photo op, a glowing orb. But a more serious moment occurred during Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia, where he lectured his...
The Unpleasant Impact of an Unserious Budget
Federal budgets, while boring and wonky, can have a serious impact on our lives. They dictate our collective priorities for how we choose to spend our public resources in support of the common good. That is, good budgets do that. But you’d be hard-pressed to call the...
The Problem with Dividing ‘Good Muslims’ from ‘Bad Muslims’
All right, America. We need to have a talk. The president recently returned from Saudi Arabia, where he gave his Muslim hosts a speech about the threats of "radical Islamist terrorism." Because Trump steered slightly clear of his usual vitriol toward Muslims — he's...
Rural Communities Have the Most to Lose With Health Care Repeal
For thirty years, I’ve helped people fight for health care. In one of my proudest moments, I worked with people in small towns across Idaho to expand Medicaid for children. So I’ve seen what people can accomplish when we demand that elected representatives do the...
Trump TV, Coming to a Market Near You
Donald Trump’s favorite local TV chain is about to get a lot bigger thanks to — wait for it — Donald Trump. Trump’s Federal Communications Commission is paving the way for Sinclair Broadcast Group — already the nation’s largest TV conglomerate — to take over Tribune,...
Trump’s Revealing Budget for Rural America
How we spend our money says a lot about what we value — and what we can do without. The Trump administration’s proposed budget, which it submitted to Congress in May, sends the alarming message that it can do without much of rural America. The surprisingly harsh...
The ‘Why’ Behind Bad Grades
The end of the school year has a tendency to bring crises to my attention. I'm a graduate teaching assistant, which means I have more face-to-face contact with the students than the professor I work for. I know their names and I know them as individuals. There are...
Making NAFTA Worse
Like rose blossoms, a politician's promises can be beautiful when they burst into full, glorious bloom — only to fade over time and, petal by petal, fall away. Take Donald Trump's glorious pledge last year to renegotiate the NAFTA trade deal and provide a "much...
Collective Amnesia Syndrome
