Archive
Don’t Lie to Poor Kids About Why They’re Poor
Work hard and you’ll get ahead — that’s the mantra driven into young people across the country. But what happens when children born into poverty run face first into the crushing reality that the society they live in really isn’t that fair at all? As new research...
Trumping Up Our Trains
Every time the train derails, my mother begs me to stay put. But how can I? Along the densely populated eastern seaboard, your life is structured around transport. Not everyone can live in New York City or Washington D.C., so millions of people who work there commute...
You Can Vote Every Day — With Your Dollars
All shopping is not created equal — we all have our preferred soaps and phone brands. I’d rather walk a bit further to my favorite grocery store than the closer one at the end of the block. Sometimes these choices are based on convenience, familiarity, quality, or...
Want to Improve Your Diet? Plant a Fruit Tree.
One of the simplest ways to improve your family's diet? Plant a fruit tree. Or plant several. The last time I was fortunate enough to have a yard, I planted four of them. Unfortunately, I broke up with my then-boyfriend and moved out right about the time all four...
Governors Are Stiffing Workers — and Democracy
The governors of many states are boldly stepping forward these days to stop grassroots democracy. Yes, noting that local citizens and officials have been passing local laws to govern themselves, a flock of right-wing governors are asserting an autocratic power called...
The Dream Team?
In OtherWords: July 26, 2017
There's more health care drama in Congress this week, which we've written loads about lately: See a partial list here for anything you might've missed. An interesting question is why Congress is in such a rush to get the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, repealed....
Don’t Let Corporations Pick What Websites You Visit
Think about the websites you visit. The movies you stream. The music you listen to online. The animal videos that are just too cute not to share. Now think about the freedom to use the internet however and whenever you choose being taken away from you. That's exactly...
How Tax-Dodging Billionaires Use Farmers as Props
After this summer, President Trump and the Republican Congress have one big item on their agenda: taxes. Specifically, cutting them for the rich. One tax they've got in their crosshairs is the estate tax — which they malign as "the death tax." But it's nothing of the...
On Electric Cars, the U.S. Is Stuck in the Slow Lane
The French government recently announced a plan to ban sales of new gas-powered cars by 2040. Not to be outdone, the UK government is now rolling out a similar plan of its own. These plans sound shockingly radical, but in fact many analysts think those transitions...
