Archive
Great News for People Who Get Sick
Getting time off when you’re sick, or need to care for a new child or ailing parent, shouldn’t be a luxury enjoyed only by those who are financially well off. Yet low-wage workers in the United States — the workers who need paid leave the most — typically have this...
A War on Regulations
The incoming Republican government is waging a war against regulations. "For every one new regulation, two old regulations must be eliminated," Donald Trump promised after the November vote. Since then, Republicans in Congress have voted to give themselves broader...
Would Donald Tax a Fellow Trump?
Bring those jobs back home, Donald Trump bellowed to those greedy corporate executives who've shipped middle-class jobs out of country, or I'll slap you with a big tariff when you try to sell your foreign-made products here. Great stuff, Donnie — and to prove you mean...
A Fox in Every Chicken Coop
In OtherWords: December 28, 2016
Here at the end of the year, I hope you'll pardon me for a longer than usual intro note. (Don't worry, you can still skip ahead to the commentaries below.) If there was anything that defined 2016 — besides the passing of beloved celebrities and the rise of Donald...
Why I Answered the Call for Veterans to Go to Standing Rock
I lay among friends, huddled and cold in our sleeping bags. We listened to the lashing wind and the drums and prayer chants coming from the sacred fire, and we reflected on why we, four Iraq War veterans, were here. Police floodlights shone from the drill site of the...
No More Holiday Gifts for Repressive Regimes
While the world has been transfixed on the epic tragedy in Syria, another tragedy — a hidden one — has been consuming the children of Yemen. Battered by the twin evils of war and hunger, every 10 minutes a child in Yemen dies from malnutrition, diarrhea, or...
Reducing Inequality in the Trump Era
In a lot of ways, 2016 was a big year for reducing inequality. Five states raised their minimum wage through citizen-led ballot initiatives. A job-killing free trade agreement, the TPP, was blocked as a result of massive public demonstrations against it. More...
I’m Not Cheering the End of 2016
If you thought 2016 was bad, I have bad news: Buckle up. Hopefully 2017 won't bring the deaths of more beloved celebrities, and I doubt we'll see the killing of any more famous gorillas. But one element that made 2016 terrible isn't going anywhere. It's actually...
Gold-plated Tractors for Gentlemen Farmers
Let's talk tractors — the sturdy workhorses of agriculture. I've been around them since I was just a tyke — there's even a Kodak snapshot of three-year-old me sitting proudly at the wheel of the Farmall tractor my Uncle Ernest used for years to work his small family...
