Archive
Your Fear of Terrorism Could Get You Killed
One in 3.5 million: That’s the risk you’ll die from a terrorist attack in the United States, Ohio State professor John Mueller estimates. Rounded generously, that chance comes to 3 one-hundred thousandths of a percent. That’s not how most Americans see it, though. In...
You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught
We all remember the teachers who most influenced us. Life lessons learned in the classroom stay with you for decades. I was lucky to have several great teachers, but my fifth grade teacher stands out the most. Nancy Livingston taught for 25 years in Princeton, New...
Digging Up a Mountain of Debt
For the first time in more than 30 years, the federal government has decided to hold off on authorizing new leases for coal mining on federal land. It will undertake a review to see whether taxpayers are getting a fair deal while assessing the program’s environmental...
Obama Takes a Walk on the Greener Side
Until now, President Barack Obama has embraced gas and oil fracking, encouraged the construction of new nuclear reactors, and hailed government investment in wind and solar power. In keeping with this “all-of-the-above” energy strategy, he’d call for climate action...
Let’s Put Prison Sentences on Probation
You may have heard there's a growing political movement against mass incarceration. Someone should clue in the judges. In the past 30 years, federal judges have turned to imprisonment — as opposed to probation — as the punishment of choice for even minor crimes,...
A Healthy Way to Build Communities
Mark Winne, an author and anti-hunger activist, often says that the most important word in “community garden” isn't “garden.” I saw this firsthand not long ago. Standing in the sun between several small garden plots all morning, it may not have looked like much was...
Sanders Proves the Pundits Wrong
The problem with applying conventional wisdom to political campaigns is that it can suddenly be upended by an unconventional campaign. National media pundits have been riveted by Donald Trump's flagrantly narcissistic run for the Republican presidential nomination....
Usurping the Bush and Clinton Dynasties
Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime for a CEO?
Wall Street buccaneer Carl Icahn has pocketed billions for his himself over the years. But now he says he's passionate about helping others. In particular, the corporate-takeover specialist is pushing a charitable cause for people who, through no fault of their own,...
In OtherWords: January 13, 2016
This week in OtherWords, Jim Hightower sums up the logistical challenges behind building Donald Trump's dream wall along the U.S. border with Mexico, I explain why the GOP front-runner's pledge to "take their oil" is a terrible idea, and Donald Kaul observes that...
