Archive
President Obama: End Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining
I remember the first mountaintop removal coal mining site I ever saw. Those images of Kayford Mountain in southern West Virginia have never left my mind — a barren landscape where there was once lush forest. And right around the destroyed site, homes where people were...
When Uncle Sam Pays Dividends
Who won the New Year's Eve budget standoff? In one sense, everyone scored a "victory." The deal that Congress eventually blessed includes scores of provisions. Most Americans can point to at least one that works to their financial favor. But the real winners don't...
A Green and Golden Legacy
Much of the nation is still suffering the worst drought in half a century, which began in 2012. Consumers are just now beginning to feel its effects in the form of higher food prices. Texas suffered another catastrophic drought in 2011. Full recovery from Superstorm...
Obama’s Inauguration Sells Out
He did it. Unfortunately. Sadly. Disappointingly. President Barack Obama, reversing his own honorable precedent for his first inaugural, has chosen this time to have corporations pay for his second round of big shindigs. This multimillion-dollar infusion of corporate...
Don’t Blame Me if Obama’s Second Term Disappoints
Lesser evil Ain’t enough, Back someone Who’s got the stuff. It’s hard for me to vote against an incumbent Democratic president — especially after those eight abysmal years with George W. Bush at the helm. Indeed, it seemed unlikely to me that any sentient creature...
Corporate-Sponsored Inauguration
This Weekend in OtherWords: Donald Kaul Responds
As OtherWords readers know, Donald Kaul's first column in five months ran on Dec. 19. It was on gun control in the wake of the Newtown shootings and he wrote it in his usual satirical style. It's hard to pull off any kind of humor when it comes to the very un-funny...
Deploying Satire at My Own Risk
I think I hit a nerve. A couple of weeks ago I wrote a thoughtful, well-reasoned column suggesting ways to cut down on gun violence in our ever more violent society. It proposed, among other things: Repealing the Second Amendment and with it the right to buy assault...
This Week in OtherWords: Scott Klinger Weighs in on the Fiscal Deal
Happy New Year! This week in OtherWords, Scott Klinger weighs in on the last-minute fiscal deal, William A. Collins and I explain why our nation's kids get outscored on international tests, Jim Hightower highlights the Orange County Register's novel business idea, and...
The Dropped Ball
Millions of Americans watched the ball drop on New Year's Eve. The glitzy one in Times Square symbolized joy and hope for the New Year. Just a few hundred miles to the south, Congress dropped another ball — one that no doubt sent champagne glasses clinking among the...
