Archive
The Lineup: Week of August 13-19, 2012
Robert G. Gard, a retired lieutenant general, urges Congress to take action to avoid the upcoming “fiscal cliff.”
How Romney Could Blow Iowa
Should Congress renew the wind-energy production tax credit that’s scheduled to expire at the end of 2012? It depends on whom you ask — a Democrat, a Republican, or another Republican.
Steering Clear of the Iceberg Ahead
“Doomsday!” “Taxmageddon!” “Catastrophe!” Next year will begin with both a bang and a whimper unless Congress can escape its apparently hopeless deadlock.
Why We Need the Food from Family Farms Act
Although my Mississippi community has fared pretty well this summer, the worst drought in a generation is jeopardizing more than half of U.S. cropland. Thousands of farmers are facing tough decisions, especially if they own livestock. Dairy farmers face a triple threat — feed costs are at record highs, heat stress is reducing milk production, and dairy cooperatives aren’t paying enough for wholesale milk, thanks in part to failed policy. Some farmers are seeking hay, grain, or silage to feed their cows; others are selling now to cut their losses.
Fracking Exports
In recent years, the natural gas industry has plunged deeper and deeper into the reckless practice of “fracking,” putting communities nationwide at risk of dirty, dangerous pollution and practices that are exempt from many clean air and water laws. Now gas profiteers have realized that there’s even more money to be made by liquefying the gas and shipping it overseas. So what if it comes at the cost of our air, water, and health?
The 64-Gazillion-Dollar Question
Peter Edelman has battled poverty for nearly half a century, first as a top aide to Senator Robert Kennedy, later as a state and federal official, and currently as a key figure at a widely respected law and public policy center in Washington.
Drone on the Range
Get ready, America. Here comes “the next latest and greatest thing in aviation.” Wow, what could it be? Maybe the airlines are going to drop all of their ridiculous rip-off fees. That’d be great!
Caution, Fiscal Cliff Ahead
Occupy Wall Street Paved the Way
The Occupy movement seems somewhat subdued these days. That’s largely because the 1 percent is ready for them. Consider how Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel prepared for the May NATO conference in the Windy City, which drew countless Occupy protesters: He outfitted his troops with new laws, new military equipment, and new surveillance gear, and authorized them to make old-fashioned trumped-up arrests.
Donald Kaul’s Departure
Donald Kaul‘s decision to quit writing a column had a special meaning for me. He and I started as reporters at the same time at the Des Moines (Iowa) Register and Tribune
