Archive
The Lineup: Week of June 28-July 4, 2010
Here’s what you’ll find in this week’s OtherWords editorial package, which features a Donald Kaul column on Rep. Joe Barton’s foot-in-mouth problem and a Martha Burk op-ed about a potential threat to Social Security. The cartoon accompanies the op-ed by Philip Mattera about BP’s weak corporate ethics. You can get it all in your inbox by subscribing to our weekly newsletter. If you haven’t signed up yet, please do.
Who Should Pay for the Crisis?
The financial and economic crisis we’re enduring is extremely costly. America faces a critical choice: Who should pay the bill?
It’s Time for Israel to End the Gaza Siege
Why would the Israeli navy commandeer boats carrying collapsible wheelchairs and bags of cement to the Gaza Strip? Israel says that the aid convoys are trying to “break the blockade” of the densely populated Palestinian enclave. But why is there a blockade in the first place?
Leaving Granny Behind
President Obama’s Fiscal Commission–a group of lawmakers, former officials, and other experts charged with developing a bipartisan plan to stabilize our soaring national debt–is primarily holding closed-door hearings. The commission’s co-chairman Alan Simpson, a former Republican senator from Wyoming, recently became an instant YouTube star with his rant against seniors as he exited one of the panel’s sessions. That put Social Security defenders on high alert about what’s going on in these meetings.
Corporate Social Irresponsibility
The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill gave rise to the corporate social responsibility movement. The BP oil disaster may mark its collapse.
Joe Barton’s Honest Mistake
A clever politician can get away with a lot; standards in the profession aren’t high. But if there is one thing Americans will not put up with from their elected officials, it’s complete honesty. The only truly unforgivable sin in Washington is sincerity.
GM Crashes Chevy
Good news, people. General Motors has turned a profit! However, there’s bad news, too: GM’s top executives are insane. By which I mean bonkers, loopy, bull-goose crazy.
BP’s Ethics
Want a Job? Good Luck
“Don’t believe everything you read in the papers,” Grandma said. We all learned that as kids, but sometimes we swallow dumb stuff anyway. Like now. We want to believe the economy is improving, so we grasp at headlines or TV news leads that offer hope. But those hopes are fools’ gold. The media mostly feature reports of growth because that’s what advertisers, especially real estate and stock brokers, want to hear. Glowing reports stimulate buyers.
Letters to the Editor: Kaul on Kagan and God
Readers tend to love or despise OtherWords columnist Donald Kaul. Here’s the latest on their letters.
