Archive
We’ve Been Slicked by Big Oil
Suddenly, we’re relearning the painful lesson that when technological solutions combine with corporate promises, we often get a toxic mix.
Wake Me Up When It’s June
After investigating the matter over the weekend officials now think it was a systemic glitch, which, under certain circumstances, can torpedo the market. But they’re going to fix it, probably. Great. Do you ever get the feeling that we’re shooting craps with the other guys’ dice and the dice don’t have spots on them?
Times Square Bomber Popped a Bubble
Bubbles are built on illusions. We believed that our high-tech companies and, after that, our houses would continue to rise in value and then…pop! We believed that we could continue offshore oil drilling without environmental consequences and then…pop! And we believed that the drone program in Pakistan, which expanded in 2009 and has killed hundreds of civilians, would not generate any blowback and then…Faisal Shahzad.
No Fixing Housing Woes Without Dealing with Jobs First
Our country has plenty of housing. It’s just in the wrong place. There are lots of houses in Detroit, East St. Louis and rural spots where jobs have left. Cheap. But who wants to settle there?
Supremely Important: Genetically Engineered Crops
Fifteen years after farmers and agribusinesses began planting genetically engineered crops in our nation’s fields, we still know very little about their long-term environmental, economic, and social consequences.
Tough Budget Choices
As in recent years, military spending accounts for over half of the 2011 discretionary request: 58 percent. In January, President Barack Obama announced plans to freeze spending for many discretionary programs for three years to control the government’s spiraling debt. However, he exempted from this freeze “security-related” programs including the Pentagon, foreign aid, veterans’ programs, and homeland security.
Constitution v. Corporations
With her impressive resume and intellectual ability, Solicitor General Elena Kagan is obviously qualified to be a Supreme Court judge. We’ll hear all about that as senators and journalists dig into the record of President Barack Obama’s nominee to replace Justice John Paul Stevens.
Monsanto
Fragrances Can Really Stink
A loophole left by the 1973 Fair Packaging and Labeling Act means the FDA doesn’t require manufacturers to list all the ingredients in “fragrances” as is required for other cosmetics.
Angry about Arizona
