Archive
Retire Ronald
For decades, fast food advertising icon Ronald McDonald has caught the attention of our kids. The brightly dressed mascot successfully fought for fast food market share, and Corporate Accountability International released a report detailing why this clown has got to go.
It’s Time to Fight Childhood Obesity
When First Lady Michelle Obama decided to launch the “Let’s Move” campaign to fight childhood obesity, she brought much-needed attention to a crisis millions of children face. It’s a special concern for children of color, because new research shows black and Latino kids are disproportionally at risk.
Reverse the Tax Shift
In my community we’re facing severe cuts in schools and elder services, and our local public library and community recreation center will soon close. Yet our local property taxes and fees are rising. Why are we paying more and getting less for it?
Hope Dims for Electricity Reform
Coal, oil, gas, and nukes have mounted a powerful defense against altering the status quo, and local utility companies daily build more legislative walls guarding their potent existing cartels. Public utility regulators remain cozy with those utilities, and the regional agencies in charge of seeing that there’s enough juice to go around remain deeply secretive and deep in the industry’s pocket.
Obama and Obesity
Sick and Fired
Congress has debated health-care reform for generations. Our much-debated and historic legislation is finally ready to go to work, hopefully delivering expanded coverage, making health care more affordable, and holding insurance companies accountable. But we still need to keep an eye on some of the best ideas in this arena, which are often born at the state level.
Let’s Hear from Candidates–Not their Spokespeople
Journalists can still give us the coverage we need, even with shrunken newsrooms, but they have to try not to be manipulated by candidates. Reporters need to take the time to fight politicians who think that busy journalists will willingly serve as conduits for campaign talking points.
Don’t Mess with Georgia’s Brown Thrasher
Most people hear the word “chicken” and immediately think: “Dinner!” Some commercial interests in Georgia, however, think: “Money!” So, they’ve launched a campaign to put the common fryer on the top roost of the bird kingdom by having it declared Most people hear the word “chicken” and immediately think: “Dinner!” Some commercial interests in Georgia, however, think: “Money!” So, they’ve launched a campaign to put the common fryer on the top roost of the bird kingdom by having it declared the state bird of Georgia. //
It’s not Government’s Size, It’s the Stupidity
As much as liberals would wish it otherwise, Joe Stack, the fellow who flew his plane into an IRS building in Austin, TX, was no right-wing nutcase.
Dairy Farmers are Getting a Sour Deal
My husband and I farm in central New York State, milking 60 cows with another 40 head of young stock. We’re third-generation farmers and our farm has been in the same family for nearly 100 years. We have farmed it for 43 years, and 2009 was the worst year of our lives.
