| Dec 9, 2015 | Peace / SecurityAs holiday shoppers empty their wallets to buy presents for family and friends, there’s been an outbreak of miserliness among our politicians — directed at some of the world’s most helpless people. At least 30 Republican governors, and one Democrat, are vowing to bar...
| | Economy / Business“My plan is just to work until I die.” That’s how my mom sums up her retirement prospects. She’s worked more than 40 hours a week as a legal secretary in north Florida for as long as I can remember. When my brother and I were kids, we went to her office every Saturday...
| | Rights / DemocracyGiven the commitment House Republicans profess to balancing the federal budget, you’d think tax breaks for profitable businesses would be a low priority. But this holiday season, they’re set to vote for a two-year, $96 billion package of tax breaks — 80 percent...
| | Peace / SecurityPeople say this is a do-nothing Congress. That’s unfair. Why, the sirens in San Bernardino had hardly gone silent before lawmakers were clamoring about a bill that might address the confluence of mental health problems and potential gun buyers. And if that draconian...
| | Rights / DemocracyI happened to be visiting the first-ever Starbucks in Seattle a few weeks ago when a mini-controversy erupted: There were no Christmas trees or snowflakes on this season’s holiday Starbucks coffee cups. The horror! Facebook exploded with comments, as did...