Rights and Democracy
Shutting the Whole Thing Down
Citizens United, the Sequel
Did you get sick of that barrage of attack ads during last year's elections? Brace yourself: It could get worse. One deep-pocketed Alabama donor named Shaun McCutcheon, joined by the Republican National Committee, will soon ask the Supreme Court to let him put even...
No North Colorado on the Horizon
National media outlets from The Wall Street Journal to The Washington Post and beyond have put the national spotlight on an alleged "movement" by a dozen Colorado counties to secede and form their own western state. Actually, this is a wacky media stunt by right-wing...
Saluting Nixon
There are some things I thought I'd never hear myself say. One of them is "Hip-hip hooray for Nixon!" That would give me a tongue cramp if I tried to say it about Tricky Dick, but this burst of praise goes out to the governor of Missouri, Jay Nixon. Facing Republican...
Higher Education Takes the Low Road
College lifts us From the mob, But not all do A nifty job. Before World War II, college was mostly for the rich. Starting with the GI Bill, which gave thousands of WW II vets a shot at getting an advanced degree, education became a more common route for upward...
Good Governance Must Start With the Courts
The highest court in America has been in the spotlight lately. Following its historic decisions on marriage equality and voting rights, Americans recognize the importance that the Supreme Court's decisions can have on our lives as well as the power they have to shape...
Where Are the Women?
At the exact moment that I'm writing this, the New York Times homepage is displaying stories authored by 35 men — and eight women. And three of those eight articles were coauthored with men. You can find this data at WhoWritesFor, a website that tracks authorship on...
The False Choice between Security and Liberty
Even before Edward Snowden disclosed that the National Security Agency (NSA) was harvesting seemingly every detail of our digital lives, our nation has been wrestling with a Faustian bargain: How do we maintain fundamental American rights of liberty and privacy while...
Wall Street’s Fix for Homelessness
It's so great — truly heartwarming — to see billionaires devoting their deepest thoughts to finding solutions for eradicating poverty. For example, I can't begin to tell you how grateful America's homeless people are going to be once they hear about Andy Kessler, who...
Dud Congress Breaks with a Thud
Twenty-two. That's how many bills have become law since the 113th Congress was sworn in on January 3, 2013. It's one more illustration of the dysfunction that's engulfed the Capitol. One bill that did become law this year was the continuing resolution that funded the...
