Nuts to First Class

Nuts to First Class

I recently had the occasion to fly first class. As a poet and director of a small non-profit organization, this was a rare treat indeed. So why couldn’t I enjoy myself? It started with the warm nuts. I’d settled in with my free cocktail, having mastered the...
Who Will Care For Grandma?

Who Will Care For Grandma?

Who will take care of grandma? It’s a question we need to answer. As baby boomers grow older, the elderly population — seniors who are 80 and older — will increase almost 200 percent by 2050. Our long-term care system isn’t ready. Studies show that older Americans...
$248 a Minute

$248 a Minute

Florida’s Disney World bills itself “the happiest place on Earth.” But last year, some Disney World employees made so little they became homeless. Meanwhile, Disney paid CEO Robert Iger $46.5 million. That amounts to a stunning $248 a minute if he works 60...
Dishing out Poverty Wages on Capitol Hill

Dishing out Poverty Wages on Capitol Hill

In 2008 Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein declared: “There are parts of government that can be run like a business and should be run like a business.” For the first time, the Senate had voted to privatize the restaurants and other food services on the...
Wal-Mart Does Something Right

Wal-Mart Does Something Right

Once, I indirectly forced a neighbor to drive far out of her way for a head of broccoli. I think she’s forgiven me, but I’m not sure the love is still the same. She was kindly caring for my child and running errands when she turned toward Wal-Mart for a...