If I Were President . . .
I received an e-mail on my website that features my latest book: The Big Ten of Grammar: Identifying and Fixing the Ten Most Frequent Grammatical Errors. Of course, I liked it because of what it said...
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Death, Drugs and Promises
To the last moment of his breath On hope the wretch relies; And e'en the pang preceding death Bids expectations rise. Oliver Goldsmith, The Captivity State sponsored executions are back in the news...
View ArticleCapitalists for a Higher Minimum Wage
A Silicon Valley multimillionaire and conservative pundit wants to give his state's poorest workers a raise. Huh? Entrepreneur Ron Unz, known for his reactionary views on immigration (along with...
View ArticleWhy There's No Outcry
People ask me all the time why we don't have a revolution in America, or at least a major wave of reform similar to that of the Progressive Era or the New Deal or the Great Society. Middle incomes are...
View ArticleAcknowledge That Rape Is Rape and 5 Other Steps to Combat Sexual Violence
President Obama commendably convened a task force to address the rampant rape and sexual assault incidents that are "an affront to our basic decency and humanity. And it's about all of us -- the safety...
View ArticleSikh Americans Remain Uncertain of New Pentagon Rules
Despite public heralding of the brand new Pentagon rules signaling a renewed commitment to religious accommodation, the rules actually generate more confusion than promise. There's been talk of turbans...
View ArticleSyria: Enough Is Enough
I wish I could be optimistic about Geneva II, but I cannot. That it happened at all is good. But "good for what" remains unclear. Listening to the speeches at the opening session established quite...
View ArticlePolar Vortex and Food Stamp Cuts Create Perfect Storm of Hunger
The freezing temperatures across the country mean higher heating costs for everyone. Many low-income families are struggling with this increase in prices. They are already under the strain of trying to...
View ArticleSunday Roundup
This week in Davos, one of the hottest topics cutting through the cold mountain air was health care. The debate has now moved beyond how to best pay for hugely expensive interventions -- that's...
View ArticleBible-mindedness, Morality and Crime.
The evangelical-oriented Barna Group and the American Bible Study did a survey of 100 U.S. cities, ranking them according to "Bible-mindedness." The cities were ranked based on how many people read the...
View ArticleWrite a Bold Paragraph, Mr. President
There have been mixed messages from the White House in advance of President Barack Obama's fifth State of the Union message next Tuesday. Will he be emboldened by the fact that he is approaching the...
View ArticleIn SOTU, the President Should Address 'Obama Derangement Syndrome': Here's...
The President cannot provide an accurate report-card to the nation without conveying the central operating principle of Republicans to oppose everything he does (aka, "all-things-Obama"), even if they...
View ArticleCathy McMorris Rogers and the SOTU Response: How to Avoid 'Pulling a Jindal'
It's the most unenviable job in politics: delivering the response to the president's State of the Union address. A high-wire act performed over circling sharks, the number one goal is simply to avoid...
View ArticleThe New York State Senate Needs to Stop Playing Politics With Medical...
Some days -- and today is one of them -- I wake up wishing that the New York State Senate leadership could spend the day answering my phone, because every day I receive calls from patients and...
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Today, Obamacare Cost Me $2550: WTF?!
Today, being liberal and wanting to live in a country where more Americans have access to affordable health care cost me precisely $2,550 dollars. And that number could very likely rise exponentially...
View ArticleChicago State University Is the Right Place for President Obama Library
The Presidential Library is definitely coming to Chicago. Mayor Rahm Emanuel wants a unified effort instead of scattered sources going after it and we miss it. Other cities vying are Hawaii and New...
View ArticleThe Sinking Swing State?
When I talk with some resignation about "the sinking swing state," I'm not talking global warming and the flooding of Florida. No, I can't say I'd be particularly sad if Florida went literally...
View ArticleState of Our Fractured Union: 5 Things We'd Like to Hear From President Obama
As President Obama prepares to deliver his State of the Union address, we sincerely hope his message on energy will be based on science, reflecting the very real climate crisis that currently vexes our...
View ArticleThe Larry Speakes I Knew
Former White House spokesman Larry Speakes, who died of complications from Alzheimer's disease recently, was my boss and friend for many years. I worked for him in the Reagan White House press office...
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