Columns

Trump's Long History of Holding Health Care Hostage

Published on Mon, 10/16/2017 - 5:07pm

The story of Donald Trump and health coverage rightly starts with the story of Donald Trump and William Trump.

William was born in 1999, fighting for his life. He suffered seizures, and his breathing stopped twice. William's medical bills were enormous. That's when Donald tried to remove the infant from the Trump family health plan.

Who Will Not Be the 2020 Presidential Nominee

Published on Fri, 10/13/2017 - 8:50am

In 1963, the legendary Russell Baker, writing in The New York Times, explained how we in the press, years before the nation's next presidential campaign, are miraculously able to agree upon who qualify -- and, perhaps more importantly, who do not qualify -- as plausible White House contenders. Baker identified the "Great Mentioner" as the mythical author of this list. (We say such things as, "Sen. Striving and Gov. Driven are frequently mentioned for the national ticket.")

Old Dogs

Published on Thu, 10/12/2017 - 2:35pm

Old dogs teach you the meaning of love.

Judy couldn't get up this morning. She's 14, my oldest, and she's named after my best friend, who died. A brilliant idea, it seemed, at the time. I was missing her, and this would be a way to talk to her every day. The first Judy taught me not to be afraid of dogs. It sounds silly, but my mother raised me to fear them. She couldn't bear the thought of losing a dog, so we never had one; my mother was so afraid of life that sometimes it seemed she hardly dared to live.

Will You Wed Work Till Death Do You Part?

Published on Wed, 10/11/2017 - 4:31pm

Many Americans now face retirement, hearts full of dreams, bank accounts full of nothing. For them, those Wall Street ads showing silver-haired couples sailing warm blue seas may seem aspirations beyond their grasp. Instead, they may find themselves the 72-year-old hired to drive the platinum couple from the airport to the docks.

Some 45 percent of Americans have zero saved for retirement, according to the National Institute on Retirement Security. Why would that be?

Let Them Leave

Published on Tue, 10/10/2017 - 3:12pm

The United States was born when the Founding Fathers seceded from England. 

So why do so many people now see secession as a terrible thing? 

Recently, people in Catalonia voted to break away from Spain -- not to declare war on Spain or refuse to trade with Spain, just to control their own affairs. 

The Spanish government said they must not even vote. They sent police to shut down polling places and beat protestors into staying off the streets. 

Governments never want to give up power. 

Taxing Dollars Already Taxed by States Will Not Happen

Published on Tue, 10/03/2017 - 8:52am

Nice try, Republicans. You'd like to end the federal deduction for state and local taxes. That would stick the expensive-to-live-in blue states with more of the nation's bills. It would amount to taxing income that has already gone to taxes. Not gonna happen.

A bow, a hunt and a bond with public land

Published on Fri, 09/29/2017 - 3:50pm
The evening before bow season opened in southwest Montana, I loaded up a bike-trailer with camping gear and pedaled into a heavily timbered valley near Bozeman. Arriving at a hillside of very old Douglas firs well past dark, I hastily made camp as irrational fears of bears and people started to creep over me.
 
Later that night, something stomped on the branches outside my tent. I grabbed my bear spray and tried to stay calm. Then I heard a bull elk let loose a chilling bugle. Seconds later, more eerie whistles erupted from far up the valley.

Single-Payer Health Care Should Not Be a Religion

Published on Thu, 09/28/2017 - 4:34pm

The latest Republican push to essentially kill the Affordable Care Act through lawmaking is dead. Setting a time bomb to blow up current Obamacare benefits in 2027 would have been sneaky, sneaky.

Where were Democrats in all this? They were mostly on the sidelines letting Graham-Cassidy head for oblivion on its own outrageous terms. That was the politically wise place to be.

Disabled by Government

Published on Wed, 09/27/2017 - 1:47pm

A third threat to free speech at University of California, Berkeley has led to more censorship than political rioters or college administrators. 

It's the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

Berkeley is expensive. Out of state students must pay $60,000 a year. But for five years, Berkeley generously posted 20,000 of its professors' lectures online. Anyone could watch them for free. 

Then government regulators stepped in. 

Wielding both ignorance and malice, Trump further divides the country

Published on Tue, 09/26/2017 - 8:40am

WASHINGTON -- It is often difficult to determine if Donald Trump's offenses against national unity and presidential dignity are motivated by ignorance or malice. His current crusade against sideline activism at professional football games features both.