Struggle for Americans to get health care is a national disgrace
The terrain darkened as I drove the rural back roads of Georgia, red clay lining the sandy soil, deep-green kudzu choking trees and climbing telephone poles; the highway transformed into bumpy roads wearing worn-out street signs. It was summer 1985, and I was driving to see Mamie, a part-time nanny who’d helped raise me as a child.
Despite what you might think, there is no ‘good-guy’ visa
Meet Antonio, a loving husband and father of three. A skilled furniture-maker and the sole provider for his family. In his 19 years in California, he’s put down roots, worked hard, and paid his taxes like any U.S. resident. But Antonio is undocumented.
Savoring life on earth–with a nuclear survival kit
As our president belittles “rocket man” and imperils the nuclear agreement with Iran, I can’t help but think about the end of life as we know it. Literally. Whether it’s Kim Jong Un’s missile launches or President Trump’s saber rattling, I worry that we’re about to lose it all.
November election is crucial for women
I’m not voting for Clinton because it’s her time. I’m not voting for her because it’s a historic first for a woman to be president. I’m voting for her because women’s rights are getting trampled. And she will be our fiercest protector.
Trump reveals Republican Party’s true views on abortion
When Trump said women should receive “some form of punishment” for getting an abortion if the procedure was banned, conservatives were quick to denounce his comments. Ditto the right-to-life advocates. But Trump’s comment wasn’t far afield. It reflects the logical progression of the party’s antiabortion juggernaut.
The rise of Scott Stringer, the fall of Eliot Spitzer
The New York City comptroller race was supposed to be Eliot Spitzer’s comeback. But in an era when money fuels politics, an old-fashioned campaign of volunteers and small donations stopped him cold.
Occupiers: Stick to one message–the economy
Occupiers, we need your voices. Don’t devolve into an internecine conflict or battle with city leaders and police. You, along with your national brethren, have joined the select few in the past five decades who have wrought change. Please don’t blow it.
Partisan politics threaten judicial freedom
The report shows the extent that politics and special interests are infecting judicial races – and the resulting threat to judicial independence and impartiality. Michigan’s election battles are fueled with negative ads financed by political parties and special-interest groups.
The Obama speech I wanted to hear
A blitz of commentators from both sides of the aisle opined after President Obama’s Afghanistan speech. Republicans complained that we tipped our hand by announcing a 2011 withdrawal, while most congressional Democrats applauded faintly. The toll is too great for our country, crippled by job losses, foreclosures and rising health care costs.
Friends told me to move. I hesitated and told them that they didn’t get Oakland. Just weeks before, I had walked to Rockridge and its eclectic mix of restaurants and shops and stumbled upon a street fair with three stages of live music. Would you find that in the suburbs? No.
Backlash on betting: Addiction is only part of gambling’s heavy cost
Granted, only 3 to 5 percent of players become problem gamblers who can’t stop, or pathological gamblers who lie, cheat or steal to keep playing. Costs and Benefits, studied the rates of crime, bankruptcies, lost workdays, domestic violence, illness, divorces and more, in counties with — and without — casinos.
Appreciate the choices you have on the ballot
Closed primaries permit party voters to choose candidates who stand for their core values without risk of tampering by opponents. It’s a system worth protecting.