I disagree with Ron Paul on almost everything. Almost. His views on government [he basically says it should have virtually no role in our
Author: Gloria Shur Bilchik
Gloria Shur Bilchik is a freelance writer and community volunteer in St. Louis, Missouri. She is the editor of Occasional Planet. She views the preservation of democratic values and progressive programs as vital to making the US a humane, livable place for her children and grandchildren.
Who Am I? 2011 Newsmakers photo quiz
Now, class, who has been paying attention to the news this year? Class? Class? Anyone? Bueller? If you have, this little quiz will be
Life lessons from Patty the swimming teacher
Soon after I sat down beside the pool to watch Patty the swimming teacher work with my young grandson, I grabbed a notebook and
What do Congressional staffers earn?
Angling for a behind-the-scenes staff job on Capitol Hill? If so, you’re probably curious about what salaries are like in the capital of the
This is the way the war ends: not with a bang, but a whimper
The war in Iraq is officially over. But did anyone notice, really? The last troops [except for the ones that are staying and the
2.5 million new reasons to love “Obamacare”
I’m not qualified to say whether the individual mandate of the 2010 Affordable Care Act [ACA] is constitutional, but I am pretty certain that
What’s the word of the year for 2011?
Newspapers, linguists, politicos, magazines and blogs are always looking for end-of-year hooks for stories. One perennial favorite is to choose—unilaterally, or via a poll
America’s five ugliest Congressional districts
In the 1980s, as California redrew its Congressional district boundaries after the census, one Congressman called his draft of a district map his “contribution
Reflecting on Osawatomie
The president’s speech in Osawatomie Was populist, just as it oughta be He defended the middle, Put one-percenters on the griddle, And decried our
Two world views collide on the highway
On a rainy, cold, foggy night, we’re driving on I-90 from the Albany, NY airport to a town in rural upstate New York. My