I buy too much clothing. Too many tops, too many pants, too many pairs of shoes. I don’t wear them all, and when I
Category: Consumer issues
The pink industrial complex
President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s farewell address in 1961 is mostly remembered for his words about the “military-industrial complex.” He said, “In the councils of
Jobs policy has to be key to full economic recovery
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics recently released statistics on eleven cities where workers are disappearing. Note that workers disappearing is different from jobs
Hog Hell: How a citizen lobby influenced policy in North Carolina
Over the past 20 years, the pork industry in the United States has increased productivity and cut costs through industrialization. The process of pork
Raising Social Security’s minimum age is bad economics
Among the ideas that have been floated for reducing the Social Security budget is to raise the eligibility age to receive benefits. It is
NYC: 1st-class city, 3rd-class infrastructure, and what it means for the rest of us
America’s failure to invest in its infrastructure is a national disgrace. I think most of us can agree on that. But it’s very hard
Honey Boo Boo versus the wastewater treatment guy
It happens every year, in the early spring. Right before we become obsessed with NCAA basketball, and several weeks before pollen blankets our patio
Good news from Obamacare: Insurers must offer mental health coverage
Thirty-two million people stand to gain new or expanded access to mental health services as a result of a recent federal ruling that requires
Beefing up the facts on global warming
In a shameless demonstration of feigned ignorance and pandering, some climate-change denying Republicans, like Representative Dana Rohrabacher of California, and Speaker John Boehner, have
Free trade isn’t free
Picture this. Normal, IL, 1988. While walking my dog, I stopped to chat with a neighbor. When I told her I was moving to