Stephanie Ruhle of MSNBC recently interviewed a number of young men about the connection between mass shootings in the US in recent years and the pressures on teenage males. In the introduction to the segment, MSNBC senior national correspondent Chris Jansing noted the sobering statistics: 94% of all mass shootings in the US are committed […]
Donald Trump
Reasons for Hope
In the midst of disheartening news in the trying times in which we live, it is important for our national conversation and personal well-being that we bring to mind the positive things that are happening all around us. Here’s a sampling. DACA stays the law of the land! “The Supreme Court on Monday [Feb. 26] […]
Revisiting Quality-of-Life Issues in Our Sister Nations
Earlier posts have looked at quality-of-life statistics of the United States compared to other advanced democracies, especially in the European Union. As we have noted, a number of European nations have far higher standards of living than the US. By many measures, Finland consistently ranks as having one of the best education systems in the […]
First Lawsuit Filed to Challenge Trump Medicaid Attack
Certain Republicans and conservatives would love to damage, severely weaken or kill off Medicaid (and other social safety net programs that have been in place for decades). A first step was recently taken in Kentucky and approved by the Department of Health and Human Services. According to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, on January […]
Immigration Lessons from the Bible
We in the United States remain in a season of partisan contention, angst, uncertainty, resistance, divisiveness, and a recent government shutdown. One of the major issues of disagreement between our political parties is that of the “dreamers,” those young people brought to the US illegally as children by their parents, and the Obama-era measure put […]
Better Reasons to Look at Norway
Now that President Trump has mentioned Norway (!), let us take the opportunity to reiterate some of what we have already discussed about that very progressive nation. It is quite certain, contrary to Trump’s desires, that we will not soon see an influx of Norwegian immigrants to the US: while Trump presumably wants Norwegians primarily […]
The Need for OSHA and the Risks of Staff Reductions
Stephanie Ruhle, on MSNBC’s Velshi and Ruhle several days ago, brought to the public’s attention the looming staffing problems within the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). NBC News had made a comprehensive report in a January 8, 2018, article, and we need to pay attention: OSHA is yet another agency, slowly being decimated by […]
Hate in the White House: A New Tool from the SPLC
Is it not tragic that we must speak of hate in the People’s House, our beloved White House in the seat of our national government? Unfortunately, we must call a spade a spade: the Trump Administration, from the top down, fosters hatred, bigotry, and animosity – citizen against citizen – on a regular basis. Donald […]
Important Hearing Aid Bill Signed
One positive legislative achievement has somewhat miraculously taken place under President Trump: he signed a bill into law that should benefit millions of Americans. The Food and Drug Administration Reauthorization Act of 2017 was signed on August 18, 2017, and includes a bipartisan provision on over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids introduced by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) […]
Stats from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee: The Urgency of the 2018 Midterms
Here are some significant statistics from a recent DCCC mailing: 23 – the number of House seats Republicans are defending in districts that Hillary Clinton won in 2016. These Republicans are instantly vulnerable, and now they must go to their constituents and convince voters who cast their ballots for Hillary Clinton that two years of […]