On October 10th, this paper published a commentary by Byron York titled “End Impeachment Secrecy.” York is the chief political correspondent for The Washington Examiner, so it may be surprising to learn that he apparently did not consult any creditable sources or even history before he wrote his commentary.
GUNS! I was outside this week when my wife told me about the shooting in Midland, Texas. I was saddened and sickened by…
When I was a (very) young US History and Government teacher in a large (4,000 students) suburban high school in East Los Angeles, I was cautioned by the school administration to be objective, to challenge my students to make their own decisions. It was good advice. The times were turbulent. Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy had been assassinated. The Vietnam War was at its bloodiest, dividing a nation. The…
What does building infrastructure, improving health care, protecting voting rights, expanding economic opportunity, insuring clean water, and protecting women have in common? They are all included in bills passed by House Democrats and sitting on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s desk.
I recently learned that I am one of the 3% who have read the Mueller Report. I don’t consider the reading of this essential 448 page report some heroic undertaking. However the report does raise the question as to how much Americans will learn about what was actually uncovered by Mueller. Before public access to the report Attorney General William Barr sought to preempt the findings by creating a narrative through a 4…
The Republican Party has been referred to for a century as the G.O.P., which stood for the Grand Old Party. However, in recent decades, the party has failed to demonstrate anything “Grand” in their policies or behavior, beginning long before Donald Trump came on the scene. But the decay and degradation of the party has only accelerated during his reign in the White House. Republicans have become unapologetic and fanatic…
For 90 days, 141 Delegates and 47 Senators considered 2,497 bills and resolutions in Annapolis. Each bill gets a hearing in a Committee. About a third of bills are presented to the Governor for final approval or a veto. Most bills never see the light of day in the news because they are minor technical changes, bills for a specific jurisdiction, or other updates to the laws. Some 90% of passed bills pass with near…
A dozen or more candidates are pursuing the Democratic Party presidential nomination for 2020. They offer an array of policy proposals that impact health care, income inequality, protection of the environment, climate change, expanded educational opportunities, greater voter protection, a woman’s right to choose, and opposition to gender, racial, religious and ethnic discrimination. The list of goals to improve the lives…
Environmentalists are hopeful that the state-wide ban on Styrofoam food containers in Maryland might make it through this legislative session in Annapolis. SB285 and HB109 have multiple purposes: to support food waste composting and zero waste goals; to protect public health and Maryland waterways; and to drive innovation in materials and products. The legislation also complies with Governor Hogan’s Waste Reduction and…
Polls show that the majority of Americans want reasonable gun restrictions but fear of the National Rifle Association (NRA) has made that difficult, if not impossible, to achieve. But there is a way forward out of this national dark place. The voice of the people is now being heard. In no uncertain terms, the results of the midterm elections were that voice.
Even though the chaos seems to be increasing as we enter the third year of Trump’s presidency, the last Congressional elections are likely to provide some relief. The newly elected House of Representatives, now under Democratic control, will serve as a brake on the President’s worst impulses and will take concrete action toward a more balanced and humane American government. As Winston Churchill once said: “You can always…