Forget your high school civics class, the one where they taught you how laws are made. It wasn’t true. Here’s the truth. Congress sometimes manages to pass broad laws, leaving it up to the experts — regulators or administrators — to fill in the details that apply to people. While rulemaking, they’re under heavy pressure […]
Sen. John McCain’s funeral was the occasion for praising his dedication to friendship and fair play. The words of former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama and Meghan McCain, his daughter, were all telegraphed criticisms of Donald Trump’s rough handling of his self-designated adversaries both at home and abroad. But the words they spoke […]
Labor Day comes this weekend. It marks the end of the summer season Somewhat lost in the final vacation days is the fact that is supposed to recognize the contribution of the American worker to the country’s economic success. Our system requires capital to be invested in the economy, but it also depends on the […]
The flight from Boston to Los Angeles is about an hour longer than the flight back. There’s a pretty simple reason. The prevailing wind is from west to east. On the way to Boston, it can literally push the plane along. That wind can push almost anything along in that direction. For example, it can […]
Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh says that regulators stray from congressional intent, and courts should no longer defer to their decisions. His opponents answer that strict adherence to the letter of the law would deprive the country of necessary expert interpretation. Neither of them means exactly what they say. Kavanaugh wants to cut back on […]
“Where you stand depends on where you sit.” Rufus Miles, a federal official, created this contribution to American political folklore. Because each party’s members in the House and Senate sit together, they usually vote together. He suggested they should be mixed together to promote compromise. Of course, his proposal was not adopted. But his point […]
The president proposed a new justice for the Supreme Court, and political war broke out. Most Republicans back him, believing he will strengthen a conservative majority. Most Democrats oppose him, because they share that belief. They worry that he would vote to reverse Roe v. Wade, the decision confirming the legality of abortion. The nomination […]
It all started in Philadelphia. In the hot summer of 1787, a small group of men did something never tried before. They drafted a plan for a new political system, a popular government to replace the British system of royal rule. The 39 state delegates planned that the people would rule their large country through […]
The country is becoming a nation of the elderly. In Maine, the future is us. The state now has the highest median age of all states. The U.S. birth rate continues to decline. By 2035, Americans over 65 will outnumber all children. A reduction in family size is typical of societies as they become more […]
Could America become socialist? That’s where some conservatives believe the country would be headed under the Democrats. Sen. Bernie Sanders has been leading a progressive movement that has gained widespread support. Conservatives, like columnist George F. Will, warn of government displacing free market corporate decision-makers in setting industrial policy. Will’s concern does not match what […]
