Category Archives: Congress

Anniversary of a call to citizenship

Posted on October 8, 2017 by

Fifty-five years ago this week, I woke up in Arlington for the first time, a four-year-old transplanted from Texas. Upon finishing law school in Austin, my dad had answered Kennedy’s call, “Ask what you can do for your country,” and … Continue reading →

Posted in Citizenship, Congress, U.S. Constitution, Uncategorized | Tagged

Denouement of ‘repeal and replace’

Posted on July 28, 2017 by

As societies become more complex, the government (the instrument of our social compact) is called on to do more to arrange commerce – the exchange of goods and services. Market regulation is a necessary component of development, to ensure some … Continue reading →

Posted in Congress, Obamacare, Uncategorized | Tagged , ,

Of inclusion and prosperity in a global community

Posted on May 21, 2017 by

Last week I attended commencement exercises at a prestigious university in the nation’s most diverse and creative city. The standard of living between rich and poor is nowhere greater than in New York, and the opportunities for graduates of Columbia … Continue reading →

Posted in Congress, education, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 2 Comments

A 100-days report card

Posted on April 29, 2017 by

Any list of President Trump’s accomplishments will reflect the biases of its creator. Justice/Immigration/Civil Rights Trump signed two executive orders banning immigrants from seven, and then six, countries. The January order was halted by a federal appeals court. The March … Continue reading →

Posted in civil rights, climate change, Congress, environment, LGBT rights, Uncategorized, Voting Rights Act | Tagged | 2 Comments

The meaning and the drama of Trump’s budget

Posted on March 19, 2017 by

Newt Gingrich lives in President Trump’s first pass at a federal budget. The purpose of a budget – government, corporate or household – is to put vision in numbers. First identify the goals, the strategies to execute them and their … Continue reading →

Posted in Congress, federal budget, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

‘Change’ vs. our ossified process: It’s no contest

Posted on November 13, 2016 by

“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Martin Luther King’s distillation of abolitionist Theodore Parker’s sermon is one of his most famous quotations. It resonates with us because we assume the universe is moral … Continue reading →

Posted in Congress, election campaign, Electoral College, gerrymandering, U.S. Constitution, Voting | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Buchanan, Trump and the high-water mark of the tea party

Posted on July 23, 2016 by

In the summer of 1992, I walked the floor of the Republican National Convention as Pat Buchanan roused the delegates with his “culture war” speech. Embracing the experience as the reporter I was, I felt their fury at having been … Continue reading →

Posted in Congress, election campaign, Uncategorized, Voting | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment