Category Archives: Uncategorized

Will Florida end this battle against voting?

Posted on May 26, 2020 by Bennett Minton

The saga of the restoration of the voting rights of Florida ex-felons continues, but it may be nearing an end. The crux of Federal District Judge Robert Hinkle’s May 24 opinion in Jones v. DeSantis, about the legislature’s attempts to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized, voter suppression, Voting | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Will Florida end this battle against voting?

‘That government is best which is most indifferent’

Posted on May 5, 2020 by Bennett Minton

In their book, Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism, Ann Case and Angus Deaton study the rising premature death rate from suicide, drug overdose and alcohol liver disease. Four findings: The rate has steadily fallen over 30 years … Continue reading →

Posted in Obamacare, Supreme Court, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

An opportunity to enrich the opportunistic

Posted on April 1, 2020 by Bennett Minton

Published March 30, 2020, in Tax Notes Federal, weekly magazine of Tax Analysts Inc., where I was a reporter and editor in the early 1990s. This is a story about billionaires, how Congress makes laws, how city development officials work … Continue reading →

Posted in Congress, Tax, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The revolution will not be televised

Posted on March 12, 2020 by Bennett Minton

I hear the frustration of Bernie supporters. I too am frustrated at the cultural and institutional conservatism that has created a country where the accident of birth determines economic fate. In 240 years we’ve had a few shifts of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Congress, Uncategorized, Virginia legislature | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The revolution will not be televised

As a sunflower bending toward the light

Posted on February 25, 2020 by Bennett Minton

As horrific as is this moment of our political derangement, I participated in two lectures on Sunday that left me feeling that we will survive, thanks to the example set by two individuals I learned about. In the afternoon, at … Continue reading →

Posted in civil rights, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Woke is not enough

Posted on November 15, 2019 by Bennett Minton

The Reverend Dr. William Barber was in my neighborhood last night. For those who would like an introduction: Dr. Barber is the pastor of a North Carolina church and former head of the state NAACP. In 2014 he founded Repairers … Continue reading →

Posted in civil rights, Uncategorized, Voting | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Blue Virginia expels the Confederacy

Posted on November 6, 2019 by Bennett Minton

A link here to my column in The Washington Post, the day after Democrats captured both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly for the first time since 1992. And the text for those who don’t pony up for a subscription: … Continue reading →

Posted in election campaign, Uncategorized, Virginia legislature, Voting | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Desmond Meade: Restoring the franchise – and justice

Posted on October 18, 2019 by Bennett Minton

Last November Florida voters amended the state constitution, automatically restoring voting rights to ex-felons who had completed “all terms of sentence including parole or probation.” The amendment was expected to affect more than 1.4 million Floridians, but the newly elected … Continue reading →

Posted in Citizenship, civil rights, Uncategorized, Voting | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The American Way of agriculture — and an alternative

Posted on September 29, 2019 by Bennett Minton

I went to eastern Oregon last weekend to tour a version of the American Way of Agriculture with a couple dozen Portland citizens. I was impressed – and at a loss how to convey what I had seen about the … Continue reading →

Posted in climate change, Uncategorized | Tagged | Comments Off on The American Way of agriculture — and an alternative

Revolution in Virginia: the legislature cedes a spoil of partisan advantage

Posted on February 24, 2019 by Bennett Minton

It’s been a bad month for Virginia’s government, with controversies around racism, sexual assault and the “Virginia way” enveloping its three elected state leaders, and the legislature unable to formulate a response. As if to affirm Virginia is still mired … Continue reading →

Posted in gerrymandering, Supreme Court, Uncategorized, Virginia legislature | Tagged , | Comments Off on Revolution in Virginia: the legislature cedes a spoil of partisan advantage