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‘Dust’ ordinance protects homeowners (14)
1/02/12 •
We can all agree that “dust ordinance” is a silly name; that aside, don’t believe the hype. This ordinance isn’t “overly restrictive” or “punitive.” Protecting Las Crucens’ health and property is exactly the type of thing the city council should be working on.
Support the 99 percent (24)
11/20/11 •
I appreciate the meaningful ways that the Occupy movement has moved the national conversation in a direction that can now include not only retrenchment and austerity but also basic fairness and opportunity for everyone. But they need our help.
The NBA is right: We’re better than that (16)
7/08/11 •
When I was one of the last people my best childhood friend told he was gay, I thought about all the times I’d said something or someone was gay (or more offensive versions of the word). I was heartbroken that I’d been a stumbling block during his journey toward being the man he wanted to be. I wanted to have been better than that.
The cost of conspiracy (26)
5/10/11 •
I have little patience for conspiracy theories because they play on our anxieties and make it more difficult for us to solve the big problems we face.
Save our city! (But from what?) (16)
4/13/11 •
A recent e-mail distributed by the Las Cruces TEA Party raised the call to “Save Our City,” as though Las Cruces teeters on the brink of moral and financial collapse. My personal experience directly contradicts this.
Asking the right questions about government (4)
2/08/11 •
We need to discuss how to optimize and administer a government that is charged by the founders — and empowered by the people — with securing justice, domestic tranquility, the common defense, the general welfare, and the blessings of liberty.
The dangers of being disagreeable (18)
1/11/11 •
While we look for bigger antidotes for what ails our toxic public dialogue, each of us can hold ourselves and those we can influence to a higher standard of public discourse than we have before. Accepting dangerous rhetoric has become too costly.
Economic gardening: A fresh paradigm for growing local jobs (1)
1/06/11 •
Over the last few decades the city of Littleton, Colo., has enjoyed the sort of economic success that many other communities can only dream of. They did it with a growth strategy called economic gardening, and I hope Las Cruces will look to adapt its principles.
And now what? Life after the tax deal (3)
12/17/10 •
With the Obama-Republican tax deal having passed the Senate and the House as well, I guess I’ve gotten the compromise I’ve been asking for. To be honest, I’d thought I’d feel better about it.
The difference between NPR and Fox or MSNBC (16)
11/16/10 •
It’s hard for me to understand how people who value careful consideration over ideological dogmatism would resent NPR’s consistently positive contributions to the public discourse.
Don’t call it a mandate (11)
11/05/10 •
Regular readers of my blog will not be surprised that I hope Republicans and Democrats will now resume working together to address our problems. The American electorate seems to prefer when both political parties share responsibility for how the country works.
The mud in the mailbox (11)
10/27/10 •
I don’t have any scientific evidence to support this, but it sure feels like political attack advertisements are tougher than ever this year.
Be part of the solution (8)
10/11/10 •
The recent suicide of Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi is a reminder that by working to increase access to freedom for everyone and taking care of each other, we can become a part of the solution.
Is compromise a virtue? (9)
9/27/10 •
If we are committed to progress and to solving our problems, we will need to show courage in the face of extremists. We need to come together as well-meaning adults and see where we agree and disagree and what can be done to improve things for the most people.
Investing in infrastructure is not busy work (11)
9/18/10 •
Far from merely digging ditches only to be filled in again, a public works program dedicated to updating our infrastructure can put people back to work doing things that need doing and kick-start the economy.
Rebuilding our economy around the middle class (4)
9/13/10 •
Stimulus spending will spur economic growth in the short-term. Restructuring the tax code and optimizing government will resolve our long-term deficit issues. Whether by bailing out overextended banks, propping up bad businesses, or spending blood and treasure at war, most of us have been asked to sacrifice. It would be unseemly in the face of so much shared suffering for the wealthiest among us to refuse to shoulder their share of the burden.
Karl Rove comes to Cruces (4)
9/03/10 •
Rove’s bluster, which is one part misrepresentation of the facts, and one part righteous indignation, is an intoxicating cocktail for a lot of people.