A Divide and Conquer ‘Gaffe’

Journalist Michael Kinsley is the namesake for the Kinsley Gaffe. In a 1988 interview he said: “A gaffe is when a politician tells the truth — some obvious truth he isn’t supposed to say.” A recent example is Todd Akin (R-MO), the then-candidate for Senate in 2012. On St. Louis local television he was asked…

Class Act

A commencement speaker at Point Park University here urged graduates to brush their teeth. Whether she was grasping at a clever metaphor for handling life after college or she actually felt that a diploma along with good dental hygiene were keys to happiness, I couldn’t tell. Commencement speeches come in many flavors.

Lazy Stupid Ham Butts

t wasn’t what you would call the most favorable week for old white racist men. Then again, these weeks, not many are. How bad did it get for ancient intolerant caucasian males? Bowling ball dropped on your little toe from a height of nine feet bad. Brazilian soccer stampede bad. Donald Trump testifying at your rent-hearing bad.

Conclusive Evidence More Immigration Would Harm Americans

April produced another lousy Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs report. Superficially—in other words, the way the White House wants Wall Street to perceive it, conditions are improving. The 288,000 new jobs were more than economists expected. Another bonus for the administration: the unemployment rate dropped from 6.7 to 6.3 percent.

Home Ownership for the Birds

I’m beginning to think homeownership is overrated.

My house is in a picturesque setting on the edge of the countryside. It sits high on a hill, surrounded by lush green grounds and many trees. My nearest neighbor is a football field away.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that I am in a bitter battle with the creatures that surround my property.

7 Gripes I Have With The World

Life, overall, is pretty sweet. Aging turns out not to be the demon I feared. Largely, I’m happy and healthy and know how to throw the car in reverse for those times when I’m not. But on a recent nasty commute home, I thought of 7 things that would so sincerely improve life for midlifers…

FCC Cronyism Stiffs Taxpayers and Destroys Jobs

While the national media is mostly focused on the Federal Communications Commission’s latest net neutrality follies (still a regulatory solution in search of a problem), the far bigger policy challenge the Commission faces is executing the most complex spectrum auction in the agency’s history. Unfortunately, the FCC seems more concerned with picking winners and losers…

Phone Addiction Not So Smart

Get this: People are becoming addicted to their smartphones. According to a report from Flurry Analytics, says The Washington Post’s Style Blog, the average mobile consumer checks his phone 150 times a day. A “mobile addict” is defined as someone who launches apps more than 60 times a day — 10 times as often as…

Donald Sterling’s Message

The issue brought to light in the Donald Sterling matter is this: neither passing legislation nor even electing a black president can cleanse all minds of evil thoughts. Bill Day / Cagle Cartoons Sterling, owner of the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team, is alleged to have made racist remarks about African-Americans. Considering Sterling’s past behavior,…

Bad Penny Boehner Just Won’t Go Away

The stupefyingly stubborn John Boehner is at it again. A week ago at a Las Vegas fundraiser, the House speaker audaciously said that he’s hell-bent on passing an immigration bill this year. Then at the exclusive Brown’s Run Country Club in his Ohio home district, Boehner publicly ridiculed his fellow House Republicans for refusing to…