“We renew our resolve that America will never be a socialist country,” Donald Trump said recently. Someone should alert him that America is now a hotbed of socialism. But it’s socialism for the rich. Everyone else is treated to harsh capitalism. In the conservative mind, socialism means getting something for doing nothing. This pretty much…
All of us would like to live in a world where people always do the right thing — without anybody looking over their shoulder. But that world doesn’t exist and never will. So every society on our planet has penalties. You break the rules, you pay a price. But penalties only work if the wrongdoer…
Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch has postponed the introduction of fast-track trade authority legislation until mid-April. Fast track is designed to grease the skids for passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement that is still being negotiated behind closed doors. Postponing the debate on fast track gives opponents another month to build opposition. It gives…
Echoing the incredulous police chief in the movie Casablanca, proponents of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act say they are shocked to discover that anyone objects to protecting religious believers from government oppression. As the nuclear reaction that has engulfed us for the past week continues to burn, one wonders how so many legislators got this…
Media outlets have used the mugshot of a 19 year old University of Illinois – Chicago biology student in an alleged rape case that has drawn international headlines and comparisons to the popular novel (and now movie) 50 Shades of Grey. The pop culture reference was due to the apparent use of human bondage in…
There are many things politically happening these days and our communities have been divided by political maneuvering and shameful tactics. I think that everyone can agree on one thing about politics: we need more transparency, honesty and consistency. I am an immigrant. I work full-time on the west side of South Bend serving our current…
The St. Joseph County Council is currently debating Ordinance 69-14, the Patient Safety Bill, which proponents say will help provide better healthcare for women. If this is truly the purpose of the bill, one would think that medical practitioners in South Bend would offer their full-throated support. The opposite is true. Medical professionals, including the…
Folks, who know me well, know I love history. History is a great teacher – and what happened earlier this week in the Indiana House of Representatives reminded me of that. In darkest days of the Great Depression, President Franklin Roosevelt passed the Davis-Bacon Act, which created something known as the common construction wage or…
A local police officer has inserted himself into the national debate over police brutality with a t-shirt that mocks the brutal death of an unarmed man in the streets of New York City. Mishawaka police officer Jason Barthel designed the “Breathe Easy — Don’t Break the Law” shirt for his South Bend-based business. The message…
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio was elected to change how New York City operates. His platform included an end to the city’s discriminatory stop-and-frisk policy, addressing the city’s increasing income inequality, and improving the quality of life for all New Yorkers. Today, he delivered an honest assessment of the state of the nation’s…
