Perspectives
They still don’t love us
If you thought America would quickly regain the world’s love, admiration and — most important — willingness to follow the U.S. lead once Barack Obama came to power, the news is disappointing. A useful guide to what has transpired comes from Venezuela’s president and ...
Towns fight back against fracking
A growing boom in natural gas drilling near homes and schools prompted the city of Longmont to vote last July to bar new oil and gas permits in residential neighborhoods...
A fracking threat to children
We’ve all seen (or at least heard of) the movie Erin Brockovich, in which a bold and fiercely determined mom takes on a chemical company for exposing a small town and the families and children that live there to toxic chemicals that have been linked to cancer. It’s ...
Walmart’s workers unite
Walmart is the largest private employer on the planet. The uber-retailer turned 50 this year, and it’s had a somewhat unhappy birthday. For the first time, workers at many stores are on strike around the country. This unrest is an amazing development, since the ...
Seeger’s true politics
Folk singer Pete Seeger, who died at age 94 last month, provided a soundtrack for every progressive crusade of our time, from labor unions to civil rights, from world peace to environmentalism. He wrote, “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” “If I Had A Hammer” and “...
Is your boss ripping you off?
A virtually unnoticed crime wave is under way. The perps are our most respected citizens. The crime is wage theft. This happens when you aren’t paid the minimum wage or overtime, are forced to work off the clock, denied meal breaks, have your tips pocketed by the ...
After the deluge: What I told city council
On Sept. 17 I ended up the first to address the Boulder City Council during citizen participation. Several council members were nodding their heads by the end of the first sentence ... but soon they stopped. Here’s what I said, prettied up for print...
The Democratic Party’s two faces
"The real struggle within the Democratic Party is where you stand on income inequality and whether the government needs to be a part of fixing that problem. The demographics that the Democratic Party must attract are the people who need responsive government.” —Rep. ...
U.S. needs to be on side of Egyptian people
I’m Egyptian, and like every other Egyptian person I know, I have been mesmerized and inspired by the images of the Egyptian people rising up...
Tycoons and their taxes
Corporate fat cats are prowling the halls of Congress and scratching up all the furniture. These tycoons are peddling the old line that if they get tax cuts and subsidies, they will create jobs for us. That hasn’t worked yet. They say ordinary Americans should “lower...
Washington must prioritize jobs, not cuts
This is a dangerous time. In Washington, the country’s Richie Riches are stirring up a panic about a so-called “fiscal cliff.” If they succeed, we’ll get a “grand bargain” that will give them millions in corporate welfare while America’s meager “social safety net” is...
Boulder’s foxes in the henhouse
At the beginning of Boulder City Council’s Oct. 23 study session on ethics and financial reporting, council member Tim Plass asked the most valuable question of the night...


