Dear La Kermesse Volunteers, Thank you again for the time and effort put into the annual festival. And thank you to everyone who continues to support this unique festival that celebrates our community. It was good to see you back at St. Louis Field, but obvious that it contained its own challenges. I hope Joe […]

It’s time to watch fireworks displays, sing patriotic songs, and ruminate about our country’s rich heritage and history. It’s time to celebrate America’s national birthday. As we do so, we should recognize that millions of our ancestors, by their creative thinking, hard work, devotion to the common good, and personal sacrifices have helped make our […]

Is there such a thing as too much democracy? Voters in many states are more often deciding major issues that have been dodged by state legislatures. In Maine, three recent questions, decided by popular vote, have come under legislative review this year. The clash between the Legislature and voters on boosting taxes to pay for […]

The closed-season school board meeting was called to order half an hour late by its chairman, J. Buckdancer Alcott, because the board members saw Windy Wilson sitting in the audience. Windy had no children, and he sure as sugar wasn’t a teacher, but he could talk. And he was patiently biding his time. Despite the […]

Sometimes I don’t see what’s right in front of my nose. Nothing exemplifies this like the greeting cards that are tacked up on my refrigerator, which — I realized just the other day — date back to 2014. At several points I must have taken them down to clean off the fridge, then tossed ’em back up […]

For all the concerns raised by economists and others about the House tax plan, it is generally assumed that the proposal will reduce the gaming of the tax system by multinational corporations. Among the more active debates: Will the currency adjust perfectly or will retail prices rise? Is the plan legal under our trade agreements? […]

Both financial and physical well-being in retirement require foresight and planning. Although far too many people fail to plan their financial resources, perhaps even more people fail to plan how to invest their hours and days once the structure of the work week is removed by retirement. In his book “Invisible Man” Ralph Ellison writes, […]

May was a poignant month for those of us who were avid Detroit sports fans in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. Three of our heroes passed on within two weeks of each other: five-time All-NFL and Hall of Famer Yale Lary; his teammate, three-time All-NFL player Wayne Walker; and Detroit Tigers Hall-of-Famer Jim Bunning. […]

The income gap between the rich and everybody else is behind the growth of populism in the U.S. and Europe, according to new political analyses. On one side are the rich and on the other is the middle class. The poor rarely are mentioned these days, either because it is disgraceful to be poor or […]