Do political endorsements by newspapers have much impact? It was debatable even back in the 1980s, when daily circulation stood at about 63 million nationwide, and it’s even more uncertain now that the number has dropped by more than half. But while some people study polls, I watch editorial pages for insight about this vexing […]

I never thought I’d feel sorry for a billionaire – a $60 billion billionaire. But watching Mike Bloomberg getting beat up in the Democrat debate in Vegas Wednesday night was almost tragic. It was like watching an old boxer who gets clocked early in Round 1 and then wobbles around the ring in a daze […]

Journalists learn to adapt to current conditions, be they storms or tantrums, vagaries of nature or whims of officials. White House correspondents these days should be well past their withdrawal symptoms from the daily delirium of the once-regular White House press briefing. Earlier this year, as 300 days passed without a formal briefing, a bipartisan […]

One summer, a five-year-old boy woke up slowly with a headache and surrounded by white coats and scared faces. As Dr. Tony Owens describes it, “I was only 5 and don’t remember anyone telling me I had polio, and not sure at that age it would have meant much to me anyway. As a parent and grandparent […]

If one looks closely at federal legislation proposed over the past few years, one will find many bipartisan attempts at addressing issues. Unfortunately, these proposals are sitting on Mitch McConnell’s desk because he does not want to give Democrats credit for anything in the government. While today’s Republican Party has moved far to the right, […]

The signs are going up all over the place – not, perhaps surprisingly, for the candidates who are contesting Maine’s first presidential primary since 2000, when Al Gore won the Democrats’ endorsement over Bill Bradley, and George W. Bush bested John McCain among Republicans. The news that Maine is having a presidential primary, rather than […]

The first time I read about a free medical clinic that was staffed and run by volunteers, I was blown away by the concept. Really? Healthcare is so expensive, and there are endless rules and regulations. There is no way this could possibly work. I read everything I could about this clinic (located in a […]

On March 3, Maine will vote to decide whether to repeal a new law that removes religious and philosophical exemptions from the requirement that schoolchildren must be vaccinated. Beyond its implications for public health and religious rights, the vote raises fundamental issues about the role of government and personal liberty. The U.S. is proud of […]

So we’re watching “The Tina Turner Musical” on Broadway with good friends Rob and Cathy Jarratt, the last event on our annual three-day NYC trip. I hadn’t been feeling well that day. During the long loud encore, I began feeling even worse, like I was going to faint or be sick. I told my wife […]