- Owners are best stewards of land
- October 1, 2011
- Across the gravel road is a small plot of ground of which I am the “steward” — that is to say, the owner.
- Weed mars prairie enjoyment
- September 5, 2011
- Every summer, almost every day, I go out in nature with my mind set on murder. Sericea lespedeza is my quarry, an innocuous-looking plant that spreads like a virus. It can out-compete even native grass.
- Major parties must change their ways
- August 8, 2011
- The political vocation attracts “charlatans, jackals and romantics,” according to one observer. And the worst of these may be the romantics. Charlatans and jackals do mischief. Romantics — those in possession of absolute truth, who dream of “changing the world” and even human nature — can wreak lasting harm.
- Common good calls for sacrifices
- July 3, 2011
- The Douglas County Department of Enlightenment and Coercion paid me a visit the other day, along with the Lawrence Office of Environmental and Social Supervision. Also in attendance were representatives of the Free State Bureau of Restrictions and the Pioneer Office of Entitlements. I counted 42 cars and trucks, each driven by a single individual. (Separate vehicles give individuals quiet time to dream up new regulations and growth prevention initiatives, I learned.)
- Killjoy revels in life’s miseries
- June 5, 2011
- “Our days are a web of petty miseries and is there a greater blessing than to be the ashes of which oblivion is made?”
- U.S. must adjust expectations
- May 1, 2011
- Comparisons between the Roman Empire and America are commonplace but also of enduring interest to pessimists seeking the secrets of decline
- Going goofy in a Google world
- March 6, 2011
- Google: There’s no escape from it. Today, you must google or be utterly marginalized, exiled to the peripheries of society like a pariah dog. And yet, who does not feel a profound sense of foolishness every time he googles, or advises someone else to google or pronounces the word, “google?” When I say “google,” I feel as if I should be wearing diapers, drooling and sucking my thumb.
- Film spurs thoughts on meaning of life
- February 6, 2011
- Lee Siegel, a New York columnist, recently criticized the Coen Brothers’ film “True Grit” for expressing the post-modern view that life is meaningless. He compares it to the original John Wayne version in which “vital characters apply their will to the world” and have meaningful connections with other human beings. By implication, Siegel ratifies the belief that actions have consequences and that justice will ultimately prevail.
- Trees speak for themselves
- January 2, 2011
- “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.” Why are those mundane words so poignant, so uplifting?
- The growing public-private wage gap
- December 4, 2010
- A Lawrence resident who’d lost his job in the current recession might have been miffed to read about city employees getting a “longevity payment.” And a fan of fiscal responsibility might have felt a flicker of disbelief when he read that this lagniappe was to be paid for by dipping into the city’s savings account.
- Euro vs. dollar spurs weighty analysis
- November 7, 2010
- Monetary theory is beyond the understanding of most of us. The “quantity equation,” the plasticity of V, the difference between M1 and M2 — it all sounds like so much mumbo jumbo uttered by witch doctors. But monetary reality is what really counts. And you can learn most of what you need to know about that — easily, but not cheaply — just by taking a trip to Europe. There, the fact that the Euro is worth 40 percent more than the once almighty dollar hits you with wonderful force. If the dinner check is for 100 Euro, your actual cost is $140. Instantly, you experience an un-American sense of inferiority.
- Economics far from an exact science
- October 3, 2010
- “Economics offers much to teach us,” proclaimed a letter to this paper, written in response to an editorial arguing that a new Lowe’s outlet would contribute tax revenue and jobs to the Lawrence economy. “Economics shows this to be incorrect,” wrote the letter writer. Someone interested in a discussion might have said that the pro-Lowe’s editorial was “debatable.” But apparently, in the writer’s view, the lessons of economics are chiseled in stone, beyond debate. You could almost hear a gong of finality, accompanied by a Mosaic voice stating, “Enough said.”
- Galaxies put life in perspective
- September 5, 2010
- I read the other day that the observable universe contains a hundred billion galaxies “with more stars than our beaches have grains of sand.” For some reason, I find that comforting. Of course, it makes me feel puny and insignificant. But it also puts my ego and its worries into perspective. In the presence of 100 billions galaxies, the entity which I affectionately refer to as “I” is a particle of astonishing triviality.
- Local officials lose sight of taxpayers
- August 1, 2010
- “A good shepherd shears his sheep,” some Roman emperor said. “He does not flay them.” Most elected officials today haven’t gotten that message. They belong to the school of flaying. They seem to believe that they can skin their constituents alive without shedding any blood.
- Americans comfortable with socialism
- June 6, 2010
- Grave warnings about the threats of Socialism and Big Government are flying about these days, along with brave words about individual responsibility, liberty and the ideals that “made this country great.” And many of the folks who mouth these slogans imagine that voting in a bunch of new Republicans is all that’s needed to get the country back on the “right track.”
- City commissioner wants state to revoke nightclub's liquor license May 21, 2013 · 45 comments
- House Republican leaders propose 1.5 percent cut to higher education for each of next two fiscal years May 21, 2013 · 21 comments
- Opinion: Amid crisis, Europe resists extremism May 21, 2013 · 56 comments
- City accepts recreation center bids, but won' t proceed with building until Fritzel provides infrastructure costs May 21, 2013 · 19 comments
- Blog: Push-back on Common Core not unique to Kansas May 21, 2013 · 16 comments
- Local organizations aim to support tornado victims May 21, 2013 · 10 comments
- Blog: Lawrence hosts mayor of Greek sister city this week May 22, 2013 · 4 comments
- Planning Commission recommends approval of Menards store for south Lawrence May 20, 2013 · 67 comments
- Opinion: Scandals undermine trust in Obama May 19, 2013 · 50 comments
- Opinion: Wayne Selden sizes up recruits May 21, 2013 · 1 comment
- Tarik Black strong, physical May 22, 2013
- Opinion: Wayne Selden sizes up recruits May 21, 2013
- Opinion: Scandals undermine trust in Obama May 19, 2013
- City accepts recreation center bids, but won' t proceed with building until Fritzel provides infrastructure costs May 21, 2013
- LHS student earns perfect ACT score May 21, 2013
- Last hurrah: KU baseball's Jordan Dreiling feels sense of urgency May 22, 2013
- Fix-It Chick: Gutter repair May 20, 2013
- Budget cuts force Head Start to close Edgewood Homes facility May 21, 2013
- KU baseball gets involved in Moore, Okla., relief effort May 21, 2013
- KU makes sudden change in Statehouse presence May 20, 2013
