Local Columns

Opinion: Primaries are better than caucuses

When my wife and I went to vote on Tuesday, the polling station was nearly empty. One of the election workers told me it was the least busy election she’d ever seen, and as a political junkie, that did make me a little sad. Not sad enough to wish things had been entirely different, ...

Opinion: The strong case for going to college

Americans are losing faith in college education. A recent Gallup poll found that only 36% of respondents have “quite a lot” or “a great deal” of faith in higher ed. Multibillionaire Peter Thiel is offering 20 students $100,000 grants each if they agree not to go to college, working on ...

Opinion: Consider the causes of homelessness

It’s not unusual to see homeless people drifting outside of businesses, lingering near public transportation, sleeping under bridges, or camping in city parks. Often, we look away. But sometimes we pause and consider what in fact happened. What personal setbacks or tragic circumstances ...

Opinion: James Madison would not be happy

Last week justices on the Kansas Supreme Court signaled that they find fault with the 2021 state law that makes it more difficult for groups to hold voter registration drives. The controversial law criminalizes “false representation” of an election official. In theory, this seems like ...

Opinion: Georgia’s Fani Willis and the court of public opinion

Fani Willis should have known better. It doesn’t take a law degree to know that the appearance of impropriety can be just as damaging as the real thing. Sometimes worse. That’s particularly true in a “heater case,” which is courthouse slang for a case that attracts an inordinate ...

Opinion: What the Constitution doesn’t say

What does the law actually say when it comes to a young person’s right to privately decide what gender they identify with, and to their parents’ right to engage in or even direct the decisions they make? As usual, the law is a lot more ambiguous and contentious than many might ...