In Hawaii, “aloha” also means “goodbye.” President Trump could not have missed the less-than-enthusiastic greeting during his brief touchdown in the U.S. state where — facts are facts — Barack Obama was born. Demonstrators there seemed to be following a new pattern among Trump foes, replacing raw anger with mockery. His fans, meanwhile, were greatly […]
Froma Harrop
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
U.S. economy fails to wow investors
A rich guy I know really, really dislikes Donald Trump. A member of the 1 percent, Jack (not his real name) thinks the president has sullied the country’s reputation and put democracy in danger. But I had to ask him this: “Aren’t you at least happy with the stock market?” He’s done quite well on […]
advertisement
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Trump has a history of indifference to suffering
The story of Donald Trump and health coverage rightly starts with the story of Donald Trump and William Trump. William was born in 1999, fighting for his life. He suffered seizures, and his breathing stopped twice. William’s medical bills were enormous. That’s when Donald tried to remove the infant from the Trump family health plan. […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Many Americans can't afford to retire
Many Americans now face retirement, hearts full of dreams, bank accounts full of nothing. For them, those Wall Street ads showing silver-haired couples sailing warm blue seas may seem aspirations beyond their grasp. Instead, they may find themselves the 72-year-old hired to drive the platinum couple from the airport to the docks. Some 45 percent […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Taxing dollars already taxed by states will not happen
Nice try, Republicans. You’d like to end the federal deduction for state and local taxes. That would stick the expensive-to-live-in blue states with more of the nation’s bills. It would amount to taxing income that has already gone to taxes. Not gonna happen. Not gonna happen because of politics. But let’s not ignore your honking […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Single-payer health care isn’t the only answer
The latest Republican push to essentially kill the Affordable Care Act through lawmaking is dead. Setting a time bomb to blow up current Obamacare benefits in 2027 would have been sneaky, sneaky. Where were Democrats in all this? They were mostly on the sidelines letting Graham-Cassidy head for oblivion on its own outrageous terms. That […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Colleges come to their senses the hard way
Harvard University came under justified attack when it named Chelsea Manning a visiting fellow. Critics asked how Harvard could honor a former U.S. Army private convicted of leaking 750,000 classified or sensitive documents. The university rescinded the invitation, and Manning hit back, tweeting, “Honored to be 1st disinvited trans woman visiting Harvard fellow.” That went […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
President makes a deal with top Democrats
Donald Trump’s deal with “Chuck and Nancy” has rained new angst on his party (the Republican Party). It extended the debt ceiling for three months and provided hurricane relief. “Republicans, sorry, but I’ve been hearing about Repeal & Replace for 7 years, didn’t happen!” Trump tweeted, the subject being the Affordable Care Act. To rub […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
The price rises on Houston's 'cheap' housing
As the floodwaters recede, much of Houston’s famously “affordable” housing may seem less of a bargain. We’re not just talking about rising rents, inevitable with so many units destroyed. We are talking about the emotional cost of having to move in with friends, rebuild and buy new furniture more than once in a lifetime. Floods […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Differences dissolve when disaster strikes
Politicians, celebrities and the rich often set the world’s idea of their cities and regions. It takes a disaster to meet the regular folks. We met average Louisianans during Hurricane Katrina and the commoners from New Jersey and New York for Superstorm Sandy. Hurricane Harvey has introduced America and the world to ordinary Texans. And […]