|
|
|
Linda's NJ Voices Blog |
|
Against the prevailing narrative: Murrey Marder, pathfinding journalist, spoke truth to power
Question those who doubt the loyalty and patriotism of citizens; raise doubts about methods employed by anti-terrorist zealots; express skepticism during the drumbeat for war and hesitate to go along with commitments to open-ended “forever wars.” Follow the path set by Murrey Marder.
Jean Stapleton, veteran actress and feminist
Jean Stapleton, a rare talent. What an impressive career! She was a joy to watch, to hear, to know. For those of us who grew up with her, she was, you know, 'in the family.'
Coca Cola: New spin or born again?
Does Coca Cola's new advertising campaign provide a meaningful contribution to addressing obesity? It's something, and it's self-serving, but it's hardly a substitute for public policy that encourages healthy habits.
Wars of America: Newark's triumphant memorial sculpture
On Memorial Day it seems more than fitting to reflect on why we build memorials and what one, in particular, Gutzon Borglum's Wars of America, in Military Park, in Newark, signifies.
Charles Durning, actor and soldier
On Memorial Day, when we pause to celebrate the lives of those who were on the front lines for the nation, I think of Charles Durning, actor and soldier.
Apple: How to avoid taxes while Americans go hungry
Avoiding taxes, as American as Apple, Inc. pie.
Higher education, bond funds, transparency, and public support
The allocation of NJ Higher Education bond (and other) funds are under scrutiny for good reason. I wonder how future bond issues for higher education will fare if there is an expectation that political shenanigans will determine how funding decisions are made.
A diminished giant: Apple, tax strategies and corporate greed
People may love Apple products but they may be less inclined to love the corporation, particularly as it flaunts its might, flexes its lobbying muscle and does all it can to avoid paying taxes to America, its corporate home.
Gun laws, political costs and benefits
When cartoonists enter the fray, the issue is serious. Some of the nation's best loved cartoonists have asked Congress to enact common sense gun laws to prevent violence and save lives. DemandAction.orgAs gun control debates raged in Congress early this...
Economics, equity and policy: The story of Mariam Chamberlain
Mariam K. Chamberlain, a little known champion of women, died last week at age 94. She was a gifted researcher who understood the power of information. An agent of change, an inspiration to many, Miriam Chamberlain was one of a kind.
Corporations, taxes and citizenship: Getting government-supported services without paying for them
Who pays for the nation's infrastructure, technology, research facilities, higher education, homeland security and defense? Taxpayers pay. And corporations that do not pay taxes, and use what they do not pay for, are not good citizens.
Gun control and the US Congress: What do the people want?
Congress has not forgotten Newtown, no, that's not it at all; Congress is ignoring the public's will and turning its back on the victims. When it comes to guns, that's what it does.
What's in a name?
It's not too far of a stretch to see cruelty in the practice of states that deny adoptees access to the information they want--and need--to find out who they are, who their birth parents are, and that deny to birth mothers (and fathers) information in order to help them find the children they surrendered.
The soda wars continue
Sarah Palin is really sinking low. Aligning with the soda industry, she maintains that our very democracy is imperiled by having less Pepsi, less Coke. Remarkable.
Murray v. Ryan on the budget: It is not about how much money but about where it comes from and who gets it
The budget choice, between Murray's and Ryan's, is clearly political, and, of course, it is ideological. Murray's offers the best framework for the nation: A responsible, fair and balanced--and moral--approach to tax reform and budget priorities, one that honors the social contract and looks to promote the nation's growth and prosperity.
Ryan redux: No path to prosperity this time either
Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result doesn't work but, evidently, Paul Ryan doesn't know this. He may need a reminder of how it went with his ideas some months ago. He lost.
Balancing the budget and tax cuts too? Seriously?
New Jersey is taking funds from dedicated sources to balance the state budget already so no one in Trenton can be thinking about a tax cut any longer, can they? Seriously?
In the footsteps of Lincoln? Obama and public higher education
President Obama should expand his vision of what publicly supported higher learning can mean to the nation and renew the covenant between the federal government and its public land-grant universities.
Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and public health: What does race have to do with it?
Restricting soda size sales in an effort to reduce sugar consumption, a solid good health move--to reduce obesity, heart disease, stroke and diabetes--is resisted by those who would benefit from it the most.
Clementine Reuben Hunter: An American Artist
Clementine Hunter didn't learn to read or write but she taught herself to paint, and paint she did, producing thousands of works of art that documented and interpreted her world of Southern plantation life. She is, easily, one of the most important American artists of the twentieth century.
|
|
|
|
