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The Democratic Party is a fascinating creature.  It’s broadly reflective of cultural, ethnic, and economic diversity in the nation.  Bipartisan debates and decision-making prized in the American political tradition are alive and well within its ranks, including nearly the full spectrum from left to right.  Only extreme right wing libertarians are excluded.  Why excluded?  Because… Read more

A neighbor who manages investments, and knows I have an interest in economics, asked what investment opportunities I had divined from the tea leaves. Not a single one, was my reply.  My impaired vision no longer lets me read FRED charts and graphs; even reading plain text is painfully slow, so I’ve fallen way out… Read more

Collects are short prayers that set a theme for reflection and direction.  In the Episcopal Church there are collects for each Sunday, and one used at this time of year asks us to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest holy scripture because it was written for our benefit. It’s good advice.  To read, mark, learn… Read more

The highest laws of God for Christians are guidelines, not rules but guidelines, for the Christian life.  They are few and simple:  Love God; Love your neighbor; Love yourself; Love others as Christ loves you.  That’s it. Learning what it means to love others as Christ loves us is what the gospel record illuminates.  Learning… Read more

My daily paper, The Daily Press, serves the Hampton Roads communities of Virginia and is a subsidiary of The Tribune Co. (aka: Chicago Tribune).  Like other small city dailies, it struggles to stay profitable and is. Corporate bean counters believe keeping local papers afloat means cost cutting.  Given the choice of investing for the future… Read more

The previous column discussed the need to restore honor as a public virtue if American democracy is to survive and thrive. Understanding what it means to be a citizen and the obligations of citizenship are two more elements added to the list. There was a time when being a citizen included obligations generally understood as… Read more