Monthly Archives: June 2017

Lessons from 1776: Lock lawmakers in a hot room until they get something done

Two hundred forty-one years ago this weekend, colonial delegates were shut in a hot and steamy room debating the idea of independence from Great Britain. They ultimately came up with an answer. And they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to see it through. That debate was dramatized in the musical 1776. […]

Big money doesn’t always lead to big results

A few million bucks doesn’t buy what it used to. That seems to be the message from the Georgia special election. And it’s the same message from Augusta, where lawmakers are considering changes to last November’s referenda. South of the Mason-Dixon, newly-elected Re. Karen Handel spent a little over $3 million on her campaign. Her […]

Remember the Civil War; return civility to politics

“And now we are engaged in a great civil war.” Abraham Lincoln’s words from the Gettysburg Address echo through the ages. That war — and the death of hundreds of thousands of Americans it brought — tested whether any nation “conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal … […]

What Mary Mayhew and Wonder Woman have in common

Grossing over $100 million in the U.S. last weekend, “Wonder Woman” made quite a splash.  And although I haven’t seen it, after reading the plot, it isn’t hard to understand why; a legendary superhero — who happens to be female — overcomes tall odds, fights with friends-turned-enemies, and (spoiler alert!) ultimately triumphs and remains on […]

Will the real will of the people please stand up?

“The will of the people!” That is one of the rallying cries shouted over the past few weeks, whether in Portland City Hall or under the capitol dome in Augusta. Somewhat sardonically, it was also the name of a socialist revolutionary terrorist organization in 19th century Russia, counting Vladimir Lenin’s older brother amongst its members. […]