We have had nearly fifty years of wage stagnation, unaffordable health care, low social mobility, predatory mortgage practices, and inflamed class and race resentments. That’s the same period in which business lobbyists have overwhelmed the scene in Washington, D.C. with smart, aggressive and targeted approaches to influencing Congressional action. And they have had their …
It is somewhat dizzying to think about the radical effect this version of the Supreme Court, the Roberts Court, has had on American life. From the curtailing of voting rights to abortion, affirmative action, presidential immunity, regulatory oversight and gun safety measures, this Supreme Court has thought nothing of overturning precedent and, according to …
This week’s two podcasts feature women journalists writing about subjects that put them at potential risk as they uncover abuses and actions that most in our society are shielded from. Alice Driver, author of “Life and Death of the American Worker: The Immigrants Taking On America’s Largest Meatpacking Company” lives in Arkansas a state controlled …
There is a line, albeit it a bit curvy, from Charlottesville in 2017 to the mayhem at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. The passageways from one event to the other may be found on the dark web where anonymous conspirators reinforce each others darkest thoughts about America in 2024. In her book, “Black …
Labor Unions had immense economic and political power in the post WWII era through the early 1970’s. In the 1950’s a third of all private sector workers were members of unions. For a host of reasons that we explore in this podcast, all that changed and for the last 50 years unions have shrunk to …
The profession of long haul trucking is vital to our nation’s commerce. As a career choice, many of us might think of it as one we would never pick because it can be lonely and unsettling as to a normal home life. Some choose it because they like the open road and others because they …
There is a disturbing history of a fifty-year plan to hijack voting rights in America. Despite Chief Justice John Roberts’ reputation as an institutionalist trying to steer the Supreme Court in a measured fashion, our guest says he’s not a deliberate incrementalist but rather a patient bulldozer. In his first fourteen years as the nation’s …
Recently, in Massachusetts, its government leaders discovered that the statewide 9-1-1 emergency system was down. A scramble ensued to handle the crisis. About 7 million people went for almost two hours with no 91-1 service. Unfortunately, such crashes have become more commonplace over the recent years as long needed upgrades to the system have been …
The process of dying in America has changed dramatically over the last twenty years. The process was often hidden away from family in a hospital setting. Today more than half of deaths are at home surrounded by loved ones. Along with this new American approach comes a range of responsibilities and stresses which can either …
‘It’s a part of me’ said one student when asked about a possible ban on smartphones in her classroom. While we can all come up with reasons that smartphone use is a distraction and worse in the classroom, who cannot sympathize with that student’s feeling? Given the amount of time we spend on these devices, …