Ten states in this country have container deposit legislation, popularly called “bottle bills”. The first one was passed in Oregon decades ago. Container deposit legislation requires a refundable deposit on certain types of recyclable beverage containers in order to boost recycling rates. First these measures were seen as an antidote to litter and an environmentally …
Do you ever go to your primary care physician and are seen on time? In a modern-looking facility? Without the doctor having his or her hand on the door to signal a need to get to the next patient? In our sophisticated society, do you think we can get it right in combining cutting-edge technology …
Just as big box retail stores have given way to more boutique and on-line retail environments, grocery shoppers are drawn these days to stores with a curated selection of essentials at lower prices. Stores like the brother rivals of Aldi’s and Trader Joe’s are examples. Do we really need 10 choices of olive oil? Too …
Gallup ranks homelessness as one of Americans’ top three concerns. As it dovetails with the affordable housing crisis in this country, more and more people recognize how they, themselves, are a paycheck away from instability as it relates to having a roof over their heads. The homelessness we are experiencing today finds its roots in …
Whether your focus is on tariffs, the independence of the Federal Reserve or the reconciliation law and its tax and debt implications, the first six months of the second Trump Administration will have far-reaching effects on the American economy. Perhaps, it’s most important to watch the bond market reaction to the falling value of the …
How does America end up with a Secretary of Health and Human Services who is at such great odds with physicians in America on the essential safety and efficacy of vaccines? Leading medical organizations are now suing Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. over his agency’s COVID-19 recommendations regarding vaccines for children and those who are pregnant. …
We may be the only podcast to continue the conversation about our responses to COVID, but that’s fine with me. It’s that important because we will be there again and yet we’ve barely touched the surface in doing a serious examination of our public policy responses. The COVID pandemic quickly led to the greatest mobilization …
The far right has been masterful at manipulating class anger to outmaneuver progressive goals and liberals often put ‘the smoking gun’ right in the hands of their political opponents. Can this tendency be reversed? Yes, but a lot of work needs to be done to change messengers, messaging and there needs to be a blunt …
Americans spend endless hours growing, tending, and cutting their lawns. In fact, 40 million acres of land in the United States is covered by turf grass, making it the most irrigated crop in the country. To what end? It has virtually no value to flora and fauna and there …
When Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 in the Dobbs. vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case, it was the decision that anti-abortion activists had been waiting to see for over 50 years. While the decision did not ban abortions nationwide, it did throw the matter back to the states. …