Editorial

Little did Dr. James Naismith know when he invented the game of basketball in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1891 that, more than a century hence, it would become beholden to its Chinese overlords. The NBA disgraced itself kowtowing to Beijing after the general manager of the Houston Rockets, Daryl Morey, tweeted his support for Hong Kong protesters. The words he associated himself with — “Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong” — would seem uncontroversial. Who doesn’t hope for the best for plucky demonstrators trying to advance … [Read more...] about The NBA salutes its Chinese overlords

In his Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln described a “government of the people, by the people, for the people.” The problem for any democracy is that those people can make a mistake — a dangerous mistake — by electing someone who’s severely unqualified or a bloomin’ nutcase. Look no further than Donald Trump, our president, who possesses the power to wreak terrible damage. In fact, he’s doing just that, both with his policies that roll back decades of progress, returning America to a menace to the planet, and even more so with … [Read more...] about Not ready for democracy

People who were loosely paying attention to Michigan’s 2018 race for governor might be under the impression that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s highest priority is to get the state’s roads into better shape. Those who paid closer attention would recognize that she had a lot of other priorities, too. Since entering office, her actions reveal that her largest priority is to increase taxes. One way to improve road conditions would be to use extra money from a growing state budget. More Michigan residents have jobs, and they are generally … [Read more...] about The Tax Hike Governor vetoes additional road funding

Impeachment is about to make everything worse. If our politics seems overheated, our institutions beleaguered and our public debate degraded, just wait until we are in the midst of the impeachment debate. Democrats have had an impeachment itch that they’ve been desperate to scratch ever since Donald Trump took office. For them, Ukraine is equal parts a genuine outrage and an excuse, the release valve for nearly three years of fear and loathing. Rather than conducting himself as if he’s aware that a hysterical opposition is … [Read more...] about The problem with impeachment

Latin is supposedly a “dead language,” meaning no one speaks it as their native tongue. Except attorneys, of course, who use it to make law indecipherable so that they can charge exorbitant billable hours to untangle the messes they create. English, in this era of antisocial media and texting, is on its way to being another dead language. But I digress, which, by the way, is from the Latin “digressum.” Let’s regressum: Back when kids were forced to suffer through a Latin course in high school, we all were required to ponder the … [Read more...] about Pig Latin

The challenge is to stay ahead of the criminals as they use new technology to perpetrate the age-old crime of sex abuse. The number is stunning: 45 million online images of child sexual abuse last year — minors who deserved the best but who received the worst of humanity. Such depravity ought to turn all of our stomachs, and we applaud The New York Times for an incisive report on this epidemic. Two decades ago, The Times reports, there were about 3,000 such images on the web. In the ensuing 20 years, the problem has … [Read more...] about 45 million images of child sex abuse ought to be enough to drive change in Washington 

By BEN DeGROW and HANNAH WING Over the summer, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced a campaign to remove stigmas about skilled trades jobs, marking the latest effort in Whitmer’s mission to close the so-called skills gap in Michigan. The governor has also called for increasing per-pupil funding for K-12 career and technical education from $50 to $487 per student. While well-intentioned, these initiatives may simply increase enrollment and spending for ineffective programs. In short, Michigan students and … [Read more...] about Career and technical education reform needs more than money

Greta Thunberg needs to get a grip. The celebrity teen climate activist addressed the United Nations and excoriated the assembled worthies for coming “to us young people for hope. How dare you! You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words.” Someone may have stolen her childhood, but the guilty parties can’t be found at Turtle Bay. A 16-year-old from Sweden, Thunberg thundered, “I should be back at school on the other side of the ocean,” which would have been easy enough to achieve, beginning with not taking … [Read more...] about No, don’t listen to Greta Thunberg

By LEE H. HAMILTON You’re probably chuckling already. Seriously? “The joy of politics”? That was pretty much the reaction I got the other day when, in the middle of a conversation about how confrontational, adversarial, and downright unpleasant politics has become of late, I suggested that it could be both fun and a source of satisfaction. Yes, of course there are always irritations and inconveniences. And the often mean-spirited tone of today’s contentious politics is well beyond anything I encountered when I was in … [Read more...] about The joy of politics

Let’s take a break from our society’s normal crudefest for a brief moment to honor civility. Cokie Roberts epitomized civility. She was no pushover — far from it. When it was required, she was as hard as nails. In today’s nasty society, she sometimes needed to be. But somehow, she maneuvered through all of our disagreements in ways that were entirely agreeable. Yes, I know: By now, you might be tired of hearing about Cokie from her colleagues and buddies. But Cokie’s life is a symbol of what it will take to prevent the toxic … [Read more...] about The shining example of Cokie Roberts