Commentary
Abortion initiative wouldn’t just end the cruelty of Missouri ban. It would be a new world
“We are witnessing a lot of suffering on the hotline,” Linda told me. “People are scared out of their minds.” Dr. Linda Prine is the co-founder of the Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline. When someone orders pills off the internet because their state has criminalized abortion care or they face other barriers, they can call if […]
Congress should pass a clean debt ceiling without putting more holes in the social safety net
Like many people with disabilities, I am living in fear as President Joe Biden, Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other Congressional leaders meet behind closed doors to discuss possible cuts to safety net programs on which I depend. Unfortunately, these politicians do not honor a principle that has long been affirmed by disability rights advocates: “Not […]
Community gardens are good for more than fresh food
In recent years, community gardens have gained popularity as alternatives to address the growing crisis of food deserts, particularly in central cities. But community gardens offer opportunities for much more. The personal, communal and environmental benefits are many. In addition to being a fresh and healthy food source, a community garden can also help close […]
On Mother’s Day, keep your cards. Invest in moms
For Mother’s Day this year, I don’t want chocolate or jewelry. For Mother’s Day this year, I want us to finally focus on making this country a better, safer place for mothers. We’re coming up on the first Mother’s Day since a variety of draconian restrictions on abortion access have gone into place, which means […]
Missouri teachers deserve better pay and sufficient support
Students all over the country, including children in Missouri, continue to suffer from learning loss, as well as inadequate academic and social support at school brought on by the pandemic. Compounding this problem is the fact that although decades of research show teachers being the single most important school-based factor impacting student achievement, many of […]
Capitol Perspectives: Missourians’ right to change their constitution
Missouri’s Republican legislators might want to give a second thought to their party’s push to impose higher vote requirements to amend the state constitution. If some of these requirements had been in effect in 1980, it likely would have led to voter defeat of a major issue for Republicans. The 1980 “Hancock” constitutional amendment requires […]
Why some people believe ‘marijuana’ is a racist word, and why it doesn’t offend me
I was talking to a cannabis business owner I’ve known for a while and respect. The man, who is white, told me he refused to use the term “marijuana” because it’s racist. It was one of my first conversations on the cannabis beat, which I’ve been on for a month now. And my mind was […]
Beware of dangerous rip currents that threaten our government
On an almost daily basis we are confronted with the choice of continuing to believe in the role, value and integrity of our government or conclude that it is irretrievably broken. At a minimum we must seriously ask: Are we at risk of succumbing to what appears to be inherent and intransigent dishonesty and hypocrisy […]
We know where the Missouri AG’s inflammatory anti-trans rhetoric could lead
In 2015, Robert Dear shot three people to death and injured nine others at a Colorado Planned Parenthood. When he was arrested after a five hour stand-off he told police: “no more baby parts.” The gunman was repeating a lie that presidential candidates and politicians had taken mainstream after an anti-abortion group released doctored videos […]
It’s time for annual Medicaid renewal in Missouri. Here’s what you need to know
At the beginning of this month, the annual renewal began for Medicaid recipients. It sounds simple enough but prompts many questions, depending on how closely you have been watching the situation. How will that affect people on Medicaid? Why weren’t annual renewals being done? How do we get ahead of this and make sure the […]
Public safety in Missouri belongs to the people, not the state
In a move with parallels across the country, conservative lawmakers in Jefferson City are advancing legislation to strip control of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD) from the city and give it to the state. The bill comes a decade after Missourians voted to reverse a Civil War-era system that had kept St. Louis law enforcement […]
Guns and vigilantes: Fear, paranoia has created a culture of violence
PUT THE GUN DOWN. It’s just the doorbell, the child is lost. PUT THE GUN DOWN. It’s just a car, doing a u-turn because they were lost. PUT THE GUN DOWN. She got into the wrong car by accident. PUT THE GUN DOWN. He didn’t mean to cut you off. PUT THE GUN DOWN. It […]