Commentary
Reclaiming MLK Day | Opinion
In April of 1967, at the Riverside Church in New York City, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr spoke in profound grief about the way his position on the Vietnam War was interrogated even by some of his closest supporters. “I have called for radical departures from the destruction of Vietnam, many persons have […]
The U.S. Senate is broken. Missouri’s talking filibuster could fix it
U.S. Rep. Willard Duncan Vandiver coined Missouri’s motto during an 1899 Philadelphia speech. “I come from a state that raises corn and cotton and cockleburs and Democrats,” he said, “and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have got to show me.” As a former state senator who still haunts […]
Does CRT make white students feel bad? Try being a Black student | Opinion
Patrick recalled the horror he felt as a small child integrating a suburban school district. He rode the bus to school early in the school year with an armed law enforcement officer standing near his seat. He often stared at the officer’s holstered gun. Through his window, Patrick saw crowds of angry faces, signs declaring […]
What if we regarded and treated America as our family? | Opinion
Like it or not, we all are members of a larger family. America. As residents of a community, city and state, we are kin folk. Whether by blood or as neighbors; nearby or afar; friends or strangers; we all are related, by circumstances, in one way or another. So what sane, sensible, rational and caring […]
The next Jan. 6 should worry us more | Opinion
A version of this commentary originally appeared in the Pennsylvania Capital-Star. One year ago on this day, U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle was at his desk at the Longworth House Office Building, near the U.S. Capitol, when he heard an enraged mob, fueled by a former president’s false claims of fraud, making its way up Independence Avenue. Boyle, a […]
A 2022 wish list for Missouri politicos
In most jobs, most of the time, you determine your own destiny. If you’re a salesman who wants to sell more copiers the next year, you make a plan to develop more leads, make more calls every morning, get more sits and refine your pitch to close more effectively. If you’re a software engineer who […]
Missouri’s marijuana legalization efforts should learn from the legal hemp industry | Opinion
Marijuana reform in Missouri has been a hotly contested topic since at least 2016, as thousands of entrepreneurs and commercial entities have competed for access to commercial licensing. In 2018, the New Approach Missouri campaign won the support of 66% of Missouri voters to put a medical marijuana program into the state’s Constitution. In 2020, […]
Capitol Perspectives: A possible partisan legislative food fight
Missouri’s election year legislative session begins with many of the bills filed raising partisan disputes. Proposed limits on COVID-19 restrictions are a major focus. Well more than two dozen bills were pre-filed to restrict COVID-19 mandates. Some would block mandating a test, mask or proof of vaccination. One measure even would make any employer, including […]
Next year will not be better unless we get involved | Opinion
As a new year dawns, many of us may find it difficult to be very hopeful about anything as we continue to see so many negative forces impacting our daily lives. But we all have choices. We can choose to be resigned and discouraged, or we can choose to do something about it. The New […]
As more families choose charter schools, Missouri funding gap persists | Opinion
Missouri’s public-school kids deserve to be treated fairly. Throughout the pandemic, our schools have gone above and beyond to provide critical resources, from laptops to hotspots, meals for families, and so much more. They worked tirelessly to keep us connected to our school community. It is time that they start receiving their fair share of […]
A Christmas letter: Phil, America is a promise we must keep
Phil, You’ve been away for a good long while, so here’s a Christmas letter to catch you up on all the news you’ve missed. So much has changed. Time steals like a shadow over the living, rendering us all Henry Adams at history’s eclipse. There’s much I want to share, because you could have helped […]
Capitol Perspectives: Personal attacks in Congress versus Missouri
The recent personal and racially tinged partisan attacks by a couple of U.S. House members, and the absence of swift discipline, stands in stark contrast to how legislators treat one another in Missouri’s General Assembly. This contrast reminded me of a speech by the late Sen. Richard Webster made on the night of his final […]