mmckerral's blog
I made my way through closets and boxes this past weekend in my annual effort to get rid of things untouched for years.
In a two-drawer file cabinet in an unlabeled Manila folder I found seven pages of single-spaced, typed (with a typewriter) notes from an October 1980 interview I did with Sen. Eugene J. McCarthy, D-Minn., who died in 2005.
Most folks — other than lawmakers and lobbying interests — have paid little attention to the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act until news stories focused on website blackouts that cropped up in protest.
The House version of the bill, called SOPA, sits in the House Judiciary Committee. The Senate version, the Protect Intellectual Property Act, called PIPA, awaits a floor vote.
If prognostications come true about the world ending in 2012, one thing will be saved: Social Security.
Economic experts say that starting this year, the trust fund stops taking in more money that it pays out.
Yet, it remains the one topic all politicians choose to avoid, except maybe Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum.
I don’t think the news about the public approval rating for Congress shocks most people. Its members have done little to gain any support, using their lawmaking power to block plans by the “other side” more than move any kind of legislation forward.
Members talk endlessly about the national debt, the lack of a consistent immigration policy, a flawed tax system, an entitlement system that continues to break the bank, muddled foreign policy and a stagnant economy.
Nothing serves as a better barometer for the economy than the Christmas season. The news and financial pages become filled with stories about how much people spend and buy — all closely attached to measuring consumer attitude, employment and earnings reports for retailers.
Quietly and with little fanfare the war in Iraq “officially” ended last week — some would say for the second time.
Yes, President George W. Bush landed on an aircraft carrier and enjoyed photo opportunities in front of a banner displaying the words “Mission Accomplished” back in 2003, but most knew better.
Budget watchers expect the release this week of the highly debated federal budget, and it's probably going to top $1 trillion despite ongoing efforts to cut it.
“Spending cuts” have been the mantra in Congress, but when it comes to what gets cut and how much, well, things get nasty.
We’ve come a long way since the Iowa caucus straw poll, and the complexion of the Republican Party race for a presidential candidate went through some substantial changes — some surprising, some not.
Herman Cain announced Saturday the suspension of his campaign, one dogged by a series of accusations about sexual harassment and extramarital affairs. Cain’s quick rise to the top of the polls came as a surprise, but his decision to quit did not.
I started stockpiling Christmas presents for family and friends in a spare bedroom back in the summer.
Now, Christmas Day looms less than a month away. That means getting started on wrapping and boxing gifts — and mailing them.
That got me thinking about the steady stream of stories about the sagging finances of the U.S. Postal Service and what Americans would do without it.
I hear a lot of politicians and lawmakers talk about ensuring that their children and grandchildren have a good life in a country with a sound economy and abounding in opportunity.
Seems so far, the lawmakers and politicians have failed. And the future for young people in this country looks bleaker, not better.
