Headline wishes for 2012

My friend and colleague Tom Waseleski, editorial page editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, always prepares for New Year’s Day an aspirational list of headlines from which  many of us could benefit. Here, with my own imprint, are the headlines I’d like to see in 2012.National Jobless Rate Drops Below 7 PercentThose Benefiting from New Health …

Continue reading Headline wishes for 2012

Vaclav Havel and Kim Jong Il deaths trigger synthetic and real mourning

The national mourning following the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is so staged as to be laughable. Its purpose was to reinforce the idea that people should cope with the “grief” by staying loyal to Kim Jong Il’s son, Kim Jong Un. This should be fodder for the next edition of Saturday …

Continue reading Vaclav Havel and Kim Jong Il deaths trigger synthetic and real mourning

Casino czar smart choice

Naming Steve Crosby to chair the state’s newly created gambling commission is a very smart decision by Governor Patrick. If casinos are finally to be built in Massachusetts, at least there will be someone of integrity to oversee their licensing and operation. Crosby is well suited to carry out the goals of fairness and transparency. …

Continue reading Casino czar smart choice

All in the Family: Can Sleazy Aunt Betty and Crooked Brother-in-law Bob wreck a political career?

Life is complicated, and family relationships make it all the more so, especially if you’re in the business of politics. The impact goes both ways, from long-suffering spouses standing bravely by a pol who has done wrong, to the politicians enduring the guilt by association with a ne’er-do-well cousin or in-law. Debbie DiMasi, wife of …

Continue reading All in the Family: Can Sleazy Aunt Betty and Crooked Brother-in-law Bob wreck a political career?