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Beware of election meddling by Russia

No informed high official in our government disputes that Russia is doing its best to influence the 2020 election, not by hacking into computers and altering vote totals but by sowing dissension among us. In case you hadn’t noticed, that strategy worked very well in 2016 and has since. Don’t give Moscow all the credit, however — we Americans are quite good at going for each other’s throats without any encouragement from abroad. But Vladimir Putin’s regime — and other foreign foes — leave nothing to chance. They continue to use social media to spread lies against both ...

Maintain keen eye on national debt

Members of Congress and the White House had no realistic option but to approve about $3 trillion in emergency spending to battle COVID-19’s devastating impact on the economy. Even more federal money may have to be appropriated for the purpose. But last week, we were reminded of another epidemic that threatens to harm Americans severely — of our government spending beyond its means. On Friday, the Treasury Department announced the U.S. budget deficit has hit an all-time high, of $3 trillion. That is just for the first 11 months of the fiscal year. Hundreds of millions of dollars ...

COVID-19 not over yet

Remember just a few months ago when some disease analysts who had been predicting COVID-19 would kill 200,000 Americans were being ridiculed by some people? For a time, it appeared the pandemic would claim fewer than 100,000 lives in our country. But on Sunday, the tally had topped 194,000. It appears early predictions of 200,000 coronavirus deaths may have been wildly optimistic. Still, we may be making some progress. Daily deaths have been declining in some places. Ironically, that may be only because so many people died in cities such as New York during the virus’ first wave, ...

Parties need to vet all candidates

Our liberties rest only on the willingness of good men and women to charge into the fray of politics when they think change is needed in government. But merely getting into the battle is not enough. One must be willing to remain engaged. In that light, what happened last week in Georgia should be viewed by all Americans, Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike, as a political tragedy. National attention has focused on the race for one of Georgia’s seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. That is because the Republican candidate, Marjorie Taylor Greene, has said she ...

Stars and Stripes must continue to publish

Some in the military brass may have applauded news a few weeks ago that Stars and Stripes, the newspaper circulated worldwide to members of the U.S. armed forces, was being closed. Stars and Stripes, which actually began publication during the Civil War, did not hit its stride until the 20th century. Part of its popularity was because many in the ranks saw it as their newspaper, which occasionally took shots at “the brass.” Last month, word began spreading that Stars and Stripes would be shut down. Though the publication operates semi-independently of the Pentagon, it relies ...

Credit insurance challenge needs attention

Among popular Christmas season activities during recent years has been finding the Elf on the Shelf. The stuffed toy, about 12 inches long, delights children who wonder where in the house he or she may be hiding. Thanks to COVID-19, a good place to start looking for the Elf this year would be the factory where the novelty is manufactured. The Elf, along with a substantial number of other products, may become a victim of the coronavirus. Blame a credit insurance crunch. As a recent Associated Press story explained, many manufacturers and distributors rely on credit insurance. ...