Breaking News

Opinion

Gerrymandering widens political rift

National Columnists

Politicians and political parties, when unconstrained by constitutional guardrails or statutory limits, have long demonstrated a remarkable ability to manipulate electoral rules to their advantage. Gerrymandering is among the most enduring and consequential examples of this practice. Recent developments underscore how entrenched and aggressive this practice has become. In Texas, congressional districts were redrawn in a way that favors Republicans in 30 of 38 seats. In response, Virginia has pursued a redistricting approach that could give Democrats an advantage in 10 of its 11 ...

Marriage: Inequality gap has consequences

National Columnists

The most consequential inequality in America is not the wealth gap or the wage gap. It may not be the racial opportunity gap. The marriage gap is wreaking havoc. And unfortunately, it's the gap that gets the least attention. I'm a libertarian. I don't care whom, or if, you marry. Yet I'm reminded that there is a problem by a new report from the American Enterprise Institute. Edited by Kevin Corinth and Scott Winship, "Land of Opportunity: Advancing the American Dream" covers a broad range of challenges facing the country today, from the cost of living and workforce development to ...

Gerrymandering is as old as republic

National Columnists

For almost a year now, America's two parties have been engaged in a mass congressional redistricting battle royale. The fun kicked off in Texas last July, when Gov. Greg Abbott, following President Donald Trump's urging, first pushed the Texas Legislature to redistrict the Lone Star State's congressional maps in a pro-Republican direction. Missouri and North Carolina soon followed, prompting California Gov. Gavin Newsom to get in on the action: Golden State voters approved the use of a new map at the ballot box last November. On April 21, Virginia voters narrowly approved a new ...

Most practical protest

National Columnists

Spring is filled with dreams of locally grown food. Last weekend, my family volunteered for our local community garden, helping get beds ready and putting tomato and pepper plants in the ground. At home, we planted zinnias and sunflowers. My family also signed up for shares of Community Supported Agriculture from our local farmer. I love this time of year. Getting our hands in dirt reminds us where our food comes from and that we need to take care of the Earth. Our food is only as good as the soil we grow it in, and to have healthy soil, we must treat the Earth well in ...

Your whereabouts are known at all times

National Columnists

"Big Brother is watching you" is no longer a fictional admonition. Everywhere you go, your location is recorded by phone technology, license plate readers, Uber and Lyft transactions, and cameras. Privacy? Forget about it. Your location history is in the hands of many tech companies. Can the police and other government agencies force tech companies to share that information about you? The U.S. Supreme Court took up that question on Monday. The court's decision could have widespread impact on your privacy. If your location history puts you within a 1-mile radius of a bank ...

Do we know our enemy?

National Columnists

President Trump canceled a delegation of U.S. negotiators about to head to Islamabad for continued negotiations with Iran because it appeared no one from the Iranian regime planned to show up. It's past time to consider whether the American side truly knows the goals of the Iranian side. Such knowledge is key to success. In his often quoted "The Art of War," Sun Tzu wrote: "If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the ...