It seems no matter which party is in power, health care in America costs too much and does too little. There’s a lot of handwringing about this lately, but not much action. We could seek solutions by looking to other countries, but we won’t. As Americans we hate being told that someone else is doing …
An American Proposal: Let the Health Care Games Commence Read More »
I won’t shed a tear for the demise of the Sessions-Trump bromance. They were an odd couple from day one, joined together by a shared hatred for brown people with foreign accents and outdated ideas about drug enforcement. Bad policy is not enough to sustain a longterm love affair. If Sessions is removed from office—and I …
The Trumps are due for a rebranding. They aren’t modern day empire builders. They aren’t real estate tycoons. They aren’t savvy business owners. They aren’t a political family. The Trumps are America’s White House mafia. Let’s explore the evidence. The Trumps embrace bad associates. Let’s start with current news. We now know that Donald Trump Jr. …
My husband is a whiz at fast-forwarding through television commercials. I am not so quick to the button. When he travels, as he’s doing now, I see a lot of random advertisements while I’m watching Jeopardy! or the news. There is an ad running now that is both relentlessly terrifying and ridiculous. It’s an ad …
The president of the United States has too many opinions about women. Earlier this week he called over a reporter from Ireland and flirted with her while he was on the phone with Ireland’s new prime minister. “I bet she treats you well,” he said, as if the reporter were a mistress rather than a …
My husband and I are currently watching the multi-part documentary The Keepers on Netflix. It is hard to watch, even harder to stop watching. We are four episodes in. If you aren’t familiar with the story, it begins with the unsolved murder of a young nun, who was a popular teacher at a Catholic girls school …
Ivanka Trump is surprised to discover the world is cruel. During an interview this weekend she said she’d encountered an unexpected “level of viciousness” since moving to Washington, D.C. Ivanka has lived too long in a cozy cocoon of wealth and power and privilege. Now she is emerging, not as a butterfly but as a common moth. She’s drawn to the light …
Last week I wrote a blog post about hypocrisy. It struck a nerve. Most of my posts get fewer than 100 views. When a post edges up over 200 views, I celebrate. In the first few days, “You Said This Was What You Wanted” registered nearly 40,000 views. My website crashed and crashed again. The last …
I have never cared for Kathy Griffin’s comedy. I never thought she was funny. I never thought she was a very good actress. And I wasn’t surprised when she posted photos depicting a simulated beheading of the current president. Frankly it seems in line with her brand of humor. I was shocked to hear all …
In writing workshops someone is always asking about the motivation of your characters. What’s her motivation here? His motivation isn’t clear. I don’t see what motivates them to make these choices. In fiction, as in real life, people like to be able to understand why someone does what he does. A character who is steady and modest shouldn’t …