Editorial

Here’s a fact that is little known inside the confines of the United States: Along the border with Mexico, approximately 60,000 people have been put in limbo through the Migrant Protection Protocols. These are people seeking asylum or generally trying to enter the United States, but they face bureaucratic hurdles that are preventing their cases from being considered on the merits. In the era of COVID-19, this is a problem that risks unleashing a catastrophe and therefore needs to be addressed. The basic issue is as follows: Back in … [Read more...] about Border security should also include safety for asylum seekers petitioning to enter the United States

In this summer of Republican discontent, a handful of GOP House members have identified what’s ailing the party: Liz Cheney. The two-term Wyoming congresswoman, chair of the House GOP Conference and daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney was called out at a conference meeting for myriad alleged sins, including insufficient loyalty to President Donald Trump. This episode is much more telling about Cheney’s internal GOP critics than Cheney. She rightly refuses to play by the dumb rule insisted on by MAGA and Never-Trump … [Read more...] about In defense of Liz Cheney

In ancient history — that is, before TV — there was a gentleman’s agreement that the presidential electioneering didn’t really get underway until Labor Day. But how times have changed! First of all, there are no gentlepersons left in politics, certainly no bipartisanship. The television news era, now known as the “good old days,” is made obsolete by antisocial media, where everyone has a worldwide megaphone and facts be damned. Meanwhile, campaigning goes on nonstop, a blurry round of constant demagoguery. No longer does it matter … [Read more...] about All politics, all the time

Numbers don’t always tell us what we want to know, but they often tell us what we need to know. Our society places a lot of importance on counting things. Cars, chairs, tickets, balls, doughnuts, money, stars, trees, miles, calories, students, wheels on the bus — you get the idea. So why has the state of Michigan found it so darn hard to provide accurate counts of people infected with COVID-19 in long-term care facilities and nursing homes? It seems like a somewhat simple task. The facilities we’re talking about have finite … [Read more...] about Numbers problems speak volumes about state nursing home oversight

The status quo isn’t working; infections have doubled over the last 6 weeks Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ proposal to provide every American with three free high-quality, reusable face masks is a great idea for an obvious reason: In a nation with more than 4.4 million people known to be infected by the coronavirus, and more than 150,000 people killed by COVID-19, the disease the virus causes, it’s plain the public health response to the pandemic needs sharp improvement. “We are the only high-income country in the world where … [Read more...] about Give every American free masks; save lives and the economy

The Biden campaign has been lucky most of all, but it’s also been smart, at least smart enough. To go, as Joe Biden did, from left for dead to sweeping to the Democratic nomination and quickly thereafter emerging as the favorite in November is a run of success that would be the envy of any national politician. It’s easy to consider this a mere accident given the weakness of Biden’s opponents, first a socialist in the Democratic primaries who had a ceiling on his support and now an incumbent president whose ratings have … [Read more...] about Joe Biden’s shockingly adequate campaign

Let’s suppose Donald Trump and his family, the Trumpettes, really go down in flames on Election Day, and let’s suppose their last-minute desperate efforts to hold onto power fail. What are they going to do when they’re not facing legal action for all their crimes? That’s easy: The big guy, former President Donald Trump can go back to his life as a successful huckster. He’s displayed a real talent for pitching products on TV once again with that picture of him in the White House surrounded with Goya products. This, after Goya CEO … [Read more...] about 1-800-GRIFTER

Ever since the horrifying death of George Floyd at the hands (or knee) of a Minneapolis police officer on May 25, there have been calls to defund local police agencies. By defund, we assume supporters of that action mean take funding away from departments that is currently being allocated and perhaps, in the extreme, do away with individual departments altogether. We believe that would be a very bad idea. Here’s why. Regrettably, law enforcement is needed in this day and age. If someone’s robbing the bank down the street, who … [Read more...] about Police reform needed, but it should start with cops

Editor: Sunday’s story regarding Rivergate Terrace cast a negative light over 300 Life Care associates without the benefit of the full facts and context. For the champions of care who faced COVID-19 head on and turned an unprecedented pandemic into a COVID-free facility, the poor journalism is harmful and unfair. The April 10 survey by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs came just 18 days after the first positive case at Rivergate. Infection control protocols were the highest priority. The country was … [Read more...] about People of Rivergate should be praised, not vilified