2009

Cain and Abel tell the tale of US politics It’s been a bummer year, and the next doesn’t portend to be much, if any, better. The climate change conference in Copenhagen…

Dark days slowly end with winter solstice At a recent gathering, friends had the perfect gift for me: a stuffed Grinch That Stole Christmas. The only problem is it plays holiday…

Troops can make a difference in Afghanistan About this time eight years ago, a hopeful sign appeared in ancient and embattled Afghanistan: Women and girls stepped tenuously into a ray of…

Local recycling business good for the community After years of living in Clear Creek and working in Summit, I can attest to one aspect wherein Clear Creek lags: recycling. Our friends…

Budget cuts should avoid schools It’s a mess, quite frankly, and in the truest sense of the word, one feels compassion for Gov. Bill Ritter having to make excruciating budget cuts.…

Democracy needs to reinvent itself I felt like a student again at the University of Pittsburgh in a Professor Keefe seminar about the dynamics of the American political system. Sitting down…

A better grading scale for schools is in order Some millennia ago, Hindus began to understand the role of class and power in society. Thus, they created a caste system (in…

What’s Idaho Springs got that Georgetown doesn’t? “OK, Br’er Rabbit, we mentioned the Code Enforcement Task Force, wind farm and economic development ideas as some of the good in Georgetown,” said…

G-Town: The good, bad, and ugly “OK, Suzy Six Pack, what’s on your mind? You seem a bit out of sorts.” “Yeah, Joe and I are wondering why you haven’t been…

Issues abound in health care debate It’s been a fight for the ages, but two tangential issues have moved to center stage in the health care reform brouhaha: majority rule in…

21st-century thinking is needed in Afghanistan Without a doubt, a cool, wet autumn day is best to immerse oneself into a book that tells a captivating story. Sipping more than three…

Health care choices may not be choices at all The medical definition for obesity is being 20 percent or more above one’s weight, resulting in a score of 30 or above…

Harnessing wind energy the way to go Regular readers know I am an admirer of Ted Kennedy because of his broad advocacy for human rights. But that admiration ends on the…

Will our success be our undoing? One of the more affirming things about the direction of our country in these “troubled times” is the overall movement towards a sustainable green economy,…

A lot learned at the Clear Creek Watershed Festival I wasn’t aware that Clear Creek County is part of a 400-square-mile EPA superfund hazardous material site. Considering the county’s area is…