Democratic presidential candidates offer two broad approaches to fixing our health care problems: a public option, where we have the ability to buy into Medicare, or Medicare for All, a broader approach in which all Americans are covered by an expanded Medicare plan. There are several factors to consider when evaluating these choices. In regards to universal coverage, some public option plans achieve this, but some don't. Medicare for All encompasses all of us. Public option plans leave multiple

I’m writing and recording this perspective in my home office that is illuminated with five LED light bulbs. In fact, save for one, every single light source in my house and garage comes from an LED bulb. No one in my family looks orange in the cast of any of these bulbs, and certainly no one in this house is pining for the old incandescent bulbs. My point in all of this is I am befuddled, baffled, angry, aghast and not a little disappointed in those whose logic on energy policy defies logic by

Rain. My word. And thunderbolts split the sky. Of late these storms ride at night, when I’m wide awake. Power flashes and the black dog cowers. Worry. Gutters overflow. The basement pools. My friend Mike says night rain makes him drool. Better than some pill. I wish. Write about what keeps you awake at night, my old professor said. Rain. Marches across the night to assault the house. Raps on my bedroom window with its little bayonets. All nouns contain images, Lynda Barry says. But where do they

For about a year now I have been obsessed with the stock photographs that accompany tech stories, especially news stories about automation and robots. You probably know or have seen the images I am talking about. They usually picture a human hand reaching out and shaking hands with a robot or imparting the “spark of life” by touching index fingers -- an obvious reference to the “Creation of Adam” that is pictured in Michelangelo’s painting for the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. These images are

Walking early evening as shades of pink and blue soak up the sky, a sadness creeps over me as I reflect on passages from “21 Lessons for the 21st Century” by Yuval Noah Harari. "For thousands of years Homo sapiens behaved as an ecological serial killer; now it is morphing into an ecological mass murderer. If we continue with our present course, it will not just cause the annihilation of a large percentage of all life-forms but also might sap the foundation of human civilization.” We are

Lately my Perspectives pieces have doubled down on serious matters concerning “our shadow side,” and “contagious anxiety.” While important subjects, it’s time for a little lightness. Our son, Jeremiah, and his wife, Caroline recently moved from Chicago to the San Francisco area with their sweet dog, Luna. Caroline, an oncology physician, landed a very good job with Kaiser Health and Jeremiah is continuing his consultation with clients, including frequent trips back to Chicago. Their furniture

Earlier this year the state of Illinois joined California, Colorado, Oregon, and New Jersey when it passed Inclusive Curriculum legislation, which allows LGBT History in Public School Education. The purpose of this law is to ensure that the contributions of members of this often marginalized community would be included in the history curriculum. Needless to say the reaction from people has been mixed. While everyone is entitled to their opinion, I’ve been shocked by the reaction of several of my

No matter how powerful I feel in my daily life, or how strong and thriving my community seems to be, seeing another news report of a mass shooting roll across the screen makes my heart skip a beat. I feel powerless to stop the tide of this trend where people unleash their anger in violence as a statement to the world. I think about what lies ahead for us as a nation, and I wonder if it’s possible to move past this stage to a new season where people choose to respond thoughtfully to conflict

Some childhood terrors you never get over. When I was six years old on the playground of my little Central Texas grammar school, a teacher told me to be careful on the see-saw. I answered her “yes,” whereupon she glared at me and said, “From now on, Tommy, you are to say ‘yes, ma'am.” whereupon I did just that. The teacher was no ordinary pedagogue. This was Mrs. Barnett, the school principal. I must have been a fragile kid, since, ever since that day, I’ve been addressing almost everybody and

The Department of Energy’s website promotes the use of LED lightbulbs, pointing out that they last up to 25 times longer than incandescent bulbs. A helpful video explains that LED bulbs use only about 25% of the energy of the older bulbs. But you’d better check this site out soon, as it may not survive the administration’s proposed rollback of a 2007 rule limiting the sale of the old bulbs. Enacted during the Bush Administration, the energy-saving rule was scheduled to take effect early next