The shutdown was never about a budget, nor was it really about a wall. The wall represents immigration. Immigration, in turn, represents a toxic panoply of issues facing us, and dividing the parties. The divisions are so wide and deep as to induce despair over reconciliation. Each party panders pathetically to its base. Republicans charge Democrats with imperiling ‎our national identity while exposing us to waves of crime and drugs. Democrats indict Republicans for betraying our national

My life has revolved around journalism … newspapers. Which means I’ve devoted a lot of time to asking questions. I learned many years ago that every news story is built on a foundation of five W’s and the H. Who? What? When? Where? Why? … and How? You must answer all these questions to complete a story. Now, I’ve been thinking about those questions lately. In terms of the story I’m still writing -- about myself. This started when I read one of those how-to-make-your-life-better articles by

I am sitting on my bed at the Hilton Inn in Indianapolis, Indiana. In the other bed is my daughter, Suzanne. We are on our way to Louisville to launch a year long Leadership Development Program for one of our corporate clients. We have written this program together . It is unique, filled with new ideas and challenges for the students. Along the way we had some bumpy conversations, and here we are one day away from lift off. Last year, when Suzanne ran for McHenry County Board, I managed her

This week, 800,000 federal workers will miss a second paycheck due to the shutdown of the federal government. On December 11, Mr. Trump declared that he would own the shutdown of the government if Congress did not approve over five billion dollars to fund the construction of a border wall. Since then, congressional Democrats, some Republicans, and the president have been at loggerheads, and the Democrats refuse to budge, arguing that acquiescing to Mr. Trump during a governmental shutdown will

Compared to some folks, I may be pretty green in terms of my interaction with the environment. Heck, at Trader Joe’s they thank me for bringing in my own bags. But after a bit of research, I realized that in my recycling zeal, I was putting prohibited items into my bin. I was aware that styrofoam and those thin, food containers with the number six etched into the plastic were a no-no but discovered that the Dart Container Corporation in Aurora will accept those, with some exceptions. Each town

Thirty-five years ago, National Sanctity of Human Life Day was instituted by President Ronald Reagan as a day to advocate for the life of the unborn.  Observance falls on the 22 nd  of January, the day in 1973 that the Supreme Court ruled on Roe v. Wade and legalized abortion.   Churches, pregnancy help centers, and other advocates hold special services, prayer vigils and marches, typically throughout the month, to raise awareness and win converts to the cause that honors life at conception and

A recent WNIJ news story focused on a doctor's proposal for a single payer universal health care system, while a representative of the Heritage Foundation -- a conservative think tank -- argued against it, suggesting that a "free market" approach would be far better. I smiled as I listened to this, because for half of my adult life I went without any health care precisely because of free enterprise. The market may be the best mechanism for building cars, cell phones, and other consumer goods,

Since 2017, the Women’s March has been a crucial part of our American narrative. I have had the privilege to march in previous years. I march for unity and equality. It is that simple. Unity and equality are the base of any prosperous society. Look over history, or herstory, and you will see how civilizations rose and fell depending upon how well they implemented these two core concepts. The more unity, the more equality; the stronger the nation, the higher it rose, and the more its people

Studying the book of Mark in my adult Sunday school class recently got me thinking about a question I have always liked to ponder: at what point did Mary approach her son and tell him the big news? And that question led me to my favorite (and I would argue most tragic) superhero: Superman. Indulge me for a moment. The conversation between Mary and a yo ung Jesus must have paralleled in fascinating ways the conversation Jonathan and Martha Kent must have had with their son Clark. B oth Jesus and

When my hand met the chainsaw, I was just finishing up the trailer load of dead elm , working quickly so I could get to a noon appointment. I had stolen this sunny morning to try to get the woodpile in shape. It always feels good to steal a morning and cut a load of wood . Don’t ask me why. I was heating up beneath my old Carhart , so I shucked it. Shucked too the nice leather gloves with real alpaca linings that would have saved my fingers had I left them on . Now the trailer was full and there