The midterms generated a blue wave that inundated Illinois. Pritzker romped. Democrats won every state-wide office and defended their extraordinary legislative majorities. Illinois is now one of the bluest of blue states. What happened, and what's next? It happened for several reasons. First, Illinois is, and has been, trending Democratic. Demographic changes are profound and persistent. ‎In addition, there was a down ballot anti-Trump and anti-Rauner effect. Trump's biting social and cultural

Today I am thinking about the “American Dream.” And my gutters — full of limbs, leaves, walnuts and huge seed pods off my locust tree. Stuff that comes with a big part the American Dream — owning your own home. Listen to any home-buying fixer-upper TV show: “ Ohhh , look at that big, beautiful yard.” “And those trees. They’re going to be beautiful in the fall.” “This deck is amazing. It’s huge.” And I love this one: “I must have a built-in pool.” Ahhh silly people. That American Dream can turn

One week from now is the official start of the 2018 holiday season. The flurry of activity, the anticipation of wonder, the gathering of family and friends – it all begins on November 22. I for one will be busy preparing for the only holiday dinner we host, Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving for several reasons. 1. It’s traditional foods. My family does not take kindly to new or exotic dishes. 2. There are no gift exchanges . T hat’s another holiday. 3. People are generally in a good mood. The

This moment feels historic in so many ways. We have over 100 women elected to Congress for the first time. We have the first Muslim women in Congress, we have the first Native American women in Congress. We have the first openly LGBTQIA+ Congress member from Kansas and the first openly gay Governor. We have the youngest women ever to serve in Congress coming from Iowa and New York. There are barriers being broken, glass ceilings being shattered, and history being made. There is so much to

A work colleague once introduced me to the idea of “poop detectors.” Of course he used another four-letter adjective, which would have to be bleeped out on public radio. We worked for the same boss whose management style necessitated this kind of filtering system. Being a very literal person, I imagined these detectors as mud flaps in front of my ears. That image has re-emerged in my mind’s eye since the November 2016 election, except the mud flaps have grown now to envelop me like a giant

November 6 th was our latest election day. Once again, there have been sound allegations of voter suppression in Georgia, Florida, and other states. Since 1968, when we saw a mass exodus of Southern segregationists flee the Democratic party to the Republican party, Republicans have regularly attempted to pass laws suppressing access to the ballot box. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, 24 states have laws making it harder for citizens to vote, and those laws disproportionately

As a caravan of Central American refugees works its way north through Mexico, some have claimed that "Middle Easterners" are accompanying the group. I thought that was a ludicrous idea, until I looked more closely at the photographs. Then, as I carefully examined the faces of the travelers, what I had at first doubted soon became obvious. I saw the Middle Easterner in the face of the infant being held and admired by his parents. I saw the Middle Easterner in the face of the child, fleeing

The midterm elections are over. Blame and praise and excuses abound. And the 2020 election has begun. Lord help us. Considering that as goes Ohio so goes the election, maybe we ought to limit all spending, all campaigning, to that single state. Imagine, for a moment, the next two years free of that particular circus ! (Apologies, Ohio). We would have time for important public discourse: We could address the egregious vilification of a group of refugees. Engage in a public debate over how to

Next week is Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. Food and shelter are the most basic human needs, yet on any given night in Illinois over 10,000 people are homeless. Some of these homeless faces are young; 1 in 4 is a child. Mental illness, drug addiction, the lack of affordable housing, and unemployment are common causes of homelessness. But even if you’re working, in Illinois you need to make more than $20 an hour or, on minimum wage, put in 99 hours a week to afford a two-bedroom

Do you know about dendroch ronology , the science of tree-ring dating ? Counting tree rings reveals not just a tree’s age , but also the conditions under which it lived . A tree’s cross section shows prosperous years, where it put on much good wood, and drought years, where it just hunkered down. It also reveals the years of fire. A t a recent lecture on the subject, my mind wandered, as it sometimes does. What would a dendrochronologist learn about me, if she could exercise her science on my