In a previous Perspective we considered the idea — a bad idea — that the American voter is a passive consumer. Now let’s think about another model: the American voter as sports fan. Political scientists tell us that our voting habits are tribal to a fault. If you’re a Republican who dislikes the idea of privatizing Social Security but your party’s candidate for President advocates the idea, you won’t switch parties. You’ll change your position on privatizing Social Security. You’ll think, “Well,

The new tax bill is likely to be signed into law by the end of December. Happy holidays, everyone! There’s one person who will get a significant holiday gift, and that’s the president. The new tax law will change two taxes that have been costing him and other wealthy people a lot of money. How big a gift can be seen by looking at two pages of the president’s 2005 tax return, released last March by a journalist -- not the president. The new bill reduces the pass-through tax owed by many small and

Whenever I used the word “hate” as a child, adults always asked me, “Do you really hate it, or do you dislike it?” Today, “hate” keeps people divided. The media remind us of hate groups, hate crimes, and hate speech -- for example, CBS’s coverage of the White Supremacy march in Charlottesville. We receive underlying messages through our televisions to pick a side in all the chaos. The message we don’t receive, however, is that we belong to the same side: humanity. As the most evolved species,

I am no gearhead, but cars are cool. For six years, I drove a very utilitarian minivan. It’s great for family, but turning the key, I just feel stale. Last spring for a change of pace, I acquired a classic car-- a bright red, v8 engine Mustang. It’s been around, but it still has lots of life. I giggled the first time I turned the key. I gave the car some gas, laughing as the engine roared. I revelled in Little Red’s power. Driving Little Red, I looked around more -- noticing the sky, the birds,

It is the season of giving. There are toy and coat drives, canned food collections and many ways to give to others. It feels good to be able to give to others. What could possibly be wrong with giving to those who we see as less fortunate? Robert Lupton, in his book Toxic Charity , writes about the father who disappeared out the back door when well-meaning folks from the suburbs brought toys and gifts to his inner-city family at Christmas. The father was embarrassed in front of his wife and

Worldwide, most people are at least bilingual. Yet how many times have you heard, “I studied French in high school, but I don’t remember any of it?” Studies confirm the experience of millions: Language acquisition is far more successful when begun in the first few years of life and sustained. So why do we still “tack on” foreign languages so late? Is it our limited view regarding the purpose of education as a collection of finished outcomes? Add separate subjects to your toolkit, and presto, you

Although the holiday carols and twinkling lights are showing up across the landscape, the urge to deck the halls is supplanted by the need to clear the decks for many people who are grieving a loss or dealing with more than the usual share of hard luck at the holidays. Holiday images and television commercials are typically built on the assumption that each of us has a close-knit extended family that numbers half the size of the Chicagoland population. While reproductive truths indicate that

George R.R. Martin once wrote “A mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge.” Books enhance our knowledge and build personal connections. Books are more than words printed on paper. They represent artistic works which can impact readers’ lives significantly. All literary genres offer inspiring messages, intriguing philosophies, and immeasurable values. Thomas Paine’s Common Sense helped colonists break ties with Great Britain during the American Revolution. John

Last year I bought a couple of expensive planners, hoping they would nudge me out of days wasted on Facebook. I started with a daily shaped around the Christian year. I moved to a weekly that gave me space to write down yearly and monthly goals as well as enough lines to schedule my days. I abandoned both, because checking off the task didn’t motivate me. Both planners were too big to carry in my purse or to be present when my “to do” list fired off in my brain. Finding a daily routine has

Even though this may be the most inopportune moment imaginable, the assertion must still be made. Democracy absolutely requires political parties in order to succeed. We ignore their virtues at our peril. Let us list some of the functions of political parties as emphasized by experts. Party labels send a signal or "cue" to voters. The single most important factor determining our vote is party affiliation. To protect us the Constitution fragments power with separation of powers and federalism.