We recall Civics 101. It was a course that outlined the function and form of governance. The roles and responsibilities of state governments versus the federal government being one of the chief considerations. Within that construct was the nota ...
Trump Executive Orders Give Back by Taking Less, but Could Discourage Return to Work
In a rare event for Washington, the federal government is giving back to the people by taking less. Instead of growing government, President Donald Trump is putting money directly in your wallet. Trump recently issued four executive orders aimed a ...
Higher Education’s Market Reckoning
Want to buy a college campus? Maybe you’d like to commission the services of a psychology department. Perhaps you’re hoping to hire an associate provost for diversity initiatives. If so, you’re in luck! It’s a buyer’s market. I use the word “market ...
This Back To School Season, Families Should Decide
Parents and other observers have many understandable questions about how their local school districts are responding to the challenges presented by COVID-19. At this juncture, I don’t think it’s helpful to lay much blame on anyone. There will be ple ...
Hey, ABC Board…Know Your Role!
Let’s start with clearing the air...generally speaking I don’t hang out in bars. This is not a puff piece to defend pub crawls. So before any of my folks, fans or friends think that I’m writing this because I was hoping for one last round after 11 p. ...
Keep a Weather Eye on the Horizon – A Legal Storm is Brewing
I don’t know if you’ve ever had the displeasure of being at sea when a major storm develops. It is disconcerting, to say the least. As the deck pitches and rolls, the mental review of the all-hands disaster planning takes place in the mind. Pulling i ...
Don’t Be Fooled by a Self-Licking Ice Cream Cone
What if I told you that the government could tax you, then shut down your ability to pay the taxes, then provide you the funds to keep operating, but then tax you an extra amount on the funds they sent you. Sounds ridiculous, right? Well, we’re on th ...
To Educate Our Children
Children often bear the worst of our challenges, and our disagreements. When Alabama public schools shut down in response to the Coronavirus pandemic, we saw (again) that the promise of education is not equally available to all young people. Many go ...
Sharing Our Self-Governance in Emergencies
Who rules us? For centuries, the dominant American answer has been that we rule ourselves. But there are alternative views. As long as there have been human beings, some have insisted that we should not have to rule ourselves, but should be free to d ...
Alabama Needs to Limit Uncertainty for Healthcare Providers in the Pandemic
Uncertainty can be crippling. In many, it turns an energetic “can-do” spirit into a cautious “wait and see” mentality. In 2011, more than half of small businesses surveyed by the US Chamber of Commerce said they were holding off on hiring new employ ...