Opinions

2021-12-10 17:31:24
by The Breakthrough Institute
To Meet Methane Pledge, Biden Will Need Reduced Emissions From Cows — and Congress’ Help

The agricultural portion of Biden’s methane reduction plan, announced alongside the COP26 global methane pledge, proposes a reduction in U.S.... Read More

The agricultural portion of Biden’s methane reduction plan, announced alongside the COP26 global methane pledge, proposes a reduction in U.S. cattle emissions by facilitating the development and adoption of climate-friendly livestock innovations. It’s a notable inclusion, since, despite being overshadowed... Read More

2021-12-08 15:43:00
by Gary Franks
Bob Dole – the Gentleman From Kansas

My children often look at me as having lived the Forrest Gump type life with regard to people I have... Read More

My children often look at me as having lived the Forrest Gump type life with regard to people I have met, worked with, or befriended. Bob Dole is one of those great men. Senator Robert “Bob” Dole holds a meaningful... Read More

2021-12-02 15:11:44
by Leonard Pitts
'True Compassion is More Than Flinging a Coin to a Beggar'

Abraham could have asked for anything. The Make-A-Wish folks stood ready to make a dream come true for the 13-year-old... Read More

Abraham could have asked for anything. The Make-A-Wish folks stood ready to make a dream come true for the 13-year-old boy, who has aplastic anemia, a life-threatening blood disorder. But Adeola “Abraham” Olagbegi didn’t ask for a PS5 or a... Read More

2021-11-30 15:44:00
by Leonard Pitts
The Social Covenant has Shattered

Why would they do this? That question rises inevitably from a new wave of so-called flash-mob robberies, thieves by the... Read More

Why would they do this? That question rises inevitably from a new wave of so-called flash-mob robberies, thieves by the dozens invading retail stores to simply take what they want. It’s happened in California, Illinois, Minnesota and Maryland. Retailers ranging... Read More

A 19-State Coalition Urges Congress to Pass the PFAS Action Act

On Nov. 15, 2021, California Attorney General Rob Bonta joined a coalition of 19 attorneys in urging Congress to enact the PFAS... Read More

On Nov. 15, 2021, California Attorney General Rob Bonta joined a coalition of 19 attorneys in urging Congress to enact the PFAS Action Act, legislation amending federal environmental laws to address PFAS contamination and provide funding for cleanup. In recent years, the... Read More

Community Foundations in Time for Celebration and Reflection

This week, our nation comes together to recognize the more than 750 community foundations that operate in communities spanning the... Read More

This week, our nation comes together to recognize the more than 750 community foundations that operate in communities spanning the U.S. In many communities, organizations like mine have played a central role in fostering local collaboration and innovation to address... Read More

2021-11-11 01:49:00
by Leonard Pitts
How Young is Too Young to Teach White Kids About Race?

Isabella Tichenor killed herself a few days ago. She was 10 years old. Her mother, Brittany Tichenor-Cox, said last week... Read More

Isabella Tichenor killed herself a few days ago. She was 10 years old. Her mother, Brittany Tichenor-Cox, said last week that her daughter — she called her “Izzy” — had been the target of ongoing racist abuse from classmates at... Read More

Vexatious Trade Secret Litigation Shouldn’t Hamstring Innovation

When real estate title company Amrock sued data analytics firm HouseCanary in 2016, few foresaw how that seemingly straightforward $5... Read More

When real estate title company Amrock sued data analytics firm HouseCanary in 2016, few foresaw how that seemingly straightforward $5 million breach of contract lawsuit would trigger such significant constitutional and public policy concerns, or devolve into a years-long legal... Read More

2021-11-09 01:43:00
by Mary Sanchez
Two Missouri Inmates, Two Tales of Justice Delayed

Once an innocent person is entangled in the criminal justice system, it’s damningly difficult to wrench them free. The public... Read More

Once an innocent person is entangled in the criminal justice system, it’s damningly difficult to wrench them free. The public is only vaguely aware of this. After all, that’s the point. Someone sentenced to prison is out of the public... Read More

America Needs a Shockproof Supply Chain

As a retired colonel in the U.S. Marine Corp, my life has depended on having the proper personal protective equipment... Read More

As a retired colonel in the U.S. Marine Corp, my life has depended on having the proper personal protective equipment more than a few times. My experience has taught me the importance of adequate protection on the battlefield, and the... Read More

2021-11-04 14:57:25
by The Breakthrough Institute
Conservation Funding in Build Back Better a Boon for Climate-Smart Agriculture

The most recent Build Back Better (BBB) proposal contains $27 billion in funding for agricultural conservation projects — that would... Read More

The most recent Build Back Better (BBB) proposal contains $27 billion in funding for agricultural conservation projects — that would be in addition to existing program spending — spread out over the next five years. To put this number into... Read More

2021-11-02 02:15:00
by Rachel Marsden
Elon Musk Calls the UN’s Bluff to Open a Pandora’s Box

Multi-billionaire tech magnate Elon Musk built his Tesla Motors and SpaceX empire on $4.9 billion in government subsidies. And now he’s calling... Read More

Multi-billionaire tech magnate Elon Musk built his Tesla Motors and SpaceX empire on $4.9 billion in government subsidies. And now he’s calling out another beneficiary of government largesse: the United Nations. On November 1, the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) announced in... Read More

2021-10-26 02:06:00
by Leonard Pitts
Power Unrestrained Serves Only Itself

As police misbehavior goes, it was a small thing. No one was killed, or shot, or even arrested. But in... Read More

As police misbehavior goes, it was a small thing. No one was killed, or shot, or even arrested. But in a sense, that gives it all the more impact. Shorn of the distracting emotionalism of bloodshed or false arrest, last... Read More

Medicare Open Enrollment Is Here: What Beneficiaries Need to Know

Medicare’s annual Open Enrollment Period is here. From now until December 7, 63 million seniors and those with certain disabilities... Read More

Medicare’s annual Open Enrollment Period is here. From now until December 7, 63 million seniors and those with certain disabilities can shop for and enroll in Medicare coverage that suits their needs. There’s a lot for seniors to consider at... Read More

2021-10-21 02:11:00
by Leonard Pitts
Condoleezza Rice Wants to Move on

Condoleezza Rice wants to move on. She concedes that what happened on Jan. 6 was “wrong.” It was, she told... Read More

Condoleezza Rice wants to move on. She concedes that what happened on Jan. 6 was “wrong.” It was, she told the hosts of “The View” last week, an “assault on law and order, and an assault on our democratic processes.”... Read More

2021-10-15 20:47:43
by The Breakthrough Institute
Loud Climate Policy

Let me set the stage: There’s a Democratic majority in both houses of Congress and a Democrat in the White... Read More

Let me set the stage: There’s a Democratic majority in both houses of Congress and a Democrat in the White House. Climate advocates have spent the last few years in the exile of a Republican Administration, one quarter drawing more... Read More

My Mom is Living with Alzheimer’s, But We’re Some of the Lucky Ones.

Six years ago, my mother started to show signs of dementia. She would constantly lose personal items around the house... Read More

Six years ago, my mother started to show signs of dementia. She would constantly lose personal items around the house and often became confused in casual conversations. I wish that was the worst of it.  Months later, she began to... Read More

The US Needs an Updated Approach to Post-Disaster Housing

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” As we process the reach and devastation of Hurricane Ida, leaving dozens... Read More

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” As we process the reach and devastation of Hurricane Ida, leaving dozens dead and hundreds of thousands without power, Benjamin Franklin’s admonition about preparedness reads as if it could’ve been spoken yesterday. ... Read More

2021-10-05 17:35:00
by Rachel Marsden
If You Cared About This Week’s Facebook Outage, You’re a Target for Manipulation and Control

On Monday, Oct. 4, major social media applications run by Facebook, including WhatsApp, Instagram, and the social media giant itself,... Read More

On Monday, Oct. 4, major social media applications run by Facebook, including WhatsApp, Instagram, and the social media giant itself, all went dark worldwide for several hours. Not only did the outage prevent billions of users from accessing these services,... Read More

2021-10-01 17:38:00
by Mary Sanchez
The Hypocrisy of the Abortion Access Debate

Through more than five hours of testimony, the Congressional hearing on the nation’s ever-decreasing access to abortion showcased a lot... Read More

Through more than five hours of testimony, the Congressional hearing on the nation’s ever-decreasing access to abortion showcased a lot of erroneous thinking. There were twisted interpretations of eugenic's history, a flimsy albeit adamant concern specific to abortions in the... Read More

Price Transparency Can Address Fear of Health Care Financial Ruin

The media instills fear (some of which is justified) in Americans every day over COVID-19. Yet it largely ignores another... Read More

The media instills fear (some of which is justified) in Americans every day over COVID-19. Yet it largely ignores another major health care scare nearly on par with the pandemic: going to the hospital. According to recent reporting by Axios, roughly two-thirds... Read More

2021-09-10 20:17:06
by The Breakthrough Institute
We've Made Progress on Climate – but it's Time to Accelerate

A decade ago the world seemed on track for a dark climate future. Global emissions were increasing at a rate... Read More

A decade ago the world seemed on track for a dark climate future. Global emissions were increasing at a rate of 3% per year, China was building a new coal plant every three days, and the idea that global emissions... Read More

Vulnerable Americans Can’t Build Credit, but Congress Can Change That

A rare feat has occurred in the nation’s capital. A bipartisan group of senators worked together to assemble significant infrastructure legislation... Read More

A rare feat has occurred in the nation’s capital. A bipartisan group of senators worked together to assemble significant infrastructure legislation that now has real viability.   Let’s hope Congress can pull it off again regarding another pressing issue: the crippling lack of... Read More

Beyond Storytelling: Now is the Time for Story Proving

Brands are increasingly responding to consumer demands around Environment, Society and Governance. The trend is not new, but it has... Read More

Brands are increasingly responding to consumer demands around Environment, Society and Governance. The trend is not new, but it has grown in recent years, with 85% of Americans wanting companies to do right by their employees and communities, according to... Read More

Protecting Our Health Care Heroes

At the height of the first COVID-19 wave, hospitals tried their best to protect health care workers, but it wasn’t... Read More

At the height of the first COVID-19 wave, hospitals tried their best to protect health care workers, but it wasn’t enough. Nearly 4,000 U.S. health care workers died during that first wave from being exposed. As the number of patients... Read More

2021-08-13 21:47:13
by The Breakthrough Institute
Rural Broadband Funding in Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill Paves Way for Widespread Precision Agriculture, but Comes Up Short

For weeks, I’ve been keeping my eye on one specific provision in the bipartisan infrastructure bill with enormous potential to... Read More

For weeks, I’ve been keeping my eye on one specific provision in the bipartisan infrastructure bill with enormous potential to lift communities out of poverty, address inequities, and, critically, transform our nation’s agricultural system: rural broadband. While much of the... Read More

2021-08-10 16:20:00
by Leonard Pitts
Too Stupid to Live

“Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” — Martin Luther King Dr. King didn’t... Read More

“Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” — Martin Luther King Dr. King didn’t know the half of it. Those words, after all, are from 1963. Back then, the idea of U.S. citizens and... Read More

2021-08-08 16:14:00
by Mary Sanchez
Olympics 2020 is Giving Female Athletes Respect They Long Deserved

“Flo-Jo” won’t get out of my head. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the trials that led up to it, have... Read More

“Flo-Jo” won’t get out of my head. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the trials that led up to it, have been a ritual of replayed taped events, and the occasional, live event watched at sleep-deprivation hours. Each female athlete’s performance,... Read More

2021-08-02 16:08:00
by Robert B. Reich
The Virus is Back; so is Trumpism

Despair is worse after hope is briefly ignited. I don’t know about you, but I was elated earlier this spring... Read More

Despair is worse after hope is briefly ignited. I don’t know about you, but I was elated earlier this spring when it seemed as if Donald Trump and COVID-19 were gone, and Joe Biden appeared to be getting the nation... Read More

American Workers Need A Recovery That Benefits Them. Employee Ownership Can Help Deliver It.

Long before COVID-19, Americans were facing a looming crisis of low household savings and unsustainable debt. The economic consequences of... Read More

Long before COVID-19, Americans were facing a looming crisis of low household savings and unsustainable debt. The economic consequences of the pandemic made matters worse, with unemployment hitting modern highs, consumer debt reaching record levels and many Americans depleting their household savings. Today, the... Read More

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