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Debating The Role Of Government                             #409 By Hank Silverberg  Commentary The midterm elections are now less than a month away, and early voting is underway in some states. A lot of the debate this year has focused on what role the government should have in our lives. There's a great deal of name calling with the words Communist, Socialist, and Fascist being thrown around loosely and inaccurately,  as I wrote a few weeks ago.  Here is what the preamble to the U.S. Constitution says about the role of government: "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare , and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.  " So the main role of our governmen...
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Artificial Intelligence A Threat?         #408 By Hank Silverberg In 1942, a science fiction writer named Isaac Asimov wrote a short story called Runaround that was later included in the 1950 collection called  I, Robot.  The story focused on a world where robots had become very popular servants for human beings, doing many of the menial jobs and even some of the more complex ones. These robots were individuals that had artificial intelligence, and eventually took over the world.   Asimov knew human beings should maintain control of such machines and created for his stories a guidebook called  " Three Laws of Robotics 2058 ".  He was just about right in his predictions. And that brings up the question: are you using Artificial Intelligence in your workplace or elsewhere? It's hard to avoid it. Even Google searches will now bring up an AI overview. This one came up when I googled AI:  "Artificial intelligence (AI) is the ...
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Say It Ain't So                                      #407 By Hank Silverberg  Take me out to the ball game, please! The MLB playoffs begin this week, and I am thrilled that my Red Sox are in the mix again. Last year they were eliminated in the first round, and that began the long, sad winter for me without the sport I am addicted to: baseball.  But this year's playoffs and World Series have something else hanging over them that could change the lives of millions of people. The collective bargaining agreement between Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball  Players Association expires on December 1.  They will need to come up with a new deal before spring training begins again in February, or the 2027 baseball season will be in jeopardy.  The two sides are far apart on one big issue, a salary cap.   The MLB Commissioner, Rob Manfred, said on Sunday...
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  A Free Press Under Fire              #406 By Hank Silverberg   Commentary You have already heard the story. President Trump has kicked reporters from CNN, MSN and Politico out of the White House press room, calling them all "Fake News". "Media outlets shouldn't be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they are covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration or the United States of America," Trump posted on Truth Social.  To Trump, anything he thinks is negative about him is a lie or fake.  Last year Trump removed Reuters, the Associated Press and Bloomberg News from the permanent White House press pool and barred the AP from events where Trump speaks, all because they would not adopt his renaming of the Gulf of Mexico.   It's all petty, of course.Those news organizations do not lie, nor are they fake news. Mr. Trump is being vindictive because he doesn't like negative stories...
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After 9/11 The World Changed                  #405 By Hank Silverberg   Commentary A Shift In World View Much has been written in the last week about 9/11, 2001. People across the country reflected on their memories of that day. What has not been talked about much is how The United States of America was changed by the event. Many individuals changed. But the country as a whole seems like a very different place.  My memories of that day are posted below in a column I wrote earlier in the week that I repeat here for context. But this entry is mostly about a changed America.  Some of the changes are obvious. There are barricades in front of most government buildings, and checkpoints inside most of them that were not there for most of our country's life.  Getting on an airplane has become an ordeal with several checks before you board the plane.  But I see other changes that are not so obvious.  When terrorists struc...
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Money Makes The World Go 'Round      #404 By Hank Silverberg  Money Trap Labor Day has traditionally been the start of the fall election campaign season, though that tradition has pretty much slipped away over the last decade of election cycles.  Money continues to play a big role in who gets elected because it pays for campaign logistics, and more significantly, mass media advertisements.  Now a U.S. Supreme Court ruling has given the GOP a big advantage in what could be the most significant Congressional race in a generation, and the most expensive ever. According to the Federal Elections Commission, more than $670.1 million has been spent on the Senate campaigns so far in 2026 with two key months to go.     In an 8-1 decision on Friday that overruled a lower appeals court, the Justices said there can be no rule that prohibits political parties or fundraising committees from getting favorable television advertisement rates that have been t...
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