Time to Think

2025 Wish List                                 #316 By Hank Silverberg  2024 has been a notable year. It may , in the long run, prove to be a pivotal year in American history.  (Courtesy Harryart) But rather than look back on things we already know, I would rather look ahead to 2025. So here is my wish list, based on some logic and hope, of what I would like to see in the next 12 months.  1) First and foremost, because of my background as a journalist, I would like to see a resurrection of real, hard-focused reporting. Example: when Donald Trump makes ridiculous statements about buying Greenland, invading Panama, or making Canada the 51st state, reporters should not just pass it off as a joke. They should look closely at what Trump said and dig a bit into his motivation for making such bizarre statements. His comments created some tense reaction in three countries, two of which are NATO a...

Year in Review                      #315      By Hank Silverberg  There is less than a week left in 2024, so it's time to take a look back on what has happened this year and what we might expect in 2025. I know everyone does this kind of column this time of year, but I think my take may be a bit different.  The presidential election dominated the year of course, followed by the election results and the huge questions they raise for the future. But here are some things you may have missed.  The unemployment rate stands at 4.2%, a good figure even though it is a bit higher than the 3.6% of a year ago. It means about 7.1 million people are looking for work, a relatively small number when you take the country as a whole. Economists say a 3% unemployment is full employment because there are always people looking for work or between jobs. (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics) The annual inflation rate for the...

  The Most Wonderful Time of The Year?    #314  By Hank Silverberg  Commentary You know the song. It's in almost every commercial on TV, and all over the radio. I don't want to say bah, humbug and sound like Ebeneezer Scrooge, but it's really not a good time of the year for many people.  If you are not Christian, it can be awkward at company parties, public events or even a simple greeting. If you say "happy holidays," some people will be offended. After all, the right-wingers have been claiming for several years that a "happy holidays" greeting is part of the "WAR on Christmas".  First Lady Jill Biden even ran into this issue earlier in the week when she was corrected by some students when she said "happy holidays" instead of "merry Christmas."  It's not a "war on Christmas," of course. "Happy holidays" is   just a recognition that there are other holidays this time of year.  There are 11 in December...

A Game Changer in The Middle East    #313 By Hank Silverberg  The fall of the Assad regime in Syria has changed the entire picture in the Middle East. I am not an expert on the subject; in fact, there are very few of those, but from what I have seen over the years, I can write this. No one is mourning the overthrow of the brutal Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, except maybe Russia's Vladmir Putin, who had extended a helping hand to al-Assad for decades and has now lost that bargain.  The rebels in Syria who deposed al-Assad are not a cohesive bunch. Some had been Al-Quida, some are Kurdish insurgents, and still others had different motives. It is not clear if they will be able to form any kind of stable government there in the near future, making things a bit more dangerous in the region for all their immediate neighbors and the allies who support them. Those direct neighbors with common borders include Iraq, which has a fragile government; Lebanon, which is still in...

Tarriffs Are Trouble                               #312    By Hank Silverberg                                 Commentary We have heard a great deal over the last few weeks about President-Elect Donald Trump's plan to impose tarriffs on foreign imports into this country. He has talked about a tarriff as high as 25% on goods brought in from China, and 10% on goods brought in from our direct neighbors-- Mexico and Canada. Some people think that's a great way to raise revenue, and it will allow the President to then reduce taxes across the board for most Americans.  Two problems here, though. The tax cuts imposed during Mr. Trump's first term benefited mostly the very wealthy, and the average taxpayer received very little relief.  Trump's theory, which he hopes will be aided by suggested spending cuts by bil...

Journalists and Politicians                  #311 By Hank Silverberg  Commentary The growing plethora of partisan "news" agencies   and the growing number of news deserts across the country have combined to take away one of the major roles of journalists--as a balance against secretive government or unresponsive elected officials.  (The 1st Amendment) On the national scene, cable and streaming on the internet has allowed just about anyone to claim to be a journalist, even though they do not know the rules of journalism or the non-partisan nature of the traditional profession.  Real journalists, those trained in the profession and dedicated to nonpartisan reporting, need to better define who they are and why they exist.  Meanwhile, in small towns and large sparsely populated counties almost everywhere, local government pretty much does whatever those elected to office want without public scrutiny or transparency, ...