Category: Op-Eds
-
Garret’s Movie Palace: Insidious, Chapter Two
By Garret Jordan Royal Rating: 2.5 out of 4 crowns Yeah, you read that right. 2.5 out of 4. I was so disappointed. The first Insidious movie came out in 2011, and when I saw it, I was terrified out of my wits. We were introduced to the Lambert family: husband Josh,wife Renée, and their…
-
It’s Called Accountability
I can’t say that I was the least bit surprised when I read Shawn Musgrave’s article on Boston public housing and the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). I’ve always had issues with them, starting with how they operate their low-income housing program known as Section 8. I have known people who, for…
-
Random Thoughts
As we sweat through summer, I have a few things on my mind: The Supreme Court The court justices or should I say jesters have handed down some rather insane rulings in the last couple of weeks: stomping all over abortion rights, the Hobby Lobby ruling is just plain stupid, letting employers opt out of…
-
Making "Patient Protection" Essential in Obamacare
For decades, Americans have demanded a healthcare system that provides lifelong access to affordable care. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act looked to be a huge step in that direction. However, recently issued regulations for implementing healthcare reform are threatening to undermine the Act’s fundamental goal of achieving health equity — especially for marginalized…
-
Time for Action on Common-Sense Gun Reform
As a parent and grandparent, I remain overcome with sadness, grief and outrage by the recent tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut. This unspeakable act of violence will forever imprint December 14, 2012 in our hearts and minds, and my heart goes out to the families impacted by this senseless tragedy and the many others we have…
-
Spare Change's Editor-in-Chief Discusses the Newtown Shooting at the Huffington Post
Spare Change News’s editor-in-chief, Rev. Osagyefo Uhuru Sekou, has a new article up at the Huffington Post on the mass-shooting in Newtown, Connecticut: “An Elegy for Innocence.” Here’s an excerpt: This year alone in Chicago, Ill., more than 400 people have died from gun violence — many victims are children and teens. Yet there is…
-
Are There Viable Possibilities Now for Student Loan Reform?
It’s hard to avoid the clichéd statement—and every pundit has been saying it over and over again—this was truly an historic election. Not only was President Barack Obama re-elected, but a number of very progressive candidates, such as Elizabeth Warren, seized seats in Congress as well. It seems clear: the values of the American public…
-
If You Are a Millionaire You Can Be a Presidential Contender
Barack Obama’s re-election revived the shock (conservatives) and awe (liberals) that our country actually completed the century-long transition from owning black people as slaves, to putting one in the oval office. His supporters like to believe that a (mostly) fatherless, urban minority who achieves such a high level of up-from-the-bootstraps success knows the value of…
-
What Obama and Romney Do Not Debate
With the quadrennial presidential election extravaganza reaching its peak, it’s useful to ask how the political campaigns are dealing with the most crucial issues we face. The simple answer is: badly, or not at all. If so, some important questions arise: why, and what can we do about it? There are two issues of overwhelming…
-
Keep An Eye On Seniors
Both President Obama and Mitt Romney will need to carefully consider how they approach the issue of Medicare in the coming days. To be sure, the political climate has grown increasingly favorable for President Obama and the Democrats in the weeks following the Democratic National Convention. But with the polls nearly certain to tighten in…