Opinion

I’ve been chastised by Wal-Mart! Imagine my distress. The largest corporation in the world apparently was stung by one of my recent commentaries [see Hightower, “Wal-Mart milks taxpayers,” Oct. 21]. I had pointed out that Wal-Mart, which touts itself as a model of “free-market” success, actually has built its market muscle by squeezing more than […]

The U.S. Air Force is in rapture over its new baby, the F/A-22 Raptor. Taxpayers, however, can be forgiven for being less than enraptured by the recent birth of this fighter jet. It’s the most expensive warplane in history, it’s not needed, and there are serious doubts about whether it’ll even work. Conceived 23 years […]

Mila Dvoretskaya-Lemme went to the polls on Election Day and came away underwhelmed by the choices. Never mind the candidates; there were no crullers, no crumpets, no soda pop, and no lemonade. Mila comes from Kazakhstan, where democracy is wrapped in a colorful ritual that includes flowers, music, kids, and bake sales. The festivities lure […]

It didn’t take long in the homeless shelter for me to realize I am among exceptionally gifted people. Funny. Smart. Kind. Troubled, too. But many seem no more troubled than a lot of other people I know. I went in thinking this would be a good place to learn and cameout thinking it would be […]

At last, the Golden Age of television is upon us again! But, alas, this is not the golden age of TV quality — but literally the age of TV gold, when advertisers have become the programming. Leading the way is the Disney’s ABC television network, which has now opened its expanse of our public airwaves […]

Everybody has a story. Take my husband. His story features a Triumph Spitfire and a near-fatal encounter with a hefty opossum. My pop has a story about finding true love with his girlfriend from grade school at the age of 62. I have a story that involves two dead guys named Dusty and my childhood […]

Everywhere I travel, I hear the cries of anxious progressives who fear that President George W. Bush is about to be elected. “The polls, the polls,” they wail, pointing to constant reports that the election is nip and tuck. Let me say it plainly: The polls are horse hockey. And George W. Bush is a […]

Wal-Mart, we’re told, is the epitome of free enterprise in America — work hard, be innovative, and achieve efficiencies, and your company will be rewarded with riches! Oh yes, one more thing: Be sure to load up on government subsidies along the way. Good Jobs First, a research center that studies the doling out of […]

As a career Quad Cities TV anchor with a three-year stint on CNN, Andrea Zinga, 54, had scheduled the press conference with a suitable TV backdrop. She would announce her 10-point education plan across the street from Millikin University’s football field. But when no cameras showed up, Zinga and I and her campaign aide went […]

I feel sorry for Mark Dyment’s first-grade teacher. I’ve never met the lady and don’t know who she is; I just know she had her hands full. Dyment has a full-throttle personality. Perpetually revved up and endlessly enthusiastic, he must have spent half of every semester sentenced to stand in the corner for rambunctious behavior. […]

Thank you, Monsanto. Thank you, Scotts. These two pesticide giants have inadvertently demonstrated the scientific insanity of using Mother Nature as a lab rat in their rush to market bioengineered products. Monsanto and Scotts recently teamed up to genetically alter a turfgrass called creeping bentgrass, primarily used on golf courses. The two corporations artificially manipulated […]

A green carpet of moss at the campground welcomed the two of us to the trailhead. We crossed a dry creek bed and followed the sign for the White Pine Trail. Past a green swamp, then up easy slopes, a cool September breeze followed us into the Shawnee National Forest. A mile later, our trail […]