Abortion didn’t earn the top billing (or the picture) in The New York Times’ Jan. 23, 1973, issue; that honor went to former President Lyndon B. Johnson, who had died the same day Roe v. Wade was decided. “State Bans Ruled Out Until Last 10 Weeks,” the left column headline read. “National Guidelines Set By…
It is 2004, and I am 13 years old. I am sitting at the computer, mouse poised to close my tab if my dad came in to look over my shoulder. He rarely did though, as he had no conception of the bizarre information I was accessing online. During my time reading fan fiction, an…
This season of the year — the weeks that rest between Thanksgiving, and the beginning of the holy days of Hanukkah and Christmas — our minds and hearts naturally begin to turn to things that really matter. In early November, the nation was drawn into the elusive web of believing that politics, power and prestige…
Editor’s note: The following essay is adapted from a speech delivered by the author at the Center for Urban Renewal and Education’s annual conference in Washington, D.C. on October 4. It goes by many names: affordable housing, public housing, housing choice vouchers, Section 8, low-income housing tax credit developments or simply “the projects.” But I’m…
If your Christmas celebrations are anything like mine, you’ll likely start singing Christmas songs this week. Or maybe strains of “Silent Night” and “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” have been reverberating through your house for weeks already. Either way, one song that you’re sure to hear this season is “Joy to the…
I met my First Elaine in 1953, when we were both freshmen at what is now called Milwaukee Lutheran High School in southeastern Wisconsin. She helped me achieve each one of my successes, including becoming governor of Wisconsin, and stood by me in every one of my losses and illnesses. Elaine was as intelligent, kind,…
The media excoriate “election deniers,” but when it comes to the Bidens, they sound like scandal deniers. Suddenly, the cheerleaders and champions of live prime-time hearings of the Pelosi-picked Jan. 6 panel are scolding Republicans that they shouldn’t waste everyone’s time and money with hearings on Biden scandals. Four years ago, Axios was touting “Democratic…
Too often we say the words in hushed tones. Epilepsy. Seizures. We should be louder. November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month and even now, the silence can be striking. Our daughter, Kyla, was diagnosed with epilepsy when she was just three. I wrote about her journey last year. Kyla Luzader. Photo by Nancy Anderson Cordell. Used…
It’s no accident that you can read and understand this sentence. A solid education empowered you with this fundamental skill. Yet today there are literally millions of kids in our nation who are behind in reading and, sadly, too many who can’t read at all. Your child may be one of them. The latest data provide the…
On this Black Friday weekend—now that I have the wisdom of 65 Thanksgivings under my belt, I know for a fact that handling the upcoming holidays is all about planning. My wife Kathy makes lists and carefully scrutinizes every detail. She does most of her shopping before Thanksgiving, with any last-minute shopping done on Black…