Politics
Commentary | Sing Along, Then Speak Up
I’m in the same boat as everyone else — I can’t figure America out. Despite the times I express criticism and discomfort, irritation and downright anger — I’m a proud American. Maybe it’s because I’m an opinion writer and a playwright and am a veteran content consumer (fancy way of saying I’ve watched a lot of TV…
Commentary | What It Feels Like
I’m afraid of the fear. That’s the bottom line I have left over from the Republican National Convention last week in Cleveland, Ohio. (And, trust, I’ve got plenty to process next week about the fallout from the Democratic National Convention.) Not that my fear is new. Pretty much since the momentum that is Donald Trump…
‘Religious Freedom’ Amendment a Shield Not a Sword, Says Proponent
With estimates of the cost to Missouri mounting, proponents of the state’s ‘religious freedom’ amendment found little sympathy among commentators on KCPT’s news program “Ruckus” last week. The amendment to the Missouri Constitution (pdf) would give protection from lawsuits to churches, clergy or anyone who provides a wedding-related service to the public, but wants to refuse that service to…
Commentary | Let Common Sense Prevail In Battle Over Religious Liberty
The very day in late February that five Republican candidates for president participated in a smash-mouth debate in Texas with much moaning and gnashing of teeth about the erosion of religious freedom in the United States, these things also happened: I gathered with Episcopalians, Catholics, and mainline Protestants for a Bible study I help to…
Finding a local message in pope's Congressional address
Pope Francis’ speech to Congress Thursday morning — where he stressed the need to bridge the political divide — might as well have been directed at Kansas City lawmakers, said the Rev. Mark Lewis, director of the Thomas More Center for the Study of Catholic Thought and Culture at Rockhurst University in Kansas City. “Kansas City is…
KC week in review: elections, minimum wage and the Schweich issue
The news sounded implausible. Just weeks after Missouri State Auditor and candidate for governor Tom Schweich took his own life, his aide and communications chief, Spence Jackson, is found dead in his Jefferson City apartment of a single gunshot wound to the head. Also on this edition of “Kansas City Week in Review”: Seattle and…
What if just one agency was in charge of food safety?
Walking through the warehouse of food processor Heartland Gourmet in Lincoln, Neb., shows how complicated the food safety system can be. Pallets are stacked with sacks of potato flour and the smell of fresh baked apple-cinnamon muffins is in the air. Heartland Gourmet makes a wide range of foods from muffins and organic baking mixes…
Conversation: With Cindy Circo
Kansas City, Missouri Fifth District Councilwoman Cindy Circo interview with Mike Shanin on KCPT’s Ruckus.
Without immigration fix, dairies struggle
America’s dairies rely on immigrant labor to milk cows and care for the herd. Many owners of the country’s largest dairies say that they’re unable to find employees. A comprehensive fix to the immigration system seems like a longshot in the new Congress, leaving some dairies struggling to keep up.
Commentary | Why are We Surprised? The State of Our Media is What We Made It
I watched the debate Monday night along with more than 80 million of my fellow Americans, according to Nielsen. We all knew what we would get from the candidates. Few were disappointed. As also expected, moderator Lester Holt received his share of criticism over how he performed his duties. However, Holt gave us exactly what…