Opinion

To the Editor:

Recently, while reading one of my favorite writers and spiritual guides, the Trappist monk Thomas Merton, I was surprised to come across a passage in which he doubts that he has achieved anything of what he had hoped for in life.

Americans are pessimistic about our democracy, according to a recent poll. It’s a worrisome finding. Of course, it’s easy to watch the news and conclude our government isn’t working. But we must not get to the point where we think we can’t solve our problems in a democratic fashion. That’s a danger line.

The relationship between Donald J. Trump and Hoosier Republicans is, well, complicated.

My favorite fictional television boss loves paper. He once said “It is … a message. It is an inspiration, it is … a source of beauty. And without paper, it could not have happened … Unless you had a camera.”

In my experience, the Atlanta airport is a sprawling, crowded and confused space. Then again, in my experience, most airports are the same: unfortunate but necessary cogs in the machinery of our modern way of doing long-distance travel.

I give a number of public talks each year on changes to the state and local economy. One trick I use to help folks understand these changes is to ask a couple questions. This sets up a great discussion about issues ranging from educational attainment to quality of life to economic development and trade policy.

Once upon a time, it was possible for fully functioning adults to hold public office.

For several years I have heard ridiculous allegations that school and public libraries’ shelves are brimming with pornography and obscenity. But I think it’s clear now the censorship goes much further than that — to the detriment of society as a whole.

It’s very difficult to find friends nowadays. I don’t mean make friends, that’s easy. I mean find them. Like, where the heck are they?