Breaking News

Columns

When seniority becomes a substitute for statesmanship

Every time questions arise about the advanced age of America’s elected leaders, Washington responds with the same familiar refrain: Experience matters. Republicans say it. Democrats say it. Editorial writers repeat it. Longevity in office, we’re told, produces wisdom, steadier judgment and better public policy. It’s an appealing argument. It also invites a simple question: If experience matters so much, where are the results? Experience can absolutely be an asset. A seasoned physician has seen diseases a younger doctor has not. A veteran CEO has navigated recessions and ...

A political lesson from the 1994 ‘Contract with America’

Since the beginning of the 21st century our leaders have put us in a very deep hole. We have had countless broken promises and flowery words that would make William Shakespeare proud. Some “leaders” have done more to help themselves than they have given back to our nation. Congress has an approval rating of just 10% and Trump stands at a mere 36%. We need to stop being chumps. We have to stop supporting those who fail to support us. We do not need new radical politicians, like the Democratic Socialists. We need to take “radical measures” with our current and future mainstream ...

Dear Annie: Your first job doesn’t have to be your last

Dear Annie: I’m a recent college grad, and I’ve always wanted to be a writer like you. I’ve applied to more jobs than I can count at newspapers and magazines but haven’t landed a single offer. Everyone keeps saying “the job market is tough right now,” but knowing that doesn’t pay rent. I still live with my parents, and I’m dying to get my own place. I don’t want to give up on writing, but it’s been six months with no offer, and I need to start making some money. What do I do? — Unpublished Dear Unpublished: Writing skills aren’t limited to bylines — marketing, ...

An extremely high CAC score frightens 76-year-old man

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m a 76-year-old Caucasian male who’s in excellent health. (Or so I thought.) Recently, my cardiologist suggested a coronary artery calcium (CAC) test, and my score was a frightening 1,241! I’m now extremely concerned about my heart health. I’ve been extremely active all my life, and I routinely work out — about 10 hours per week. My resting heart rate is about 50 bpm, and my blood pressure has long been about 110/70 mm Hg. Once or twice a week, I’ll raise my heart rate to a measured 162 bpm during a HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workout and feel ...

Americans are free to be suckers

Many of today’s consumer loans are legal but abusive. Payday lenders and used car sellers often steer customers into costly contracts they barely understand. Low-income borrowers with jobs, and therefore, dependable cash flow to siphon off, are favored targets. Sure, there’s a sucker born every minute, as P.T. Barnum allegedly said. But now we have a federal government that’s gone backward in providing protection from predators just as they adopt sophisticated technology to ply their craft. Criminals now use AI to generate fake images and scrub their pitches of misspellings ...

Hegseth’s new gender-affirming care won’t win wars

Just what the Department of Defense, which now self-identifies as the Department of War (pronouns: sir/yessir), needs: more testosterone. The Pentagon is apparently going to try winning 21st-century wars with 1980s-era action heroes. Because surely if the U.S. isn’t sufficiently winning in modern combat, it’s because male troops aren’t manly enough. As for the females, well, War Secretary Pete Hegseth thinks some of them are too manly and had already previously insisted on getting rid of those who wanted to transition to men. So this new offer is apparently only for men seeking ...