Columnists

When President Biden took office, the average price for a gallon of gas in this country was $2.38. It’s $4.98 now. Gas is expected to top $6 per gallon by August. Inflation was under 2 percent when President Biden walked into the Oval Office. Now, it’s over 8 percent. The Administration told us repeatedly last…

The past two years have been difficult for everyone, including educators and students. Our nation’s teachers have adapted and provided for their students in so many ways. This year, we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week from May 2 through May 6, and honor all educators who prepare our children for the future. We know that well-informed…

When everything is going wrong, and when other action fails, there seems to be one simple solution that we overlook far too often: We can do the opposite of what we’re doing. I’m amused with myself sometimes, the lengths to which I will go to ensure that I don’t have to admit that I was…

In 1909, Sonora Louise Smart Dodd was sitting in church listening to a sermon on Mother’s Day. The 27-year-old started to think about her father. Her mother had died when Sonora was 16, and her father, a Civil War veteran named William Smart, had brought up his six children alone. As she sat there, the…

When I entered teaching in 1974, schools held fire and storm drills for the safety of students and staff. They still do because one never knows. By the time I retired from education thirty years later, teachers were also instructing their students on what to do if an intruder was in the building. This was…

Memorial Day isn’t just another holiday. It’s not about pools opening or backyard bar-b-ques. Memorial Day is a solemn, somber holiday for remembering and honoring those that made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of this country and our freedom. The day has passed, but it doesn’t mean it’s time to move on and forget about…

Can you believe it’s been 10 years since we launched my Social Security? Since then, 67 million people have signed up and benefited firsthand from the many secure and convenient self-service options. And we’ve added and upgraded features that make your life easier when doing business with us online. We take great pride in providing…

I am certain that I could get more done in my office, but it seems like someone is always there to distract me. A customer comes in to pay a bill and we end up talking. Somebody calls to ask about a subscription, and we end up talking politics. I go to take a picture,…

As many of you know, I am one of the biggest proponents of working to improve our state’s infrastructure. To me, state government should be the entity that can take care of the infrastructure needs of our population, be it broadband internet, sewer and water, or roads and bridges. This was one of my top…

When we’re out and about my kids always want to play the game where you put your money into the machine, then use a joystick and a robotic arm to try and retrieve prizes out of a big glass/plexiglass box. We were in Branson recently, and one of my kids wanted to play the claw…