Boston Globe -- Op-ed columns

Vanity, thy name is tax revenue

Steve Almond — 2009-11-30T03:00:57Z

A couple of weeks ago, Senate majority leader Harry Reid unveiled a health care bill that included a 5-percent tax on elective cosmetic surgery.

Room and coed board

Peter Funt — 2009-11-29T23:25:10Z

With crunch time approaching for millions of students to complete college applications, there is a relatively new wild card issue for families to consider when it comes to campus lifestyle. In the space of a few years, three dozen major schools have adopted dormitory policies allowing roommates to be of the opposite sex.

Equal funding for all hospitals

Richard F. Salluzzo — 2009-11-29T23:24:07Z

Caring for patients with complex medical needs and limited access to care is part of Cape Cod Hospital’s mission. These patients rely on Medicare, Medicaid (the state’s MassHealth program), and other government programs to pay for their treatment, but the programs reimburse at less than full cost.

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2009-11-29T23:24:07Z

Object lessons from the Afghan quagmire

James Carroll — 2009-11-29T23:20:29Z

So tomorrow night, we hear from the president at last. Reports have it that he will lay out his plan for Afghanistan - how to “finish the job,’’ as he put it last week. The judiciousness with which he has gathered information is impressive, and the slow pace of his decision-making suggests a welcome level of prudence.

To spur prosperity, nurture innovation

Jay O. Light — 2009-11-29T03:12:24Z

While government should enact broad stimulus programs, it cannot be the driving force out of this recession. Indeed, if America is to recapture its position as a leader in the new economic order, it must be the new ideas coming from the private sector that shape our future.

No more troops to Afghanistan

Paul G. Kirk Jr. — 2009-11-29T03:11:48Z

We should not send a single additional dollar in aid or add a single American serviceman or woman in Afghanistan until we see a meaningful move by the Karzai regime to root out its corruption, assemble a more representative coalition government, and demonstrate some measure of transparency and accountability under the rule of law.

Housing policies leave cities behind

Benjamin Forman — 2009-11-29T03:11:11Z

The prioritization of affordable housing is correct. But it does not explain the reluctance to recognize the limitations of affordable housing development in communities with declining neighborhoods, and the need for another pool of resources to address the unique challenges cities with these conditions face.

Finding some comfort in the drift to dementia

Elyssa Ely — 2009-11-29T03:10:12Z

Dementia must be unbearable. But if you are fortunate in your dementia, something changes. On the other side, there is something shattered and something quiet. Very quiet.

Quotes of note

2009-11-28T02:18:57Z

“Black Friday should unleash pent-up demand.’’ -- Analyst BILL DREHER “The fact they went through the magnometer is incidental. They could have had anthrax on them. They could have grabbed a knife from the dining room table. The next time it will be a far worse reality than a reality TV show.’’ -- Representative PETER T. KING of New York, ...

Setting the retirement bar on concussions

Derrick Z. Jackson, Globe Columnist — 2009-11-28T02:03:24Z

One of the nation's top football brain injury researchers told me there needs to be a discussion of a "threshold number" of concussions that rules out a player forever. Based on what we are learning, three, perhaps even two should be enough.

US must act on violence against women

Bill Delahunt — 2009-11-28T02:02:46Z

The nations with the worst track record in preventing violence against women are also counties that are the most unstable and are breeding grounds for terrorism. A crucial way to limit the spread of terrorism, and boost our security at home, is to make the protection of women around the world a priority.

Family fusion: Generation gap shrinks

Joanna Weiss, Globe Columnist — 2009-11-28T01:59:18Z

What's most cheering about this mixed-media trend is the fact that it goes both ways; it's not just that parents now enjoy kids' fare, but that children can appreciate their parents' old faves.

VoxOP

2009-11-27T02:15:00Z

"The White House itself has made clear President Barack Obama will emphasize that the US war effort in Afghanistan will not be open-ended, that he will stress the training of Afghan security forces and will outline an exit strategy for a war-weary nation."

The nation’s new terror

John Tirman — 2009-11-27T02:12:14Z

Two events in the last month have raised the terror alert to red: the killing of 13 soldiers and police at Ford Hood, apparently by a Muslim psychiatrist, and the decision to try high-level 9/11 suspects in a civilian criminal court in New York City.

A tone-deaf message on mammograms

Ellen Goodman — 2009-11-27T02:11:45Z

Is there such a thing as communications malpractice? If so, we might consider the case of Women v. the US Preventive Services Task Force.

Committed work in hunger’s shadow

Renee Loth — 2009-11-27T02:10:02Z

Children’s HealthWatch found that food insecurity among families with young children seeking care at Boston Medical Center rose from 19 to 26 percent between the first half of 2008 and the first half of 2009.

A case study in profits and job losses

Josh Kosman — 2009-11-26T01:55:43Z

Under the direction of Bain Capital and Stephen Pagliuca, the buyout of once profitable Dade Behring ultimately left the company with about $450 million in debt.

Western Mass. is best bet for casino

Brian Lees — 2009-11-26T01:54:44Z

The Patrick administration and the Legislature should not forget about Western Massachusetts when considering a home of legalized gambling.

Constant information - and nothing remembered

Neal Gabler — 2009-11-26T01:53:51Z

Americans probably share less now than at any time since the rise of the mass media early in the last century.

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2009-11-26T01:53:51Z

Anybody but Coakley or Capuano

Jeff Jacoby, Globe Columnist — 2009-11-25T06:49:20Z

Two of the four Democrats in the Massachusetts Senate race, Martha Coakley and Mike Capuano, are career politicians. Surely the last thing this state needs is to elevate yet another government lifer, yet another professional officeholder, steeped in the culture of politics.

Caring for the elderly

Lewis A. Lipsitz — 2009-11-25T06:49:12Z

It’s ironic that at a time when thousands of Americans are struggling to find appropriate care for their failing parents, the field of geriatric medicine appears to be vanishing.

The candidates and the unions

Scot Lehigh, Globe Columnist — 2009-11-25T04:17:05Z

In every important campaign, Massachusetts Democrats vie for union endorsements. But have you ever wondered what they promise in pursuit of the union imprimatur?