Jeanne Agri, CEO of CAP in Concord, is worried about the long-term effects the shutdown has on her agency. GEOFF FORESTER / Monitor staff By RAY DUCKLER Monitor columnist Saturday, January 12, 2019 Print edpick Concord NH Ray Duckler GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN Friday was payday for Transportation Security Administration employees still working to keep airports safe.They weren’t paid.Friday was also another day in which poverty-stricken parents needed help to feed their children.Those kids ate. The future of those programs, however, is unclear.And then there’s many of you, our dear readers, who will never get a taste of what’s going on in Washington, where a government shutdown, in its 23rd day, is now the longest such work stoppage and roadblock to paying federal employees in U.S. history.If the shutdown continues – and President Trump, demanding money to build a wall on our southern border to curb illegal immigration, has said he’ll wait months, … [Read more...] about The government shutdown hits some harder than others
Government politics
Right Thinking: Core principles should govern political choices
Andrew C. Spiropoulos As former President George H.W. Bush was laid to rest this past week, many lamented that our contemporary political culture leaves no place for a gentleman like Bush. His innate civility and decency, it is said, has no place in our polarized politics where, to succeed, you must treat your opponents as enemies and be prepared both to insult and be insulted. Indeed, many commented that Bush’s ambivalence about vituperating his opponents, while they did not hesitate to execrate him, led to his electoral downfall. This argument not so subtly implies that politicians who aspire to be good people are too weak to succeed in today’s tribal political warfare. This argument is false. It is false because, despite a marginal increase in polarization in the last decades, the nature of politics has not fundamentally changed – politics has always been partisan, vicious, and personal. More importantly, it is false because good people in both parties have always … [Read more...] about Right Thinking: Core principles should govern political choices
AP Explains: How Sri Lanka plunged into political crisis
Krishan Francis and Emily Schmall, Associated Press Updated 5:25 am CDT, Monday, October 29, 2018 Sri Lanka's sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe holds a copy of the constitution of Sri Lanka as he attends a media briefing at his official residence in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, Oct. 29, 2018. Sri Lanka's sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe holds a copy of the constitution of Sri Lanka as he attends a media briefing at his official residence in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, Oct. 29, 2018. Photo: Eranga Jayawardena, AP A Sri Lankan man reads newspaper headlines reporting the appointment of Mahinda Rajapaksa as new prime minister in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018. Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena sacked the country's prime minister and his Cabinet and replaced him with the former strongman, creating what some observers said could be a constitutional crisis. less A Sri Lankan … [Read more...] about AP Explains: How Sri Lanka plunged into political crisis
Media teams join forces to cover state government, politics
View Comments Pamplin Media Group teams with two news organzations to keep tabs on Salem with new Oregon Capital Bureau The new team represents Pamplin Media Group, the publisher of Portland Tribune and 24 other newspapers; EO Media Group, which publishes the East Oregonian, Daily Astorian and nine other newspapers; and Salem Reporter, a new digital news service. A reporter from each organization has been assigned to the Oregon Capital Bureau operation. They will work under the direction of Les Zaitz, editor of Salem Reporter and a veteran Oregon investigative reporter, who promises that the bureau will be "a potent watchdog over public money and government power." Pamplin Media Group President Mark Garber said the collaboration "will dramatically boost" his organization's coverage of state government. "We already were partnering with EO Media Group to provide timely and comprehensive stories about the Legislature, the executive branch and state agencies. Now, by adding Salem … [Read more...] about Media teams join forces to cover state government, politics
Protesters Torch Government_ Political Buildings In Basra Amid Continued Unrest
Iraqi protesters attacked and set fire to several provincial governments and other key buildings in the southern city of Basra since many of the thousands protesting describe a lack of jobs amid rampant corruption and a lack of basic services in the area on Thursday, according to The Guardian. Even though authorities issued a curfew to try and end the violent demonstrations, they turned violent once again and three protesters were shot and killed by security forces, according to one security and one medical official who spoke on the condition of anonymity since they were not authorized to release that information. Iraq’s popular Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called for convening an urgent parliamentary session to discuss the ongoing unrest in Iraq's second-largest province which is home to 70% of the OPEC-member's large oil reserves. Crowds swarmed a state TV building and set fire to others, sources in the area told the BBC.At least seven people have been killed … [Read more...] about Protesters Torch Government_ Political Buildings In Basra Amid Continued Unrest