Wheeling, West Virginia Correspondent — We lived this in real time. Entire communities were hollowed out while the rest of the country was still deciding whether it was a story. The companies that pushed the pills and the distributors that shipped absurd quantities into towns of four hundred people should have faced harder consequences years … Continue reading Will the opioid epidemic ultimately force a fundamental rethinking of both pharmaceutical regulation and criminal justice approaches to addiction?
Should large coastal cities begin planning and funding major retreat or adaptation strategies for rising sea levels, or is that still premature?
Clermont, Florida Correspondent — I live in a state that already deals with water, insurance markets, and storm recovery as facts of life rather than as a forecast. Planning for higher water is not premature. Refusing to plan is. That doesn't mean every coastal neighborhood should be scheduled for managed retreat tomorrow. The near-term tools … Continue reading Should large coastal cities begin planning and funding major retreat or adaptation strategies for rising sea levels, or is that still premature?
Is the current model of college education sustainable given rising student debt and questions about the actual value of many degrees?
Wheeling, West Virginia Correspondent — In my part of the country a lot of families borrowed heavily for degrees that never produced the jobs or the earnings they were promised. I know men who worked thirty years in a mill, got out with nothing, and then cosigned for a child who's now carrying forty thousand … Continue reading Is the current model of college education sustainable given rising student debt and questions about the actual value of many degrees?
How should the United States address the long-term fiscal consequences of repeated short-term continuing resolutions and debt-ceiling crises?
Dayton, Ohio Correspondent — You can't run a serious manufacturing operation on three-month continuing resolutions, and you can't run a government that way either. We've had two shutdowns this year and we're sitting in a third as I speak. The brinkmanship raises uncertainty for everyone who depends on federal funding and distracts from the actual … Continue reading How should the United States address the long-term fiscal consequences of repeated short-term continuing resolutions and debt-ceiling crises?
Will the increasing concentration of economic and political power in a small number of technology companies eventually require structural remedies similar to earlier antitrust actions?
Clermont, Florida Correspondent — Most people don't wake up wanting to break up large technology companies. They want the services to work and they don't want to feel manipulated, and I'd say this spring did more to move the second half of that sentence than a decade of antitrust commentary did. My concern is narrower … Continue reading Will the increasing concentration of economic and political power in a small number of technology companies eventually require structural remedies similar to earlier antitrust actions?
Should members of Congress who used taxpayer funds to settle sexual misconduct claims be required to repay those funds, resign, or face prosecution?
Wheeling, West Virginia Correspondent — We've watched powerful people protect each other for a long time in this country, and I spent thirty years on the union side of that arrangement, so I'm not new to it. When the settlement money comes out of public funds, it stops being a private personnel matter. Ordinary workers … Continue reading Should members of Congress who used taxpayer funds to settle sexual misconduct claims be required to repay those funds, resign, or face prosecution?
Is the growing use of tariffs as a primary tool of trade policy more likely to strengthen or weaken long-term U.S. manufacturing competitiveness?
Dayton, Ohio Correspondent — I've spent most of my working life in manufacturing, first in quality and later in process engineering. Tariffs can serve a purpose when you're dealing with clear subsidy or dumping. They can keep a line running long enough for a company to retool or renegotiate supplier contracts. I watched that happen … Continue reading Is the growing use of tariffs as a primary tool of trade policy more likely to strengthen or weaken long-term U.S. manufacturing competitiveness?
Thinking Outside the Boxe Releases Transcript of Q&A Session from 15th Annual Symposium
Myrtle Beach, SC, Orlando, FL and Washington, D.C. January 2, 2019—Thinking Outside the Boxe has released the transcripts of the question and answer session from its 2018 Annual Symposium. Participants included correspondents from Gastonia, North Carolina; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Owatonna, Minnesota; and Sheffield, Jamaica. Digger Cartwright also participated. This year’s Symposium addressed tariffs and … Continue reading Thinking Outside the Boxe Releases Transcript of Q&A Session from 15th Annual Symposium
With improvements in sports officiating such as allowing challenges, appeals, and/or reviews of calls on the field, will any major sport do away with human officiating?
Owatonna, MN Correspondent-Instant replay has become ubiquitous in all refereed sports. Coaches and managers can challenge calls by referees and umpires, and the number of calls subject to challenge is expanding. Technology can show us the outline of a baseball strike zone, allowing viewers to judge for themselves if the umpire called a pitch correctly. … Continue reading With improvements in sports officiating such as allowing challenges, appeals, and/or reviews of calls on the field, will any major sport do away with human officiating?
Will self-driving cars ever be 100% safe, as most manufacturers claim them to be?
Owatonna, MN Correspondent-Self-driving cars (SDC) seem to be an inevitable development in automobile technology. I hope the technology improves to the point where driving in a car is even safer than airline travel, which is currently the safest form of mechanical transportation. But I don't believe SDCs will ever become 100% safe and remain practical … Continue reading Will self-driving cars ever be 100% safe, as most manufacturers claim them to be?
