Stephen Gottlieb

Stephen Gottlieb: The Environmental Action Agenda

Stephen Gottlieb — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:07:06 +0000

A few months ago, both Steve Leibo and I brought attention to an MIT study that suggested that a carbon tax could be a win-win-win solution. It would meet some Republican and some Democratic objectives, by allowing Congress to keep income taxes low, allow the Bush tax cuts to remain, yet fund Democratic social policies, all the while reducing our use and dependence on carbon based energy, which is destroying the environment, and is likely to leave an uninhabitable earth for our grandchildren.

Stephen Gottlieb: What’s up with gun rights

Stephen Gottlieb — Tue, 14 May 2013 19:50:00 +0000

What’s the NRA’s big attachment to assault weapons? Why do we have to suffer the weapons of mass murder?

Stephen Gottlieb: Trying Dzhokhar Tsarnaev

Stephen Gottlieb — Tue, 07 May 2013 16:45:25 +0000

It seems clear that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev exploded bombs at the Boston Marathon. Although some wanted him tried as an enemy combatant outside of the requirements of the Constitution, the Obama Administration has brought charges in the federal courts.

Stephen Gottlieb: A 28th Amendment

Stephen Gottlieb — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:24:03 +0000

I got into a discussion about a proposed 28th Amendment to our Constitution a few days ago. Turns out there's more than one proposal calling itself the 28th Amendment. I'm talking about the one that begins, "The rights protected by the Constitution of the United States are the rights of natural persons only." There may be similar ones. There certainly are some calling themselves the 28th Amendment that address very different subjects and are totally misinformed. But the restriction of constitutional rights to natural persons is worth talking about.

Stephen Gottlieb: Responding To Tragedy

Stephen Gottlieb — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 19:33:38 +0000

Shortly after I walked out of the studio last week having recorded a piece on taxes, the news started to bristle with reports of the two bombs that exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Part of me wanted to rush back in and record something different. I’d lived a few blocks away, have many friends in Boston, shuddered for the people killed and injured, and shared the reaction that this looked like an attack on our country, on all of us. I was speechless.

Stephen Gottlieb: Tax Day – Why the Pain?

Stephen Gottlieb — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 19:38:00 +0000

Yesterday was the last day to file our tax returns for 2012. If you enjoyed it you are probably either an accountant who earned lots of money filing other people’s returns, or you have enough money to have an accountant file your returns, or you were getting a BIG refund. For the rest of us it was anything from a mild annoyance to a big pain.

Stephen Gottlieb: Environmental patriotism

Stephen Gottlieb — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 19:41:14 +0000

Our two small granddaughters visited us this weekend. For me, their lives have been the most compelling reason to do something about global warming, to accept responsibility and to invest in a better future for them. But there is also the call of patriotism. Many have laid down their lives for this country. Can the rest of us deal with a little burden, a little expense, to save this country from catastrophe? Are we patriotic enough?

Professor Stephen Gottlieb - The Supreme Court on marriage and upcoming cases

Patrick Donges — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 16:11:36 +0000

Last week was a momentous one for the U.S. Supreme Court, as the high court heard two cases that when decided could have national implications on the rights of same sex couples to marry.

Stephen Gottlieb: The Gay Marriage Cases

Stephen Gottlieb — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 19:30:00 +0000

Sunday night, my wife and I attended a Persian Nowruz or New Year’s festival, with many friends. We celebrated the best and happiest of the traditions they had left behind, along with other Americans who had come to take part. While celebrating the rebirth of Spring, we were also celebrating freedom with friends who had become refugees, whose humanity and efforts to use their skills to help others had become unwelcome to Iranian authorities.

Stephen Gottlieb: The Choice of a Pope

Stephen Gottlieb — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 19:30:36 +0000

I have held back from talking about the choice of a pope. After all, a pope is a decision to be made by and for our Catholic brothers and sisters. And it seems improper for non-Catholics to get into that issue.