Drawing red lines -- remember, sand shifts
We deal with many nations of less prominence whose cultures and history we do not fully comprehend. We may issue our warnings but leaders who view us as a paper tiger greet them with derision.
We deal with many nations of less prominence whose cultures and history we do not fully comprehend. We may issue our warnings but leaders who view us as a paper tiger greet them with derision.
The increase in ideological purity within parties has led to a larger division between them -- and that is one of the underlying causes of the gridlock that is more prevalent in Washington.
If bureaucrats and their constituencies behave true to form, all cuts will deny necessary service to the public and imperil national safety. But they don't have to. This could be an opportunity for internal reform in agencies and departments.
Other factors include turnout, which continues to be related to income: Higher income, higher turnout. But turnout is also boosted by contested aldermanic races and dampened by bad weather. But issues, such as pensions and crime also mattered, with the incumbent losing support among firefighters.
The city continues to have attractive attributes that the mayor should sell and that will, in turn, help attract new housing and jobs. Addressing outdated governmental structures could also make progress on housing and jobs easier.
As local housing markets slowly lurch back to normal, those concerned with the revitalization of local neighborhoods have the story of redevelopment in the 1990s and 2000s to teach important lessons. During that time, many local neighborhoods, including the poorest, saw significant public and private investment, with thousands of units rehabbed or built.
Missing from this contemporary dialogue of what led to insufficient security in the Libyan city is any focus on the State Department itself as a bureaucratic institution with a history and culture that shape the behavior of those who labor within in. That culture is one of caution and slow motion.
For a brief period, we are free of political advertising on television. But after the holidays, the St. Louis area is likely to see ads begin for the mayoral election. The incumbent says the "race card" shouldn't be played. Will it?
Civil service, which took root in many cities by 1915, did not come to St. Louis until 1941. Missouri has controlled the police department since the Civil War. The number of wards was set in 1914. Why was change an option this year?
If you watch a baseball playoff game – as some in St. Louis have been doing -- and switch to post-debate coverage, the language can seem strikingly similar. Will people make up their minds on emotion, team loyalty or studying the issues?