http://www.timesargus.com Vermont's Capitol Newspaper en-us steven.pappas@timesargus.com webmaster@timesargus.com http://www.timesargus.com/article/20100209/OPINION01/2090307/1021/OPINION01 Few Americans would suggest the United States is not a great country, and yet few would disagree that there are some things about this nation of ours that do not measure up to our collective expectations. ... Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:42:00 EST http://www.timesargus.com/article/20100208/OPINION01/2080302/1021/OPINION01 The U.S. automakers fell into their woeful state because they focused on short-term profits instead of the long-term stability that comes with a focus on high-quality workmanship and energy-efficiency. If you wanted a car that would last well beyond 200,000 miles and got good mileage, too, you might have bought a Toyota. ... Mon, 08 Feb 2010 07:49:00 EST http://www.timesargus.com/article/20100207/OPINION01/2070314/1021/OPINION01 A year ago we had great hopes for serious health care reform on the national level. However it's becoming more and more clear, especially after the recent election in Massachusetts, that we cannot count on Washington to do the job we need to do ourselves here in Vermont — transform our health care system. ... Sat, 06 Feb 2010 18:43:00 EST http://www.timesargus.com/article/20100207/OPINION01/2070315/1021/OPINION01 The Douglas administration has been forced to take a tough line on false statements coming from the owners of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant and on the problems arising from the underground pipes now leaking radioactive tritium into the groundwater in Vernon. ... Sat, 06 Feb 2010 18:41:00 EST http://www.timesargus.com/article/20100206/OPINION01/2060332/1021/OPINION01 Rep. Peter Welch leapt on news in a Wall Street Journal story Thursday that the House Republican leader was seeking contributions from Wall Street bankers in exchange for protecting executive bonuses. ... Sat, 06 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.timesargus.com/article/20100205/OPINION01/2050312/1021/OPINION01 There are gay and lesbian service personnel in the U.S. military at this moment. There are probably some in the 1,500 members of the Vermont National Guard putting their lives on the line in Afghanistan. Should they be bounced from the service in the event someone finds out about their sexual orientation? ... Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:08:00 EST http://www.timesargus.com/article/20100204/OPINION01/100209990/1021/OPINION01 The agreement last week between the Vermont teachers' union and state officials about curbing the growth of state-funded retirement benefits is a model of problem-solving that the federal government could learn from. ... Thu, 04 Feb 2010 08:17:00 EST http://www.timesargus.com/article/20100203/OPINION01/2030306/1021/OPINION01 Come Sunday, we can put aside our worries about the economy, the weather, the ever-perilous international situation, the often-dismaying behavior of some our political and, yes, media figures and simply enjoy watching the Super Bowl. ... Wed, 03 Feb 2010 08:15:00 EST http://www.timesargus.com/article/20100202/OPINION01/2020311/1021/OPINION01 During the election campaign last year, Barack Obama and his team did a good job of highlighting the failings of the agenda of their opponent, John McCain. When McCain said the fundamentals of the economy were sound, Obama was not shy about telling the American people how out of touch McCain was. Nor was Obama reluctant to condemn the failed policies of the Bush administration, which had presided over the worst economic collapse in 75 years. ... Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.timesargus.com/article/20100201/OPINION01/2010302/1021/OPINION01 There's this famous writer who moved to Cornish, N.H., to get away from people, and now he's dead and people are wondering about him and all. If he's looking down from somewhere, he's probably going crazy with everybody talking about him, showing pictures of him, going into all the details of his life. But that's because the stories he wrote, they got to people. ... Mon, 01 Feb 2010 08:35:00 EST http://www.timesargus.com/article/20100130/OPINION01/1300302/1021/OPINION01 For all his talk about cooperation and bipartisanship, President Obama showed in his State of the Union address that this is not a bipartisan moment. ... Sat, 30 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.timesargus.com/article/20100129/OPINION01/100129946/1021/OPINION01 The union is in a state of deep and justifiable anxiety about jobs and mortgages and two long, bloody wars. President Obama did not create these problems, and none could be solved in one year. But 2009 offered powerful and, at times, bruising lessons for a new president struggling to fulfill the seismic promise of his election. ... Fri, 29 Jan 2010 09:16:00 EST http://www.timesargus.com/article/20100128/OPINION01/100129948/1021/OPINION01 In and of themselves, the economic initiatives announced this week by the Obama administration are not objectionable. ... Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:27:00 EST http://www.timesargus.com/article/20100127/OPINION01/1270301/1021/OPINION01 The debate about how we apportion public resources remains at the center of American politics. The question is whether it is best to protect the interests of business and the wealthy so their investments trickles down to the rest of us or whether to invest public resources in the people directly to help them lift themselves up into prosperity. ... Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.timesargus.com/article/20100126/OPINION01/1260301/1021/OPINION01 According to Osama bin Laden's latest message, delivered over the weekend, the only way the United States can avoid remaining a prime target for terrorist attacks is to stop supporting the right of Israel to exist. Since that's politically (and morally) impossible, Americans apparently will just have to get accustomed to the fact their lives will always be at risk in ways that are not easily predictable, at least until such time as al Qaida and its supporters are truly vanquished. ... Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:03:00 EST