BY JOE CONASON To understand the depths of shame and cynicism in the partisan stalling of health legislation for 9/11 first responders, it is only necessary to recall how eagerly Republican politicians once rushed to identify themselves with New York City’s finest and bravest. Nothing was easier, during the months and years that followed the […]

BY JIM HIGHTOWER Guess who’s whining the loudest these days, wailing that they’re getting a raw deal from Barack Obama. Not the unemployed and barely employed – even though the White House has blithely ignored their critical need for a national jobs program. Not the poor, even though their ranks are swelling as millions of […]

BY SUSAN ESTRICH Except when it does. Which isn’t often. Usually, when it rains, we apologize to tourists and visitors, take out our [perpetually] almost new raincoats and say things like “We need this” and “Don’t you just love the rain?” Then it goes back to being 70-something degrees and sunny for a few more […]

BY FROMA HARROP It’s been tough watching fellow shoppers fill their carts with Chinese imports as the People’s Republic stomps on American interests and values. At WalMart, Bed Bath & Beyond and other big chains, it’s hard to find goods NOT-made-in-China. Lamps, popcorn makers, kitty scratch boards. Cuisinart toasters and Emeril cookware. Made in China. […]

BY SUSAN ESTRICH By the time you read this, it won’t be my birthday anymore. Thankfully. But it is right now, and birthdays don’t get easier as you get older. I’m not talking about mortality, although that is certainly a piece of it. I am five years older than my father was when he died. […]