Opinion

Almanac for Oct. 31, 2026

Today is Saturday, Oct. 31, the 304th day of 2026. There are 61 days left in the year. Today in history: On Oct. 31, 1984, Indira Gandhi, India's Prime Minister for more than 15 years, was assassinated by two of her own security guards. Also on this date: In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed a proclamation making Nevada the 36th state, eight days before the presidential election. In 1913, the Lincoln Highway, the first automobile highway across the United States, was dedicated. In 1941, work was completed on the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota, begun in ...

Social (In)Security

"We will always protect Social Security, Medicare!" says President Donald Trump. That would be nice. But when I look at these programs' balance sheets, I don't see how he's protected anything. Both Social Security and Medicare are on track to run out of money. Politicians mostly ignore the ...

Almanac for Oct. 30, 2026

Today is Friday, Oct. 30, the 303rd day of 2026. There are 62 days left in the year. Today in history: On Oct. 30, 1974, Muhammad Ali, 32, knocked out George Foreman, 25, in the eighth round of a scheduled 15-round bout known as the "Rumble in the Jungle," in Kinshasa, Congo (then Zaire), to regain his world heavyweight title. Also on this date: In 1912, Vice President James S. Sherman, running for a second term with Republican President William Howard Taft, died six days before Election Day. (Taft was defeated by Democrat Woodrow Wilson in the election). In 1938, the radio ...

Open letter to Jack Bergman

This letter is an open letter to Congressman Jack Bergman Dear Congressman Bergman, I am writing to you as one of your constituents, and I am writing to say that you have lost my confidence. You have not held an open public town hall in this district in roughly eight years, according to critics and local organizers who have resorted to holding their own forums — with an empty chair in your place. When constituents in Escanaba and Traverse City tried, your office dismissed them as "political stunts." Congressman, the people who pay your salary are not a stunt. If you cannot face ...

Editorial cartoon for Oct. 30, 2026

Editorial cartoon for Oct. 29, 2026