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Those imprisoned for breaking laws should have no say in making laws

April 17, 2019  •  The Boston Globe

IN THE WORLD according to Bernie Sanders, billionaires, insurance companies, gun owners, and Wall Street have too much political power.

But criminals don't have enough.

During a campaign stop in Iowa on Saturday, the Vermont senator and 2020 presidential hopeful declared that convicted felons should have the right to vote. In his view, murderers and armed robbers ought to be allowed to participate in elections — not just after their prison sentence is completed, but even while they're behind bars.

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Don't dump the filibuster — restore it to its former glory

April 14, 2019  •  The Boston Globe

SEVERAL OF THE 2020 Democratic presidential candidates are calling for an end to the filibuster, the Senate rule that makes it possible to keep any matter from coming to a vote unless a three-fifths majority — 60 senators — agrees to invoke "cloture" and cut off debate.

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No, President Trump, our country isn't full

April 10, 2019  •  The Boston Globe

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PRESIDENT TRUMP usually expresses his views on immigration in terms of national security and law enforcement. But in recent days he has made a different argument for keeping immigrants out: America has no more room.

"Our country is full," the president said on Friday during a roundtable meeting with border agents in California. "Can't take you anymore, I'm sorry. Turn around. That's the way it is."

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On the folly of rent control, right and left agree

April 7, 2019  •  The Boston Globe

IN 1994, MASSACHUSETTS voters approved Question 9, a ballot initiative that banned rent control statewide. It was a vote in favor of economic fairness and basic property rights, and it established a consensus that has stood for 25 years: Rents should be regulated by supply and demand, not by politicians. For years, heavy-handed rules governing what landlords could charge for their property had wreaked havoc on housing markets in Cambridge and other communities. With the 1994 election, those rules were finally laid to rest.

But now a handful of Democratic lawmakers want to bring the horror of rent control, like Boris Karloff in "The Mummy," back from the grave.

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Special Olympics can soar on its own

April 3, 2019  •  The Boston Globe

SPECIAL OLYMPICS is a wonderful organization. For 50 years, it has provided sports training for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Millions of athletes have participated in its competitions, in the process strengthening their bodies, enlarging their confidence, and making new friends. Through its Unified Sports program, which brings players with and without intellectual disabilities together as teammates, Special Olympics promotes social inclusion and understanding for people too often marginalized.

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