News – Politics – Opinion – Podcasts
John Klar 
Headlines are abuzz with speculations about President-elect Donald Trump’s likely Cabinet selections in an administration that has signaled it will demand loyalty, competence, and determination. For his second term, Trump is building a team to implement a bold agenda that he claims will target an inefficient and entrenched bureaucracy, taxes, the economy, immigration, and health. … Read more
Frenzied speculations about Donald Trump’s various Cabinet appointees have extended to the next head of the USDA, to replace the controversial Tom Vilsack, AKA “Mr. Monsanto.” At least fifteen potential nominees are currently the subject of appointee chatter in blogs and headlines, but one stands out as a peculiar outsider-in-chief: Kentucky congressman Thomas Massie. Congressman Massie … Read more
The federal prosecution against former (and now future) President Donald Trump were extinguished on election night, 2024. Even the relentless Jack Smith conceded his prosecutorial goose was cooked, preparing to withdraw his voluminous election-eve filings against the Donald given the futility of further proceedings. The Electoral (Lawsuit?) Calendar Within hours of Donald Trump’s sweeping election … Read more
Speculation is heating up over Donald Trump’s expected nominee to head the USDA. High-profile positions like secretary of state understandably attract the political spotlight, but the MAGA message has blended with MAHA and Team Kennedy. Appointments to health-related agencies are important bellwethers of how much influence Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will bring to bear in … Read more
But Bernie-blue Vermont continuedsto shamelessly push anti-MAGA propaganda spewed by the mainstream media — in public schools, by paid teachers.
The premise behind federal student loan forgiveness is that it is “fair”: people struggling with student loans because of a down job market, personal troubles, or other of life’s inevitable strains should be “unburdened by what has been.” At the same time, debt relief administration problems include bureaucratic inefficiencies and the increasingly sizable cost, which … Read more
The unusual saga of a former president of the United States being criminally convicted in New York has taken several twists and turns, and now the defendant Donald Trump has transformed from civilian ex-POTUS to President-elect. That was a challenge for New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan, who oversaw Trump’s conviction on 34 felony … Read more
In this segment, I was asked about how to teach people effectively about food and how to make informed eating and buying choices.
Occasionally, divorced couples reconsider their decision to split up and remarry. The Western world, once enamored of atomic techno-wizardry and promises of cheap, limitless energy, embarked on a lengthy, passionate honeymoon with nuclear power plants. But frightening glimpses of calamities – such as Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, and Fukushima – led to a widespread disavowal … Read more
This populist revolt against America’s two-party corporate domination has been a long time coming. I suppose for many it began when John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King., Jr. and Bobby Kennedy were all assassinated. No one with a brain could really believe the lies used to cover up what the CIA and FBI were capable … Read more
Expected lifespans are plateauing worldwide, suggesting that life-extending advances in medicine, food safety, and plumbing may have gone as far as they can to preserve humanity’s ability to prolong the inevitable. This news dampens techno-mystical fantasies of using science to achieve immortality and slip the surly bonds of death. Yet this is old news for … Read more
Ah, those pesky election deniers. Despite years of Democrat claims that elections and voting machines were untrustworthy, it has become verboten to question the Holy Grail of US voting systems since the sketchy Biden win. Yet there is nothing holy about election interference – Donald Trump was criminally tried for trumped-up claims that a mischaracterization … Read more
Do they increase drug use? A Vermont bill proposes to create safe injection sites around the state for substance abusers (aka drug addicts) who inject opioids and other drugs. This has understandably proved controversial, and I feel compelled to chime in. I ask readers to hear me out — I may not be very popular … Read more
The government offers large amounts of money for Americans to buy electric vehicles (EVs) to help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Many claims about EVs and their effects on the environment often seem conflicting. As with most manmade products, it can be difficult to fully measure all the environmental impacts: the … Read more
Obesity continues to skyrocket in the United States, according to a new CDC report on the prevalence of severe diabetes. The number of women with the condition is increasing at a faster rate than men; women are nearly twice as likely to be severely obese. Extreme obesity has been connected to numerous dangerous health conditions. … Read more
A recent federal court decision prohibited the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from regulating pollution based on skin color. Viewed as a blow to “environmental justice” initiatives, the Louisiana decision hinged on an important distinction between government policies created with racist intent versus those that result in racially disparate impacts. The ruling may influence future regulatory action, raising important … Read more
Vermonters face a critical election year – nationally and here in the Green Mountains. Years of steadily increasing property taxes, government fees, and stifling regulations promulgated by a spendthrift, ideologically extreme Progressive legislature have burdened retirees, young Vermonters, and the state’s low-income residents. In the name of helping the poor, the climate, and various social … Read more
Do EPA regulations prohibit racism or implement it? A recent federal court decision prohibited the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from regulating pollution based on skin color. Viewed as a blow to “environmental justice” initiatives, the Louisiana decision hinged on an important distinction between government policies created with racist intent versus those that result in racially disparate impacts. The … Read more
There is a certain moral appeal to a system of pricing for consumer goods that incorporates the pollution costs involved in their production. Under such a system, in addition to the commercial “input costs” a producer paid to make a product, a fee for the toxins, water use, soil damage, or other environmental costs would … Read more
When Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that he was suspending his presidential campaign to join forces with Donald Trump’s race to the White House, he used the opportunity to trumpet the policy issues they would address: free speech, the Ukraine conflict, and “the war on our children.” Kennedy claimed the war on children is visible … Read more