Archive
Besides his books, Bill has written a variety of poems, short stories, opinion pieces, and more.
Lawnmowing
The recent run of cool weather reminds me that lawn mowing season is almost over. Mowing the lawn, in fact just having a lawn, is a fairly recent historical custom....
Higher Ed.: Excellence or Marketing
The heart of education is the relationship between a wise and knowledgeable teacher, a willing learner, and the intellectual culture in the student’s home. Next, comes the availability of educational...
The Rationale for Smart Regulation
A relentless conservative theme in this election is “less government regulation.” And I can support conservative calls for lowered government spending if done strategically, since I have come to regard...
Empathy
Mercy derives from empathy or the capacity to experience another person’s feelings. The response from someone lacking empathy is most often framed intellectually or rationally rather than emotionally. If your...
Vermont Needs Better Government Transparency
When the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Citizens United, there was little dissent from the justices about transparency. If businesses and those with the means were now free to...
Freedom of Information, Criminal Records, & Accountability
By way of full disclosure, I’m Chair of the VT Journalism Trust, doing business as VTDigger.org, serve on the Board of the VT ACLU, and am a former Chair of...
The New Civil War
The accords we’ve long used to organize ourselves into a functioning society have traditionally been shared among three sectors: government, business and the non-profit sector. Government has traditionally been the...
Addictive Behavior
“Hi, I’m Bill. I’m a food addict.” Is this a statement of fact, of theory, of wishful thinking, or merely an attempt to avoid responsibility for overeating and being fat?...
Work or exercise?
My friends go to a gym to exercise, I don’t. I really like strenuous activity; I just want something practical or beautiful to come of it. I love doing hard...
The New Narcissism
Vermont and America have always been inspired and governed by a political spectrum spanning conservative and liberal values. Party names have changed — Whigs, Bull Moose, Tea Party – and...
Deport the Poor and Sell Green Cards to the Rich?
The legal underpinning driving the planned economic renaissance in Northern Vermont is called the “Immigrant Investor Program” or EB-5 program. The federal program offers green cards to wealthy foreigners willing...
Arrogant Species?
Sometimes I worry that we’re at risk of succumbing to our own arrogance as a species. A quick history … In primitive times, just after we lost our prehensile tails,...
