Archive
Besides his books, Bill has written a variety of poems, short stories, opinion pieces, and more.
Time for a National Service
When I turned 18, my stepfather drove me to Hyde Park to apply for my draft card. When it came, I looked at it and asked him why I was 4-A unlike...
Coming of Age
I’m sitting in a dentist chair recovering from my latest oral sandblasting when the dentist pops in for his mandatory “dental consult” – a “drop-in with remarks,” as my grandmother...
Ethics and Strategy
Whomever we elect to lead us for the next two years, we’ll need to confront two gaping holes in our governance: strategic planning and ethics. Our last few decades ought...
Nonprofit Boards and Leadership Failures
Some 20% of Vermont’s economy and much of our social safety net depend on Vermont’s nonprofits. Yet the governance principles that help them achieve their missions are widely misunderstood or...
Car Lust
My car lust began when an older buddy let me drive his father’s army surplus jeep in circles in a hayfield. I was like Toad in The Wind in the Willows. I was twelve. My...
The Right to Vote is Also a Responsibility to Vote
The right to vote becomes a moral obligation when voting is understood as fundamental to the functioning of our democracy. In Australia, voting is mandatory – and failure to vote is punishable...
Corruption at Home
We call out corruption in our partner nations yet are myopic to how corruption threatens our own. It’s time for us to acknowledge how deeply corruption is taking root here...
Consensus or Democratic Stasis?
Vermont has a “consensus” problem. We don’t understand the concept. This confusion manifests itself especially when leadership is weak. For example, there’s broad agreement that we need more affordable and...
Did the traditional media really fail us?
I’ve tuned out of the endless forensic analyses of how news media failed the electorate. In fact, other than having misread the political and cultural pulse of many Americans, I’m...
Religions of God and of Men
There are three catchment areas for the broken among us: hospitals, public schools, and jails. Healthcare is a third of our state budget, public education another third, and jails cost...
Jeeter’s Memorial Service
Jeeter’s friend Zephyr invited him to his mother’s memorial service in the Methodist church basement. He knew Jeeter had run out of venison, winter was setting in, and Jeeter’s meager...
The Local and National Political Dialogues: a study in contrasts
I missed the opening day of the legislature and the inauguration of our new Governor. But I caught much of it on radio and read more in the dailies. Contrasting...
