BY JOE CONASON Despite significant negative signals, the final outcome of this week’s arguments over the Affordable Care Act will remain unknown until the Supreme Court issues a ruling in June. What is painfully obvious today, however, should have been clear enough long before any of the lawyers opened their mouths. The five Republican justices represent an ideological bloc as adamantly hostile to universal health care – no matter the cost in lost lives or […]

BY FROMA HARROP Mitt Romney has three houses. The former Massachusetts governor would like to do a $12 million “fix-up” on one of them, a beachfront property in La Jolla, CA. The plan is to tear down the existing 3,000-square-foot structure and build an 8,100-square-foot replacement, plus a car elevator. Within the top sliver of the richest 1% – in which Romney holds secure membership – such extravagant displays are not unusual. But Romney is […]

BY SHARON MARTIN For years I’ve been watching consumers get nipped by food manufacturers. First, a pound of coffee became 13 ounces. Manufacturers knew it was...

BY SUSAN ESTRICH I opened the garage to back my car out on Saturday morning and silently cursed at the car blocking part of my driveway, making a difficult task [backing out onto a busy street, something I never thought about when I rented this house while renovating mine] so much harder. I eased out a foot or two and saw what had just happened in front of my house. A bicyclist was down on […]

BY RICHARD L. FRICKER It’s often said, “The law says I can ...” The law seldom says, “Thou shall …” The point being – just...