The metaphor that “a rising tide lifts all boats” was popularized by then-President John F. Kennedy, who borrowed the phrase to defend a controversial public works project. There is some truth in it. When an economy is growing strongly, the…
A perfect voting system? Not yet
We had our first experiment with ranked-choice voting in municipal elections this past week, and it seems the system passed its first test. At least there were no glitches or off-the-wall, unforeseen outcomes. Many people don’t vote in off-year elections,…
Understanding free loans known as ‘floats’
No, Xcel Energy does not make a lot of money from the “float” of interim increased customer payments it receives between the time it files for a large rate increase — as it did this week — and when the…
Too much hyperbole hurts our public debate
“Nothing succeeds like excess.” Oscar Wilde’s wry twist on an old motto is a good description of U.S. politics today. Unfortunately, what is in excess often is exaggeration and any success achieved is not for our society as a whole.…