Today's Opinions

Future historians and generations will likely look back at 2013, indeed to the years roughly correlated to President Obama’s tenure, as a defining moment and era in American history. Will it be on a par with the Progressive Period of the early 20th century, dominated by Teddy Roosevelt, that witnessed the creation of the Food and Drug Administration, enactment of child labor laws, and other social gains, and that of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal that saw the birth of Social Security?

 Beware, the Unintended Consequences. In a complex society, there are rules, laws and norms that most people follow. When you interact with fellow citizens, we generally understand how we are going to conduct business and personal interactions. When the rules change, the norms change, and thus the interactions are changed. Such is the tragic case of Senate Bill 176, signed into law in the 2011 session. Democrats Sen. Morgan Carroll and our Rep. Claire Levy introduced this bill.

Some years ago, having served on the VALE (victims’ assistance league) board, I became aware of CASA and the fine job it was doing advocating for our children in the 5th Judicial District.   

Recently, when our daughter Genevieve became a CASA board member, she asked me to attend an informational meeting about the role of CASA in our area.