Columns

High alert: America on the road to serfdom

What Friedrich Hayek, a young Austrian economist, witnessed during WWII in Germany and Britain was documented in his classic book ‘The Road to Serfdom’ published in 1944 for the benefit of a British audience. 80 years later, Hayek’s warnings are better suited for America as he saw that socialist...

Re-embracing the American spirit

When I was a 14-year-old kid in 1977, I rode my bike, played ball with my friends and had virtually no responsibility. During that same time, halfway around the world, another 14-year-old boy named Tony was dragging dead bodies into the street and setting them on fire.

Do you sound unprofessional?

My handy-dandy “column topic radar” lit up when I encountered an internet article called “12 Phrases You’re Using That Make You Sound Unprofessional.”

Visionaries’ big ideas needed big money

In the late 1800s newcomers from the American Midwest and Germans settling around Roberts Cove discovered that the south Louisiana prairies were ideal for growing rice — if they could get enough water for their crops.

Socialism’s road to serfdom explained

Prior to WWII John Maynard Keynes and the Keynesian economic profession had convinced Britain that Socialism was preferred over free-market capitalism.

Women aren’t a single voting block

I am a white woman, who spent 80% of her life in the suburbs. I taught high school in the suburbs to young white girls who are now young white women in the suburbs. That gives me the right to an opinion on white suburban women.

We can relate to disaster in the mountains

“Drive Faster. The Mountains are close by.” That’s a bumper sticker I’ve seen on a number of cars throughout western North Carolina. Yes, living in the mountains is special. A lot of people are beach groupies or mountain devotees. I’d like to think I’m both.

How to grow state’s energy industry

Louisiana has always been a leader in energy, and maintaining that distinction and expanding our energy capabilities requires a strategic mix of investments, public-private collaboration, and forward-thinking energy policy.

Eunice’s mean pig, gallant man, big fight

Big Joe was a mean pig and a natural troublemaker who regularly got out of his pen in Eunice to throw his weight around. Sam McManus thought of himself as a gallant knight like the ones who slew dragons and saved towns in ancient times.

Ready for some National Newspaper Week revelations?

“Telling Our Stories.” That’s the 2024 theme of National Newspaper Week (October 6-12). Newspaper employees are being encouraged to share with the readers exactly why they chose the newspaper business as a profession.