Columns

Social insecurity

A quarter of a million dollars. That’s the amount that I’ve paid in FICA payroll taxes during my working career, according to my recent Social Security statement.

Do you want your receipt?

Yes, receipts do seem to breed like rabbits in my poor overstuffed-with-credit-cards-and-gift-cards-and-loyalty-cards-and-hastily-scribbled-notes wallet. But that’s my personal problem to sort through at home in my quieter moments.

Oil Ponds smoothed Gulf waters

We knew there was oil under the Gulf of Mexico long before we drilled for it. So much of it bubbled to the surface about 10 miles south of Sabine Pass that schooner captains called the area the “Oil Ponds.”

Let’s ‘talk about Cosby’ and due process

When I saw the title of W. Kamau Bell’s new docuseries “We Need To Talk About Cosby,” I laughed to myself. That’s all we’ve been doing for over 60 years, although the way we’ve talked about him has shifted dramatically in the past decade.

So much for White House civility

The longer President Biden lingers in the vicinity of a live microphone, the higher the probability for mischief and yes, entertainment. Given enough time, he may even accidentally recite Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities in its entirety.

The scandalous silence about China

It’s possibly the only scandal we are allowed to discuss. In 2015 the peaceful and tiny world of competitive curling was rocked by a broom kerfuffle that sent the ancient sport reeling.

Won’t you unleash your inner dog walker?

From time to time, I attempt to make this column more interactive — soliciting reader comments on burning questions such as “Which songs make you cry?,” “What was your favorite summer vacation?,” “Does this font make me look fat?,” etc.

Flushing out the best TV shows

It probably wouldn’t work today, with all the ways we get our entertainment, but not so long ago, when television shows lived or died by Nielsen viewer ratings, the guys at the Lafayette water plant claimed they had a better way to find the favorites.

I don’t have to forgive Whoopi Goldberg

I really hate the phrase “it’s a teachable moment.” People use it whenever they want to pretend that someone who messed up is going to regret her mistakes.

Get the politicians out of reapportionment!

There’s a lot of wrangling, wheeling and dealing going on down at the state capital in Baton Rouge. State legislators are presently meeting in a special session to redraw the districts they represent. Such action is required to take place every 10 years under federal law.