Current status and issues and problems with saving the Dells and with water generally.

It’s Veterans Day and I have a mix of positive feelings and concerns for how they are treated.

A kind thought toward the Trump supporters who I'm normally critical of.

We can’t allow those who create endless outrages in the news to own every part of our minds. For one, there’s also art. I got fascinated with artistic empathy recently. What’s that? It’s the term I use to describe when an artist has a special and deep understanding of other people and can share some insight into that with us.

This is a petition for all of us in the Prescott area to take a breath. With concern about violence in some big cities and talking heads saying it's a plot to destroy the country we could easily push ourselves needlessly into violence, or at the least break from constructive disagreement to thinking fellow locals are enemies intent on doing each other harm, physically or otherwise.

This had to be written and turned in before last night's debate but here's a description of what a dignified debate might have been. I'll assume both candidates won depending on your criteria.

Friends around Prescott anticipate the election because we think things will suddenly change. Not as fast as we think. Following are reasons why it’s going to be a dangerous year. But since so much commentary, including my own, tends to be dark these days, I promise to try to find a lighter topic sometime before the election, news at all permitting.

Are we close? To maybe, finally acknowledging that modern conservatism is empty? That there's no there, there?

There are a thousand things it would be profitable for Washington to spend money on right now if they cared and if they were smart. Things that would create jobs, stimulate the economy, help people without being a giveaway, and yield more-than-worthwhile returns.

I’ve published a new book, US, Everything is done by US. We can make it for US. It’s a short book in plain language that gives three ideas.

A sad situation but a clear way to fix it. There’s a truly unfortunate phenomenon going on. It showed up recently right here on this page. It was a letter to the editor earlier this month. In it the writer was complaining about Gov. Ducey’s attempts to control the pandemic.

There's a reason “cancel culture” is awkward, and a reason we've brought it on ourselves.

We’ve had well over 115,000 people die in a very short time and we should be grieving for them, but I really don’t know how.

What’s true of black people is true of all of us. Black people are rebelling against police brutality, and who can blame them?

A recent bit of news reminded me of an idea I’ve knocked around with politicians (remember dear John Hays?) and others for years for a way to improve how politics works.

The tri-city mayors say they won’t require face masks during the trial coronavirus reopening. That doesn’t make sense in so many ways I can hardly fit them all in.

An observation, some inspiration from the past, and a way to feel better in this time.

Companies that are now asking for bailouts were just recently intentionally giving away all of their cash till they were nearly broke or even deep in debt like a soon-to-be-divorcee trying to hide it all so they don’t have to split it with the ex.

I have a problem with sending cash payments to help with Covid-19, but not for conservative reasons.

You’re already overwhelmed with COVID-19 coverage, so I’ll make only one point and then find a little humor, because we could use some.

The Yavapai County Democratic Presidential Preference Election is coming up March 17, and John Lutes, chairman of the Yavapai Democrats and candidate for county supervisor, says they are pulling out all the stops to encourage a big turnout.

I’ve followed recent news and articles about local water issues, some of which paint a rosy picture with good news about rates of use, and about possibly getting more credits for recharge.

The typical monthly budget that people fall into, with a big car payment, a big cable bill, extra expenses if you live in the city or within an HOA, doesn’t have to be the norm.

As noted, the typical monthly budget, with a big car payment and all, doesn't have to be the norm.

We just passed MLK day, with celebrations everywhere including the Prescott area.

We have to make it illegal to lie. To lie in ways that affect us publicly. Our current national dilemmas are largely the result of our allowing lies in public information.

My traditional holiday message. The holidays are a time that pull us many ways. They draw us into the spiritual meaning of the season at the same time they turn us into super-consumers. We buy “stuff” for others and we get more “stuff” from others. The giving and receiving is good, but all that stuff eats up a lot of time, so it’s good to think about how important time is.

Lots of news besides impeachment is happening, and lots getting done in D.C. and elsewhere, but much of it is not reported, or the House has done its job but in most of those cases the Senate has blocked it.

Here’s a Thanksgiving thought for, and about, Prescott. It is both melancholy and thankful. It’s about all of the good things of living anywhere in this area. About some things disappearing, and some new, and gratefulness for the time had with those things that are going.

One of the reasons unions arose a century ago was because working people were being conned with piecework. Unions didn’t just battle for decent pay, for time-and-a-half for overtime and for safe workplaces, they also had to battle the scourge of piecework.

Tom Steele had a letter in the paper last week about how much of what we see and read is not true and how we have to be carefully “paying attention” or our emotions will cause our “basic held beliefs to override the cognitive process.”

The city has really dropped the ball on communicating. There’s a big decision they simply overlooked, and they headed off in a given direction without asking the public. There might be a good reason, but they haven’t really explained it.

There are right ways and wrong ways to do social programs and other government policies intended to help people. Here is a wrong one and what could make it right, a proposal that, if enacted, would affect YRMC.

In the endless debate about whether Democratic candidates should go boldly progressive or stick to middle ground, there’s another dimension that’s missing.

Despite a recent poll I am not at all concerned about whether young people are going to have enough commitment, or will be up to the work of being the next impressive generation.

With recent violence, and the political talk that creates fertile ground for it, a column came to mind that I wrote 15 years ago worrying this very thing would happen.

Want a good laugh? Here’s a crazy idea that will have you laughing at “that crazy Cantlon”. Something I’ve talked about for 30 years. The solution to a lot of problems? End advertising.

There has been moral decline.

There’s a lot of talk about socialism and questioning of capitalism, and it’s almost all wrong.

We are watching our ability to be civilized getting hollowed out before our eyes. It is amazing how fragile it is.

It’s our fault. The fact that Russian internet trolls were able to influence the election, the fact that those who spread political divisiveness can use stories that are made up or exaggerated and get them seen far and wide, the fact that violent groups can get their message across to so many more susceptible minds than in the past, all of that is because we use social media so much.

Ha, ha, that’s almost a joke, isn’t it? There hardly is any coverage of labor issues in most U.S. news.

As I like to remind each year about this time, the holidays are a time that pull us many ways.

In a Talk of the Town a little while back, Councilman Jim Lamerson made the case that the developer who wants to put houses and condos in the middle of the Granite Dells should be able to do what they want, and any suggestions of special limitations are out of line, because of private property rights.

Want to read something positive? There’s a quote I’ll share with you but let me mention where it comes from.

Would you like a very simple, clear explanation of what led to the financial crash of 2008? I have one I can link you to.

The new hotel deal the city just made (see the Aug. 24 paper) has some good points but had some bad process. Here are some suggestions for improving it.