Articles by John Buell
CONTRIBUTORS
College of the Atlantic’s ambitious new goal
Recently, I attended a talk by Darron Collins, the new president of College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor. Collins is a friend and former student of mine. He spoke eloquently about the college’s distinctive educational mission and the contribution he hopes to make to its future. Collins has set ...
The personal automobile makes for a bad romance
Reading about another tragic life-altering car crash here on Mount Desert Island reminded me of an old newspaper headline. Ten years ago a newspaper in Saskatchewan, which has a population slightly …
Spirituality, economics and nature
The United States lags the world in responding to climate change. Guardian columnist George Monbiot points out …
Are we bidding farewell to advocacy journalism?
With the passing of Daniel Schorr and the forced retirement of Helen Thomas, are we bidding farewell to “advocacy journalism,” the journalist who makes news rather than reports it? I think not. …
Afternoon spent listening to talk radio
Recently on a dull Sunday afternoon I tuned in a local talk radio program. Talk radio generally pains me, not so much because of the content as the tone. Tone and content are not fully severable, but …
Recovering from deficit obsessions
The politics of private and government debt provide an occasion to contest both conventional economic theory and related moral narratives. The old story is that a profligate working class and …
Spending not the cause of our problems
“Runaway government spending” is an easy target now. It is not the cause of our problems. Government spending will not “crowd out” private investors. It is essential in stimulating the demand on which the private sector and even our ability to sustain healthy debt to gross national product ratios depend. ...
Countering US deficit mania
Many of the same folks who overlooked skyrocketing mortgage debt and an unprecedented housing bubble now demand that governments rapidly balance their budgets. Following their advice would be …
Corporate, religious terrorism
Why won’t our leaders call BP a terrorist, a label readily applied not only to Faisal Shazhad but also to radical Muslims? Even if BP is indicted, few will question its right to the best defense …
Arizona and the politics of immigration
Arizona, a U.S. state for only about a century, serves as microcosm of our national experience. Most of our ancestors are from away, do not share a common heritage and have seen themselves as God’s …
Give me your huddled masses — sometimes
The president may have no appetite for immigration reform, but most commentators find it hard to avoid. Liberal columnist Paul Krugman agonizes over the topic in recent blog posts: “Democrats are …
Coal and predatory capitalism
Just days after the worst U.S. coal mine disaster in a quarter-century, the World Bank approved a $3.75 billion loan to South Africa to build one of the world’s largest coal-fired electric power …
Humans, climate change
Despite growing consensus among scientists regarding human-induced climate change, the U.S. remains a leader in resistance to corrective action. Some blame our recalcitrance on the small minority of …
Excess of supervisors dulls firms’ productivity
Remember when the U.S. model of “flexible” labor markets, deregulated transportation and innovative finance was supposed to be an example to the world? Freed from the constraints of minimum …
Rewarding failure, at our expense
Many middle-class Americans are outraged by the bonuses Goldman Sachs is paying its top traders. The corporate media treat such outrage as “populist” irrationality or simple envy. CNBC’s …
Car culture and global energy conflict
This ad (herein condensed) did not make the Super Bowl roster, but Sarah Palin probably likes it: “My name is Ram and my tank is full. I’m fueled by optimism. Driven by passion and stopped by nothing. I’m a can-do spirit in a get-it-done body. All brawn. All brain. I’m ...
State needs a skilled work force
If that first dip in the cold bath of recession wasn’t bracing enough, how about a second dip? Most of the mainstream media along with the financial markets are pronouncing the Great Recession …
Our ethical obligations to Haiti
What to say about a disaster as horrific as the earthquake in Haiti? An earthquake that destroyed Lisbon in the 18th century led Voltaire to satirize Leibniz’s claim that “this is the best of all …
The best bipartisanship
Will the U.S. Congress finally assert its independence of both the finance industry and party leaders beholden to its goals? This would be bipartisanship of which we could be proud.
The Huffington …
Division between developed and developing countries
Why did Copenhagen yield meager results? Divisions between the so-called developed and developing worlds have been cited as one of the major causes, with the developed nations — especially the U.S. — being seen as especially
More than 500 help with ground search for missing Glenburn teen Nichole Cable
Silenced by legislators at budget talks, LePage says Mainers are being played for ‘patsies’
Family of third plane crash victim puts Knox County on notice
Emma Libby, 15, overcomes ruling to win Sport-4 race at Speedway 95
Hampden firm pokes holes in traditional boat mooring, leaving room for lobsters, crabs and other sea life
Jeffrey Nugent says his brother Ted Nugent is wrong on background checks
Maine protects a woman’s right to choose
Funding isn’t everything: Education reform takes innovation, cooperation
Strengthening the schools Maine already has
Marcus Davis wins mixed martial arts main event at NEF VII
Promise of land brought Theriault family to ‘Acadie’ in 1630s
How do I teach my kids it’s not OK to be bullied, even by family?
Custom guitar played by two members of the Beatles sells for $408,000 at auction
I cheated; now husband wants an open marriage. Is that fair?