Nation must have better health care, not more

The four of us came together to change the conversation around how to improve health care and constrain cost growth.

US, Mexico using wrong strategy to fight drug cartels

The U.S. government has spent $1.6 billion to help Mexico end a war between drug cartels that has killed 63,000 people south of our border in the past six years.

Reform unemployment to help jobless move

Americans have always been willing to move to look for better economic opportunities, and this willingness to relocate is a big factor in U.S. prosperity.

Your house might be making you sick: All sorts of potential hazards are lurking

It was a chronic thing: Almost every time Erma Taylor's great-grandson caught a cold, he also ended up having a severe asthma attack. Taylor, a retired nurse, spent many hours at a hospital, helping to hold the toddler for tests and breathing treatments, and wondering what was causing the attacks.

Time to take the wraps off Senate report on torture

The Democrats on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence have bequeathed to the lucky few with clearances a 6,000-page report on the CIA's enhanced-interrogation program. The senators who insist that a declassified version be released are surely right.

Group doctor visits give patients more face time

When visiting the doctor, there may be strength in numbers.

Make defined-benefit, portable pension mandatory

To the let's-cut-entitlements crowd, what's wrong with America is that seniors are living too high off the hog. With the cost of medical care still rising (though not as fast as it used to), the government is shelling out many more dollars per geezer (DPG) than it is per youngster (DPY). The…

Abuse of power, ethical failure not limited by race

This week I received an email with the subject line: "Please Colbert, write about Jesse Jackson Jr. and father."

Allen leaves Afghanistan with a record of progress

Gen. John Allen stepped down as commander of NATO forces in Kabul over the weekend, and several accomplishments merit mention. A man who was unfairly tainted by the Jill Kelley email scandal deserves praise for a remarkable 19-month tenure that brought stability and steady progress to the mi…

Get the paper monster under control before tax day

When people describe their struggle to tame the paper in their home, it is often with a look of desperation on their face and the sound of defeat in their voice. Add the rapidly approaching April 15 tax deadline and panic sets in.

Quit meddling and let economy heal itself

Is this the year the U.S. economy finally turns the corner? The messages are mixed - from slower-than-predicted growth in the fourth quarter to higher-than-expected housing starts - and this seems to mirror the lack of consensus among economists and politicians about what ails our gross dome…

Although they're not the hiss of death, cat bites ought to be taken seriously

With sleepy eyes and a comically kinked tail, Sammy does not look like a dangerous character. But Sammy put me in the hospital.

Do homework before becoming a landlord

Think you want to be a landlord? Consider this:

Small changes, good habits help you get organized

Getting more organized in the new year is often at the top of resolution lists. But as with other resolutions, most people start out strong and then lose their motivation when they don't see immediate results or because they are trying to do too much at once.

Small changes make a big difference when you're getting organized

Getting more organized in the new year is often at the top of resolution lists. The trick to getting and staying organized in the months ahead is to form good habits. Small changes make a big difference.

Guest Column: Remake student-loan process to favor marketable skills

Student loans have recently emerged as the most ubiquitous of consumer debts, and the unemployment rate among recent college graduates remains persistently high. All finger-pointing aside as to the underlying causes, these two economic birds could be killed by borrowing one stone from the wo…

Sharp US drawdown imperils Afghan military mission

The Obama administration appears determined to vacate Afghanistan as fast as possible. If the latest leaks are to be believed, officials are willing to leave as few as 6,000 U.S. troops behind after 2014, concentrated at the Bagram air base and a few other installations around Kabul. The min…

You can limit your booze and have a good time, too

It's easy to overindulge during the holidays.

On gun control, Obama should act fast, as LBJ did

If ever there were a moment for President Obama to learn from history, it is now, in the wake of Friday's shootings at the elementary school at Newtown, Conn. The timely lesson for Obama, drawn from the experience of Lyndon B. Johnson - the last president to aggressively fight for comprehens…

Aging well isn't just a matter of genes; you can do a lot, too

People have a wide variety of wish lists for improving their health, but we all share one goal: Everyone wants to age well.

Commanders need tools to help prevent suicides

As troop commanders coming up through the Army ranks, we learned that taking care of our soldiers was a primary responsibility of military leadership. We knew that the troops were our credentials, and we tried to create an environment where they could be the best they could possibly be. This…

Buffett's plan isn't bold enough; we need nat'l renewal

I hate to pick a fight with the sage of Omaha, but in an otherwise admirable New York Times op-ed Monday that offered a new version of his idea for a minimum tax for the wealthy, Warren Buffett embraced (inadvertently, I'm guessing) spending and revenue goals for the federal government that …

Puerto Rico deserves statehood - and so does DC

On Election Day, the citizens of Puerto Rico made history. For the first time, they voted for statehood.

Hard work's already done to avoid fiscal cliff

In business I found that a challenging environment often produced our best opportunities. Perhaps that's why I see the so-called "fiscal cliff" of year-end spending cuts and tax increases not as an impassable precipice but as our best opportunity to finally enact meaningful fiscal reform.

Use science know-how to make perfect holiday meal

Mashed Potatoes

Time is ripe to revisit race-based college admissions

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments next week in Fisher v. University of Texas, the high court's first case on the use of race in higher education admissions since its 2003 decisions in Gratz v. Bollinger and Grutter v. Bollinger.

Kale can make you hale and hearty

Every time I pass by that colossal bag of kale at the grocery store or our local farmers market, I have the distinct feeling that I should be eating more of the dark, leafy green.

Coupon firm joins insurers to promote healthier eating

Cook from scratch. Eat foods in season. Buy locally. That is the conventional wisdom on what Americans must do to become healthier.

Lawmakers need to recognize poker as a game of skill

To a poker pro, it's brutally obvious that the game is one of skill, not chance. I've made my living over the past nine years by having an edge on my opponents. I didn't somehow get lucky over hundreds of thousands of hands, and I've yet to meet a person who thinks I did. Poker is a strategy…

Armstrong achievement lifted spirits of POWs

Neil Armstrong's passing reminded me of the moment I learned of his historic accomplishment. I didn't gather with my family around the television to watch him take his "small step" onto the surface of the moon. When the momentous event occurred, I had no idea it was happening. I and several …

US must strike balance with Egypt, not abandon it

A handful of Republicans pushed Wednesday to cut off aid to Libya and Egypt. Fortunately, most Republicans and Democrats in Congress reject the idea. In Libya, the government is largely secular and pro-American. It is also weak and unable to preserve order against the many forces - from remn…

Feed kids' brains to improve schoolwork

Instead of flashcards and multiplication drills to improve your child's school performance, you might want to focus on the family diet.

Vitamin D fosters bone health; broader claims are less certain

Bravo to those who seek cover from the sun to prevent premature aging, melanoma and other skin damage. But it's important to recognize that more sun protection means less vitamin D, which our bodies produce after exposure to UVB rays.

'The Imposter' documents impossible impersonation

In 1994, 13-year-old Nicholas Barclay vanished from his San Antonio neighborhood. Three years later, a kid in a Spanish children's home claimed to be Nicholas. It's not a spoiler to reveal that he was lying; after all, the gripping, twist-packed documentary that tells this story is titled "T…

Deficit fix eludes both hopefuls, but edge goes to Obama

Ever since President Obama named my pal Alan Simpson co-chairman of the bipartisan fiscal commission, Al has said, "Erskine does the numbers, and I do the color."

Massage does a body good, research now confirms

I used to consider the occasional massage a blissful, self-indulgent luxury. But as I've gotten older, I've become more and more convinced that regular rubdowns are an important prescription for physical and mental well-being.

US can strike a blow for rights by helping to end child marriage

"If adults know child marriage is wrong, why do they allow it to happen?" a teenage girl asked one of us during a visit this year to Bihar, a state in northeast India where, despite national law to the contrary, 69 percent of girls are married before age 18.

Who will join McCain in objecting to ugly charges?

John Sununu apologized, not for the sentiment but for the words: "I wish this president would learn how to be an American."

Governments failing to protect disabled kids in their care

The Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, seems to be in hot water again. A Turkish court has accused her of "acquiring footage and violating the privacy" of children in a Turkish state-run orphanage. Her trial began two weeks ago in Ankara in absentia, following Britain's refusal to extradite th…

Narrow foreclosure programs won't revive housing

Since the housing downturn that began in 2007, policymakers in both parties have implemented numerous programs to modify loans and help homeowners avoid foreclosures. Sadly, none of these programs has lived up to its goals. With each missed expectation, advocates identified the next impedime…

Self-restraint would get gridlocked Senate moving

The U.S. Senate - one-half of one branch of our government and an institution crucial to resolving serious issues before our country - is routinely described as dysfunctional, gridlocked and broken. We feel obligated to do something about it.

Rules on mental-health coverage need clarity

Every day across the United States, families struggle with the challenges of mental illness or substance abuse. The 68 million Americans with these issues include people of all income levels, all races and all political affiliations. Mental illness does not discriminate.

Walled communities foster 'us vs. them' mentality

On the night he was shot, Trayvon Martin walked through an area that he may have thought was public territory. George Zimmerman, on the other hand, saw "a real suspicious guy" walking into what he probably perceived as his private domain. Because the Retreat at Twin Lakes, where the girlfrie…

Congress can act to halt super PACs

Here is the only good news about the super PACs flooding the 2012 presidential race with negative ads funded by huge contributions from the super rich: These vehicles for corruption can be eliminated.

You're happy, eh? Fine, but don't get ecstatic about it

The happier you are, the better, right? Not necessarily.

Caregiving is 'real work,' deserves wage protections

As Congress gins up its attack on women's health services, another issue that affects the welfare of women has been getting far less attention. Caregiving in America is a female occupation. Most family caregivers are women - and they constitute 90 percent of paid workers who provide home hea…

What a 2012 'Mad Men' might look like

On "Mad Men," the AMC television show that returns tonight for its fifth season, booze, cigarettes, unprotected sex, cholesterol-rich foods and negligent parenting play starring roles in a surprisingly accurate and yet idealized picture of the life and times of a New York ad agency in the mi…

Dispelling some myths about Iowa voters

In the past seven months of the Republican presidential campaign, there have been more than a dozen debates and countless polls. Nearly every candidate has enjoyed the spotlight as a front-runner.

Iraq is moving ahead and seeks lasting ties to US

We stand at the threshold of a monumental juncture in the Iraqi-American relationship. A great many sacrifices by the Iraqi and the American people have enabled Iraq to discard the squalid regime of Saddam Hussein and establish a free and democratic society. As American troops depart in acco…

Afghanistan needs NATO to hang on a little longer

In mid-October something interesting happened in Afghanistan. In Helmand province, the Pashtun heartland, U.S. Marines prepared to fight their way north as far as the strategically important Kajaki Dam. They expected a tough battle. Route 611, the main supply route, runs through country that…