Between Generations
August 23rd, 2010 by John Creighton in Dispatches
Tags: Community, Culture, Kansas
WESTMINSTER, Colo. (08/23/10) — My family had the privilege to attend our daughter’s friend’s Bat Mitzvah last week. I knew little about the ceremony. I attended a boy’s Bar Mitzvah twenty years ago. It’s the only other time I’ve been present for such a celebration. Though I struggled to follow along at times, I got a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes as I witnessed the passing of the Torah. The eldest of the three generations gathered [...]
Read more...Do Americans Want Accountable Government?
July 30th, 2010 by John Creighton in Dispatches
Tags: Culture, Public Leaders, Public Values, School
LONGMONT, Colo. (7/30/10) — I am trying to reconcile recent research and reporting from the Wall Street Journal, U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences, and the Center for American Progress. Perhaps the data points aren’t connected at all. Perhaps there is nothing to reconcile. I think there is. “Better, Not Smaller: What Americans Want” is the headline announcing new survey data commissioned by the Center for American Progress. Analysts at the Center write: Public confidence in government is [...]
Read more...How Do You Measure Prosperity?
July 13th, 2010 by John Creighton in Dispatches
Tags: Culture, Public Values
LONGMONT, Colo. — Matt Miller makes a provocative assertion in his year-old book, The Tyranny of Dead Ideas. He argues that Americans need to get over the idea that future generations will earn higher incomes than their parents and grandparents. All the evidence suggests, Miller argues, that we will experience several decades of downward pressure on wages. Household incomes (after adjusting for inflation) have steadily climbed over the past four decades. But the additional income is the result of more [...]
Read more...We Are Free
July 3rd, 2010 by John Creighton in Dispatches
Tags: Community, Culture, Longmont, Public Values
LONGMONT, Colo. — The Longmont Orchestra is playing again this year in Thompson Park to celebrate the Fourth of July. It’s one of the traditions I love about this holiday. My family makes a point of staying home for the Fourth so we can join our neighbors to celebrate America’s birthday. Similar celebrations of picnics, music and fireworks will take place across the country. The Fourth and Thanksgiving are the two uniquely American holidays. The Fourth of July is one [...]
Read more...Managing a Surplus of Time, Money and Food
June 22nd, 2010 by John Creighton in Dispatches
Tags: Culture, Family, Public Values
It may seem odd to write an essay about surplus during a period we will long remember as the Great Recession. Much of what I have to say may be dismissed or ignored. It’s hard to hear a long term perspective when experiencing short term pain — especially when the pain is severe. But, as we’re all tightening our belts for the moment, now may be the best time to think through how we manage surplus. Better times will return. [...]
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