Wealth concerns what a household owns after debts are accounted for. It is different from income earned during a year, and a national total cannot tell us how resources are distributed among households.
In 1983, one in five U.S. wage and salary workers belonged to a union. In 2025, it was one in ten. That long-term change raises a serious question about who can negotiate with power at work.
A society that depends on skilled repair work should take the training of skilled workers seriously. Respect for a trade should be visible before an emergency makes everyone impatient for a technician.
If people do not clearly understand what is expected of them, a manager should investigate the conditions of the work before judging their character.
A community’s need for dependable volunteers is real. So is the recovery in volunteering after the pandemic. An argument for service should be willing to acknowledge both.
Having someone to call is a simple phrase for a demanding relationship: someone who knows you, answers honestly, and can expect you to do the same.
When a hospital changes services, residents need to know what care remains and where the missing care will be provided.
A patient should be able to understand a medical bill, identify who can correct an error, and obtain a clear explanation of available assistance.
Concern about food should begin with the people who cannot reliably obtain enough of it. It should also begin with an accurate account of what the national measure means.
A housing market should be judged partly by who can enter it. But a survey of people who completed a purchase cannot tell the whole story of everyone who wanted to buy.
