Like most observers of American society and politics, I am trying to make sense of our current political moment.

Recently, Kansas City, Missouri’s mayor, Sly James, wrote in The Hill that America needed a new agenda for cities. No argument here.

Everyone knows the expression “stubborn as a mule.” More than a tired cliché, however, that is a doltish misperception, foisted upon us by the least adept of mule-handlers. In the words of a real expert, it is “a classic example of man ascribing stupidity to the beast instead of to himself.”

I haven’t met anyone who doesn’t like recess. As a former elementary school teacher myself, I can tell you that recess is a special time.

One of my favorite books as a child was If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.  “If you give a mouse a cookie,” the story begins, “he’s going to ask for a glass of milk.”  Before long the mouse receives a haircut, a nap complete with a bedtime story, and more.

Mayor Slay and many—but not all—regional leaders are peddling a curious elixir: a $2 billion expansion of MetroLink. The expansion would create a new line running from north Saint Louis County, through downtown, to South County. But what condition is this elixir supposed to treat?

Imagine you got a nasty cut that needed stitches while you were vacationing in Florida this summer. Apart from putting a damper on your trip, would you be concerned that you wouldn't be able to see a Missouri-licensed doctor? Probably not.

We ask a lot of our public schools. We ask that they not only educate children, but also transport them and feed them. Many provide before- or after-school care for students. We expect schools to serve students regardless of their learning needs.

Just like school years come and go and spring fades into summer, controversy over how we fund our schools has been a part of our political landscape for what seems like eternity.  Most recently, the Kansas Supreme Court has threatened to keep the state’s schools closed if the legislature does not

It was a vintage if ill-advised display of firmness.

A quarter of a century ago, Margaret Thatcher threw the British House of Commons into an uproar when she mocked the concept of a United State of Europe in no more than three words. Punctuating each one, she said:

“No. No. No.”