Author: Eric Sondermann
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Scenes from a society off its moorings | SONDERMANN
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It all took place in the immediate aftermath of Thanksgiving, our national day of gratitude. First up was Black Friday, an orgy of shopping punctuated by the random mall brawl, as consumers elbow each other aside, or worse, in search of the best discount on the latest must-have gadget. For a bit of good news,…
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DOGE and America’s finances are no laughing matter | SONDERMANN
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Of course, there is much to parody in the DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) to be led by those dynamic hobnobbers, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. Let’s start with the very notion that it requires two people, both with oversized egos, to lead a downsizing effort. Then there is the creation of a new “department”…
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A clarifying election and a new normal | Sondermann
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For five years, I have written in these pages under the heading of “Down the middle.” Before getting to the meat of today’s column, let me briefly discuss what I take that to mean. “Down the middle” does not mean I take a centrist approach to every question. Nor does it mean that my views…
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SONDERMANN | Litter here, litter there, litter everywhere
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Lady Bird Johnson, we miss you. And we need you as much as was the case more than a half century ago. For those of more recent vintage (an ever-expanding share of the population), Lady Bird Johnson was America’s First Lady as her husband President Lyndon Johnson presided over the country during much of the tumultuous…
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SONDERMANN | No respite for Denver voters
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Odd-numbered years used to be something of an electoral respite. Sure, there were school board races; municipal contests here and there; and a small smattering of ballot issues around this tax matter or that. But voters were most often spared the high-decibel campaigns for high office and the A to Z lineup of propositions and amendments, many…
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SONDERMANN | The ultimate denial, the unforgivable disrespect
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It seems that every week brings something new to divide us. The polarizing noise machine rarely rests and requires a constant diet of new fodder. In just the last month, we have been treated to the botched exit from Afghanistan and resulting human tragedy; new, persistent fights over mask requirements and vaccine mandates; Texas’s new abortion law;…
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SONDERMANN | Time for some independence for Sen. Bennelooper
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Some days it seems that Colorado has a single United States Senator – though fortunately one with two votes when the roll is called. For the sake of simplicity, let’s refer to our delegates to that august body as Sen. Bennelooper. The alignment seems apt given their close identity. Both Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper…
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SONDERMANN | Words matter, especially with issues of immigration
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Eric Sondermann As a writer, I can attest that words matter. The choice of this word versus that word carries with it different meanings and connotations. As a reader, you surely feel the same. For today, let’s focus on the complex issue of immigration and how vocabulary is key to the debate. The words we…
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SONDERMANN | The day, 49 years ago, when I debated George Will
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Eric Sondermann George Will turned 80 earlier this month. He let the world know of his milestone through a poignant, typically erudite essay. None of us are getting any younger, as if there were any doubt about that truism. Though the point of this column is not to pay tribute to the senior eminence he…
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SONDERMANN | The five stages of grief and today’s GOP
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Eric Sondermann Anyone who has gone through the journey of loss and grief – which means most living, breathing, sentient adults – knows something of moving through those intense and difficult feelings. Dating back a full half-century, the psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross identified five distinct stages to this grieving process in her landmark book, “On Death…
