Town meeting issues illuminate Island’s growing pains
… a largely unspoiled Martha’s Vineyard, where natural and human communities thrive and flourish together with minimal conflict; a sustainable future ensured through preserved land, clean water, and a protected biological heritage.
A few years...
Questions to consider before town meeting
Do you value living in a neighborhood where you enjoy the peace of mind that your home, your backyard, and your neighborhood will be free of noise, lights, dust, heavy trucks, and fumes?
When you...
The case for overlay districts in Oak Bluffs
For all intents and purposes, Oak Bluffs has made it impossible for professional service providers to open a business practice outside of our downtown. Furthermore, commercial businesses have no option to stage their operations...
The more immigrants we have, the better off we will be
As the Island population grew during the Covid-19 pandemic, an accompanying increase occurred in its demographic makeup as the recent Martha’s Vineyard Commission’s statistical report shows. It reveals a marked increase in ethnic and...
Toward a more perfect union
I’ve always loved the elegant, aspirational phrase “toward a more perfect union,” found in the opening sentence of our Constitution. It was our Founding Fathers’ first priority, ahead of establishing justice, ensuring domestic tranquility,...
The ‘first rough draft’ covering Island schools
In the bright, unforgiving light of the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School cafeteria, a cluster of a dozen parents — all immigrants from Brazil — and a handful of teachers who work in the...
Assessing the 2017 Trump tax cuts
In 2017, President Trump signed into law the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. It was his signature achievement. Now that several years have passed since the law was enacted, what has been its impact?...
A step across a cultural divide
From the street, you could hear the muffled beat of Brazilian house music up in The Loft on Oak Bluffs Avenue.
It was my first time going to “Brazilian night,” a Sunday tradition for many...
Congress’s disgrace: the failure to reform immigration
Congress once again failed to resolve the critical immigration problem plaguing the southern border of the United States. Thousands of undocumented migrants are crossing into the country. Just a year and a half ago,...
The court and the E.P.A., yet again
The Supreme Court has another chance to reduce the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency when it hears a challenge to its regulatory authority on Feb. 21.
Last year, the court sidelined the E.P.A.’s authority...
A sign of the times?
First came the high winds. They blew hard against the “MV Times” sign above the entry to our newsroom, leaving it hanging by one rusty nail, twisting in the wind.
“A sign of the times,”...
Trump eligibility and the Anderson petition
In its Jan. 11 edition, my op-ed in The MV Times reviewed the Trump argument before the Supreme Court to allow him to appear on the Colorado primary ballot. To reiterate, the focus is...
Presidential eligibility and the Supreme Court
News first broke last September that two highly conservative law professors argued that Donald J. Trump was no longer eligible to run for president because he was directly involved in the Jan. 6 insurrection...
Keep the faith in public education
Before we sign off completely for 2023, I have a short message: Our public schools are under attack, but they are stronger and more resilient than their enemies assume, and more effective than you...
The supreme court adds three (maybe four) to its schedule
Like most government agencies, the U.S. Supreme Court winds down its schedule as the Christmas and New Year’s season draws closer. The last day on which the justices heard arguments was Dec. 6.
Since then,...
Two deaths, two different lives, a retrospective
Two deaths, Henry Kissinger at 100 on Nov. 29 and Sandra Day O’Connor, 93, two days later, mark the end of an era. Few people will be able to emulate them, their achievements, or...
For a permanent ceasefire
Controversy rages on our Island and around the world over the Israel-Gaza war. Some Island residents, myself included, have publicly expressed outrage over the Israeli military’s assault on Gaza, which we, along with millions...
How to be an ally to Jews in these difficult times
It is now almost eight weeks since Hamas perpetrated horrific attacks, including murders, kidnappings, and sexual violence, on innocent Israeli civilians of all ages from the very young to the very old. In the...