Jul 13have hopeEarlier this week, I got on a Divvy bicycle to tour Hope Academy on Chicago’s west side. “Be careful,” was the advice I kept hearing. I thought this was a warning to wear my helmet on the ride. It turns out, Chicago Hope Academy is in East Garfield…Chicago2 min read
Jul 6new truthsThe struggle with infertility is a lonely, frustrating and often humiliating journey. Six years ago as I walked into our small Chicago apartment, I noticed something strange when I came home from work. The bedroom door was closed. It was just my wife and I who lived there, so…Baby3 min read
Jun 29war on povertyNearly 60 years later, what is the legacy of Lyndon B. Johnson’s war on poverty? Fifty-eight years ago, Lyndon B. Johnson took a helicopter to the small, rundown Kentucky town of Inez in the heart of coal country. The landing field reserved for the president was an abandoned miniature…Poverty2 min read
Jun 22Where the best ideas come fromSeveral weeks ago, the chairman of Illinois Policy Institute’s board, John Tillman, called me with a new idea. It was clear. It was simple. It was brilliant. I asked how he came up with it. “I thought of it in the shower,” he said. …Illinois2 min read
Jun 15quiet dignityMother Cabrini rode the same “L” train as we do today. She walked our streets. Situated just across the street from North Pond in Lincoln Park is an ultra luxury high-rise. Passersby may assume that’s all there is to the building — but 2520 N. Lakeview Ave. has a much…Religion3 min read
Jun 8winning while losingHistory often tells a different story than the narrative we create in the moment. Last week, I had dinner with Ben Schreiner at his home in Camden, South Carolina. Ben has gray hair and the strong chin line of a 20-year-old football player. …Illinois3 min read
Jun 1about timeLast month I made a phone call to an attorney to start drawing up my will. Last month I made a phone call to an attorney to start drawing up my will. There is nothing wrong with me. But as my wife has informed me, “It’s about time.” As…Charity3 min read
May 18I was wrongI’ve changed my views on human dignity. I no longer think it is a good thing. In fact, it’s dangerous. Here’s why: the definition of dignity has changed. It’s being used to harm people. The way dignity is used today is something like, “Every person is born with an inherent…Dignity4 min read
May 111+1=3That sounds like some pretty bad math. And at one point in my life, I would have argued it was impossible. 1+1 can never equal 3. But the more time I spend working at the Illinois Policy Institute, the more I am convinced that this is not bad math. …Illinois4 min read
May 4Saturday Special: What’s so impressive about Big Ben?For over a decade, I was certain the famous London-based clock was inexplicably located off the highway in southeastern Wisconsin. I was scrunched in the middle seat of a Ford Taurus station wagon. I sat between my older brother and sister on a family road trip that took us through…Illinois3 min read
