wall

Among the persons that provided poignant testimonials on positive benefits from DACA during the recent ceremony in Philadelphia’s City Hall commemorating the fifth anniversary of that fair-minded initiative instituted by former President Obama were two persons from countries that few ever connect with the controversy around undocumented immigrants in the United States.

How did we get here? Why does it appear that we’re on the brink of a war in Asia, one that could involve nuclear weapons? North Korea has had nuclear-weapons capacity for at least 10 years now. Have its recent advances been so dramatic and significant to force the United States to wage a preventive war? No. The crisis we now find ourselves in has been exaggerated and mishandled by the Trump administration to a degree that is deeply worrying and dangerous.

By unveiling on the same day a pair of divisive and incendiary policy initiatives, the Trump administration made clear that it opposes affirmative action for some Americans but supports it for others.

Youngstown again? As an avid spectator of politics, I’ve been hearing about that city in the Mahoning Valley of northeast Ohio for decades. Although it’s home to just 64,000 people, Youngstown gets more than its share of attention from politicians, media, filmmakers, and even a poetic singer/songwriter from Freehold, New Jersey.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois have introduced a new DREAM Act. Oh boy. I really wish they hadn’t done that.

 News headlines are screaming about how fearful Latinos are due to moves the Trump administration is making toward stepping up deportations. These are valid concerns for many Hispanics, a majority of whom have acquaintances or family members who could be at risk.

There are many ways to evaluate the Trump presidency at the six-month mark. What I am struck by is the path not taken, the lost opportunity. Donald Trump had many flaws, but during the campaign, he tapped into a real set of problems facing America and a deep frustration with the existing political system. Additionally, he embraced and expressed -- somewhat inconsistently -- a populism that went beyond the traditional left-right divide. What would things look like at this point if President Trump had governed in the manner of a pragmatic, jobs-oriented reformer who was relentlessly focused on the “forgotten” Americans of whom he often speaks?

Immigration is a major league policy challenge. But Congress, having recently passed a pair of bills that will accomplish nothing, is stuck playing in the minors.