Tag: Government

Essays

The numbers say inflation is 3.3%. That’s not the real story—and it never was.

Mandy Webster

Just a few months ago, inflation was reported at 2.4%, and we were told that meant things were stabilizing. The messaging was clear: the worst was behind us, the economy was settling down, and wages were starting to catch up. But for a lot of people, that didn’t match reality. Rent was still climbing. Grocery bills were still painful. Insurance premiums kept inching higher. The numbers said “progress,” but everyday life said something else entirely.

Split infographic contrasting official inflation with real living costs. Left side shows a politician at a podium in front of the U.S. Capitol with “Inflation: 3.3%” and positive economic headlines. Right side shows groceries, bills marked “past due,” and a handwritten list of rising expenses like rent, gas, and utilities, alongside the message “Paycheck? Not keeping up.”
When inflation is reduced to a single number, it hides the reality people actually live with—rising rent, higher grocery bills, and paychecks that can’t keep pace.

Now inflation has climbed to 3.3%, and suddenly the tone has shifted. What was once framed as “under control” is now something to watch more closely, something to explain, something to blame on global conflict and rising energy prices. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: the difference between 2.4% and 3.3% doesn’t actually explain why people feel like they’re falling behind. Because the problem was already there.

Continue reading “The numbers say inflation is 3.3%. That’s not the real story—and it never was.” →
Essays

Why the government shouldn’t control marriage (and why marriage should be a contract)

Mandy Webster

For something people describe as sacred, romantic, and eternal, marriage in the United States is surprisingly bureaucratic. Before two people can be “married,” they need a government-issued license. A clerk records the paperwork. A legal framework determines how assets will be divided if the relationship ends. And in many cases, the couple signs the same basic legal agreement that millions of other couples sign, whether it suits their lives or not. In other words, marriage—at least in the eyes of the state—is already a contract. We just pretend it isn’t.

Two ways to say “I do”: one sacred, one legal—both important, both separate.

The confusion comes from the fact that in modern culture, two completely different institutions are treated as though they are the same thing: religious marriage and legal marriage. They are not.

Continue reading “Why the government shouldn’t control marriage (and why marriage should be a contract)” →
Essays

Journalism: It’s not about “both sides”—it’s about what’s actually true

Mandy Webster

When one person says it’s raining and another insists it’s not, a journalist’s job isn’t to quote them both and call it a day. The job is to go outside, look up, and report what’s actually happening. That basic principle—verification over balance—feels increasingly absent from modern journalism, especially at the local level.

Line drawing of a man standing in an open field looking up at the sky
A young man scans a cloudless sky, caught between what he’s told and what he can plainly see—reminding us that truth isn’t found in competing claims, but in the courage to look for ourselves.

I’ve seen this play out firsthand in the ongoing political arguments over property taxes here in Illinois. Republicans often argue that high property taxes are the governor’s fault. Democrats push back, saying the governor has no control over property taxes at all. And what does much of the local media do? Instead of investigating the claim and explaining how property taxes actually work, they hand each side a microphone and let the audience “decide.” But that’s not journalism. That’s outsourcing the truth.

Continue reading “Journalism: It’s not about “both sides”—it’s about what’s actually true” →
Politics, Religion

Separation of Church and State

Mandy Webster

Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer
Image via Wikipedia

I have a confession to make. I have a 2-foot stack of back issues of National Geographic and Smithsonian magazine that I have never read. I am working my way through them slowly, but I finally let my subscriptions expire this year because I was feeling really guilty about just how large my stack had grown. Anyway, I just finished reading the October 2010 issue of Smithsonian in which I found a very timeless article that I would love to share with you now. The full story is available online for your perusal.  Continue reading “Separation of Church and State” →

Domestic Violence, Random Rants

Lying is futile

Mandy Webster

LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Staff Sgt. s...
Image via Wikipedia

I don’t get liars, never have. What’s the point? The truth always comes out in the end, no matter how hard you try to cover it up. Truth is afraid of the dark. It doesn’t like to be hidden under a brown paper bag, and it always finds a way to escape.

Back when I was in basic training in the Air Force, our TI’s (short for training instructor, that’s what we called them in the Air Force, as opposed to a drill sergeant in the Army) put us through long, excruciating exercises in paying attention and following instructions. One day, we spent several hours putting our laundry marks in every item of military clothing we’d been issued. Continue reading “Lying is futile” →