Appropriately, much has been made of the historic election of the first African American president of the United States. But President Barack Obama’s inaugural address made it clear his presidency is historic in another very important way as well. We have elected a president who actually believes in government.

This year, like every year, gives us an opportunity to consider where we've been, how we arrived at the present moment, and how we can launch a new year with promise.2008 was particularly difficult and is ending with our nation in the deepest recession since the Great Depression in the 1930s. These difficulties offer us an opportunity to make big changes in the way we think about our society, our neighborhoods and our role in moving into the future in a fair and just manner.

I don’t know what his beef is,” President George W. Bush told a reporter after an Iraqi journalist hurled a shoe at him and yelled “This is your farewell kiss, you dog!” during a press conference in Baghdad. Although Bush may be clueless about why Muntadar al-Zaidi reacted so strongly, the president could take a trip...

The next American president has an opportunity to make a real impact on the direction of our nation and the course of world events. What should he do now? Before Tuesday’s election results were announced, we asked our fellow Milwaukeeans: If you could sit with the next president for two minutes, what would you...

Longtime state Rep. Sue Jeskewitz decided not to run for re-election this year, which provides voters in the 24th Assembly District with a rare opportunity to give equal consideration to both candidates running for this seat. We support Democrat Charlene Brady. Brady has served her community as a member of the...

Linda Flashinski would be a welcome alternative to Robin Vos, the Republican incumbent representing the western portion of Racine County, the 63rd Assembly District. Unfortunately for his constituents, Vos is more interested in serving the interests of his party’s leaders than helping Racine workers get to their jobs.

Voters in Oak Creek and South Milwaukee can choose an Assembly representative who will truly represent their needs by electing Glen Brower. A fourth-generation South Milwaukee resident, Brower is a longtime public servant who can be trusted to do the right thing when acting on issues that are important...

The Shepherd Express strongly endorses Democrat Sandra Pasch for the open seat in the 22nd Assembly District, which encompasses the North Shore suburbs and part of Milwaukee. Pasch won the highly competitive Democratic primary in September and is still campaigning hard for the general election.

Assembly Republicans proved last year that they are not putting the best interests of Wisconsin residents first. Republican leaders were happy to play games— and fund-raise—while shamelessly stalling budget negotiations. This sort of partisan brinksmanship has no place in serious state matters that affect all of us...

An excerpt from a quickly scribbled blog entry I posted last March: Well, I'm finally beginning to understand why people hate John Mayer so much. On my commute to work this morning, I heard an extremely uncomfortable NPR segment on the politics of Mayer's songs. I won't spoil to much, but Mayer shifts back and forth between a few of his many personas: self-righteous gener...