Some people have nightmares that involve a pack of rabid dogs chasing them. Not me. My nightmares are filled with images of geting to the polling place on Election Day after it's closed! Nooooooo.... It hasn't happened yet but it's dangerous to get too confident! Join me insuring against this...

What does this mean for St. Paul families? Well, for an average family without earned sick time, just 3.5 days of missed work is the equivalent to an entire month of groceries. Wow.

For months, public health officials have warned that the Zika virus eventually would show up in the continental U.S. They warned of this back in the winter, months before the mosquitoes that help transmit Zika were on most people’s radar screen. They warned of this in early summer, when Congress opted to recess for a very lengthy vacation and campaign season, without passing desperately needed funds to help fight Zika. They warned us. And now Zika is here.

A month and four days have passed and I’m still on edge. On July 4th my family and I traveled to Carowinds, a very popular amusement park that borders the line between North and South Carolina. As a Black American I have never believed in actively celebrating a holiday based on freedoms not...