All The Monitor's View
G20 summit's bright consensus on tax evasionSyria may be the corridor topic at the G20 summit, but the group's amazing consensus on battling tax avoidance will be its historic moment.
In vote on Syria strike, Americans face moment of truth for 'values that define us'As Congress preps for a vote on a possible US punitive strike on the Syria regime, Obama frames the issue as one about 'values that define us.' That throws the question squarely on defining the American identity.
Obama plan to rank colleges: Will it raise thinking skills?Congress appears lukewarm about President Obama's proposal to rank colleges and universities. One reason may be that it fails to measure what today's employers want: Graduates with higher-order thinking skills.
Obama and King's 'Dream' speechThe power of great oratory to bring about change has shifted since Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' speech. President Obama and recent US presidents have struggled to adjust to new demands for different styles of leadership.
What Obama must tell Americans about a US strike on SyriaAirstrikes on Syria would be meant to defend international law protecting civilians from chemical weapons. Yet can President Obama say no civilians will be killed in US 'surgical' strikes?
Is the Yosemite fire a good fire?As California's Rim Fire bears down on Yosemite National Park and threatens power and water for San Francisco, the state must once again reassess the values that humans place on nature.
Syria jumps the red lineThe almost certain use of chemical weapons by Syria makes stronger international action nearly unavoidable.
Would you like unlimited days off?Some employers offer unlimited vacation days to workers. But is it really a perk?
Internet privacy should trump growthFacebook鈥檚 Internet.org wants to aggressively spread Internet connectivity to the developing world. But that shouldn't be its top priority.
Science for everyoneAs 鈥榗itizen science鈥� projects grow in popularity, science loses some of its mystery. That鈥檚 good.
Obama鈥檚 pressing agendaUrgent issues await presidential action this fall. How Mr. Obama handles them will say a lot about his presidency.
Yucca Mountain lowA court is rightly pushing the Obama administration to make a decision on the Nevada site, a first step in setting a long-term policy on nuclear waste.
Egypt 鈥� take the long viewStopping the violence comes first. Realizing that democracies can take decades to emerge should be a cause for hope.
College football: Let the big guys goA 鈥楤ig 5鈥� division with only top teams would give big-money, big-time football a league of its own.
Decline in marriage 鈥� it鈥檚 the economyWorking-class Americans are passing up going to the altar. Fixing the economy could help change that.
Prison reform: Seize the momentBoth parties realize that the exploding prison population is unsustainable. Sentencing reform is one step in the right direction.
FDA and e-cigarettes: Nicotine addiction must not be the normThe Food and Drug Administration will likely decide soon how to regulate e-cigarettes, the electronic devices that deliver a vapor of nicotine (along with some toxins). The agency must assume people do not want to be addicted to this powerful drug.
Fixing America's subsidized homeownershipThis fall, Congress and President Obama will debate how much taxpayers should still back homeownership. But first they need to ask if owning a home leads to well-being.
Far more than Snowden led Obama to cancel Putin summitAn assertion of values more than interests are behind President Obama's cancellation of a September summit with President Vladimir Putin. The US simply doesn't see world diplomacy as Putin does.
Bottom line, disabled people might be better employeesWalgreens and now a report by the National Governors Association show businesses can benefit by seeing disabled workers not as charity cases but employees with uncommon qualities that can enhance profits.
