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States of the Union RURAL DIALYSIS BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS In 1972 Congress passed an important addition to Medicare known as the End Stage Renal Disease amendment, or ESRD for short....

Having a Dream in Goshen (January 1991)

States of the Union HAVING A DREAM IN GOSHEN BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS A man builds a fine house, and now he has a master and a task for life; he is to furnish, watch, show it, and keep it...

Read My Blips (October 1990)

States of the Union READ MY BLIPS BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS It's a delicate subject but let's face it: In my eagerness to go on living, I may have become a millstone around the American...

A World Without Wheels (September 1990)

States of the Union AWORLD WITHOUT WHEELS BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS One of the characteristics that distinguishes rural transit from urban transit is the fact that most of its ridership...

Make Me Whole (August 1990)

States of the Union MAKE ME WHOLE BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS The recorded female voice at the Baxter Healthcare Corporation's "800" number has the inflections of an airlineattendant:...

Tragedy in a Small Space (March 1990)

States of the Union TRAGEDY IN A SMALL SPACE BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Early-morning breakfast had become a pleasant ritual for Jeff Link and his older brother Tim. After finishing the third...

Looking for a Partner (October 1989)

States of the Union LOOKING FORA PARTNER BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Oberlin, Kansas The most thoroughly thumbed book in and around Oberlin— a town of 2,300 set tidily amid the wheat fields of...

A Certain Species of Helplessness (August 1989)

States of the Union A CERTAIN SPECIES OF HELPLESSNESS BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS In 1985 I began work on a book about the elderly poor, little suspecting that theventure would bring...

This is Mexico? (May 1989)

States of the Union THIS IS MEXICO? BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS COZUMEL Diane and I arrived on this battered Caribbean island yesterday, 470 springs after Hemán Cortés dropped by on his way...

Caring While Curing (March 1989)

States of the Union CARING WHILE CURING BY RICHARD J. MARGOlis IT happened one August night without warning, while our family was vacationing on an island off the coast of Maine. One moment...

Return of the Homestead (January 1989)

States of the Union RETURN OF THE HOMESTEAD BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Like so many civic stories nowadays, this one begins with an itch to overhaul a discarded American dream. It happened in...

A Generous Teacher (December 1988)

States of the Union A GENEROUS TEACHER BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS "The wind whirrs without recollection. ..." —from Allen Tate's "Ode to the Confederate Dead" In the winter of 1952, while...

George, Mike and Adlai (October 1988)

States of the Union GEORGE, MIKE AND ADLAI BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS "I am easily swayed by emotion until· I think, which I occasionally do." —FROM A VOTER'S LETTER to Adlai E. Stevenson In...

Buzzings in the Berkshires (August 1988)

States of the Union BUZZINGS IN THE BERKSHIRES BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Otis, Mass. I am sitting in a field of classical daisies—spongy gold centers, silken white perimeters—that fronts the...

Tracking Our Troubled Children (June 1988)

States of the Union TRACKING OUR TROUBLED CHILDREN BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Saturday nights arethehardest. "The kids get spastic on weekends," a caseworker explains. "They're really tough to...

A Moving Violation (April 1988)

States of the Union A MOVING VIOLATION BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS ?? ??? eve of our wedding anniversary—known to some asthesecond Seder night and to others as Easter weekend—Diane and I were...

Our Closet Youth Institutions (March 1988)

States of the Union OUR CLOSET YOUTH INSTITUTIONS BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS A riddle of large institutions is their essential invisibility to those who administer them. Often it takes an...

Juvenile Justice (February 1998)

States of the Union JUVENILE JUSTICE BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS "We beg delinquents for our life, " cornmented Robert Lowell in his poem about Central Park. "Behind each bush, perhaps a...

America's New Entrepreneurs (November 1987)

States of the Union AMERICA'S NEW ENTREPRENEURS BY RICHARD J. MARGOUS My grandchildren, you are living in a new path. In the future your business dealings with the whites are going to...

Wisconsin's Child-Support Experiment (October 1987)

States of the Union WISCONSIN'S CHILD-SUPPORT EXPERIMENT BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS The state of Wisconsin, marveled Theodore Roosevelt in a 1912 essay, leads all others as "a laboratory for...

When Irish Skies are Frowning (September 1987)

States of the Union WHEN IRISH SKIES ARE FROWNING BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Bantry Diane and I have spent much of the summer here sampling the beer and the blarney and admiring the many hues...

How Medicare Puts the Elderly on Hold (June 1987)

States of the Union HOW MEDICARE PUTS THE ELDERLY ON HOLD BY RICHARD J. MARGOUS Neoconservattves and neoliberals keep urging the rest of us to privatize Medicare, chiefly on grounds that...

The Health Gift Repossessed (April 1987)

States of the Union THE HEALTH GIFT REPOSSESSED BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS "...a cruel hoax and a delusion... " The American Medical Association's description of Medicare shortly before THE...

The Fast-Care Industry (January 1987)

States of the Union THE FAST-CARE INDUSTRY BY RICHARD J. MARGOUS The business of nursing homes today is chiefly business, and it's been booming. Gross revenues in 1985 came to $35 billion,...

Melody and Mystery (December 1986)

States of the Union MELODY AND MYSTERY BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Here , according to Walt Whitman, is what great poets say to their audiences:" Come to us on equal terms, Only then can you...

Life and Death at 'The Home' (October 1986)

States of the Union 'LIFE AND DEATH AT THE HOME' BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Mother lies in a coma now most of the time, her eyes wide-open and childlike. Occasionally her eyelashes flutter and she...

Travels in an Edgy India (September 1986)

States of the Union TRAVELS IN AN EDGY INDIA BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS While Diane and I were in India this summer, the former chief of the Indian Army, General Arun Vaidya, was gunned down in broad...

When Youth Creep Succumbs to Age Creep (June 1986)

States of the Union WHEN YOUTH CREEP SUCCUMBS TO AOE CREEP BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS ALL WOULD LIVE long," remarked Benjamin Franklin, "and none would be old." Americans have had more success...

Long-Term Caring (March 1986)

States of the Union LONG-TERM CARING BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS I'm getting rather too old to live alone in winter and I'd rather live in community. At Oxford, I should be missed if I failed to turn...

'Is the Next Step Penn Station?' (February 1986)

States of the Union IS THE NEXTSTEP PENN STATION?' BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS One rainy morning Dorothy Lykes, not knowing where else to turn, telephoned the Gray Panther office in New York City....

Bring Us to This Hovel (January 1986)

States of the Union BRING US TO THIS HOVEL BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Kent: Gracious my lord, hard by here is a hovel; Some friendship will it lend you 'gainst the tempest.... Lear: The art of our...

Older Citizens in Search of Security (October 1985)

States of the Union OLDER CITIZENS IN SEARCH OF SECURITY BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS One sunny summer morning I pay a visit to a municipally sponsored Senior Center in a Vermont town I shall call...

Growing Up Jewish in America (August 1985)

States of the Union GROWING UP JEWISH IN AMERICA BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS For reasons I do not entirely understand, I began work a few months ago on a set of poems about growing up Jewish, drawing...

Sic Paratransit Gloria Omnibus (June 1985)

States of the Union SIC PARATRANSIT GLORIA OMNIBUS BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS In 1914 a former iron-mine worker named Carl Erie Wickman went into the bus business. He had sunk all his savings into...

Hungry in the Eighties (April 1985)

States of the Union HUNGRY IN THE EIGHTIES BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Strolling up Sheridan Road in Chicago one April morning, I come upon a silent queue of elderly women and men leaning into the...

Voices of the Elderly Poor (January 1985)

States of the Union VOICES OF THE ELDERLY POOR BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Last fall I began research on a book concerning poverty and the aged, the working title of which is "Down and Old in...

Paybacks from the Poor (November 1984)

States of the Union PAYBACKS FROM THE POOR BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS In an odd reversal of role and purpose, the Social Security Administration a few years ago launched a refund campaign aimed at...

Native Roots (September 1984)

States of the Union NATIVE ROOTS BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS The power of Indian oratory has long astonished non-Indians, some of whose own attempts at eloquence have seemed appropriately pale by...

"Navajos, Hopis and the Law of the Land" (June 1984)

States of the Union NAVAJOS, HOPIS AND THE LAW OF THE LAND BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Big Mountain, Arizona To the unpracticed eye, Hopi and Navajo sand paintings may not look all that different,...

Polonius vs. Tartuffe (February 1984)

States of the Union POLONIUS VS. TARTUFE BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Cambridge The Democratic Presidential hopefuls, a traveling roadshow that got mixed reviews from me in this space last November,...

How to Reach the Rural Voter (January 1984)

States of the Union HOW TO REACH THE RURAL VOTER BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS This is a working paper on rural votes and Democratic hopes. Mr. Mondale, please take note. Jimmy Carter could not have...

The Little Kernel (November 1983)

States of the Union THE LITTLE KERNEL BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Cambridge Etymologic ally speaking, "nuclear" and "nut" have something in common, both deriving from the Latin nwc, meaning kernel....

Homogenized Democrats (October 1983)

States of the Union HOMOGENIZED DEMOCRATS BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS When John Anderson was still deciding whether or not to make a third-party run at the Presidency in 1980, he telephoned his father...

Deliberate Pleasures (August 1983)

States of the Union DELIBERATE PLEASURES BY RICHARD J MARGOLIS This is what Diane and I did on our summer vacation First we attended a wedding in the Maine woods, the guests wore Dacron slacks,...

Funding Feminists (May 1983)

States of the Union FUNDING FEMINISTS BY RICHARD J MARGOLIS Playboy uses its foundation to clean up its sexist image from a recent interview with a Chicago feminist We are in the presence of a...

The Two Faces of Populism (April 1983)

States of the Union THE TWO FACES OF POPULISM BY RICHARD J MARGOLIS The oak-panelled hearing room seems rather too fancy for the topic to be discussed, and rather too large for the scattering of...

In the Quill of the Knight (March 1983)

States of the Union IN THE QUILL OF THE KNIGHT BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS "What's it like to be a free-lance writer?" young people keep asking. "Is it hard? Is it possible? How'd you get...

All Against All (January 1983)

States of the Union ALL AGAINST ALL BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Washington What will Ronald Reagan do with Simeon W. Bright, a Carter appointee to the Postal Rate Commission whose term of office has...

Beyond the Bottom (May 1982)

Beyond the Bottom The Underclass By Ken Auletta Random House. 348 pp. $17.50. Reviewed by Richard J. Margolis KEN AULETTA has really written two books, and they keep getting in each other's way....

Down and Out in America (December 1981)

States of the Union DOWN AND OUT IN AMERICA BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS It was in the summer of 1965 that my friend at the Office of Economic opportunity (OEO) gave me a vocabulary lesson, courtesy of...

A Modern Parable (June 1981)

States of the Union A MODERN PARABLE BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Because man was corrupt, God flooded the earth, sparing only Noah and his retinue. But afterward, He seemed regretful. "I will not...

The Voices of the People (May 1981)

States of the Union THE VOICES OF THE PEOPLE BY RICHARD J MARGOLIS Today, folks, we are going to consider populism in its many guises It is an idea whose time has come, gone and come again—the...

Poems of a Small Brother (April 1981)

States of the Union POEMS OF A SMALL BROTHER BY RICHARD J MARGOLIS ' t is through fraternity that liberty is saved,' observed ^ Victor Hugo—and, in my case, that poetry is written Here are some...

Strained Mercy of the Truly Rich (March 1981)

States of the Union STRAINED MERCY OF THE TRULY RICH BY RICHARD J MARGOLIS Afriend and I were standing in a parking-garage elevator at the basement level, waiting for the door to close, when a...

Liberals and the Rural Vote (January 1981)

States of the Union LIBERALS ANDTHE RURAL VOTE BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Former Senator George McGov-ern, who as chairman of the Select Committee on Nutrition and Poverty did more than most to...

Outline of a New Liberal Coalition (December 1980)

States of the Union OUTLINE OF A NEW LIBERAL COALTnON BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS In his 1969book, The Emerging Republican Majority (Arbor House), Kevin Phillips, that shrewd day-dreamer of the Right,...

A Night with the Winners (November 1980)

States of the Union A NIGHT WITH THE WINNERS BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Since you don't know Marty, our dentist, you won't understand what a terrific shock it was for us to see him on Election Night...

The 49th Campaign (October 1980)

States of the Union THE 49TH CAMPAIGN by richard j. margolis "PouticAL campaigns are I ~J designedly made into M emotional orgies which endeavor to distract attention from the real issues...

Letter from Cambridge (September 1980)

States of the Union LETTER FROM CAMBRIDGE BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS It's been a long, difficult summer for us Cambridgians, what with the heat and humidity, the on-again-off-again Red Sox, and the...

A Sentimental Journey (August 1980)

A Sentimental Journey Small Town America By Richard Lingeman Putnam. 547 pp. $15.95. Reviewed by Richard J. Margolis We have before us a wonderful failure of a book, a beautifully crafted...

New Life in the Old Village (January 1980)

States of the Union NEW LIFE NTHE OLD VILLAGE BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS The small community has been the very predominant form of human living throughout the history of mankind. —Robert Redfdhld...

Iran: Notes of a Confused American (December 1979)

States of the Union IRAN: NOTES OF A CONFUSED AMERICAN BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS By the time you read this, the blindfolds in Teheran may have been removed and the crisis resolved one way or...

The Little Red Post Office on Pike Street (October 1979)

States of the Union THE LITTLE RED POST OFFICE ON PIKE STREET by richard j. margolis Lemont, Pennsylvania The little red post office in Lemont—a pretty village at the base of Mt. Nittany,...

Dreams of a Third Party (September 1979)

States of the Union DREAMS OF A THRD PARTY BY RICHARD J MARGOLIS Washington SOME OF MY acquaintances are in political labor again, hoping to give birth at a national convention next spring to...

The Same Old Jimmy Carter (July 1979)

States of the Union THE SAME OLD JIMMY CARTER BY RICHARD J MARGOLIS Dear Friend," Jimmy Carter wrote to me recently, "I want to take a moment from the hectic pace of the Oval Office to bring you...

Wasted Energy (July 1979)

States of the Union WASTED ENERGY by richard j. margolis Don't bf fooled by the energy crisis. What this country parlously lacks is not only refined oil but also unrefined sociability, the...

Standing Up for Ma Bell (June 1979)

States of the Union STANDING UP FOR MA BELL BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS In the course of gathering information for this story I made several long distance telephone calls to persons living in thinly...

Spring Seeding (May 1979)

States of the Union SPRING SEEDING BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS T\ S. Eliot thought April was the crudest month because ^ it bred "Lilacs out of dead land" while stirring "Dull roots with spring rain."...

Racing Through Childhood (April 1979)

States of the Union RACING THROUGH CHILDHOOD by richard j. margolis And since to look at things in bloom Fifty springs are little room, About the woodlands I will go To see the cherry hung with...

Unmailed Memos (March 1979)

States of the Union UNMAILED MEMOS BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Here are some memoranda I composed recently but never delivered. To Bob Bergland, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture: I realize you are part...

Tales Out of Schools in Colorado (February 1979)

States of the Union TALES OUT OF SCHOOLS IN COLORADO BY RICHARD J MARGOLIS Until a few years ago Alyse Dominguez, a quiet-spoken housewife who lives in the little town of Del Norte, Colorado,...

Have a Good Decade (December 1978)

States of the Union HAVE A GOOD DECADE by richard j. margolis Let us pause now, as we head into the final year of the Nixon-Ford-Carter decade, to draw up a preliminary balance sheet for the...

Trouble in Crystal City (November 1978)

States of the Union TROUBLE IN CRYSTAL CITY BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS So I say to you tonight, my fellow Texans, if you want your tax money used to establish a Little Cuba in Texas-to establish a...

The Battle of Pill Hill (October 1978)

States of the Union THE BATTLE OF PILL HILL BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Bismarck, N.D. The prettiest and costliest real estate in Bismarck, North Dakota, lies atop a high bluff overlooking the wide...

The Day the Presses Stopped (September 1978)

States of the Union THE DAY THE PRESSES STOPPED by richard j. margolis The man who never looks into a newspaper is better informed than he who reads them, inasmuch as he who knows nothing is...

The New Challenge to Labor (August 1978)

States of the Union A NEW CHALLENGE TO LABOR BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS American labor unions have been struggling to grow in stony capitalist soil ever since the journeymen cordwainers of...

Power and the Poor (May 1978)

States of the Union POWER AND THE POOR BY RICHARD J.MARGOLIS Iwant to tell you about Paul Well-stone's remarkable narrative, How the Rural Poor Got Power (University of Massachusetts Press, 227...

Doctors for Sale (March 1978)

DOCTORS FOR SALE by richard j. margolis of Russia; Meredith Wilson's charming music man, Harold Hill, sold mythical band uniforms to the people of River City, Iowa; and now, in another of life's...

Carter's Record at Home (January 1978)

States of the Union CARTER'S RECORD AT HOME BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Washington It is generally agreed here, by friends and foes alike, that Jimmy Carter's first-year round of accomplishments as...

A Diarist's Blue Period (November 1977)

States of the Union A DIARIST'S BLUE PERIOD BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS I have rented a small apartment in Washington, on 17th between P Street and O Street, and am commuting there on alternate weeks...

Bert and Jimmy (October 1977)

States of the Union BERT AND JIMMY BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Pride goeth after a fall. The President said, "Bert, I'm proud of you." Bert's wife, LaBelle, said, "We are proud to walk in the way of...

Redlining Rural America (August 1977)

States of the Union REDLINING RURAL AMERICA BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Washington Rural-based congressmen here are distressed that President Carter's $4 billion public works planthe centerpiece of...

Bermuda Shorts (July 1977)

States of the Union BERMUDA SHORTS BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS We had a surf-and-turf vacation—a week in Bermuda as house guests of friends, then a week as cottage renters in Bethany Beach, along the...

Dollars and Doctors (June 1977)

States of the Union DOLLARS AND DOCTORS BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS By now nearly everyone must be at least vaguely aware of the health care crisis gripping rural America. It is not only well...

O Pioneer! O Morris! (May 1977)

States of the Union O PIONEER! O MORRIS! BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Conquering, holding, daring, venturing as we go the unknown ways Pioneers! O pioneers! —Walt Whitman Pioneering doesn't...

The Indians and the Law (April 1977)

States of the Union THE INDIANS AND THE LAW BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS For American Indians the 1970s have been the worst of times and the best of times. Looked at through the usual demographic...

Selling the Land (March 1977)

States of the Union SELLING THE LAND BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS "The land was ours before we were the land's," intoned Robert Frost at JFK's damp Inaugural. "Not quite," the corporations might have...

A Job-Seeker's Journal (February 1977)

States of the Union AJOB-SEEKER'S JOURNAL BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS For the past two months I have been actively pursuing a Federal appointment as director of the Farmers Home Administration, an...

Shuffling for a New Deal (January 1977)

States of the Union SHUFFLING FOR A NEW DEAL by RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Washington Jimmy Carter's Cabinet may not be the best in history, but on balance it seems better than most and surely superior...

The Little Agency that Could (January 1977)

States of theUnion THE LITTLE AGENCY THAT COULD by Richard J. Margolis ...President had to give hours daily to the Federal patronage, the distribution of offices and applicants for places—more...

Men at Middle Age (December 1976)

States of the Union MEN AT MIDDLE AGE BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS The editor has sent me three books about what it is like to be middle-aged. Why he has asked me to assess these works I can't imagine....

Pride and Prejudice (November 1976)

States of the Union PRIDE AND PREJUDICE BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS On A flight from Georgia to New York a decade ago I found myself seated next to the owner of an Atlanta department store, a...

Off the Campaign Trail (October 1971)

States of the Union OFF THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Here are some random notes I took during the early days of the current Presidential campaign, before I grew discouraged. They...

The Compleat Natterer (September 1976)

States of the Union THE COMPLEAT NATTERER BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS The consumer movement is already a decade old, and all we have to show for it thus far are safety belts that buzz if you...

On Husbanding One's Resources (July 1976)

States of the Union ON HUSBANDING ONE'S RESOURCES BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Everybody knows about the ordeal of the dissertation. The candidate is married, has children, and little or no money. The...

Thunder Sticks and Avocets (April 1976)

States of the Union THUNDER STICKS AND AVOCETS BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Sunday. I wake up late, but not so late as I might have wished. Diane is in Boston at a conference and the boys are away at...

Primary Poems (March 1976)

States of the Union PRIMARY POEMS by richard j. margolis There is a poetry to politics. "A poet dares be just so clear and no clearer," E. B. White has observed; "he approaches lucid ground...

A Fine Meter of 'Civilization' (March 1976)

States of the Union A FINE METER OF 'CIVILIZATION' BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS For my part, I could easily do without the post office. I never received more than one or two letters in my life that...

Letter to a Friend (February 1976)

States of the Union LETTER TO A FRIEND BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Dear Mary, I have jotted down a few alphabetized thoughts in honor of your 14th birthday. Some are odd and some are even. You decide...

New York in Search of a Bard (January 1976)

States of the Union NEW YORK IN SEARCH OF A BARD BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS A stillness and a sadness Pervade the City Hall, And speculating madness Has left the street of Wall -GEORGE POPE MORRIS,...

The Workmen's Circle at Seventy-Five (September 1975)

ETHNICITY COMES OF AGE The Workmen's Circle at Seventy-Five BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS when the Workmen's Circle—a Lower East Side society that came to symbolize Jewish radicalism—celebrated its...

Waiting for the Bloodless Revolution (October 1975)

States of the Union WAITING FOR THE BLOODLESS REVOLUTION BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Thoughts while waiting on a station platform for friends from New York: The train is late again. If Mussolini had...

Conversations with My Dentist (September 1975)

CONVERSATIONS WITH MY DENTIST BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS I am escaped with the skin of my teeth. -Job Of middle age the best that can be said is that a middle-aged person has likely learned how to...

The Practical Economist (July 1975)

States of the Union THE PRACTICAL ECONOMIST BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Call me Finchmale. Until last month I was just an average American with an average American job. Now I hold an important...

A Graduation Letter (June 1975)

States of the Union A GRADUATION LETTER BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS pocket calculator bicycle typewriter sax, trumpet, clarinet stereo Dear Phil, Thanks for submitting the list of possible...

The Indian in Fiction (May 1975)

THE INDIAN IN FICTION BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS I have just reread two interesting novels about American Indians, one recent, the other more than two decades old. You'll hear about them in a moment,...

Death of the Country Dootor (March 1975)

States of the Union DEATH OF THE COUNTRY DOCTOR by richard j. margolis "The principal characteristic of change in the U.S. population since World War I has been urbanization," notes a 1972...

'Stamping' Out Hunger (March 1975)

States of the Union 'STAMPING' OUT HUNGER BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS O God! that bread should be so dear, And flesh and blood so cheap. -Thomas Hood, "The Song of the Shirt" The Ford...

Deep in the Heart of Texas (February 1975)

States of the Union DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS By Richard J. Margolis On the road—Our station wagon, parting the morning mist at 70 mph, is headed south out of Corpus Christi into the Rio Grande...

A Letter to the President (September 1974)

States of the Union A LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT by richard j margolis I will be the President of the black, brown, red, and white Americans, of old and young, of women's liberationists and male...

Payments to the Past (August 1974)

States of the Union PAYMENTS TO THE PAST BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS It is not only what we have inherited from our fathers that exists again in us, but all sorts of dead ideas and all kinds of dead...

Getting Along With Wallace (July 1974)

States of the Union GETTING ALONG WITH WALLACE BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS The other day I telephoned my friend John Huelett, the remarkable black sheriff of Lowndes County, Alabama, and asked him if...

Gloria Get Your Gun (June 1974)

States of the Union GLORIA GET YOUR GUN BY RICHARD J.MARGOLIS Delegates get blue badges," explained M W the smiling reception lady as she handed Diane her name-card. "And delegates' spouses," she...

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Streaking (May 1974)

States of the Union EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT STREAKING BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Streakers have invaded the Walter Cronkite show, the Johnny Carson show, the Oscar awards, and the...

Where Does It Hurt? Alternative Remedies (April 1974)

ALTERNATIVE OEMED1ES Last December 29, President Nixon signed the Health Maintenance Organization Act of 1973-"another milestone in this Administration's national health strategy," he remarked at...

Where Does It Hurt? Hospitals and Insurance (April 1974)

HOSPITALS AND INSURANCE There are those who see in our health care delivery system a vast conspiracy against the public, an alliance of greedy physicians, hardhearted hospitals and profit-hungry...

Where Does It Hurt? How the System Grew (April 1974)

HOW THE SYSTEM GREW Most of the health care system's present inadequacies arise from its past triumphs: the advances of science, education, professionalism and, finally, political organization....

Where Does It Hurt? Introduction (April 1974)

WHERE DOES IT HURT America's Medical Crisis and the Politics of Health Reform By Richard J. Margolis SPECIAL ISSUE INTRODUCTION "Within limits," the English sociologist Richard M. Titmuss...

Where Does It Hurt? The Politics of Health Reform (April 1974)

THE POLITICS OF HEALTH REFORM No one in Washington nowadays, except for an occasional AMA lobbyist, worries about Federal intrusions into our private health care system. It is at least eight years...

Where Does It Hurt? What Ails Medicine in America (April 1974)

WHAT AILS MEDICINE IN AMERICA The best medical care America presently has to offer may still be the best in the world, which is why ailing kings and potentates frequently repair to our famous...

Breaking the Recidivistic Circle (March 1974)

States of the Union BREAKING THE RECIDIVISTIC CIRCLE BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS A few weeks ago at a dinner party in Westchester I met a young black man named Jeff who told me he had done time in...

From Bullets to Ballots (February 1974)

States of the Union FROM BULLETS TO BALLOTS BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS In days before the printing press, the memory of interracial wrongs and atrocities was not artificially fostered. Green earth...

Diary of a Freeze-In (January 1974)

States of the Union DIARY OF A FREEZE-IN BY RICHARD J MARGOLIS WILTON, CONNECTICUT MONDAY, DECEMBER 17?I dream I am on a stalled train Drifting snow presses against the windows as we sit in the...

An Appeal from Death Row (December 1973)

States of the Union AN APPEAL FROM DEATH ROW BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS "The flowers that bloom in the spring, tra la, have nothing to do with the case." —W. S. GILBERT, The Mikado MY FRIEND...

Return to Wounded Knee (November 1973)

States of the Union RETURN TO WOUNDED KNEE BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Pine Ridge, S D The old, barefoot Indian has been watching me from across the road for some time Finally, he shuffles over His...

Feuding Over the Flag (October 1973)

States of the Union FEUDING OVER THE FLAG BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands; one nation, under God,...

The Still Possible Dream (October 1973)

States of the Union THE STILL POSSIBLE DREAM BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS The tenth anniversary of the "I-have-a-dream" March on Washington drifted by last month, and to judge from the retrospective...

Traveler's Notebook (September 1973)

States of the Union TRaVELER'S NOTEBOOK BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Rome-we are sitting on some very old steps, gazing up at the Coliseum, that gorgeous monument to bread and circuses. Built by Jews,...

The New 'Standard Police Practice' (July 1973)

States of the Union THE NEW 'STANDARD POLICE PRACTICE' BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS "The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion." -Edmund Burke Wilton, Connecticut They poured...

Waiting for the Justice Man (June 1973)

States of the Union WAITING FOR THE JUSTICE MAN BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Jonestown, Mississippi Most of the crusading whites pulled out of this area six or seven years ago, vanishing without...

A Glossary of 'Watargot' (May 1973)

States of the Union A GLOSSARY OF WATARGOT BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Many Americans have complained that they do not understand the Watergate affair. "Too complicated," says an Omaha retailer....

The Last of the Paugussetts (April 1973)

States of the Union THE LAST OF THE PAUGUSSETTS BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS "We ask this. Chief, to keep sacred the memory of our people" —From a 1927 statement to the mayor of chicago concerning...

Getting Gulled (April 1973)

States of the Union GETTING GULLED BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Archaeological note: The following manuscript was found recently beneath the rubble of Flockville, a small suburb that flourished briefly...

Pennies for the President (March 1973)

States of the Union PENNIES FOR THE PRESIDENT BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS It was almost noon, but the clock in the empty OEO corridor read one minute before five, an appropriate time for an agency...

Metropollyana and Rural Poverty (February 1973)

States of the Union METROPOLLYANA AND RURAL POVERTY BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS We suffer in this country from metropolly-ana, a profane and all but universal belief in the City Triumphant. The word,...

Death of a Magazine (January 1973)

States of the Union DEATH OF A MAGAZINE BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Now that Life has been extinguished and buried alongside its famous competitors, in a mass-magazine grave, I am ready to confess my...

The Gospels of Ecology (December 1972)

States of the Union THE GOSPELS OF ECOLOGY BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS "People are trees in a forest; no botanist would study every individual birch tree." Bazarov, in Turgenev's Fathers and Sons...

Memoirs of a McGovern Canvasser (November 1972)

States of the Union MEMOIRS OF A McGOVERN CANVASSER BY RICHARD J MARGOLIS "A political canvasser does not amble,' my wife said as she passed me by ' He strides ' I ran to catch up "Don't you...

Segregating the Poor (October 1972)

States of the Union SEGREGATING THE POOR BY RICHARD J MARGOLIS The toad beneath the harrow knows exactly where each sharp tooth goes, the butterfly upon the toad preaches contentment to the...

Countering the Commercials (September 1972)

States of the Union COUNTERING THE COMMERCIALS BY RICHARD J. MARGOL1S There was a young man from Moline who was paid to drink pop on the screen; but the chemicals soon began to balloon, and he...

For Whom the Drum Beats (August 1972)

States of tie Union FOR WHOM THE DRUM BEATS BY RICHARD J.MARGOLIS Brothers, we thank you for educating our children in your schools; but we have observed that for a long time after our children...

Notes Toward a Father's Blessing (July 1972)

States of the Union NOTES TOWARD A FATHER'S BLESSING BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS It is the eve of my older son's graduation from high school. I am sequestered in my office attempting to write him a...

Nirvana on Wheels (June 1972)

States of the Union NIRVANA ON WHEELS BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS West Palm Beach Florida is a land of dog races and mobile homes. Retired Northerners come here to chase the mechanical rabbit of...

All the Agnews Fit to Print (May 1972)

States of the Union ALL THE AGNEWS FIT TO PRINT BY RICHARD J MARGOLIS Each of us is likely to feel that he understands things a little better than the next man -Adlai E Stevenson (1953) If...

Coming Together: Farming (April 1972)

Farming In 1959 the United States government sent a delegation of farm cooperative experts to India's International Agricultural Fair, hoping they would explain the American cooperative way to all...

Coming Together: Food (April 1972)

food Berkeley, California, is the center of America's largest, liveliest concentration of consumer co-ops. An estimated two-thirds of the citizenry belongs either to an established cooperative or...

Coming Together: Health (April 1972)

Health By way of an experiment, I telephoned the chairman of the board of our community hospital in Connecticut and asked permission to attend the next board meeting. "Why?" he asked. 'To keep...

Coming Together: Housing (April 1972)

Housing The unofficial capital of cooperative housing in America is New York City; its "White House" is on the Lower East Side at 465 Grand Street, headquarters for the United Housing Foundation...

Coming Together: Origins (April 1972)

COMING TOGETHER THE COOPERATIVE WAY: ITS ORIGINS, DEVELOPMENTS-PROSPECT&PROSPECTS BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Origins One night in New Orleans recently, while traveling from cooperative to...

Coming Together: Prospects (April 1972)

Prospects "So we beat on," as F. Scott Fitzgerald observed, "boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." Wherever the system grows too burdensome, wherever it breeds...

One Night in the Life of Yevgeny Yevtushenko (February 1972)

States of the Union ONE NIGHT IN THE LIFE OF YEVGENY YEVTUSHENKO BY RICHARD J MARGOLIS BARRY BOYS One chilly Friday night in January my wife and I parked our car on a dark, dingy New York street...

Robbing the Poor (January 1972)

States of the Union ROBBING THE POOR BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS "It's no disgrace t' be poor, but it might as well be." From A be Martin's Sayings and Sketches, 1915 On the morning Richard Nixon...

Living the Hopi Legend (December 1971)

States of the Union LIVING THE HOPI LEGEND BY RICHARD J MARGOLIS According to the Hopi Indian creation myth, summarized by Harold Cour-lander m The Fourth World of the Hopis (Crown, 239 pp , $6...

Blacks and Browns in Blue (September 1971)

States of the Union BLACKS AND BROWNS IN BLUE BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS "Life'd not be worth livin' if we didn't keep our inimies." —MR. DOOLEY ALTHOUGH THE American ladder to economic...

Recruiting Police in the Ghetto (September 1971)

States of the Union RECRUITING POLICE IN THE GHETTO BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS FOLLOWING the epidemic of ghetto riots during the '60s, many big-city police departments launched elaborate and...

Minority Hiring and the Police (August 1971)

States of the Union MINORITY HIRING AND THE POLICE BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS RECENTLY a black policeman in Detroit, highly placed and highly skilled, recalled how he almost failed to get on the...

Learning About Asia (July 1971)

States of the Union LEARNING ABOUT ASIA BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS WHILE CONGRESS was appropriating another $30 billion for the war in Vietnam, the Board of Education in my town was trying futilely...

The George Washington Story (June 1971)

Education Report THE GEORGE WASHINGTON STORY THE AGONY OF AN URBAN HIGH SCHOOL BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Almighty God. we make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy holy...

Looking for America (May 1971)

States of the Union LOOKING FOR AMERICA BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS And as the moon rose higher the inessential houses began to melt away until gradually I became aware of the old island here that...

So You Want to Go to College (April 1971)

States of the Union SO YOU WANT TO GO TO COLLEGE BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Boys and girls, may I have your attention please? Let's all settle down now. Homer, you will please put away your book....

A Tree Grows in Eden (March 1971)

States of the Union A TREE GROWS IN EDEN BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS The people of Ridgefield, Connecticut, the town next-door to mine, are angry with one another. The can't seem to agree on what they...

Letter from an Ex-Con (I & II) (January 1971)

States of the Union LETTER FROM AN EX-CON (I & II) BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS There are no people who do not, in the depths of their being, want the same things that Consciousness III wants. There is...

Whitewashing the Indians (December 1970)

States of the Union WHITEWASHING THE INDIANS BY RICHARD J MARGOLIS I've been reading a batch of New Year's resolutions written by Navaho schoolchildren They live in such remote fastnesses as...

Sheriffs North and South (November 1970)

States of the Union SHERIFFS NORTH AND SOUTH BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS "Then the Sheriff turned away with a sore and troubled heart, and sadly he rued his fine show of retainers, for he saw that . ....

The Rural Housing Famine (November 1970)

States of the Union THE RURAL HOUSING FAMINE BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS A housing famine is raging through rural America, and no one is lifting a finger. More than two-thirds of the nation's bad...

The Duffey Formula (September 1970)

PROSPECTS FOR NOVEMBER The Duffey Formula BY RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Hartford Agnes Morley, the Democratic state representative from Greenwich, Connecticut, was laid up in the hospital on Primary...

Building a Ghetto (June 1968)

WASHINGTON-U.S.A. Building a Ghetto By Richard J. Margolis Resurrection City The white taxi driver who took me to Resurrection City said they were a bad omen, "those jigs on the mall. Ya notice...

Letting Sleeping Dragons Lie (June 1967)

Letting Sleeping Dragons Lie THE MOYNIHAN REPORT AND THE POLITICS OF CONTROVERSY By Lee Rainwater and William L. Yancey MIT Press. 493 pp. $3.95. Reviewed by RICHARD J. MARGOLIS Author of the...

MARGOLIS, RJCHARD J.

MARGOLLS, RICHARD

Margosnes, Adam

Mark, Hitler's Highwater

MARK, PHYLLIS

MARKFIELD, WALLACE

MARKHAM, PETER

Markham, R. H.

markham, r.h

MARKHAM, REUBEN H.

MARKMANN, CHARLES LAM

Marks, Jeannette