Three centuries after the appearance of Franklin's 'Courant,' it no longer requires a dystopic imagination to wonder who will have the dubious distinction of publishing America's last genuine newspaper. Few believe that newspapers in their current printed form will survive.

While history never repeats itself, political patterns do.

Liberals believe that they can't get a fair shake from the media anymore.

American journalists tend to treat inequality as a fact of life. But it needn't be.

History is replete with examples of empires mounting impressive military campaigns on the cusp of their impending economic collapse.

President Obama has lowered taxes more than he has raised them, and they are today lower than they were in President Reagan's time. But you don't hear conservatives crowing about that.

Ironically, tendency to ignore inconvenient facts and unwelcome evidence is actually President Reagan's true legacy, as I noted in 'The Nation' back in 2000, before the current right-wing mania for President Reagan gained its full force.