Living Democracy, Feeding Hope

The US has become a deeply polarized nation. One idea to overcome this is to pay people to disagree. Originally Published in Common Dreams, August 15, 2026. People talking around a picnic table in San Francisco. (Photo by Chiara Coetzee) America is a polarized nation. Recent polls find that nearly half of us consider members of the opposing party to be “downright evil.” Perhaps this helps explain why more and more of us are choosing to live in towns and cities that match our

Two major reports released this year tell a grim story: Global freedom continues to decline and the US has lost its longstanding classification a liberal democracy. But hope lies in the data. Originally Published in Common Dreams, May 17, 2026. Protesters hold signs as they participate in a “No Kings” protest in Manhattan on March 28, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) The US score on the University of Gothenburg’s V-Dem Liberal Democracy Index decli

In 2026, the federal government is telling us how men should be men, with devastating effects on our health and planet. Originally Published in Common Dreams , March 17, 2025. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on April 30, 2025 in Washington, DC (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) In January 2026, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr . announced the Food and Drug Administrati

If we want to make progress on either front, we need to understand just how deeply our climate and democracy crises are connected. Originally Published in Common Dreams , Jan 10, 2025. Climate activists hold signs outside U.S. billionaire Bill Ackman’s Manhattan residence during “Bye Bye Billionaires Block Party” protest on Earth Day in New York, U.S. on April 22, 2025. (Photo: Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images) Right now, Americans are rightly alarmed by profound assa

Perhaps the most important takeaway from Mr. Mamdani’s campaign is this: Hope grounded in possibility is the fuel for democracy. Originally Published in Common Dreams , Nov 8th, 2025. (Photo Credit Bingjiefu Hu/Creative Common) Zohran Mamdani’s stunning victory on Tuesday is a bright light in this otherwise terrifying political time, and the messages propelling his political ascendance offer many lessons. One particularly is music to our ears—indeed, it’s a song we’ve long be

New data about global food consumption confirms what we know: our meat based diets are our downfall. Originally Published in Common Dreams , Oct 15th, 2025. Earlier this month, the Eat-Lancet commission released new data about global food consumption. Its findings are sobering but not at all surprising. The report highlights the extreme destruction driven by our meat-based diets, emphasizing not only the threats to our health but the many environmental harms. We learn that

Making it easier for young people to vote is a great way to increase participation, making our democracy live up to its ideals. Originally Published in Common Dreams , Aug 26th, 2025. (Photo Credit Garry Knight/Creative Commons) With democracy under attack in the US, a worldwide movement to lower the voting age is growing. This July, the United Kingdom announced it would lower the voting age from 18 to 16 in general elections. When the bill passes, the UK will join Brazil,

We must explicitly name the culprits that are creating an environment rife with both climate catastrophe and conditions hostile to children and families—corporate power and concentrated wealth. Originally Published in Common Dreams , July 25th, 2025. (Photo Credit Rose Shpernik/Creative Commons) Mounting concern over declining birth rates , the devastation of the climate crisis , and a rising conservative pronatalist movement have led to a renewed focus on population. People

In focusing on Trump’s shocking amorality we risk sliding over a painful truth we must embrace to create the democracy we need and want:...

Democracy requires our determination to create a more widely shared understanding of the dangers we face. (Photo Credit Joseph...

Those of us who are citizens are the most protected. So, it’s up to us to do all in our power to sound the alarm bells before it’s too...

If the present strategy of voter suppression by the Republican Party is not stopped, the results of the midterms in two years and the...

We Americans have an obligation to each other and future generations to take on the root causes behind our suffering. by Frances Moore...

If Kennedy really wants to "Make America Healthy Again," he could instead start by addressing the dangers of red and processed meats, a...

by Frances Moore Lappé, December 23, 2024 (Photo Credit: Hartano Creative Studio/Unsplash) Originally published in Common Dreams ,...