The Republic
Reading the Economy: What the Common Indicators Measure
Gross product, jobs, prices, and interest rates, explained in plain terms.
The Republic · Lead
How a Bill Becomes Law, and Why the Waiting Is Built In
A plain account of the long road from proposal to statute, and the reasons the Republic was built to move deliberately rather than in haste.
Every law begins as an idea, and most ideas never become law at all. That is not a flaw in the system. It is the system working as it was meant to work. The men who framed the Republic built a long road from proposal to statute on purpose, so that a passing mood could not become a permanent rule before the country had a chance to think it over. To read the news out of Washington with a clear eye, it helps to know the stations along that road.
A bill is simply a written proposal for a law. Any member of the House of Representatives or the Senate may introduce one, though the ideas inside often come from constituents, from the president, from an industry, or from a citizen who took the trouble to write a letter. Introduction is the easy part, and only a small share of bills are ever heard from again.
The Republic
The Census, the Map, and the Weight of a Single Household
Why the once-a-decade count still shapes representation and the ledger of the Republic.
Enterprise
How a Small Business Grows an Audience on Social Media
The patient work behind a following, and why steady habits beat one lucky post.
Enterprise
The Long Road From Idea to First Customer
What the first uncertain season of a small enterprise actually demands.
Enterprise
Reading a Balance Sheet Without a Green Eyeshade
The three plain statements that tell whether a venture is sound.
Home
Testing the Water That Comes From Your Tap
How a household can learn what is in its water, without alarm or guesswork.
Home
What a Home Inspection Can and Cannot Tell You
The walk-through between an offer and a signature, and what it can promise.
Home
The Quiet Arithmetic of a Fixed-Rate Mortgage
How interest, principal, and time divide a single monthly payment.
Remedies & Health
Newer Options and Access for Treatment-Resistant Depression
When the familiar remedies do not answer, what has lately become available.
Remedies & Health
How to Read a Nutrition Label Without Being Fooled
The panel on the back of the box, translated into plain facts.
Letters
Letters to the Packet: On Main Street, Mending, and the Long View
Readers write on thrift, small enterprise, mending, and the long view.