'Elevating Earth Day into a national holiday is not radical — it's practical'

'Earth Day should be a federal holiday. Here's why.'

Ariella Cook-Shonkoff in the San Francisco Chronicle

Earth Day should be a national holiday, says Ariella Cook-Shonkoff. "If everyone is given the day off, everyone can engage in climate work or connect with nature in some capacity." Making a day to focus on the health of the planet a federal holiday also would push "environmental stewardship and awareness into public consciousness." It also would be therapeutic, and signal to children that adults are "willing to tackle our climate emergency." 

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'Biden must not tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve'

Sean Durns in the Washington Examiner

President Joe Biden should stop "considering tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to counter rising gas prices this summer," says Sean Durns. Fuel prices go up in the summer driving season. That's normal. "But it isn't normal to turn to the SPR to keep prices down in an election season." The federally owned oil is there to get America through a crisis that sends fuel prices soaring. Using it to "stave off electoral defeat" would "set a bad precedent."

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'Supreme Court has a duty to end homeless encampments'

Jill Jacobson in The Boston Globe

The Supreme Court should rule that city governments have a "legal right" to end homeless encampments, says Jill Jacobson. But the justices must clarify that the same officials also have a "duty" to get the "service-resistant populations" in these camps the treatment and resources they need. Lower courts ruled that criminalizing public camping amounts to "cruel and unusual punishment" if there are insufficient shelter beds. But that seemingly "humane" principle has let officials "sidestep the deeper issue."

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'The Haiti I know is no more. But there is still hope.'

Joel Dreyfuss in Politico

"The future of Haiti has never seemed so bleak," says Joel Dreyfuss. The "deeply divided, extremely unequal, desperately poor" Caribbean nation has had "no functioning government" since 2021. Violent gangs control most of the capital, Port-au-Prince. There is still hope, but getting "rid of the gangs" is just the first step. "Haiti needs to start over in its quest for democracy." The "New Haiti" must be "more fair," with opportunities for the poor and accountability for the powerful. 

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