Posted Tue, Nov 9, 12:50 p.m.

A wonderful tribute and history of a man that knew the importance of quality journalism. Thanks for remembering.

Posted Mon, Nov 8, 9:10 a.m.

Excellent piece.

Posted Wed, May 19, 9:25 a.m.

Pay teachers as much as garbage truck drivers and demand students put in two hours supervised home study time each day without TV, computer games, facebook, texting, or cell phones and teachers might go for it.

Posted Wed, Mar 24, 8:35 a.m.

It's one thing to read a story that gets the message across, but rare indeed to read stores where language and illusions are so deftly crafted as Bergers lines that follow. *****Movements can be like Velcro, picking up everything in their path. ******a bit like the pope in a ray ...

Posted Wed, Mar 10, 11:14 a.m.

What a fine article on teaching. While focused on writing skills it points to the larger issue of the challenge educators face in finding a way to teach skills in classrooms of sometimes 40 kids with different abilities and backgrounds. As a teacher, who didn’t teach writing, I certainly was ...

Posted Wed, Jan 20, 7:44 a.m.

Yet another outstanding piece rich in ideas to think about. When we must grow to survive economically the term sustainability becomes somewhat meaningless. There is nothing wrong with growth unless it occurs so rapidly that we build trash rather than quality. Somehow it seems we built stronger communities when we ...

Posted Thu, Dec 10, 9:57 a.m.

Excellent comments and response to Gates delivering the message that progressives and conservatives alike seem unwilling to pass tax reform that would be more balanced. You say Washington's "punish the poor" tax policy has existed for decades. It persists partly as a result of bad branding. Thirty years of talk ...

Posted Tue, Dec 8, 10:18 a.m.

Bob An excellent piece. Thanks

Posted Sat, Nov 14, 3:05 p.m.

Bryan, My dictionary lists three uses for the word "teabaggers." One of the three is precisely the use Berger chose. It's interesting you would choose its sexual connotation.

Posted Thu, Oct 22, 7:22 a.m.

Excellent article: Could the peoples resistance to income tax be because there is a concern that liberal demo's will consider the new revenue a reason to spend more and not eliminate some of the other more regressive taxes?

Posted Wed, Sep 23, 8:36 a.m.

I identified with many aspects of this story from two positions, having been a teacher responsible for applying letter grades for performance and the personal experience of receiving them. Educational systems are either better or worse by the fact that everyone has had some kind of school experience whether good ...

Posted Mon, Sep 21, 9:56 a.m.

What a delight to have Knute speak up for the many advantages backyard cottages could offer this city. I share the same point of view. While I doubt they will inspire more Dale Chihuly's or inspire more craftspeople to greater works, the cottage can provide housing for people who don’t ...

Posted Fri, Sep 18, 9:55 a.m.

An excellent article with insight into history and bullyism. When big cities use their economic clout to lure business away from smaller communities they not only damage the economy of the smaller cities, but compound their own problems by the need to provide more expensive housing, transportation and infrastructure. All ...

Posted Wed, Sep 9, 10:15 a.m.

Judy Lightfoot points to a critical issue, the need to direct more of our resources for homeless children. When I read her excellent article I was reminded of my experience with Charlie, a homeless man living in Seattle. I wrote about him last year in Crosscut. Charlie had much to ...

Posted Thu, Sep 3, 11:30 a.m.

Great piece that points to why current density plans might not perform as hoped. Skip, your too kind to those whose ideological theories think that successful walkable businesses can be created by zoning or planning theories alone. It takes much more. Planners can sit in an office, draw lines on ...

Posted Sun, Jun 7, 7:42 a.m.

How refreshing and delightful to read the thoughts of two thoughtful and intelligent men whose logic and discussion is worthy of remembering. Thank you Paul Manning, Pete Jackson and David Brewster for raising the bar of Crosscut commentary.

Posted Wed, Jun 3, 8:19 a.m.

I enjoyed Anthony Robinson’s piece on Toronto. He observes an important aspect of cities. They really are all very different. While we can learn much from other cities of what not to do in urban planning, there is little wisdom in trying to mimic other cities because while most have ...

Posted Thu, May 21, 11:38 a.m.

An excellent commentary on the state of schools. Particularly on the issue of accepting a policy that remedial classes consisting of lower expectations actually help. They only remove the non performer from seeing what effort, dedication and higher standards. can achieve. The public and their kids seem to comprehend the ...

Posted Wed, May 6, 9:52 a.m.

Excellent writing. Some of the very best I've read. I wonder about the conclusion. The Greater of societies seem to be focused on the future not the past. Would it make our democracy better to prosecute our constitution's dead authors for owning slaves or put FDR legacy on trial for ...

Posted Tue, Apr 28, 6:02 p.m.

Robin, An excellent interview and fine work. Thank You.

Posted Fri, Apr 10, 10:18 a.m.

There is much food for thought in the piece on Muir and Cascadia. One paragraph stuck with me. Quote from Bergers piece. “But Ecotopia's greatest virtue was that it was imaginary, a thought experiment, not a manifesto. Cascadia and Ecotopia, are great concepts to kick around, but to bring them ...

Posted Sun, Mar 8, 12:38 p.m.

Gas tax, milage tax, the effort to finance road repair, or reduce the carbon footprint all seem to have been conceived by those who live in metropolitan areas, small states or even small countries as in Europe. Superimpose a map of Texas, Montana, or even Washington State on a map ...

Posted Thu, Feb 12, 3:10 p.m.

The story on the ultimate weakening of public disclosure laws by steadily adding new exemptions is something to be concerned about. The story mentions proposed bills designed to protect the personal information of state employees who deal with felons. Clearly they need protection. Not clarified in the story is why ...

Posted Fri, Dec 19, 5:48 p.m.

A WPA approach for writers will be a tough sell, but I think important. With the decline in print newspapers and the difficulty in making on line news profitable, we loose a critical and necessary element in our democracy -- the free press. Even before the web cut into newspapers ...

Posted Tue, Oct 21, 10:52 a.m.

I have always enjoyed the role Ted Van Dyk plays as a journalist and provocateur of essential debate. He has the personal courage to put out ideas an uses his journalistic skills to make us chew on them hoping we will discover concepts we missed. I appreciate him as much ...

Posted Thu, Sep 18, 12:23 p.m.

Justice isn't independent of the era it was created: Supreme court justices have always interested me. How they are selected and how often they moved in directions independent of those that appointed them is fascinating. Only because I just visited one of Douglas's old mountain stomping grounds did I decide ...

Posted Thu, Jul 31, 8:34 a.m.

Cut mayors staff: Why not tell your buddy at the next CR.Re-elect Nickels television show that the mayor should set an example and cut 25 people from his staff instead of cops. Or maybe his staff could patrol Belltown in the evenings.

Posted Sun, Jun 29, 11:34 a.m.

A Quandary!: I thought to avoid commenting on Bermant's article "You Anonymous", because I expected it would be well reviewed. It was. But, in reading all the comments I was reminded of a somewhat similar conflict I often struggle with. Is knowing everything and making it public always the best ...

Posted Mon, Jun 9, 12:06 p.m.

Unintended consequences of density: Berger continues to point to disconnects in the slogan based planning we see here in Seattle. The environmental community and many in government mistakenly justifying growth and density as environmental laws which have no exceptions. The narrowness of this twisted environmental reasoning neglects so many other ...

Posted Thu, Apr 17, 5:31 p.m.

It's all about political power!: Spitzer's story about Sanders tempest in a teapot makes the skeptic very curious. Since Spitzer opened the door, it's fair to ask whether his excursion into the history of constitutional law is about the law itself, or an indirect attack on Tim Eyman and the ...

Posted Mon, Apr 14, 8:02 a.m.

Keep it simple- don't scold us and offer hope.: While we may have many "noners" some of the fastest growing churches mix showmanship with media based productions in the style of Elmer Gantry. Old time tent revivals reborn and out to save our wicked souls with music that has a ...

Posted Tue, Mar 25, 8:41 a.m.

It's more than architecture!: We haven't changed much in the US in the last two hundred years. We can build great buildings and we certainly can build trash. Not everything old is outstanding architecture nor is much of the new development in Seattle likely to even last 50 years let ...

Posted Fri, Feb 29, 4:08 p.m.

Cultural values vs Profit: It's hard not to notice that Mossback takes a lot of heat for reminding us of our history. The Ballard Denny's or the Nuke reactor building on UW campus are examples of many of his excursions into what was or where we came from. Some years ...

Posted Fri, Feb 29, 10:43 a.m.

On Target: Well written and I think very much on target. History is often an inconvenient truth, but to forget it is much more dangerous. Not that there ever was a time when Seattle or any school system satisfied everyone, but the 40's,50's and 60's might have been a little ...

Posted Wed, Feb 27, 9:22 a.m.

Elmer Gantry is alive and in Seattle: Knute, again, makes us think about how we live in this place, Seattle. Yes we have choices in how we live, and yes government, the media and our own ambition and wealth influence our choices, but what is happening seems much more complex. ...

Posted Sun, Feb 10, 10:42 a.m.

Knute you exceed yourself: I have never read a better account of a political rally or a vision of leader. Knute you have outdone yourself. I especially liked the following "It's a carefully crafted generational appeal that seeks both to imbue the young with a sense not simply that things ...

Posted Sun, Jan 27, 9:14 a.m.

Where is Tim Eyman when we need him?: Where is Tim Eyman when we really need him? He could easily deal with the hypocrisy in government issue with a new state wide initiative that would require every elected official in the State of Washington to take and pass the WASL ...

Posted Tue, Jan 8, 9:28 a.m.

Insaturation ! Waiting for the Rapture!: Few political writers can summon word illusions better than Berger. Maybe we are all waiting for the rapture. Example Qutote Berger: "but baby boomers have clung to the hope that the old would simply disappear and the new would appear in a glorious instauration. ...

Posted Mon, Dec 31, 10:08 a.m.

Taylor! We appreciate you.: I'm inclined to think that great books and great journalism is measured as much by the integrity and insight of an editor as how many clicks or comments the story might achieve. The editor selects what to publish and in almost all great publications the quality ...

Posted Sun, Dec 30, 7:55 p.m.

Believe slogans or study the implications?: Comments in a previous Crosscut by person identified as "New Seattle" charged that Berger and others like Morrill and VanDyke had little they wanted to hear, suggesting that any historical observation or analysis of demographic data that offers an opinion different from theirs was ...

Posted Thu, Dec 13, 7:25 p.m.

Voters did understand what they were voting for.: The voters rejection of Jim Ellis's rail transportation scheme may reflect more on their good sense than a retrospective view of what his plan might have been. Ellis was indeed a gifted promoter of downtown Seattle and demonstrated amazing skill at selling ...

Posted Mon, Dec 3, 10:01 p.m.

Too nice!: What a time to be a respected journalist and write just the facts when you could have skewered this pompous ass. Carr is one of the most disingenuous public officials to hold public office. Prior to being City Attorney Carr served to advise the monorail and it's finances. ...

Posted Sat, Sep 22, 3:04 p.m.

Don't Feel Unwelcome!: Lisa, I suspect most mossbacks don't resent your arrival in Seattle or believe you are ruining the city. Please don't feel unwelcome, because for the very reasons we are proud of our City you have chosen to live here. Your arrival is a tribute to the lifestyle ...

Posted Tue, Aug 7, 1:43 p.m.

It's more about How we Grow---: As usual Mr. Morrill gives us a perspective of a much broader view than those who grumble over more of the specifics of how growth affects people who live here. While Morrill is, I think, quite correct in saying growth is market driven and ...

Posted Tue, Jul 24, 9:37 a.m.

What is worthy of preservation?: "Seattle the two dollar whore" --- Miskowski has it almost right except for the price. The fee for a roll in Seattle's real estate hay is much much more. Seems ironic doesn't it that Americans spend millions every year visiting Europe. Europe makes a business ...

Posted Tue, Jul 3, 7:37 p.m.

Mossback brings a perspective not seen in other papers.: I suspect Mossback writes for Crosscut because mainstream newspapers do a less than effective job at asking "why" or "what if." They are losing readers and likely Brewster's Crosscut wants Berger to stir the pot of public awareness and put contemporary ...

Posted Thu, Jun 28, 9:18 a.m.

Behind the scenes: Steve's Seattle walkabout and his casual tour through the Public Market is pleasant cheerleader candy for the tourist or those new to Seattle. The market is truly a delightful place to visit. It clearly is one of our treasures. But the size and value of the property, ...

Posted Fri, Jun 15, 9:54 a.m.

We need transparency in the Port: I would hope the new Port CEO, Tay Yoshitani, would not attempt to silence commissioners from airing their dirty laundry. Clearly there are personnel issues and some details relating to bids or contracts that by common sense or law are protected from disclosure, but ...

Posted Fri, Apr 27, 11:03 a.m.

No smooth way to greatness!: During the seventies I had occasion to meet and work with a small group of young men and women from Lakeside who gave up much of their afternoon time to assist me in coaching a Seattle Public Schools cross country team. They were in effect ...

Posted Tue, Apr 24, 8:53 a.m.

DOT credibility!: The public, politicians, bankers, investors, law firms that do bond work and environmental groups all appear to nod in rapt, but glazed, attention whenever the all-knowing civil engineers at the the State's Dept. of Transportation (DOT) do a power point. We might do well to remember that it ...

Posted Sun, Apr 15, 12:06 p.m.

Thanks: What a delight to read of a journey through the eyes of a man who is still seeking the joy and memories of things long past. Berger writes with words rich in insight and affection for language. Thanks