Email Author Ray Hartmann

2001 Stories by Ray Hartmann

• Taking No Prisoners

  published December 26, 2001

  It may surprise you to know it, but the state of Missouri boasts the safest maximum-security prison in America, just 60 miles southeast of St.... More >>

• Jim Talent's Low Blow

  published December 12, 2001

  If you're worried, like me, that the post-9/11 Era of Good Feeling is going to take all the fun out of American politics, rest assured that relief... More >>

• Barking Up the Wrong Tree

  published December 5, 2001

  Asking a politician whether taxes are unjustly high is something like asking the family pooch whether dinner sounds like a good idea: The inquiry... More >>

• J.A. Lobbia: A Tribute

  published November 28, 2001

  I believe I hear a voice from heaven, and the message is loud and clear:"Don't write this. Don't you dare write this. I mean it. I'm... More >>

• It's Our Miscount, and We're Sticking to It

  published November 21, 2001

  It has been forever seared into the nation's consciousness that more than 5,000 people were killed on Sept. 11 in the World Trade Center terrorist... More >>

• Uh, What We Meant to Say...

  published November 14, 2001

  It's time for a robust debate about whether local and state taxpayers should pay a quarter of a billion dollars to give the St. Louis Cardinals a... More >>

• There's No Place as Bad as This Home

  published November 7, 2001

  In the next two years, we may see all sorts of sickening vandalism in St. Louis County.Windows could be broken, lawns covered with debris,... More >>

• Look Who Didn't Trust the Feds

  published October 31, 2001

  It's not easy to find a U.S. senator who wants to stand up against the pack mentality on sacrificing civil liberties in the name of fighting... More >>

• The Anthrax Is Not in the Mail

  published October 17, 2001

  Nearly half-a-century ago, legendary television journalist Edward R. Murrow spoke out against the dangers of McCarthyism on the CBS television... More >>

• Losing the Battle and the War

  published October 10, 2001

  Chalk up another "victory" for the War Against Drugs That Don't Enjoy Corporate Sponsorship.Chalk up another loss for the community. The... More >>

• Knowledge Gained the Hard Way

  published September 19, 2001

  One week ago, three hours into the terrorist attack on America, I qualified what I was about to write with the following words:"By the time you... More >>

• An Act of War, Not a Crime

  published September 12, 2001

  I write this just three hours after the most ungodly terrorist attack in the history of the world. By the time you read it, you'll know much more... More >>

• Beat the Casinos? Not Yet.

  published August 29, 2001

  The box scores are in from fiscal year 2001, my fellow casino patrons, and the news is not so good:We're still losing. In fact, we're getting... More >>

• Paradise Found?

  published August 15, 2001

  If the people in charge of promoting St. Louis as a "world-class city" did large amounts of mind-altering drugs, here is what one of their dreams... More >>

• Scaling Art Hill

  published August 8, 2001

  I believe I've made a bit of a museum find.It's a small Post-Dispatch article dating all the way back to June 11, 1994, which reported... More >>

• Really Strange Bedfellows

  published July 25, 2001

  The major Missouri political fundraiser last Wednesday had all the usual trappings.Big-time speaker. Big crowd. Bigwig politicians. And, of... More >>

• And Now, Gategate

  published July 18, 2001

  Ever since that D-plus in seventh-grade art class, it has been my policy to pipe down in regard to matters of taste and aesthetics.It might be... More >>

• Wacky Warriors

  published July 11, 2001

  Ever wonder about those black helicopters hovering above the Arch?Did it ever occur to you that the United Nations might be scheming to force... More >>

• Gunning for Gun Control

  published July 4, 2001

  In his unsuccessful U.S. Senate race last year, then-Sen. John Ashcroft hauled in a stunning $374,000 in campaign contributions from the National... More >>

• Ballpark Pillage

  published June 27, 2001

  The new, improved stadium deal unveiled last week had one unmistakable similarity to the old, bad deal:Three years from now, your government is... More >>

• The Health (Club) Menace

  published June 20, 2001

  We all realize that there's only so much government can do to protect our health.Sure, we've got plenty of health departments and all those... More >>

• Exploit-the-Flag Day

  published June 13, 2001

  It's baaaack!The most ridiculous topic of our time can be expected to take center stage again in the next couple of weeks. Sound-bite-starved... More >>

• Misplaced Morality

  published June 6, 2001

  One of the late Gov. Mel Carnahan's finest legacies is the Missouri Family Planning Program, created in 1993, under which more than 100,000... More >>

• The Parent Trap

  published May 23, 2001

  "So what do you liberals want to do about our public schools -- just throw more money at the problem?"The question fairly reflected the... More >>

• The Media Go to Pot

  published May 16, 2001

  If you follow the news casually, you may have heard that the U.S. Supreme Court just said no on Monday to the use of marijuana for medicinal... More >>