Opinion: May 9 buzz: The man behind Trader Joe’s; the problem with viewing politics like a spectator sport
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Most viewed and shared: Patt Morrison Asks: Trader Joe’s founder Joe Coulombe
Ever wonder about the Joe behind Trader Joe’s? Here’s a great interview, including this snippet:
All Trader Joe’s were located near centers of learning. Pasadena, where I opened the first one, was because Pasadena is the epitome of a well-educated town. I reframed this: Trader Joe’s is for overeducated and underpaid people, for all the classical musicians, museum curators, journalists -- that’s why we’ve always had good press, frankly!
Most commented: Tim Rutten: Snapshot of a split America
A recent Pew survey shows an us-versus-them split among politically engaged adults. The problem with viewing politics like a spectator sport is that it doesn’t leave room for compromise, which is to our detriment. Columnist Tim Rutten writes:
For generations, historians and political analysts have identified a predilection for pragmatic problem-solving over ideology as the defining -- and distinctive -- characteristic of American political life. Clearly, that’s a thing of the past, and with it, the impulse to bipartisanship. As we’ve seen in the wake of Osama bin Laden’s killing this week, that now extends to foreign policy too. In California, we’ve watched this shift away from compromise bring effective government virtually to a halt. It’s not an experience we can afford to repeat on the national level.
As you may have predicted, there’s a mess of bickering on the discussion board in response. But then there’s this:
The comments made to this article show how correct Tim Rutten is. All that either party is worried about is the future of their party in the next election and then the election after that. Neither party is willing to sit with the other and work towards a better future for this Country. That would mean that they would have to share the power and spot light. Two things that they seem incapable of doing. Both parties share the blame and they both need to own up and begin to act like Americans first and Republicans and Democrats second. --trisht1
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--Alexandra Le Tellier
