So many column ideas, so little time

Buckley himself occasionally claimed that if a deadline was looming and inspiration failed, he could close his eyes, jab a finger at the front page of The New York Times — and proceed to write a column about whatever he touched. "Oh yes," NBC's Gene Shalit quipped when Buckley said that to him in an interview. "I remember reading that one."

Unlike Buckley, I've never been able to dash off a column on demand, let alone on a topic chosen sight unseen. Yet every once in a while, even for me, there are days when the paper is a cornucopia of ideal column topics, with story after story begging to be written about.

Paging through Saturday's Globe, I see a piece headlined "Parks and Keller honored in Ala." At the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery — where in 1963 Governor George Wallace vowed "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, and segregation forever!" — statues of Rosa Parks and Helen Keller were unveiled last week. What a stirring testament to the possibility of moral and human progress! When Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on a public bus in 1955, she was arrested and prosecuted under the state's Jim Crow laws. But her civil disobedience led to the Montgomery bus boycott, galvanizing the civil rights movement that transformed American society. When Keller went blind and deaf as a toddler, she seemed doomed to a life of helpless isolation. Yet she became one of the most celebrated figures of her era — a writer, lecturer, and humanitarian. A column could explore how history so often makes a mockery of today's certainties. Or reflect on the power of one determined individual to change the world.

Another story jumps out at me: "Trump ends trade talks with Canada." A TV ad produced by the government of Ontario used audio from a 1987 radio address by then-president Ronald Reagan, who debunked the idea that punitive tariffs are good. President Trump responded with a tantrum, accusing Canada of lying about Reagan's views. "Actually he LOVED TARIFFS," Trump posted, rewriting history in all caps. In truth, Reagan was a principled free trader who consistently denounced protectionism. "High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars," the Gipper warned. "Then the worst happens: Markets shrink and collapse; businesses and industries shut down; and millions of people lose their jobs." I could use a column to explain the absurdity of Trump's protectionist fixation — and to remind readers that no amount of populist fury can make a trade war with Canada anything but madness.

"Wu calls for state to repeal Prop. 2½ law," a story in the Metro section, proves that terrible economic ideas aren't limited to the MAGA right. Proposition 2½ — the taxpayer protection law adopted by voters in 1980 — was one of the most significant reforms in Massachusetts history. Critics warned that it would lead to social collapse, but it did just the opposite, unleashing an economic boom. Now Boston Mayor Michelle Wu wants to scrap that discipline in the name of giving City Hall "more flexibility" to extract taxes from property owners. That's grist for a column on how liberals are forever sure that the time is right to raise taxes — and forever blind to the damage that follows.

Then there's "Bill would limit self-checkout kiosks at Mass. grocery stores," on the front of the Business section. Like many shoppers, I'm no fan of being conscripted as my own cashier — especially with a full cart — but grocery chains are private businesses, not public utilities. A bill offered by Senator Paul Feeney of Foxborough would turn consumer irritation into a state mandate, dictating how many human clerks a store must hire. It's a classic example of using law not to protect freedom but to restrict it — in this case, the freedom of private businesses to decide how best to serve their customers. I could use this story to write a column making an important libertarian point: the fact that something annoys people doesn't make it Big Brother's business.

Yikes, look at the time! I've got a deadline to meet, and still no column! Time for me to stop window shopping and find something to write about.

Jeff Jacoby is a columnist for The Boston Globe, from which this is reprinted with permission.

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