Editorial Columns by Mike Moxcey

These are columns I published on the editorial page of the Fort Collins Coloradoan.

I got the 2-year job by submitting 3 sample columns: Intro, Smarty PantsCan-DoTeachers, and a cover letter.

I use a motley crew of fictional characters to allow multiple viewpoints and try to make the writing more interesting.

My favorite unpublished column was about deciding whether to become a Baha'i or not. The Faith of a Father


September 1997
Hobbies, Jobs and Real Life 9/9/97
(Don't Die Like Di)
Di Could Boost Another Cause
9/16/97
Autumn Days Are Welcome 9/23/97
Drowning the 3.2 Bar Blues 9/30/97
October 1997
(The Writing Life) 
Writers Best Left Alone
10/7/97
Your Money or Your Life 10/14/97
Relinquish that Painfully Perfect Season 10/21/97
(An Extra Hour for Reflection) 
Adjust Attitude Along with Time
10/28/97
November 1997
Voting First Path to Input 11/4/97
Jury Still Out for 12 Angry Pickers 11/18/97
Gratitude Has Many Facets 11/25/97
December 1997
Post-Holiday: Eat, Drink, and Be Happy 12/2/97
Riding the Rails of Social Engineers 12/9/97
Holiday Spirit Still Sparkles 12/16/97
That Special Christmas Presence 12/23/97
Let the Sunshine In 12/30/97
January 1998
Not-So-Rocky Future Coming 1/6/98
Group March for Dignity of Individual 1/13/98
Our Indigenous Disney Land? 1/20/98
Final Score: Teachers 5 Broncos 1 1/27/98
February 1998
Spirit Away Our Spirituality 2/3/98
Syntax of Self-Direction 2/10/98
Enough Blame for Everyone 2/17/98
Two's Company, Three's a Conspiracy 2/24/98
March 1998
Persian Gulf Ain't Over 3/3/98
The Winds Blow Him Away 3/10/98
Habits Are Interruptible 3/17/98
Hammering Away at Land Values 3/24/98
My Two Cents on the Tax Code 3/31/98
April 1998
The Sound of Racial Harmony 4/7/98
Subtle Science and the Magic of Your Mind 4/14/98
The Wondrous Spell of E-Mail 4/21/98
In Gold We (Must) Trust 4/28/98
May 1998
Let's All Play at Our DIA 5/5/98
Making Hay, Not Clichés 5/12/98
The Culture of Popularity 5/19/98
Indians: Savage or Noble? 5/26/98
June 1998
Bypassing Solutions? 6/2/98
Race War Is No Picnic 6/9/98
Pacific Bad Boy Reigns (El Nino) 6/16/98
Loose Ends, Broken Strings 6/23/98
Of Suicide and Heroism 6/30/98
July 1998 synopsis
Don't Fall for Tourist Trap 7/7/98 How we avoid enjoying our own backyard tourist opportunities
Cultures of Fear Will Melt 7/14/98 All the troubles we see today are growing pains of the one-world human race
Free Markets: the Basis of Business 7/21/98 Sue and I explain why the DOJ suit against Microsoft is bogus but why government in general does have a right to regulate the free market
Covenants Not So Neighborly 7/28/98 How the wording of legal documents can make us meaner
August 1998
Pack Ethics; Go Camping 8/4/98 Seymour, Tanya, Sue, and Sloan argue the ethics of various forms of camping.
Don't Discount the Poudre 8/11/98 Seymour and I explore arguments for/against Wal-Mart and why we need a comprehensive plan to protect the river
Political Lies Will Continue 8/18/98 Various ways Clinton, Congress, and voters lie
Still an Age Old Dilemma for Us 8/25/98 Problems deciding what age to start school
September 1998
Putting a Finger on the ER Problem 9/1/98 Mashing my finger with a rock and going to the emergency room
What Kind of Language is THAT? 9/9/98 How children use inventive language
We Should Encourage Initiatives 9/15/98 How politicians are bad and citizen initiatives good
The World Wide Web of Lies/Shame 9/22/98 Clinton, Starr and pornography on the web
Beware of Lady Lawyer with Ukulele 9/29/98 Concealed weapons and true self-defense
October 1998
Ordinances Are a Vote for People 10/6/98 My desire to vote for the Fort Collins Human Rights Ordinances
Giving Credit Where Credit Is Really Due 10/13/98 True acknowledgements to people behind the scenes, appreciation of non-violent high school essays, and a delicious Clinton quote.
This Time, We Have a Real Choice 10/20/98 UNPUBLISHED: Lay folks like myself aren't allowed to endorse candidates. Only professional columnists can do that.
Issuing Forth on Ballot Issues 10/27/98 My view on some of the ballot issues facing Larimer County voters.
November 1998 synopsis
There Are Real Choices on the Ballot 11/3/98 How the election isn't a horse race. Don't bet on the safe choices.
Veterans of the Home Front 11/10/98 Why I honor widows, orphans, and even war protestors on Veteran's Day
Here's a Way to Get True Representation 11/17/98 How giving up voting may provide better representation
Playing Is Best Done With Friends 11/24/98 Why I like jamming and how it's better than card games
December 1998
Christmas Carols Keep Me and the Economy Humming 12/01/98 Why I need more stuff this Christmas
PLUS is not a MINUS 12/08/98 My take on Java, database design, and the county's Land Use proposal.
Every Birthday is Worth Marking 12/15/98 On my birthday, I celebrate real "birth" days.
The Gift Of Education Requires Knowledge 12/22/98 UNICEF should work on educating governments, people should help people
I Hope It's an Untrue Prediction 12/29/98 Year 2000 fears could be akin to fear itself
January 1999
New Vision and a New Perspective 1/5/99 New glasses and a Baha'i New Year's resolution
Develop Your Own Philosophy 1/12/99 Why a philosophy debasing ranchettes isn't a good approach to growth mgmt
Education of, about People 1/19/99 Solve the programmer shortage using non-technical education
Hidden Impacts Can Occur 1/26/99 Unintended consequences and not giving blood
February 1999
Opening Up Our Options 2/2/99 Why we should create more political parties to challenge the entrenched duet.
Love is ..., Like a Lot of Things You Know 2/9/99 The various forms of love and how they are all related
It's Time to Make Drugs Legal Here 2/16/99 How the war on drugs is actually a war on citizens
Leaders Inspire Us to Do More, Do Better 2/23/99 Leaders such as Janet, Scott, and Jessica don't have to be in charge to lead
March 1999 synopsis
Fabled Facts for the Future 3/2/99 How the new world order will be based on science
Don't Bag Our City Election 3/9/99 Why my book bag isn't a purse and how to vote drunk.
Location in which to Learn 3/16/99 One reason I like Fort Collins, and where to see the Baha'i Youth Workshop this weekend.
Growing Better, or Just Bigger? 3/23/99 Three scenarios for the future of Fort Collins: Boulder, Colorado Springs, and Michael Garman's Magic Town.
Life in the Fast Lane Can Be an Education 3/30/99 End of the Baha'i fast makes me glad for heaven on earth, and coffee.
April 1999
Equalizers Don't Make Us More Peaceful 4/6/99 How concealed weapons make carriers edgy, and a bullet tax proposal
Learning from Labels 4/13/99 How we disenfranchise entire groups through thoughtless lack of labels.
It's Not Selling Out -- It's Just Life 4/20/99 How selling out works as you get older.
Government Not Answer 4/27/99 Why government-inspired solutions won't solve problems such as the Columbine High School murders.
May 1999
Righting the Writes Not So Simple 5/4/99 Ads in textbooks and responses to letter writers
You Can't Measure Appreciation 5/11/99 Teacher appreciation and the measurement of school success
Writing Is Easy — Until It's Your Turn 5/18/99 Techniques for effective column writing
Both Sides Cause More Aggression 5/25/99 Deborah Tannen's The Argument Culture and it's relation to Columbine killings
June 1999
Graduates: Rules and Tools for Your Life 6/1/99 Suggestions I would give if I gave a commencement address
Racism Is No Picnic 6/8/99 What the book Guns, Germs, and Steel has to say about racism
Literacy a Hidden Problem for Many 6/15/99 Why newspapers dumbing down news is not a bad idea.
The Green, Green Grass of Some Other Home 6/22/99 Why the Junior League Garden Tour is good even for professional gardeners
Graven Images and Craven Laws 6/29/99 My take on the 10 Commandments in school, guaranteed to irritate both Bible-thumpers and constitutionalists.
July 1999 synopsis
Learning to Not Hate Math 7/6/99 How we teach people to be proudly inept at math.
This Column Really Bytes 7/13/99 Ideas on atoms, bytes and memes.
New Orders for a Small World 7/20/99 Why a new world order is inevitable and how we should think of nations
The Soul of Science 7/27/99 How science led me to a belief in the soul.
August 1999
Mothers of Abstinence 8/3/99 Why abstinence teaching is not necessarily good social policy
What I Learned on My Field Trip 8/10/99 How I treat my kids harsher than I treat others.
Thoughts Going into the Final Stretch 8/17/99 The best things about writing this column.
Teachers Can and Do 8/24/99 My take on an old phrase about those who can and those who can't.
You Too Can Write a Column for a Song 8/31/99 My attempt at writing a column out of song titles.