Adam Cohen

“Mass layoffs produce big winners and losers. Most workers who remain are financially unscathed, even though their employer is struggling.”

“As long as there have been elections, there have been attempts to keep eligible people from voting.”

“The Enron scandal is worthy of the highest level of scrutiny, both because of the enormity of the crimes that may have been committed and because of what the largest bankruptcy in American history has already begun to reveal about the weaknesses in our nation's corporate structures and regulatory oversight.”

“A little-appreciated downside of the technology revolution is that, mainly without thinking about it, we have given up 'locational privacy.'”

“Federal law should hold organizations like the League of Women Voters harmless if they make good-faith mistakes while registering people.”

“Voter ID laws have a disproportionate impact on groups that lean democratic - including blacks, hispanics and students.”

“Vampires are sleek demons for good times. They suavely leech off society - like investment bankers who plunder outsize shares of deals for themselves or rapacious fund managers.”

“There is no need for neighborhood informants and paper dossiers if the government can see citizens' every Web site visit, e-mail and text message.”

“Twitter, Facebook, and other social media outlets have a great deal of information about all of us - and the government wants to be able to see it.”

“When locational information is collected, people should be given advance notice and a chance to opt out. Data should be erased as soon as its main purpose is met.”

“Amazon is holding its own because the service it provides - offering millions of books and other items quickly and easily from home at any hour of the day or night - is a real one, and one that was impossible before there was an Internet.”

“When the gun lobby fights gun-control legislation, its logic is clear: it does not like laws that prevent people from owning or using guns.”

“Even a single Justice can have a profound impact on the country.”

“For people worried about the Great Recession and the uncertainty of what is coming next, the characters of 'Mad Men' are good company.”

“There is a lot of talk in conservative circles about judicial modesty and deferring to the political branches. That view of judging often overlooks the important role that courts have in protecting people's rights. But if there was ever a time to defer, it is when Congress is protecting voting rights in the exact way the Constitution directs it to.”

“Regency romances end in marriage; zombie stories end in the zombies being vanquished. 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies' delivers both.”

“Social Security, all public and no option, rescued older Americans from living their final years in poverty.”

“A federal Voters' Bill of Rights could press the states to put non-partisan managers in charge of elections.”

“The remarkable thing about 'Avatar' is the degree to which the technology is integral to the story. It is important to show Pandora and its Na'Vi natives in 3-D because 'Avatar' is fundamentally about the moral necessity of seeing other beings fully.”