March 1981
In This Issue
Explore the March 1981 print edition below. Or to discover more writing from the pages of The Atlantic, browse the full archive.
Articles
Alexander Haig: Pragmatist at State
America’s new secretary of state is no intellectual, but those who know him say he understands the limits of U.S. power, won’t make promises he can’t keep, and spends his political capital wisely.
For Sale Freedom of Speech
Over the past twenty years the Supreme Court has made admirable advances in ensuring freedom of speech, but has the court now gone too far? Recent rulings, favoring advertisers and political fundraisers, award First Amendment protection to those with the money to pay for it.
The Sea Lily
Repenting at Leisure in the 1950s
However bad a marriage may be, it is based on a kind of loyalty, to one’s choice as much as to one’s partner. Once that fundamental loyalty collapses beyond repair, the marriage becomes merely a flag of convenience. And divorce, for all the blind waste involved, may become the only saving option.
Jordan: A Moderate's Role
Jordan’s King Hussein, cautious protector of more than a million Palestinian refugees, nonetheless clings to his strong ties with the West and with Israel.
The Strange Posthumous Career of Claude Monet
Come on Back
The Battle of the Budget
Can President Reagan pay the bills? The new administration has begun with promises of strict austerity—but so have others in the past. The author, executive director for budget at OMB under President Carter, spent four years and billions of dollars discovering that the federal budget is intractable. He offers some friendly advice for his successor.
Getting Serious About Tax Reform
One way to improve America’s economic situation is to increase our industrial capacity, which costs money that isn’t available because Americans need every nickel to keep up with rising prices. But regular savings can be encouraged, argues one economist, by heavily taxing consumption, by reducing or eliminating state and local taxes . . . and more.
The Doctor's Holiday
Toward an Understanding of Accidental Knots
The Chaud Stove League
Women Without Men
Nuns and Soldiers
The Killing of Karen Silkwood
The Stories of Elizabeth Spencer
A Difference in the Family
The Rat on Fire
Images of Age
The Whole Truth: The Watergate Conspiracy
The Well
Lucy: The Beginnings of Humankind
Now I Lay Me Down to Eat
The Blood of an Englishman
Grant
The Atlantic Puzzler
