Carl P. Leubsdorf: Nation’s oldest party seems unlikely to change its leadship

Aging Democratic leaders Pelosi, Reid still play a leading role as GOP gets younger

Timothy Egan: This is the Disgust Election

How did we lose our democracy? Blame the U.S. Supreme Court, the author says

Andrew Selee: Bloodshed and resilience in Mexico

A weak rule of law and the impunity of criminal gangs remain a grave and persistent challenge to Mexico’s future, the scholar says.

Regina Montoya: Images of Vickery Meadow are a reminder of Dallas’ poverty problem

Don’t worry about Dallas’ image; worry about our impoverished, she says.

Michael Chertoff: Opponents of travel ban reflect misunderstanding of border and travel security

The former homeland security chief makes a case for suspending visas of those who visited Ebola-affected areas.

Elayne Esterline: Amid Ebola questions, don’t forget the good Presbyterian does

A Dallas mom gives thanks for the care her preemies received at the hospital.

Todd A. Pollock: Presbyterian should be honored — not blamed — for Ebola response

The medical society president says the Dallas hospital has implemented aggressive measures since Ebola cases.

Self-esteem and nuance could be secret weapons in the drug war

Perhaps what we should be campaigning for is not absolute avoidance of the substances themselves, but rather encouragement of individual self-confidence and the construction of community support systems around our youngsters, says Suzie Whitman.

Ben Bradlee: There is a lot of spinning and lying in our times

In his own words: The late Washington Post executive editor talks about lies and the endless task of revealing them

Tod Robberson: Empty field of dashed dreams in South Dallas

Douglas T. “Chase” Fonteno allows bills to pile up on a strategic parcel, thwarting city development efforts.

Mabrie Jackson: In North Texas, football means business

The college football playoff extends the region’s reputations as the place where champions are crowned.

Ruben Navarrette: Here’s how you get smart at the border

Border agents need better roads and more high-tech equipment, not higher walls, the columnist says

Talking Points: Notable quotes from the week’s news

Monica Lewinsky on empathy, Mike Rawlings on wealth, Jenkins and Trump on Ebola, Hitler appears in Switzerland

Aaron David Miller: The time of great American leadership is over

We can no longer have a truly great president. That’s OK: We seldom need one, and we might not want one, he says

Q&A: Dana Goldstein on what teachers want from us

The education journalist says this embattled profession also needs an adjusted focus on testing, more diversity and leadership stability to succeed.

Peniel E. Joseph: A new social justice movement is brewing

Events in Ferguson, St. Louis and elsewhere are signs of a brewing struggle, the columnist says.

Esther Cepeda: In the future, discrimination will be based on class, not race

Right now, it looks like instead of simply transcending race, our future population stands to swap one kind of bigotry for another, she says

Charles Lipson: Oppressive walls are closing in on an unpopular president

These days, Obama finds himself welcome only in the palatial homes of Hollywood stars, the professor says

David Brooks: Applaud the low idealist who wants more than hope

Columnist makes a case for political idealism, but not the brand that surrounded Obama’s 2008 campaign

Kate Greene: Why the first Mars mission should be manned by women

Economically, not to mention in other ways, it makes sense to send women to Mars, but don’t bet on a crew without men, she says

Can we get rid of the grownups in youth sports?

Kim Keller: Too many parent coaches and fans are creating a dangerous culture that puts competition first and kids’ well-being last.

Why not give all kids a head start on Spanish?

Mandy Stewart: Why not choose Spanish immersion for your child’s early education? Parents should be sure their decisions are based on solid research and not uneducated fears.

East Dallas strong

In the past few weeks, I can’t help but feel East Dallas is taking it on the chin. I also know we’re going to make it through this together, says Caryn Carson. Ebola reminds us that we are not in charge of a lot this world brings to our doorstep. But we are in charge of our response to it as a community.

Childhood injustice may be seen differently by mature eyes

Kimberly Laustsen: As kids, we want adults in our lives to be permissive. As adults, we realize that the injustices we faced as kids might have done us some good.

We measure too much to see if teens measure up

Catherine Zhang: Striving to be “enough” is a form of self-inflicted torture. The more we search for validation through external means — numbers, other people — the more we deprive ourselves of long-term happiness.

Derek Cohen and Deborah Fowler: Texas Legislature should decriminalize truancy

The current law punishes low-income families and leaves students with indelible criminal records for missing school, they say.

Naomi Oreskes: Stop hating on NIMBYs — they’re saving communities

The Harvard prof says there’s nothing wrong with standing up for our own communities, and standing with our fellow citizens who want to preserve their quality of life.

George Will: Sacked for a loss by the language police

An FCC embrace of a petition to ban the use of “Redskins” could startle people and enlarge freedom, he says.

Rudolph Bush: No way to talk about beautifying the Trinity without confronting toll road

Renderings of Trinity amenities remind us of a dream that cannot come true, columnist says

What should Dallas strive to become?

Three participants in Thursday’s conference, titled ‘What does Dallas want to be?’, offer their opinions

Carl P. Leubsdorf: Supreme Court’s next move will reveal its true intent toward voting rights

Two recent federal court opinions make a powerful argument that voter ID laws were designed less to minimize fraud than to achieve political ends, the columnist says

William McKenzie: Doing away with testing would hurt Texas children

There is value to annual, independent exams in grades 3 through 8, he says.

Richard L. Hasen: Justice Ginsburg’s dissent on Texas’ voter ID law a wake-up call for voting rights

Her middle-of-the-night missive calls attention to what Ginsburg likely sees as a grave injustice, the law professor says.

Mark Davis: Objections to West Africa travel ban fail the logic test

Opponents are driven by the unfathomable assessment that America’s responsibilities as a global citizen outweigh its commitment to U.S. citizens, the columnist says.

Fred Hiatt: America, the unforgiving land of ‘gotcha’

Need a list of whom to blame about Ebola? Here’s one, says the columnist.

Jason Villalba: Despite concerns, Enterprise Fund is good for Texas

The state lawmaker supports reform measures but says the fund is vital for landing new jobs.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf: Liberia, other nations need investments in health care

A nation reborn after 30 years of brutal civil and political unrest now must build again, with the world’s help.

Joe Nocera: With every new mistake, CDC becomes just another agency that can't get it right

The CDC used to be an agency we had faith in, but Ebola has changed that, the columnist says.

Ruben Navarrette: Democrats are in the doghouse with Latinos

Failure to deal with immigration is coming back to bite Dems, the columnist says.

Coalition of pastors urges support for public schools

By investing in public education, we invest in the future of 5 million Texas schoolchildren, they say.

Tech-free semester was eye-opening experience

Catherine Blizzard: I reluctantly gave up my phone and within a matter of days, my perspective had changed completely.

Megan Fass: Student leadership has turned into a sham

For every officer in a student organization that is genuinely dedicated to the cause, there are two more just looking for another extracurricular activity to tack on to a resume.

No religion has all the answers

Barbara B. Johnson: Discussion on the meaning of life could and does go on and on with much vigor, but alas no conclusion. No one knows. That is the only real truth.

Confessions of a frustrated Catholic

Frank Matthews: It isn’t every day (or for that matter, every century) that you see a Pope literally take on the hierarchy of his church. As one of the millions of “practicing, but shouldn’t be” Catholics, I am cheering him on.

Failing grade for testing

Peter Evett: There is an opportunity cost to all testing. All of the time spent testing, regardless of its value as a tool for student learning, could have been spent in instruction.

Q&A: Harvard President Drew Gilpin Faust

The historian and award-winning author discusses the nation’s challenge of affordable higher ed.

Chris Farrell: Baby boomers’ latest revolution is unretirement

Working in golden years, on the whole, is good for the economy, the columnist says.

Kathleen Parker: How unpopular is President Obama?

Desperate Dems are in deep denial over the unpopularity of their president, columnist says

Researchers: Malcolm Gladwell was wrong. Practice isn’t perfect.

Many other factors affect genius, sayDavid Z. Hambrick, Fernanda Ferreira and John M. Henderson

Raychelle Burks: Go ahead, drink your pumpkin spice latte

A chemist says no chemical is 100-percent safe, but our fear of chemicals needs to be tempered