War no longer involves the nation as a whole

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A letter to the editor in The Dispatch last Saturday from a retired Army major general caught my eye. He proposes that before sending troops into combat we should bring back the draft and enact a special war tax. The general wants to make “limited liability patriots and chicken hawks think twice before committing American blood and treasure to another war in the Middle East.”

I share the general’s sentiment, but for a different reason: war doesn’t have an impact ...

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20
OCT
0

The Military

A world leader, and she’s just 17

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I generally focus on issues and talk about people only to the extent they have some impact on those issues.  I’m making an exception today for an exceptional person.

She’s only 17 years old, and already she’s done more for the world than most adults. This rather petite and unassuming girl hasn’t created a cure for cancer or developed the next generation smart phone. Her accomplishment isn’t based on tangible things. It comes from her inner self—tremendous courage and leadership that ...

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13
OCT
1

People I Admire

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They may not know who Joe Biden is, but they can vote for judges

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A week or so ago, I read an op-ed piece about voting by columnist David Harsanyi.  He was writing in response to the current dispute about whether states should make it easier for people to vote. Harsanyi believes that voting should be a difficult task. His point of view is based, at least in part, on how little so many know about our government. He cited a Pew Research Center survey that found that little more than a third of ...

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10
OCT
0

Judges

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Wasting more effort killing killers

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Ohio has found it harder and harder to execute its death row inmates, and so the answer has been to make the process secretive. The problem began when the pharmaceutical companies, whose drugs were being used for executions, decided they didn’t like their drugs being administered on death row, so they stopped the supply line.

That left states like Ohio scrambling to come up with alternative drugs, which, in turn, led to a series of botched executions, including one in Ohio. ...

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4
OCT
0

Death Penalty

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Is it just me?

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The news about a man jumping the fence and gaining access to the White House was alarming. How can this sort of thing happen?  He had a knife.  He could have had a bomb.  That was scary, but it’s not what grabbed my attention. What followed is what bothers me.

One would think the incident would have been the subject of serious investigation, where meaningful questions were asked and security procedures were examined. Instead, what followed was political theater when the ...

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2
OCT
0

Political Issues

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The politics behind common core

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Just over a week ago, I wrote about how the facts have been overshadowed by bad information in the Common Core debate. I knew something was wrong with this picture, but I couldn’t point to the exact problem. Sure, it had to do with politics, but what exactly was going on?

I did a little digging and found an article in the August 24, 2014, edition of The Columbus Dispatch.  I remember reading the article before, but it didn’t have as ...

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10
SEP
0

Education

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Common core opponents are forgetting one thing–the kids

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Have you been listening to the recent debate about the Common Core standards?  If so, you should have noticed two things.  First, the objections focus on things other than the standards that comprise Common Core: Common Core is being forced upon the states by the federal government. Common Core mandates teaching methods for the states. In essence, Common Core is a horrible overreach by big government.

The problem is, none of this is true. Reliable news sources have reported that Common ...

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1
SEP
1

Political Issues

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Drug courts can help reduce recidivism

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If we don’t find a better way of dealing with non-violent drug offenders, we may find ourselves building more prisons. That’s the concern of Gary C. Mohr, Director of the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.  We’re good at putting drug offenders in jail, but we’re not doing so well helping them with their addictions, which means they’re likely to be repeat visitors at state prisons. That means more expense for the state and a loss of productivity in the economy.

This ...

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21
AUG
0

Social Issues

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Lawmakers “fighting” for us hardly helps

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Have you noticed all the fighting that goes on at the statehouse and in the Capitol? It’s hardly a secret—lawmakers regularly tell us they are fighting for us. Think about how often you hear the phrase.

Are our legislators really fighting, or do they actually mean they are advocating a position?  Should we care about the language they use? Am I just being too particular about what some might characterize as a figure of speech?

Maybe not. Let’s put this in context ...

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19
JUL
0

Social Issues

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