It’s in the Bible! Really?

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I get concerned when people use the Bible to justify a position. The United Methodist Church recently justified its decision to exclude LGBTQ people from ministry leadership and marriage on the Bible. Oh, I’m sure if you look, you’ll find passages in the Bible that speak out in some way against homosexuality. And you’ll find passages to justify lots of other things, from concubines to slaves.

It’s all a matter of your perspective and what you’re trying to accomplish. And whether ...

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12
MAR
6

Social Issues

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Decrease in health insurance enrollment costs lives

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Until recently, the nation was making headway in providing health insurance for more people. The Trump administration, however, is doing its best to reverse that trend, and it’s costing us lives.

At the end of 2017, 28.9 million Americans under the age of 65 were without health insurance, a big improvement over 2010, when 48.6 million were uninsured, but the number of uninsured Americans is about to increase. The Congressional Budget Office projects that by the end of this year, 32.9 ...

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5
MAR
8

Uncategorized

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Frank Robinson, one of the best ever

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Baseball season is about six weeks away, which gives guys like me something to look forward to. When it’s cold and dark out early in the morning, thinking about Opening Day brings a tiny bit of joy.

I was a late bloomer when it comes to baseball and didn’t start watching the game until about 20 years ago. Taking up baseball seemed like a good idea—something I could share with my ...

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20
FEB
5

People I Admire

Funding food assistance is good public policy

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The farm bill, which provides assistance to farmers and funds the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, was passed in December with bipartisan support in the House and Senate. Though controversial, SNAP funding was not fundamentally changed. However, after signing the bill, President Donald Trump announced he wants to tighten restrictions.

SNAP is controversial because it’s perceived as an entitlement conservatives want to cut. They overlook that SNAP helps promote good health by making up in part for ...

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30
JAN
3

Social Issues

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Intolerance for LGBTQ rights stops at church doors

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Last month, the U.S. Senate passed the Justice for Victims of Lynching Act of 2018, which makes it a federal crime to injure or murder a person “because of the actual or perceived religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of any person.” The bill seems like a reasonable idea unless you belong to Liberty Counsel, an advocacy group whose message is based on conservative Christianity. Liberty Counsel is intolerant of the LGBTQ movement and views ...

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22
JAN
10

Social Issues

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The death penalty is ineffective and costs too much

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What message will Ohio send if it seeks the death penalty for the four members of the Wagner family accused of murdering eight members of the Rhoden family in Pike County in 2016? That the death penalty is the only way justice can be served for such brutal killings? That executing the Wagners is a necessary deterrent? That Ohio is tough on crime?

The answer is all of above, but Ohio will also be demonstrating it prefers the charade of capital ...

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6
JAN
6

Death Penalty

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Soccer stadium trumps social needs. A politician laments over what’s wrong.

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The end of 2018 brought two news items that don’t make sense to me—a soccer stadium and a politician’s farewell speech.

First, the soccer stadium. Columbus and Franklin County will help fund the proposed Arena District soccer stadium. The city will contribute $50 million for site development and infrastructure costs, and the county will pitch in another ...

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27
DEC
13

Uncategorized

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Forget the sharp attitude. Offer coffee instead.

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Is it smart to fight fire with fire in politics? Some months back, Congresswoman Maxine Waters urged her constituents to be uncivil to Republicans in public. A restaurant owner in Northern Virginia asked White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders to leave. Protesters disrupted the Brett Kavanaugh hearings. Hillary Clinton said that Democrats should not be civil with Republicans until they change their way of thinking.

Columnists Michael Gerson and Bret Stephens warn us about the futility of fighting ...

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19
NOV
9

Political Issues

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More diversity would make for a better Congress

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If you haven’t noticed, Congress doesn’t represent a cross-section of America. Its members comprise a narrow sector of the nation, and that’s a problem for reasons I’ll discuss in a minute. First, let’s look at the numbers.

Non-Hispanic whites make up 61 percent of our population, but 80 percent of representatives and senators are white. People 60 years old or older make up just 20 percent of the population but the average age of a representative is 57; for a senator ...

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4
NOV
7

Political Issues, Uncategorized

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Men are no more at risk now than before 

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President Donald Trump warns that the Senate confirmation hearing for Brett Kavanaugh indicates that “it’s a very scary time for young men in America.” Fox journalist Jeanine Pirro believes the left is setting a new standard—“You are guilty until proven innocent”—and that due process, probable cause and reasonable doubt no longer have any meaning.

Let’s drop the hyperbole and recognize that the Kavanaugh hearing, while ugly, was, in essence, a job interview on a national scale.

What should have been a dignified ...

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21
OCT
9

Social Issues

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