Article II allows the president to grant pardons for any offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment. The presidential pardon power is among the most absolute authorities granted in the Constitution, and President Donald Trump has abused it. It has been just over a year since Trump issued pardons to the 1500 […]
President Trump has abused the presidential pardon Read Post »
The Medicaid work requirement in the budget bill recently passed by a Republican majority in House of Representatives brings to light political expediency, that is, when you have to make cuts, choose an easy target. The work requirement is based on a sentiment that goes back years. Former Congressional Budget Office director, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, wrote
Medicaid recipients easy targets for GOP lawmakers Read Post »
By way of executive orders, President Donald Trump has accused several of American’s largest and most prestigious law firms of substantial misconduct and is punishing them. The firms are left with a Sophie’s choice: either capitulate and strike a deal or risk losing their clients. It’s self-preservation versus standing up to an unprecedented threat to our
It’s a shakedown. Trump is going after “enemy” law firms with relentless vengeance Read Post »
Issue 1 on the November ballot will remove politicians from the business of drawing voting maps. In Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman’s view, Issue I is “gerrymandering at its finest.” The irony is striking. Huffman and Ohio’s Redistricting Commission disregarded seven orders from the Ohio Supreme Court to observe the constitutional mandate to draw maps
Don’t be fooled by pants-on-fire lie Read Post »
No one seriously questions that our immigration system is broken, but even with plenty of legitimate reasons to support comprehensive reform, Donald Trump chooses to engage in fiction to gain votes. Why? Because lying works; voters don’t question what they hear. And, yes, Democrats also lie. It’s just that Trump has elevated lying to a
Simply blaming Trump for lying is the easy way out Read Post »
We vote for our legislative representatives, but the reality is, they select the voters who put them in office. Sounds crazy, but it’s true. A group called Citizens Not Politicians is poised to bring real change to how state and congressional legislative districts are drawn in Ohio. Before explaining what’s coming, let’s take stock of
We can’t trust politicians to draw election maps Read Post »
Is there an age when politicians should leave public office? Looking at age, national leaders are out of sync with the people they represent. The median age in the U.S is 39 years. The median age of members in the U.S. House of Representatives is 58. Sixty-one representatives are 70 to 79 years old, and 11
When a politician has been in office too long Read Post »
This post comes from my friend, Rev. Tim Ahrens, a strong advocate for social justice. In 1912, it was just called “The Initiative.” The Initiative represented the constitutional right of all Ohioans to shape fair and equitable laws through the ballot box of initiatives and referenda. The Ohio Progressive Republican League helped establish this constitutional
Ballot initiatives and walking the tightrope of politics and religion Read Post »
In a guest column published on March 25, Ohio Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Brunner cautioned against attacks on the judiciary because they undermine confidence in the courts. In his guest column the following week, Chairman of the Ohio Republican Party Bob Paduchik criticized Brunner being a thin-skinned politician. Can both perspectives be right? Brunner’s guest
Seitz, LaRose, Paduchik attacks on O’Connor undermine justice Read Post »
If you haven’t noticed, we’re being overrun by socialists. Fortunately, they’re easy to recognize. They’re the ones supporting President Joe Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure bill, which Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., tells us is nothing but “big government socialism.” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, calls the bill an “accelerator to socialism.” There’s lots of talk about how
You might be a socialist and not even know it Read Post »
Every day, someone in the Catholic Church’s hierarchy wakes up says, “What can we do today to show how out of touch we are with our people and lose more of them?” The current leader of that effort is José Gomez, archbishop of Los Angeles and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The
Bishops wrongheaded to weaponize Communion Read Post »
