Legislation passed in 2025 evidences that we have evolved only slightly since the days of lords and serfs, when one class enjoyed wealth, and the other struggled. Before looking at examples, let’s look at the numbers. The U.S. Census Bureau reported the nation’s poverty rate in 2024—annual income of $31,812 for a family of four—was […]
Low income citizens just don’t matter Read Post »
“Dear Editor—I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Grinch. Papa says, “If you see it in the Sun, it’s so.” Please tell me the truth, is there a Grinch. Virginia O’Hanion Virginia, your friends are wrong. They do not believe except what they see, and because they do
Yes, Virginia, there is a Grinch Read Post »
Is money the determining factor for whether school districts produce students who perform well? Surprisingly, the answer is no. If money alone were the key, a small town like Steubenville, Ohio, in the Rust Belt, would not be able to outperform Upper Arlington, Ohio, an affluent community, but Steubenville did. No doubt, adequate funding is
Why do some school districts produce good results, while others don’t? Read Post »
The Republicans of yesterday wanted limited government. Today’s Republicans want to tell us how to think. President Trump is banning DEI because it forces “illegal and immoral discrimination programs, going by the name ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion.’” Based on what evidence? According to Franklin County Commissioner Kevin Boyce, DEI does not promote hiring on the
Republicans want to tell us how to think Read Post »
The Israeli goal of eliminating Hamas raises the question, is the war’s resulting civilian Palestinian death toll proportional, as the International Committee of the Red Cross puts it, “in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated?” More than 35,000 Palestinians have died in the Gaza war, roughly two-thirds of whom are women and children. I
War can’t be sanitized no matter how we try 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 »
Why is it Bishop Earl Fernandes cannot speak the truth? In the May 28 edition of the Dispatch, he again denied that he forced the Paulist priests to leave the Newman Center last year and repeated the fiction they “chose to leave.” The Paulists left because Fernandes would allow them to stay—just two, not all
Bishop can’t speak the truth and is blind to reality Read Post »
Last December, the Ohio Supreme Court in Brandt v. Pompa changed its position on a 2005 statute, Senate Bill 80, that caps non-economic damages—think pain and suffering. More stunning is how the case brings to light the politics in judicial decisions. Amanda Brandt had been sexually abused as a middle schooler by Roy Pompa, now
Rapist case shows how court shouldn’t work Read Post »
In June 2021, when Catholic Archbishop José H. Gomez stated that President Joe Biden should not receive Communion because he is pro-choice, I wrote in an opinion piece, “Every day, someone in the Catholic Church’s hierarchy wakes up and says, ‘What can we do today to show how out of touch we are with our
Bishop gave Paulists an offer they couldn’t accept Read Post »
What does the law say about a police officer’s obligations when stopping and questioning someone for possible criminal conduct? What does a police officer have to consider before making the stop? Does racial bias enter the equation? Are citizens required to comply? How is it that sometimes these stops end with violence, sometimes a shooting?
The problem with police investigative stops—police abuse or citizen non-compliance? Read Post »
If you don’t know what critical race theory (CRT) is, don’t feel bad. Neither do the folks in charge of K-12 education in Ohio. Let’s go back to July 2020 when the Ohio State Board of Education passed “a resolution to condemn racism.” Acknowledging disparities in the education system for students of color and whites,
State board of education makes case for critical race theory Read Post »
Ohio State University Associate Professor Joni Acuff talks with us about what critical race theory actually is—as opposed to how it’s described by its critics—and gives examples of racial inequality being imbedded in society. The three of us discuss legislative efforts to ban critical race theory. Legislators say they want students to be presented
Critical race theory–a subject of controversy and misinformation Read Post »