I’m done with you guys

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[This piece was published a few years back in the Columbus Bar Association Lawyers Quarterly magazine. Because the state of our language continues its spiral decline, I’m posting it here.]

It’s almost too much to bear.  It’s enough to make my head explode. Our English language is slowly degrading to a point where things that were once considered to be bad grammar and offensive slang are now slowly becoming the new standards.

Using the correct pronoun after a conjunction is a lost ...

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22
JUL
14

Social Issues

Civility—a strategy for change

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Unless you live in a cave, you’ve probably read several articles about the demise of civility in our political discourse. There’s no question a problem exists. Jim Simon did a nice job discussing the issue in an op-ed published June 28 in the Columbus Dispatch.

He advocates a number of changes in how we behave, such as: insisting on “high-road behavior” from politicians; stepping out of our bubbles and being willing to listen to and understand those with whom we ...

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8
JUL
6

Social Issues

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What’s the best way to measure patriotism?

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We’re in the midst of a national kerfuffle over what it means to be patriotic, and it has a lot more to do with ego and attitude than substance. Funny thing is, the man who started the ruckus never served in the military.

President Donald Trump has castigated NFL players for not standing during the national anthem and criticized franchise owners for allowing them to do so. Last week, he used the NBA finals to renew his spat with players LeBron ...

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24
JUN
11

Social Issues

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Stop the cruelty of separating children from their parents

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Enough already! How much longer should we endure the administration’s new policy of separating children from their immigrant parents? In the last six weeks, the administration has separated about 2000 children from their parents, with no clear plan for reuniting them

Yes, the immigrants are wrong for seeking amnesty by just walking across the border (as opposed to hiring a lawyer and making application through the immigration courts or entering the country through a port of entry) and, yes, we ...

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18
JUN
30

Political Issues, Social Issues

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State should support legal aid

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Is access to legal assistance for low-income Americans important? President Donald Trump doesn’t think so. His 2018 budget proposed eliminating the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), an independent nonprofit, established during the Nixon administration that provides civil legal aid to low-income Americans.

Trump apparently forgot about his campaign theme—“to bring hope to every forgotten stretch of this country.” According to former LSC president Martha Bergmark, the majority of the states with the lowest ranking for access to legal assistance for low-income citizens ...

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28
MAY
2

Social Issues

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Foster kids need help as they age out of system

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Imagine being in the foster care system for years and, suddenly, on your 18th birthday, you’re expected to fend for yourself. Get a job, find a place to live and make good of yourself. It’s a tall order for any 18-year-old, all the more so when you’ve suffered abuse or neglect or drug dependency has been part of your world.

The odds are stacked against this group. Based on research by Ohio Fostering Connections, a coalition that advocates for foster youth, ...

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30
APR
4

Social Issues

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Arrogant and shameless, they’re running for the U.S. Senate

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Running for the U.S. Senate are two men who have no business running for office. The first is Don Blankenship of West Virginia, and the other is Joe Arpaio, the former long-time sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona.

Blankenship was the CEO of Massey Energy when a coal mine it operated exploded in 2010, killing 29 men. Blakenship went to prison for a year for conspiring to violate mine safety standards. Prosecutors argued he was part of a conspiracy where employees ...

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12
APR
20

Social Issues

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Guns and the gap between voters and G.O.P. leadership

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We’re seeing a widening gap between citizens and Republican leadership when it comes to gun violence. People are coming to grips with the fact that the status quo is unacceptable.

Republican leadership, however, doesn’t get it or doesn’t want to get it. There are few exceptions, such as Gov. John Kasich, R-Ohio, who is promoting a six-point plan to decrease gun violence.

Based on a Quinnipiac poll, released on Feb. 20, 2018, here’s how Americans feel about gun violence:

  • American voters ...
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4
MAR
4

Social Issues

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So now the unemployment stats are legit?

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President Donald Trump is beside himself with how well the economy is doing and boasts about the nation’s unemployment rate.

Though the Bureau of Labor Statistics tells us unemployment has been steadily declining since 2010 and was 4.6% in November 2016, Trump is taking sole credit for the current 4.1% unemployment figure.

I’m not surprised. Actually, I’d be shocked if Trump didn’t take all the credit.

But does anyone remember what Trump said about unemployment statistics before he was elected? The Continue Reading →

11
FEB
6

Social Issues

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Lawmakers give a pass to corporate welfare

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Just a few weeks before the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was signed into law last December, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) announced it was time to reduce the deficit by cutting entitlements. On talk radio, he said, “We’re going to have to get back next year at entitlement reform … it’s the health care entitlements that are the big drivers of our debt …”

Ryan is not alone. The Washington Post reported that Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) stated, ...

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2
FEB
10

Political Issues, Social Issues

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