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. […]
So now the unemployment stats are legit? Read Post »
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
Lawmakers give a pass to corporate welfare Read Post »
In my last post, I wrote about why it’s hard to debunk misinformation. Two examples of misinformation I cited came from the Trump administration. Some readers suggested I should have been more balanced. One wrote, “Too bad you didn’t offer a couple examples from the other side of the aisle, like the notorious Harry Reid
Are liberals purveyors of misinformation? Read Post »
Why is it hard to debunk misinformation? Why aren’t people willing to change their minds? Part of the problem lies within our own psyche, and part of the problem is with the news media. Ezra Klein of Vox interviewed Dartmouth University political scientist Brendan Nyhan about our reticence to accept proven facts. The underlying problem
Why it’s hard to debunk misinformation Read Post »
Ever wonder how people come up with their ideas? Take, for example, the Trump administration’s decision to nominate Matthew Spencer Petersen to be a federal judge for the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia. Nominees must be approved by the Senate, and the questioning by Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., last Friday showed how
What in the world were they thinking? Read Post »
Two years ago, Kathryn Steinle was killed by Jose Garcia Zarate, an illegal immigrant who had been deported five times and had a history of drug convictions. On Nov. 30, Zarate was acquitted in Steinle’s murder trial. President Donald Trump called it “a disgraceful verdict.” It’s a shocking and a horrible result for Steinle’s family,
Trump wrong to criticize judge and jury Read Post »
We’ve been taking two ineffective approaches to gun violence. The first is to debate whether we need more or fewer guns. Fearing criticism for not supporting the Second Amendment, legislators are easily persuaded we need more guns. The second approach occurs after a mass shooting. A new gun law is proposed. We argue its merits,
U.S. should study gun violence as a public health hazard Read Post »
Are we safer by making it easier for citizens to carry guns? The Ohio General Assembly thinks so. At least six bills seek to expand the rights of gun owners. There’s ample data to suggest that more guns don’t promote safety and that with more guns the number of unintended deaths increases. Legislators don’t
More guns alone not the answer Read Post »
If you’re struggling with the LGBTQ issue, here’s something to ponder, and it’s especially helpful if you’re trying to reconcile the LGBTQ issue with your religious beliefs—the words of Jen Hatmaker, a Texas pastor and mother of five. Here’s what she had to say in the Aug. 28, 2017, edition of Time magazine when asked
Life lessons from a Hatmaker Read Post »
Do campaign contributions affect how judges decide cases? Studies indicate the answer is yes. A recent effort by Cleveland attorney Subodh Chandra to disqualify a Summit County judge illustrates how money might drive the public’s thinking on a judge’s impartiality. First, some background about money and state supreme court elections. In 2009, the U.S. Supreme
Judges probably influenced by campaign contributions Read Post »
[This piece was published in the Columbus Dispatch on July 16, 2017, and is an update of a blog post published in August 2016] If you believe the court system always renders justice, you’re mistaken. Just ask Dale Johnston. After spending nearly seven years on Death Row for two murders he didn’t commit, Johnston has
Why has the state fought compensating Dale Johnston? Read Post »
Meet my friend, Fr. Vinny McKiernan, associate pastor at the Newman Center at Ohio State University. That’s him in the photo, with my wife, Deb. I don’t know how he does it, but he seems to be incapable of fatigue. At age 86, Fr. Vinny recently celebrated the 60th anniversary of is ordination. Being a
Meet my friend, Fr. Vinny Read Post »