Are there two justice systems in America, one for the executives of large corporations and another for the rest of us? Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., thinks so. She published a report on the subject last month, “Rigged Justice: How Weak Enforcement Lets Corporate Offenders Off Easy.” Warrens maintains that “corporate criminals routinely escape meaningful prosecution for […]
Are there two justice systems in America? Read Post »
Senator Bernie Sanders has been campaigning that he wants to close the income gap in America. Is there an income gap? Why should we care? Last October, financial news and opinion company, 24/7 Wall St., reported that the gap between rich and poor “jumped dramatically” in the 1980s and has continued to grow. Between 1979
The growing income gap Read Post »
President Barack Obama’s recent executive orders concerning guns illustrate two important points: the difficulty with messaging gun policy, and the gap between what Americans favor and how politicians vote. First, let’s look at the issue of messaging. If you watched the CNN town hall meeting two weeks ago, you heard the president talk about background
Gun policy challenges—messaging and politicians Read Post »
This is Aylan Kurdi, the Syrian toddler who drowned off the coast of Turkey last September. Some media sources chose not to publish the photo. I think everyone needs to see it. It’s emblematic of a world where things have gone badly wrong. Aylan likely had no idea why his family was leaving home on what
What makes us think? Is it intellect that determines how we analyze problems? If so, how is it that two people of equal intelligence can look at the same set of facts and reach different conclusions? Let’s look at global warming. Two weeks ago, Columbus Business First carried an article about Bob Murray, the CEO
What makes us think? Read Post »
How much of what we hear is exaggerated, destructive or full of hate? Don Miguel Ruiz, author of “The Four Agreements,” would say many people fail to be impeccable with their words. Impeccable means not capable of sin and free from fault or blame. Think of what it means, then, to be impeccable with your
Be impeccable with your words Read Post »
It’s so easy to do, and the need is so urgent. But it’s as dangerous as driving a car with your eyes closed. In fact, it’s nearly identical to driving with your eyes closed. Still, people do it. They text while driving. They don’t understand the danger. Let me give you an example. My wife
The fatal lure of texting while driving Read Post »
When you vote this Tuesday, you will see three referendums, known as Issues 1, 2 and 3, which all seek to amend the Ohio Constitution. Here’s my view on all three. Vote yes on Issue 1 Issue 1 seeks to implement a non-partisan approach to drawing voting districts for Ohio state representatives and senators. As important
Ohio’s three referendums—yes, yes and no Read Post »
Hillary Clinton made clear in the first Democratic Party presidential debate that she’s ready to take on the NRA. “This has gone on too long, and it’s time the entire country stood up against the NRA,” she declared. If you believe the level of gun violence in America is unacceptable, this was music to your ears.
Hillary wrong to take on NRA Read Post »
After 23 massacres since 2007, where 202 people were murdered with guns, we still know little about gun violence. Why? Because Congress cowers to the NRA and won’t fund gun violence studies. The entity best suited for this work, the Centers for Disease Control, is precluded by law from analyzing gun deaths. In a 1996 appropriations
Congress backs down on gun violence studies Read Post »
Few things in America consume as much time and energy and are as futile as the fight over abortion. The process is fatiguing and illustrates how two groups are willing to spend vast resources talking at each other, with apparent little regard for a practical solution. I am not a proponent of abortion and believe
Abortion fight is futile Read Post »
Segregation in education hasn’t gone away and is more alive than we might think. Ferguson, Mo., where Michael Brown was shot by a police officer last year, provides an example of both segregation and racial tension. More about that in a minute. Prior to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of
Segregation hasn’t gone away Read Post »