Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bernie Moreno and his primary opponents all oppose raising the minimum wage. Both Moreno and Matt Dolan believe the minimum wage was never intended to be a living wage. Says who? Here’s what President Franklin Delano Roosevelt had to say about wages over 90 years ago: “It seems to me to be […]
Minimum wage debate has the wrong focus Read Post »
Bowling Green State University recently published a study concerning a law passed in June 2022 that permits citizens to carry firearms in public without a license. In the year since, we are told, there was “a significant decrease in crime incidents involving a firearm” in Ohio’s eight most populous cities. Gun zealots will surely herald
Permitless carry means more gun violence Read Post »
We have come to the point that when 18 people are massacred in Lewiston, Maine—or 49 in Orlando or 60 in Las Vegas—we accept it as a way of life. Well, you know, we have the Second Amendment, people say, as if words written over 230 years ago condemn us, without recourse, to gun violence.
Why do zealots rule when it comes to gun control? 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 »
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 »
We’re seeing two trends in how judicial posts are filled, and neither is good. The state court bench is moving away from the tradition of judges having been the senior attorneys in a community. Having practiced law for several years, they were seasoned, tested and wise. But younger lawyers are now running, and the political
Win at any cost politics has unqualified ruling courts 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 »
The comic strip character Pogo from 50 years ago had it right. “We have met the enemy, and he is us.” Our own ego and self-interest are defeating us. Ego is crippling. We think we know more than experts and can disregard their guidance. Former law school professor James McElhaney cautioned attorneys about letting ego—Mongo,
The “inner beast” has taken control of Ohio, America 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 »
