I get concerned when people use the Bible to justify a position. The United Methodist Church recently justified its decision to exclude LGBTQ people from ministry leadership and marriage on the Bible. Oh, I’m sure if you look, you’ll find passages in the Bible that speak out in some way against homosexuality. And you’ll find […]
It’s in the Bible! Really? Read Post »
Until recently, the nation was making headway in providing health insurance for more people. The Trump administration, however, is doing its best to reverse that trend, and it’s costing us lives. At the end of 2017, 28.9 million Americans under the age of 65 were without health insurance, a big improvement over 2010, when 48.6
Decrease in health insurance enrollment costs lives Read Post »
Baseball season is about six weeks away, which gives guys like me something to look forward to. When it’s cold and dark out early in the morning, thinking about Opening Day brings a tiny bit of joy. I was a late bloomer when it comes to baseball and didn’t start watching the game until about
Frank Robinson, one of the best ever Read Post »
The farm bill, which provides assistance to farmers and funds the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, was passed in December with bipartisan support in the House and Senate. Though controversial, SNAP funding was not fundamentally changed. However, after signing the bill, President Donald Trump announced he wants to tighten restrictions. SNAP
Funding food assistance is good public policy Read Post »
Last month, the U.S. Senate passed the Justice for Victims of Lynching Act of 2018, which makes it a federal crime to injure or murder a person “because of the actual or perceived religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of any person.” The bill seems like a reasonable idea unless you
Intolerance for LGBTQ rights stops at church doors Read Post »
What message will Ohio send if it seeks the death penalty for the four members of the Wagner family accused of murdering eight members of the Rhoden family in Pike County in 2016? That the death penalty is the only way justice can be served for such brutal killings? That executing the Wagners is a
The death penalty is ineffective and costs too much Read Post »
The end of 2018 brought two news items that don’t make sense to me—a soccer stadium and a politician’s farewell speech. First, the soccer stadium. Columbus and Franklin County will help fund the proposed Arena District soccer stadium. The city will contribute $50 million for site development and infrastructure costs, and the county will pitch
Soccer stadium trumps social needs. A politician laments over what’s wrong. Read Post »
Is it smart to fight fire with fire in politics? Some months back, Congresswoman Maxine Waters urged her constituents to be uncivil to Republicans in public. A restaurant owner in Northern Virginia asked White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders to leave. Protesters disrupted the Brett Kavanaugh hearings. Hillary Clinton said that Democrats should
Forget the sharp attitude. Offer coffee instead. Read Post »
If you haven’t noticed, Congress doesn’t represent a cross-section of America. Its members comprise a narrow sector of the nation, and that’s a problem for reasons I’ll discuss in a minute. First, let’s look at the numbers. Non-Hispanic whites make up 61 percent of our population, but 80 percent of representatives and senators are white.
More diversity would make for a better Congress Read Post »
President Donald Trump warns that the Senate confirmation hearing for Brett Kavanaugh indicates that “it’s a very scary time for young men in America.” Fox journalist Jeanine Pirro believes the left is setting a new standard—“You are guilty until proven innocent”—and that due process, probable cause and reasonable doubt no longer have any meaning. Let’s
Men are no more at risk now than before Read Post »
Brett Kavanaugh succeeded in making it through the Senate confirmation process, but how he would have fared if applying for a job in the private sector? Though both involve a vetting process, the Senate hearings were more concerned about ensuring a conservative voice was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court and less concerned about what
Would Brett Kavanaugh have survived a job interview in the private sector? Read Post »
The Pew Research Center reports that income inequality is at its highest point since 1928. Will it ever substantially improve? Not without a dramatic paradigm shift. From 1979 to 2015, annual wages increased for the bottom 90 percent of Americans by 21 percent, according to the Economic Policy Institute. For the top 1.0 percent, the
U.S. wage gap is not likely to improve Read Post »