Is This Who We Are?
By now more than 75 million Americans have already voted. Even the mythical low-information undecided voters, hunted to near extinction this fall, must have come to some kind of decision….
2024 Voter’s Guide
As I mentioned previously, this fall I put together an adult education course on election issues to help voters assess candidate positions. I learned a lot from the experience, but…
Well, That Kind of Thing Used to be a Problem
As American politics continues to evolve, we are seeing a shift in behaviors that are considered disqualifying for the office of the presidency. Apparently, now it is disqualifying to: Alternatively,…
Correlation is Not Causation
As I have mentioned previously, this fall I prepared and taught a course titled “The Non-Partisan Voter’s Guide to Election Issues” for a local community college’s adult learner program. The…
Treating Voters Like Criminals
Multiple polls over the past three years have indicated that nearly one third of Americans and nearly 70 percent of Republicans believe that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. This…
They Know Him
Elections are a specialized type of job interview, and voters play the role of the harried Human Resources specialist. As the election campaign nears its end, now might be a…
It’s a Gift
It seems that Joe Biden is seriously considering withdrawing from his presidential campaign. Some points to consider: July 18, 2024 image: https://www.baltimoresun.com/2024/07/04/biden-debate-fallout-leaves-voters-with-more-questions-than-answers-readers-respond/
Why Doesn’t He Hit Good?
As Democrats struggle to determine the future of President Biden’s candidacy, a line from the film “Moneyball” seems oddly relevant. In the film, a major league baseball team’s general manager…
They Do This Every Day
Recently we had to buy a new car. We were hoping to keep our old car a little longer, but, like me, it was becoming less reliable as it aged….
Are the Suburbs Turning Green?
On November 2, Bay voters will decide if the city’s zoning code should be amended to permit mixed use development in most of the city’s commercial areas. While Issue 2…
We Can Do Better, Man
A couple of months back, the Major League Baseball All-Star game was played. As part of the overwrought hoopla, MLB designed special uniforms for the players to wear. Until this…
This is Not Right. You Know This
Six years after Ohioans overwhelmingly passed a constitutional amendment to change the way Ohio’s house and senate districts are drawn, the process of preparing new districts has begun. On Monday,…
Like Candy From A Baby
They couldn’t quite kill it. Oh, they tried. For forty years they looted it, wrecked it, and vandalized it. They even beheaded it. But somehow, the Anchor-Hocking Glass Company survived….
No Loan for You
Enshrined in the National Housing Act (NHA) of 1934, redlining – the practice of denying loans to property owners within designated districts – fueled a deadly cycle of disinvestment, decay,…
The Party of Lincoln
What a proud day for Republicans. Oh, we’re not referring to that impeachment thing. Impeachment is a political process with political consequences and it should not be confused with an…
Political Calculus
When Republican senators make their decision at the conclusion of Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial, it is not Trump’s future that they will be deciding, said two former Republican operatives….
He’s Learned His Lesson
We are slowly counting down the days until Impeachment Two – The Sequel. Not everyone, of course, is onboard with the idea of another Senate trial. As a former law…
Time to Step Up
Dear Senator Portman, As you know, on January 13, the federal government issued an intelligence bulletin warning of a likely increase in political violence motivated largely by the lie that…
They Knew
There is no shortage of articles, posts, tweets, and rants regarding the events of the last week. Many are thoughtful, informative, well-researched, and highly accurate. And some are available on…
A Dark and Narrow Path
It’s not over. Oh, sure. In a few weeks Joe Biden will be inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States. It now seems likely that the inauguration –…
Take A Look
One of the advantages of not having anything useful to do is that I have time to read. Here are a couple of books that I read this past year,…
Tell No Tales
So now we hear that 21,000 dead people in Pennsylvania remain on the voter rolls. That’s bigly news that means, well, something bad, I guess. So sad. While there is…
The Better Angels
Its not up to Donald Trump. Whatever the outcome of Tuesdays’ election, the way we as Americans respond, the steps we take to protect each other and preserve our future,…
For Years to Come
It might be too late already. Regardless of the outcome of Tuesday’s election, political violence encouraged and abetted by Donald Trump may be the longest-lasting legacy of his tragic presidency….
We Can Still Save Lives
BAY VILLAGE, Ohio — It didn’t have to be this way. More than 220,000 dead. More than 12 million unemployed. The death toll rising. Retail workers murdered for asking people to…
Which We Squandered
In the upcoming election, you can vote for whoever you want. But as a certified emergency manager and a former county emergency management agency director, I want to share with…
Hi, Neighbor
For the past couple of months, I have been working as a Census Field Supervisor, supporting a team of enumerators who are doing the heavy lifting of door-to-door census-taking for…
Suckers and Losers
We are currently wading through yet another slimy Trump episode, this time prompted by reporting in the Atlantic that Mr. Trump repeatedly disparaged veterans – including those killed in action…
All The Same
This is a Twitter thread from an Army veteran named Charlotte Clymer. It is extremely powerful throughout, and if you are a diehard partisan you can skip the final paragraph…
The Gift of the MAGA
Though the COVID 19 death toll continues to climb, there are still a few holdouts who remain convinced that the pandemic is some kind of fakery intended to bring down…