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‘Charitable giving’ isn’t what you think

Editorials

I want to start today with a warning about "charitable giving" and end with a primer on wealth inequality. The two are closely related, as I'll explain. We're on the cusp of the biggest gusher of "charitable giving" in history. Beware. We tend to think of "charitable giving" as unambiguously good because we equate "charities" with organizations that help the poor and equate "giving" with generosity. But both assumptions are wrong. In fact, the "giving" is actually a giant tax loophole that provides the super-rich a means of dramatically cutting their tax bills while quietly funding ...

Bring back ‘nattering nabobs’

Editorials

President Trump’s performance at last Friday’s retooled White House Correspondents’ Dinner made me nostalgic for the days of Vice President Spiro Agnew, President Richard Nixon’s media attack dog. In a speech, Agnew called politicians critical of Nixon administration policies “nattering nabobs of negativism,” a phrase written by his speechwriter William Safire, and later usurped by media to apply to journalists. That was mild compared to the disgusting personal insults Trump hurled at journalists who were at the dinner to support the White House Correspondents ...

Democratic Socialists are shockingly racist

Editorials

The Democratic Socialists of America use people of color as fashion accessories. Sure, they put black or brown faces on ballots, and they talk a big game about racism. But black and brown voters are not choosing their candidates. The DSA national membership chooses, and it is 85% white. Look at the crowds. In October 2019, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders staged a rally at the Queensbridge housing project, across from Manhattan. Its residents are 47% black, 34% Latino and 10% Asian. News photos showed a nearly unbroken sea of white enthusiasts. The head of the ...

Encouraging children to read is crucial

Editorials

As we approach the forthcoming college fall semester, much discussion has centered on the difficulties a lot of Gen Z students are having with reading and critical thinking. One Chronicle of Higher Education article that many of my colleagues at Ohio State University’s Lima campus recently read delves into students’ struggles with literacy. This review essay, simply titled “My Students Can’t Read,” was written by Tyler Jagt, an adjunct professor of liberal studies at Mercer University. Jagt discusses what I now like to call the “usual tech suspects” when it comes to ...

Orchids & onions

Editorials

ORCHID: To Warren artist Aaron Chine for painting a colossal 100-foot-long, brightly colored musky fish on a retaining wall near the city’s Summit Street bridge. The supersized public art is certain to be a head turner for the approximately 9,000 motorists who pass by it each day. More importantly the giant-sized fish stands as a fitting metaphor for the giant-sized progress that continues to be made in revitalizing the Mahoning River and the city of Warren. Kudos, too, must generously go out to the leading sponsors of the project. In addition to the city, the Fund for Warren’s ...

The presidency and perpetual war

Editorials

One of the defining failures of modern American government has been the steady erosion of Congress's constitutional authority over war. The Constitution grants Congress — not the president — the power to declare war. Congress decides to go to war. The president wages it. Over the past several decades, presidents of both major parties have increasingly treated military intervention as an executive prerogative rather than a congressional requirement. The last six presidents have not reflected distinct foreign policy doctrines but a uniparty continuum of executive overreach. While ...