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The central question of power in America

Behind this election’s dominant issue of affordability lies the record concentration of wealth at the top of America. The richest 0.001% of Americans — a handful of extraordinarily wealthy men — now control more of the nation’s wealth than at any time in modern history. To be sure, wealth is not a zero-sum game in which the riches of those at the top necessarily come at the expense of everyone else. But power is a zero-sum game, because the more of it that is held by some people, the less of it is held by others. Wealth cannot be separated from power. Great wealth becomes great ...

In-person voting surges while mail balloting lags

People are coming to boards of elections to vote early-in person almost like it’s a presidential election, but those requesting ballots by mail have dropped off. It’s a trend happening all over the state, and the examples of Mahoning and Trumbull counties fit into that narrative. In 2022, the last election for all statewide executive branch seats, the Trumbull County Board of Elections mailed out 17,008 ballots to voters. For this election, it’s 10,837 so far — and that isn’t likely to increase by much. When you look at early in-person votes, Trumbull did 841 on Tuesday, ...

Why do groceries cost more in Ohio?

If grocery store sticker shock is fading in Ohio, it is only because Buckeye State residents have gotten used to spending more than they’d like (or are truly able) to spend to feed their families these days. The reality is inflation simply isn’t letting up. But the problem is worse in some states than others. Disturbingly, according to WalletHub’s “Cities Where People Spend the Most and Least on Groceries,” three of the top 10 most expensive cities in the country in which to buy groceries are in Ohio. No other state has more than one city in the top ten, out of 100 cities ...

Why are so many Americans down in the dumps despite great prosperity?

In nearly every way, Americans have more material wealth, better health, better housing and more of just about everything than ever before. Not just the rich, but nearly everyone. Americans’ standard of living is roughly 50% higher, after inflation, than it was 50 years ago. The median family income is now close to $90,000. That’s an income level higher than that of 90% of families living in the rest of the world. These ARE the good old days. Yet over the past 30 years, nearly every poll has shown that a plurality of Americans think things are “headed in the wrong ...

Why are Ohio babies at risk?

Ohioans know our state has its challenges, but generally speaking we think of ourselves as better off than those in some other parts of the country — or world. For our youngest and most vulnerable residents, that is not always the case. Given the number of politicians who want us to believe the lives of babies are of the utmost importance to them, it is astounding that the infant mortality rate here is STILL considerably above the national average. Efforts to address the problem have made some progress. We are down to 6.6 deaths per 1,000 live births in Ohio, compared with the ...

Different Americas for the rich and poor

“The rich are different from you and me.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald I read two books in one weekend: “Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson on Saturday, “Strangers” by Belle Burden on Sunday. They’re true stories, told well, about two countries, both inside America’s borders: Death Row in Alabama, Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. Defense attorney Stevenson’s soul is tied up with saving death-row clients from the ultimate punishment. He exposes false testimony in one case — after his client and friend Walter spent six years in prison based on it. Alabama justice is ...