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Youngstown must build new identity, not reclaim old one

Words matter — especially when they are chosen as the guiding slogan of a new administration as newly elected Mayor Derrick McDowell has done. “Reclaiming Our Identity” may sound reassuring at first glance. It suggests pride, roots and a return to something once whole. But when applied to Youngstown, the phrase collapses under scrutiny. It is not forward-looking, not transformational and ultimately misunderstands both our past and our present. Youngstown does not need to “reclaim” its identity — because our identity has never been lost. Our history is not missing. It is ...

Guess who’s afraid of getting impeached again?

President Donald Trump is afraid of getting impeached again. He said as much earlier this week. “You got to win the midterms, because if we don’t win the midterms, it’s just going to be — I mean, they’ll find a reason to impeach me,” he said. “I’ll get impeached.” He spoke those words, coincidentally, on the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, which formed the basis of his second impeachment. It was a startling pronouncement from someone given to endless expressions of a hyper-inflated ego. This is a man who, throughout his long public and political ...

Husted’s bill would prevent benefit ‘cliffs’

Working families who are supported by federal benefits can sometimes find themselves in a difficult spot when a potential promotion or raise at work is not cause for celebration, but sparks worries about falling off the benefits cliff. Those receiving federal public assistance can see a complete loss of federal resources after even a small increase in income. But the Upward Mobility Act, introduced by U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, is meant to change that. Better still, it would help streamline some of the bureaucracy that feeds off such programs. It would create a five-year pilot ...

Bad decisions made by Good forced ICE to take lethal action

Renee Good died on Wednesday in Minneapolis. She had been attempting to block Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents engaged in federal law enforcement activities. Along with other protestors, Good involved herself in what federal agents were doing and used her car to block them. Confronted by federal agents, Good accelerated with an agent in front of her car. He pulled his gun, she accelerated and struck him, he opened fire and shot her. She died. Watching the video footage, it is clear she accelerated with an agent directly in front of her car and struck him. Close ...

Hollywood deserves boos for vilifying individualism

Many popular movies make a constructive point: If you work hard enough and push through tough times, you can achieve your dreams. In “The Pursuit of Happyness,” a struggling father tells his son, “Don’t let anyone tell you, you can’t do something.” The movie is a true story about a man who overcomes homelessness and gets his dream job. In “Rocky Balboa,” Rocky says, “It’s not about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.” These are good messages. They fit my libertarian philosophy. We libertarians believe people try ...