During a press conference in April 1986, President Ronald Reagan reportedly said that the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” The Great Communicator — as Reagan became known during his two terms — was not wrong. ...
DEAR EDITOR: Ohioans are focused on affordability as we head into the political season. At the top of that list is property taxes. So much so, that abolishment of property taxes may appear on the ballot. Whether it does make the ballot or not — every single candidate for office needs to answer two questions with specificity. If the initiative passes, how will you — specifically — address the financial fallout for local jurisdictions. If the initiative fails, how will you make home ownership affordable for all Ohioans. A simple “FOR” or “AGAINST” the initiative is ...
The New York Times reports that the Department of Homeland Security has sent Google (owner of YouTube), Meta (Facebook and Instagram), and other media corporations subpoenas for the names on accounts that criticize ICE enforcement. The department wants to identify Americans who oppose what it’s doing. I’ll save them time. Hello? Kristi Noem? Robert Reich here. I hear you’re trying to find the names of people who are making negative comments on social media about ICE enforcement. Look no further. I’ve done it frequently. I’m still doing it. This note to you is another ...
May we talk about spiritual matters? “In the beginning,” the Bible opens, “God created the heavens and the earth.” Several lines down, God says, let humankind “have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” We humans were given stewardship of earth, but global warming is remaking the world beneath us. We are the cause, but we still have the power to stop or at least greatly slow the desecration of what was placed in our ...
In recent years, Americans have known what to expect from our Neronian Super Bowl halftime shows. Mediocre music is veneered over with gaudy, flashily lit, but ultimately empty and meaningless sets. The usual array of supporting dancers twerk and simulate intercourse, in sync with the main singer periodically grabbing his/her genitals — apparently to highlight the explicit sexual allusions of the mostly nonsensical lyrics. All this Roman orgiastic ritual is designed by the NFL each year somehow to appeal to American families of all ages as they gather together around the living ...
DEAR EDITOR: If I read the article in Friday’s paper (Feb. 6) correctly, a Mr. Charles Ingram allegedly posted videos calling for the killing of any number of people because of the performance of the ICE agents in Minneapolis. Among the persons he mentioned were border guards. What is wrong with people like Mr. Ingram? Don’t they realize that someone who thinks that violence is the answer doesn’t really understand the discussion? I have a son who has been a border guard for over 40 years. He would not have reacted the way that ICE agents acted in Minneapolis. Do people like ...
