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Brenda J. Linert

The majority, not officials, rule in America

I get frustrated with elected officials who think they know better than the voters, often somehow managing to forget it was those same voters who put them in office. They often imply, for instance, those voters didn’t REALLY mean to check “no” for a tax levy or the box for their political opponents. Consider how many times public bodies return a failed tax levy to the next election ballot, as if to see if voters really meant it. Then there are incumbents who refuse to accept defeat. Former Trumbull County Commissioner Dan Polivka seems to be having a hard time ...

The majority, not officials, rule in America

I get frustrated with elected officials who think they know better than the voters, often somehow managing to forget it was those same voters who put them in office. They often imply, for instance, those voters didn’t REALLY mean to check “no” for a tax levy or the box for their political opponents. Consider how many times public bodies return a failed tax levy to the next election ballot, as if to see if voters really meant it. Then there are incumbents who refuse to accept defeat. Former Trumbull County Commissioner Dan Polivka seems to be having a hard time ...

Comic strip not representative of the Tribune

Tom Batiuk, author of the syndicated comic strip “Crankshaft” published regularly in the Tribune Chronicle, often strays from humor in his comic strips to bring attention to important, even sometimes tragic, issues. Through the years, the Akron native has explored issues like adult literacy or Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. He often makes mention of historical events about World War II, including the Battle of Normandy. In his comic strip, Batiuk, a 1969 Kent State University graduate, even has made mention of the May 4, 1970, fatal shooting of four Kent State students by ...

IRS leak renews debates over income tax

Last week’s story naming America’s billionaires who manage somehow to pay little to no income tax set off outrage that varied largely, I’m guessing, on how much money you happen to have in the bank. The story by investigative journalists at ProPublica reported that, overall, the richest 25 Americans pay less in tax — an average of 15.8 percent of adjusted gross income — than most ordinary workers do. As expected, the story quickly heightened national debate over inequality between uber-wealthy and Americans like you and me. Discussions returned to whether Democratic Sen. ...

Hugs, mask shedding seem normal again

It was May 14, just a few hours after Gov. Mike DeWine announced that Ohio was amending its remaining pandemic-era health orders and would be lifting the state’s mask mandate effective June 2. I stood outside the Niles McKinley Memorial where hundreds of other proud parents had gathered to take snapshots of their high school juniors and seniors dressed to the nines for prom that evening. I recall glancing around and noting that I, quite literally, was the only person in this large expanse of people who remained masked. Perhaps that was because I always have been boringly obedient, ...

Understand, reflect on true meaning of Memorial Day

EDITOR'S NOTE: Brenda Linert is on vacation. This column was first published Memorial Day weekend 2016. Monday is Memorial Day, a day that many Americans think of largely as the official start of summer. There will be picnics and family gatherings. Whatever you choose to do, please remember that Memorial Day represents so much more than just that. Memorial Day, originally dubbed “Decoration Day,” was first officially observed May 30, 1868, on an order by Gen. John Logan from his desire to honor the dead of the Civil War. Specifically, Gen. Logan said it would be for the ...