|
The
views expressed
on this page are soley those of the author and do not
necessarily
represent the views of County News Online
|
The
Columbus Dispatch… Leap
year; After
repairing state, Kasich's bold 2012
course is transforming Ohio
For Ohio and its governor, 2012 has been a transformative year. John
Kasich sped through his second year with his trademark zeal for getting
done the big and difficult things, hardly skipping a beat after his
2011 reforms stabilized the state. When Kasich took office that
January, the state’s budget had an $8 billion shortfall and its economy
was in a freefall. More than 400,000 Ohioans had lost their jobs.
Former Gov. Ted Strickland clearly was in over... read
more
|
Townhall
Finance… On
Being a Man, By John Ransom
This week I will be taking selections from writings I've written
elsewhere regarding life and liberty and sharing them with you. Today's
selection is a letter I wrote to someone who was coming of age and
wanted advice about being a man. It's not that I think I'm an expert.
Far from it. But he thought it helpful and it can serve as a point of
discussion for Christmas Day. Dear __________, Before this last century
boys your age were considered men really. They held... read
more
|
Verities & Balderdash... Lessons of the Season from our
furry friends,
Bob Robinson
I received these photos from a CNO reader… it was one of those email
blasts that most of us receive on a fairly regular basis. While it was
sent some time ago, I was too busy to put them into the system for
publication. Now I’m glad. With Christmas and the Holiday Season upon
us, I figured there wouldn’t be a better time. With the posturing and
partisan bickering going on in Washington, a... read
more
|
Redstate… Here,
By Erick Erickson
December 21st, 2012 - On Christmas Day of 1863, Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow penned the poem “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.” His
oldest son had been badly wounded in the Civil War the prior month and
Longfellow’s wife had died in an accidental fire. Among the lines were
these: And in despair I bowed my head; ”There is no peace on earth,” I
said; ”For hate is strong, And mocks the song Of peace... read
more
|
Townhall Finance… So
What if Congress is Missing a Screw? Or
Two? by Bill Tatro
It’s Christmas time and ‘tis the season to be jolly. Yet, it’s also the
season that tries men’s souls. Many Christmases ago, my young daughter
requested a doll and a baby carriage. Making sure that Santa Claus
found the correct toys was crucial because this just happened to be a
last-minute request. I called around and found that of all the stores
that carried these items, only one store still had them in stock.
Apparently, these were very popular toys. With minutes ticking by until
closing... read
more |
Mail
Magazine 24… Obama,
Clinton escape blame in Benghazi
report, by Neil Munro
The State Department’s report on the Sept. 11, 2012 attack on the U.S.
Embassy in Benghazi describes a series of strategy and management
failures, but does not assign responsibility to any individual
Americans — not even to the secretary of state or the president of the
United States. “Systemic failures and leadership and management
deficiencies at senior levels within two bureaus of the State
Department... read
more
|
Canton
Repository… What
will change? Probably nothing
The issue: Aftermath of Connecticut massacre; Our view: Washington
won’t magically fix itself to tackle gun, mental health issues
President Obama has given Vice President Joe Biden until January to
collect recommendations for proposals to reduce gun violence. It’s
another sign that the senseless slaughter of 20 children and seven
adults in Connecticut last week may be a tipping point in public
opinion in what seems like an endless national conversation about
violence... read
more |
Cleveland Plain Dealer… Make
schools harder targets by giving them
the means to fight back
By Kevin Obrien - Thursday, December 20, 2012 - After a horrific event
like last week's mass murder at a Connecticut school, two questions
immediately arise: "Why?" and "What are we going to do about it?" There
are correct answers to both. How many such incidents it takes to drive
us to them remains to be seen. Here's "why": We live in and promote a
society that routinely dehumanizes people. A thriving abortion industry
kills a million American children every year, because they are seen
as... read
more |
Fox
News… OPINION:
The Issue Is Too Little Mental
Health Care
Dec 17, 2012 - Adam Lanza, 20, who killed 20 children and 6 adults on
Friday, has brought incalculable grief to dozens of families and
stunned our nation. Now, the debate begins about what to do in the wake
of his carnage in Newtown, Connecticut and the multiple murders in
Aurora, Colorado and at Columbine High School, the Red Lake Indian
Reservation in Minnesota and the West Nickel Mines School in
Pennsylvania, Virginia Tech and Chardon High School in Ohio. Some will
say that gun... read
more |
Townhall… "Forward"
to the Past?
By Thomas Sowell
Dec 19, 2012 - The political slogan "Forward" served Barack Obama well
during this year's election campaign. It said that he was for going
forward, while Republicans were for "going back to the failed policies
that got us into this mess in the first place."
It was great political rhetoric and great political theater. Moreover,
the Republicans did virtually nothing to challenge its shaky
assumptions with a few hard facts that could have made those
assumptions... read
more
|
Mail
Magazine 24… Christiana's
Nightmare – for the Rest of Us, by Craig Rucker
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ("UNFCCC") boss
Christiana Figueres' dreams spell a nightmarish future for Earth's
citizens. Talk about alignment of the stars! Barack Obama
based
his 2008 presidential campaign on the principle of "sharing the
wealth." He won, got reelected and now has, at least in his own mind, a
flat-out mandate to extend his vision for wealth redistribution (and
wealth destruction) planet-wide. This week, as United Nations
luminaries gather in Doha... read
more |
Redstate… Bull—-
By Erick Erickson
December 19th, 2012 - An old joke, long attributed to Winston Churchill
goes like this. Churchill asked a famous British socialite, “Madam,
would you sleep with me for five million pounds?” “My goodness, Mr.
Churchill. Well, I suppose we would have to discuss terms, of course,”
the socialite replied. Churchill then asked, “Would you sleep with me
for five pounds?” at which the socialite angrily responded, “Mr.
Churchill, what... read
more
|
Mail
Magazine 24… The
Massacre in Connecticut - Food for
Thought, by Bright Knight
“Every time something really bad happens, people cry out for safety,
and the government answers by taking rights away from good people” -
Penn Jilette - Before I'll give you some “food for thought” I want to
say that this tragedy makes my heart feel sick and we must do whatever
possible to avoid such massacres. I know that there is NO way to
totally avoid them, thinking of that is like living in Utopia, but
there are ways to at least increase the safety, minimize the risk and
in case that an attack... read
more |
The Power of the Cartoon,
Bob
Robinson
The old saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” pales in
comparison to the potential power of a good cartoon, especially a good
political cartoon. Political cartoons aren’t always “political.” They
can tell a story, tell about an event… today or in history. They can
capture the mood of a country, state or city. They can touch the
emotions in ways that no written word ever could. And they do it with a
simple... read
more
|
Heritage
Foundation… Morning
Bell: What Will the Fiscal Cliff
Deal Look Like? By Amy Payne
December 14, 2012 - This week, President Obama and House Speaker John
Boehner (R-OH) have been trading secret offers on the fiscal cliff.
Last night, they met for nearly an hour, and emerged with zipped lips
about what progress—if any—they made on averting tax hikes across the
board and automatic, deep budget cuts that would devastate America’s
defenses. While action is necessary to avoid the “cliff,” that is all
they should do at this late date. Patrick Louis Knudsen, Heritage... read
more |
Redstate…
Goodwill
to Men, By Erick
Erickson
On Friday in Connecticut, more than two dozen, mostly children, were
gunned down in an act of evil. I once read an account that young men
killed on the beaches of Normandy, as they lay dying, called out for
their mothers. I tear up at even the glancing thought of the cries of
the children in Connecticut and dare not take the mental walk down that
road. Children cry out for their mommy and their daddy. Young men on
the battlefield, as death comes over... read
more
|
Mail
Magazine 24… A
victory for all law abiding gun owners in
Illinois
Federal
Court
Strikes down Illinois' total ban on carrying firearms for self-defense
outside the home or business
The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled today
that Illinois' total ban on carrying firearms for self-defense outside
the home or business is unconstitutional. The case involves lead
plaintiff Mary Shepard, an Illinois resident and a trained gun owner,
who is licensed to carry a concealed handgun in both Utah and Florida.
The National Rifle Association is funding... read
more |
Townhall…
Tax
Rich Liberals, by Ann
Coulter
Dec 12, 2012 - Republicans have been forced into a Hobson's choice of
either letting the Bush tax cuts expire for everyone or agreeing to a
tax hike on the top 2 percent of income earners (not to be confused
with "the rich," who have already made, inherited or married their
money). If Republicans object to the Democrats' hitting job creators
with a tax hike, three things will happen: Taxes will go up for
everyone. Republicans will be seen as the... read
more
|
| Columbus
Dispatch… Editorial:
Begging for mercy, Crime
victims asking for voice,
accountability from Ohio Parole Board
Wednesday December 12, 2012 - For nearly eight years, Robert Francis
has begged the Ohio legislature to pass a bill in remembrance of his
murdered daughter. But unless lawmakers vote on this important bill in
Thursday’s final session of the 129th Ohio General Assembly, Roberta’s
Law will die. Senate Bill 160 requires the state to attempt to notify
victims of violent crimes, or their relatives, about the possible
release of inmates, including those whose crimes predated the 1996
creation of a... read
more |
Investors.com…
Taxpayers
Suffer Where The 'Public Servant'
Is King
Ohio ranks sixth on the upper end - Government Pay: Some big states get
their money's worth from their workers, others could use more
discipline, and California, as is all too often the case, is in a class
by itself. How can you tell who really runs a state? Try following the
money, especially in the rival realms of public- and private-sector
pay. You'll find some sharp differences in how government work is
rewarded, corresponding roughly to the fiscal and economic health of
the states. Here... read
more |
Mail
Magazine 24… Grover's
Missing Piece, by Michael Snyder
For years, Grover Norquist and Republicans have tried "starving the
beast" of the federal government by capping taxes. While they've been
highly successful at preventing tax increases, they have been less
effective at addressing one problematic aspect of fiscal policy: the
ability of the Federal Reserve and Treasury to borrow more and more to
finance massive spending, as they have done... read
more
|
Investors.com…
Union
Violence In
Michigan Is No Tea Party
12/12/2012 - Organized Labor: The assault on a Fox News contributor
protecting women and seniors in a tent is but the latest example of the
civil discourse and respect for democracy the president's union
supporters really have.
Imagine the outrage and the mainstream media feeding frenzy had it been
a Tea Party member punching an MSNBC contributor covering a protest
over ObamaCare.
Or if Tea Party members had descended on a tent full of Occupy Wall
Street supporters, flattening... read
more |
Townhall Government
Gone Bad, by John
Stossel
Dec 12, 2012 - Politicians claim they make our lives better by passing
laws. But laws rarely improve life. They go wrong. Unintended
consequences are inevitable.
Most voters don't pay enough attention to notice. They read headlines.
They watch the Rose Garden signing ceremonies and hear the pundits
declare that progress was made. Bipartisanship! Something got done. We
assume a problem was solved.
Intuition tells us that government is in the
... read
more
|
Heritage
Foundation… Unions
Losing in Their Last Stronghold, By Amy Payne
December 11, 2012 - This is the week that Michigan’s workers will
finally be freed from forced unionization. After decades of United Auto
Workers control over the struggling American auto industry, the
Michigan legislature’s passing of a right-to-work law is historic.
Governor Rick Snyder (R) is expected to sign the law as early as
tomorrow. Regardless of news reports, the people of Michigan are behind
this. A recent poll showed that 51 percent of Michigan voters support
right-to-work. Only 41 percent... read
more |
Toledo
Blade, Death
by regulation
Don't let the perfect become the enemy of the good: That’s the best you
can say about the Ohio House’s latest effort to get rid of the Internet
sweepstakes cafés that have sprung up all over the state. The cafés
sell prepaid phone cards or Internet time that customers can use to
play Web-based games. Winning earns them more Internet time, as well as
points that allow them to win money in... read
more
|
Mail
Magazine 24… GOP
Establishment Sees Rise Of Conservative
Movement As Problem, Bright Knight
There is a pattern: Conservative Congressmen are getting punished for
being conservative, Michele Bachmann was attacked from RINOs for asking
the right questions, Allen West didn't get support. And now the GOP
establishment sees the conservative movement as a problem, i.e. they
see their own roots, their (now forgotten) core values as a problem.
Very interesting! Actually, that's exactly what I expected. The GOP
moves to center-left, hoping to get those voters who are not
comfortable... read
more |
Townhall…
Adams
2016, by Mike Adams
Dec 10, 2012 - I'm getting sick and tired of people asking me why I'm
running for president in 2016. The answer is that I have to run. The
GOP can't run another big government establishment candidate
masquerading as a true conservative. So I'm stepping up to the plate.
And I'm going to win, largely because my policies will appeal to young
people, libertarians, and Reagan Democrats. But that’s enough of the
generalities... read
more
|
Cleveland
Plain Dealer… A
college proposal worth enacting: editorial
Saturday, December 08, 2012 - By The Plain Dealer Editorial Board -
Ohio Gov. John Kasich's penchant for breaking the mold in higher
education deserves applause once again. Fresh off his success having
Ohio's public college presidents work collaboratively to divvy up
limited construction funds, Kasich's prompting has again spurred a
successful collaboration -- this time to make college graduation rates
a more important factor in state funding decisions. The governor again
asked E. Gordon Gee of Ohio... read
more |
Redstate…
Why
John Boehner Must Not Fold on Tax Rate
Increases, By Erick Erickson
December 6th, 2012 - Often things get lost in the daily grind of
politics. The fact that the GOP is willing to raise taxes gets lost by
the media because the media wants the GOP to raise rates. This Politico
story makes very clear John Boehner must not raise rates. Better to go
off the cliff than raise rates. In a meeting with leadership staff,
[Rob] Nabors reiterated the administration’s hard line that tax rates
on top earners must go up, according to Republican... read
more
|
Mail
Magazine 24… Where
in the world have tax increases made
things better? by Matt Purple
The left and much of the center are launching a scorched-earth assault
against the right's position on taxes. Republicans are being told they
must hike taxes on top earners if they're serious about paying down the
debt. Grover Norquist is being portrayed as a mad sorcerer, staggering
around and misfiring spells in fits of pique while his entranced
minions slowly come to. Here in Washington, meaningless buzzwords are
fluttering through the air like dead autumn leaves. "Serious." "Hostage
takers... read
more |
MSN
Money… Why
not jump off the fiscal cliff?
We're now just weeks away from the "fiscal cliff" -- an austere package
of tax hikes and spending cuts set to kick in Jan. 1, 2013, and worth
$720 billion next year alone. Yet the politicos in Washington look
miles away from even a short-term extension. President Barack Obama,
charged up by his re-election, opened negotiations by offering a deal
(similar to his 2013 budget proposal) that also includes... read
more
|
Mail
Magazine 24… Food
stamp advocates misconstrue program,
by Jim DeMint
Newark Mayor Corey Booker’s self-imposed challenge to subsist solely on
foods purchased on a food stamp budget might be interesting if it were
intellectually honest. Booker’s sacrifice is supposed to demonstrate
how hard it is to rely solely on food stamps for adequate nutrition and
why the government should increase those benefits. That suggests food
stamps are supposed to pay for complete meal replacements. Not so. Food
stamps are funded through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance... read
more |
Miss me yet? A surprise for returning troops,
From Bob Robinson
I got these from a reader. I’d seen it before but didn’t do anything
other than enjoy the photos. This time I checked it out just to make
sure it was legit… Why? Because quite frankly, the way things are going
today I miss the guy. And yes, the photos are legit. I didn’t like a
few of the things our 43rd President did, but he did it with good
old-fashioned “down-home” style. And he was passionate. He misspoke
some words here and there, but his grin... read
more
|
Heritage
Network… Morning
Bell: Obama Wants Power to Raise Debt Limit By Himself, Anytime
By Amy Payne - December 5, 2012
President Obama wants to do away with Congress when it comes to raising
the country’s legal debt limit. Instead of getting permission from the
people’s elected representatives to borrow and spend more money, he
wants to do that all by himself.
It seems typical of the President Obama we know, but just a few years
ago, he spoke vehemently against putting America in debt. Here is
then-Senator Barack Obama on March 16, 2006:
The fact that we are here today
... read
more |
Townhall…
Future
Generations, by Walter E. Williams
Dec 05, 2012
Is there any reason for today's Americans to care about what happens to
tomorrow's Americans? After all, what have tomorrow's Americans done
for today's Americans? Moreover, since tomorrow's Americans don't vote,
we can dump on them with impunity. That's a vision that describes the
actual behavior of today's Americans. It would be seen as selfish,
callous and ruthless only if it were actually articulated. Let's look
at it.
Businesses,... read
more
|
Heritage
Network… Morning
Bell: House Republicans Cave on Tax Increases and Punt Entitlements
By Amy Payne - December 4, 2012 - When President Obama put forth his
first offer on the fiscal cliff, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)
said, “You can’t be serious.” We could say the same thing to the
Speaker after his counteroffer yesterday. In a letter signed by House
Republican leadership, including Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) and
Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI), Boehner offered to raise
taxes by $800 billion and cut spending by $1.4 trillion, with no
substantive... read
more |
H.R. on
Board… Fallen
Soldier, From Fly Guy, an airline pilot
July 4, 2008 - Another 4th of July is here and all across the nation,
millions of us will celebrate in thousands of different ways.
Our
military members around the world will miss out on hometown
celebrations, instead, performing the duties assigned to
them.
This story is in honor of them. As a commercial pilot, I too see the
effects of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Last month I
showed
up to start a trip and... read
more
|
Edgefield
Daily… 16-Year-Old's
Reaction to Obama's
Reelection More Mature than News Anchors
By: Hannah P. Mosley - web posted November 9, 2012 - GUEST OPINION - I
am writing to you today because I feel an enormous burden to do so. As
we all know, President Obama was reelected [Tuesday] night. In the past
years as I’ve gotten older it has become evident that many of the
people I encounter don’t understand why I hold the political views that
I do as an African-American. I pray that you will take the time out to
read what I want to say. This election, in my opinion was significant
not... read
more |
Townhall…
20
Observations About Human Nature That
Liberals Would Probably Disagree With
By John Hawkins - Dec 01, 2012 - 1) Working hard, being self-reliant
and taking responsibility for your own life are good for you and will
make you much happier than having too much leisure time, being overly
dependent and giving others responsibility for your life. 2) The more a
behavior is rewarded with attention, fame, sympathy or money, the more
of it we'll see. We recognize this almost instinctively when it comes
to good behaviors, but we also tend to... read
more
|
Mail
Magazine 24… The
Fiscal Cliff: Another Crisis the Dems
Won’t Let Go to Waste, by Bruce Thornton
As the economy hurtles towards the Fiscal Cliff, President Obama on
Wednesday scheduled a campaign event. There he recycled the class
warfare rhetoric of rich people paying their “fair share” and the need
to take a “fair and balanced” approach to the looming disaster. Ignored
was the biggest driver of our impending bankruptcy: the runaway
entitlement spending that for decades has been identified as our
biggest fiscal challenge. Yet so far, the Democrats have taken a hard
line against any reforms of... read
more |
Townhall…
Five
Percent, by Rich Galen
Nov 30, 2012 - The good news about coming to the end of November is
that we will soon embark on December meaning the clock will be clicking
toward January by which time the Fiscal Cliff business will dealt with.
Until the long scythe of the grim reaper signals the looming end of
2012, the parties to a potential solution will spend as much time
posturing in public as parleying in private. I gotta tell you. I don't
understand all this anyway. I know my taxes are... read
more
|
Mail
Magazine 24… Obama
demands $1.6 trillion tax boost, and
an unlimited credit card
Neil Munro writes at the Daily Caller (dailycaller.com): President
Barack Obama has dramatically upped his demands in the fiscal crisis
negotiations: He wants Congress to levy twice as much in extra taxes
from Americans as he urged during the election campaign, give up its
control over the nation’s debt limit, and fund an immediate $50 billion
stimulus for his political priorities. In exchange, Obama offered to
consider — but not necessarily accept — GOP proposals for cutting $400
billion... read
more |
Townhall…
An
Overdue Book, by Thomas
Sowell
Nov 28, 2012 - If everyone in America had read Stephen Moore's new
book, "Who's The Fairest of Them All?", Barack Obama would have lost
the election in a landslide. The point here is not to say, "Where was
Stephen Moore when we needed him?" A more apt question might be, "Where
was the whole economics profession when we needed them?" Where were the
media? For that matter, where were the Republicans? Since "Who's The
Fairest of... read
more
|
Columbus
Dispatch… Short
takes
Dispatch editorials express the view of the Dispatch editorial board,
which is made up of the publisher, the president of The Dispatch, the
editor and the editorial-writing staff. As is the traditional newspaper
practice, the editorials are unsigned and intended to be seen as the
voice of the newspaper. Comments and questions should be directed to
the editorial page... read
more |
Investors.com…
Obama
Sets GOP Trap With Fiscal Cliff
Strategy
11/28/2012 - Fiscal Cliff: President Obama is back in fifth-gear
campaign mode, in an around-the-country push to get Republicans to cave
in on taxes. But his "My2K" strategy offers no concessions of his own.
It can't be stressed strongly enough: What President Obama is now up to
seeks to destroy the Republican Party as it has existed since the
election of Ronald Reagan in 1980. That revitalized political
institution became a party of ideas based on economic freedom, such as
fighting for... read
more |
Mail
Magazine 24… Obama
Tax Hike on Small Business Would
Chill Hiring, by Romina Boccia
“Would raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans have a chilling effect
on hiring in this country?” When asked this question by Today’s Matt
Lauer, Warren Buffett confidently answered, “No.” How could this be,
when the tax hikes desired by President Obama would fall directly on
some of America’s most successful job creators? As Kris Roglieri wrote
in The Washington Post: What policymakers fail to realize is that most
small business owners, who also employ most of the country... read
more |
To see Archives
for the Previous
Month's Blogs...
click
here
|
