The idea that if we just throw enough taxpayers’ money at a problem, it will go away was discredited years ago. Yet we continue to try that approach, probably wasting billions of dollars nationwide that could be put to better use. Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague’s office may be trying ...
Conventional wisdom — even its more intuitive cousin, common sense — sometimes needs to be tested scientifically. This year’s winners of the Nobel Prize in economics are living proof of that. Michael Kremer of Harvard University and Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo of the Massachusetts ...
Encouraging people in pain to use opioids for relief if effective alternatives exist is, in a word, insane. Yet the federal government does just that, according to two U.S. senators from states hit hard by the drug abuse epidemic. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, ...
Nothing Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine proposed Monday has not been discussed previously, in one form or another. That makes it certain that the governor’s agenda will be the subject of sustained, sometimes fierce, debate. Personal liberties and gun control are the subjects, after all. After a ...
Possessing the right to vote carries with it responsibilities as well as a great privilege. During the past few months, more than 40,000 Ohioans have recogized and acted upon that. Like chief election officers in many other states, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has recognized the need ...
Public schools already are overwhelmed with mandates requiring them to devote time and resources to special initiatives. Now, the Ohio House of Representatives wants middle and high schools to do more to prevent suicide among children. Do we really need that? Judge for yourself: Suicide is ...
Attempting to intimidate people who are taking active parts in politics is not acceptable. Period. It appears to be happening in some areas of Ohio, however. A bill signed into law by Gov. Mike DeWine earlier this year is at the root of the problem. Known as House Bill 6, the measure will ...
Fans of “alternative energy” — more on the quote marks in a moment — have begun worrying aloud about President Donald Trump’s aversion to wind power. They fear it will affect federal energy policy. It should not, of course. You may remember that under the previous administration, ...
So-called “red flag” laws are being debated both in Congress and state legislatures in attempts to curb mass murders in the United States. Red flag laws would enable law enforcement authorities to take guns owned by people deemed by the courts to be clear threats to public safety. But the ...
It has been suggested by some that the current scare over e-cigarettes is overblown. Though hundreds of Americans have been hospitalized with respiratory ailments linked to “vaping” and a few have died, calls to ban the products are not realistic, critics say. But there is a valid, ...
What is the most serious respiratory illness threat facing Americans today? If you answered “e-cigarettes,” we commend you for keeping up with current events. But that is the wrong answer. The correct one is influenza. On average, about 8 percent of Americans contract the flu each year, ...
Apparently, President Donald Trump believed he could score some political points by releasing the transcript of a July telephone call between himself and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Whether that is true remains to be seen. But one thing is obvious: Partisan politics has become ...
Last year, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh faced confirmation hearings that at times seemed more like an inquisition than an effort by senators to get at the truth. In the end the fact Kavanaugh had been subjected to a purely partisan assault became clear when the full Senate voted on ...
How Canadian voters react to revelations about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is up to them, of course. But the episode is one more demonstration of the hypocrisy demonstrated by liberal politicians who are always eager to use “the race card” in criticizing conservatives. Trudeau ...
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown is right to be concerned about a proposal to privatize two mortgage industry giants that have been under federal control for about a decade. But Brown, D-Ohio, may be missing the big picture. Before the so-called “subprime mortgage crisis” several years ago, two ...
An attack last week just up the road in Warren by a would-be purse snatcher is the perfect example of how pistol-packing law-abiding citizens are able to protect themselves. A Willard Avenue woman told a reporter for our sister newspaper, The Tribune Chronicle, she “prayed I never had to” ...
Apparently, if you are rich enough, you can slaughter endangered species until your bloodlust is sated. Among animals the federal government deems worthy of protection is the black rhinoceros. Only about 5,500 of them remain alive in the wild. Namibia is home to nearly half that number, and ...
More than a million people in our country are “known or suspected” terrorists, according to the government, in a claim that reaches astronomical heights of imbecility. It makes sense for U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies to maintain a list of people who truly pose threats to ...
You might have read the letter to the editor we published Monday from Eleanor Salter. If you haven't please do so. It was a heartfelt and touching tribute to her daughter. Several years ago we had the opportunity to meet and sit down with Eleanor. It was a moving interview. It's been said ...
Attorneys general in 49 states — including ours — may want to take a look at a big payout from the Google YouTube online service. Google has been fined $136 million by the Federal Trade Commission over allegations it harvested personal data about children without seeking their parents’ ...