Breaking News

Editorials

Find your purpose, work your gift

During the opening week of the fall semester, I had the honor of giving the convocation remarks for The Ohio State University’s Lima campus incoming freshman class. It was a perfect autumn morning, even though I still find northwest Ohio a little nippy during this time of year. The students were engaged, appearing eager to get college underway. I began by telling them to reflect on their key life milestone of graduating from high school as they start the next chapter with their beginning courses and eventually declare a major to prepare for their future careers. I then shifted my ...

Never trust a politician

The woman in the grocery store checkout line had an accent. While we waited for our items to be rung up, I asked her where she was from. “Argentina,” she said. “Is the inflation rate in Argentina under 100 percent yet?” I asked. She smiled, “ That’s what the politicians say, but I never trust a politician.” I laughed. What a wise woman, I thought. That sentiment is getting around. I immediately thought of the American politicians who defended former representative and former candidate for Calif. governor, Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.). Some background for those with ...

Insulting Canada is sick economic policy

Oh good, another war. This time a trade war with Canada and for no other reason than ... what? To give Donald Trump a new stage for big-league bullying? To divert attention from the Jeffrey Epstein files? Who knows. Whatever. Trying to humiliate our closest ally does not serve American interests, ya think? I say “trying” because Trump’s powers are much diminished. Canadians are calling Trump’s bluff, as are other countries and even some formerly supine Republican lawmakers. And it’s getting harder to ignore the loose screws rattling around his head. We won’t go into the ...

The right to be left alone

“The makers of our Constitution undertook to secure conditions favorable to the pursuit of happiness. ... They conferred against the Government the right to be let alone — most comprehensive of rights and the right most valued by civilized men.” — Justice Louis D. Brandeis (1856-1941) The rapid spread of public surveillance cameras represents something far more consequential than a new piece of police technology. It represents a fundamental change in the relationship between the individual and the state. These cameras allow government agents to record, identify, catalog ...

Opposition is bipartisan

Two things can be true at once. Foreign entities have seeded the opposition to data center growth in the United States. China, in particular, through its control of TikTok and other influence outlets, has relentlessly worked to stop the American AI advantage against China. Also, at this point, much of the opposition is organic, bipartisan and growing. Americans are deeply opposed to data centers. They are wrong and shortsighted, but my view is the minority view. We should start by understanding the problem. Dario Amodei, the CEO of Anthropic and Sam Altman, the proprietor of ...

Trump declares war on Canada

Not exactly a war, but a trade war — which will impose huge costs on both American consumers and on Canada. As I said, Trump is now completely and utterly out of his mind. The very idea of a trade war with Canada — our neighbor, our ally, our closest friend, a nation that’s peaceful and whose people have a reputation for kindness — is absurd. But Trump is doing it anyway. He’s imposing a 50% tariff on goods coming from Canada — which, remember, is an import tax paid by you and me. The tariffs account for $20 billion of the $382 billion worth of products Americans ...