Editorials

Rising prices squeeze Ohio families in Head Start programs

For 50 years, Alta Care Group has supported children and families across Ohio. As the local Head Start provider, we serve 1,210 children and families across 21 centers and 64 classrooms in Trumbull and Mahoning counties. But the cost of providing those services continues to rise. As Congress considers funding for Head Start for fiscal year 2027, lawmakers should recognize the financial pressures programs are facing. Costs of food, transportation, utilities, insurance, facilities, and classroom supplies have all increased. When federal funding does not keep pace with those costs, ...

Editorial cartoon, 9/24

The Saudis, the Houthis and Israel

Is the Houthi crisis a diplomatic opportunity? Saudi Arabia has come running to Washington and even to Israel in its hour of need. Meanwhile, Riyadh’s feud with the United Arab Emirates continues to backfire, and the safeguard-breaking Saudi nuclear deal with President Trump has been submitted to Congress. With all of these moving pieces, there may be a checkmate forTrump to find. The point isn’t that he must answer the calls of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for U.S. airstrikes. Instead the Houthi blockade on Saudi oil has already become the impetus for the kind of ...

Mum’s the word on Qatar’s influence peddling in the US

Topping the chart of the truly brilliant propaganda successes those wishing Israel to disappear have achieved since Oct. 7, 2023, has been their skill in establishing the fashionable line that Israel, the victim of a genocidal invasion by those vowing genocide, is actually guilty of genocide. It doesn’t get much more brilliant than that. But honorable mention surely goes to their success in painting the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, supported entirely by American citizens, as nefarious for contributing tens of millions to American political campaigns while Qatar, a ...

Socialism destroys wealth and individual freedoms

Socialism doesn’t just destroy wealth. It strips people of their freedom. A growing number of Americans now support it. A recent YouGov poll found that 31% of people have a favorable view of socialism. Just 43% viewed it unfavorably. But among those 18 to 29 years old, socialism had a positive approval rating, 42% to 26%. There’s also a big disparity by education. Among those without a college degree, socialism’s net favorability rating is -17 points. Among those with a degree, its net favorability rating is only 1 point underwater. Polls like this are a bit noisy because ...

Politicians must understand our priorities and get their own straight

While politicians continue to behave as though they think our priorities are socio-cultural issues and remaining as divided as possible, ordinary people are trying to survive in a world where the challenges are something more along the lines of “Do I have enough money to fill up the gas tank this week and still get groceries on Friday?” A recent poll commissioned by Groundwork Ohio and the First Five Years Fund showed childcare remains among the significant challenges for families attempting to keep their heads above water. “When families are talking about the cost of living, ...