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Yost, other state AGs seek drug transparency

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has joined an important effort by 45 state attorneys general to push the federal government to seek more transparency in prescription-drug transactions through pharmacy benefit managers, and to ensure federal efforts do not preempt state transparency laws. It’s a significant effort because PBMs — the companies that are supposed to represent insurers in drug transactions — have always favored the federal rules and regulations over state laws. According to a report by the Ohio Capital Journal, the three largest PBMs control approximately 80% of ...

Kimmel’s unfunny jokes pave the way for violence

Americans love arguing about free speech. We invoke the First Amendment as a kind of political force field: You can say whatever you want, whenever you want, without consequence. But the First Amendment only restricts government action. It does not guarantee you a career, a platform or immunity from backlash. The real question is not whether certain speech is legal but rather what kind of speech deserves social consequences — and what kind doesn’t. And if we’re talking about reckless political speech, we should talk about Jimmy Kimmel. Years ago, he abandoned comedy in favor of ...

Orchids & onions

ORCHID: To the dozen schools in Mahoning and Trumbull counties that recently earned the coveted Purple Star awards from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. Those schools are Canfield High School and Canfield Village Middle School, both of which had their star renewed, plus new honorees Lakeview High School, Mineral Ridge High School, Niles Primary, Niles Intermediate, Niles Middle and Niles McKinley High schools, B.L. Miller Elementary in Sebring, Southington Elementary School, South Range Elementary School and West Branch Middle School. The award highlights a school’s ...

Ohio tax abolition campaign stumbles; opposition grows

From a variety of perspectives, the Ax OH Tax movement to abolish all local property taxes in Ohio is going over like the proverbial lead balloon. Consider: ● Its nearly yearlong drive to collect its goal of 620,000 ballot-access petition signatures as of last week has fallen woefully short, lacking 315,000 needed signers. And time is running short for their submission to state officials to qualify for this fall’s ballot. ● A mushrooming coalition of more than 65 organizations and local governments across the state have united under the banner of Ohioans to Protect Public ...

Who’s to blame this time?

It would be amusing if it wasn’t so serious. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and several other Democrats were on weekend programs calling for a toning down of the political conversation following the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington. Jeffries went so far as to say we are all Americans. This after regularly denouncing the president in harsh tones. Another of the bad rhetorical offenders has been Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md. He has called the president an authoritarian who threatens the Constitution, rule of law and democracy. There are ...

Shooter’s real problem was mental, not political

“Shots Fired at Correspondents’ Dinner” dominated TV headlines following the gun attack at the Washington Hilton. Correction: Shots were not fired at the dinner but in the corridor outside. That’s where security had pinned the accused gunman, Cole Tomas Allen, on his stomach and handcuffed. Some journalists like to overdramatize everything, especially concerning themselves. Sure, the alleged attacker released a manifesto saying he wanted to take down Trump and members of his administration. But even if the suspect had made it inside, he probably wouldn’t have gotten past the ...