Could putting religion in public schools to quell violence be like pouring gas on a fire?

A new Mississippi law requires public schools to develop policies to allow students to pray over school intercoms and at assemblies and sporting events. The law permits students to pray publicly with a disclaimer from school administration. I imagine the disclaimer will be read at super warp speed as at the end of commercials for […]

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The six major outcomes of Iraq War should make us wary of future wars

As we approach the 10 year anniversary of the invasion of Iraq by U.S. forces we hear some calling for pursuing a war against Iran over its ostensible development of nuclear weapons. Before we pull the trigger on another military action anywhere for any reason, we should consider what resulted from the Bush II’s Administration […]

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Privatization of government services is nothing but a boondoggle for political cronies

I was pleased to read that 6 residents of Cincinnati are challenging the City Council’s plan to privatize parking. They want to put the plan on the ballot and let voters decide. The City Council is giving the typical reason for outsourcing control of what amounts to about 11% of the parking spots in Cincinnati: […]

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Parade list hides fact that corporate CEOs make so much money

Parade Magazine just came out with this year’s edition of “What People Earn,” which catalogues the jobs and earnings of about 80 people across the country. Surveying a mere 80 people doesn’t provide statistical certainty that the results reflect realty. In fact, the 80 people could be said to people an imaginary Parade universe, which […]

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Who will buy things when only a few have money?

Was anyone shocked to learn today’s news that while corporate profits have made a recovery, jobs and incomes have not? Shouldn’t we be used to these jobless recoveries by now? The last two recoveries before this tepid one did not see large increases in jobs.  It could be that economic bubbles hide excess labor that […]

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Instead of being ashamed of our country, Rush Limbaugh should be ashamed of himself

Earlier this week, Rush Limbaugh said on his national radio show that he is ashamed of the United States of America. And why? Because our intelligence is being insulted by the Obama Administration’s arguments against the sequester. You know, the sequester that will, among other things, cost the economy more than one million jobs over […]

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Let’s keep the military cuts in the sequester but not the cuts to social services

February’s crisis of the month is the looming “sequester,” which will automatically make deep cuts in government programs unless Congress gets its act together and passes an alternative fiscal plan by March 1. As usual when it comes to money issues, Democrats and Republicans are at an impasse on how to avoid the sequester. Democrats […]

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Paterno family implements a flawed PR strategy flawlessly

The family of Joe Paterno engaged in a media blitz this week in an effort to convince people that the Penn State sexual abuse report by ex-FBI director Louis Freeh was inaccurate when it said that Joe-Pa was part of the cover-up.  First the family released its own report, titled “Critique of the Freeh Report: […]

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Products of the Year a pay-for-play PR trick parading as “People’s Choice” for art of selling

This week’s Parade magazine, in the Sunday issue of virtually every daily newspaper across the country, dedicated its cover and feature story to Products of the Year, which is an annual award given to new consumer products. Supposedly the American people vote on these awards, but in fact, the final voters comprise 50,000 shoppers across […]

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Clarification about drones: they should be used only on a real battlefield

One of my Twitter followers asked a rhetorical question on Twitter and the OpEdge blogsite in response to my recent blog on drones being used to kill American citizens. The question: Terrorism = war? If so, drone kill is ok. My response is that even if terrorism is war, that definition in itself doesn’t make […]

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