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The views expressed on this page
are soley
those of the author and do not
necessarily represent the views
of County
News Online
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The Supreme Court and Same Sex
Marriage, By George Starks
As I write this, there are many things weighing on my side at the
present time. Most notably, my health concerns. While doctors are
taking up the majority of my free time and more so I've got some of the
best neurologists in this area baffled. None of them, can't seem to
figure out what is going on with my brain and the effect it’s having on
my motor skills. My mobility has gotten worse in the past year…
read
more.
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State
Representative Jim Buchy… Breaking Down Geographical
Barriers for Success in Agriculture
-- The school year has ended and now is the best time to fully examine
the results of Ohio State’s “Agri-science in the City”
program.
The close of this school year also marks the completion of the first
full year of “Agri-science in the City”. The program has
connected one high school and one elementary in both Cleveland and
Cincinnati with leaders in Ohio’s agricultural sector. As a
result…
read
more.
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The White House… My
Husband
Jim Obergefell is one of the plaintiffs in the case decided today by
the U.S. Supreme Court that held that, for the first time, any couple
-- straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender -- can obtain a
marriage license and make their commitment public and legal in all 50
states. We reached out to him to ask for his thoughts on this historic…
read
more.
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The White House… Obamacare…
The Affordable Care Act
On March 23, 2010, I sat down at a table in the East Room of the White
House and signed my name on a law that said, once and for all, that
health care would no longer be a privilege for a few. It would be a
right for everyone. Five years later, after more than 50 votes in
Congress to repeal or weaken this law and multiple challenges before
the Supreme Court, here is what we know today…
read
more.
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“Beware of Those Who Do Things in
the Name
of Good” By Kate
Burch
Harold Hamm, chairman of the domestic Energy Producers Alliance, points
out in the June 22 Wall Street Journal that the ban on exports of U.S.
crude oil, left over from the Nixon era, has done great harm to the
American economy and is hobbling the boom in U.S. oil production due to
fracking. Fully 28% of American oil refining capacity is
foreign-owned. Producers from other…
read
more.
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U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown… Investing
in Infrastructure, Investing in Jobs
Several years ago my wife Connie and I were listening to one of my
favorite radio programs, NPR’s Science Friday, and we heard an
interview with author Earl Swift, who wrote a book called “The Big
Roads: The Untold Story of the Engineers, Visionaries, and Trailblazers
Who Created the American Superhighways.” Mr. Swift related the story…
read
more.
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Clear
or Cloudy?
By Carla Surber, Treasurer, Greenville City Schools
Transparency is a word that I remember from a very young age.
I
had a first grade teacher, who addressed the windows in our 1930's
classroom as transparent (clear) and the door glass translucent or
cloudy. That stuck with me. The door panes were
cloudy and
only let a shimmer of light through. Only glimpses of what
was
there, but never…
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more.
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From the Other Side of the Edge…. Obama’s
Racial Detachment, Aloofness, and Stupidity, …Motivates Tragedies like
Charleston,
By Joe Facinoli - There has been Racial prejudice, misunderstanding,
and hatred in this world, …ever since the first group of Primeval
Cro-Magnon people, saw a second group of ancient primordials, who
didn’t look nor act, …just exactly like they did. And maybe they hunted
better, or had…
read
more.
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State Senator Bill Beagle… A
Special Father's Day for Ohio
I know a lot of men who have become fathers over the course of the last
year and I can't help but be excited for them. I've had my turn with
sleepless nights and ear infections with my three kids, so they can
enjoy that part; still, there's nothing as rewarding or as hard as
parenthood. What makes this Father's Day different from all the others
is that some of these new fathers I know have…
read
more.
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Taxing
Times, By Kate Burch
Some years ago, Ohio instituted a sales tax, now 5.75%, on satellite TV
services. The cable TV providers successfully lobbied to
avoid
the tax, claiming that a sales tax, on top of “franchise fees” the
cable companies were required to pay to the state, would put them at a
competitive disadvantage. The satellite companies have tried
several times, unsuccessfully, to achieve equal…
read
more.
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State
Representative Jim Buchy… The Budget Process Approaches the
Finish
Line
With the Senate wrapping up their work on the budget, we are now
looking at the differences between their version and the House’s
version. I’ve spent the last month meeting with over half of Ohio’s
Senators to discuss the provisions in the budget that I feel are most
important to helping Ohioan’s succeed. In each of those meetings, I was
pleased to know that the public servants in the Senate were heading…
read
more.
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U.S.
Senator Sherrod Brown… Summer
Nutrition for children
An End to the School Year Doesn’t Have to Mean an End to Good Nutrition
- For most Ohio children, the school year is ending and summer has
begun. Summer ought to be a time for our kids to enjoy playing outside,
reading for pleasure, and spending time with family. But for too many
children, summer means an end to nutritious meals served in schools.
More…
read
more.
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Broke
Wife, Big City… 34
Things I’ve Learned in 34 Years,
By Aprill Brandon
My birthday is next week. Which means it’s that time again. Time to
reflect on all the ways I’ve grown wiser. All the ways I’ve matured.
All the ways I’ve perfected my spitball-throwing ability. And as such,
here are the 34 things I’ve learned in 34 years… 1. There are a lot of
horrible things that happen to people every day. The dude at Burger
King forgetting your fries is not one of them…
read
more.
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State
Representative Buchy… The
Horse Racing Industry is Growing in
Ohio and Benefitting Local Agriculture
-- Not long ago, the Horse Racing Industry was operating on small
purses in Ohio. With less prize money for winners, it was
difficult to attract the best horses, leaving the sport and the
agricultural industry that surrounds it struggling to remain
afloat. With little incentive to invest in Ohio’s racing
industry, the best breeders and horses were leaving Ohio to race
elsewhere. This also meant…
read
more.
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On the
Other Side of the Edge…. It’s
Time, and a No-Brainer, ….Legalize ALL
Drugs, …and the Murders Go Away (I’m Serious),
By Joe Facinoli - It’s all about the Benjamins. Money, …is the Root of
all Evil. Money, …sets the World in Motion. Money talks, …and B.S.
walks. For the Love of “…Money, Money, Money, …Mo—Ney,
...people
will Steal from their Mother, …Rob their own Brother, …they will Lie,
and they will Cheat, …and can’t even walk…
read
more.
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Happy Anniversary, Mr. History,
By Susan Olling
How dull/boring would our lives be without our
spouses? Our
neighbors just celebrated what I call a “speed limit”
anniversary
this year. I think I can speak for Mrs. Neighbor in that life
would be less exciting without our guys. For example, Mr.
Neighbor spent a day taking apart, in their basement, his Christmas
present from his father-in-law: a chain saw. When Mrs.
Neighbor
got home…
read
more.
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Exploiting
Human Weakness, By Kate Burch
Full disclosure: I have never bought a lottery ticket; never
gone
to Vegas or even a casino; never bet on a horse at Keeneland when I
have gone there to enjoy a day with friends or family. That
sort
of risk-taking just does not appeal to me. It is true that
people
from all walks of life and all income levels do engage in gambling, but
it is far more costly and risks far more devastating consequences…
read
more.
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U.S.
Senator Sherrod Brown… Helping
Ohio Businesses Sell Their Products
Around the World
- Davenport Aviation is a small business in Columbus—an aircraft parts
distributor that exports its products to Africa and South America. Its
business has grown over the past four years with the help of the
Export-Import Bank. Davenport Aviation is one of the 350 Ohio
businesses that the Export-Import Bank has helped. This critical agency…
read
more.
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The
severance tax hike risks Ohio jobs and prosperity,
By Joe Nichols
President Reagan once said, “[w]hen you put a big tax on something, the
people will produce less of it.” The Ohio General Assembly should heed
this wisdom as they debate whether increase the severance tax on shale
oil and gas production. Of course, Ohioans should want more oil and gas
wells, not less. However, the proposed tax increase creates incentives
that will reduce future…
read
more.
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Broke
Wife, Big City… Fifty
Shades of Grey’s Anatomy,
By Aprill Brandon
I have to go to the lady parts doctor today. I know, I know. Ew. Gross.
How dare I casually mention that I have a vagina! And on the Internet
to boot, where children might see it! While on their way to whatever
website 9-year-old’s are hanging out these days, which I’ll never find
out because I am ancient! But just be glad you only have to read about
it. I’m the one who actually…
read
more.
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U.S.
Senator Sherrod Brown… Rewarding
American Companies that Support
American Jobs
For too long, companies have benefitted from shipping American jobs and
profits overseas. While these companies have profited, American workers
have faced joblessness and a poor economy. We should be rewarding
American companies that do the right thing by keeping jobs in America
and providing fair wages and benefits to their employees. This week,
U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH)…
read
more.
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The
White House… Check
out the Hubble Photo
Hi, everyone -- I'm the President's Chief Science Advisor. And from
time to time, I like to send quick, ad-hoc notes to White House staff
on a variety of topics -- upcoming lunar eclipses, groundbreaking
climate news, incredible photos from space. Things I've come across and
found fascinating. Apparently, people really like them. So when a
colleague recently suggested…
read
more.
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U.S.
Senator Sherrod Brown… How
Trade is Like a Baseball Game
Folks in Washington like to make big promises when it comes to our
trade deals. But for too long, we’ve seen nothing but bad results.
We’ve seen what so-called free trade agreements have done to our
workers and our communities over the past two decades. We’ve seen the
factories close and the stores get boarded up. That’s why I voted
against…
read
more.
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From
the Other Side of the Edge…. My Triple Crown “Legacy”, …is now
Over,
By Joe Facinoli
I was always a “rail-bird”, …from as early as I can remember.
Always loved the “ponies”, even when I was too young to sneak into a
track anywhere, …muchless be allowed to bet on them. Watched
them
on TV, talked about them, and read whatever I could, …all from a tender
age. When I was 17, after I had finished an evening shift at the…
read
more.
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Not Only
Broken Windows, By Kate Burch
James Q. Wilson, who died in 2012, was one of America’s most
consequential political scientists. Among a number of
positive
contributions, he developed the “broken windows” theory of policing
which was used to extremely positive effect by Rudolph Giuliani during
his tenure as Mayor of New York. The theory was that, if
police
diligently address minor infractions of the law, such as defacing…
read
more.
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Commissioner’s Corner… Darke
County… a great, economical place to
live
With the end of May being rainy and cool, it may seem like summer will
never get here. However, June is here now and hopefully the weather
will be more like we expect with warmer temperatures and lots and lots
of sunshine. While Memorial Day is the official start to summer, June
is the month when all children are out of school, grilling out with
friends, and summer…
read
more.
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State
Representative Jim Buchy… Why Western Ohio is the Best
Place in the
World
I have always believed that Western Ohio is the best place to
live, work and rear a family. As a son of Western Ohio, I have seen how
our home has changed over the years while at the same time respecting
its roots in agriculture and family life. While I have always believed
it was the best place to live, we now have some proof thanks to a
recent study conducted by Raj Chetty and Nathaniel Hendren…
read
more.
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