A council and mayor of anti-democratic, unrepresentative, unknowledgeable empty sloganeers is bad enough. But they oversee a City government uniquely lacking in both expertise and ethical concern for either residents or the laws. Walk or drive around the city. There is no evidence that the City employs a qualified, certified, experienced urban planner, traffic engineer, zoning inspector or enforcement officers, city attorney, or neighborhoods services. Columbus has none.

Trash, broken pavement, and out of control scooters and motor vehicles are the first things that visitors to the city notice. They rank high in framing Columbus’ identity and identification. That is, other than the many visitors who only see Ohio Stadium or the Convention Center for the illegal steroid spewing The Arnold.

To the editor:

According to Article I of the Ohio Constitution, all power is inherent in the people.  Unfortunately, our legislators – or at least, nearly the entire Republican caucus of both houses – have forgotten this basic fact.

Without a hint of irony, Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman has stated that “citizens don’t always know what they want” and that we must always be on guard against the “tyranny of the majority.”  But at least Huffman understands that those who oppose the legislature’s effort to make it more difficult for the people to amend the state constitution are, in fact, a majority.

Thursday, May 25, 6-9pm, Halt Violence [Hilltop location], 2360 W. Broad St.

“We don’t wait for the white chalk or the yellow tape. We use our street cred to save lives by squashin’ beef in the streets when tensions are high, and without snitching to the police.”

“If you want to stop beef before it starts and make nonviolence a way of life, you gotta get to the root cause. That means changing how you think, how you deal with emotions, and providing real alternatives to violence.”

“You have to meet youth where they’re at. When you listen instead of looking down on ’em, you can address their real needs. It’s a positive domino effect that has proven to save lives and change minds on the streets of Columbus.”

This event will include free food, resources for parents with youth to avoid gun violence, and live entertainment.

Hosted by Halt Violence.

Facebook Event

“Go back to where you came from.”

This is basic American politics – what I might call spiritual ignorance: a dismissal of refugees fleeing war, famine and poverty as global sludge, clogging up our way of life. So many media stories about the border – our border – begin with an unquestioned presumption. These aren’t individual humans fleeing hell and trying to reclaim their lives. They exist only en masse – basically, in the millions.

And they’re going to be nothing but trouble for us. Either they want to work for a living and, thus, claim American jobs, or they’re simply leeches, utterly without skills, simply in possession of their needs, which of course will drain our resources. Go back to where you came from!

Look what happened earlier this month, when New York City’s mayor bused a bunch of migrants out of town – oh, boohoo, too many for you, Mayor Adams? – to several hotels in Orange County, about 60 miles to the north. It just so happened, according to a bogus claim that made big news for a while, that in order for the migrants to get their living space, a bunch of homeless veterans, a.k.a, American heroes, had to be evicted.

When it comes to major road projects in Central Ohio, MORPC – the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission – is a big power player. So is ODOT, of course. As Columbus and its suburbs continue to grow seemingly out-of-control, one question raised by residents is: What comes first, massive development and then surrounding road improvements, or improved roads first and then massive development?

Widening or adding lanes, for instance, before thousands move in. But there’s confusion over what comes first or what should come first. A West Side housing activist, who did want to offer their name for publication, says they heard this during an area commission meeting.

“One of the weird things I learned from MORPC is that development comes first followed by street improvements later,” said the unnamed source. “You would think that streets should be improved first but that’s not how it works in Ohio.”