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Ohio minimum wage to rise 25 cents, to $8.55

Sign that says Put Politicians on minimum wage and watch how fast things change
Next month, many of Ohio’s lowest-earning workers will get a pay boost when the minimum wage rises 25 cents, from $8.30 to $8.55. This increase ensures the minimum wage keeps pace with rising consumer prices, something Ohio citizens provided for when they voted to increase the minimum wage and keep it indexed to inflation in 2006. The automatic adjustment, which takes place every January 1st, is a critical safeguard that prevents the minimum wage from losing value over time because of inflation. Ohio’s new minimum wage will be worth just 72 percent of what the federal minimum wage was worth in 1968, $11.83 in today’s dollars. “Ohio citizens voted to increase our state minimum wage in 2006, and every year workers are helped by that forward-thinking move,” said Michael Shields, researcher at Policy Matters Ohio. “Inflation-adjustment preserves the value of the minimum wage.”

Syria Withdrawal Enrages the Chickenhawks

President Donald Trump’s order to withdraw from Syria has been greeted, predictably, with an avalanche of condemnation culminating in last Thursday’s resignation by Defense Secretary James Mattis. The Mattis resignation letter focused on the betrayal of allies, though it was inevitably light on details, suggesting that the Marine Corps General was having some difficulty in discerning that American interests might be somewhat different than those of feckless and faux allies like Israel and Saudi Arabia that are adept at manipulating the levers of power in Washington and in the media. Mattis clearly appreciates that having allies is a force multiplier in wartime but fails to understand that it is a liability otherwise as the allies create an obligation to go to war on their behalf rather than in response to any actual national interest.

Santa Claus

Russiagate Smashes Human Survival Attempts

"There's millions of commies in the freedom fight

"Yelling for Lenin and civil rights

"How do I know? I read it in the *Daily News*"

—Tom Paxton

VICE Film Review

Writer/director Adam McKay’s Vice, an all-star biographical movie about Dick Cheney is among Hollywood’s top 2018 political pictures. It’s utterly uncanny how Christian Bale completely disappears into his role as the former vice president, just as John C. Reilly does as Oliver Hardy in another biopic being released in America during the holiday season, Stan & Ollie. With his bravura performance Bale has Cheney’s look, mannerisms and sound down to perfection and at times, when Bale is onscreen one feels as if he/she is almost watching a documentary or the TV news and not an actor in a feature. How Bale transmogrified himself from playing Batman to fat man Cheney is truly a feat of astounding acting for the ages, reminiscent of Robert De Niro’s star turn in Martin Scorsese’s 1980 Raging Bull.

 

The Empire Strikes Soon: TrumpExit's Great Leap

A grim “Red Line” has been crossed. But not the one Donald wants.

He’s unexpectedly talking about troop withdrawals from Syria and Afghanistan, offering a welcome glimmer for peace.

But he’s also taken a Great Leap into the TrumpExit abyss.

Donald meant his “Red Line” to warn Robert Mueller away from his decades of bankruptcy, theft, and ruble-laundering.

All that’s crumbling. Mueller’s “report” so far has been a devastating onslaught of indictments and convictions.

If the new Democratic House majority pursues Trump’s tax returns and laundered mob money, calls for impeachment will become a deafening roar.

But there’s much more. Trump’s insane decision to shut the government has shaken even many Republicans. That hate-crazed banshees like Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter could scream down the White House is a reality too terrifying even for many at Fox “News.” Visuals of young innocents being tortured and murdered have moved the madness even deeper.

Best of the Columbus Scene 2018: Freep friends pick their favorite arts and cultural events of the year

Young black people dancing outside in front of a gazebo with a Columbus Community Pride banner

Best Restaurant Comeback

 

One of the best Chinese restaurants in Columbus is back. Helen Asian Kitchen, which owner Helen Jiao sold in 2017 to take care of her husband while he struggled with cancer, reopened in 2018 with Helen Jiao returning to the helm. Her awesome hot stir-fried cauliflower is back, as well as her assortment of handmade dumplings (yes, even soup dumplings). Here’s a great tip for vegans – order the stir-fried cauliflower with added raw tofu. The tofu cooks in the hot oil heated by the sterno that comes lit under the serving dish and adds an extra punch of creamy protein to the dish. It’s amazing.

– Susan Halpern

 

Best Art and Well-Being Event

 

COLD WAR Film Review

Shot in glorious black and white, Cold War’s helmer Pawel Pawlikowski’s won the 2018 Cannes Film Festival’s Best Director award and the film was nominated for Cannes’ prestigious Palme d’Or. Cold War won six European Film Awards and as of this writing has won a total of 20 prizes and been nominated for another 32. In 2015 Pawlikowski’s Ida was nommed for a cinematography Oscar and earned the Best Foreign Language Academy Award (Ida was Golden Globe-nominated in the same category). Cold War is currently Poland’s official submission for the Best Foreign Language Oscar (although it was completely overlooked by the Golden Globes).

 

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