close

Hits and Misses

3 min read
article image -

Ohio has rarely been mentioned in the same breath as notoriously corrupt states like Illinois, Louisiana or New Jersey, but that could soon change if news from the last couple of weeks is any indication. First, four Democratic members of the Toledo City Council have been charged with soliciting and accepting bribes in exchange for zoning requests. Shortly thereafter, Larry Householder, the Republican speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, was arrested and charged with four others in a $60 million racketeering scheme. Householder was stripped of his post on Thursday and could end up spending 20 years in prison if convicted. If nothing else, the two stories demonstrate that, in Ohio at least, greed and corruption have a bipartisan cast.

Americans who have lost their jobs as a result of the coronavirus pandemic have been waiting on tenterhooks in the hope that Congress would approve an extension of the benefits that supplemented state unemployment checks with an additional $600. But negotiations have broken down among U.S. senators and, barring a last-minute breakthrough, the enhanced unemployment benefits will end today. It is urgent that Congress come to some kind of agreement and President Trump approve it, particularly at a moment when unemployment numbers are expected to rise, COVID-19 cases are increasing, and the gross domestic product has undergone a history-making contraction.

When Dr. Anthony Fauci threw out the first pitch at the game between the Washington Nationals and the New York Yankees last month, the ball went, well, a little wide of the plate. But Fauci’s brief appearance in the majors has paid dividends for Topps, the company that manufactures baseball cards. Its limited edition Fauci baseball card sold more than 50,000 units in the 24 hours it was available. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, remarked to CNN, {span}”I feel a little embarrassed and humbled. I hope that Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle are not looking up at me saying, ‘What the heck is going on here?’ “

When the coronavirus hit in the spring, Gov. Tom Wolf argued that state agencies could not respond to right-to-know requests because offices were closed or staffers were busy dealing with the pandemic. But government transparency is crucial even in times of crisis, and the General Assembly showed its commitment to that principle by unanimously approving a measure that requires agencies to respond to right-to-know requests even after a governor makes a disaster declaration. It also prevents Wolf or any future governor from issuing an order saying those requests should not be filled. The bill became law this week without Wolf’s signature. The editorial board of Allentown’s Morning Call newspaper put it well: “A crisis is not an excuse for government to operate behind closed doors.”

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $3.75/week.

Subscribe Today