http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio Mon, 09 Nov 2026 15:05:15 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/3001/happy-holidays http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/3001 Best wishes to all and hopefully a joyous and prosperous New Year for all of us!
God Bless
]]> Wed, 10 Dec 2025 09:33:43 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2961/trump-lied http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2961 Thu, 07 Aug 2025 13:46:21 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2946/this-is-our-america http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2946 I came across this on FB and it struck home as a simple explanation of what our country is, or in the minds of some what it used to be.  Even if the latter is true I know the former will be true again.
How do you answer the question - What is America (the United States)? ]]> Sun, 06 Jul 2025 19:02:24 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2889/dream-team-or-simply-a-shit-show http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2889 1.  Is it a dream team or a shit show?
2.  Which pick shocked you more than all the others?
3.  Which of the nominees do you think will fail to get 50 votes in the Senate?
4.  Is this "shock and awe" so that when some of these picks are withdrawn, the replacement nominee will look so much better that they will sail through confirmation?]]> Thu, 14 Nov 2024 10:34:59 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2884/how-much-is-a-college-degree-worth http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2884 I, personally, am against the process of forgiving student loans.  If a person signs a loan agreement and then fails to live up to that agreement, then in my view their word is of no value, and they are not to be trusted.
SO, in my view, it seems that students should choose their area of study with a view beyond the fraternity/sority parties and focused on how this degree is going to provide for their livelihood in the future.
]]> Mon, 04 Nov 2024 10:47:25 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2873/things-we-cannot-do http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2873
Regardless of the winner things that "we cannot do" ae likely to remain the same.
People will always think their answer to a problem is absolutely correct and their opponent's answer to the same problem is absolutely wrong.
But alas compromise - give a little to get a little (a lost art in U.S. government these days) is till the ultimate answer ]]> Sat, 05 Oct 2024 18:47:02 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2859/post-wisely http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2859 Sun, 11 Aug 2024 19:07:00 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2857/red-and-blue-should-make-purple-right http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2857 I hope everyone is doing well, enjoying the Olympics and enduring the hot weather - both actual and the political fires burning everywhere it seems.
As you know I am taking a break, but I had to share something.
I have dropped in on a few other political chat sites and the results were amazing.
The Politics Forums for instance - some of you may have heard of it and John Russell you will enjoy this - they consider my commentary on the issues (the same as I have done on NT) as flaming liberalism.
So I have learned in depends on the artists' palette whether one is red, blue or purple.
All my best to friends, debaters and even those who think very little of me and my views
See you again some day I am sure]]> Sat, 03 Aug 2024 19:10:15 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2819/then-the-democrats-and-the-republicans-started-talking http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2819 Sat, 09 Mar 2024 09:40:08 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2818/why-we-are-the-people-we-are http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2818 I came from modest beginnings, but in some ways felt "richer" in my childhood than I do now in a comfortable retirement with a wonderful family.  As I grow older I find that memories are more entertaining than anything coming out of the movie or television industry.
My childhood spanned the 50's and the 60's and things were different - parenting techniques, school, behavior in and out of the sight of our parents and the way we treated people (our friends, people older than us, people in positions of authority like teachers, policemen, etc.).  
But what I miss most is the people with whom I shared my childhood - family, friends and acquaintances alike.
Each of those people played a role in what I am today and how I got here.
What do you miss/remember about your childhood? about the country you grew up in?
]]> Thu, 07 Mar 2024 09:03:09 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2817/whats-in-your-backyard http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2817 So for a change - talk about something that makes you happy, share pictures of your piece of the earth.
Each of these pictures was taken from my patio looking into the back yard and to the pond, except the last which is from my front porch.
The photography is certainly not award winning, but the pictures are my memories, and they make me happy to be alive and to live in the rural Ohio surrounded by family, friends and the wonders of Mother Nature.




]]> Tue, 05 Mar 2024 19:10:32 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2804/the-fourth-amendment http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2804 The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
No Knock Warrants, The Patriot Act, Stop and Frisk, Pinging Cell Phones, FISA Warrants, Profiling ....
There are so many controversial aspects and implications of when and how the 4th Amendment is or is nor applicable to a situation.
I grew up in Appalachia and we were told "If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear" probably not true then and likely even more untrue in modern times.
What is "reasonable cause"?  
I doubt that we will be able to answer all or even any of these questions to the satisfaction, but I look forward to the discussion
Some interesting quotes - 
The makers of our Constitution . . . conferred, as against the government, the right to be let alone - the most comprehensive of rights and the right most valued by civilized men.
Louis D. Brandeis
Asking questions is an essential part of police investigation. In the ordinary sense a police officer is free to ask a person for identification without implicating the Fourth Amendment.
Anthony Kennedy
As we live in a time of quickly escalating crime rates in our largest cities, pressures to reduce the size and scope of policing organizations and a populace that wants safety and security maintained we seem to be at a crossroad.
Where do we go and how does the 4th amendment help or hinder the path to safety and security for individuals and the cities as a whole?]]> Sun, 21 Jan 2024 09:19:50 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2803/the-third-amendment-to-the-us-constitution http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2803 No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
The third amendment to the constitution is not a matter much discussed in the never-ending debates about all things political debates of our time, but it is important nonetheless.
Cornell Law offers insight
Overview of Third Amendment, Quartering Soldiers | U.S. Constitution Annotated | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute (cornell.edu)
The Third Amendment limits the federal government’s ability to use private homes as lodging for soldiers. The Supreme Court has never decided a case directly implicating the Third Amendment and has cited it only in a handful of opinions.   As a result, some legal scholars consider the Amendment to be “an interesting study in constitutional obsolescence.”  When ratified, however, the Third Amendment enshrined “protections of great importance,”  reflecting the Founders’ pre-Revolutionary experiences with British soldiers and centuries of English history.
Despite the Amendment’s near-disuse as to its original protections, it took on a new dimension in the second half of the twentieth century, with courts and scholars citing it as one of the constitutional “guarantees creat[ing] zones of privacy” and for a “traditional and strong resistance of Americans to any military intrusion into civilian affairs.”
I think the most interesting and insightful points are  
“creating zones of privacy”
and
“strong resistance of Americans to any military intrusion into civilian affairs”
 
]]> Sat, 20 Jan 2024 10:13:48 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2802/the-second-amendment http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2802 The text of the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was crafted based on similar wording in the constitutions of the states at the time of its creation. 
This is one of the most debated and disputed civil rights in the modern day United States and leads to more arguments and political battles.  The contextual meaning of “a well-regulated militia” is debated when the amendments bearing on modern day weapons is often debated.  One side of the issue sees it as being very clear, and indisputable “the government cannot limit or regulate gun ownership”, while the other side insists that the interpretation of the wording needs to evolve with times “citizens no longer need bring their own weapons to support a hastily assembled militia”.
The answer, in this writer’s view is somewhere in the middle (as it is with most political and social issues facing the nation and the world). 
I think the fact that American citizens’ have the right to own and carry weapons, but the logic and necessity of regulations and restrictions on the types of weapons and perhaps the number of weapons that an individual may own is completely reasonable.  Machine guns, high-capacity automatic weapons, mortars, etc have no place in modern society (except in the military) and no reasonable need exists for individual possession of such weapons.
The ability of the government and the private sector to restrict where weapons may not be carried is also reasonable.  Likewise, just as situations and circumstances exist that restrict other rights and freedoms of citizens so should there be restrictions on gun ownership and possession in certain circumstances (criminal record, mental health issues are two which immediately spring to mind). 
I do not expect many (if anyone), on either side of this issue to agree with me, but hope that the issue can be discussed here with civility and substance.]]> Fri, 19 Jan 2024 11:44:10 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2799/discussion-vs-pontification http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2799 In other words, discussion is a two-way dialogue that prioritizes conveying meaning to the audience, while pontification is a one-way monologue that prioritizes the speaker’s opinions Communication feels satisfying and centers the audience, while pontification is often dogmatic and centers the speaker.
As for me I choose debate and discussion of the topic at hand - not extraneous or oft-belabored issues only barely tangentially applicable. 
I recently published a blog and it kicked up quite a fuss with a couple of members who wanted to pontificate rather than discuss the topic at hand.  I offered a quote from Mark Twain concerning the folly of arguing with an idiot as context, but alas it was perceived as slanderous and deleted (rightfully so under the rules).
The person who felt slighted then private messaged me with a list of members that I should avoid and take no part in discussion with since they did not contribute as significantly to the site as did he.  I was going to include the text of those messages in this article (I saved it), but do not think that would be productive.
I will continue to contribute articles and blogs; I hope people who agree with me and those who disagree with me respond and contribute in a civil and respectful tone; I will agree with those I choose to and disagree with those I fell the need to. 
I did not seek out a nemesis but if I have found one (or he has found me), I would say "hang on it is going to be a bumpy ride".
I like NT and enjoy the discussion, the sarcasm, the quips and the humor and I am not going anywhere

]]> Tue, 16 Jan 2024 15:43:59 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2798/do-problems-need-solutions-or-just-someone-to-blame http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2798 This is the #1 problem with politicians masquerading as public servants at all levels of government.
For example millions, possibly billions of dollars are being spent campaigning - think of the effect that these millions could have on social problems in the country.
I am sure that you can come up with more examples of publicizing the problem getting in the way of solving the problem]]> Tue, 16 Jan 2024 09:13:10 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2793/do-we-take-ourselves-too-seriously http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2793 Perhaps we should consider source
To me, political office should be like jury duty. You should just get a notice in mail one day and be like, "I'm Secretary of State next month!" --  Wanda Sykes

“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”   --  – Confucius

“Most of the shadows of this life are caused by  standing in one’s own sunshine .” -- – Ralph Waldo
Emerson
“From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere.” - Dr.   Seuss  

“Humor is the great thing,  the saving thing  after all. The minute it crops up, all our hardnesses yield, all our irritations and resentments flit away, and a sunny spirit takes their place.” -- – Mark Twain ]]> Mon, 15 Jan 2024 10:39:11 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2792/what-a-loser-looks-like-in-court http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2792 But I saw this article and the sketch just said "Loser" to me.
Do you agree?

The picture tells the story but this sketch is even better

Read the entire article
Donald Trump Court Room Sketch Artist Praised for 'Perfect' Depiction of Former President's 'Resting Loser Face': See the Drawings (msn.com) ]]> Fri, 12 Jan 2024 19:24:52 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2791/you-made-your-bed-now-you-must-lie-in-it http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2791 I will start --
Many large U.S. cities, who have stablished themselves as "Sanctuary Cities" find themselves in dire straits financially, with rising crime rates, lower quality of life for their residents and declining tourism dollars because of ever growing enclaves of refugees in hotels, tent cities, abandoned buildings and even schools.
These cities and their mayors are blaming everyone but themselves for the state of affairs and want "someone" (other than the city0 to pay for the cost of being a sanctuary city.
This seems like a good example of "You made your bed and now you must lie in it"
I am not asking for agreement or disagreement on my example, but rather for further examples from each of you.]]> Wed, 10 Jan 2024 14:30:21 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2790/ancient-egyptian-wisdom-for-modern-life http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2790 Many of these ancient proverbs are 100% applicable to the society we live in and the problems we face.  Here are a couple of my favorites.
As regards the "Entitlement Society" and what is owed to us.
"Good fortune will not happen to you: good fortune is given to him who seeks it."
or 
"The value of each man consists in what he does well."

And a couple of more recent figures have offered - 
"Success is getting what you want, happiness is wanting what you get",  W. P. Kinsella
"All happiness depends on courage and work",  Honoré de Balzac

Read the whole article at - Ancient Egyptian Wisdom for Modern Life | Inspiring Quotes
I look forward to feedback and ideas on this subject ]]> Tue, 09 Jan 2024 19:20:11 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2789/looking-for-treasure http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2789 "Watching toddler TV gives you the impression you are going to run across a lot more treasure chests in life than you actually do."

Rachel Dratch
I recently spent a week entertaining (some might say I was supposed to be babysitting) my two-year-old granddaughter and never have I felt so alive and so on the brink of extinction at the same in my entire life.
We must get past the petty bickering of Right and Left politics and focus our efforts and resources on our real legacy - our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
]]> Mon, 08 Jan 2024 19:17:43 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2786/a-unity-ticket-for-2024 http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2786
Keep this in mind next time you hear that an independent ticket could never win the White House in 2024. No Labels has spent more than a year investigating whether it is possible. We:
Surveyed more than 50,000 people  across several different polls . Our most recent poll, conducted by HarrisX in December 2022, included responses from more than 26,000 registered voters, including representative samples in all 50 states.  We aren’t aware of any other poll that’s been   conducted in the 2024 election cycle with a sample this large or this granular.
Modeled every state in the country; and
Gathered some 600,000 signatures on our way to getting nationwide ballot.


Our research reveals a public that is tired, frustrated and pessimistic about the country’s future and their own prospects. They have had it with political leaders who fixate on yesterday’s hatreds and grievances instead of focusing on the future. 

This commonsense majority believes America can do better, and our research reveals they could propel an independent unity ticket to  an outright victory in the Electoral College in 2024. This kind of ticket would draw an EQUAL share of support from both major parties, according to our latest polling.
  For the last decade, No Labels has been working to combat the anger and extremism consuming our politics. We have created a growing national movement of commonsense Americans pushing our leaders together to solve our country’s biggest problems. And we created the first-of-its-kind  House Problem Solvers Caucus  and an allied  Senate group  that were the force behind historic problem solving achievements like the 2021 Infrastructure Bill.

But as much as our allies achieved in Congress, the most powerful forces in both major parties are still driven by ideology and identity politics instead of common sense.  The dominant leaders   in both parties can’t or won’t break us out of this vicious cycle.
Read the whole article at -- A Unity ticket for 2024 (nolabels.org) ]]> Fri, 05 Jan 2024 18:37:42 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2785/biden-losing-support-in-key-demographics-why http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2785 Trump now leads Biden with Hispanic voters (39%-34%). -
Trump also now leads Biden with voters under 35 (37%-33%). -
Support for Biden in the Black community has plummeted from 87% to 63%.
The survey, conducted by   USA Today   and Suffolk University, resulted in Trump having 39% of support with Hispanic voters over Biden's 34%, and leading with voters under 35 at 37% to Biden's 33%.
The results are a stark difference from the 2020 race, where Biden led in support from both demographics, which helped him to go on and win the race.
Black voters also seem to be abandoning Biden, as he only managed 63% support in the survey, while in 2020 he carried 83%.
Some critics point to disappointment from the Hispanic community regarding   Biden's border control   and   immigration policies . Others have attributed his waning support from young people to his   failure to forgive student loans , his approach to the   Israel-Gaza conflict , and his   inattention to climate change .
Trump's support with Hispanics comes as a surprise to many, as he has a long history of sharing   insulting rhetoric   aimed at immigrants, most recently   coming under fire   for saying that they are "poisoning the blood of our country,"
Read the whole article at - Donald Trump and Joe Biden see tables turned with surprising new poll (msn.com) ]]> Thu, 04 Jan 2024 19:23:28 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2784/the-democratic-partys-undemocratic-opposition-to-no-labels http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/2784


The Democratic Party’s Undemocratic Opposition to No Labels







Published   | Updated



Margaret White









By opposing   No Labels ’ effort to secure nationwide ballot access for the 2024 presidential election, the Democratic Party is failing to live up to the central premise of the word “democratic” in its name. It is suppressing democracy.
The Democratic Party is doing this in two ways. The first is by attempting to literally keep No Labels off the ballot. We saw this when the Arizona Democratic Party took No Labels to court to try to invalidate the ballot access that had been granted by Arizona’s Democratic secretary of state. Fortunately, a judge   rejected   its claim on Aug. 9 and No Labels will be on the ballot in Arizona in 2024. 
The party's second method is more insidious. It has created a political culture in which anyone who refuses to back President Joe Biden is automatically accused of supporting the presumptive Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump — and, by extension, the rise of a “dictator.”
No Labels agrees our democracy is broken, but we don’t accept the premise that the only way to fix it is to pledge blind fealty to one party.
One can reasonably disagree with this strategy. One cannot, without engaging in the most profoundly dishonest intellectual contortions, characterize a movement based on such a strategy as “radical,” “insincere” or “undemocratic.” Doing so is disrespectful to America’s vast commonsense majority, which craves problem-solving and is profoundly   dissatisfied   with both Biden and Trump.
It is also flat-out undemocratic. There is no way of spinning this that doesn't make it undemocratic, by the literal definition of the word. If denying a political movement access to the ballot after it has met the legal requirements for appearing there is not undemocratic, then the word has no practical meaning.  
Yet we are told that we must ignore this hypocrisy at the core of the anti-No Labels campaign because the threat to democracy Trump poses is too great to be ignored. This reminds me of a famous dialogue scene from the play “ A Man for All Seasons .” In it, in a fictional conversation between British leader Sir Thomas More and a young lawyer, one character defends allowing the devil to benefit from protection under the law.
to read more .....
The Democratic Party’s Undemocratic Opposition to No Labels (msn.com)
]]> Tue, 02 Jan 2024 18:53:37 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/1796/the-undocumented-come-and-go-does-no-one-respect-boundaries http://thenewstalkers.com/robert-in-ohio/blog/1796
I imagine that some pf you saw this as an opportunity to scream, spit vitriol and pummel others on the subject of illegal immigration and the undocumented.
Sorry to disappoint, but this about the amazing birds and insects that come to visit me - and they are always welcome




































































































And there are so many more I could share and maybe I will later
Good fences make good neighbors as a very smart guy once said, but when we have fences Mother Nature has a way of sending beauty to call.
Please share your own photos of visitors in and around your yard






]]> Sat, 27 Oct 2018 12:19:42 -0400