Burgess: Happy holidays and a hopeful new year!

As we gallop through the holiday season, we have a lot for which to be thankful. Here in Ohio, women and men who believe in individual rights and freedom of religion can appreciate the important victory they won in the November election, ratifying women’s choice in reproductive rights − and affirming the underlying progressive nature of Ohio’s voters, when informed.

But the victory is tempered with the continued chipping away at our rights by our reactionary Republican governor and a backward-looking, gerrymandered legislature. They never rest in courting support from big money and repressive religious groups, as they hold on to power in their geographically contorted districts.

At the national level, the economy continues to hum along, with gas prices continuing down, unemployment down, interest rates steady, and the Biden administration working away at problems such as the massive college debt, access to healthcare, and keeping Covid under control. With a pro-union President in the White House, the United Auto Workers and other unions are on the rebound, making wage and other gains that help working people, their families, and the whole economy. We see again that businesses flourish when working folks have a little more money to spend.

With Mayor Luke Feeney re-elected and providing top-notch leadership, the Chillicothe area continues to blossom, with a beautiful, fun downtown, restaurants with enticing food choices, and industry growing around us, from solar to trucking. And if you haven’t seen Yoctangee Park in the evening right now, with all the Christmas lights, don’t miss it!

But, on the national legal front — which has become an area we’ve learned to watch mainly because of the circus created by the Past President, as he bludgeons and blunders through charge after charge and case after case, all eyes have turned to the tarnished and struggling Supreme Court, where duty to country wrestles daily with judges influence-peddled by right-wing wealth. Will they rule according to precedent and conscience, or according to who supplies the best yacht trips and other perks? The biggest issue facing them is whether or not a sitting President—or one standing for election — can be prosecuted.

To this law school dropout, that seems like an easy question. I mean, can you imagine George Washington or Tom Jefferson saying to themselves, “Great, now that I’m President, I can do anything and the law can’t touch me. I could even shoot someone and get away with it!” It’s hard to imagine the Founding Fathers, who had just won a bloody war for independence from England and it’s Kings-for-life tradition, setting up a system here where a guy could do just anything and get away with it because he was President.

In Congress, the Republicans — led by their Speaker-of-the Month Mike Johnson — are trying to create an impeachment case against President Biden because his son allegedly did some bad things no Republican would ever do. We’re not quite sure what those things were, though I suppose if we watch enough TV news, we may figure it out.

But I keep falling asleep every time they mention somebody’s steel dossier or something. Impeaching a President for his children’s activities is one step below the “high crime” former Republican Speaker Newt Gingrich invented to impeach President Clinton for his private affairs. Lucky for me my “kids,” all safely grown, are nearly perfect.

Meanwhile, the Republicans are also investigating President Biden’s garage. I don’t know what’s in his garage that could be incriminating, but I just hope no one investigates mine. On the other hand, maybe the FBI could help me find what we stored years ago behind that old bed and some other junk in the corner.

Anyway, while we wait to find out what’s in Biden’s garage and who will be Republican Speaker next month, have a wonderful holiday — and work for world peace!

Jack Burgess is a retired teacher of American & Global Studies, and former Chief of Arbitration Services for Ohio’s Office of Collective Bargaining.

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Burgess: Many things to be thankful for in 2023, but hope abounds for 2024