Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches: The German-Catholic Counties of Ohio

Kalida, Ohio is the sort of place you notice because the train crossing makes you wait five minutes. And then you wait again, 10 minutes down the road. That section of northwest Ohio — between the Indiana state line and I-75 through Lima, Findlay, and Bowling Green — doesn’t attract crowds. Dull green signs mark …

Appalachia Is a Place, Not Just a Backwater

I used to envy my friends with cultural connections to the country their families immigrated from. The traditions, cultural ties, and general identification for a way of life left behind but still valued enticed me. It continued a rare brand of conservatism that reflected Burke’s definition of society as a pact among the past, the …

Detroit: An Example of Midwestern Decline, A Reluctant Model for Pension Reform

As Detroit files for bankruptcy, the fate of its pension obligations should grab your attention, as it’ll probably set a precedent. Extraordinarily few governments (on all levels) adequately fund pensions and over-promise on benefits. Complicating that, most states constitutionally guarantee pensions (Michigan included), and how Detroit unites constitutional law with economic reality will be taken as …