Sherrod Brown has been busy since leaving Washington in January. He and his wife bought a house in Bexley, saying they want to be closer to their grandchildren and Connie Schultz's job at Denison.
And last week, Brown announced the formation of the Dignity of Work Institute. The goal, he says, is to help Democrats and Republicans better understand the lives of American workers. The organization will do polling, conduct interviews, and do other research, issuing reports.
It also keeps Sherrod Brown in the spotlight as he considers whether to run for office again.
Snollygoster of the week
You know the state budget is a big deal - pretty boring, but the state collects and spends about $100 billion a year. That's $100 billion. Every two years, the governor and lawmakers look at every spending and revenue line item and approve it.
In theory, the budget is supposed to be only about collecting and spending money. But it isn't. This year, lawmakers are trying to change the way Ohio kills condemned inmates. They are also trying to mandate that Ohio only recognizes two genders, and they are trying to tell public libraries on which shelves they can put books that deal with sexuality and LGBTQ issues.
What those social issues have to do with the state's budget, that's for lawmakers to answer. But it's a pretty shrewd move.