Hey folks, Brett and Norm here, jumping into another week with Common Sense Ohio! Shoutout to Harper and Company CPAs Plus for keeping us financially savvy. Honestly, nothing like walking out of a meeting with those guys feeling like you’ve got your business game plan down for the quarter!

Free speech on college campuses. Norm raises the flags on this shift from creating ‘safe zones’ to muzzling people’s opinions. We get it, not every opinion is peachy, but bottling up resentment isn’t the way to go. Let’s keep conversations flowing, even when they’re tough to swallow.

Oh, and let’s not forget Trump’s latest speech. A mix of comedy club vibe with some heartfelt stories thrown in. Seriously, no matter your politics, those stories of young heroes in the gallery tug at your heartstrings and remind you we're all rooting for the same team in the end.

Harper CPA Plus

Back on Ohio turf, there's chatter on whether school board candidates should flash their political colors on the ballot. Yeah, it’s already happening on the sly, but do we really need to make everything a political tug-of-war? Just some food for thought.

Wrapping up on a high note, cheers to Ohio throwing a cool $200 million at Career and Technical Education! Let’s get more kids pumped about skilled labor jobs. Welders, machinists, electricians—these gigs are not just vital but bring in the bucks. It’s high time we show them some love.

Common Sense Moments

00:00 Free Speech vs. Campus Censorship

06:36 "Hamas Attack Sparks Campus Protests"

10:15 Concerns Over Campus Free Speech

17:39 Trump's Speech: Comedy Meets Drama

25:40 Moderate Democrats on Wasteful Spending

27:19 Senate's Transgender Sports Vote Debate

34:37 Clinton-Gingrich Budget Lessons

38:37 Ontario-US Trade and Tariff Tensions

42:51 Ford's Cross-Border Tariff Issues

49:07 Capitol Display: Only US Flags

54:17 Partisan Influence in Local Politics

57:36 Judicial Seat Deals in Politics

Recorded at the 511 Studios, in the Brewery District in downtown Columbus, OH.

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Stephen Palmer is the Managing Partner for the law firm, Palmer Legal Defense. He has specialized almost exclusively in criminal defense for over 26 years. Steve is also a partner in Criminal Defense Consultants, a firm focused wholly on helping criminal defense attorneys design winning strategies for their clients.

Norm Murdock is an automobile racing driver and owner of a high-performance and restoration car parts company. He earned undergraduate degrees in literature and journalism and graduated with a Juris Doctor from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 1985. He worked in the IT industry for two years before launching a career in government relations in Columbus, Ohio. Norm has assisted clients in the Transportation, Education, Healthcare, and Public Infrastructure sectors.

Brett Johnson, My Podcast Guy®, is an award-winning podcast consultant and small business owner for nearly 10 years, leaving a long career in radio. He is passionate about helping small businesses tell their story through podcasts, and he believes podcasting is a great opportunity for different voices to speak and be heard.

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