Ott Observations

Throughout the first Trump presidency and after, there was constant media banter about the “guardrails of democracy.”  Trump’s use of executive power was unprecedented in our history and raised many…

I think you would be hard-pressed to find an American who doesn’t think our federal government is too big and inefficient.  Accordingly, there should be 100 percent consensus supporting what…

Stewart was one of the last surviving combat pilots of the famed fighter group known as the Tuskegee Airmen. They were the nation’s first Black military pilots. Their “Tuskegee” name…

I once worked for an automotive industry supplier.  We made the metal tongue that snaps into your seat belt buckle.   We were a second tier supplier, selling the tongues to…

This past Jan. 20 was an unusually noteworthy day for all Americans. It was the day we inaugurated a new president, once again transferring power peacefully in a rite of…

I watched President Jimmy Carter’s funeral at the National Cathedral. It made an impression on me, generating a lot of thoughts and reflections. The first stunning impression was that President…

While I have my doubts about the incoming administration’s true intents and their ability to effectively implement policies, I believe every incoming President and legislative majority deserves the chance to…

Human beings have an amazing capacity to keep different aspects of their lives in tidy little compartments, often trying to ignore the contradictions between these compartments.   Neatly defining each…

As I watched the election returns and realized Donald Trump will be our next president, I found myself thinking about our Founding Fathers. I imagined them traveling forward in time…

Earlier this fall, I was touring the Alps in central Europe. There were countless beautiful churches.  On the side wall of one of the churches there was this saying: “We…