Have we really gotten to be that self-centered?
When I was a kid, (eyeball roll), almost everything was closed on Sundays and holidays. There were, and still are some, 'blue laws'. Blue laws prohibit certain activities on Sundays. Some time in the late 70's, some of these bans were lifted and various establishments started to conduct business on Sundays and holidays. All for the sake of the almighty dollar.
Sunday used to be reserved for family. It was a day of rest. We went to church in the morning and gathered with family the rest of the day. We went to our grandparent's house where we had the opportunity to play with our cousins while the adults talked about whatever adults talked about. That's why I know my cousins. It's why I know cousins of cousins. Even after our grandparents passed, we still got together on Sunday's with family. We did the same thing for holidays.
While I don't like laws that try to dictate morality, they generally don't work anyway, I do think that the easing of blue laws gave us an excuse to start ignoring an extremely important aspect of our life - family.
Instead of spending the day breaking bread with family, we haul our kids to yet another activity, soccer, baseball, whatever. Sunday has become a day to catch up on those things we didn't get done during the week. Sunday has become just another day of the week of running errands. When did it become ok to schedule ballgames on Sunday anyway? I know what my mother would have said. "Too bad. You'll just have to miss this game."
But we've gone even a step further now. Again, for the sake of the almighty dollar, we have stores who are going to open their doors for shoppers on Thanksgiving Day to get in a couple of extra hours of Christmas shopping. Really?
That means that some poor souls have to forfeit their Thanksgiving with their families so the self-centered, in-debt-up-to-their-eyeballs, I-just-can't-get-it-done-without-these-couple-of-extra-hours, people can get a 'great deal'. Give me a break. Can't you wait until a respectable hour on Friday? Isn't 6 am Friday early enough to start your Christmas shopping?
The Santa Claus magic should have gone away when you became an adult. There's nothing wrong with kids, even teenagers, thinking, on Christmas morning, that all that stuff magically appeared overnight with the help of little elves. But do you realize that doesn't happen in the stores? Someone has to be there to stock and restock the shelves. Someone has to ring up your order so you can run that over-used credit card through the little machine. Someone has to watch the mob come through the door and be there to help your fellow shopper up when you run them over trying to beat them to the coveted item the marketers said you just have to buy or life just won't go on.
All that takes a lot of someones. Those someones have to be at work well before the doors of the store open to you. Those someones are going to try and cram in a quick Thanksgiving and get some sleep before heading off to work.
Yes. I know there are a lot of people who work holidays. I was one of them. There are jobs where it is critical for people to work the holidays, hospitals, fire and police departments to name a few. And others not so critical. But can we keep it to a minimum? Must we add retail stores?
I've never been shopping on black Friday and really don't understand the hysteria. There's always been more than enough things in the store to buy in the middle of December and somehow guys manage to find stuff on Christmas Eve. Besides, internet shopping means I can have a cup of coffee in hand while wearing sweats and I'm not infringing on someone else's family time no matter when I want to do my shopping.
So this year, when I venture out to the brick and mortars, it will be Sears or JCPenny's which are resisting this ridiculous trend, somewhat. And there's always the little mom and pop places that usually have incredible customer service. And if for some really weird reason I find the shelves empty at those places because I didn't show up in time, there's always the orange, peppermint stick, and nuts as a back up. Oh, and the turkey, ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, homemade noodles, pies....
.....and we'll eat too much and talk about how we didn't miss out on Black Thursday over a game of Euchre.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Friday, November 11, 2011
Recycling Recycling
It seems the Athens-Hocking Solid Waste
District is out of compliance with Ohio EPA. Still. And the district says they need more money in order to fix this. There's a shocker. But there's something smelly about this whole thing and it isn't the trash.
It all started over two decades ago with HB 592...
1988 - HB 592 was passed that created solid waste districts in the state because we weren't recycling enough and the landfills were filling up. The Ohio EPA gets to oversee the districts and tell them how to do things. Problem #1. Since it is a government entity, tax dollars pay for it. Problem #2.
In 2009, the Athens-Hocking Solid Waste District said they needed more money. To generate this money, they proposed a 'fee' of $3/ton of waste. A tax by any other name is still a tax. Call it a fee if it makes you feel better but it's still a tax. This tax would be levied on the trash haulers and will of course be passed on to their customers with rate increases.
But the tax must be approved by the county commissioners for each county, city council of the largest city in each county, and legislative authorities representing a combined population of at least 60 percent of the total population in each county. Athens loves paying taxes but the great people of Hocking County evidently do not. Logan City Council wouldn't pass it and neither would the county commissioners. It seems they had questions that were either not answered or were answered inadequately. Thank you to the elected officials in Hocking County for not playing the part of ostrich.
After a few months, the district recycled their plan to implement the $3 fee. Well, that is their business. Sort of. Hocking County again to the rescue. Questions gone unanswered concerning the finances of the district kept the Hocking County elected officials from approving the added tax.
Now Athens wants to take their ball and go home. The landfill used by the two counties is in Athens County. It's really close to the Athens/Hocking line though and wouldn't surprise me if some of it were located in Hocking County. Athens wants to break up with Hocking. The problem is that in order for a solid waste district to be a single county, that county must have a population of 100,000. Neither county meets that requirement and the Ohio EPA would have to approve the split. Hocking County would be left high and dry according to the threats made by the Athens County Commissioners. There's other stuff to it within the original bill that I am having a difficult time making heads or tails out of because it involves government speak and I'm not fluent in idiot.
The Ohio EPA says the Athens-Hocking District is not in compliance. I'm not sure exactly what that means but based on various newspaper articles dating back to February of 2010, we need to recycle more or maybe we need to generate more trash. I'm not sure. They want people to recycle but the county gets more money if we generate more trash. Since it's more money the county wants, do they want us to generate more trash? But the EPA says recycle.... makes my head spin....
The state says there is a partnership between public and private entities but at least a few of the private trash haulers don't exactly see it that way. They see it as the public side is pushing the private side out of business by causing the private haulers to raise rates. I can tell you that we pay almost twice as much out here in the county as what the people in the city pay using the county trash haulers. I'm pretty sure subsidies are involved. When the private trash haulers go to the landfill, they pay a fee to dump the trash. The county gets this fee. That's a subsidy, right?
But there's still the compliance problem. I'm not sure how the $3 tax will fix that unless it will be used to pay the EPA to look the other way. According to one of the private haulers, one way for the district to come into compliance is to add a handful of drop locations for recyclables in each county. Evidently there isn't enough participation and that's suppose to encourage it. In the same article from The Athens News:
Which is backed up on collegegreenmag.com:
Where and when will the madness stop?
It all started over two decades ago with HB 592...
1988 - HB 592 was passed that created solid waste districts in the state because we weren't recycling enough and the landfills were filling up. The Ohio EPA gets to oversee the districts and tell them how to do things. Problem #1. Since it is a government entity, tax dollars pay for it. Problem #2.
In 2009, the Athens-Hocking Solid Waste District said they needed more money. To generate this money, they proposed a 'fee' of $3/ton of waste. A tax by any other name is still a tax. Call it a fee if it makes you feel better but it's still a tax. This tax would be levied on the trash haulers and will of course be passed on to their customers with rate increases.
But the tax must be approved by the county commissioners for each county, city council of the largest city in each county, and legislative authorities representing a combined population of at least 60 percent of the total population in each county. Athens loves paying taxes but the great people of Hocking County evidently do not. Logan City Council wouldn't pass it and neither would the county commissioners. It seems they had questions that were either not answered or were answered inadequately. Thank you to the elected officials in Hocking County for not playing the part of ostrich.
After a few months, the district recycled their plan to implement the $3 fee. Well, that is their business. Sort of. Hocking County again to the rescue. Questions gone unanswered concerning the finances of the district kept the Hocking County elected officials from approving the added tax.
Now Athens wants to take their ball and go home. The landfill used by the two counties is in Athens County. It's really close to the Athens/Hocking line though and wouldn't surprise me if some of it were located in Hocking County. Athens wants to break up with Hocking. The problem is that in order for a solid waste district to be a single county, that county must have a population of 100,000. Neither county meets that requirement and the Ohio EPA would have to approve the split. Hocking County would be left high and dry according to the threats made by the Athens County Commissioners. There's other stuff to it within the original bill that I am having a difficult time making heads or tails out of because it involves government speak and I'm not fluent in idiot.
The Ohio EPA says the Athens-Hocking District is not in compliance. I'm not sure exactly what that means but based on various newspaper articles dating back to February of 2010, we need to recycle more or maybe we need to generate more trash. I'm not sure. They want people to recycle but the county gets more money if we generate more trash. Since it's more money the county wants, do they want us to generate more trash? But the EPA says recycle.... makes my head spin....
The state says there is a partnership between public and private entities but at least a few of the private trash haulers don't exactly see it that way. They see it as the public side is pushing the private side out of business by causing the private haulers to raise rates. I can tell you that we pay almost twice as much out here in the county as what the people in the city pay using the county trash haulers. I'm pretty sure subsidies are involved. When the private trash haulers go to the landfill, they pay a fee to dump the trash. The county gets this fee. That's a subsidy, right?
But there's still the compliance problem. I'm not sure how the $3 tax will fix that unless it will be used to pay the EPA to look the other way. According to one of the private haulers, one way for the district to come into compliance is to add a handful of drop locations for recyclables in each county. Evidently there isn't enough participation and that's suppose to encourage it. In the same article from The Athens News:
He (the private hauler) said that officials often say that they are in the trash business because recycling doesn't pay for itself and they need the funds to pay for recycling.
Which is backed up on collegegreenmag.com:
“There’s not big money in recycling… so the government does it,” said Roger Bail, operations coordinator for the Athens-Hocking Waste District. “There’s money in trash.”So they're trying to get more people to recycle more. We used to recycle stuff all the time. Pop and milk came in glass bottles. We took empty bottles to the store and got a deposit back. Now they come in throw away plastic. I like glass. And we drank water that came from the tap. You would fill a glass with water and wash the glass afterward to reuse it. Now we insist on carrying around plastic water bottles that end up in the landfill. But I'm sure the government had a hand in the glass bottles going away - probably some concern about hygiene. So the answer to that is now creating problems. Maybe if the government would stop trying to regulate everything, thus tying our hands, we wouldn't have either problem. We wouldn't be producing as much trash and would be recycling. Our trash haulers could make a living without raising rates to the point that many lower income families do not purchase the service to have their trash hauled away creating a bigger illegal dumping problem that the county also complains about.
Where and when will the madness stop?
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Oh the Irony - Voting No on Issue 2
I wonder if anyone else noticed the irony on the front page of The Athens Messenger yesterday?
Since it was the day after election day, they naturally had the election results on the front page with the headline, "Voters reject union limits". The focus was the rejection of SB5 with an 80% no vote in Athens County on Issue 2.
Any time the topic of Issue 2 came up in conversation, face-to-face or on facebook, I mostly bit my tongue. Once I asked "Did you read the bill?", and got the usual response of "No" or "I read some of it", it was only a baby step to the realization that there was no way to try and convince someone who was so willing to eat the union garbage to vote Yes on Issue 2. They had made up their minds and there was no changing it.
Of course, one of the arguments to vote Yes was the jobs that might be saved. To my way of thinking, it came down to: Do you want more jobs or more money for fewer jobs? The 'no' crowd evidently wanted more money.
Ok. Back to the newspaper. At the bottom of the front page was a small article: "Looking like county will have fewer workers in 2012". It went on to explain the budget woes and how there were likely going to be layoffs or staff cuts by attrition in various county agencies. An article in today's paper went into a bit more detail and included whining from the heads of departments about how they have no where else to cut their budget and the rest of the typical resistance to the commissioners telling them the money just isn't there. And of course, Sheriff Pat Kelly didn't pass up the opportunity to campaign for his re-election.
If I were a commissioner, which will never happen because I'm just way too conservative for this county, I wouldn't be able to resist an appropriate or inappropriate comeback, depending on which side of the aisle you're on, of: "Well, maybe you should have endorsed Issue 2."
So Issue 2 goes down in flames while our local government department heads complain about budget cuts. I don't want to give credit to the death of SB5 as the reason just yet, but I will next year.
But not being one to always see the glass as half empty, I did find a positive way to look at things. Those of us who love to follow the Constitution to the letter and expect our elected officials to do the same, we do want less government, right? Well, we'll be getting it in 2012 in Athens County.
Since it was the day after election day, they naturally had the election results on the front page with the headline, "Voters reject union limits". The focus was the rejection of SB5 with an 80% no vote in Athens County on Issue 2.
Any time the topic of Issue 2 came up in conversation, face-to-face or on facebook, I mostly bit my tongue. Once I asked "Did you read the bill?", and got the usual response of "No" or "I read some of it", it was only a baby step to the realization that there was no way to try and convince someone who was so willing to eat the union garbage to vote Yes on Issue 2. They had made up their minds and there was no changing it.
Of course, one of the arguments to vote Yes was the jobs that might be saved. To my way of thinking, it came down to: Do you want more jobs or more money for fewer jobs? The 'no' crowd evidently wanted more money.
Ok. Back to the newspaper. At the bottom of the front page was a small article: "Looking like county will have fewer workers in 2012". It went on to explain the budget woes and how there were likely going to be layoffs or staff cuts by attrition in various county agencies. An article in today's paper went into a bit more detail and included whining from the heads of departments about how they have no where else to cut their budget and the rest of the typical resistance to the commissioners telling them the money just isn't there. And of course, Sheriff Pat Kelly didn't pass up the opportunity to campaign for his re-election.
If I were a commissioner, which will never happen because I'm just way too conservative for this county, I wouldn't be able to resist an appropriate or inappropriate comeback, depending on which side of the aisle you're on, of: "Well, maybe you should have endorsed Issue 2."
So Issue 2 goes down in flames while our local government department heads complain about budget cuts. I don't want to give credit to the death of SB5 as the reason just yet, but I will next year.
But not being one to always see the glass as half empty, I did find a positive way to look at things. Those of us who love to follow the Constitution to the letter and expect our elected officials to do the same, we do want less government, right? Well, we'll be getting it in 2012 in Athens County.
Athens is No 1 on Issues 2 and 3
Athens County has the distinction of placing first in the state on Issue 2 AND Issue 3. It's not something I'm proud of but I'm sure there are a fair number of liberals who would be if they knew how to get this information. But the reality is they don't really care once the election is over and things mostly went their way.
I have tried to explain to people who are not from Athens County just how liberal it is here. They think they know and they say they know but they really don't know the extent of it. We have Ohio University and I think for most people it stops there when they try to calculate the liberalness of the area. But they fail to include the non-student population and the non-OU affiliated people.
Now, however, I have something concrete to use to point out the level of liberalness.
Issue 3 was the healthcare amendment to nix Obamacare. It passed in all 88 counties and statewide it was 65.63% to 34.37%. If you list the counties according to percentages with the lowest percentage in the first position, Athens County is right there in the big number one spot. It passed 52.76% to 47.24%. The next county had issue 3 passing with almost 56% of the votes. So, we're number one with the lowest percentage of yes votes on Issue 3.
Issue 2 was the big repeal SB5 thing. Again, all 88 counties voted in unison against issue 2 and again Athens County places first. Statewide, the percentages were 38.67% to 61.33%. Now, put the highest percentage of 'no' votes in the first position and again you'll find......
.....YES!!! Athens County with a.... get this....
.....19.65% to 80.35%!!!!! Now that's a big gap.
I bet I can identify every single one of the 3070 people who voted yes on Issue 2.
So, when someone wants to talk to me about trying to convince the people of Athens to vote for the more conservative candidate or vote more conservatively on an issue, and I tell them I'll do what I can and they think I'm giving them the brush-off, which I usually am, I have these facts to use to help illustrate the liberalness of the county.
I have tried to explain to people who are not from Athens County just how liberal it is here. They think they know and they say they know but they really don't know the extent of it. We have Ohio University and I think for most people it stops there when they try to calculate the liberalness of the area. But they fail to include the non-student population and the non-OU affiliated people.
Now, however, I have something concrete to use to point out the level of liberalness.
Issue 3 was the healthcare amendment to nix Obamacare. It passed in all 88 counties and statewide it was 65.63% to 34.37%. If you list the counties according to percentages with the lowest percentage in the first position, Athens County is right there in the big number one spot. It passed 52.76% to 47.24%. The next county had issue 3 passing with almost 56% of the votes. So, we're number one with the lowest percentage of yes votes on Issue 3.
Issue 2 was the big repeal SB5 thing. Again, all 88 counties voted in unison against issue 2 and again Athens County places first. Statewide, the percentages were 38.67% to 61.33%. Now, put the highest percentage of 'no' votes in the first position and again you'll find......
.....YES!!! Athens County with a.... get this....
.....19.65% to 80.35%!!!!! Now that's a big gap.
I bet I can identify every single one of the 3070 people who voted yes on Issue 2.
So, when someone wants to talk to me about trying to convince the people of Athens to vote for the more conservative candidate or vote more conservatively on an issue, and I tell them I'll do what I can and they think I'm giving them the brush-off, which I usually am, I have these facts to use to help illustrate the liberalness of the county.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
To Frack or Not To Frack
When I was reading the paper today, I got an idea about how to solve the fuss between the fracking camp and the no-fracking camp, the solar people and the drill, baby, drill people.
There was an article about how the City of Athens is thinking about passing legislation against hydraulic fracturing. It seems they want to be like Pittsburgh, which I think is stupid. It's stupid that Athens wants to be like Pittsburgh and it's stupid that Pittsburgh passed legislation that there will be no fracking in the city. I could be wrong but I think there has to be wells drilled for oil and gas before any of that fracking can take place. The last time I was in Pittsburgh, Point State Park was about the only place where there was room for a well and even I would be against that.
So here's my idea. Those of us who want to use coal to feed our power plants will get our electric from those plants, and those who want to use solar can go ahead and get their power from the solar fed power plants. Sign up for whichever you prefer and the electric company will bill you accordingly. Then, the electric company can determine how many of each kind of plant they need to supply the respective demands. That way, those of us who like to employ coalminers can pay $.04/kwh and the others can pay $25/kwh. No government subsidies, pay for what you use from the source you use it and everybody is happy.
As for the oil and gas, if you don't want fracking, fine by me. Just don't use oil and gas and you're good to go. Since I'm a drill, baby, drill sort, I'll have oil and gas options available for me to use.
Before you say my drilling will infringe on your access to 'clean' water that you claim fracking threatens - which it doesn't. Have you seen how deep they go? - you stay in town where there are no drilling rigs and I'll live out here amongst them. You're gonna want to stay close to town anyway since your electric car, powered with solar generated electricity, doesn't actually go very far between charges. Now, when it's time to replace that battery in a few years and it costs you a couple of grand and you need to dispose of the old battery, well, you figure it out.
And while we're on the subject of cars, you're going to have to make them out of something besides the plastic that is currently used. Plastic is made using oil. Maybe you could make them out of hemp. And bikes? Do you have any idea how much electric, oil, and coal the steel mills use to process metals?
Now, something else the EPA lovers might want to keep in mind about solar power. It doesn't always work. If the sun isn't shinning, you're running on battery. These last couple of weeks have been pretty cloudy here in Ohio and I imagine trying to keep up with demand during times like this will be kind of tough for the solar power plants. Winters get cold and summers get hot. And when the snow is flying and the sun hasn't been seen for awhile, you might want to make sure you have thermal underwear. Maybe you'll eventually be able to develop dependable batteries that last longer than the ones available now. I know my cell battery and computer battery are forever needing charged. They're power hogs. But then again, your curly fry lights use very little power so you should be able to see ok for the first few hours.
I'm sure there are some details that need to be worked out yet but that's the gist of it.
There was an article about how the City of Athens is thinking about passing legislation against hydraulic fracturing. It seems they want to be like Pittsburgh, which I think is stupid. It's stupid that Athens wants to be like Pittsburgh and it's stupid that Pittsburgh passed legislation that there will be no fracking in the city. I could be wrong but I think there has to be wells drilled for oil and gas before any of that fracking can take place. The last time I was in Pittsburgh, Point State Park was about the only place where there was room for a well and even I would be against that.
So here's my idea. Those of us who want to use coal to feed our power plants will get our electric from those plants, and those who want to use solar can go ahead and get their power from the solar fed power plants. Sign up for whichever you prefer and the electric company will bill you accordingly. Then, the electric company can determine how many of each kind of plant they need to supply the respective demands. That way, those of us who like to employ coalminers can pay $.04/kwh and the others can pay $25/kwh. No government subsidies, pay for what you use from the source you use it and everybody is happy.
As for the oil and gas, if you don't want fracking, fine by me. Just don't use oil and gas and you're good to go. Since I'm a drill, baby, drill sort, I'll have oil and gas options available for me to use.
Before you say my drilling will infringe on your access to 'clean' water that you claim fracking threatens - which it doesn't. Have you seen how deep they go? - you stay in town where there are no drilling rigs and I'll live out here amongst them. You're gonna want to stay close to town anyway since your electric car, powered with solar generated electricity, doesn't actually go very far between charges. Now, when it's time to replace that battery in a few years and it costs you a couple of grand and you need to dispose of the old battery, well, you figure it out.
And while we're on the subject of cars, you're going to have to make them out of something besides the plastic that is currently used. Plastic is made using oil. Maybe you could make them out of hemp. And bikes? Do you have any idea how much electric, oil, and coal the steel mills use to process metals?
Now, something else the EPA lovers might want to keep in mind about solar power. It doesn't always work. If the sun isn't shinning, you're running on battery. These last couple of weeks have been pretty cloudy here in Ohio and I imagine trying to keep up with demand during times like this will be kind of tough for the solar power plants. Winters get cold and summers get hot. And when the snow is flying and the sun hasn't been seen for awhile, you might want to make sure you have thermal underwear. Maybe you'll eventually be able to develop dependable batteries that last longer than the ones available now. I know my cell battery and computer battery are forever needing charged. They're power hogs. But then again, your curly fry lights use very little power so you should be able to see ok for the first few hours.
I'm sure there are some details that need to be worked out yet but that's the gist of it.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
How to Overturn Your Own Bill
This just irritates me to the nth degree. And SB5 just got overturned by the voters in November.
The Ohio legislators introduced and passed SB5 using the economic issues facing the state as the reason for now being the time to get a handle on things. I liked it because it actually puts negotiations back at the local level which usually increases options. But the unions and many of the members perceive SB5 as an attack on their livelihood. I can see where they might think that. The merit pay part was probably what scared many and the unions have convinced their members that the state legislature doesn't think very highly of their worth to society. It's a scare tactic and I didn't buy it but this latest sure does make it difficult to defend SB5.
So, what did our legislators go and do? They gave double digit, in most cases, pay raises to staffers!!! What the .....?
According to 10TV:
One of the supposed results of SB5 was a mass exodus of public employees into their retirement systems, as reported by The Columbus Dispatch back in June. I don't know how you would figure out what that particular statistic might actually be, but I can tell you that I know many people who are retiring earlier based on fear that was created by SB5.
So let me see if I get this right. It's ok for local governments to loose the experienced employees but it's not ok for the state senate to loose experienced employees. Both are public employees paid by the taxpayers. Hmmmm. Not sure I see what the diff is.
From my perspective, I'd rather see less experienced staffers, including legislators, but term limits fixed that, right? No. Not really. They just jump from place to place now.
But where the difference does lie is in the dollars. A 3% raise to the normal public employee, i.e. cop, firefighter, teacher, state worker, is one thing since it's based on a salary around 50-75K give or take. But that isn't where we are when it comes to the staffers who got as high as a 37% hike. We're talking about increases in pay on salaries that reach six figures in many cases. I don't generally begrudge anyone their salary but I fail to see how any public employee is worth 6 figures in this economic climate.
Another argument in favor of SB5 was to decrease the size of government. I'm afraid this isn't a decrease in government. Nope. Not in my book. If you need so many staffers that to keep the good ones cost this much, government is waaaay too big. You're legislating waaaay too much. Introducing waaaaay too many bills. And I've read them. Some of them are downright asinine.
So while the rest of us are told to tighten our belts and the rank and file public employees are told you need to help contribute to the cause, the staffers at the state house are given raises.
Well, I see where your loyalties lie, Republican Senate President Tom Niehaus. It certainly isn't with J. Q. Taxpayer. And if you think that it's okay just because you got a couple of the D's to sign on to this scheme, let me enlighten you. They did it because this is what will sink the final nail in the coffin of SB5.
The Ohio legislators introduced and passed SB5 using the economic issues facing the state as the reason for now being the time to get a handle on things. I liked it because it actually puts negotiations back at the local level which usually increases options. But the unions and many of the members perceive SB5 as an attack on their livelihood. I can see where they might think that. The merit pay part was probably what scared many and the unions have convinced their members that the state legislature doesn't think very highly of their worth to society. It's a scare tactic and I didn't buy it but this latest sure does make it difficult to defend SB5.
So, what did our legislators go and do? They gave double digit, in most cases, pay raises to staffers!!! What the .....?
According to 10TV:
Niehaus said he based his decision on market forces. “I thought it was important to protect the most senior members of my staff,” Niehaus said.
He said he was worried he would lose key staffers to other state agencies or private businesses if he did not pay them more.
One of the supposed results of SB5 was a mass exodus of public employees into their retirement systems, as reported by The Columbus Dispatch back in June. I don't know how you would figure out what that particular statistic might actually be, but I can tell you that I know many people who are retiring earlier based on fear that was created by SB5.
So let me see if I get this right. It's ok for local governments to loose the experienced employees but it's not ok for the state senate to loose experienced employees. Both are public employees paid by the taxpayers. Hmmmm. Not sure I see what the diff is.
From my perspective, I'd rather see less experienced staffers, including legislators, but term limits fixed that, right? No. Not really. They just jump from place to place now.
But where the difference does lie is in the dollars. A 3% raise to the normal public employee, i.e. cop, firefighter, teacher, state worker, is one thing since it's based on a salary around 50-75K give or take. But that isn't where we are when it comes to the staffers who got as high as a 37% hike. We're talking about increases in pay on salaries that reach six figures in many cases. I don't generally begrudge anyone their salary but I fail to see how any public employee is worth 6 figures in this economic climate.
Another argument in favor of SB5 was to decrease the size of government. I'm afraid this isn't a decrease in government. Nope. Not in my book. If you need so many staffers that to keep the good ones cost this much, government is waaaay too big. You're legislating waaaay too much. Introducing waaaaay too many bills. And I've read them. Some of them are downright asinine.
So while the rest of us are told to tighten our belts and the rank and file public employees are told you need to help contribute to the cause, the staffers at the state house are given raises.
Well, I see where your loyalties lie, Republican Senate President Tom Niehaus. It certainly isn't with J. Q. Taxpayer. And if you think that it's okay just because you got a couple of the D's to sign on to this scheme, let me enlighten you. They did it because this is what will sink the final nail in the coffin of SB5.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Tax Payers Have a Friend in Athens County
A great big thank you to the Athens County Auditor, Jill Thompson, and the rest of the budget commission for cutting the millage on two county agencies thus saving the taxpayers some cash - over a million dollars worth.
For 2012, there will be a levy reduction of .5 mill for The Athens County Board of Developmental Disabilities and Athens County Children Services will be reduced by one mill.
Why? Because they're hording money at a time when everyone else is tightening their belts and making due.
The Athens County Board of Developmental Disabilities had 5.26 million dollars in extra cash at the end of 2010. Carryover for each of the previous 5 years was also in excess of 5 million dollars. Plus, there were generous pay raises every year including 5% for each of the past 2 years and as high as 6.65% in 2007. All the while having 300 people on waiting lists needing their services. What the heck is going on here?
Athens County Children Services had 5.1 million dollars in extra cash at the end of 2010 increasing their carryover gradually over the past 5 years. They have now reached almost 76% of their annual expenditures in carryover.
I understand having some carryover but I think over 5 million dollars worth for each agency is a weeeee bit excessive.
But wait, there's more. Last November, both of these agencies had tax levies on the ballot that were approved by the voters. How dumb are we? Well, I'm not but I was in the minority on those issues as both levies passed easily. One thing that is pretty certain in this county is that county-wide levies usually pass no matter what. No one questioned if either agency needed more money. No one ever questions any of them why they need more money. They just vote for the levy because..... well, there are several reasons that will have to wait for another post but one of them is because the various agencies just had the nerve to ask.
And now that they've had their budgets challenged, I suppose these two agencies will go on a major spending spree so they can ask the voters for more money or at least get the millage back they just lost. And I'd bet the other county tax-funded agencies will make sure they don't have very much carry over lest they face the same fate. And that's a sad state of affairs but unfortunately how things work in government. To translate: Spend it or you loose it. Spend it so you can get more.
At least in 2012 I get to keep a couple of extra bucks of my money. It won't be a lot, enough for maybe a nice dinner for two. But it's something. And I can't do much about voters being so willing to raise my taxes, but at least I know that someone in this county is watching and has the nerve to ask the recipients why they need so much spare change at the end of each year.
For 2012, there will be a levy reduction of .5 mill for The Athens County Board of Developmental Disabilities and Athens County Children Services will be reduced by one mill.
Why? Because they're hording money at a time when everyone else is tightening their belts and making due.
The Athens County Board of Developmental Disabilities had 5.26 million dollars in extra cash at the end of 2010. Carryover for each of the previous 5 years was also in excess of 5 million dollars. Plus, there were generous pay raises every year including 5% for each of the past 2 years and as high as 6.65% in 2007. All the while having 300 people on waiting lists needing their services. What the heck is going on here?
Athens County Children Services had 5.1 million dollars in extra cash at the end of 2010 increasing their carryover gradually over the past 5 years. They have now reached almost 76% of their annual expenditures in carryover.
I understand having some carryover but I think over 5 million dollars worth for each agency is a weeeee bit excessive.
But wait, there's more. Last November, both of these agencies had tax levies on the ballot that were approved by the voters. How dumb are we? Well, I'm not but I was in the minority on those issues as both levies passed easily. One thing that is pretty certain in this county is that county-wide levies usually pass no matter what. No one questioned if either agency needed more money. No one ever questions any of them why they need more money. They just vote for the levy because..... well, there are several reasons that will have to wait for another post but one of them is because the various agencies just had the nerve to ask.
And now that they've had their budgets challenged, I suppose these two agencies will go on a major spending spree so they can ask the voters for more money or at least get the millage back they just lost. And I'd bet the other county tax-funded agencies will make sure they don't have very much carry over lest they face the same fate. And that's a sad state of affairs but unfortunately how things work in government. To translate: Spend it or you loose it. Spend it so you can get more.
At least in 2012 I get to keep a couple of extra bucks of my money. It won't be a lot, enough for maybe a nice dinner for two. But it's something. And I can't do much about voters being so willing to raise my taxes, but at least I know that someone in this county is watching and has the nerve to ask the recipients why they need so much spare change at the end of each year.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
The First Casualty
The first one to go is a deputy. He's not exactly gone. Just demoted from deputy to transport officer. He can still arrest people. He just can't answer the phone.
On July 19th, when Mark Sullivan's wife called the sheriff's office to complain about her husband's abuse, she included this part about his having marijuana. The officer she was speaking to, Randy Secoy, told her “...to put it all in a grocery bag and bring it to the sheriff's office.” When she asked about the ones still growing, he told her to “just grab a hold of them or call the office and have somebody come out.
Isn't that what she was doing? Calling the sheriff to report a crime and this is how they handle it? A crime of this nature involving any other person, would be classified a major event from the Big, Bad, Drug Task force, aka Athens County Sheriff's Department. Had this been anyone else calling, it would have been plastered all over the sheriff's facebook page touting about how big of a bust they made and we have them behind bars and you're safe from the boogeyman now.
But that's not what happened. An Athens County Commissioner, Mark Sullivan, was the one who was being accused of committing a crime. His wife was reporting it and it didn't warrant even a house call by the deputy. Maybe he was busy updating his facebook page. Or maybe it was because the involved parties included an Athens County Commissioner and his wife. What she got in response was the proverbial take two aspirin and call me in the morning. In other words, - I really don't want to deal with this. Could you call back when someone else is on duty so they can deal with it?
It took three weeks for this particular incident to make it to the public and that's only because someone called the local media anonymously. The Athens Messenger got the run-around when they requested the reports and then what they did get was redacted. A request was made to the state attorney general's office for a special prosecutor but not until after The Messenger made it a headline.
Now a couple of more weeks have passed and the first casualty has been named. Why it has taken Sheriff Kelly so long to conduct an internal investigation and take action is beyond me. I can't imagine it would have taken me much longer than the amount of time it took for me to listen to the taped call WHILE Deputy Secoy was sitting in front of me the next morning. It's not like the sheriff didn't have access to the 911 tapes. Listening to the recorded call should have been enough to at least put Deputy Secoy on leave if not outright fired. Maybe I'm just impatient and the wheels of justice turn to slow for my taste.
So now Deputy, ahem, Transport Officer Secoy has been demoted and there's this last chance agreement. Last chance for what? He'll be on probation until next August and if he does something stupid, he could be fired. What could you possibly do transporting prisoners? Oh, I suppose you could possibly taser one unnecessarily or do we only threaten 10-year old students with that? Yes. Yes we do. But that incident got him 3 days suspension and some class time in conflict resolution and a class on how to balance his personal and professional life, as reported in The Athens Messenger. Now I'm wondering if they have those classes in conjunction with the Domestic Violence Intervention Program that Mark Sullivan was supposed to attend. Is there a pattern starting to develop?
Sheriff Kelly as quoted in The Messenger:
Okay. But Sheriff. You said that the last reprimand had no bearing on your decision to demote Secoy over this incident. If that's true, then those classes can't be included as 'time served'.
But I'm thinking there may be a bit more to this story that has yet to be revealed.
How much is the sheriff trying to cover his own butt now because he didn't deal with all this the next morning? You know Mark was all the talk around the water cooler for at least the next two or three shifts.
Who was the supervisor on duty that night if it wasn't Secoy? And if it was Secoy, why didn't he cover his own rear and handle the call like they would any other one? They get plenty of practice around here handling drug calls. It should have been relatively standard.
Why would responding to a complaint by the wife of an elected county official be any different than anyone else? I can think of a few reasons.
So, Secoy is demoted and on probation and Sullivan is still a county commissioner.
And one more question, for now:
If someone breaks into my house and I shoot them dead and call the sheriff's department to report the break-in, do you suppose they'll tell me to put 'em in a bag and bring 'em in?
On July 19th, when Mark Sullivan's wife called the sheriff's office to complain about her husband's abuse, she included this part about his having marijuana. The officer she was speaking to, Randy Secoy, told her “...to put it all in a grocery bag and bring it to the sheriff's office.” When she asked about the ones still growing, he told her to “just grab a hold of them or call the office and have somebody come out.
Isn't that what she was doing? Calling the sheriff to report a crime and this is how they handle it? A crime of this nature involving any other person, would be classified a major event from the Big, Bad, Drug Task force, aka Athens County Sheriff's Department. Had this been anyone else calling, it would have been plastered all over the sheriff's facebook page touting about how big of a bust they made and we have them behind bars and you're safe from the boogeyman now.
But that's not what happened. An Athens County Commissioner, Mark Sullivan, was the one who was being accused of committing a crime. His wife was reporting it and it didn't warrant even a house call by the deputy. Maybe he was busy updating his facebook page. Or maybe it was because the involved parties included an Athens County Commissioner and his wife. What she got in response was the proverbial take two aspirin and call me in the morning. In other words, - I really don't want to deal with this. Could you call back when someone else is on duty so they can deal with it?
It took three weeks for this particular incident to make it to the public and that's only because someone called the local media anonymously. The Athens Messenger got the run-around when they requested the reports and then what they did get was redacted. A request was made to the state attorney general's office for a special prosecutor but not until after The Messenger made it a headline.
Now a couple of more weeks have passed and the first casualty has been named. Why it has taken Sheriff Kelly so long to conduct an internal investigation and take action is beyond me. I can't imagine it would have taken me much longer than the amount of time it took for me to listen to the taped call WHILE Deputy Secoy was sitting in front of me the next morning. It's not like the sheriff didn't have access to the 911 tapes. Listening to the recorded call should have been enough to at least put Deputy Secoy on leave if not outright fired. Maybe I'm just impatient and the wheels of justice turn to slow for my taste.
So now Deputy, ahem, Transport Officer Secoy has been demoted and there's this last chance agreement. Last chance for what? He'll be on probation until next August and if he does something stupid, he could be fired. What could you possibly do transporting prisoners? Oh, I suppose you could possibly taser one unnecessarily or do we only threaten 10-year old students with that? Yes. Yes we do. But that incident got him 3 days suspension and some class time in conflict resolution and a class on how to balance his personal and professional life, as reported in The Athens Messenger. Now I'm wondering if they have those classes in conjunction with the Domestic Violence Intervention Program that Mark Sullivan was supposed to attend. Is there a pattern starting to develop?
Sheriff Kelly as quoted in The Messenger:
“Randy Secoy is a good person. Randy Secoy has made mistakes and we've corrected those. We've sent Randy to training and counseling. If that proper training doesn't work, then I have to move forward and that's what we've done with Secoy.”
Okay. But Sheriff. You said that the last reprimand had no bearing on your decision to demote Secoy over this incident. If that's true, then those classes can't be included as 'time served'.
But I'm thinking there may be a bit more to this story that has yet to be revealed.
How much is the sheriff trying to cover his own butt now because he didn't deal with all this the next morning? You know Mark was all the talk around the water cooler for at least the next two or three shifts.
Who was the supervisor on duty that night if it wasn't Secoy? And if it was Secoy, why didn't he cover his own rear and handle the call like they would any other one? They get plenty of practice around here handling drug calls. It should have been relatively standard.
Why would responding to a complaint by the wife of an elected county official be any different than anyone else? I can think of a few reasons.
So, Secoy is demoted and on probation and Sullivan is still a county commissioner.
And one more question, for now:
If someone breaks into my house and I shoot them dead and call the sheriff's department to report the break-in, do you suppose they'll tell me to put 'em in a bag and bring 'em in?
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Grade Card Time
The school district report cards are out, for what they're worth.
I'll admit right up front that I have no idea the purpose of these reports. In looking at the reports for the five districts in Athens County, as well as "The Guide to Ohio's Accountability System", all I can garner is that these report cards are pretty much based on how well the kids in a given district can take those stupid proficiency tests. And if you don't yet realize that the teachers now have to 'teach to the test', you likely haven't been paying attention.
I like most teachers and they have a tough job at times. I don't know how well I'd put up with some kids and their parents. I suppose I would eventually learn how to be more tactful if I had to but some parents just need to hear the truth straight out about how their little Johnny is a royal pain in the rear in class. But what would be worse for me is having to deal with teaching so the kids could pass this goofy, color in the circle with a number 2 pencil, stress-inducing test that was developed by over-educated morons.
Are the high school graduates of today any smarter then previous generations because they know how to pass this test? My grandparents, who didn't go beyond the eighth grade, could do figures in their heads. I generally need to use paper and pencil. My kids, however, wouldn't understand the need to have either of those skills because you have a calculator on your phone, for cryin' out loud. But at least they can make change, unlike the college grad with the liberal arts degree who gives you a blank stare if the power blinks out at a most inoportune time. Would you like fries with that?
I would think teachers would be a bit ticked off with all this testing. After spending four or five years getting a degree to presumably learn how to teach, develop lesson plans, and evaluate the needs of students, they toss them in a classroom full of kids who aren't prepared because they're too busy texting their friends on their cell phones. Then they're told exactly what material must be covered because we have to get these kids to pass this test so we can get 'No Child Left Behind' money from the feds and so some administrators can have bragging rights. A teacher's job isn't so much teaching as it is creating little robots who have to learn to stay in the lines when they're coloring in the little bubbles. On top of that, they have to go back to college to get the next level degree so we can be sure they still know how to color within the lines themselves.
There are plenty of issues within our education system and these tests are only a part of the problem. I don't have a problem with testing kids to measure their progress as they make their way from grade to grade. Bean counters like to count beans, afterall. What I have a problem with is putting so much emphasis on them that they become the focus rather than a tool to measure. Couldn't we just look at the overall scores and determine where the strengths and weaknesses lie within a district and deal with it? Must so much emphasis be placed on testing that school districts learn how to circumvent the system in order to increase their own scoring?
It's been reported that more and more college freshmen are not ready for collge level classes and have to take remedial classes. We are either forcing kids into college who aren't college material or these tests are giving the kids the idea that once they pass the test to graduate, they're good to go and plenty smart enough. How can our schools be rated excellent yet the colleges are saying you aren't sending us even average students?
Kids are no longer being taught how to learn. They aren't taught how to problem solve. They're taught to identify the mostly likely correct answer on a multiple choice test and color. Which is why the kid behind the fast food counter can't make change without the aid of the cash register computer. “It wasn't on the test.”
I'll admit right up front that I have no idea the purpose of these reports. In looking at the reports for the five districts in Athens County, as well as "The Guide to Ohio's Accountability System", all I can garner is that these report cards are pretty much based on how well the kids in a given district can take those stupid proficiency tests. And if you don't yet realize that the teachers now have to 'teach to the test', you likely haven't been paying attention.
I like most teachers and they have a tough job at times. I don't know how well I'd put up with some kids and their parents. I suppose I would eventually learn how to be more tactful if I had to but some parents just need to hear the truth straight out about how their little Johnny is a royal pain in the rear in class. But what would be worse for me is having to deal with teaching so the kids could pass this goofy, color in the circle with a number 2 pencil, stress-inducing test that was developed by over-educated morons.
Are the high school graduates of today any smarter then previous generations because they know how to pass this test? My grandparents, who didn't go beyond the eighth grade, could do figures in their heads. I generally need to use paper and pencil. My kids, however, wouldn't understand the need to have either of those skills because you have a calculator on your phone, for cryin' out loud. But at least they can make change, unlike the college grad with the liberal arts degree who gives you a blank stare if the power blinks out at a most inoportune time. Would you like fries with that?
I would think teachers would be a bit ticked off with all this testing. After spending four or five years getting a degree to presumably learn how to teach, develop lesson plans, and evaluate the needs of students, they toss them in a classroom full of kids who aren't prepared because they're too busy texting their friends on their cell phones. Then they're told exactly what material must be covered because we have to get these kids to pass this test so we can get 'No Child Left Behind' money from the feds and so some administrators can have bragging rights. A teacher's job isn't so much teaching as it is creating little robots who have to learn to stay in the lines when they're coloring in the little bubbles. On top of that, they have to go back to college to get the next level degree so we can be sure they still know how to color within the lines themselves.
There are plenty of issues within our education system and these tests are only a part of the problem. I don't have a problem with testing kids to measure their progress as they make their way from grade to grade. Bean counters like to count beans, afterall. What I have a problem with is putting so much emphasis on them that they become the focus rather than a tool to measure. Couldn't we just look at the overall scores and determine where the strengths and weaknesses lie within a district and deal with it? Must so much emphasis be placed on testing that school districts learn how to circumvent the system in order to increase their own scoring?
It's been reported that more and more college freshmen are not ready for collge level classes and have to take remedial classes. We are either forcing kids into college who aren't college material or these tests are giving the kids the idea that once they pass the test to graduate, they're good to go and plenty smart enough. How can our schools be rated excellent yet the colleges are saying you aren't sending us even average students?
Kids are no longer being taught how to learn. They aren't taught how to problem solve. They're taught to identify the mostly likely correct answer on a multiple choice test and color. Which is why the kid behind the fast food counter can't make change without the aid of the cash register computer. “It wasn't on the test.”
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Ohio House Bill 191
House Bill 191:
The Ohio state legislature is wanting to change a few things about the school schedules. If there is one thing that legislators at the state and federal level can do, it's complicate things.
When I was a kid, we didn't start school until the Tuesday following Labor Day. We were never out before the first week of June. One year it was June 30th. There was no such thing as calamity days. If we missed a day because of snow, a day was added at the end of the school year. We had the standard holidays off including the first day of buck season. Teacher in-service days, or whatever they're calling them now, were nonexistent.
As it stands, schools are credited as having been in session for a day if the day is not shortened by more than two hours. They are wanting to change this to be figured on an hourly basis rather than a daily basis. I sort of like this idea. So rather than schools having to be in session for 182 days, they have to meet an hourly requirement of 1,050 hours for grades 7 through 12, and 960 hours for grade school. I think this gives the local school districts more latitude with scheduling. If they had time to make up, they could opt to lengthen the school day for a certain number of day, for example. A school district might choose a longer school day for four days/week rather than shorter days five days/week. A lot of options could open up with this part of the proposed bill.
On the other hand, they are also wanting to limit the school year to between Labor Day and Memorial Day. I have no idea what they are thinking on this part. This takes options away from the schools. I could sort of understand if they used one or the other. If you start before Labor Day, you must be out before Memorial Day but if you start after Labor Day, you can finish the school year after Memorial Day. Something to that effect. But why even bother with that? Let the schools set their individual schedules according to their needs. What's wrong with starting in mid-August, having three weeks off for Christmas break and ending the first week of June? But then I'd like to see year round school schedules become more of the norm.
Wouldn't it be easier if the state just said: You have to provide 1,050 hours of instruction time for the students. You have between July 1 and June 30 to work it out as your district sees fit. One part of this bill seems to counteract the other part of this bill. In one section, the state says you can have more flexibility with scheduling your school year, and another section takes it back away. Sheeeeeesh.
This bill hasn't really gone anywhere yet. It's still in committee. But I did send an email to Rep. Andrew Thompson, 93rd. Even though Mr. Thompson is not my representative, his name is on the bill. I've also met Mr. Thompson and have seen him several times at various events where he has addressed the public and answered questions or otherwise made himself available to his constituents. One of the good guys from my perspective. Anyway, he did email me back and said he'd take my points back to the sponsors of the bill. For the record, I believe he will do what he says.
The bottom line is, the local school districts should be able to set their own schedule based on the needs of their students. Any legislation at the state level should be only to assist local school districts rather than restrict them and otherwise make educating our kids more difficult.
To amend sections 2151.011, 3306.01, 3313.48, 3313.533, 3313.62, 3314.03, 3317.01, 3321.05, and 3326.11; to enact new section 3313.481 and section 3313.621; and to repeal sections 3313.481 and 3313.482 of the Revised Code to establish a minimum school year for school districts, STEM schools, and chartered nonpublic schools based on hours, rather than days, of instruction and to prohibit public schools from being open for instruction prior to Labor Day or after Memorial Day except in specified circumstances.
The Ohio state legislature is wanting to change a few things about the school schedules. If there is one thing that legislators at the state and federal level can do, it's complicate things.
When I was a kid, we didn't start school until the Tuesday following Labor Day. We were never out before the first week of June. One year it was June 30th. There was no such thing as calamity days. If we missed a day because of snow, a day was added at the end of the school year. We had the standard holidays off including the first day of buck season. Teacher in-service days, or whatever they're calling them now, were nonexistent.
As it stands, schools are credited as having been in session for a day if the day is not shortened by more than two hours. They are wanting to change this to be figured on an hourly basis rather than a daily basis. I sort of like this idea. So rather than schools having to be in session for 182 days, they have to meet an hourly requirement of 1,050 hours for grades 7 through 12, and 960 hours for grade school. I think this gives the local school districts more latitude with scheduling. If they had time to make up, they could opt to lengthen the school day for a certain number of day, for example. A school district might choose a longer school day for four days/week rather than shorter days five days/week. A lot of options could open up with this part of the proposed bill.
On the other hand, they are also wanting to limit the school year to between Labor Day and Memorial Day. I have no idea what they are thinking on this part. This takes options away from the schools. I could sort of understand if they used one or the other. If you start before Labor Day, you must be out before Memorial Day but if you start after Labor Day, you can finish the school year after Memorial Day. Something to that effect. But why even bother with that? Let the schools set their individual schedules according to their needs. What's wrong with starting in mid-August, having three weeks off for Christmas break and ending the first week of June? But then I'd like to see year round school schedules become more of the norm.
Wouldn't it be easier if the state just said: You have to provide 1,050 hours of instruction time for the students. You have between July 1 and June 30 to work it out as your district sees fit. One part of this bill seems to counteract the other part of this bill. In one section, the state says you can have more flexibility with scheduling your school year, and another section takes it back away. Sheeeeeesh.
This bill hasn't really gone anywhere yet. It's still in committee. But I did send an email to Rep. Andrew Thompson, 93rd. Even though Mr. Thompson is not my representative, his name is on the bill. I've also met Mr. Thompson and have seen him several times at various events where he has addressed the public and answered questions or otherwise made himself available to his constituents. One of the good guys from my perspective. Anyway, he did email me back and said he'd take my points back to the sponsors of the bill. For the record, I believe he will do what he says.
The bottom line is, the local school districts should be able to set their own schedule based on the needs of their students. Any legislation at the state level should be only to assist local school districts rather than restrict them and otherwise make educating our kids more difficult.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
What Pot? Oh, That's Just Basil
Some days I can do nothing more than shake my head at the happenings in the Athens County Commissioners Office. Well, not there exactly but at one commissioner in particular. Two days after a guilty plea for a reduced charge from a domestic violence incident, Mark Sullivan's wife called the sheriff's office again. She requested and received a protection order.
But it's what wasn't reported on that becomes interesting. When Marks' wife called that day, she also told them there were marijuana plants and seeds at the residence. No arrests were made at that time despite finding 39 plants.
Why? Had that been anyone else, the sheriff's department would have made a 'Big Bust' and it would have been plastered all over facebook like this:
Not only did that not happen but nothing else happened either. It was kept quiet and hush hush until someone anonymously called The Athens Messenger three weeks later.
So, The Messenger reporter made a public records request and whatdoyaknow, they got a bit of the good ole boy run around. First, they contacted the sheriff's office. But Pat Kelly must think of Mark as a better friend than Keller Blackburn because he sent them to the prosecutor's office for the records. But Keller volleyed them back to the sheriff's office. When The Messenger finally got a copy of the report, it was redacted and the narrative part was completely omitted. What's up with that? Of course the claim is being made it's an open investigation. Whatever.
But wait! The Messenger kicked it up a notch. I'm actually quite impressed with them today. Not only did they put the almost month old news on the front page above the fold with a picture and looong article, the editor, went after Mark on the editorial page asking him to step down. Yes, that's right. The historically left-leaning local media is asking for the resignation of a D. They have been inching their way to the right over the last couple of years so maybe there is hope for them yet.
Coincidentally, our ambitious prosecutor and Nelsonville native, Keller Blackburn, requested a special prosecutor be appointed by the Ohio Attorney General's Office. Wow! How timely. It only took three weeks!
So, let's review. county commissioner pleads guilty to a reduced domestic violence charge, then his wife calls the sheriff two days later to report a similar incident and adds the pot plants and seeds in there for icing. She also adds that his kids have seen him transporting the pot for really thick icing. His friends, the sheriff and prosecutor, try to sweep it under the rug and ignore it. But there's always someone looking to ruin the party and calls the media. Bummer.
Now, both the commissioner and his wife are denying everything. They both say the dope isn't Mark's. It's the neighbor's. The stuff drying up there in the attic? Oh that's just basil.
Again, I, as a taxpayer, ask that this commissioner step down. The editor of The Messenger is asking as well. Maybe some others will also ask. Mark's personal life is a mess and at the very least he needs to get it back in order. The kids are involved and they need to be protected. Is someone looking out for them? The county commissioner's webpage includes as part of their responsibility:
Can a person hold a position responsible for the above, be personally violating the above, and still be effective?
But it's what wasn't reported on that becomes interesting. When Marks' wife called that day, she also told them there were marijuana plants and seeds at the residence. No arrests were made at that time despite finding 39 plants.
Why? Had that been anyone else, the sheriff's department would have made a 'Big Bust' and it would have been plastered all over facebook like this:
Sheriff Pat Kelly
Glenn Fraley II Bowman Rd, Coolville was arrested last night after the NET executed a search warrant on his residence and seized a grow operation. Bowman was taken to SEORJ for possession with juvenile present.
July 27 at 10:43am
Not only did that not happen but nothing else happened either. It was kept quiet and hush hush until someone anonymously called The Athens Messenger three weeks later.
So, The Messenger reporter made a public records request and whatdoyaknow, they got a bit of the good ole boy run around. First, they contacted the sheriff's office. But Pat Kelly must think of Mark as a better friend than Keller Blackburn because he sent them to the prosecutor's office for the records. But Keller volleyed them back to the sheriff's office. When The Messenger finally got a copy of the report, it was redacted and the narrative part was completely omitted. What's up with that? Of course the claim is being made it's an open investigation. Whatever.
But wait! The Messenger kicked it up a notch. I'm actually quite impressed with them today. Not only did they put the almost month old news on the front page above the fold with a picture and looong article, the editor, went after Mark on the editorial page asking him to step down. Yes, that's right. The historically left-leaning local media is asking for the resignation of a D. They have been inching their way to the right over the last couple of years so maybe there is hope for them yet.
Coincidentally, our ambitious prosecutor and Nelsonville native, Keller Blackburn, requested a special prosecutor be appointed by the Ohio Attorney General's Office. Wow! How timely. It only took three weeks!
So, let's review. county commissioner pleads guilty to a reduced domestic violence charge, then his wife calls the sheriff two days later to report a similar incident and adds the pot plants and seeds in there for icing. She also adds that his kids have seen him transporting the pot for really thick icing. His friends, the sheriff and prosecutor, try to sweep it under the rug and ignore it. But there's always someone looking to ruin the party and calls the media. Bummer.
Now, both the commissioner and his wife are denying everything. They both say the dope isn't Mark's. It's the neighbor's. The stuff drying up there in the attic? Oh that's just basil.
Again, I, as a taxpayer, ask that this commissioner step down. The editor of The Messenger is asking as well. Maybe some others will also ask. Mark's personal life is a mess and at the very least he needs to get it back in order. The kids are involved and they need to be protected. Is someone looking out for them? The county commissioner's webpage includes as part of their responsibility:
Protecting children. Stabilizing families. Making welfare reform work.
County Commissioners now have the lead responsibility for delivering the bulk of human service that adults and children receive from government, and doing so with limited funding from Columbus and Washington D.C. In particular, this means making welfare reform work.
Counties now must meet state-set benchmarks for moving unemployed residents into jobs. Welfare reform also means subsidizing child care and health care for recipients, even after they find jobs. All of this comes in addition to counties� ongoing responsibility for overseeing and funding alcohol, drug abuse and mental health services, enforcing child support orders, protecting abused and neglected children, and administering food stamps.
Can a person hold a position responsible for the above, be personally violating the above, and still be effective?
Monday, August 1, 2011
To those on Capital Hill Who Don't Have a Clue About Money Management
Speaker Boehner et. al.:
A couple of things I wish someone would say to those of you on capital hill:
Stop with the bipartisan comments. I don't care if it's bipartisan, tripartisan, nonpartisan, or whatever. In my circles there's bye-partisan (for those of you who refuse to get it), and try-partisan (those 22 who are trying to convince you where you are WRONG!)
And I'm really tired of you all saying that if the debt limit isn't raised, there will be some sort of financial Armageddon.
When was the last time you paid your personal bills? I mean where you sat down and wrote out checks or at least filled in the blanks on your banks' website? I don't mean to insinuate that you don't pay your bills, just that someone else does it for you - an accountant or someone? Did you even know about those bills? I know some of you have a little trouble with paying your taxes that you insist on raising for those of us who DO pay our taxes and maybe some of you have trouble having your personal bills paid. Whatever. The problem here is you're buying things we don't approve. The "we" being the taxpayers supplying the cash flow.
Because most of you seem to be so financially retarded, let me explain how this stuff works. YOU - the federal government - have managed to buy way too many big screen tvs, superbowl tickets, beer, yachts, ballgowns, hosted too many expensive receptions, etc.... (dept of education, fannie, freddie, dept of ag, grants to study really stupid things, on and on and on) with those plastic cards you carry in your wallets. You had friends to impress (ignorant voters who expect to get some financial gain in exchange for them voting for you). Now, you're trying to continue to use your plastic but the credit just isn't there any more. You've maxed out on your credit cards. You still have friends to impress though. If you stop using your credit cards and start paying more than the minimum, you will eventually get those bills paid off but it does take a bit of discipline which you are sorely lacking. Those friends you feel you need to impress are not friends.
But alas, you are trying to convince the credit card company that you need your credit limit raised or you won't pay your bill. Do you know what happens in real life if you try that? They laugh at you and get a bit nasty sometimes and tell you too bad, pay your credit card bill. In real life, they may even lower your limit, which is really what is warranted in your case.
The debt ceiling (credit card limit) does not need to be raised in order for you to pay your obligations. You just pay them. You also need to cut spending in other areas and quit buying all those unnecessary things you think you want.
Most of us get beyond this during our 20's when we discover all those things we thought we needed yesterday, we really don't need after all and in some cases don't even want. Not you though.
So, raising the debt ceiling DOES NOT mean you will default on your obligations. Our tax dollars come to you every month like clockwork. Why? because we, the working taxpayers, have no choice. It is taken out of our paychecks automatically. Defaulting on your bills is a conscious effort. You make the choice to not pay them. It has nothing to do with running out of credit. Running out of credit means you have spent beyond what the creditor thinks you can pay back. I really don't care what Moody's thinks. So what if they lower our credit rating for now. It's gonna happen anyway. If you pay the bills and cut spending, you'll prove them wrong and the credit rating goes back up. Whoop de do.
Standing up there stomping your foot acting like a two-year old isn't going to get you anywhere. Take back to the store those things that still have tags on them (quit funding those stupid programs), have a yard sale (quit funding more stupid programs), and listen to those who know how to really tighten a belt. Yes, it's gonna hurt like hell but in the long run, it's the right thing to do.
A couple of things I wish someone would say to those of you on capital hill:
Stop with the bipartisan comments. I don't care if it's bipartisan, tripartisan, nonpartisan, or whatever. In my circles there's bye-partisan (for those of you who refuse to get it), and try-partisan (those 22 who are trying to convince you where you are WRONG!)
And I'm really tired of you all saying that if the debt limit isn't raised, there will be some sort of financial Armageddon.
When was the last time you paid your personal bills? I mean where you sat down and wrote out checks or at least filled in the blanks on your banks' website? I don't mean to insinuate that you don't pay your bills, just that someone else does it for you - an accountant or someone? Did you even know about those bills? I know some of you have a little trouble with paying your taxes that you insist on raising for those of us who DO pay our taxes and maybe some of you have trouble having your personal bills paid. Whatever. The problem here is you're buying things we don't approve. The "we" being the taxpayers supplying the cash flow.
Because most of you seem to be so financially retarded, let me explain how this stuff works. YOU - the federal government - have managed to buy way too many big screen tvs, superbowl tickets, beer, yachts, ballgowns, hosted too many expensive receptions, etc.... (dept of education, fannie, freddie, dept of ag, grants to study really stupid things, on and on and on) with those plastic cards you carry in your wallets. You had friends to impress (ignorant voters who expect to get some financial gain in exchange for them voting for you). Now, you're trying to continue to use your plastic but the credit just isn't there any more. You've maxed out on your credit cards. You still have friends to impress though. If you stop using your credit cards and start paying more than the minimum, you will eventually get those bills paid off but it does take a bit of discipline which you are sorely lacking. Those friends you feel you need to impress are not friends.
But alas, you are trying to convince the credit card company that you need your credit limit raised or you won't pay your bill. Do you know what happens in real life if you try that? They laugh at you and get a bit nasty sometimes and tell you too bad, pay your credit card bill. In real life, they may even lower your limit, which is really what is warranted in your case.
The debt ceiling (credit card limit) does not need to be raised in order for you to pay your obligations. You just pay them. You also need to cut spending in other areas and quit buying all those unnecessary things you think you want.
Most of us get beyond this during our 20's when we discover all those things we thought we needed yesterday, we really don't need after all and in some cases don't even want. Not you though.
So, raising the debt ceiling DOES NOT mean you will default on your obligations. Our tax dollars come to you every month like clockwork. Why? because we, the working taxpayers, have no choice. It is taken out of our paychecks automatically. Defaulting on your bills is a conscious effort. You make the choice to not pay them. It has nothing to do with running out of credit. Running out of credit means you have spent beyond what the creditor thinks you can pay back. I really don't care what Moody's thinks. So what if they lower our credit rating for now. It's gonna happen anyway. If you pay the bills and cut spending, you'll prove them wrong and the credit rating goes back up. Whoop de do.
Standing up there stomping your foot acting like a two-year old isn't going to get you anywhere. Take back to the store those things that still have tags on them (quit funding those stupid programs), have a yard sale (quit funding more stupid programs), and listen to those who know how to really tighten a belt. Yes, it's gonna hurt like hell but in the long run, it's the right thing to do.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Will Athens County Commissioner See Jail Time?
An update to a previous post has been dropped in my lap when I read today's paper.
My last post, Athens County Commissioner has Issues, pertained to the criminal problems of one of our commissioners, Mark Sullivan. I thought the proper thing for him to do was resign from his position but he evidently had no inclination to do the proper thing.
Second verse, same as the first.
Two days after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor of disorderly conduct for a domestic violence incident, he did it again. Oops. But he's been through so much.
His wife filed for and was granted a temporary protection order against him and he has taken up residence somewhere in Nelsonville. Allegedly, Mr. Sullivan "Came at me, threw me in corner of kitchen, knocking glasses (off), physically pushing me and bruising me." She also claims he threatened to kill her. As reported in The Athens Messenger.
The terms of his last court appearance resulted in 30 days in jail, suspended as long as he doesn't re-offend for two years, pay a $250 fine and 25 hours of community service, to attend the Domestic Violence Intervention Program and alcohol/drug evaluations. Eleven days ago I wondered if the re-offend part meant generally or just pertaining to his wife. I guess it doesn't matter now. He re-offended his wife. I don't know how much of the other terms he had completed during those two days.
The day before this latest alleged incident, Mark was on a local radio program and about halfway through the interview, the topic of his legal problem was brought up. During the interview he talked about how they had gotten counseling and all was right with their world. Blah, blah, blah.
So, again I ask: "Will Mark Sullivan resign as county commissioner?" Probably not. "Will he see the inside of a jail cell?" Probably not.
At least in this county, domestic violence is treated in a very casual manner. For that matter, pretty much all crimes are treated rather casually around here. But it seems, if you are going to beat the hell out of someone, make sure it's your spouse. The sentence is oh so much lighter and you can go back and beat up your spouse again for getting you into trouble.
On August 1, Mark Sullivan is scheduled to appear in court yet again. This time to deal with the protection order. There is a definite pattern of behavior. At what point do the waving red flags get attention?
According to the article on The Athens Messenger's website, Mr. Sullivan is denying the allegations of July 14th. Additionally, he's claiming his wife has called him and has shown up at his current residence and assaulted him. He called the Nelsonville PD and is now thinking about filing for a protection order against her so he and the kids can move back to Millfield.
Both sides have claimed various incidents have occurred in front of the kids. I don't know how old the kids are but I assume they are under the age of 18. Shouldn't children's services be involved by now?
As a side note, the prosecutor, sheriff, and Mr. Sullivan are all from the big city of Nelsonville. I'm just sayin'.
My last post, Athens County Commissioner has Issues, pertained to the criminal problems of one of our commissioners, Mark Sullivan. I thought the proper thing for him to do was resign from his position but he evidently had no inclination to do the proper thing.
Second verse, same as the first.
Two days after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor of disorderly conduct for a domestic violence incident, he did it again. Oops. But he's been through so much.
His wife filed for and was granted a temporary protection order against him and he has taken up residence somewhere in Nelsonville. Allegedly, Mr. Sullivan "Came at me, threw me in corner of kitchen, knocking glasses (off), physically pushing me and bruising me." She also claims he threatened to kill her. As reported in The Athens Messenger.
The terms of his last court appearance resulted in 30 days in jail, suspended as long as he doesn't re-offend for two years, pay a $250 fine and 25 hours of community service, to attend the Domestic Violence Intervention Program and alcohol/drug evaluations. Eleven days ago I wondered if the re-offend part meant generally or just pertaining to his wife. I guess it doesn't matter now. He re-offended his wife. I don't know how much of the other terms he had completed during those two days.
The day before this latest alleged incident, Mark was on a local radio program and about halfway through the interview, the topic of his legal problem was brought up. During the interview he talked about how they had gotten counseling and all was right with their world. Blah, blah, blah.
So, again I ask: "Will Mark Sullivan resign as county commissioner?" Probably not. "Will he see the inside of a jail cell?" Probably not.
At least in this county, domestic violence is treated in a very casual manner. For that matter, pretty much all crimes are treated rather casually around here. But it seems, if you are going to beat the hell out of someone, make sure it's your spouse. The sentence is oh so much lighter and you can go back and beat up your spouse again for getting you into trouble.
On August 1, Mark Sullivan is scheduled to appear in court yet again. This time to deal with the protection order. There is a definite pattern of behavior. At what point do the waving red flags get attention?
According to the article on The Athens Messenger's website, Mr. Sullivan is denying the allegations of July 14th. Additionally, he's claiming his wife has called him and has shown up at his current residence and assaulted him. He called the Nelsonville PD and is now thinking about filing for a protection order against her so he and the kids can move back to Millfield.
Both sides have claimed various incidents have occurred in front of the kids. I don't know how old the kids are but I assume they are under the age of 18. Shouldn't children's services be involved by now?
As a side note, the prosecutor, sheriff, and Mr. Sullivan are all from the big city of Nelsonville. I'm just sayin'.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Athens County Commissioner has issues
Only in Athens.
Athens County Commissioner, Mark Sullivan, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a misdemeanor of disorderly conduct. For that he got 30 days in jail, suspended as long as he doesn't re-offend for two years. I'm not sure if that means he has to completely stay out of trouble or if it just refers to hitting his wife. He also gets to pay a $250 fine and 25 hours of community service. Additionally, he gets to attend the Domestic Violence Intervention Program and alcohol/drug evaluations.
I'm wondering, is he going to have time to do this and continue serving as county commissioner? There's no indication he's going to resign.
And no one is asking him to. There are no letters to the editor and no mention of any of it on one of the local radio call-in shows where callers frequently target other elected officials.
If this would have involved our first-in-many-decades Republican commissioner, I bet people would be jumping stiff-legged demanding him to vacate the office. But he didn't do anything unbecoming an elected official because that's not like him. His values and morals are solid.
On Wednesday, Mr. Sullivan was a guest on another local radio show to talk about county issues. At about the 31 minute, 10 second mark, the host gathers up enough nerve to broach the subject. He called it a "personal mishap". Mr. Sullivan claims he would have been acquitted had he taken it to trial. But he didn't because he didn't want to put his children or his wife through it. I guess it's okay to have your children know that you hit your wife but it's not okay for them to see you defend yourself.
"Stuff happens" according to the host. He then goes on to commend him for taking steps to keep other stuff from happening I guess.
Mr. Sullivan said he would have gone to trial had they not reduced the charges and claims he only drinks 2-4 beers a month at most.
Then the host excuses the behavior by acknowledging that Mr. Sullivan had experienced some hardship.
Three minutes, 40 seconds later, Mr. Sullivan is off the hook.
And this isn't the first time Mr. Sullivan has had a run-in with the law. Back in September 2010, he was arrested in Nelsonville and in October, pleaded guilty to two counts of disorderly conduct. WSAZ covered that story as did The Columbus Dispatch.
And, the same now as then, the behavior was excused because "Mark's had a lot to deal with in his life, with the loss of his wife and his father and being a single father," Eliason said.
So, as long as he only commits crimes that are misdemeanors. Or if he does commit a more serious crime, make sure the charges are reduced to misdemeanors, he's good. As long as we are willing to excuse the behavior, it will likely continue.
He's been a county commissioner since 1998 and will in all likelihood, run again in 2012 when his current term is up. The chances he will be re-elected in this darkest blue county is pretty good. I, however, would prefer to have a county commissioner who has higher standards and lacks a criminal record that includes personal fouls.
Athens County Commissioner, Mark Sullivan, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a misdemeanor of disorderly conduct. For that he got 30 days in jail, suspended as long as he doesn't re-offend for two years. I'm not sure if that means he has to completely stay out of trouble or if it just refers to hitting his wife. He also gets to pay a $250 fine and 25 hours of community service. Additionally, he gets to attend the Domestic Violence Intervention Program and alcohol/drug evaluations.
I'm wondering, is he going to have time to do this and continue serving as county commissioner? There's no indication he's going to resign.
And no one is asking him to. There are no letters to the editor and no mention of any of it on one of the local radio call-in shows where callers frequently target other elected officials.
If this would have involved our first-in-many-decades Republican commissioner, I bet people would be jumping stiff-legged demanding him to vacate the office. But he didn't do anything unbecoming an elected official because that's not like him. His values and morals are solid.
On Wednesday, Mr. Sullivan was a guest on another local radio show to talk about county issues. At about the 31 minute, 10 second mark, the host gathers up enough nerve to broach the subject. He called it a "personal mishap". Mr. Sullivan claims he would have been acquitted had he taken it to trial. But he didn't because he didn't want to put his children or his wife through it. I guess it's okay to have your children know that you hit your wife but it's not okay for them to see you defend yourself.
"Stuff happens" according to the host. He then goes on to commend him for taking steps to keep other stuff from happening I guess.
Mr. Sullivan said he would have gone to trial had they not reduced the charges and claims he only drinks 2-4 beers a month at most.
Then the host excuses the behavior by acknowledging that Mr. Sullivan had experienced some hardship.
Three minutes, 40 seconds later, Mr. Sullivan is off the hook.
And this isn't the first time Mr. Sullivan has had a run-in with the law. Back in September 2010, he was arrested in Nelsonville and in October, pleaded guilty to two counts of disorderly conduct. WSAZ covered that story as did The Columbus Dispatch.
And, the same now as then, the behavior was excused because "Mark's had a lot to deal with in his life, with the loss of his wife and his father and being a single father," Eliason said.
So, as long as he only commits crimes that are misdemeanors. Or if he does commit a more serious crime, make sure the charges are reduced to misdemeanors, he's good. As long as we are willing to excuse the behavior, it will likely continue.
He's been a county commissioner since 1998 and will in all likelihood, run again in 2012 when his current term is up. The chances he will be re-elected in this darkest blue county is pretty good. I, however, would prefer to have a county commissioner who has higher standards and lacks a criminal record that includes personal fouls.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Hands Off Our Energy
Robert Murray, founder and CEO of Murray Energy Corporation, along with Jerry James of Artex Oil Company and Sam Randazzo of McNees. Wallace and Nurick, LLC, made up the panel at last evenings townhall meeting, “Hands Off Our Energy” in Marietta.
Basically, Mr. Murray and Mr. James were letting attendees know how some of the regulations set by the government were impacting their industries. We don't always realize that what looks like a good idea on paper, is often a bad idea in practice. Both industries spend a lot of their time and resources navigating the red tape system so they can open new mines and drill new wells. These companies provide jobs, and a lot of them. They are capable of producing cheap, domestic energy in it's various forms and can continue to do so long into the future if we can keep the government out of their businesses and let them do what they know how to do.
I like cheap energy. It allows me a pretty nice standard of living.
But alas, American Electric Power has requested PUCO approve their plan to increase electric rates. Some more. AEP has been increasing rates by six to eight percent per year for the last several years. Their argument, in part, is so they have the ability to cover the costs of building and operating a solar facility in Noble County. While solar sounds nice to greenies, those of us who live in the real world know that solar doesn't work very well here in Ohio. Electricity generated by coal is the cheapest way to go. Period. Generating electricity by solar or wind is three to four times costlier plus you have to figure in the cost of the government subsides that is paid for by taxpayers.
According to my last electric bill, we pay 13 cents per kwh. If we have to use electricity generated by one of the alternative sources mandated by the government, we'll have to pay between 39 and 52 cents per kwh. So, I take what money I have left over and go buy something. Since the electricity rate has increased, that business I want to purchase something from has increased costs of doing business and has to raise their prices to pay their bills. They in turn have to buy from their suppliers who also have increased costs and on and on and on. So, that rate increase has a rippling effect. Add in the increased taxes that all of us have to pay to subsidize the worthless sources of energy...
The bottom line is, the government (state and federal are guilty here), has decided that we need to utilize clean energy more and more until we get to 25% by 2025. Economically speaking, this is stupid.
The standard of living to which we have become accustomed has a lot to do with cheap energy. Increasing energy costs will lower our standard of living. If energy prices continue on the trajectory that they are currently on, or increase in velocity, we all will start looking for ways to cut back on our consumption out of necessity. Unlike the federal government, most households have to live within a budget. Now our standard of living starts to drop and another ripple...
Basically, Mr. Murray and Mr. James were letting attendees know how some of the regulations set by the government were impacting their industries. We don't always realize that what looks like a good idea on paper, is often a bad idea in practice. Both industries spend a lot of their time and resources navigating the red tape system so they can open new mines and drill new wells. These companies provide jobs, and a lot of them. They are capable of producing cheap, domestic energy in it's various forms and can continue to do so long into the future if we can keep the government out of their businesses and let them do what they know how to do.
I like cheap energy. It allows me a pretty nice standard of living.
But alas, American Electric Power has requested PUCO approve their plan to increase electric rates. Some more. AEP has been increasing rates by six to eight percent per year for the last several years. Their argument, in part, is so they have the ability to cover the costs of building and operating a solar facility in Noble County. While solar sounds nice to greenies, those of us who live in the real world know that solar doesn't work very well here in Ohio. Electricity generated by coal is the cheapest way to go. Period. Generating electricity by solar or wind is three to four times costlier plus you have to figure in the cost of the government subsides that is paid for by taxpayers.
According to my last electric bill, we pay 13 cents per kwh. If we have to use electricity generated by one of the alternative sources mandated by the government, we'll have to pay between 39 and 52 cents per kwh. So, I take what money I have left over and go buy something. Since the electricity rate has increased, that business I want to purchase something from has increased costs of doing business and has to raise their prices to pay their bills. They in turn have to buy from their suppliers who also have increased costs and on and on and on. So, that rate increase has a rippling effect. Add in the increased taxes that all of us have to pay to subsidize the worthless sources of energy...
The bottom line is, the government (state and federal are guilty here), has decided that we need to utilize clean energy more and more until we get to 25% by 2025. Economically speaking, this is stupid.
The standard of living to which we have become accustomed has a lot to do with cheap energy. Increasing energy costs will lower our standard of living. If energy prices continue on the trajectory that they are currently on, or increase in velocity, we all will start looking for ways to cut back on our consumption out of necessity. Unlike the federal government, most households have to live within a budget. Now our standard of living starts to drop and another ripple...
Friday, July 8, 2011
Ohio SB165
On May 3, 2011, SB 165 was introduced by Senator Larry Obhof and Senator Tim Grendell.
Students entering ninth grade in the fall of 2012 will be required to study The Declaration of Independence, The Northwest Ordinance, The Constitution of the United States with emphasis on the Bill of Rights, and The Ohio Constitution. Also included will be the Federalist Papers and the Anti-Federalist Papers for historical reference.
Really? We have to legislate this? I would think that teaching our founding documents in high school would be a no-brainer. Evidently, we have no brains in education. Or at least none in those positions that make curriculum decisions if we have to resort to this.
For that matter, why is the state making these decisions anyway? Shouldn't these decisions be made at the local school board level? Oh yea. That's right. We've turned all that over to the state and federal governments. And we wonder why so many kids can't read but graduate from high school anyway.
In my world, education would be privatized. Decisions would be made by a board made up of parents, teachers, and others who have a vested interest in how well the school performs. We could call it "The School Board".
Good teachers would be kept and poor teachers would be fired. Great teachers would be in demand and would ultimately make the most money. No more tenure. No more last hired, first fired. Teachers would have input about what to teach and how to teach.
The school board would make the decisions about what classes would be offered. If a school wants to offer classes in religion, they could do that based on the demands made by parents. Yes, God would be in more schools. The 'extra' classes that could be offered would not be limited. If a school chooses to offer a course in underwater basket weaving, that would be up to the board, parents, and teachers. The board could even choose to have parents teach some courses or be guest speakers. Try doing that now.
Funding would come directly from parents. Tuition payments could be made monthly, or annually if you prefer. Parents would become more involved because when they write out that tuition check every month, it would remind them to attend school board meetings. Scholarships would be available for those who need help with tuition funded by companies and anyone else interested in voluntarily contributing.
That's my world. For the time being, education is primarily a public service funded by taxes.
Under the current system of funding, the taxes are lumped in with all of the other taxes collected whether it's property taxes or income taxes and it's easy to ignore just how much you are paying to fund your failing school system. And everyone who owns property and/or works for a living must pay them regardless of whether or not you have kids in the school system.
A public school system would have a greater chance of success if we could get away from the notion that the state knows how to educate. They do not. We should allow the local school boards to make the decisions based on the needs of those in their district. What works in a rural district, probably will not work in an urban district. But in this country, we seem to think that what works for one, works for all.
But there are other issues as well. More parents must be involved in the workings of their school board. More citizens must become involved. We need to realize that the school exists to help the parents, not the other way around.
In the meantime, I do want to thank Senator Larry Obhof and Senator Tim Grendell as well as cosponsors Senator Keith Faber, Senator Jim Hughes, Senator Shannon Jones, Senator Kris Jordan, Senator Tim Schaffer, Senator Bill Seitz, Senator Tom Sawyer, and Senator Cliff Hite, for SB165. It's a good step in the right direction. Somewhere in Ohio, there may be a junior high student who will be inspired by those documents to lead the transformation of Ohio's school system closer to my utopia. But I hope it happens before then.
"To amend sections 3301.079, 3313.60, and 3313.603 of the Revised Code to include content on specified historical documents in the state academic standards and in the high school American history and government curriculum."
Students entering ninth grade in the fall of 2012 will be required to study The Declaration of Independence, The Northwest Ordinance, The Constitution of the United States with emphasis on the Bill of Rights, and The Ohio Constitution. Also included will be the Federalist Papers and the Anti-Federalist Papers for historical reference.
Really? We have to legislate this? I would think that teaching our founding documents in high school would be a no-brainer. Evidently, we have no brains in education. Or at least none in those positions that make curriculum decisions if we have to resort to this.
For that matter, why is the state making these decisions anyway? Shouldn't these decisions be made at the local school board level? Oh yea. That's right. We've turned all that over to the state and federal governments. And we wonder why so many kids can't read but graduate from high school anyway.
In my world, education would be privatized. Decisions would be made by a board made up of parents, teachers, and others who have a vested interest in how well the school performs. We could call it "The School Board".
Good teachers would be kept and poor teachers would be fired. Great teachers would be in demand and would ultimately make the most money. No more tenure. No more last hired, first fired. Teachers would have input about what to teach and how to teach.
The school board would make the decisions about what classes would be offered. If a school wants to offer classes in religion, they could do that based on the demands made by parents. Yes, God would be in more schools. The 'extra' classes that could be offered would not be limited. If a school chooses to offer a course in underwater basket weaving, that would be up to the board, parents, and teachers. The board could even choose to have parents teach some courses or be guest speakers. Try doing that now.
Funding would come directly from parents. Tuition payments could be made monthly, or annually if you prefer. Parents would become more involved because when they write out that tuition check every month, it would remind them to attend school board meetings. Scholarships would be available for those who need help with tuition funded by companies and anyone else interested in voluntarily contributing.
That's my world. For the time being, education is primarily a public service funded by taxes.
Under the current system of funding, the taxes are lumped in with all of the other taxes collected whether it's property taxes or income taxes and it's easy to ignore just how much you are paying to fund your failing school system. And everyone who owns property and/or works for a living must pay them regardless of whether or not you have kids in the school system.
A public school system would have a greater chance of success if we could get away from the notion that the state knows how to educate. They do not. We should allow the local school boards to make the decisions based on the needs of those in their district. What works in a rural district, probably will not work in an urban district. But in this country, we seem to think that what works for one, works for all.
But there are other issues as well. More parents must be involved in the workings of their school board. More citizens must become involved. We need to realize that the school exists to help the parents, not the other way around.
In the meantime, I do want to thank Senator Larry Obhof and Senator Tim Grendell as well as cosponsors Senator Keith Faber, Senator Jim Hughes, Senator Shannon Jones, Senator Kris Jordan, Senator Tim Schaffer, Senator Bill Seitz, Senator Tom Sawyer, and Senator Cliff Hite, for SB165. It's a good step in the right direction. Somewhere in Ohio, there may be a junior high student who will be inspired by those documents to lead the transformation of Ohio's school system closer to my utopia. But I hope it happens before then.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
My take on the verdict and reaction of a trial I did not watch
The reality is, I don't really care much about Casey Anthony's trials and tribulations in life. I did not watch much of the spectacle except that which couldn't be helped, i.e. noticing the coverage after having ignored the tv for several hours. I generally turned the tv off at that point.
That said.
The verdict came back a little bit ago and watching my twitter and facebook feed seems to have everyone going off the deep end. The reality is, what you saw on tv and what the jury got were two completely different things. Which is part of the reason I hate watching trial coverage. If the information you receive is exactly what the jury receives, that might make it more interesting. But there is a reason juries are sequestered.
We are a Republic. Our judicial system has rules. If Casey really did kill her child, there is a higher court she must answer to. If Casey really did kill her child, it was the prosecution who did not produce sufficient evidence beyond a reasonable doubt. If Casey really did kill her child, it could have been because of what the judge decided could be presented to the jury or made other rulings that could skew their viewpoints.
It was left up to a group of 12 peers to override emotion. They made their decision quickly. When those 12 get back to their real lives and have to deal with the barrage of questions from their friends and family that you know they will have to endure, maybe some of them will have second thoughts. Or maybe they won't. Do not blame the jury if you think the verdict is wrong. They did their best based on the information they were permitted to have. It is possible the public will discover sometime down the road that Casey really is innocent.
Sometimes a guilty person gets away with the crime and sometimes an innocent person is found guilty of some other person's crime. Sometimes a guilty person is found guilty and sometimes the innocent is acquitted. I believe the latter is more common than the former.
I'll keep our system, even with it's perceived flaws. It is a much better system than any other. And it keeps the innocent from being convicted in the media.
Our prayers should be not only for Caylee, but should include Casey and her parents. They should be for the jury, the judge, and the lawyers as well.
That said.
The verdict came back a little bit ago and watching my twitter and facebook feed seems to have everyone going off the deep end. The reality is, what you saw on tv and what the jury got were two completely different things. Which is part of the reason I hate watching trial coverage. If the information you receive is exactly what the jury receives, that might make it more interesting. But there is a reason juries are sequestered.
We are a Republic. Our judicial system has rules. If Casey really did kill her child, there is a higher court she must answer to. If Casey really did kill her child, it was the prosecution who did not produce sufficient evidence beyond a reasonable doubt. If Casey really did kill her child, it could have been because of what the judge decided could be presented to the jury or made other rulings that could skew their viewpoints.
It was left up to a group of 12 peers to override emotion. They made their decision quickly. When those 12 get back to their real lives and have to deal with the barrage of questions from their friends and family that you know they will have to endure, maybe some of them will have second thoughts. Or maybe they won't. Do not blame the jury if you think the verdict is wrong. They did their best based on the information they were permitted to have. It is possible the public will discover sometime down the road that Casey really is innocent.
Sometimes a guilty person gets away with the crime and sometimes an innocent person is found guilty of some other person's crime. Sometimes a guilty person is found guilty and sometimes the innocent is acquitted. I believe the latter is more common than the former.
I'll keep our system, even with it's perceived flaws. It is a much better system than any other. And it keeps the innocent from being convicted in the media.
Our prayers should be not only for Caylee, but should include Casey and her parents. They should be for the jury, the judge, and the lawyers as well.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Happy Independence Day
Happy Independence Day!!!!
I thought this might be a good time to actually post something on my blog that I started back in '09. So, why now? I posted exactly twice and one of those I deleted. However, I spent Friday and Saturday in Columbus at the We the People Convention and spent Saturday afternoon in sessions that pertained mostly to facebook, twitter, and blogs. So, since I now have a couple of blogger friends, one of whom actually knows who I am, and they were quite encouraging to the group that not only can you blog, but people will actually read what you have to say, I thought I'd give it a whirl. Who knows, maybe someone besides me will actually read it.
Yesterday, I spent most of the day trying to recuperate in it's various forms. I had a million emails to go through – mostly spam – because my isp decided to pick this weekend to change everything. I'm a little more than miffed at them because I couldn't get any email over the weekend and was unaware of their new system. I hate their new system. I couldn't access the internet during the convention on my iPad except in the hotel. My phone didn't work half the time because I couldn't get a signal in the main room and it was pretty weak beyond that. And here I thought it was us in the rural parts of the state who were supposed to have difficulty getting internet access. Then there was the lack of sleep and too much adrenaline. So many conservatives all in one place. It was great! I learned a lot. Took a lot of notes, and now I'm trying to review and process it all. And catch my breath.
The convention itself was outstanding. Plenty of choices for the breakout sessions and phenomenal speakers for lunches and dinners. Dick Morris, speaker for dinner on Friday night, made it a point to shake everyone's hand. Not just a few here and there but every single person in the room - which was a lot of hands. He took time to meet with leaders of the tea party groups on Saturday morning and had lots of info for them to mull over. Herman Cain spent the weekend milling around talking to people then spoke at dinner on Saturday night. He signed autographs and had a ton of cameras aimed at him. He has a lot to offer if he were to be elected President. He pulls no punches, uses no teleprompters, no notes, and speaks from the heart. He's definitely on my very short list of two. He's a very intelligent man with lots of great ideas about how to get our country back on the right path.
So there it is, finally. Future posts will likely require at least some research. I hate reading blogs that are nothing more than a longer version of twitter. I really don't care what you had for breakfast, and I don't figure many people care what I had for breakfast (Raisin bagel but it was closer to lunch than breakfast). I won't, however, promise that there won't be rants. I love rants. And I'm good at ranting. Maybe we'll see how those rants translate to a blog.
Happy 4th. I hope we'll be able to continue to have great Independence Days well into the future for generations.
I thought this might be a good time to actually post something on my blog that I started back in '09. So, why now? I posted exactly twice and one of those I deleted. However, I spent Friday and Saturday in Columbus at the We the People Convention and spent Saturday afternoon in sessions that pertained mostly to facebook, twitter, and blogs. So, since I now have a couple of blogger friends, one of whom actually knows who I am, and they were quite encouraging to the group that not only can you blog, but people will actually read what you have to say, I thought I'd give it a whirl. Who knows, maybe someone besides me will actually read it.
Yesterday, I spent most of the day trying to recuperate in it's various forms. I had a million emails to go through – mostly spam – because my isp decided to pick this weekend to change everything. I'm a little more than miffed at them because I couldn't get any email over the weekend and was unaware of their new system. I hate their new system. I couldn't access the internet during the convention on my iPad except in the hotel. My phone didn't work half the time because I couldn't get a signal in the main room and it was pretty weak beyond that. And here I thought it was us in the rural parts of the state who were supposed to have difficulty getting internet access. Then there was the lack of sleep and too much adrenaline. So many conservatives all in one place. It was great! I learned a lot. Took a lot of notes, and now I'm trying to review and process it all. And catch my breath.
The convention itself was outstanding. Plenty of choices for the breakout sessions and phenomenal speakers for lunches and dinners. Dick Morris, speaker for dinner on Friday night, made it a point to shake everyone's hand. Not just a few here and there but every single person in the room - which was a lot of hands. He took time to meet with leaders of the tea party groups on Saturday morning and had lots of info for them to mull over. Herman Cain spent the weekend milling around talking to people then spoke at dinner on Saturday night. He signed autographs and had a ton of cameras aimed at him. He has a lot to offer if he were to be elected President. He pulls no punches, uses no teleprompters, no notes, and speaks from the heart. He's definitely on my very short list of two. He's a very intelligent man with lots of great ideas about how to get our country back on the right path.
So there it is, finally. Future posts will likely require at least some research. I hate reading blogs that are nothing more than a longer version of twitter. I really don't care what you had for breakfast, and I don't figure many people care what I had for breakfast (Raisin bagel but it was closer to lunch than breakfast). I won't, however, promise that there won't be rants. I love rants. And I'm good at ranting. Maybe we'll see how those rants translate to a blog.
Happy 4th. I hope we'll be able to continue to have great Independence Days well into the future for generations.
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