EagleFan

I would guess the VAST majority of people do not think group/public transportation is desirable. I understand the efficiencies, but where will the demand to support these initiatives come from? $8 a gallon gas would force action, but I am just not sure those forces will move in the direction you want. I could be wrong.

FWIW, Walmart ended up cancelling the project, firing the developer, sueing everyone involved in the development, planting trees on the site, and finally started fixing the road this summer. http://walmartwatch.com/blog/archives/more_on_wal_marts_lawsuit_in_kilbuck_pa/ http://walmartwatch.com/blog/archives/pennsylvania_wal_mart_finally_starts_repairs_after_kilbuck_landslide/

My best guess is that while rail could be part of the alternative, do not expect a big step backwards. Personal conveyances will always be favored by over public. The answer is in how we power them.

It is hindsight, but point needs to be made. This is a public entity. Moving on, someone explain the lack of action on the surcharge.

I pray the new son-in-law did not vote for King Obama? ;) j/k have a great weekend. Letting go is hard, but she will always be your little girl.

Maybe they could clean their coffee pots more often than every week?

While this makes sense, it is not what was noted in RTA's press release last year. Directly from RTA release dated 10/10/2008: "Because RTA was able to lock in the price of diesel fuel at $3.17 a gallon for 2009, additional fuel surcharges will not change until after Sept. 1, 2009." "If the cost of diesel fuel drops below $3 a gallon, the surcharge goes away." Here it is Sept 1, 2009 and the average street price of diesel has been well below $3 since 1/1/09, so I would have expected an announcement that the $0.25 fuels charge is gone. (Note, I would not complain if they made this anniuncement and increased fared $.50 today. I have no problem paying $2.25. I just want ot know why the fuel surcharge is still here despite the plan announced last fall.[/font]

It's OK to overspend, as long as it is "budgeted"? I don't understand that logic. The budget means nothing once the year is over, it's "actual" financial results that count. Did Revenues cover expenses, that is the important question.

Mmmmm, coookies

People who drive 45 in a 25. Relax, Mario.

One of the most unique (and fun!) links ever posted on UO.

I think they are doing their best with expense control, except for their fuel costs. They would have been better off if they had not locked in at a high cost ($3.17) for the past year, but they bought into the $4-a-gallon-is-here-to-stay mania and signed a bad deal. Assuming they used around 5 million gallons, then maybe $2+ million was overspent on fuel (by my rough math). Sounds like their new fuels contract that kicks in soon will be a better deal. Combine that with some leveling off/inreases in sales tax revenue and hopefully expansion, not reduction, of service will be a hot topic on this thread next year.

I'll have to take your eword for that. Yes ma'am is just some urban slang... http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=yes%20mam I forgot you were a country boy. :)

Yes, ma'am.

Meijers is still a corporation, which makes them evil. (If I understand correctly from reading UO posts.)

I don't consider the best President of this century to be a loser. :) (nor a losser, nor loose(like his predecessor).)

With a picture of one of the biggest losser of all. ;)

I have no problem with WalMart. I have no problem with capitalism.

I just hate when they come over. They don't have to light up to stink like hell.

Mine is that every last smoker feels it is a right to dump their butt on the ground. Right in front of you. No shame. Crazy.

I'll propose some cuts. Cut e-Tech Ohio, which just does not provide anything useful or new. 20 million a year. http://www.etech.ohio.gov/ <--note despite the claims, it does little for schools. Too many private educational options on radio/satellite/internet for the Ohio government program to be relevant. He should cut the Third Frontier program, whose seemingly random selection process for government handouts to corporations are exactly what citizens are prone to hate. $100 million a year. http://www.thirdfrontier.com/ Can Ohio really compete with investors already doing the same thing with 100 times the resources? He should not have included up to $80 million on projects (not specified, at that) to improve broadband technology access. Don't most of us already have that access? And how many of those that don't even want it? This was an Ohio Public Work Commission project. Also can cut the Connect Ohio initiative that does the same thing. http://www.connectohio.org/ Strickland should have proposed technology improvements. The outdated IBM mainframes used cost MUCH more to operate than more modern technology (Intel, ADM, etc). He needs to fix up the Department of Development (maybe not cut). Now a billion+ dollars is handed out each year and not enough (or anything, really) is done to grade the results. How else can we learn what is effective and not effective in bringing jobs and growth to Ohio. How much is wasted? Loans and tax credits are essential to Ohio's competiveness with other states, but if money is handed out with no follow up, what good is it to us? Maybe their are no savings here and maybe not, but we can't know without better controls. http://www.odod.state.oh.us/ I also don't want either party to continue to have a huge slushfund to payoff friends and donors. Cut Gordon Gee's salary (heard he was highest paid university president in US). And review "executive" salaries at all public universities. That portion of cost is growing faster than enrollment and actual educational expenses. Cut funding even deeper to Cultural Facilities Commission and Ohio Arts Council. Cut Ohio's Consumer Counsel completely out of budget. http://www.pickocc.org/ Get this, this is funded by the state, then they spend a large portion lobbying the state legislature! Holy misuse of tax dollars. Fees to enter state parks are probably inevitable, that should have been considered, many other states already do. Why not pass a portion of costs to those that actually use the parks (including me).

Maybe lengthening the school year is something to look into, but not now. Funding is more important and there is just no way to fix anything if weighted down with the costs of a longer school year.

I'm with MTS on the email part. Personal or not, any email on the company email server is fair game to be read and used against you. Other steps to use that email for blackmail and personal gain are over the line. I agree with MoonlightOhio that if I was the boss and knew the whole story of MTS's steps, I would have fired both.

It's not that he doesn't know what the problems are. He's known them for years. It's not that he doesn't know what the solutions are. He's known those for years. The problem is he hasn't done anything about it. 8)

1. His illadvised education plan that includes lengthening the school year. No way districts can afford that. If they had the money, it would be better used in other ways. Even the normally Dem obsessed teachers unions looked at him like he was nuts. 2. His cuts to libraries, state parks, and public transportation. 3. His casino plan is terrible. The "slot machines" will payout significantly less than Vegas slots, perhaps the worst odds of all the surrounding states, in order to be profitable (taxed @ 50% (highest in country), already determined to be unsustainable in other states (see FL, IL). Savvy gamblers will know this and we will be reading articles on Lower Than Projected Revenues soon enough. And not to mention us voters have turned down gamblig at least 4 times in the last 20 years. I suspect that if Ken Blackwell were governor and made all the same decisions, you would not be as forgiving.