JDD941

^ None the less....the signage still needs to be more universal and LARGER...."Trains to downtown" would be great to see at more locations in the airport......that is not something that takes a brain bending effort to get done....so RTA.....GET IT DONE! (refuse to say git r dun)

As much as I wish it weren't true....I think this thing will go down..AGAIN..unfortunately the South of the Ohio Mason Dixon (Mansfield)line bible belters, "He'll keep us safe" (Bush Backers) will decide what is good for everyone else once again...damn I wish this could be voted on in a regional manner...

Anyone know what the stats are this year so far for homicides in Cleveland? How does that stack up to last year this time? How does that stack up to Columbus and Cincinnati to date? Just curious to know....

I usually fend off the panhandlers by doing this..when I see that I am obviously about to be confronted...I ask THEM for a dollar...stating I need money for gas, bus, smokes..or whatever.....they usually look at me like I am an alien then walk away....

It's funny to me that many people on this thread assume that everyone on the East coast lives in a brownstone or a brick rowhouse. I have seen MANY place in Eastern Queens and Long Island that have housing stock very similar to Cleveland.....and yes, even housing with vinyl siding! My friend loves Cleveland even more so than living in Queens. She thinks Cleveland offers a LOT to do, isn't to small, but not as suffocating as NYC can be....and the cost of living is great. I think we try to compare Cleveland to other places too much instead just being Cleveland.

A-freaking-greed!!!!!! :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

I wonder if they were using vision and put some red light/speeding cameras on those towers? :roll:

Well...I AM happy! I hope that the second one will be repaired..and I DO hope the cost of $200,000 to get both choppers off the ground was an overestimation....none the less...they will be airborne!

I say build it underwater in NC harbor, like Atlantis...that way the fish could look at us...looking at fish!

Look for something to become public Dec 13th on the case Cleveland filed against the law.....

IKEA? Cincy beat us there... Target? isn't that going in Steelyard Commons? Macy's...that would be cool! Bring in some retail the ISN'T in the burbs, something new that can be found in other states, but not here yet...just my opinion

Okay....here are a few problems with the current Fire/EMS system in the city of Cleveland... Let me give you a brief summary of both services. Fire: A little over 900 members, all trained in firefighting, rescue operations, and ALL are EMT certified with at least 150 members that are paramedic trained(higher level than EMT, which means can do advanced medical service, such as administer drugs), they work a 24 hour shift with 48 hours off, after 25 years can retire, the department has a LESS than 2% turnover rate(which means less than 2% hired leave for another job within that 25 years) The fire department does not have ambulances, but it does have 4 heavy rescue units that run paramedic staffed and can transport patients if EMS is not available. Heavy rescues are specialty units that have capabilities for rope rescue, water rescue, confined space rescue, auto extrication equipment, etc etc... EMS: Have roughly 300 members, most but not all, are paramedic trained, those that are not are EMT's. EMS runs the city ambulance service, the main and only responsibility is to provide patient care and transport them to the hospital. They work 12 hour shifts, eligible for retirement after 30 years. The last time a study was done, the average EMS employee has an average career of 5 years with the city until they move on to a fire department or another career. The city has the capabilities to have 21 ambulances staffed, but generally runs with less than that. Okay, now we have the background done..let me explain why I think it is silly to have two separate services. First off, almost no major city has separate services (ie. Columbus and Cincinnati) because it is a duplication of services! When you call 911 in Cleveland for a medical problem, more often than not, you will get a response from the Fire Department (FD) AND from EMS. There are instances that you will get a fire truck, a FD rescue unit, and an ambulance. With separate dispatchers from each department sending their own units, and not knowing what the other service is doing, it turns out to be overkill and a waste of resources. With a merger, you could also cut down on the number of supervisors as well as the number of total employees, through attrition. Wouldn't it make more sense to hire an employee that will be there for the entire length of their career than to have to retrain people every 5 years? Wouldn't it make sense to have one department working together than to have two separate services that need to work hand in hand but yet are rarely on the same page and NEVER train together? Wouldn't it make more sense for the city to budget ONE department, than to rather budget two different departments? This is NOT meant to sound as a put down to EMS, because there are some very good medics working there, but if EMS stopped working tomorrow, the FD could provide medical service AND fire service to city because of the training. ON the other hand, if the FD stopped working tomorrow, who would provide fire protection, rescue services, etc? It just seems like a LARGE price for the city to pay in order for certain council people to be pleased with the practice of minority hiring. I agree that people should all have a chance at a job, but this is not the way to do it. Let's work on the schools so people will pass the entrance exams, rather than to just have a set aside city service as a safety net. The city is doing everything it can in order to justify the separate services...from the hiring standpoint all the way to NOT letting the FD provide better service to the city. The FD wanted to implement paramedic staffed fire trucks in order to provide a higher level of care until an ambulance arrives, it was denied by the city. Why? The city claims logistical reasons, they claim financial reasons, accountability reasons...the main reason, it MIGHT just show that the FD is capable of rendering medical care and that ONE service SHOULD be the way to go. These are only a FEW reasons that there should be a merger. If you still have doubts..check out Columbus, Cincinnati, Baltimore, NYC, Chicago, Philly, Miami, Phoenix, Boston...the list goes on! I know I didn't hit every point, but if any of you have questions about it, please feel free to post a question. Also, if you think that there are questions to be answered as to WHY it hasn't happened...write your councilperson...I have, along with the mayor, the safety director, the media, etc The funny thing is, the only answer I was given was from the media..."it is too political of a subject"...funny, POLITICAL? It should be a safety issue!

I can't believe you left out my favorite watering hole in Woodside... K.C Moore's! (sidetracks isn't bad either)... reppin 54th between Roosevelt and Skillman

okay...back to ME! :) It isn't so much a union issue rather it is a safety director, mayoral, council issue. (Fire/EMS merger). There have been a few consultants that the city has hired (with PUBLIC money) to look into issues in the safety services that would streamline it, and be more cost effective, and increase the level of service. Every time the reports came back, the one thing that they all had in common was the merger. I wonder why the city will NOT release these reports...even though our tax dollars paid for them. I hate to say this on this forum, because it may sound "bad"...but the truth of the matter is, it is all about the hiring process. Police and Fire have to take a civil service exam in order to go through the hiring process, EMS on the other hand is an appointed position. This process allows EMS to hire more minorities than the other two services. I have no problem hiring that is qualified, but when a councilman says that he "doesn't care how much money could be saved, the real issue is hiring more minorities"..that to e is NOT a good way to run a city. I could cite MANY examples of how the merger would benefit the city...but it would be very boring reading...

Here's an idea that has been brought up MANY times only to fall on deaf ears of the people that run the city...MERGE Fire and EMS...they would save money and need less people through attrition to do the job. Cleveland is one of the few large city's in the country that still utilizes a seperate Fire and EMS service....doesn't make much sense!

Punch, You are a man of that thinks like me! ESPNZONE :banger:

^DUDE..you dig her nuggets!!?!?! I didn't know "Wendy" was transgendered!

^^does that number count the aliens that are housed there as well?

Not to beat a dead horse.....but in the recent years....gang unit closed...vice/narcotics unit cut downsized...detective unit downsized..air unit shut down. With this kinda crap happening, it's hard to get back to the progress that was being made. There actually was progress being made in this city 4 or 5 years ago. Now we have to play catch up. The laid off cops are back...but they weren't additions...just replacements to those who left. We need more...unit patrols, bike patrols, foot patrols...and BRING BACK THE CHOPPERS! Interesting note...the two new helicopters that the city had purchased were put out of service because of "cost and cutbacks". Instead of keeping one or two guys in the unit active to make sure the helicopters could be checked started and service as per FAA schedules and rules...they just let them sit in hanger at Aviation HS...unattended. NOW, since they hadn't been started, serviced, or checked...one will have to be SCRAPPED and the other will have to go through 100's of thousands of dollars in fix ups in order to get it airborn again..IF it can! Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face! Two new state of the art choppers...wasted. Way to go to the powers that be!

Honda's made here in Ohio...but the profit goes to Japan What is the price of a Honda vs an American car HERE..vs th price in Japan? How much does a Silverado 1500 cost here vs Japan? Is there REALLY fair trade? Oh that's right...it is the workers that drove these companies out of the US...but the funny thing is, they pay foreign workers next to nothing, there is more automation than 30 years ago (less wage pay)...but somehow even WITH the free trade...the price of American cars keep going UP! With all these "savings"..should the prices level off or even go down..that way the US could outsell out foreign counterparts? I bet people would be interested to know the subsidies that foreign companies get from their country. Hell, even OUR country helps them out. As far as quality...that is such a load of crap. I have bought American(GM) my whole life had never had problems. I had a Chevy pick up when I was a teenager..I got 120,000K miles when I sold it, when I saw the guy that bought it a while after..he had over 200,000k miles. Yes, the FUEL economy sucked on American cars in the 80's in comparison...and there WERE some problems...but that stigma sticks today with no real substance. I hear people always spout off that foreign cars are built "better"..when I ask for specific examples, I never really get a valid point. YES..there are exceptions..SOME US cars have had problems..but then again, so have foreign cars! If these companies would spend more time investing in the USA, changing the old image that the cars ere aren't as good...instead of screwing the public, moving jobs, and caring about nothing more than pure profit...we all might be better off! Remember, for every auto job lost, there are many other jobs that are lost due to the fact that "feeder" companies rely on other industries. Let's face it...republican, democrat, whatever...business runs this country....who can do what for whom..money talks..and the govt listens. This country is heading in a scary direction IMO. All these cuts may only affect the "stupid blue collar guy"...but when enough of those guys aren't working, can't find work, and can't feed their families...who is going to buy the products that the smart white collar guy is selling? A country can't survive on service and cubicle jobs alone. We need to manufacture things as well. Unfortunately, the way our country has set itself up...we have lost that power. :cry:

Even though there may not be a provision for gambling in other cities than the ones that are stated NOW....who is to say that things down the road couldn't change? THAT is the point...why not open the door now so others can pass later. Does it REALLY make sense to pout and close the door to everyone?

I personally don't care for the tower either...IMO, it is ugly...I just hate to see it replaced with something with less height!

One reason I think it WON'T pass is because of the cities that AREN'T getting the slot right away. Columbus and Cincinnati I would almost bet my life on it, will vote it down because they aren't slated for free standing slot parlors. I think no matter what city gets them now, it should pass. If you are willing to vote yes for it if it WAS in your city, then why not still vote yes on it even if your city isn't getting it? I think down the road, once the door is opened, other cities will get them too. Unfortunately, it seems that the attitude is..."If I don't get mine NOW...then nobody should"....too bad for Ohio..... It's too bad that bible belters, or people with sour grapes get to decided what is best for my part of the state. I wish it could be voted on in a more regional basis.

Can I get a Hell ya!? I am for it....like it has been stated, to go is a personal choice...I may or may not go...but I DO hate to see that money sent out of state. As far as safety, do you NOT think security around the area would be stepped up? I think it would be even safer near the casino areas.

^ Good for you X! I hope more people start to take that attitude. I say things to people as well when I see idiots do shit like that. Maybe it will catch on....