Hts121

And HCR will lower the federal deficit.... if you believe the guesstimates submitted by proponents of the legislation. And I have no idea why you would want to make public sector jobs less attractive. I would think the opposite would be favorable. The less attractve the job, the smaller and less talented job applicant pool you will get. Recently, well over a thousand people took the civil service exam for cleveland firefighter position knowing full well the city will take 100 recruits tops into the academy. Even though the job pays considerably less than many suburban dept jobs, the applicant pool is encouraging because the city gets to choose from the best and the brightest to protect the city's citizenry and infrastructure.

It IS "bigger" than Detroit.... by a pretty large margin - 210 sq mi vs. 140 sq mi

Having a charter or not having a charter does not determine whether your services come from the county.

As 327 hits at above, if that results in joint fire districts and the like, with a consolidation at the top, I would be all for it. If it means that 20 cops will be patroling Cleveland Hts and South Euclid, as opposed to 15 cops on each beat, I would not be. Similarly, I can also see this leading to massive increases in classroom sizes in school that already have overcrowded classrooms. But, hey, as long as Preston Wellington III doesn't have to worry about a tax on father's estate, I guess that makes everything all wight.

It is also highly relevant how that money is spent. In a lot of communities, for example, state aid is used to prevent safety force layoffs. This will likely have to be done through operating budget levies if Kasich gets his wish.

If you are against SB5 (even if you are in favor of collective bargaining reform), you can sign a petition at: http://ohio.sherrodbrown.com/petition Forward it on to family and friends.

Not sure if this is the right thread, but there was an article on cleveland.com in which the CMSD is considering selling its downtown HQs as part of an effort to close its budget gap. Has anyone ever been inside this building? What adaptive re-uses would suit it well?

Fantastic! No new taxes. Wait.... how are the local governments going to fill their budget shortfalls now that state aid is cut in half?

That's because "we've" allowed the teachers, cops, and firefighters to steal it all away from "us"!

In a truly free market, that would probably already be the case.

Check your PM

You both need to read Rocky River IV again. Initially, 327, you are taking the analysis a step too far by getting into 'extraterritorial effects'. You are delving into a more traditional home rule analysis reserved for speed limits and traffic cameras, but not labor relations. Review RR IV, Pension Fund, and Lima v State and you will see what I mean. The question posed in those cases was much simpler. State legislation at issue in those cases all survived because the question posed (as to the GA's constitutional authority) was answered in the affirmative. Keep that in mind and then ask yourself whether the answer will/should be the same for some of SB5's provisions.

I disagree. The concept of local self rule in our state constitution alters the analysis significantly. This is the big, bad state imposing its 'wisdom' on the people of any given community. Don't impose your Norwalk values on the City of Cleveland.... if you catch my drift.

We have been hitting on this general topic in several Cleveland threads..... such as Cleveland and its Artist Pioneers on the next page over. If NYC doesn't want the people that gentrified its neighborhoods, we are happy to take em!

Keep in mind that the summary you posted was drafted by the sponsors of SB5. But, except a few parts, it seems relatively forthcoming about the Bill's provisions, many of which are indeed common sense reform. My biggest gripe with the Bill is the extreme anti-libertarian slant it has. It prohibits, then prohibits, then prohibits again. Anybody who supports this Bill and claims to believe in libertarian principles is either a hypocrite or just plain dumb.

Public opinion polling is more supportive of the unions than the sampling of your inner circle. It also depends on how you asked the question, because 'dialing back' and SB5 are not the same. Like I said before, most of the unions would have conceded that the coll barg act could use some reform. And, of course, the cips will fall as they may. They always do.

Slowly. No.

I think I have finally 'acquired the taste' for classical. Not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing, but I find myself enjoying it more and more. But I'm still a rocker, through and through. Broke out the old Pink Floyd albums this weekend.... which caused me to break out my VHS copy of The Wall... which led me to wear my Dark Side of the Moon t-shirt for 'boys night' on Saturday. And I guess they have stood the test of time, because the t-shirt was quite the conversation piece while I was out. One college aged kid even wanted to buy it right there off my back. The Eagles, Allman Bros., Elton John (early career), Hall & Oates, Prince, Hendrix, Otis Redding, Phil Collins, Led Zepelin, the Boss, Bob. Marley, Fleetwood Mac, Aerosmith, GnR, and Parliament are all heavily represented on my i-pod.

VP can hold a pretty big crowd..... probably about as much as Mall B, especially if you close it off to vehicular traffic. I've seen some pretty big events held there.

As for the title of this thread, and the question posed...... not much IMO. At the absolute most, only as much as Eminem has helped change the image of Detroit... Its not like he is going to rapping about our art museam... or great people... or low cost of living. More likely, he will be telling tales of how 'real' the streets are.... how u betta watch yo back or else you'll get 'clapped'.... things like that

Eh.... not really that big a fan of his style. Seems like kind of a rip off of Twista from his earlier days in Adreline Rush. I guess that is kind of a Great Lakes / Rust Belt style with the fast tongue. But I suppose I have soured on rap pretty much altogether as I have gotten older. I swear.... it has nothing to do with the kid being a Faker.... I mean being from Shaker ;)

If it os going to be "on the lake"... I have to assume that means Voinovich Park. If they hold it at Burke, someone needs to get smacked.

None of the above

What part of town is he from? Edit: nm.... I guess the answer is in that first song. Shaker.

We elect these so-called "elites".... a term I don't find troubling at all really. Not sure how the word "elite" became so dirty within the conservative circles. The Founding Fathers were elites, no? Should our elected LEADERS not be elite? But the bottom line is that we live in a society. Good luck finding one that you agree with 100% of the time. There will always be causes WE as a society decide to take on that you won't agree with. I know there are plenty of wealth transfers right out of my pocket which I could live without, but I accept the collective wisdom of our society and our time-tested system as a constitutional republic.