Hts121

My prediction is that Kasich will put on a show if elected and make a disingenuous attempt to divert the Federal money to roads and bridges. He will call the Feds some names when they refuse. He will accuse them of not letting Ohio spend the rest of the Country's money as Ohio sees fit. Then, ultimately, he will cave and the project will proceed. But he will do so only after making some tweak in the Strickland plan to give him something to latch onto. Maybe the relocation or addition of a stop. Or maybe the elimination of a stop so that the train can run faster. I just can't see a man of his intelligence level just allowing the money to fly south with the birds, or wherever it may go. As we all know, campaigning and governing are two totally different animals.

New list from our dear friends at Forbes - http://www.forbes.com/2010/10/13/best-states-for-business-business-beltway-best-states_slide_39.html Ohio ranks pretty low overall at #38, in the general range of our neighboring states. But we did rank high in both "regulatory environment" and "quality of life" (#12 in both rankings). Suspiciously, though, we ranked low in "labor supply"

I think the two of you need a bubble bath.

I am fairly certain a link to the podcast is here - http://www.wtam.com/cc-common/podcast/single_podcast.html?podcast=BobFrantz.xml

Did you not make it over to the Biltmore? For those who don't know, I believe it was the Vanderbilt children who set out to build grand estates in various parts of the country. The Biltmore took the cake on that contest. One of my buddies had his wedding there. It truly is something to see. Downtown Asheville is more active than one would assume. It also may surprise you. In the middle of this, for all intents and purposes, 'mountain town' I somehow stumbled into a hip-hop club. Of course, I had to walk through the country line-dancing club to enter. It came with its very own crowd of country thugs. NC is kind of like that, though. The smaller towns, where we Ohioans are used to seeing white-picket fences, can be quite grimey. Grimey is not a word I would use for Asheville. Asheboro, on the other hand..... my GOD. And some of the areas around where Jordan grew up, in the eastern part of the state between Raleigh and Wilmington are just as odd.

Well... 3231 did say that beyond W.29th it starts to get nicer. But maybe he did have bad luck. Just reporting what I heard.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101022/ap_on_bi_ge/us_food_stamps This report is an example of something we have to correct in our entitlement system. Contrary to what some give lip-service to, I don't want to eliminate any of our major entitlements (social security, welfare, medicare, unemployment, workers comp), but we have to tighten them up. Everyone realizes that (contrary to common talking points). We need to make eligibility restrictions tougher and, more importantly, properly ENFORCE the eligibility restrictions we already have. If you are out of work through no fault of your own, you get unemployment comp. If you were fired for cause or voluntarily quit, you don't. If you don't diligently search for comparable work while unemployment, your benefits should be terminated. That's the rule, but enforcement has become so relaxed that it has very little force at all. Most entitlement systems have similar issues. For example, the "single" mother receiving welfare all while her "baby daddy" never left, although she told the government he did to receive the benefits. Or the injured worker who can't sit at a desk during the week but can play golf on the weekend. Another issue is fraud within the medical profession. Some doctors are making a living defrauding the system by writing reports which defy the facts about the injuries at issue and stating it as their opinion "within a reasonable degree of medical certainty".... or in other words, "I'm 50.1% sure I'm right." For every $1 million we spend on busting fraud within the systems we have, I would guesstimate a $2 million return. It's just that rampant.

I think you are making a great generalization. There are more auto break-ins near the area around Detroit & West 25th. I wouldn't say that all areas near Detroit are like that. I've lived near Detroit for 4.5 years and there are not break in issues further down Detroit (past 29th St). If you read the police reports, the break-ins usually are because someone left their GPS or lap top on the drivers side seat. Sorry for my east-side ignorance of someone who tends to think of OC as smaller than what it is. I meant Detroit and W.25th..... not all along Detroit heading towards Harp (which I believe is the OC border). That said, my friends problems with that specific area were not limited to car break-ins... although that did happen, twice I believe.

Lakeview Cemetary is off Euclid Avenue a little east of Mayfield Road and extends south all the way up the hill to the Cleveland Hts Border (where Euclid starts running parallel to Mayfield). Its is much, much bigger than the cemetary I believe you are referencing.

"Registered" or "likely" voters?

^^Maybe. You?

I'm not sure I want to meet you there, EC. Bad things always seem to happen whenever you are on the square. I have never seen anyone pissing in a fountain, and don't want to. Neither do I want to see other things I have never personally witnessed on PS, such as gang fights or homeless people beating up pedestrians. But if anyone with some better luck wants to meet for a social gathering, I might be game. Since litter is such a complaint, how about organizing a clean-up like you admirably organize for Edgewater? I don't think the union could complain since UO has no official connection to the City.

I heard a GREAT interview with Lanci last night. Very impressed with the guy and his approach. He seems common sense and truly non-partisan, which is refreshing. To be clear, he is not an independent because he feels the GOP is not enough to the right or that the Dems are not far enough to the left for his tastes. He truly embraces the middle, if you believe his words. He said something along the lines that "either we start working together or we will sink together." Once again... refreshing. I also like that he emphasizes the notion that as Cleveland goes, so does the County. He seems to know that a surburban utopia surrounding a rotten core is not going to cut it.

The Kasich-Lehman connection has little influence over my views. Without more than a tangential connection between Kasich and any foul Lehman committed, I consider it pure campaign fodder.

Correct and Incorrect. It depends on where the situations turns. If you intervene to protect the person getting pummeled and the assault turn on you, you can do whatever is in your power to protect yourself regardless of age. Actually, whatever proportional response you can give to protect yourself, you can use to protect others with impunity. But I wasn't addressing the issue from a legal standpoint. More from a practical approach to the situation. In Strap's case, I think a fight between four 7-8 yr olds can be broken up without a grown man getting physical with the kids who are the aggressors. JMO. I also think that you don't want to get into a debate, whether it be with cops, a prosecutor, a judge, or the kid's parents about whether your physical actions against a 7-8 yr old was proportional. Sticky situation.

Good line of thought. But they would just go empty out a dumpster and make a killing. Plus, the laborers union decision would probably apply.

^Hopefully, you called the cops. If you felt compelled to step in, I would HIGHLY recommend that you keep your hands off the assaulters. Just grab or cover up the kid getting beat up and try to end it that way. Maybe some yelling. But don't touch them unless absolutely necessary.... considering that they are minors. I have a friend who ran into this very situation. His kid beat up another after school one day. The dad for the other kid got there and my friend thinks he overstepped his bounds in breaking up the fight by picking up my friend's kid and throwing him off. I don't know the specifics, but I sympathize with both sides of the argument. That doesn't mean that my friend, who can certainly be irrational and hot-headed, is not going to do something about it when given the chance.

But they can't clean the square :x

^ Something to consider - http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2010/10/health_care_premiums_to_rise_b.html

You can still use your head. You just can't spear and you can't hit certain 'defenseless' players - quarterbacks and receivers - in the helmet. This issue is getting overblown. The newer rules aimed at increased protection of the QB are far more controversial to me than the Harrison type situation. The thing that bother me is that the end result seemingly determines whether the hit was illegal. In other words, if Mo bounces right back up after that hit from Harrison, nobody would have said two words about it.

^^You're right. Bag 'em, tag 'em, and ship 'em out. :roll: It feels good to overexaggerate others' observations and feelings.

From Politifact Ohio - We rate Kasich’s claim that "Ted Strickland destroyed Ohio jobs when he busted the budget" as False. http://www.politifact.com/ohio/statements/2010/oct/19/john-kasich/kasich-ad-puts-all-states-budget-woes-job-loses-st/

And that is probably because of dillution. More people on the street just makes the homeless less noticeable. Question - when I was a kid and went to DC, I remember being overwhelmed by the homeless presence. And it just wasn't lazy bums, but people who looked in true despair with severe disformities, etc. What did DC do? Or is this still a 'problem' today?

I cross the square several times a week and rarely get asked for money (maybe you need to stop looking so nice and giving, RR ;)). Every now and then, yes. But it's not a problem to me. I just say no and continue walking. Same thing I say when I am in NYC or DC or LA or Chicago.... anywhere else you may run into homeless people. Same thing my wife says and she deals with it just fine. For it to truly bother me, that would be a subjective feeling, a perception personal to me. It annoys me when they ask more than once or if they approach when I am eating or talking on my phone. Then they get a piece of my mind. But that's rare. To say something is "perceived" does not say it isn't so.

I've never seen a homeless person chasing a member of the public away from Public Square. But seriously, I agree with your general thought process as it pertains to other people's feelings of being 'threatened' on the square. It's unfortunate. But it's reality. That said, whether you 'feel' welcome and whether you 'are' welcome are two totally different things. Everyone is welcome on public square. There is no law, ordinance, whatever preventing you from enjoying it. Contrary to popular opinion it seems, even the homeless people 'want' you there. If you don't go, who are they going to ask/harrass for money? I just wish it didn't have to be an either/or situation.... meaning, to make you feel welcome, I wish we didn't have to make other members of the public feel unwelcome to this public space. I'll say it again, dillution of the perceived problem, not elimination, is the only realistic, legal, and civilized method of correction. And, in this context, I am limiting the "problem" to LEGAL, albeit undesirable to Joe and Susie Strongsville and others, activity. Littering and other criminal action (note - simple loitering and panhandling are not illegal, and laws which aim to prohibit the same have consistently been declared offensive to our constitution).