Lock Them Up and Throw Away the Key
April 23, 2008
Pedophilia is probably the worst crime that I can think of. In Columbus, Judge John A. Connor seems to have toughened up a bit after a public outrage following a ruling in which he was very lenient to the pedophile. According to the Dispatch:
In December 2005, Connor sentenced Andrew S. Selva to five years of probation, including a year on house arrest, on the condition that he receive treatment. Selva was indicted on 20 counts of rape and two counts of gross sexual imposition; he pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual battery.
This time Connor has sentenced a pedophile to 87 months in prison. STILL NOT LONG ENOUGH! It’s time to get tough on this crime and forget about the rehabilitation. Some people do not deserve to be rehabilitated and placed back into the public. It reminds me of the Scarlet Letter…maybe not such a bad idea for these monsters.
Wasting Columbus Taxpayer Money
April 23, 2008
Mayor Michael Coleman of Columbus, Ohio is determined, some might say borderline obsessed, with his proposal to have streetcars in downtown Columbus. Today’s Dispatch has a short article exposing the amount of money that Mayor Coleman plans on spending to implement this plan.
Coleman wants to spend close to $37 million per mile for this project. For 2.9 miles, he is asking for $103 million. Isn’t this a colossal waste of our money? We have so many problems in the great city of Columbus that could benefit from that massive amount of taxpayer money.
The Columbus City Council will hold it’s first public meeting on this topic this coming Monday. I urge you to attend this meeting and tell them what a huge waste of resources this will be. Tell your neighbors, call your city council person, and just tell everyone that will listen that Columbus taxpayers deserve more than to have Mayor Coleman shove this down the throats of city residents.
Does the city of Columbus need to do things to revitalize downtown? You bet! Does it need to spend such a massive amount of money on something that won’t be very popular? Absolutely not! Personally, I would never drive downtown to take a 2.9 mile ride on a trolley. Give me a break!
Strange Remark From Judge In Stalker Case
April 17, 2008
I just read a new Columbus Dispatch article, that really threw me for a loop. A man was sentenced to 18 months in prison after having been found guilty of stalking TWO separate women. According to Judge John P. Bessey, he won’t serve all of that time behind bars if he is a good boy in prison.
First of all, it is another glaring example of how we don’t value women enough in this society to actually protect them. I guy can stalk to different women and look forward to spending less than 1.5 years in jail? Do we just wait until a stalker rapes and kills until we actually really deal with the problem. Very frustrating.
Secondly in the article, the judge states that:
“When you come back into the community, you will be my responsibilty,” Bessey said. “There are five reasons for sentencing someone to prison. The two most relevant in this case are the protection of the victims and the rehabilitation of the defendant.”
So if this guy were to re offend, is the judge going to be held responsible for the man’s behavior when he publicly stated so on the record? Isn’t that odd?
When are we going to get serious and start trying to prevent crimes rather than deal with the situation after irreparable damage has been done?
Ohio Superintendent of Education On Her Way Out
April 17, 2008
According to the Columbus Dispatch, our state superintendent of public schools, Susan Zelman, is on her way out the door. She has come under attack from the Strickland Administration for her unwillingness to work with the administration (i.e. give them what they want).
Gov. Ted Strickland has proposed a change to public education in the form of an Education Czar of Ohio, much like his right hand man, Eric Fingerhut. His ultimate goal is to have more influence over Ohio’s public education system and to make the ceremonial figure head a member of his cabinet. Thus, he would in effect have virtual total control. He could dismiss the new czar at will.
According to the Dispatch:
Board President Jennifer Sheets told The Dispatch today that a small group of board members has met privately with the governor, and then with members of his staff, to discuss both his plan and his desire to have more input into the selection of a superintendent.
Several board members said that the panel remains opposed to Strickland’s plan for an education czar but is open to giving the governor input in selecting a new superintendent.
I know that as a blogger, I am supposed to have a clear cut position on this issue if I choose to write about it. On top of that, I am an educator so I should know what I think. But I am torn on this issue. I do think that the governor and legislature should have more influence on public education to a certain degree. However, I also like the idea of an autonomous entity looking out for the needs of the children of Ohio. After all, doesn’t the government play a key role in education already through its powers of funding and creating new laws and mandates on our public schools?
Does Strickland really need even more power?
So I ask you, what do you think?
Teenagers Bearing It All On Their Cell Phones
April 15, 2008
A recent Columbus Dispatch article really disturbed me when it was published this weekend. What kind of culture are we living in when our children are taking the devices that their parents buy/give to them and performing such lewd acts and then sending them to their friends and/or acquaintances? It is repulsive that our children are doing these things.
What might be even worse is the question of Where Are the Parents? I don’t have children, but if I did, I can guarantee that I would be going through my kids cell phone on a very regular basis to check to see who they are calling and what types of messages they are sending. But one thing I don’t understand is WHY do kids have to have a texting plan? They don’t need it! Isn’t the purpose of giving a child a cell phone to be able to call them if there is an emergency? Do you really need to be texting your kids messages when they should be focused on their studies in school? Should you really be spending your productive time at work texting with your kid that you many times you can’t find time to have dinner with in the evening?
The last thought I had was the sexist point of view of the article. I find it very hard to believe that this is mostly a girl phenomena. Come on….boys aren’t always angels….
Paid Sick Leave in Ohio
April 9, 2008
The Columbus Dispatch reports today that:
“Legislators themselves expect to get paid for days missed for personal reasons, or for no reason at all,” Butland said, adding that “sick days” accounted for only 106 of the 510 House session days missed, and 12 of 114 in the Senate.
“In many cases, members were apparently excused for sick-day reasons far more generous than called for” in the bill, Butland said.
The proposal requires businesses with at least 25 employees to provide at least seven paid sick days per year to full-time employees. It has sat idle since it was introduced in the legislature three months ago, after the coalition collected the necessary signatures.
In my opinion paid sick leave should be a basic right when you are employed. Ohio workers are not asking for paid vacation or some exorbitant number of sick days. Just seven days out of 365 days a year.
This is another example of the do-nothing legislative branch being hypocritical. These legislators are taking sick days regularly, but won’t afford the same right to the constituents that they represent. It is an embarrassment to the state of Ohio that there is even an argument on this issue.
Would small business owners rather sick employees come to work and pass their illness on to the other workers? Wouldn’t that make it worse for the company? This is a disgrace!
Should Ohio increase the amount it spends on higher education?
April 1, 2008
The Hot Issue of the day from the Columbus Dispatch is this important question of school funding. You can click the link to go and vote or read the results of those that have voted and/or left comments.
I do think that this is an extremely important issue. Personally, I see nothing wrong with a child graduating with student loan debt. It is an investment into her/his future. However, the cost of attending a 4-year university is getting quite high. Some students do better financially by applying to private colleges and then waiting to see what type of financial aid they are given. Often times it is more economically feasible to attend a private college because after all of the scholarships, etc., it costs less than going to Ohio State.
What do you think about this issue?
One In Ten Ohioans Receive Food Stamps
March 22, 2008
A new Columbus Dispatch article reports that the number of Ohio families receiving food stamps is the highest in the state’s history.
Advocates estimate another 500,000 Ohioans are eligible but not enrolled in the food-stamp program.
Individuals in households with incomes up to 130 percent of the federal poverty level and with assets no greater than $2,000 in most cases are eligible for food stamps. That’s earnings of no more than $22,880 a year for a family of three.
Recipients receive $100 a month. The federal government pays for the benefits while the state covers administrative costs.
But as the price of milk, fruits and other groceries climb, advocates say, recipients can buy less and less with that $100.
“Food stamps provide only about $1 per person, per meal. Who in the world is buying groceries with that?” asked Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, executive director of the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Food Bank.
On average, food stamps are now providing less than two weeks of groceries.
“There’s the presumption that folks have the cash to make up the rest. Well, they don’t,” Frech said.
Not surprisingly, food pantries and soup kitchens across the state have been reporting record demands. Like the families they serve, they, too, cannot keep pace.
In central Ohio, demand at the Mid-Ohio Food Bank in January was up 14 percent over the same period a year ago, with 120,000 requests for food.
The increased demand coupled with rising food costs and fewer donations have forced the food bank to reduce the five-day supply of food it had been giving out to a three-day supply.
I’m sure that some will say it is just the lazy people that won’t get a job. But I say it is more important than ever that the people of this state look out for those that are less fortunate. It is unconscionable that in the world today that a citizen of this country cannot have the following basic needs met: food, shelter, and health care. These kids growing up in poverty are our future. Let’s all help!
What Time Should Your Children Be Home?
March 15, 2008
According to an article in the Columbus Dispatch:
Columbus’ new curfew policy sounds simple enough: Starting June 5, kids need to be off the streets by midnight. But as with many government programs, it will take a committee to work out the details.
I think that it seems very reasonable that children under the age of 18 should be at home and off the streets of the city by 12:00 am. Parents need to know and should know where their children are at all times. No 16 or 17 year old child should have a job that keeps them out that late at night….even on the weekends or summer. What are your thoughts?
Columbus Ranks #1
March 11, 2008
According to the Columbus Dispatch, Columbus, OH has been ranked #1 by Forbes.Com as an up and coming tech city.
Columbus is the No. 1 up-and-coming tech city in the United States, according to a new list by Forbes.com.
The rankings highlight the success of Battelle in the past decade. During that period, the research-and-development organization has grown from managing one major government laboratory to managing seven.
Columbus showed the most improvement in generating influential patents in the nation, said Philip Auerswald, a public policy professor at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. The Forbes.com rankings were created from Auerswald’s research.
Other cities on the list include Santa Fe, N.M.; Palm Beach County, Fla.; Houston and Milwaukee.
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