Franklin County to the Rescue
July 21, 2008
This article about from the Columbus Dispatch details plans by Columbus and Franklin County to help bail out citizens that are facing forclosure. The idea is to help keep people in their homes and to also go after some of the predatory lenders that may have been somewhat deceiving when they lent money in the first place.
A statistic in the article that I was unaware of is that “Ohio’s foreclosure rate was sixth-highest in the nation last month.” That’s pretty amazing. It is never good to be in the top ten for such bad things as human misery.
For me this is somewhat of a tough call so I am asking for your opinion. Is it fair for the government to spend large amounts of money to help borrowers, many of which never had the means to buy the house in the first place? I know that $3 million may not sound like a lot of money, but it is just the tip of the iceberg. On a side note… isn’t it crazy when we are so numb to hearing numbers in the millions and billions that we just kind of shrug our shoulders and not think twice about spending that amount of money?
I do feel sorry for people in these situations. Many cannot afford the houses because the the crippled economy. What do we do to help?
Isn’t the GOP the Party of Fiscal Responsibility
June 16, 2008
Not so, according to this Dispatch article. As a Clinton democrat, I admit that I am new to the party and still have some Republican leanings. I do think it is absolutely imperative that we balance our budget with regards to all levels of government.
Both parties in the state of Ohio are attempting to spend more money from the rainy-day fund.
On Thursday, the governor vetoed a section of the $1.6 billion economic-stimulus bill that would take $200 million from those emergency reserves. He was concerned about setting a precedent of spending rainy-day money for new projects instead of stabilizing the budget, spokesman Keith Dailey said.
Why can’t the parties work together to find solutions to the many problems that we have in this state without constantly throwing money at them and doing little to actually fixing them?
Rape Crisis Centers Are the Latest Casualties
June 15, 2008
According to a Dispatch article the latest to feel the effects of an ailing economy are rape crisis centers across the state of Ohio.
As federal programs for crime victims and other justice programs are overhauled and cut for next year, the sexual-assault network is in danger of losing at least 82 percent of its $161,000 in annual operating money. The story is the same for the trauma-recovery program.
Is it not enough that these victims have to sustain the initial crime and then the make their way through our horrendous court system, but now we are taking away their support system to get through this nightmare? This is morally wrong and even though we all know that cuts need to be made to balance our budget, but I can think of a million other places to cut first. Can’t you?
Ohio HB 477
June 10, 2008
A medida que el mundo se vuelve más pequeño y más interconectado, ¿por qué quiere ser Ohio más aislado? ¿Cuáles son los temores de permitir a la gente que hablen otros idiomas aparte del Inglés? ¿Tiene miedo de que pudiera ser obligado a hablar español, o quizás incluso Somalia?
Los inmigrantes que vienen a nuestro país, legal o ilegalmente, vienen a crear una vida mejor para sí mismos. Con el fin de hacerlo, deben aprender Inglés para prosperar en esta sociedad. Pero para hacerlo, ellos deben recibir también la ayuda de nuestro gobierno para facilitar ese proceso y el tiempo que tarda en aprender un idioma. No podemos dejarlos en una tierra donde nadie pueda comunicarse y esperar que rápidamente se asimilen y olvidaen su lengua materna. El aprendizaje de la lengua lleva tiempo. Ahora es nuestra obligación moral de dárselo a ellos.
Payday Lenders Are Back
June 8, 2008
Did you ever think that the payday loan shark lenders would go silentely into the night? I have to say that I knew that would never happen. This is obviously a lucrative buisenss. When you are out and about you can see how many of these companies are popping up all around the poorer areas of ohio.
According to the Dispatch, the payday loan sharks are going to take their case to the people.
The payday industry has hired Columbus attorney David Paragas to act as counsel, coordinate the ballot effort, and explore potential legal challenges to the law. Ohio Petition Co., which guarantees clients that their issues will qualify for the ballot, is expected to collect the signatures. The company is working separately with a union-led coalition on a ballot initiative mandating paid sick days.
DeVault said the payday industry will “devote the resources necessary to make sure (voters) understand what is at stake.”
Faith said he thinks Ohioans will side against payday lenders, but he is worried that the industry can vastly outspend defenders of the law in a campaign.
Under the new law, lenders are allowed to offer a two-week loan with a 28 percent annual interest rate and a one-time $15 origination fee. A $300 loan can require about $18 interest, compared with the $45 charged today.
The payday industry is working on a similar ballot campaign in Arizona, where a law threatens to wipe out the short-term, high-interest lenders in 2010.
Remember people of Ohio…these people care only about themselves. They are NOT fighting on your behalf.
Una ley propuesta en el estado de Ohio que requiere el inglés como idioma oficial
June 5, 2008
La semana que viene la asamblea legislativa del estado de Ohio va a debatir una ley que prohibirá el uso de otros idiomas en las oficinas gubernatales, como el español. Esta ley, HB 477, restringiría que los trabajadores estatales ayudaran a la gente que vive en nuestro estado que no habla inglés.
Esta ley no tiene sentido. Los diputados del estado no entienden que los inmigrantes en Ohio quieren aprender a hablar y escribir en inglés. La falta de recursos en Ohio les hace difícil a los inmigrantes del estado. No hay suficientes clases ni maestros para que la gente pueda aprender.
Para más información, vaya a este sitio web.
Ya es hora que los ciudadanos de Ohio tomen iniciativa y que les hablen a sus diputados.
You can look up your Representative by name or zip code online at http://www.house.state.oh.us/jsps/Representatives.jsp.
Or you can call 1-800-282-0253 to leave a message for your Representative, Monday through Friday, 8:30am – 5:00pm.
Dígales que voten NO por HB477.
Carnival of Ohio Politics #120
June 4, 2008
Check out the new Carnival of Ohio Politics compiled by Jill Miller Zimon. Great job!
From the Disturbing File: Delaware, Ohio Man Found Guilty of Child-Rape
June 4, 2008
Let me begin by saying I am not one of the “get them out of here” crowd when it comes to immigration: legal or illegal. But stories like this make me sick.
DELAWARE, Ohio — A Delaware County man accused of raping a young girl in 2006 is mentally incompetent to stand trial and must continue mental-health treatment for up to 10 years, a judge ruled yesterday.A new evaluation of Gustave Kamba’s condition, along with testimony from his victim and other evidence, convinced Common Pleas Judge Everett H. Krueger that the 38-year-old is mentally ill.
Kamba, a refugee and artist from the Democratic Republic of Congo, was charged in August 2006 with four felony counts of rape. Prosecutors said he impregnated his victim, who was believed to be younger than 13 years old at the time.
Krueger deemed Kamba ready for trial in November, but ordered him to undergo an additional psychological examination to determine his state of mind at the time of the alleged crimes.
Krueger determined yesterday that Kamba forced the girl to have sex with him. He found the state’s evidence “clear and convincing” and ordered that Kamba undergo treatment at Twin Valley Behavioral Healthcare in Columbus for up to 10 years.
The court will maintain jurisdiction over Kamba during that time.
Kamba’s victim testified yesterday that he threatened her not to tell anyone about the abuse.
No one knew until August 2006, when the girl went to the hospital because she had missed her menstrual period and was experiencing stomach pains and vomiting. That day, she divulged the abuse to a social worker, nurse and doctor.
The girl’s baby was never born, but DNA evidence taken from the fetus matched Kamba’s DNA, Assistant Prosecutor Kyle Rohrer said.
“It was extremely difficult to do what she did,” Rohrer said of the girl’s testimony.
If Kamba’s mental health changes in the future, prosecutors could pursue the case again in court, Rohrer said.
Kamba’s attorney, Ross Long, declined comment on the case.
Once this guy is released he should be sent back to the Congo for good. We can’t allow anyone to prey on our children.
Columbus Imposes Stricter Curfew Laws
June 1, 2008
The Dispatch tells us about the new stepped up efforts by the city of Columbus to keep kids off the streets.
Details of the city’s stepped-up curfew enforcement:
• Better be home: 13- to 17-year-olds must be in by midnight. Children younger than 13 must be indoors by an hour after sundown. Curfew enforcement will begin Thursday and last through Aug. 24 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
• Exceptions: Children accompanied by a parent or guardian aren’t subject to the curfew. Those going to or from work, on a family emergency, or heading home from a late movie they saw with parental permission won’t be taken to the curfew center.
• Penalties: Children picked up by police will be taken to the Downtown YMCA and held until their parents get them. After the first violation, children and parents will have to attend a three-hour lesson offered by the Safe and Drug-Free Schools Consortium. A second violation could require community service for the child. A third could bring misdemeanor charges against kids and parents.
• Turn them in: To report a child violating the Columbus curfew, call 614-645-4545 starting Thursday.
What are curfew laws like in your city and how do you think it affects your area?
Do Smoking Bans Impede the Rights Of Patrons?
May 31, 2008
Two Central Ohio bars are challenging a local smoking ban which resulted in investigations and fines being assessed. According to the Dispatch a local Moose Lodge and Zeno’s Victorian Village are slated for hearings resulting from patrons smoking in their establishments.
At one, the Loyal Order of Moose lodge, 1970 Schrock Rd., they’re mum about the upcoming encounter. A woman who answered the phone said nobody would talk about the hearing and refused to say whether patrons still are smoking at the lodge.
City officials suspect they are.
Roy Walls, who owns Jack’s Corner Pub, 2480 Summit St., said he’s a bit frustrated with the situation.
Walls said he has enforced the ban since last year, much to the chagrin of many patrons.
Some women sneak smokes in the bathroom and other customers have torn down his “no smoking” signs and snuffed out cigarettes on the sign outside, Walls said. He’s pretty sure that the last fine his business received was prompted by a ban-hating customer who lit up when he recognized the city inspector.
“When it was 10 degrees and snowing outside this winter, they were raising Cain,” said Walls, who thinks the choice of whether to allow smoking should be up to individual bar owners.
I’m tired of smokers whining about these bans. They were voted on in a democratic process and the majority of us do not want the second hand smoke. Don’t we have rights as well?
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