In my immediately preceding commentary on October 24, 2007 regarding Ben Konop and the whole issue of the accountability in regards to the operations, effectiveness, and efficiency of Lucas County Improvement Corporation and its CEO, I closed with a postscript on a tangental subject when I wrote:
How can I get Ben Konop or anyone else to put the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority and its Toledo Express Airport operations under the same microscope as is the Lucas County Improvement Corporation? The Toledo Express Airport operation has been sadly lacking for many, many years. For the amount of public funds involved with the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority and the airport, there ought to be far more accountability, efficiency, effectiveness, and results. Decades have passed with little or no noticeable improvement.
It is with hindsight I realized almost immediately when I published the postscript comment that the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority deserved to be a subject of its own in a separate message thread here on Roland Hansen Commentary. That thought especially hit home when I read this newspaper article that the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority Board of Directors intend to have public tax payers assist the Catholic Diocese of Toledo.
Are any eyebrows being raised about the appropriateness of taxpayer public support for a religious organization? Will the Protestant, Islamic, Jewish, and other religious organizations receive the same support? Will there be any questions raised by non-Catholic religious groups, or agnostics, or atheists, or by the Amercan Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), or by any citizen and taxpayer watchdog groups?
Incidentally, you might find this specific Roland's Ramblings entry 'Resistance Is Futile' or Managing Dissent interesting in-as-much that it is about how governmental agencies and other organizations and persons in positions of power manage to stifle real citizen participation.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Ben Konop: Lucas County Commissioner Opens Can Of Worms
Hmmm. I have made a couple of commentaries in the past in regards to Lucas County Commissioner Ben Konop, specifically on August 22, 2007 and on October 11, 2007.
Well, today is yet one more; and, it is related to the October 11 commentary. Ben Konop has pounded away at the operations, effectiveness, and efficiency of the Lucas County Improvement Corporation (LCIC) and its CEO Shawn Ferguson. While I, myself, have questioned the way about which Ben Konop initially began his foray into the LCIC issue, I also applauded the resolution that he brought before the Board of Lucas County Commissioners regarding the LCIC as the proper procedure to follow and of the appropriateness of the resolution as a means of holding the LCIC accountable.
Now, there has been another interesting development in this saga as reported in this newspaper article regarding the sudden resignation of Shawn Ferguson as the chief executive of the Lucas County Improvement Corporation.
Some persons, mostly of the opposite political party from the one of which Ben Konop is associated) have questioned his motives and have put forth some speculation as to his political agenda on this issue. Quite frankly, I could care less about Ben Konop's political motivation as long as the public is the prime beneficiary of Ben Konop's efforts, and as long as Ben Konop's actions are proper and legal.
P.S. How can I get Ben Konop or anyone else to put the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority and its Toledo Express Airport operations under the same microscope as is the Lucas County Improvement Corporation? The Toledo Express Airport operation has been sadly lacking for many, many years. For the amount of public funds involved with the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority and the airport, there ought to be far more accountability, efficiency, effectiveness, and results. Decades have passed with little or no noticeable improvement.
Well, today is yet one more; and, it is related to the October 11 commentary. Ben Konop has pounded away at the operations, effectiveness, and efficiency of the Lucas County Improvement Corporation (LCIC) and its CEO Shawn Ferguson. While I, myself, have questioned the way about which Ben Konop initially began his foray into the LCIC issue, I also applauded the resolution that he brought before the Board of Lucas County Commissioners regarding the LCIC as the proper procedure to follow and of the appropriateness of the resolution as a means of holding the LCIC accountable.
Now, there has been another interesting development in this saga as reported in this newspaper article regarding the sudden resignation of Shawn Ferguson as the chief executive of the Lucas County Improvement Corporation.
Some persons, mostly of the opposite political party from the one of which Ben Konop is associated) have questioned his motives and have put forth some speculation as to his political agenda on this issue. Quite frankly, I could care less about Ben Konop's political motivation as long as the public is the prime beneficiary of Ben Konop's efforts, and as long as Ben Konop's actions are proper and legal.
P.S. How can I get Ben Konop or anyone else to put the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority and its Toledo Express Airport operations under the same microscope as is the Lucas County Improvement Corporation? The Toledo Express Airport operation has been sadly lacking for many, many years. For the amount of public funds involved with the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority and the airport, there ought to be far more accountability, efficiency, effectiveness, and results. Decades have passed with little or no noticeable improvement.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
A Consumer Rip-Off: Credit Cards
Credit cards for the most part are a consumer rip-off. Some companies charge the credit card holder an annual fee for having the credit card, charge the vendor a fee (usually a percentage of the amount placed on the credit card), and then proceed to assess the credit card holder an outrageously high interest percentage when making monthly payments. Some of the minimum payments on these credit cards are such that a person may never pay off the principal amount on the debt.
Many people have created an entire life-style dependent upon their credit cards, racking up debt after debt after debt. These consumers have actually built minimum payments into their family finances. They figure they already had been making that amount of payment in the past, so why not just build that payment into present and future monthly bill payments. Now, with that kind of attitude, how would anyone ever get out of debt???!!!! DUMB, DUMB, DUMB. And, that is just what the credit card companies and banks want and play upon.
Credit card companies and banks love to prey upon people and practically beg people to take another credit card and start accumulating even more debt. I don't know about anyone else, but I am sick and tired of being deluged with unsolicited requests to sign up for credit cards.
Bankruptcies are at an all-time high. While the consumer bears the biggest share of blame for that, I fault the banking industry for encouraging and enabling financial mismanagement by consumers. The banks, credit card companies, lending institutions, and others have pounded it into our heads that we need no more than to get a credit card, take out an adjustable-rate mortgage with balloon payments, take out a home-loan or second mortgage to pay bills, lease a car or purchase at a low-monthly rate (they hardly ever advertise the purchase price itself anymore), go to the local payday loan company, etc., etc., etc., ad nauseum.
NUFF for now cuz my blood pressure is rising just thinking about it.
For more about credit cards, visit these two specific entries on
Hooda Thunkit's Therapy Blog
and
Judy's Jewels.
Many people have created an entire life-style dependent upon their credit cards, racking up debt after debt after debt. These consumers have actually built minimum payments into their family finances. They figure they already had been making that amount of payment in the past, so why not just build that payment into present and future monthly bill payments. Now, with that kind of attitude, how would anyone ever get out of debt???!!!! DUMB, DUMB, DUMB. And, that is just what the credit card companies and banks want and play upon.
Credit card companies and banks love to prey upon people and practically beg people to take another credit card and start accumulating even more debt. I don't know about anyone else, but I am sick and tired of being deluged with unsolicited requests to sign up for credit cards.
Bankruptcies are at an all-time high. While the consumer bears the biggest share of blame for that, I fault the banking industry for encouraging and enabling financial mismanagement by consumers. The banks, credit card companies, lending institutions, and others have pounded it into our heads that we need no more than to get a credit card, take out an adjustable-rate mortgage with balloon payments, take out a home-loan or second mortgage to pay bills, lease a car or purchase at a low-monthly rate (they hardly ever advertise the purchase price itself anymore), go to the local payday loan company, etc., etc., etc., ad nauseum.
NUFF for now cuz my blood pressure is rising just thinking about it.
For more about credit cards, visit these two specific entries on
Hooda Thunkit's Therapy Blog
and
Judy's Jewels.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Lucas County Commissioners: Bored, Board or What?
Are the individual Lucas County Commissioners bored or are the individuals collectively a Board? Are the Lucas County Commissioners banging heads or are they head bangers?
A recent Blade newspaper article has reported what seems to be some less-than-satisfactory relationships amongst individual Lucas County Commissioners and the CEO of the Lucas County Improvement Corporation (LCIC).
It is important and very relevant to note that the LCIC is a private non-profit corporation governed by a Board of Directors, on which sit all three Lucas County Commissioners along with other local elected officials and area business leaders. LCIC has an administrative staff that is answerable to the LCIC Board of Directors. LCIC staff is not answerable to the Board of Lucas County Commissioners or to individual Commissioners.
It also important to note that there is a County Administrator, an Assistant County Administrator, and a very large administrative staff that is under the jurisdiction of the Board of Lucas County Commissioners.
I find nothing in the Ohio Revised Code in either Section 305 or Section 307 or any other section of the ORC that gives any authority to individual commissioners in this matter or any other matter. The Board of County Commissioners is a body politic and only has power, authority, and responsibility when convened as a body. There are some instances when an individual Commissioner may sit in an official capacity on other public bodies, but in those instances as in the situation of the Board of County Commissioners, the Commissioner has no individual power. The lack of individual legitimate authority of a County Commissioner is just as valid when one or more commissioners sit on the Board of a Non-profit Organization, as in the case of LCIC.
It seems to me that the staff of the Lucas County Improvement Corporation and the appropriate staff of the Board of Lucas County Commissioners are the people who should be working cooperatively on a daily basis on issues and ventures that are of joint concern to both organizations.
Given the fact that there is professional staff for both entities whose jobs are in the area of concern from which this controversy has evolved, I can't help but wonder why in the world do individual County Commissioners get into the nitty-gritty specifics of administrative functions. It couldn't be political posturing, could it?
A recent Blade newspaper article has reported what seems to be some less-than-satisfactory relationships amongst individual Lucas County Commissioners and the CEO of the Lucas County Improvement Corporation (LCIC).
It is important and very relevant to note that the LCIC is a private non-profit corporation governed by a Board of Directors, on which sit all three Lucas County Commissioners along with other local elected officials and area business leaders. LCIC has an administrative staff that is answerable to the LCIC Board of Directors. LCIC staff is not answerable to the Board of Lucas County Commissioners or to individual Commissioners.
It also important to note that there is a County Administrator, an Assistant County Administrator, and a very large administrative staff that is under the jurisdiction of the Board of Lucas County Commissioners.
I find nothing in the Ohio Revised Code in either Section 305 or Section 307 or any other section of the ORC that gives any authority to individual commissioners in this matter or any other matter. The Board of County Commissioners is a body politic and only has power, authority, and responsibility when convened as a body. There are some instances when an individual Commissioner may sit in an official capacity on other public bodies, but in those instances as in the situation of the Board of County Commissioners, the Commissioner has no individual power. The lack of individual legitimate authority of a County Commissioner is just as valid when one or more commissioners sit on the Board of a Non-profit Organization, as in the case of LCIC.
It seems to me that the staff of the Lucas County Improvement Corporation and the appropriate staff of the Board of Lucas County Commissioners are the people who should be working cooperatively on a daily basis on issues and ventures that are of joint concern to both organizations.
Given the fact that there is professional staff for both entities whose jobs are in the area of concern from which this controversy has evolved, I can't help but wonder why in the world do individual County Commissioners get into the nitty-gritty specifics of administrative functions. It couldn't be political posturing, could it?
Monday, October 8, 2007
Religion: A Qualification for U.S. President
Religion may not be a listed in the Constitution of the United States as a qualification for President of the United States of America, but apparently many Americans have a closely held belief that religion should be a qualification to be President, specifically the Christian religion.
It just seems to me that religion has permeated the news media in reporting United States Presidential politics. I, myself, have commented on religion and politics a couple times here at Roland Hansen Commentary, but I did not know I was part of a trend. How avant-garde of me!
You may ask “Trend?” and I so respond “Trend.”
Here is the latest that I have read in regards to the attention that the “importance” of religion has been getting in the national political arena: Read the commentary entitled "Consultant's 'tough sell' is to spotlight Hillary's faith" by David Yonke, religion editor for the Toledo, Ohio daily newspaper The Blade.
The bulk of American people have truly demonstrated hypocrisy of the utmost kind. On the one hand, Americans seem distressed that many Middle East countries are considered to be geo-political Muslim States. Many Americans cry for a separation of those countries’ political and religious factions and call for freedom of religion in those countries. On the other hand, many but not all of these same people inject their own religious beliefs onto the American political scene and government asserting that the United States of America is a Christian country founded on Christian beliefs by the Christian founders of our country and that we should have a Christian President.
It may seem to the defensive people out there that I am harping on something that they consider insignificant or that I am sacrilegious. Fine. Go ahead and feel that way. Stick your head in the sand. Go ahead; continue to criticize Muslims of the Mid East and Far East, and continue to criticize the Jews of Israel, and continue to criticize the atheist governments of other countries. Look in the mirror and tell yourself that you are right and anyone who differs with you is all wrong. After all, it’s the “Christian thing” to do ---- NOT! The United States of America is not a theocracy.
It just seems to me that religion has permeated the news media in reporting United States Presidential politics. I, myself, have commented on religion and politics a couple times here at Roland Hansen Commentary, but I did not know I was part of a trend. How avant-garde of me!
You may ask “Trend?” and I so respond “Trend.”
Here is the latest that I have read in regards to the attention that the “importance” of religion has been getting in the national political arena: Read the commentary entitled "Consultant's 'tough sell' is to spotlight Hillary's faith" by David Yonke, religion editor for the Toledo, Ohio daily newspaper The Blade.
The bulk of American people have truly demonstrated hypocrisy of the utmost kind. On the one hand, Americans seem distressed that many Middle East countries are considered to be geo-political Muslim States. Many Americans cry for a separation of those countries’ political and religious factions and call for freedom of religion in those countries. On the other hand, many but not all of these same people inject their own religious beliefs onto the American political scene and government asserting that the United States of America is a Christian country founded on Christian beliefs by the Christian founders of our country and that we should have a Christian President.
It may seem to the defensive people out there that I am harping on something that they consider insignificant or that I am sacrilegious. Fine. Go ahead and feel that way. Stick your head in the sand. Go ahead; continue to criticize Muslims of the Mid East and Far East, and continue to criticize the Jews of Israel, and continue to criticize the atheist governments of other countries. Look in the mirror and tell yourself that you are right and anyone who differs with you is all wrong. After all, it’s the “Christian thing” to do ---- NOT! The United States of America is not a theocracy.
Monday, October 1, 2007
McCain: Pride and Prejudice
As I read the Sunday newspaper while sitting in the livingroom of my home in Mesa, Arizona, I came across an interesting article about Arizona's senior U.S. Senator and United States presidential aspirant, John McCain.
Apparently, the Senator in whom many Arizonans have so much pride has shown his true colors inn the area of religious prejudice. The article "U.S. is better off with Christian president, McCain says" reports on how McCain does not desire to see a Muslim as President and that he thinks a Mormom might be okay. The article makes no mention of what thoughts McCain has on other religions such as Judaism, Hinduism, Zaoism, etc., etc.; nor does the article report on McCain's thoughts on atheists and agnostics. Whatever McCain's thoughts are in those areas is anyone's guess at this point. But, there is no doubt that McCain has made it clear that he believes the best person to serve as President of the United States should be Christian.
What other prejudices does John McCain hold near and dear to his heart? Do his prejudicial opinions stop at being beliefs or does McCain also take action on those thoughts in the form of discriminatory practices?
I can't help but wonder what the U.S. Senator and former Vice President nominee, Joe Lieberman, thinks of his senatorial colleague.
My thoughts: McCain has just ruled himself out of being Presidential material.
UPDATE: The embedded link above for the Arizona newspaper article does not appear to be working for everyone, and therefore, as an alternative, I suggest you read the NY Daily News article McCain: No Muslim president, U.S. better off with Christian one by Helen Kennedy.
Apparently, the Senator in whom many Arizonans have so much pride has shown his true colors inn the area of religious prejudice. The article "U.S. is better off with Christian president, McCain says" reports on how McCain does not desire to see a Muslim as President and that he thinks a Mormom might be okay. The article makes no mention of what thoughts McCain has on other religions such as Judaism, Hinduism, Zaoism, etc., etc.; nor does the article report on McCain's thoughts on atheists and agnostics. Whatever McCain's thoughts are in those areas is anyone's guess at this point. But, there is no doubt that McCain has made it clear that he believes the best person to serve as President of the United States should be Christian.
What other prejudices does John McCain hold near and dear to his heart? Do his prejudicial opinions stop at being beliefs or does McCain also take action on those thoughts in the form of discriminatory practices?
I can't help but wonder what the U.S. Senator and former Vice President nominee, Joe Lieberman, thinks of his senatorial colleague.
My thoughts: McCain has just ruled himself out of being Presidential material.
UPDATE: The embedded link above for the Arizona newspaper article does not appear to be working for everyone, and therefore, as an alternative, I suggest you read the NY Daily News article McCain: No Muslim president, U.S. better off with Christian one by Helen Kennedy.
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