Elect a Competent Mayor for Toledo, Ohio

OMG! Oh, my goodness! Here we go again. It seems that Toledoans are already bashing potential candidates for the position of Mayor of the City of Toledo. That observation may be demonstrated by examining this blog entry and message thread in Glass City Jungle.
Harrumph, that election is still a year and-a-half away!!!
Just two-and-a-half years ago, Toledoans dethroned incumbent one-term Mayor Jack Ford (D), and returned former two-term Mayor Carty Finkbeiner (D) in the general election after having held a primary election that had included many candidates. One of those primary election candidates was Keith Wilkowski, who is presently exploring the possibility of another run to become Mayor of Toledo.
Regarding the 2005 primary election to select the Toledo mayoral candidates, does anyone remember this blog entry from HistoryMike?
It is interesting that Toledoans bemoan what they perceive as a lack of competent candidates for Mayor. Come to think of it, Toledoans generally perceive candidates for any elective office as incompetent. Ergo, the elected officials are perceived as incompetent. And yet, when given an opportunity, the majority of the voting-age public in Toledo tends to do several things, all of which are negative, when it comes to the electoral process. One: competent potential candidates are criticized promptly and persistently. Two: critics (many in the blogosphere choose to remain anonymous) are quick to criticize candidates but slow to put themselves forth as candidates, or to put forth positive suggestions on the issues for the potential candidates, or even for suggesting a specific person as a candidate who might be a competent Mayor. Three: the majority of voting-age public fail to vote. Consequently, a minority of the people selects the nominated candidates in the primary elections and therefore elects the successful candidates in the general elections.
Let me elaborate on that last statement. It is my observation that, generally speaking, approximately one-half (50%) of the voting-age public is registered to vote. Of those who are registered to vote, approximately one-half actually turn out to vote; that translates into one-fourth (25%) of the voting-age public voting in elections. In a one-on-one majority election, it only takes 50% plus one of the votes to elect the candidate; that ultimately equates to 12.5% of the voting-age public choosing our elected officials. It is possible to be elected with even less in a plurality race, like school board elections in Ohio where those voted into office need only to gather the highest number of votes amongst the candidates. Therefore, in reality, the electorate actually consists of a minority.
Let the Toledo naysayers continue to disparage our current Toledo mayor and our potential candidates for mayor and scare away those who might have otherwise considered running for Mayor of Toledo. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy. It is those naysayers who really create the situation of which they are so critical. The fault is theirs. It is they who are to be blamed, not the mayor nor the candidates for mayor.
For those who are of the opinion that I am incorrect, I challenge you to identify yourself. I further challenge you to step up to the plate in either offering yourself as a candidate for Toledo mayor or working on behalf of a candidate for a competent mayor of Toledo. Don’t just be a negative unconstructive critic that cries for change; actively work on behalf of change in a manner that puts forth positive suggestions and ideas!

Postscript:
Dare I say that I think most political naysayers are amongst the 75% of the voting-age public who do not vote, meaning those who do not even bother to register to vote and those who may be registered but don’t bother to vote??!!!
Gee, somehow, I do not think Toledoans are unique in this regard. I kind of get the feeling that people are the same throughout the United States.

This message has been another service of Roland Hansen Commentary – and you have my word on it.

The Pope; The Dalai Lama; The British Prime Minister; The South Korean President

Okay, so you read the title of this blog entry and are wondering what do these four have in common. I'll tell you. All four have just made historic visits to the United States at pretty much the same time.

An interesting obsevation was made over at The Adam Hansen Weblog in the entry There's something happening here that made me think and think again.

Amongst all the happenings of the four in their visits to the United States, the traditional mass media reported:
Pope Benedict XVI blessed the ground;
The Dalai Lama spoke of religion in Ann Arbor, Michigan;
Gordon Brown met with Hillary Rodham Clinton, John McCain, and Barack Hussein Obama;
Lee Myung-bak met with George W. Bush.

Oh! You want more news about their visits. If so, go visit the google search results for news about:
The Pope
The Dalai Lama
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak

So, what was it that caused me to think and think again?
I'll tell you in the form of a question.
Why is so much attention being given by the "Press" to Pope Benedict XVI and so little attention being given by the "Press" to the Dalai Lama, Gordon Brown, and Lee Myung-bak?

Clinton, McCain, Obama and the IRS

I remember when the campaign platforms of candidates for the President of the United States of America included a plank on reform of the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) and the national tax code, laws, and regulations.

One strong proposal advocated in past presidential campaigns was that calling for a flat tax. That proposal in its various incarnations would greatly simplify the federal income tax system. Under a flat tax system, a set base level of income would be exempt from the income tax, but income above that level would be taxed at a flat level for everyone regardless of marital status, family size, total income level, etc.; and, there would be no deductions. The bottom line of a flat tax system is that a percentage of income over a base level would be assessed; this is not unlike many municipal income tax systems.

As follows, I am providing a few links to some web sites about the Flat Tax to help provide some more information:
National Center for Policy Analysis: Idea House: Flat Tax & Alternative Tax Systems
Forbes.com: On My Mind: A Kinder, Gentler Flat Tax
FreedomWorks: The Flat Tax: Issue Homepage
The Heritage Foundation: Issues: Taxes: A Brief Guide to the Flat Tax


The entire presidential primary campaign season appears to have totally ignored the issue of federal income tax reform. Except for John Edwards, I do not recall any of the earlier candidates ever addressing tax reform in the United States.

I certainly have not heard Hillary Clinton, John McCain, or Barack Obama stake out a position on the IRS. Do any of the present three major announced candidates even have any thoughts on the Internal Revenue Service or the federal (national) tax code? What thoughts do Clinton, McCain, and Obama have about reform of the federal income tax? Are Clinton, McCain, and Obama satisfied with the IRS? Do they believe public policy on taxes is fine and acceptable, as it presently exists? Perhaps, none of the three have the intestinal fortitude to take on the IRS. After all, it was the IRS that finally nailed Al Capone.

Or maybe, just maybe, Clinton, McCain, and Obama have the perspective that the extremely large IRS bureaucracy and all the national laws regarding federal income taxes are an intricate component of a national economic development and jobs creation policy.

Right! I see you scratching your head and wondering what in the world is Roland Hansen going on about now.

Well, think about it. How many jobs are there within the IRS itself? How many jobs have been created because of our complex federal income tax system? By that last question, I refer to such jobs associated with accountants, tax service companies, tax preparation computer software, paper mills, ink producers, the printing industry, the materials handling and transportation industries, etc. Then there is all the postage associated with mailings, all the related fuel usage by all involved in the entire process, and on and on and on. If the United States did go to a flat rate federal income tax, look at all jobs that would be eliminated at the IRS and all the jobs that would be eliminated by industries that directly and indirectly provide ancillary service to the IRS and its mission. What about all those people who would lose their jobs? Would many of these people then become unemployed and turn to welfare? What cost would we pay if public policy did indeed reflect a substantial turn of direction on the issue of flat tax and/or some other comprehensive tax reform? What would be the trade off?

I want to know where Clinton, McCain, and Obama stand on the IRS. I want to know their positions on taxes. After all it is a very taxing issue to confront. Personally, I think Hillary Clinton, John McCain, and Barack Obama will continue to side step the IRS and income tax reform.

In a tangential but somewhat related issue in regards to the two remaining active Democratic presidential primary candidates: so much for John Edwards insisting that they include a focus on the economically disadvantaged (formerly known as the poor and the needy) in their campaigns!!!
John Edwards, please come back; the country needs you, we need you, I need you!

I feel all tax and spent on this IRS thing. I’m out of here.

Ohio: Lucas County Commissioners and Political Posturing

Give me a break! All the damn political posturing by the Lucas County Commissioners is nauseating.

Read the latest Blade newspaper article Konop skips event to attend one of his own.

A few excerpts from the article that especially caught my eye are the following:

“I cannot, in good conscience, pontificate on the State of the County to campaign contributors, recipients of no-bid contracts, and assorted politicians,” Mr.Konop said in a statement.
“So, I will forgo the State of the County and instead have an honest dialogue with working-class members of our community.”

Mr. Gerken didn’t mention Mr. Konop in his speech, but he did call for unity.
“We need to show that we can do the long haul. We need to stay together,” Mr. Gerken said. “Fighting with each other might boost political fortunes in the short-term, but it does not help in the long term.”
Mr. Gerken also defended the Lucas County Improvement Corp., a frequent target of Mr. Konop.

During her speech, Ms. Wozniak said she wanted to look at ways to restructure county government.
“Our form of county government is older than the airplane, older than the automobile, and older than the telephone,” she said. “We don’t fear change because we know that business as usual has not worked.”
She said she wanted the University of Toledo’s Urban Affairs Center to present options on how to change the county government.

My reaction to each of the above is: Cut the crap. Quit all the political posturing, all of you. Who are you each trying to fool by asserting you are not practicing the fine art of political posture?

Mr. Konop:
You raise some very valid concerns but going off and politicking through press releases and one-person media events is s-o-o-o transparent!
Some things never change. Remember this Roland Hansen Commentary?

Mr. Gerken:
Give me a break! That was a slap at Ben Konop if ever I saw one. And for you to defend the totally inept and ineffective LCIC that rips off us taxpayers in royal fashion. Hang your head in shame!
My thoughts on LCIC have been expressed before in this particular Roland Hansen Commentary and in this other Roland Hansen Commentary.

Ms. Wozniak:
Yeah, right, like I really believe you are willing to change Lucas County government! You have been involved in Lucas County politics and have been a Lucas County Commissioner for how long now???
If you are truly interested (or anyone else, for that matter) in reforming the structure of county government, read Change Lucas County, Ohio Government!

I am so sick and tired of the games and consistent lack of positive governance displayed by the Board of Commissioners of Lucas County!

And you know what?
The same goes to the Toledo City Council and to the Toledo City Board of Education.

Skybus and ATA Airline Execs: Throw Their Asses In Jail!

I read the article "Unexpected Skybus closure leaves travelers scrambling" and it left me seething. Upon reading the article, it became quite apparent that the big shot execs knew in advance that they were taking money under false pretenses from unsuspecting travelers.

This crap from Skybus is not any different than the Judy's Jewels entry "ATA Screws Passengers Again". Over the years, Judy had made several entries that included ATA as part of the subject matter, such as this one entitled "Fly Away" among others; unfortunately her very earliest entry got gobbled up in the blogosphere when the blog host server had been changed.

Do you remember the Enron scandal and the consequences of the Enron scandal?

Do you remember the Martha Stewart scandal and the consequences of the Martha Stewart scandal?

The actions of the executive officers of Skybus and of ATA airline industries are criminal, criminal, criminal. All the while those rich fat cat executives were taking money from consumers who were booking and paying for air travel tickets, those fat cats knew all along that the pre-paid ticket sales would not be honored and yet those same rich corporate pigs were collecting their outrageously huge salaries. Tell me they shouldn't be held accountable. If they were elected or appointed government officials, all hell would have broken lose by now.

Where is the onslaught of public outcry? Where are all the investigations? Where are all the capitalists who advocate a free, open, government regulation-free marketplace hiding? Why aren't they yelling and screaming or are they the same as the executives and stockholders who have become even more rich by stealing money from unsuspecting trusting airfare purchasers?

Skybus and ATA execs took money under false pretenses; they knew they were not going to stay operational even as they continued to sell more and more tickets. Isn't that the same as theft and/or larceny by trick? Plain and simple: isn't that the same as stealing?

Skybus and ATA airline ececs should be prosecuted as individuals to the fullest extent possible permitted by law - AND MORE! They are as guilty as all hell. I say fine them, confiscate all their personal property and assets both liquid and fixed, throw their sorry asses into prison, and throw away the key!!!