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!!!

The Edwards-Strickland Ticket

Okay, okay, okay! Enough already! I'm tired of the bickering about Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
I read the Associated Press article Dems splitting Texas caucus delegates courtesy of toledoblade.com. Voting for the Democratic Party presidential nominee in Texas is complex, but it does tell a story that is reflective of the whole Clinton andObama race. The Texas Presidential primary process includes both the election and caucus methods. Worldnews.com also has the story Clinton, Obama are splitting support in Texas caucuses.
The Texas results reflect the same type of results that have occurred in the various states across the country. Barack can win primary caucuses, but Hillary can win primary elections. While Barack Obama has won more states, those states tend to have smaller populations than
the states that Hillary Clinton has won. Hillary Clinton has tended to win the large population states that are generally needed to win election for President of the United States of America.
Some people have made a big brouhaha over Obama winning more states than Hillary, even though those have been small population states for the most part. Gee, I wonder if these same people are supportive or critical of the Electoral College process used in electing the President. On more than one occasion, the electoral college method has resulted in one candidate becoming President when that candidate has received more electoral college votes but the other candidate actually received more votes of the people. Does anyone remember George W. Bush vs. Al Gore?
John Edwards, the Democratic Party Vice Presidential nominee in 2004, made a valiant effort in seeking the Democratic Party Presidential nomination this year but dropped out of the race when it became apparent that the media refused to give his candidacy anywhere near the coverage it was giving both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
The fact of the matter is that neither Hillary Clinton nor Barack Obama have enough delegates to the Democratic Party National Convention that are necessary to secure the Democratic Party nomination for President.
Both Obama and Clinton have been courting John Edwards in attempting to receive his endorsement. Neither has been successful as of this date. I also read this article Edwards praises Obama, Clinton which tells a story in itself.
To those that have clamored for Hillary Clinton to drop out of the race, I say I have another solution. Let both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton remain as Senators in the United States Senate.
The Democratic Party National Convention delegates should draft John Edwards to be the party nominee for President of the United States. John Edwards is the one for me. John Edwards knows the issues. And as for a running mate for John Edwards, I say draft Ted Strickland, Governor of the State of Ohio, a state that is necessary to win election in the Presidential contest.
Should the Roland Hansen Plan for a Democratic Party ticket of John Edwards and Ted Strickland be successful all the way to the election of President and Vice President, that would leave a vacancy in the position of Governor of the State of Ohio. That would fall into the very capable hands of Lieutenant Governor of Ohio Lee Fisher. I would really like that!
Gee, maybe Toledo, Ohio could get something out of this scenario. Do you think a Lee Fisher administration would make a spot for Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner?

University of Toledo: A Success As A Failure OR A Failure At Success?

Is the University of Toledo a success as a failure, a failure as a success, a success, a failure, or just plain mediocre?

I read an interesting article in the Blade online about the low ranking of the University of Toledo. The article makes reference to "the 'America's Best Colleges' edition of U.S. News & World Report."

Much further down in the article, it states: "The magazine measures schools by seven 'key measures of quality,' such as graduation rate, academic reputation, and a student selectivity index that factors in grades, test scores, and class rank of incoming freshmen."

Upon reading the article, I found out that the University of Toledo ranks in the lowest ranking category of universities across America. That does not surprise me in the least.

Heck, Bowling Green State University, another State of Ohio public tax-supported university in northwest Ohio and about 20 to 30 miles from Toledo, is in a higher ranking category than is the University of Toledo. What does Bowling Green State University have that the University of Toledo doesn't have? Could Bowling Green State University possibly have a better President and better administrative team than does the University of Toledo?

My present perception and impression of the administration of the University of Toledo is that the current administration is top heavy with too many administrators, inept, inefficient, ineffective, non-caring, uninvolved, and just plain overall bad. There needs to be a full-housecleaning of the University of Toledo Administration with a total make-over and do-over.

Here are a few more quotes from the article:

"The University of Toledo has begun a formal initiative to raise its U.S. News rankings from the "fourth tier" to the "third tier" of national universities when the next edition hits newstands in August."

"A move into the third tier would place UT among 65 other universities, including Bowling Green State University, the University of Cincinnati, and Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Mich."

"UT President Lloyd Jacobs in January told the university's board of trustees it was his goal for UT to attain a second-tier U.S. News ranking before the end of his tenure. He declined an interview for this article"

Gee, why am I not surprised that University of Toledo President Lloyd Jacobs declined to be interviewed for the article. If you have previously read or now read the Roland Hansen Commentary University of Toledo: A Non-Responsive Bureaucracy, you might understand why a nonresponse from Dr. Lloyd Jacobs, the President of the University of Toledo, does not surprise me in the least.

Why not read the entire article UT begins push to improve ranking among U.S. colleges by Blade staff writer JC Reindl for yourself? If you do read the entire article, you will be able to read excuse after excuse for the lackluster ranking of the University of Toledo.

Head over this way and you can look at U.S.News.com: America's Best Colleges 2008: University of Toledo where you can then click on several embedded links for more information about the University of Toledo.

Toledo City Council: A Balancing Act

Well, it's that time again for the City of Toledo. The process of establishing and adapting a balanced budget is at hand. It seems to be a hard act, i.e. agreement amongst all of the Toledo City Council persons and the Mayor of Toledo. Heck, it's almost like a three-ring circus.
Not only is establishing the budget for the City of Toledo apparently a tough balancing act, but so is the allotment of time to other issues and concerns of the City of Toledo a balancing act. On top of that, there is also apparently a balancing act involved in allowing all Toledo City Council persons equal time and attention.
Rather than go through it all here on Roland Hansen Commentary, I suggest you take a look see at the entry of Lisa Renee Ward on Glass City Jungle entitled City Council and legislation concerns...
I, Roland Hansen, say to Toledo City Council and to the Mayor of Toledo:
"Balance the budget and balance the political games. Get on with the business at hand. Serve the citizens of Toledo and the community as you all promised to serve when you all campaigned for the positions to which you have been elected."

Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority and The Money Tree

Wonders never cease. Toledo, Ohio and Lucas County, Ohio are now the location of another one of the Great Wonders of the World -- The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority and The Money Tree.
Apparently, James Hartung has found the secret of growing and harvesting the ever-elusive "money tree" and has an entire orchard of money trees. At least it seems that way after I read "Hartung Needs to Go-Far Away from us!"

I cannot help but wonder what other employer or employing organization would voluntarily pay tens of thousands of dollars to a departing employee when the employer has absolutely no contractual or legal obligation to do so. How does James Hartung and the public-tax-supported Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority get away with this type of thing?
If it were an elected official doing this crap of giving away thousands upon thousands of dollars for work not performed, the elected official would never get re-elected, or that type of elected official might even be recalled from office.
Hey, that gives me an idea. Maybe, we should re-examine the elected officials responsible for making the public appointments of individuals to the Board of Directors of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority.
If there aren't any changes forthcoming in the operations of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, its Board, and its CEO James Hartung, maybe we need to make changes in the elected officials who make the appointments of the individuals to the Board of the Port Authority.

Rather than repeating the whole story in this entry, I suggest you read all the different embedded links that you will find once you read "Hartung Needs to Go-Far Away from us!"

The Fourth Estate: Disservice and Failure of the Traditional Press

I read a very interesting article in which the traditional press media have been accused of being unfair in the coverage of the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign. The allegation is being put forth that the media are providing biased coverage in favor of Barack Obama in his quest to become the nominee of the Democratic Party for President of the United States of America. Go on over and read the article Media expert decries campaign coverage by Beth Fouhy, Associated Press writer.
I agree with the premise as put forth in that article. I have been voicing the same concern about the traditional press for a long, long time whether it be the print or broadcast media coverage in campaigns for President of the United States of America, or for Mayor of Toledo, for Toledo City Council, for Lucas County Commisioner, or for Member of the State Board of Education of Ohio, or for any and all other elective offices.
Over at my other blog, Roland's Ramblings, I have made several entries in reference to the overall subject of what I believe is a responsibility of press and traditional media in providing complete and accurate political coverage. For a couple examples, you might wish to read my entries Journalism and Political Campaigns and Mass Media Responsibilty.
The press has been referred to as The Fourth Estate, in the role of shaping public perception in the wonderful and fascinating arena of politics, as the article explains in the embedded link. As far as I am concerned, the media-industrial complex of "The Press" should be in an estate sale because in my opinion "The Press" as I envision is dead and should be buried for its disservice and failure to the American public.

University of Toledo: A Non-Responsive Bureaucracy

Do you remember the Roland Hansen Commentary University of Toledo: A Force or A Farce? of last autumn in which I detailed the aggravating and frustrating experiences I had been having as a result of what I perceive as the incompetence of so-called ‘professional’ paid staff of the University of Toledo Alumni Association?

During the course of those events, I had sent e-mails to several of The University of Toledo bureaucrats. I was hopeful that perhaps someone involved with the University of Toledo administrative team would respond to my concerns. As a matter of fact, one of the e-mails I sent to University of Toledo President Dr. Lloyd Jacobs even included a message alerting him of the Roland Hansen Commentary as referenced above with the link to it.

Amongst the people who received one or more copies of my e-mail were:
Dr. Lloyd Jacobs, President of The University of Toledo
Diane Hymore, Administrative Assistant to the President
Penny Poplin Gosetti, Executive Assistant to the President
Lawrence J. Burns, Vice President for Enrollment, Marketing & Communications
Lorraine Hansen, University of Toledo Alumni Association, Phoenix Chapter President

It is now approximately four months later, and not one of those people mentioned above has ever responded to me in any way. How responsive is that? The University of Toledo receives millions of dollars in Ohio taxpayer dollars and untold of millions of dollars in donations. The University of Toledo has an extremely well paid staff. You and I should be so fortunate to get the kind of money that is paid to the ‘professional’ administrators!!!

Hell, the University of Toledo President is provided a compensation package that includes salary, traditional fringe benefits, housing, vehicle, travel allowance, expense account, and more that exceeds the compensation of most, if not all, individual elected officials in the United States of America! It’s a matter of public record; check it if you do not believe me. If Lloyd Jacobs did not want to take some of his “valuable” time to respond to me, the least he could have done, and should have done as a public administrator, was to assign that task to one of his staff. Shame on Dr. Lloyd Jacobs! Is this the way he runs the University of Toledo? Now, I feel compelled to call his competency into question.

Yeah, the University of Toledo continues to want more tax money. Yeah, the University of Toledo continues to raise its already too-high tuition. Yeah, the University of Toledo continues to beg for more financial contributions from alumni, other individuals, foundations, and corporations. Yeah, the University of Toledo continues to expand its already bloated extravagant budget. Yeah, the University of Toledo continues to promote itself in an ongoing and costly public relations campaign.

But, the University of Toledo bureaucracy does not seem to be capable of responding to an alumnus of both the undergraduate college and graduate school, such as I. Nor does The University of Toledo bureaucracy seem to be capable of responding to a former actively-involved volunteer of the Arts and Sciences Alumni Affiliate, such as I, Nor does the University of Toledo seem to be capable of responding to a former member of the University of Toledo adjunct faculty, such as I.

If the University of Toledo were a private enterprise and not an Ohio public institution, it would not survive. The University of Toledo seems to be one big incompetent bureaucracy. If the administrators of the University of Toledo are competent, they certainly do not seem to care about their alumni or former employees. And if they do care, they certainly do not demonstrate it. To me, it appears that at the very most or least, depending on one’s perspective, the University of Toledo is a non-responsive bureaucracy.

Now, will someone try to convince me of why I should support the University of Toledo financially or otherwise?

I really think Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, the Ohio General Assembly, and the Ohio Board of Regents might do all us taxpayers a service and take a good hard look at the operations of the University of Toledo.

John McCain and Joe Lieberman: The Adynamic Duo

The dynamic duo of Batman and Robin are quite different than the adynamic duo of John McCain and Joe Lieberman.
Remember Lieberman, the orthodox Jewish U. S. Senator from Connecticut, who was the Democratic Party nominee for Vice President back in 2000 and who attempted to be the Democratic Party nominee for President in 2004. To shake up your memory, I suggest you read this Joe Lieberman article.
Remember the comments made by John McCain in the fall of 2007 that pretty much offended the entire Jewish community as being anti-Jewish and was also considered by the community of Islam to be anti-Muslim. Perhaps, I can refresh your memory on that one. Simply read the Roland Hansen Commentary McCain: Pride and Prejudice.
Considering those factors, I can't help but wonder why the two have formed an 'unholy' and 'adynamic' alliance. Of what am I alluding you may ask. Well, read the Fox News report: Joe Lieberman Crosses Aisle, Endorses John McCain For President.
John McCain must really assign credibility and importance to the endorsement of the Jewish Senator from Connecticut because McCain's official campaign for President committee, John McCain 2008, issued the press release Senator Joe Lieberman Endorses John McCain For President. I wonder why McCain who feels only a Christian should be elected President of the United States of America has played that endorsement over and over again as I see through the television coverage that Joe Lieberman has been frequently accompanying John McCain on the campaign trail.
Well, some people are reading even more into this adynamic duo as can be read in the MSNBC story Does a McCain-Lieberman ticket make sense? which provides an interesting perspective. Now then, I answer that question with my own question: Why would John McCain choose Joe Lieberman , a Jewish person, to be his running mate as Vice President when the Vice President is always just "a heartbeat away" from being President and when John McCain has stated his view that a Christian should be President?
What's your take on all this?

Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority: Toledo's Own "The Price Is Right" Show Hosted By James Hartung

I remind people of the October 26, 2007 entry of Roland Hansen Commentary Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority: Public Accountability or Not? in which I brought up the issue of accountability of and for the quasi-public, tax-payer supported agency. If you do not recall the entry or if you had not previously read it, I suggest you read that entry now before proceeding any further.
Apparently, the taxpayers don't much mind authorizing tax dollars to a nonprofit agency that pays a salary to its CEO that is much more than than the salary of many elected officials. I wonder how many taxpayers of the City of Toledo and of the other parts of Lucas County pay attention (let alone realize) to the salary that is paid to James Hartung, President of The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. For those who may not be aware of the tax support given to that private, nonprofit agency, I draw your attention to the fact that the taxpayers of Lucas County are contributing 2.5 million dollars a year to the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority in the form of a tax levy that the voters themselves have approved.
For those who may not be aware of the salary issue, I suggest you read this newspaper account about the issue (or is it really a non-issue) of the salary of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority President James Hartung. While the vast majority of the taxpayers may not have voiced opinions on the salary, you might wish to read the newspaper opinion Hartung's Gravy Train that was published by the daily newspaper in Toledo, Ohio. At least one taxpayer has expressed concerned as can be read in the "Letters to the Editor" column of the newspaper that you may read here.
This is not the first time the salary issue has been raised. For example, I found one article on the internet that goes back to August 17, 2000, and another article from 2005, and a some-what related side story (Update as of September 29, 2013: all three of the links to those cited references no longer work.)
So, dear readers, do you have an opinion on this issue? If so, I would appreciate reading your comments here.

As a side note: James Hartung telephoned me twice last fall right after I had made this comment
"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."
as a postscript to the October 24 Roland Hansen Commentary in which the main subject was Lucas County Commissioner Ben Konop and the Lucas County Improvement Corporation. Because I was not at home at the time of the calls, Mr Hartung left messages on my answering machine. Mr. Hartung had asked that I call his office to make an appointment with him and his "airport director" to discuss my concerns, thoughts, and ideas.
Given the fact that he is the highly paid CEO and that he has a well-paid 'Director of Airports' and a whole slew of paid staff to do the professional work, I found it interesting that he wanted me to be a volunteer to aid the paid staff in doing their jobs! Sheesh, he didn't even offer a consultant fee. lol
Incidentally, I have retained copies of those voice messages for posterity.

The Extinction of The Traditional American Family

During the colonial and western expansion eras of the United States of America, the role played by family life was indeed crucial. In those days, a man was expected to marry a woman; and, a woman was expected to be wed to a man; and, together they were both expected to have lots of children. A large family with each member of the family unit "pulling" their own share of work for the common good of the family was not only important but it was crucial back then for the survival of the family.

The twentieth century saw an evolution in the traditional American family life. The traditional American family became a unit in which a man married a woman, they had several but not too many children, the man was the financial provider, and the woman stayed at home to be the principal caregiver for the children and to provide emotional and moral support for her husband.

Enter the twenty-first century and we see the impending extinction of the Traditional American Family. It seems as though most married couples are both working now-a-days in what has become known as two-income or dual-earner families and many are delaying having children or deciding not to have children at all. It also seems that more and more couples are cohabiting without benefit of marriage and they may or may not have children together. Furthermore, it seems that more and more women are consciously making a decision to have children without the benefit of marriage and without having the father (or fathers) of their children reside with them.

I wonder if anyone else feels as I do - that the traditional American family is becoming extinct.

Ref: Roland's Ramblings blog entry entitled Family

Ref: U.S. Census Bureau, Families and Living Arrangements

Ref: Hoover Digest, The Changing American Family

Ref: American Culture Studies, American Identity - Traditional American Family values

Ref: PearsonHigherEd.com, The Changing Family

Ref: About.com, U.S. Government Info, The Lone American Grows In Numbers