Strickland, Portman, Space

Let's forget, for a moment, the noise that has overwhelmed this year's general election. Let's forget the TV commercials that generally speak to Americans' prejudices and ill-informed views on the issues. Let's forget the annoying robo phone calls and the oversized "screaming" post cards that feature color photos of the favorite candidate and his family and black and white photos of his evil opponent.

Let's just forget all that.

Most candidates are decent, law-abiding citizens who really do want to serve the public. But the handlers and political machines transform them into supermen or bogeymen. A lot of that has to do with the unbelievable amount of money that is funneled into our campaign process.

With all that in mind, this free-to-everyone blog offers the following endorsements, for what it's worth:

Governor -- Democrat incumbent Ted Strickland.

OK, so Strickland's not the most exciting guy in the world, but there have been some bright spots in his first term. His administration has been a friend to economic developments in our area, including the new high tech park in New Philadelphia

His biggest task is before him. The state is facing an $8 billion deficit in the next fiscal year and Strickland, if re-elected, will have to deal with it immediately.

The Republican opponent, John Kasich, scares me. He wants to eventually eliminate Ohio's income tax, which in 2009 numbers would amount to about $8 billion a year. How would he make up the revenue shortfall? Well, he's a little vague about that, and says that eliminating the income tax will be good for business and as a result everything will be fine.

Yeah, right.

There's also this about Kasich. It's his way or the highway. Excitable? You bet. And people who've seen him in action say he is not above making his point by jamming a finger into an adversary's chest.

The former congressman also lined up on the side of those who advocated privatizing Social Security.

A month or so ago, polls showed Kasich with a double-digit lead over Strickland. That has changed and the race has tightened significantly. Thank goodness.

U.S. Senate -- Republican Rob Portman.

This blog has liked Portman for some time and believes that had Portman been selected by John McCain as his running mate, McCain might have won the White House.

Portman's list of accomplishments is long. Among them:  He was elected to Congress in 1993; served as U.S. Trade Representative in 2005 (a cabinet post) and subsequently as director of the Office of Management and Budget (another cabinet position).

If Portman wins the election, Ohio will have as its senators a conservative Republican -- Portman -- and a liberal Democrat -- Sherrod Brown. I rather like that check and balance.


Attorney General -- Democrat incumbent Richard Cordray

Cordray took over the attorney general's office in the wake of the Marc Dann scandal. Cordray is squeaky clean, maybe a little nerdy (so what) and is endorsed by law enforcement throughout the state. His challenger, Republican Mike DeWine, is looking for a post-retirement-from-the-Senate job.


State Auditor -- Republican David A. Yost.

Yost is the only CPA in the race. And this blog thinks the state auditor ought to be a CPA.

Secretary of State -- Republican Jon Husted

Treasurer of State -- Democrat incumbent Kevin L. Boyce

18th District U.S. Representative -- Democrat incumbent Zack Space

Has Space had some missteps? Certainly, but his stand on the health care bill -- he voted against it -- proves he is not in lockstep with the Democratic machine in Washington. After Space made his decision on the Thursday before the weekend vote, he was summoned to the White House for a one-on-one with President Barack Obama.

Talk about pressure.

He didn't cave. He voted against it at the risk of irking not only the machine but also his base, including labor. And labor has not disappointed, making robo calls in the district and urging voters to cast ballots against Space. So labor wants to punish Space by electing a conservative Republican? Huh?

Does anyone see Republican challenger Bob Gibbs voting for the Obama health care bill? Anyone? Anyone? That just goes to show you how silly the whole process has become.

And, by the way, Tuscarawas Countians, having a native son serving you in Congress is a lot better than having someone from Lakeville. Anyone know where that is? Anyone? Anyone?

96th Ohio House District -- Republican Al Landis and Democrat Josh O'Farrell

Examination of both candidates has left me in a quandary. They both favor job creation (so does every other candidate, including Supreme Court justice candidates) and both would like you to know that they're OK with you owning guns, at least according to their Web sites.

Let's face it, folks, Landis and O'Farrell are newbies to the process. Neither has held elective office and it will take a few years before they really understand how the legislative process works. I mean how it really works.

It boils down to this: Are you more comfortable with a well-educated young Democrat representing you in the Legislature, or do you prefer a conservative, older Republican?

Don't look for either candidate to solve the state's impending $8 billion deficit without a lot of help from legislative veterans.

This race is a "pick 'em."

Tuscarawas County Commissioner -- Republican incumbent Kerry Metzger.

This one's a no-brainer. Not going to waste cyberspace to explain it.

Mudslinging pols are cheapening the process

A friend of mine who has observed the election process up close like I have for many years commented last week that he had never seen the campaigns get as stupid and mean as they are this time around.

I had to agree.

Indeed, the candidates want you to vote for them because all hell would break loose if their opponents somehow got elected.
Pity guys like Republican Tom Ganley, who is running for Congress and who happens to be a very wealthy automobile dealer in Greater Cleveland. His opponent, incumbent Democrat Betty Sutton, would like you to know that Ganley "IS A CROOK!" and has found disgruntled car buyers to prove it. And that's why you should vote for her.

Give me a break.

At least one newspaper in Ohio -- the Plain Dealer -- is cutting through the crap with PolitiFact Ohio, which seeks to sort the truth in candidates' statements and commercials, using a "Truth-O-Meter."

OK, maybe the title's a little lame, but then we're talking about a goofy election. Somehow, it fits.

Both of our 18th Congressional District candidates -- Democrat Zack Space and Republican Bob Gibbs -- have starring "Truth-O-Meter" roles as do many other politicians.

Check out whose pants are on fire.

* * *
Here's the problem with Congress. We generally send good and decent people to its halls (yes, I think Zack Space and John Boccieri are good and decent people). But something happens when they arrive in Washington for the first time after winning elections.

The machine gobbles them up and spits them out. Their first job, the machine says, is to raise money for the next election. And they are told that they need experienced Washington insiders to help run their offices. They are immediately subjected to the pressures of their respected parties. That means if you're a Democrat, you vote the way Nancy Pelosi wants you to. Or President Obama. Or any number of other Democratic power brokers in Washington.

When the young congressman bucks the trend, he is ostracized and threatened by the machine. Maybe with subtlety, maybe not. The pressure is enormous.

Meanwhile, there are constituent issues to deal with and chicken dinners to attend. (And in Zack Space's case, there are 15 counties in the sprawling 18th. How does one man cover a territory the size of a small state without suffering at least a mild case of exhaustion?)

What irks the American people is that most every issue in Congress is defined by partisan politics and that the public good takes a back seat to the political power play.

If they asked, I would advise Space and Boccieri to step away from the machine and if re-election is damned, well, so be it. Both men survived before they served in Congress and they will do so again. The sun will come up.

Should they win re-election this time -- and I think they will by small margins --  they should re-assert themselves as the managers of their offices and campaigns. They need to be in charge, not the machine and not the kids who come knocking for campaign jobs every two years.

Doug Applegate, who held the congressional seat for almost two decades, didn't worry too much about having to attend every chicken dinner in every corner of the district. And he was happy in his non-power role, excelling at helping constituents.

But the citizens and press didn't see him much. And it didn't seem to matter to voters. They elected him nine times.

But let's get back to the election of 2010. Every negative commercial that airs on behalf of sitting members of Congress serves to cheapen their roles and character. And their opponents aren't much better.

Isn't it a shame that we've turned over the election process to political Mad Men, whose strategy is always to beat up the opponent, using half-truths and innuendos?

I feel dirty just talking about it.

* * *
The New York Times has a good story on Nancy Pelosi and her bid to get Democrats re-elected. The Times acknowledges that Pelosi is not very well liked. No kidding.

You can access it here.

Bullies not just for middle school

Writing a blog allows the writer to set his own limits. In the old days, writing for a newspaper of general circulation meant that I'd have to watch my language. There were certain words I couldn't use.

I'm not about to become a foul-mouthed pundit, but there are a few news stories that make me mutter The Word as in "What the ----?

One such story came to the surface last week.

Two Rutgers University students outed a gay classmate by streaming across the Internet live video of a sexual encounter with another man in his dorm room. The victimized student subsequently committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge. His body was recovered from the Hudson River.

Tyler Clementi, 19, a talented musician, now belongs to the ages. We think of bullies as roaming middle school playgrounds. Obviously, they are all around us -- from dorm rooms to board rooms -- and of all ages. They always have been, of course, but now they've turned to the Internet and technology to attack and embarrass.

What the ....

OK, I won't use the word. But I'm thinking it.

* * *
It appears Atwood Resort & Conference Center is on life support. A story last week didn't offer much hope that it could be saved without a large infusion of money.

Let me ask this: Would the lodge have been a good project for federal stimulus money? Would the masses (read Tea Party) have gotten really angry over using public money to fix a resort and save jobs and tax base?

One other question: Would the lodge's fortunes have been better had it been built on the water rather than on a hill overlooking Atwood Lake? You know what they say about hindsight.

* * *
The only reason I mention this next item is because the few people I've mentioned it to have been surprised. I am by no means an expert in such matters.

Did you know all of the Columbus network-affiliated TV stations are available on Time Warner Cable in the Dover-New Philadelphia area? So is Cleveland's PBS affiliate, WVIZ. But you can't get them if you use a cable box or have an old TV set. You need a newer HDTV that can access HD channels such as 25-1, 25-2 and so on.

If this is important to you, get yourself a digital two-way splitter, inserting one coax feed from the splitter directly into the back of the TV. The other feed can go into the box, which should be connected to your TV via HDMI cable. That way you can have the best of both worlds.

The Columbus channels and WVIZ are not available through the box. Press the TV button on your remote, then find the menu and rescan for the available cable channels. That process can take a few minutes, but when it's done check Channels 97-38, 97-41, 97-42 and 97-43 for your Columbus connection.

I don't know why Time Warner is currently carrying those channels or how long it will continue to do so. But it's been that way for awhile. The Columbus channels, incidentally, are in standard definition.

If you have questions about this e-mail me. I don't want to spend a lot of time on this because it is really boring stuff for a lot of readers. And to those readers I apologize.

I just don't get it

You know, maybe it's because I'm getting old or something, but I'm finding a lot of things/people unfunny that other people think are hilarious.

"Saturday Night Live" comes to mind. With the exception of Tina Fey's Sarah Palin last year, I think the skits are generally dull. I watched the premiere Saturday night and can't say that I had any LOL moments. (See, I'm hip.)

Then, of course, we have Stephen Colbert, who was a guest of Congress last week. He testified in character about immigration.

One might ask, "What the hell was Stephen Colbert doing testifying before Congress?" Actually, Megyn Fox, er, I mean Megyn Kelley, of Fox News asked that question to a Republican guest.

I found that funny. But Stephen Colbert? No, I don't get such a kick out of him, although I do like his mentor Jon Stewart. Colbert is too contrived for me. He makes me wince. Stewart's gig is more straight forward. I like that.

LOL.

So, what the hell was Colbert doing testifying before Congress? Maybe next they'll invite Charlie Sheen to testify about how women are mistreated in the Middle East.

Oh, Congress. You don't seem to be paying attention. And that's not funny.

* * *
When I was writing for the newspaper, I was pretty much assured that someone had my back. When Copley Press owned The T-R in the early part of this decade, we had 24/7 access to attorneys on retainers and they were experts on media law. If I had a legal question or needed advice on a story or column, they would gladly provide it.

Copley Press believed in pro-active reporting and commentary and stood behind its publishers, editors and writers.

This blog writing is somewhat different because no one has my back now. Ted Diadun, an old buddy of mine from The T-R's Horvitz Newspapers days, writes a terrific column for the Plain Dealer as the newspaper's reader representative. This week's column is about how "citizen journalists" are being held liable for what they write. And that includes the folks who leave those nasty messages on newspaper websites.

I encourage all of you who occasionally chime in with your thoughts to read Ted's column here.

* * *
Another Ted -- Ted Strickland -- is catching up in the polls.

From Sunday's PD: "(John) Kasich, a former congressman, Wall Street executive and Fox News personality, leads the state's top Democrat, Gov. Ted Strickland, 49 percent to 45 percent, according to a Plain Dealer/Ohio Newspaper Organization poll of 852 likely voters."

Last week, you'll remember, I said Ted Strickland was toast. That was way back when the polls said he was almost 20 points behind. That's just more evidence, I guess, that you can't trust the polls. At least not totally.

* * *
We watched a movie over the weekend that I thought was only a couple of years old. But there was something strange about the props in it.

All the telephones had wires or were those old clunky wireless home phones that you had to hold with both hands. One of the characters used a pager, for goodness sakes.

"JUST HOW OLD IS THIS DARN MOVIE?" I screamed.

"A PAGER! HE'S USING A PAGER!"

OK, I didn't really get upset about the movie's technological shortcomings. But it was interesting to note that the movie was made in the year 2000.

We've come a long way, technologically speaking, in the short span of a decade. Consider: In 2000, there were no iPods, no You Tube and Google wasn't used as a verb. Most people accessed the Internet via a dial-up connection. Computer users did not use flash drives to store large amounts of data. They used Zip drives.

I won't belabor the point. If you care to learn more about how our lives have changed in 10 years, check out this Wikipedia link. And keep in mind that you should not cite Wikipedia as a legitimate source of information if you are in high school or college because teachers and professors get really angry about it.

* * *
Former Dover mayoral candidate Chris Penso is now a referee in professional soccer. I have to give Chris props for his ability to reinvent himself what seems to be numerous times over his relatively short life.

Sportswriter Roger Metzger has authored a nice piece about Chris in The T-R. It's nice to read about the successes our kids are experiencing outside Tuscarawas County.

Congrats, Chris.

* * *
See you next time.

Hey, you there? I'm here

I apologize for not updating this blog more frequently. You can help motivate me.

Talk to me. Leave a comment. Agree or disagree, but let me know that you're reading. Send the link of this blog to your friends, neighbors and relatives.

I can track readership because of a special Google Analytics code on this page, so I know how many visit on a daily basis. If readership grows, it will motivate me to leave something here so you can at least have something to read on Sunday morning.

* * *
Several readers have asked for my take on the Dover Police Department's Frank Alesiano saga. Alesiano resigned after allegations that he improperly accessed the state's criminal computer database, apparently in an effort to mine for dirt on whomever.

What disturbs me more than anything is the city's inability to come clean with bad news. The story apparently came to light after "the street" heard rumors of a situation involving longtime officer Alesiano. The powers at City Hall apparently were asleep for this past summer's public relations disasters, including the BP oil spill, and were of the mindset that if  "we don't talk about it no one will find out."

Thankfully, the local newspaper pursued the lead and asked questions. If it hadn't, the citizens of Dover still wouldn't know of Alesiano's shortcomings as a police officer.

To be fair, there are plenty of communities in Tuscarawas County that hide bad news.

Ever notice there's no crime in Sugarcreek?

Going forward, my fear is that as the press weakens in Tuscarawas County -- economics already have had an impact obviously -- government oversight also will suffer, opening the door to Cuyahoga County-like corruption. That's not to say that dirty deals haven't already been done.

And we know now that someone at city or village hall, or your local school board or on any level of government will try to keep bad news from going public.

I think most -- if not all -- of our county officeholders are honest, decent people. Perhaps a strong press has kept them that way. Former County Auditors Matt Judy and John Beitzel come to mind as exemplary public officeholders. They were good watchdogs of your money.

We've been lucky because we've had plenty of decent candidates (and our fair share of not-so-decent slugs). But in four, or eight or 10 years, there might not be a hard-hitting reporter to interview the candidates, or even pay attention to their backgrounds or qualifications, allowing a Frank Russo or Jimmy Dimora to slip unchecked into power.

As for Alesiano, well, he is but a small player in the scheme of things. He's just not that important.

Keep your eyes on the people you elect.

* * *
A friend was complaining the other day that his supervisor was addicted to managing by e-mail. It brought back memories.

I had a manager like that. He sat in his office and fired off e-mail after e-mail to subordinates, all of whom were located steps from his office. Open-door policy? Hardly. In my mind, he became the poster child of bad management.

If you would rather fire off an e-mail to your employees rather than talk to them face-to-face, you should resign your position and admit to higher-ups that you, indeed, are further evidence of the Peter Principle and do not deserve to be placed in a position of authority.

* * *
This week's Slow-As-A-Turtle Award goes to the contractor who is tearing down the old Dover Elks Lodge on N. Wooster Ave.

This week's Thank-God-For-New-Business-In-Dover Award goes to the pawn shop on N. Wooster Ave. at the bridge.

I will take nominations from readers for additional, future awards.

* * *
Least enviable political position to be in right now: Incumbent Democrat in Cuyahoga County.

Second least enviable political position: Incumbent Democrat anywhere.

Third least enviable political position: Incumbent anything anywhere.

I sense the voters have a throw-the-bums-out mentality right now. This is not rocket science.

* * *
Some things I believe right now (subject to change):

-- The Bush tax cuts should be extended.

-- The Great Recession remains great.

-- Savers are being penalized; spenders are being rewarded.

-- Good financial strategy includes preserving principal.

-- Sarah Palin wants to be very wealthy and has found a way to do it legally.

-- Obama tried to do too much too soon and therefore accomplished little, leaving vast amounts of uncertainty in the minds of employers. Result: No new jobs.

-- I think Gov. Ted Strickland is toast in the upcoming gubernatorial election. (See above.)

-- Tea Party supporters are very angry people.

-- Cutting Medicare payments to health care providers is not the answer.

-- People post a lot of nonsense on Facebook (but I still look at it).

See you next time.

Still trying to save Twin City; LeBron's clues

   Maybe it's the stress of the times, or something, but I find it incredible that a consulting firm -- American Healthcare Solutions -- would communicate directly to the public after severing ties with a client -- Twin City Hospital.
  
   If you missed it, AHS president and CEO Jan Jennings slammed the Twin City Hospital Board of Trustees in a statement, saying that the board failed to take its advice, which was to seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

  You can read Jennings' letter here.

   Jennings perhaps took a cue from Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, who certainly said what was on his mind after LeBron James bolted for the Miami Heat.
  
   OK, so if you're a hospital in trouble and you were looking for a consultant to help you get out of a mess, would you hire AHS now, knowing that the firm might come back to bite you?

   All of this, of course, is academic. The bottom line is that Twin City Hospital is in deep trouble. Its civic-minded Board of Trustees know that whatever decision it makes will have long-lasting implications and it will make a game-changing decision soon. It has to.

* * *
   After last week's post, I received an e-mail from a man who clearly is angry about the state of Twin City Hospital. Here's part of it:

   You are wrong this time. A man from Pittsburgh is trying to model TCH after an "average hospital" for this "average community." There is nothing average about either. Open the books and follow the money. Outsiders are selling the community down the drain. JUST INVESTIGATE WHERE THE MONEY WENT...


  ...I went home this week, sat in the TCH waiting room, and when I was asked what I wanted, I replied that I wanted to report a murder…..SOMEONE KILLED THE HOSPITAL?
  
    I have been an actuary for over 30 years. I have offered to audit the books for nothing. I HAVE HAD NO REPLY.
  
   A man opens a clothing store. The 1st customer is 2 foot tall. The 2nd customer is 10 foot tall. He calculates his average customer to be 6 foot tall. The owner orders all shirts, pants, and suits to fit his average customer. ...6 foot tall! The first 6 letters of customer spell CUSTOM. Outsiders are telling the board who their customers are and they are just supplying bad information.

   Certainly there is enough blame to go around. I think Twin City Hospital's best bet is to quickly align itself with a larger institution. Is that institution Union Hospital? Who knows, but if I was on the Twin City board I'd be talking to Union's board.

   Affixing blame at this point seems to me to be an exercise in futility. My guess is that along the way a lot of people screwed up.

* * *
   LeBron James has for years been providing clues that he didn't want to be part of the long-term future of the Cleveland Cavaliers. As fans, we didn't want to pay attention to them, figuring that a kid from Akron would pick his hometown team over all others no matter what. Here's a sampling of clues:

   -- Wearing a New York Yankees baseball cap.

   -- Hanging out with the Dallas Cowboys at a Browns game.

   -- Never, ever saying that his favorite NBA team while he was growing up was the Cleveland Cavaliers.

   -- Continually referring to himself in the third person, obviously believing that he was "The King."

   -- Never mentioning his love of the Cleveland area or Cavaliers during his MVP award get-togethers in Akron.

   -- Tattoos on his body that speak volumes about his narcissism, i.e. "Chosen 1" and "Loyalty." Obviously the "Loyalty" was to himself and his entourage.

   -- Tanking in Game 5 vs. the Boston Celtics. Winning a championship in Cleveland would not aid his free-agent getaway. How does he use the excuse he wants to win if he wins in Cleveland? He wanted to play ball with his buddies in South Beach.

   -- The dust in the air, the pretend-picture taking, the dancing... this is not what winners do. Ever see Kobe Bryant do any of that stuff?

   -- Failing to shake hands with Orlando Magic players after the Cavaliers were defeated in the 2009 playoffs, clearly underscoring his immaturity and lack of character.

   I'm sure there are plenty of other examples. It's just not worth it to go on. The day after James made his announcement, the sun came up and life went on. Funny how that works.

Saving Twin City Hospital

   Twin City Hospital officials have been less than forthcoming with details surrounding the state of the hospital's finances.
 
  Let me see if I can help.

  Twin City Hospital is ... broke.

   It's really that simple. The hospital can't pay its bills, one of which was to Canton Aultman Emergency Physicians Group, which staffs the emergency room with doctors. Rumor has it that TCH owed $2 million to the provider.

   At some point, vendors, such as the Aultman Emergency Physicians Group, will quit providing services and/or delivering supplies if they don't get paid.

   So, last week, it's safe to presume, TCH was put on notice by the provider that it wasn't going to staff the ER anymore unless there was a payment of some kind. So, the hospital, without the benefit of cash flow, announced the ER's closing.

   In the meantime, someone in the community bailed out the hospital with presumably a hefty donation of cash.

   Some of the comments posted on the local newspaper's website indicate that there is something unique in TCH's predicament. There isn't.

   Hospitals across the country are hurting and many are relying on rainy day funds to get by the uncertainty caused by the recession and health reform. TCH, which serves an area that has double the poverty rate of its northern counterpart -- the Dover-New Philadelphia area -- was down for the count before the fight started.
If TCH has 35 ER visits daily, as was reported in the newspaper, how many of those are backed by private insurance? What's your guess here? Half? Less than half?

   Certainly, TCH is an important part of the Dennison-Uhrichsville community. And its board members are good people attempting to figure out how to save the place. But the reality is that Twin City Hospital's future probably lies in the strategy of a much larger institution with deeper pockets, such as Aultman Hospital or Cleveland Clinic. (The Clinic's logo is everywhere in Greater Cleveland and is attached to neighborhood hospitals east and west.)

   Perhaps a Union Hospital role in the interim is a possibility.

   Such an association would be a good thing for TCH. Whether the board can pull it off is another thing.
   I hope the Twin City community cuts some slack for members of the hospital board of directors, who signed on to help steer the ship, not keep it from sinking.

   Patience, people. This might take some time.