It amazes me each time I pass this road that our city officials can’t seem to attract (or even stop chasing away) business from moving to Lorain. Lorain still has the things it used to have to offer, the workforce, the location, the rail lines, the lake, and due to the fact that our city officials have no clue what they’re doing, low property values. One wonders if our city planners don’t want industry here, and if so, why bother wasting money building a road and zoning it industrial.
Ok, well, The Morning Journal published a story the other day talking about how the braniacs that run Lorain might not have the money to fix the roads unless the license fee increase goes through. Also, the bribe working it’s way down Oberlin Avenue is there obviously for you to see how ’serious’ they are about fixing the roads. Apparently, this fee increase is going to be used only to improve the main roads. I personally don’t have issue with the increase if it will improve the roads, but I think since well, the vast majority of the roads here are a mess, that more needs to be done than just the main roads. Seems odd to me that the city found the money to completely rebuild Lakeview Park, yet they don’t seem to have the money to fix the roads that lead there.
It’s not just the city government here that’s at fault, it’s the citizens of Lorain themselves. Whenever someone shows up wanting to build or move a business here, the citizens organize against it with fiercely and proficiently. Walmart is a good case in point. Walmart themselves would have to pay property taxes, and property taxes are based on the value of the property. Now, I’m no appraiser, but I think a department store pays a much higher tax rate than a wooded lot, not to mention the taxes paid by the 50-60 employees that would have been working there. Now, Oglebay Norton wants to build a limestone crushing plant here, and of course, the citizens are rallying to put a stop to it, and are most certainly bitching about the condition of the roads all the way to the demonstrations or city council meetings. I also recall a newspaper article where a businessman wanted to move his business from Elyria to Lorain, but the city ‘wasn’t sure they wanted that sort of business on the lakefront’. Give me a break. If we’re going to keep this city from turning into a ghost town, we’re going to have to welcome new business (and jobs, and taxes), into the city. Lorain is the only place on the entire planet that I’ve seen both the city officials and or the citizens themselves thumbing their noses to businesses who are wanting to locate here in Lorain.
In the meantime, vacancy rates climb, foreclosures are four times the national average, and crime is getting worse. There are so many vacant houses in Lorain that the crack heads have their choice of houses to break into and squat while the do their drugs and destroy properties. At the same time, the city lets these vacant properties turn into health hazards. One can hardly drive down the street without seeing vacant homes with grass 2-3 feet tall, doors and windows boarded up, and the properties are a mess. There must be a serious case of denial going on here because the city wants to turn the city into a ‘bedroom’ community to attract residents here. The reality of the situation is much different. Just talk to anyone in the surrounding cities and get their view of Lorain. Lorain is viewed as a town riddled with crime, crack heads, bad roads, and untrustworthy politicians.
And they’re right.
But hey… we have a new beach.
So the prospect of paying $15 bucks a year is enough to get Lorain residents all fired up to go out and collect signatures to put the license plate fee increases on the ballot. It never ceases to amaze me how stupid people are. Don’t these people drive on our roads? Can’t they see that our roads need improvement? Do they ever drive around cities other than Lorain??? I recently went to the Sandusky/Perkins township area, and noticed that all the roads I drove on were recently paved and had a grand total of ZERO pot holes. Maybe the license plate fees wouldn’t be necessary if the residents of Lorain wouldn’t have chased out Walmart, or the limestone crushing plant, not to mention the attempted blocking of the Home Depot/Kohls project. Why are Lorain residents against anything that brings in money to the city? Why are they against jobs? Why is it worth anyone’s time to go out, door to door, collecting signatures so save a stupid $15 dollars? Now it appears these same idiots want to go door to door collecting signatures to turn Lorain from a statutory to charter city. Oh sure, let the residents who chase out businesses, and keep our city down, (well, up on the lists of poorest city, or most potholes, or worst school system), run the city. Heaven help us should that ever come to pass.
Ok, So gasoline is at $4 a gallon, and what’s Barry’s solution? LOWER SUPPLY! You’d think that presidential candidates would understand the most simplistic and basic law of economics, the law of supply and demand. Barry wants to tax the oil companies (big surprise coming from a lib, eh?), and that somehow will cause the supply to rise, and/or price to fall. Gee, maybe if there was some previous history to taxing the oil companies when supply is tight to compare too… Oh, wait there IS previous history. Back in the 70’s the Carter administration taxed the oil companies and what happened? Domestic production fell. Just what we need when production is so tight right? If Barry really wants to do the right thing, they perhaps he could let the oil companies drill for oil here in the US and offshore, where millions upon millions of domestic oil sit idle while prices skyrocket. Or maybe encourage coal gasification and liquefaction, or let the oil companies build more refineries, or allow nuclear power plants to be built, or all of the above. The real solutions to our problems are right there, but no one in government seems to want a solution. Instead, they drag the oil companies on TV and scold them for being a bad boy, and threaten socialistic dictatorship by threatening to federalize the oil business. What a solution, the government controlling oil (more than they already do)? Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure the oil companies are also at fault, but if someone in government would just grow the balls and push for the RIGHT solution, we could get some relief from the madness that’s taking over our country.
I think he must… Why else would anyone make such a stupid ruling about lethal injection. Apparently, Judge Burge learned more about physiology in law school than he did about the law. It’s obvious that Judge Burge is not a proponent of capital punishment. Ask him, and he’ll refuse to answer, but who needs to ask him? It’s obvious, when he’s acting more like a defense lawyer than a judge when it comes to the capital case that’s before his court. So, now, he wants to legislate from the bench. Never mind what the lawmakers do, never mind what the people of the state of Ohio want, Judge Burge doesn’t support capital punishment, and he’s apparently going to do what he can to change the law on his own. How is it that a man who openly admires a communist revolutionary like Che Guevara wind up on the bench anyways? It makes me wonder why someone would give a shit about weather a convicted criminal, sentenced to death, would feel any pain anyways. Personally, I loose no sleep over it. What about the pain the person(s) murdered by the defendant went though? What about the pain of the friends and relatives who have to carry on without their loved one? Do you ever wonder about that Jimmy? Why can’t judges do what judges are supposed to do… interpret the law, not legislate it from the bench, as Judge Burge is obviously trying to do. One of the biggest problems in this country is radical judges like Burge who try to force their viewpoints on the public by performing and end run around the proper ways of making laws… by vote, or by legislation. People are already calling for a recall of Judge Burge, and I personally am beginning to agree. Judges who abuse their power to further an agenda rather than do the job of interpreting the law are dangerous, and are not performing the job that they were elected to do. Interpreting the law is the implied function of a judge. Judge Burge is not interpreting the law, he’s trying to modify it, which constitutes a lie to the people who elected him. Maybe Judge Burge is trying to make waves so he can get a tv show. Perhaps he should break down and cry like Judge Larry Seidlin. Personally, I’m all for Judge Burge getting a tv show where he can hang pictures of Che Guevara behind him. At least he’ll be less dangerous because he won’t be able to legislate from the bench.
Welcome to The Political Reality. My blog cut through the bullshit that you find in the overly liberal, agenda filled media. Bear in mind, what you find here is simply my take on it all, my opinion, but also bear in mind, I’m not out to make money, or advance an agenda either. What will you find here? Much of what you seen on the news networks, and in the newspapers, but also, news that the left wingers who run the mainstream media doesn’t want you to see. Think about that a minute. The media looks at what happens in the world, then, they decide what you see. It seems to me that most people have faith that the media report what should be reported, however, that’s not really the case. You’ll begin to see this if you follow my blog regularly. I hope to post entries daily, although with my busy schedule, I may not be able to, but will endeavor to do so anyways :) You’re invited to post comments, as a matter of fact, I encourage it. I’m going to leave posting wide open as long as I don’t get alot of spam, or crazy, hurtful posts. While I welcome comments, please, only intelligent conversation and talking points, not hate speech, or personal bashing of me (or another poster). If it gets too bad, I’ll hold posts until I can go over them, but I’m hoping that won’t be necessary.
This blog will span the whole spectrum from world news, to national, state and local. The majority will probably be national and local, because I still can’t much figure out what the state government here in Ohio does besides keep casino gambling out of the state to protect their lottery scam, and continue to charge me toll access to a highway 25 years after they were supposed to quit. Not much seems to happen at the state level, and when it does, it’s generally not good. Besides being my political blog, I’ll probably post some non-political stuff too. Things I find interesting mainly. So, welcome to my blog, I hope you come back often, and follow my posts, maybe learn a thing or two about how your country is being stolen out from under your nose. Aside from this blog, I have another blog for my ‘Second Life’, so, that, along with all the work I do in Second Life, and the usual real world work and ’stuff’, I have my work cut out for me, but, my desire to rant about all the bullshit that happens in my life is strong, so, stay tuned…
