O H...

I O

And as always, Michigan sucks.

Dead Schembechlers? Call me a fan!

So its part of the lunatic fringe?  Who cares!?!  I love it!

Check it out here.

Favorite quote:

Do you have any favorite memories from the rivalry?

"I believe we're 102-0 against the Wolverines," Biafra insisted. "If you go back and check the lying, liberal Wolverine media, they'll make you believe they won many of the games."

Biafra explained that game footage was doctored, and crop dusters were flown over the stadium to drug fans and make them believe they were seeing Michigan victories. He pointed out the vast reach of the international Wolverines conspiracy by mentioning that the founder of Walgreen's, Charles Walgreen, is a Michigan alum -- and where do you think the maize and blue got the pharmaceuticals to drug Buckeye Nation?

Go Buckeyes!

What's That?

You say you really wish you could by that special someone (read: special blogger) something for Christmas and can’t think what it would be, because he has everything?

You might want to try ThoseShirts.com.  Highly recommended. 

You can get shirts like these:

…and my personal favorite:

Don't Tell

Why do secret societies even exist anymore?

If you really sit down and think about it, there’s really no need.  Back in the day, there was a desire to keep artisan tradesecrets, well, secret.  There was also the old political secretkeeping that kind of still goes on today, but really, is there a need for a bunch of men to gather in the basement and lock the doors to pat themselves on the back for a job that at best is only kind of done, but not very well?

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll defend the right of folks to be as secretive as needed or possible.  I don’t think that anyone needs to step in and squash these meetings.  I think even the Boy Scounts have some secret traditions and rituals, one being Pipestone.  My best friend when I was younger was a Scout and wouldn’t even tell me about it.  I told him that it was ok to come out and tell me that it was just a bunch of teenage boys running around naked humping trees, but he would never fess up.  It was a “bonding” thing for the boys.  Nonsense.  It was the same as that joke that two people have between each other that no one else gets, because they “weren’t there”. 

Maybe someone’s trying to manipulate Windham’s massive political power behind closed doors?  Oooh, there’s a huge prize to be had.  Everyone knows that if you’re after power to that degree, you start a blog.  Then automatically you have perceived credibility, even when you’re talking about things you haven’t the faintest idea concerning.  Plus, folks automatically start crediting you with awesome political powwer to shift elections and turn out mind-numbed voters that can’t think for themselves.  Then of course, the power begins to go to your head and you step away for a while to get your bearings, creating various and sundry conspiracy theories as to why you’re gone, when in actuality, you were in the Betty Ford clinic because of your addiction to the Internets.  Upon your return, the drug reasserts itself and you’re thrown into another downward spiral.

But at least this time, you can enjoy it.

Phantom Images

Yeah, nothing serious going on yet.  In the meantime, here’s a neat little optical illusion.  Load the page below, stare at the black dot in the weird looking picture, then put your mouse over the picture about fifteen seconds later.  I’ve seen a couple of these pictures lately, it must be the newest fad or something.

Hi, I'm a link. Click me.

So....did you?

You paid attention during 86% of high school!

85-100% You must be an autodidact, because American high schools don't get scores that high! Good show, old chap!

Do you deserve your high school diploma?
Create a Quiz

In consideration of Veterans Day.

One of the greatest sculptures in Washington D.C. is the Iwo Jima Memorial. Most pictures that are taken are from the side standing a good bit away. This one is taken from a different angle and I think brings out a different feel for the memorial. Take some time today to thank a veteran today for their service to our country. May we never lose sight of the sacrifices of this special group of citizens. They have been willing to offer their lives in service to this country and its freedoms.

Thank you all.

Why didn't anyone tell me?

I suppose that its partially my fault really, I have never really made it a habit to read the front page of the Villager.  As of the November 17th issue, the paper will be going on hiatus.  Jody Schroath has accepted a position in Maryland with the Chesapeake Bay Magazine.  As of this time, there’s no one to replace her.

Hmmm, I wonder….

Financial Figures

In 2007, the Village will pay $42024.00 to the Bureau of Worker’s Compensation, fulfilling (hopefully) a bill that has been outstanding for three years.

The Village’s responsiblity to the BWC in January of 2006 was $77,274.18.  The Village’s responsibility to the BWC in July of 2006 was $77041.64.

In October, the Village reported that it had paid down the loan from Cortland bank that was taken out a few years ago to keep the Village afloat, but has been a burden ever since.

In March of 2007, the Dangling Debt of $36345.33 will be paid off.  There will be $24000.00 going to this debt in 2007. 

For you immigrants from Garrettsville, that’s $66024 in past due payments to be made in 2007 that could be going toward a Police Officer or two.  If you want to know why the Village is in such bad shape right now, this is a big part of it.  The Village had horrible management of its finances in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. 

If you’ve given a thousand dollars to a buddy of yours and you watched him gamble it all away, will you be likely to give him more when he comes back to ask for it?

Think for a moment if all of those old bills could have been paid off on time.  We wouldn’t have been burdened with a huge loan from Corland Bank.  We could have gone without this Dangling Debt that hangs over our heads.  Perhaps we could have even caught the Worker’s Compensation problem before it became so huge.  Any cutbacks during the weak economy would have been nearly insignificant in comparison to what we’ve had to deal with for the last few years.  Business would have a better opportunity to come here because of the stability in government and protection.  With a regular police force, some of the problems in the Projects would not have been as pronounced as they have become.

Many of our problems today could have been prevented with a good accounting process.

Boy, it would be really nice to get my hands on a relatively detailed budget for the last three years.  I wonder how much it will cost me to get it? 

QuickClix

I’m kinda sorta trying to look into starting a business of my own by selling on eBay for other folks.  Basically, you give me that lime green candy dish that you keep hidden in the back of the cupboard and I research and try to sell is on eBay.  Of course, being an evil Republican, I take a cut from the winning bid, but you don’t even have to think about that.  See it as doing your part in getting a thorn in your side out of town.  Unless you like me of course, then you would be doing your part to increase tax revenue for the Village. 

All jokes aside, if any of you would like to get rid of something that you don’t need on eBay, I’d be more than happy to help.

The next two years...

I’m really looking forward to the next couple of years now that the Democrat party has won control of the House of Representatives and likely will take control of the Senate in a few days. 

“Huh?” you say.  “Why would he look forward to that?”  Well let me respond.

Well, for the next two years Conservatives don’t feel the need to defend the decisions of a huge group of morons who couldn’t legislate their way out of a wet paper bag.  Many of us have been quite disappointed in the recent Congress and their decisions and the attitude that they’d taken on.  Now granted, I certainly believe that the current set-up in Washington will not be any better, but really I don’t think it will be much worse either.  Hopefully we will be able to find more people like Michael Steele, I’ve stated my support of him before.  I don’t agree with him on every point, but his attitude and charisma took him a long way in a race in which he should have gotten pounded.

Here in Ohio, DeWine loses, no surprise, he lost the support of Conservatives a long time ago, plus boneheaded moves by Taft and Bob Ney drove any chance he had into the ground.  Blackwell, who is a very nice guy in person, suffered Taft backlash and also ran a horrible campaign. 

The Village won’t be getting any tax increase anytime soon.  It didn’t even garner the numbers that is had back in February. 

One thing to notice for everyone.  When Democrats lose, there are charges of voter fraud, Americans being stupid, and threats to flee to Canada.  When Republicans lose…well, I haven’t heard anything shrill like that yet.  I don’t anticipate it either.

Your Taxes...

…will not be going up because of the Village.

For the Levy – 173 – 31.00%

Against the Levy – 385 – 69.00%

What now?  How about a detailed prospectus of the Village’s finances?

Rumored

Has anyone heard that something very serious happened in town this evening?  I’m hearing word of a murder, but have no confirmation yet on that.  I’ll try to track down some more information.  I’ll update this post as more information comes in.

Update:  There was a seventeen year old man shot in the face sometime around 5:30 this evening.  There is the possibility of drugs being involved somehow.  The victim was being transported for LifeFlight, but may have been pronounced DOA.

Update 2:  It seems that it was an eighteen year old.  The bullet entered under the right eye and exited behind the left ear.  There is an ongoing question about whether the young man was murdered or accidentally shot.  There are two Windham cruisers, two Garrettsville cruisers, two unmarked cars (likely detectives), and one county and one K-9 unit at the scene.  One young man has been taken for questioning.

Update 3:  Latest word is that there were a few kids drinking in one of the apartments in 9145 Maple Grove.  One of the boys was screwing around with a gun, wasn’t paying attention, and it went off.  They had planned on blaming it on suicide, but one of the people there broke down and told the truth.

Update 4 (per comment by G.R.I.T.S.):   Fisher was charged with reckless homicide for the death of Frazier.

Final Update:  From The Record Courier

Ravennan shot in Windham Allegedly shot in head with rifle

Marci Piltz

15 hours ago

Record-Courier staff writer

A Ravenna man was shot and killed Monday at an apartment in Windham, and another Ravenna man is in custody, charged with the shooting.

Jesse Frazier, 18, of 470 S. Prospect St., was pronounced dead Monday night at Robinson Memorial Hospital in Ravenna following the shooting.

Brandon Fisher, 20, of 531 Coolman Ave., was arrested and charged with reckless homicide, a third-degree felony, in connection with the shooting.

Fisher was arraigned Tuesday in Portage County Municipal Court in Ravenna, where Judge Barbara Oswick set bond at $500,000 cash. A preliminary hearing has been set for Friday in the same courtroom.

According to Portage County Sheriff Duane Kaley, a 911 call was received around 5:30 p.m. regarding a shooting at 9145 Maple Grove Road, Apt. C. The call was transferred to Windham police, who requested assistance from the Portage County Sheriff's Office, Kaley said.

Kaley said officers found Frazier had been shot in the head, and he was transported by the Windham Fire Department to Robinson Memorial. He was pronounced dead at the hospital, Kaley said.

In addition to the charge of reckless homicide, Kaley said Fisher also could be facing additional charges of tampering with evidence for allegedly attempting to hide the gun, a .22 caliber semiautomatic rifle, used in the shooting.

Both Kaley and Portage County Prosecutor Victor Vigluicci declined to elaborate on the circumstances of the shooting.

"All I can say right now is that this individual apparently pointed the firearm at two other individuals, then pointed it at the victim, at which time the weapon discharged," Kaley said.

Kaley would not comment on whether the shooting was accidental.

The rifle was taken from the scene, along with other items Kaley said were being considered as evidence.

Kaley said the sheriff's office is working with the Windham Police Department and its acting chief, Dale Korman, during the investigation.

For the record

Since I’ve made it plain that I’m going to be moving in the middle of next year, I don’t feel that it is right for me to cast a vote on a tax in which I don’t have a part. 

But if I was, I’d keep in mind…

• The property tax issue is designed to do directly to the Village Police Department to the tune of $100,000.
• It costs a lot more than that to run the Department.
• Will the allocation from the General Fund stay the same, decrease, or increase?
• The Village has paid their responsibility to the State Worker’s Compensation system.
• The Village is in the process of paying off their “Dangling Debt”.
• Those payoffs net approximately $100,000 per year.
• Regardless of this issue’s passage or rejection, the majority of that revenue should flow back toward the Police Department.
• What will be the state of the Village’s finances upon repayment of all debt?

But, you know, that’s just me.

Remember Mark Foley?

Watch him get punched.  Repeatedly.

And hopefully helping Negron in the process.

The Coolest Clock You Will Ever See

Online at least. Seriously.

Update:Doesn't it just figure, the website went down right after posting.

Bias? nooooo....

To Every Season There's A Bias

Posted 10/23/2006

Public Opinion: You are v-e-r-y tired. . . . You will believe everything I say. . . . Just keep your eye on President Bush's sinking polls. . . . Pay no attention to that low jobless rate . . . or the shrinking budget deficit . . . or the record Dow.

That, it seems, is the spell that's again been cast over a strangely receptive public as the Nov. 7 election nears. Despite an economic boom that's nothing short of amazing, especially given the obstacles it's had to overcome, many Americans still think we're on the verge of recession. Or at least that's what some polls say.

Why the disconnect? We keep scratching our heads. Beyond the grumbling over gas prices and some concern about what lies ahead in the war on terror, the only thing we can come up with is the unremittingly negative coverage the economy gets in the mainstream media.

You'd think that after a while people would put two and two together — that if things are pretty good for them and most people they know, the economy itself must be pretty good, despite what they read in the papers or hear on TV.

How do we know there's a disconnect? Because we see it in our own polling. When we ask Americans about their own financial situations, they're upbeat. When we ask what they think of the economy in general, the response is much less bullish.

In our October survey, the personal finance index stood at 60.6 — well above the 50 level that separates optimism from pessimism. Our overall economic optimism index registered only 52.4.

Some might say: How about the lower-income people who supposedly are falling further and further behind, or the middle class that's forever being "squeezed"? Well, as the accompanying charts show, they too are positive about their own situations but have their doubts about the rest of us.

This "cognitive dissonance" tends to be more pronounced at election time, perhaps because that's when coverage tends to get more biased. Examples from past election cycles abound.

In 2004, when the Bush-Kerry race was heating up, we couldn't help notice all the stories about trouble in the Midwest, and especially in key manufacturing states like Ohio, where the recovery that began two years earlier was said to be a no-show.

That's funny, we thought at the time. Data showed the factory sector expanding for the 12th month in a row and employment at a 31-year high. But with Bush in office and John Kerry polling well, the media weren't about to let facts get in the way of a good woe-is-us tale.

It was just the opposite in 2000, when Bush and Dick Cheney were campaigning to replace Bill Clinton and Al Gore, and had the nerve to point out the economy seemed to be slowing. Never mind the data indicated as much, or that stocks had been signaling a downturn since they topped that spring.

Eight years earlier, when George Bush Sr. was in the White House, and Clinton, Gore and 90% of the national media wanted him out, it was all about "the economy, stupid." Though we were in the 18th month of expansion, and activity in the latest quarter was the strongest in three years, 92% of stories written about the economy in that stretch were negative.

The negative coverage dried up as soon as Clinton and Gore were elected. Only 14% of stories in November 1992 were negative vs. 90% the month before.

In 2006? Once again, there's no shortage of anecdotal evidence. Typical was the one we cited last week, when both CBS and CNN took the best piece of economic news in a long time — the plunge in gas prices — and turned it into an election-year conspiracy of George Bush and Big Oil.

For fresh empirical evidence, the Business & Media Institute, admittedly a right-leaning group that audits coverage of the free enterprise system, just released a study of how the TV networks covered what was a strong economy in the 12 months ended in July. Among its findings:

• More than twice as many stories and briefs focused on negative aspects of the economy (62%) vs. positive (31%). "News broadcasts dwelled on one prospective cataclysm after another, yet each time the economy continued unfazed," BMI said.

• Bad news was stressed on all three networks (CBS, NBC and ABC) and appeared in full-length stories twice as often as in shorter items.

• Ordinary people and businessmen whom reporters used to underscore negative stories outnumbered those telling positive stories by a 3-to-1 ratio.

• CBS' coverage was easily the most slanted. More than 80% of its full-length stories on its "Evening News" delivered a negative view of the economy.

• Generally speaking, "the U.S. economy has been depicted as one major event away from collapse on all three evening news shows."

Its been a long time coming...

Well, I made the announcement this morning during worship services, so I think its only right to make it here also.  Come next July or August, I will be a Windhamite no longer.  Its time to move back home and take care of things around the farm.  This is a move that I’ve been considering since my Dad passed away in late 2004. 

I’ve never really explained the feelings that I have attached to the farm down in Holmes County.  Most folks know I grew up in Walnut Creek surrounded by the largest settlement of Amish in the world.  It has been an endless conversation starter time and time again.  You’ll remember how torn I was when it came to the Bombers game against my alma mater Hiland Hawks in basketball last year.  The farm that my family owns is on the other side of the county.  My grandparents lived there for years, Dad and Mom moved in a few years before discovering Dad’s cancer, and I hope to live there for a good long while.  It was a place that I spent weeks of each summer as a kid playing, scouting in the woods, swimming in the pond, building dams in the creek, and so many other things that could possibly get me in trouble if Grandpa was still around.  He never did find half of his tools thanks to my cousin and I. 

There’s so much more involved in the move that I’m at a loss to really explain it.  I’ve come back into contact with two people that I really care about, but haven’t talked to in years.  That was just very weird and unexpected, but I’m really happy that it did.  They remind me of home.  Mom has been talking about us moving down for over a year.  My sister has been pestering me off and on.  Its something that I’ve always wanted.

So I think now is the time.

There’s a lot to button up before I leave.  The kids need to finish the school year, I don’t like the thought of pulling them out in the middle of their studies.  Plus, I’m going to have to get used to sending them to a school in the West Holmes School District.  Sorry Brandy and April, that’s just never going to be quite right.  Ugh…Knights.  There are a few things at church that I’d like to finish, but I have little control over a lot of things.  I’d love to stick around here until the next election cycle in 2008, I think its going to be very interesting.  Don’t worry though, if anything strikes my fancy in the next few months, I’ll say something.  We do have a tax issue to be voting upon. 

Overall, I just want to say that I’ve enjoyed living here.  Windham is in no way an idyllic town or anything, but the people here are real, and many truly care for the overall well-being of people, even though we don’t always agree what that well-being specifically is.  I’ll…kinda…sorta…miss it ‘round here. 

But its still at least 8–9 months away.

If anyone ever wants to contact me directly, my email address is windhamite@gmail.com or call at 330–984–3053. Whoohoo!  Spam!  Whee!

It's The Economy, Even If The Media Doesn't Report It

Blatantly stolen from Captain’s Quarters

Bill Clinton got elected on the James Carville slogan, "It's the economy, stupid." Fourteen years later, it's the media playing stupid, as a roaring economy has been treated with more secrecy than national-security programs by newspapers and television news channels. Michael Barone points out the hypocrisy:

The Labor Department Friday announced that the number of jobs increased between April 2005 and March 2006 not by 5.8 million but by 6.6 million. As an editorial in the Wall Street Journal notes, "That's a lot more than a rounding error, more than the entire number of workers in the state of New Hampshire. What's going on here?" The most plausible explanation, advanced by the Journal and by the Hudson Institute's Diana Furchgott-Roth in the New York Sun, is that lots more jobs are being created by small businesses and individuals going into business for themselves than government statisticians can keep track of. Newspaper reports on the number of jobs usually focus on the Labor Department's business establishment survey. But over the past few years, the Labor Department's household survey has consistently shown more job growth than the business establishment survey. The likely explanation: The business establishment survey misses jobs created by new businesses. Our government statistical agencies do an excellent job. But statistics designed to measure the economy of yesterday have a hard time reflecting the economy of tomorrow.

The federal budget deficit has been cut in half in three years, three years faster than George W. Bush called for. Why? Tax receipts were up 5.5 percent in FY 2004, 14.5 percent in FY 2005, and 11.7 percent in FY 2006. That's up 34.9 percent in three years. And that's after the 2003 tax cuts. When you cut taxes, you get more economic activity, and when you get more economic activity, the government with a tax system that is still decidedly progressive gets more revenue.

The bottom line: The private-sector economy is much more robust and creative than mainstream media would have you believe.

What? Your newspaper hasn't told you about the massive addition of jobs since the Bush tax cuts? Perhaps they've mentioned the new historical highs for the Dow Jones index. No? How about that falling deficit, driven by a huge boost in tax revenues caused by record employment and increased profits (and therefore taxes) in the private sector? Page C-17, you say?

What a shock in a midterm election season!

When the last labor report came out, many people pointed to the small job growth as a point of criticism for the Bush administration. However, with unemployment at 4.6%, we're approaching the point where there aren't many left to employ. At a certain point, the unemployment figure reflects transitional status and not joblessness of any significant length. As Barone notes, it also might reflect the effect of new investment in small businesses, which do not report employment as rapidly as corporations and which created the 800,000 shortfall in the new-job count the BLS just corrected.

If critics want to see more jobs get created, then they should promote the freeing of capital for investment into the economy. Raising taxes will have the opposite effect, something George H. W. Bush found out the hard way in 1990.

Posted by Captain Ed at October 11, 2006 06:03 AM

Tax Cuts for the Poor

Who reads USA Today anymore?  Well, maybe we should have read this.

Income tax cuts benefit all payers

By Kevin McCoy, USA TODAY

 

Americans of every income have benefited from a drop in federal income tax rates as Bush administration tax cuts enacted since 2000 took effect, an independent analysis of newly released IRS data shows.

But those earning $75,000 to $500,000 are shouldering a larger share of total taxes paid as millions more of them earn higher incomes and get hit with the Alternative Minimum Tax, the analysis also found.

The review by the Tax Foundation, a non-partisan research group that favors low taxes, provides one of the first detailed looks at the impact of federal tax changes phased in between 2000 and 2004.

Alluding to the political debate that often surrounds tax issues, Gerald Prante, a Tax Foundation economist, said, "It is true that in dollar amounts the rich have gained the most. But everybody's tax rates have fallen."

The analysis showed, for example, that a taxpayer who earned $35,000 in 2000 would have paid 8.54% of that income — $2,989 after credits — in federal taxes. In 2004, federal taxes would have accounted for 5.12% of that taxpayer's annual income, or $1,792. That represents a 40% decrease in tax burden.

At the higher end of the income brackets, a $1.75 million earner would have paid $513,625 in 2000 federal taxes, when the rate for that earning bracket was 29.35%. Four years later, when the rate dropped to 25%, that earner would have paid $437,500. That represents a 14.8% cut in tax burden, the analysis shows.

Millions of upper-middle and moderately high-income earners also benefited from tax rate cuts. But the analysis shows their savings was limited by the Alternative Minimum Tax, which eliminates some deductions and credits they could otherwise claim on federal tax returns. The levy particularly hits those whose high state and local taxes become ineligible for federal tax deductions.

For instance, taxpayers who earned between $100,000 and $200,000 in 2004 paid 22.5% of all federal taxes, up from 19.4% four years earlier. Those who earned between $200,000 and $500,000 in 2004 paid 17.9% of all federal taxes, up from 15.4% in 2000, the analysis showed.

Prante said the federal government "cut ordinary income tax rates but left AMT alone. So the middle range (of taxpayers) ended up getting less of a reduction."

The Tax Foundation also found that:

• Millions of lower-income Americans — those earning $25,000 annually or less — have been taken off the federal tax rolls. In 2000, roughly 29 million tax returns had no federal tax owed. Four years later, the number rose to about 43 million returns.

The increase resulted from the doubling of the child tax credit from $500 to $1,000, as well as the Earned Income Tax Credit, a federal benefit program for low-income workers.

• Income for the highest-earning Americans dropped sharply from 2000 to 2002, following the end of the bull stock market of the late 1990s, then grew rapidly from 2002 to 2004 as the economy recovered.