War-NYSE What's It Good For

Opinion Piece:

Like war what are the stock markets good for?

Lyrics: What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing, oh hoh, oh
War huh yeah
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing, say it again y'all

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01-2pNCZiNk

A system that permits, nay, even encourages, borrowing money to gamble on a commodity of little or no real worth. A system that has little real, positive economic or social benefit.

Some Chinese Are Taking 22% Margin Loans to Finance Stock Purchases

Ah, maybe it's just those gambling obcessed Chinese folks.

No wait!

NYSE Margin Debt Hits Record $451 Billion; Watch Out If Rate Drops

Margin debt hit a record $451 billion on the New York Stock Exchange in January, as investors borrowed more money than ever to buy into the post-financial-crisis bull market.

Paul Hunter

Small Business Cardboard Project

City and county small businesses now have the opportunity to recycle clean, flattened corrugated cardboard at the city landfill on Nelson Ave.

With that in mind I decided, in coordination with landfill manager Dunham, to test the efficacy of the effort by collecting one week's worth of material from a local store.

The manager of the Speedway station on S. South St. agreed to participate in the exercise.

In seven days I collected,weighed and delivered 220 pounds of material to the landfill. This amount equates to over 5.7 tons per year. A worthy result, so small guys don't throw those boxes in the dumpster, bring'm on down.

Paul  

Stumbling Fumbling Lawmakers

Ohio's political leadership claims that good jobs are priority one. Yet through ignorant and craven lawmaking they have stepped on their own lines in one important sector. In addition to the repeal of alternate energy standards, the inhibiting setback requirement can be added. Result: (From the Columbus Dispatch) “Amazon wants renewable energy to power its data centers planned for central Ohio, so the company is helping to build a wind farm — in North Carolina.

Clean-energy advocates say Ohio runs the risk of getting bypassed for big projects because of new setback limits passed last year by the Ohio General Assembly. The rules reduce the number of wind turbines that can be placed in most projects.”

Paul Hunter

On The Kasich Campaign Trail

We are certain to hear the headline repeated over and over but I doubt very much that the the news below the fold will be seen or heard.

The economic top tier of folks in Ohio are doing just fine thank you very much

From the Columbus Dispatch

Ohio’s economy might have partially recovered from the recession, but many Ohio children have not.

There are 53,000 more Ohio children living in poverty and the overall rate is higher than during the recession in 2008, according to 2015 Kids Count data released today by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

The state’s child-poverty rate rose to 23 percent last year from 18 percent in 2008, the report showed. Ohio is 31st worst in the nation in child-poverty rate and 23rd overall, about the same as last year.

The annual report by the nonprofit foundation considers a wide variety of economic, health and educational factors in assessing the well-being of children nationally and in all 50 states individually.

“Although we are several years past the end of the recession, millions of families across the country still have not benefited from the economic recovery,” Patrick McCarthy, president and chief executive officer of the Casey Foundation, said in a statement. “While we’ve seen an increase in employment in recent years, many of these jobs are low-wage and cannot support even basic family expenses.

“Far too many families are still struggling to provide for the day-to-day needs of their children.

Posted by Paul Hunter

To Those That Care About Their World

And, their grand-children's world! 

Come on down to the Wilmington landfill and drop off your flattened, clean corrugated cardboard. The community, including individuals and businesses in and outside the city needs to act now if we are to: a. extend the life of the current facility.

b. keep the cost of the curbside recycling at 0.

c. Return the material for reuse, thus saving finite resources. According to one internet source “...the effect on the environment of recycling one ton of cardboard saves about nine cubic yards of landfill space, 700 gallons of water and forty six gallons of oil.

If participation doesn't increase the program will not be able to continue and those that care will have no choice but to put their material in the trash and that will use up land fill space.

Small business establishments are pouring tons of this reusable material into our landfill every month and we need to give them the an option to do the right thing by making the program work.

Come on down and please, please spread the word.

It's been a long hard struggle to get this program off the ground and we would be a worse off community if we let it die of apathy and neglect.

Paul Hunter

Only material accepted

A Ray Of Enlightenment

Is peeking into the normally darkened legislative chambers.

From the DDN Ohio lawmakers pushing to end death penalty

Republican Niraj Antani is pushing for an end to capital punishment in Ohio, saying the lengthy appeals are too expensive, the death penalty grants government too much power and the risk of executing an innocent person is too great.

Antani, R-Miami Twp., is teaming up with Democrat Nickie Antonio, D-Lakewood, on a bill to abolish Ohio’s death penalty and replace it with life in prison without parole.

Posted by Paul Hunter

Iran Nuclear Pact

I would hope and expect to see congress take a critical look at the Iran nuclear agreement before voting to accept or reject the pact. What I also expect, but hope not to see, is an irrational and politically based attack on the agreement by right of center political candidates jockeying for position and political points.

No agreement is perfect especially when disparate nations such as Russia, China and the U.S. attempt to reach any accord.

We can expect Mr. Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, to cry foul like a wounded banshee but that noise is pro forma and should be ignored by congress and the American public.

In my personal opinion this imperfect agreement is much preferable to the alternative of a military solution that may have unknown consequences in the Middle East and beyond.

Paul Hunter

From the Dear Leader

Incisive commentary by our county GOP HMIC.

“Be proud Paulo, El Chapo the murderous drug kingpin is on your side. I
have no doubt but that this fact gives you a warm fuzzy feeling.”

Tim

Home Grown Trump

Do you think Donald Trump's headline grabbing racial generalizations are over the top and attract the anti-immigrant and, dare I say, hate sector of the GOP. That approach could cost the party the upcoming and future presidential elections. Locally, the GOP central committee is led by a man that shares Trump's bombastic, attention grabbing views.
Paul Hunter budhunter@frontier.com

How Could It Happen Infromation Update

This poster has just received more information from the Mayor's office of the payment record and, the names of the owners past or present and the listed manager.

For nine of the first twelve years of the twenty-eight year agreement with the city, (1986 - 1997 the required annual $25,000 payments were made. For unexplained reasons three of those years indicate 0 payments. In the years following 1997, by agreement or otherwise, payment amount steadily decreased to a low of  $2,086 by 2004. From 2004 on, no payments were made leaving an unpaid balance of $100,456 plus interest. Hearsay puts the total amount. at around $200,000. An amount that the city auditor says the city has "written off" and the city's law director says repayment is being negotiated.

According to the Ohio Secretary of States office, the owners of Friends Congregate Housing Inc. of Wilmington are Ted Vandervort, Richard Smith and Larry Barker.

Mr. Barker's name is listed as an owner of several other tax delinquent Friend's titled housing in Clinton County.

The listed manager of Friendly Center and other tax delinquent "Friends" titled housing is SKW MANAGEMENT, LLC was formed on 2009-12-04 in Ohio by SAMUEL KEITH WILKIN

Paul Hunter budhunter@frontier.com

Right Here At Home

Do you think Donald Trump's headline grabbing racial generalizations are over the top and attract the anti-immigrant and, dare I say, hate sector of the GOP. That approach could cost the party the upcoming and future presidential elections. Locally, the party orrganization is led by a man that shares Trump's bombastic, attention grabbing views.

Paul Hunter budhunter@frontier.com

Cliff And The Charter Schools

Interesting Sequence Of Events

Akron Beacon Journal….......In addition, the Horizon and Noble academies, run by Chicago-based Concept [charter] Schools, are related through membership, fundraisers and political giving to the nonprofit Niagara Foundation, which provides trips to Turkey for state, local and federal lawmakers.

Three months earlier, Rosenberger joined two other House Republicans and two local officials for a trip to Turkey. The trip, focused on economic development, was paid for by the Niagara Foundation, which also has sponsored dinner at the state capital.

Rosenberger’s office did not answer Beacon Journal requests for information.

For much more go to 

http://www.ohio.com/news/break-news/ohio-taxpayers-provide-jobs-to-turkish-immigrants-through-charter-schools-1.501940

12/19/14 COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Gov. John Kasich on Thursday pledged to get tough next year on Ohio's underperforming charter schools.

State Rep. Cliff Rosenberger Elected Speaker Of The Ohio House

Akron Beacon Cournal 2/20,15

Recently retired Ohio House Speaker William Batchelder, R-Medina, long an advocate for [charter] school choice, has gone into business with former House staffers who are lobbying for the state’s largest charter school organization.

The online school, Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow and known as ECOT, is among the state’s lowest performing charter schools. The for-profit companies related to ECOT are Altair Learning Management and IQ Innovations, an online education software firm.

The founder, William Lager, has donated more than $1 million to prominent Ohio Republicans since 2010, among them Batchelder.

What is the State of Ohio's response to reports of corruption in charter schools? Why are they reluctant to hold them accountable for their performance and spending of taxpayer dollars? In June, the FBI raided 19 Concept School locations in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, including the group's Des Plaines headquarters. Search warrants showed they were seeking records concerning Concept's use of the federal E-rate program and companies hired under that program, which helps pay for high-tech upgrades. Contractors facing scrutiny in an ongoing federal investigation of Concept Schools have been paid nearly $1 million over the past 3 years for work at 3 Chicago Public Schools-funded campuses run by the Des Plaines-based charter operator. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the agents also were looking for records regarding top Concept officials.

http://teacher-advocate.com/content/brothers/ohio-charter-schools/3/fraud-and-legalized-corruption

7/1/15 Columbus Dispatch Charter-school reform is tabled in Ohio House until September

The House had enough votes to concur with the Senate’s changes to House Bill 2, including a prime bill sponsor, Rep. Kristina Roegner, R-Hudson. That would have sent it to Gov. John Kasich, who also has been pushing for charter-law changes.

Despite all that, the bill stalled, leaving supporters scratching their heads about why legislation that appeared to be a priority to finish before the summer break will instead collect dust until the fall.

Compiled by Paul Hunter

Just Love Single Party Governments

"We cut the state income tax rate and balanced the budget" is the brag from a governor on the Presidential prowl and from the legislature's leaders.

What is not mentioned is the subterfuge behind the brag. Let us count the ways.

1. Reducing the tax sharing (local government funds) by 50% to cities, counties and townships.

2. Eliminating the estate tax

3. Items one and two are forcing many cities and villages to ask their voters for additional tax revenue to replace this lost revenue.

4. The state is increasing taxes on new levies by12.5%

5. Increasing the rate and adding taxable items of a regressive sales tax.

6. Increasing property taxes on many seniors by 25%

7. Giving counties a share of casino revenue and the option to share with municipal governments.

(Counties are not sharing)

8. Creating a convoluted semi-casino called racinos but is not sharing the revenue with local governments with the exception of cities where the racinos are located. Wait, this just out in the Dayton newspaper

The city of Dayton will be limited to a pair of $500,000 racino payments instead of annual payments it had expected in perpetuity because of its status as a racino host city.

The compromise was part of the $71.2 billion state budget bill signed last week by Gov. John Kasich. It calls for payments to six host racino cities or townships for two years only.

Paul Hunter budhunter@frontier.com