Adapt Or Go Down In Flames

I first published the below essay one year ago. Recent events like Brexit, Trumpism and the rise of other populist movements in the developed world reflect the model change. The reactions of unfocused anger by the working class, fueled by political opportunists, are precursors of a tectonic shift in political-economic systems to come. We must adjust or face a bleak future. Hillary may be the last establishment president in the millennial's lifetime.

Paul Hunter

Thanks Henery 6/30/15

Thanks for the memories Henry Ford. You led the work-to-consume revolution that has lasted a century, but, alas, that model is in its death throes.

World labor costs are fast coming into balance and international corporations find it more difficult to find labor at a price that will provide, along with transportation a viable return to investors.

Where do the corporations go from here? In my considered opinion automated manufacturing is the logical next step in the labor cost evolution.

The digitizers in silicon valley have been predicting the “end of work” for some time now. All's well? No it is not, because we don't have a policy,or even a think tank advocating for a new economic model to replace the work to consume model.

Imagine if you will, a huge building where an operator and a materials loader are churning out thousands of auto parts every 24 hours every day of the year. When a printer part breaks another printer makes a new one.

Whom will have the ready cash to buy the parts except the few one time machine makers and the operators. Joe six pack can kiss his dream of an RV, a bass boat and steaks on the grill goodbye. That is, if he hasn't already, due to international labor price balancing.

My feeble input is to tax the machines and create demand by using the revenue to fix and create new infrastructure, expand and improve education. (reducing class size by half would double the teacher force and improve the students outcome) house the homeless and fix the addicted and on and on.

Vote For Me!

I will cut your taxes and bring prosperity to the cities and villages of Ohio. Sounds good huh? Maybe too good to be true. Unless you call degraded streets and unbalanced budgets, prosperity.

Too make up for the shrunken sharing of your state income taxes, cities like Wilmington and villages like Blanchester and Sabina are being forced to ask their residents to make up the loss with increased local taxes.

The median household income for Wilmington residents is around $30,000 and the requested .5% tax increase will cost the household $150.

The state tax cut per year results in a $108 savings using 2012 and 2015 state tax rates. Net loss to the household $42.

Amidst this dichotomy the state’s budget carryover or slush fund is in excess of two billion, with a b, dollars and growing.

There ain’t no free lunch in state vs. local fiscal policy.

Thanks a lot John, Bob and Cliff, we appreciate it.

Paul Hunter 

City Turned a Blind Eye

Bank buys apartments at public auction

WILMINGTON — Three apartment buildings containing more than 200 units available only to low-income residents were purchased at a public auction Friday morning by the bank that foreclosed on them. June 17, 2016

What wasn't mentioned in the Wilmington News Journal article is the following information..

In January of 1982 city council passed an ordinance loaning $469,600 from the city controlled Urban Development Action Grant (UDAG) fund. (That fund has since become a city revolving loan fund that provides bridge loans to small start up and existing businesses.) The loan, with a second mortgage, was made to the developers of the senior living apartments on Prairie Ave.

The sale was the result of the current owners of the property defaulting on the first mortgage held by the local bank.

It remains unclear to me why a facility with guaranteed government rental payments and, at one time, a long waiting list for new tenants should default. Poor management is a strong possible explanation.

There has been no information on the effect of the sale's results on the city's recovery of the loan balance. Legal advice indicates that the new owner is obligated to repay the loan balance. Let us hope that legal action will not be required. In the past the city has been reluctant t take action under the false assumption that eviction of tenants would result.

Very quietly, in the past, the city fathers and mothers have refused to face this situation. The first indication of trouble arose in 1993 and 1995 when entire annual payments were skipped and by April of 2004 all payments had ceased. This left a current balance with interest of around $100,000 owed to the city fund.

Published by Paul Hunter

Local Hero Deserves Wider Audience

http://wnewsj.com/news/20503/wilmington-honors-citizen-hero-who-revived-man-that-overdosed

Wilmington honors Citizen Hero who revived man that overdosed

WILMINGTON — City officials on Thursday night praised and recognized the actions of 17-year-old Alice Davidson, who performed CPR on an unresponsive, non-breathing man she didn’t know — at great risk to herself.

Davidson started May 6 like any other school day – with a walk to Wilmington High School to catch the bus to Laurel Oaks.

“It was just a normal day, but I heard two guys yelling outside,” Davidson said. She went to tell them to stop and saw a third man passed out in the alley.

The other two men were trying to revive him but they were doing CPR incorrectly by pressing on the man’s sternum, said Davidson, who is certified to perform CPR.

The two men also made an unusual request.

“They asked for ice, which I thought was kind of weird,” Davidson said. The men also told her not to call 911 and pulled up the man’s pants — they had tried to insert an ice cube in the man’s rectum.

Police officials have said people try to use ice to shock people out of an overdose, but it doesn’t work and only delays the onset of emergency medical care. Instead of helping, it endangers lives.

Davidson called 911 and had the conscious men identify the unconscious man to 911 while she began CPR. After, they returned Davidson’s phone to her and ran away. Davidson performed CPR until an ambulance arrived, at which point she said the man resumed breathing.

Later, the man told authorities he had Hepatitis C, which is transmitted through blood.

Davidson was treated for the possible exposure, and fortunately tested negative for Hepatitis C.

Her actions resuscitating the man garnered praise from several city officials.

She began the lifesaving measure of CPR to quite literally a stranger on the street,” said Mayor John Stanforth at Thursday night’s city council meeting before presenting the key to the city and a Citizen Hero award to Davidson.

“Detective Baker and the Wilmington Fire Department arrived and observed these heroic acts as the patient was loaded and transported to Clinton Memorial Hospital. Alice simply left to catch the bus to school, seeking no recognition. I believe this speaks to the selflessness and humble nature of Alice and her action.”

Wilmington Police Chief Duane Weyand gave Davidson a challenge coin.

“As Detective Baker will testify, you have to solve a homicide or save a life to get one of these,” Weyand said. “We want to present you with something to thank you and for stepping up and being responsible.”

In a statement ready by Stanforth, Detective Scott Baker said Alice, as a 17-year-old girl, took control of a situation that two adults couldn’t handle.

“These two men abandoned her,” Stanforth said. “And she kept assisting the unresponsive male.”

“It’s been said that a hero is an ordinary person who does extraordinary things under extraordinary events,” said Wilmington Firefighter Tim Doyle, who gave Davidson a keychain CPR Micro shield to use in the future.

Micro shields protect those who give CPR from bodily fluids, helping protect those who administer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

City officials and those attending the meeting stood and applauded Davidson.

“If you have CPR certification, and you see somebody struggling to breathe like that – they’re passed out, they’re unable to be properly taken care of or somebody else is doing it wrong – definitely step in,” Davidson told the News Journal. “Make sure that 911 is called and make sure that they are able to have proper care.”

About Time

To me there exists a dichotomy between the progressive and empathy based movement and its support for anti global trade agreements. After all true empathy should extend to all of the worlds people.

For more than a century the U.S. prospered at the expense of other nations and now we are in a period of redress where international standards of living are coming into balance.

About time, huh?

Paul Hunter  

State Revenue Up, Local Revenue Down

Several years ago Ohio's voters approved a casino referendum, at least partly because the resultant revenue would be shared with all the counties and school districts. As we all now know the boys and girls in Columbus don't like sharing their money with the local folks. (See streets conditions and local tax levies).

In a successful effort to divert gambling dollars away from outlying local governments the legislature approved a “racino” (race track -casino) law that keeps more money in the state's excess cash account while sending zero dollars to Clinton County and county school districts.

Please note the news releases announcing that May's casino revenues were down while racino revenues increased. That's good for the state and bad for the local economy.

Paul Hunter