Kasich, “Vote For Me”

Why? Because, with the help of the legislature, including Cliff Rosenberger and Bob Peterson, I balanced the state budget.

How did he do that? For the answer, ask the Commissioners, Trustees and Mayors of Ohio's local governments. i.e.

JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP [Clinton County] — Officials in Jefferson Township are thinking of ways to raise revenue for the general fund after recent cuts of state aid for local governments.

“We’ve been working on this since January trying to figure out which route to go,” said Trustee Bob Stroud. “They cut out money, so we’ve got to make up for it somewhere. I don’t know where it’s going to be.”

“We used to get an estate tax, and we don’t get it no more,” said Dale Cochran, also a trustee.

“The state is keeping (tax revenue that used to go to local government assistance) and balancing their budget, and it’s making it look bad on all the local governments,” Cochran also said.............

http://wnewsj.com/news/3208/jefferson-township-weighs-levies

Paul Hunter

Speaker Rosenberger Helped

Thanks in part by Cliff Rosenberger's legislative inaction concerning charters the scandal widens.

Charter school scandal may damage Gov. John Kasich’s presidential bid.

Cincinnati Enquirer: “…on Thursday night, after more than six weeks of waiting, The Enquirer received records that may clarify who was involved in the charter-school misconduct … What we know now: David Hansen, Ohio’s school-choice director, resigned in July … Hansen admitted he intentionally had scrubbed data … to make the charter-school sponsors look better overall. Hansen is the husband of Beth Hansen, who served as Kasich’s chief of staff until he launched his presidential campaign, which she now manages.”

Paul Hunter

Obey The Law Or Resign.

Re: Kentucky clerk, citing God, defies courts on gay marriage

What should a government official do when their personal religious beliefs are in conflict with the duties and responsibilities of the office held? In a Nation where the separation of religion is a basic tenet the options are clear. Obey the law or resign the position.

Paul Hunter

From Rich To Richer

Anybody can do it if Donald can. Hard work and free enterprise made Trump what he is today. What that is, is is open to interpretation. It's certainly not an Horatio Alger tale.

Excerpted from: The Self-Made Myth: The Truth About How Government Helps Individuals and Businesses Succeed. http://www.alternet.org/story/156234/exposing_how_donald_trump_really_made_his_fortune%3A_inheritance_from_dad_and_the_government's_protection_mostly_did_the_trick

Trump was born in New York City in 1946, the son of real estate tycoon Fred Trump. Fred Trump’s business success not only provided Donald Trump with a posh youth of private schools and economic security but eventually blessed him with an inheritance worth an estimated $40 million to $200 million.

He understands and relates to the working men and women of this great country so get off food dstamps and get to work.

Paul Hunter budhunter@frontier.com

Forgetting History

Over the years many of my Republican friends have expressed wonder that the party of Lincoln, the creator of the Emancipation Proclamation, has failed to maintain its place in the political heart of the black electorate. After all the deep south Democrats were rightly viewed as the party of racial oppression via jim crow laws. What happened?

A case study of the causation:

Under pressure from the post war civil rights movement Democrat President Harry Truman, following the lead of President Roosevelt, began to raise civil rights issues as a national issue. This of course raised the political ire of the southern democrats and resulted in the formation of the Dixiecrat (southern “states rights”democrat) party.

The then Democrat Governor of South Carolina, Strom Thurmond, was chosen to represent the new segregationist party in the 1948 Presidential election.

This quote from a Thurmond campaign speech best typifies the attitude of the dixiecrat party and the beginning of the end of the democratic control of southern politics. “I wanna tell you, ladies and gentlemen, that there's not enough troops in the army to force the Southern people to break down segregation and admit the Nigra race into our theaters, into our swimming pools, into our homes, and into our churches.”

Later Thurmond was elected to a Senate seat as a Democrat but as a result of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and he along with other southern democrats switched parties.

Paul Hunter  budhunter@frontier.com

Stock Market Gambling

Is trading on the stock markets a zero sum game? The answer is no, it's a negative sum game.

Why is this so?

A zero sum game is like a friendly poker night where each of seven players brings $100 to gamble with. When the game ends with some winners and some losers the most that can be taken out the door is the original $700. There is nothing added to the original sum. No new group wealth is created.

If on the other hand the seven gamblers go to a commercial poker game where the “house” takes a small portion of each pot (game), less than the original $700 sum goes out the door. Substitute stock broker for the “house” in this simple scenario and hopefully the point s made.

Paul Hunter budhunter@frontier.com

Water, Water Everywhere and Nowhere

In 2014 it was determined by this observer that the city was losing an unaccounted for 130 million gallons (MG) of treated water per year.

The city water department blamed the loss on leaking old pipes, inaccurate meters and other miscellaneous causes.

The department's consultant, Aqua-line Leak Detection Services* was paid an estimated $12,000 to do a treated water leak analysis in March-April of 2015.

In their final report dated 4/9/15 Aqua-Line made the following assertions:

a. “Once leaks are repaired, the city will be saving approximately $475 per day in water production costs alone.” based on costs of $1.50 per thousand gallons. “Savings will most likely be higher, as our water loss estimates are somewhat conservative .”

b. Leakage summary includes “discovered and repaired” supply side leaks totaling an estimated 210, 000 gallons per day (GPD). Or, 6.3 MG per month.

c. Discovered but not yet repaired leaks (as of 4/9/15) totaling 52,000 GPD or 1.565 MG per month bringing the total discovered loss of 7.865 MG per month.

The repaired leaks alone should have reduced the water loss by 75 MG per year which represents a major portion of the previous years unexplained loss.

By comparing the same months of pre-repair in 2014 with post repair months of 2015 we should be able to notice the results.

April 2014 loss 47MG; 2015 loss 48MG

May 2014 loss 49 MG; 2015 loss 48MG

June 2014 loss 49MG; 2015 loss 48MG

It appears from this small sample that instead of the expected savings of 7.9MG per month (assuming all repairs have been made) the city is saving 1 MG per month. At 1.50 per thousand gallons production cost the net cost of the loss is an estimated $123,000 per year.

The water department responded to questions concerning the discrepancies in the report by the Mayor and Council's water committee chairman by repeating the same answers from the year before and added the comment that the consultant may have had overestimated the size of leaks.

*not accredited by the Better Business Bureau

Paul Hunter

budhunter@frontier.com