Making Change

ED HAUSER QUESTIONS PORT AUTHORITY IN ABSENTIA

Submitted by Roldo on Fri, 12/12/2008 - 15:41.

The late Ed Hauser - who in death has become a symbol of responsible citizen action - reached out yesterday to seriously question the motives of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority’s operations via a letter based on a conversation he had the day before he died.

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BILL MASON DROPS $50,000 IN CLIMACO LAP

Submitted by Roldo on Fri, 12/12/2008 - 14:48.

County Prosecutor Bill Mason yesterday dropped $50,000 into the lap of one of Cleveland’s premier political law firms – Climaco, Lefkowitz, Peca, Wilcox and Garofoli.

The firm also is a heavy political contributor via a political action committee (PAC). The Climaco firm PAC is typically prominent in political filings of campaign contributions.

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THE MEDICAL MART MONEY MESS

Submitted by Roldo on Fri, 12/12/2008 - 14:15.

When Squire-Sanders & Dempsey boss Fred Nance presented the report on the site selection committee for the medical mart and the convention center I thought the Greater Cleveland Partnership paid for the study.

Any reasonable person would.

The press conference (some four months ago) was held under the auspices of the Greater Cleveland Partnership and run by Nance.

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PD'S GLOWING PITTSBURGH STORY GETS BOMBED

Submitted by Roldo on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 20:43.

Mayor Frank Jackson in his latest “Cleveland – It’s Our Time” sends us a piece written about Pittsburgh that gives the lie to the Chamber of Commerce article on Cleveland’s rival city as presented by the Plain Dealer on its front page recently.

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ANYONE CONSIDER THEMSELVES CITIZENS OF CUYAHOGA COUNTY?

Submitted by Roldo on Wed, 12/10/2008 - 21:40.

  Are there any citizens left in Cuyahoga County. I mean real CITIZENS.  If there are, please show some civic responsibility. Please raise your voices.

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WHAT TO DO ABOUT NEWSPAPERS BEFORE THEY DIE

Submitted by Roldo on Tue, 12/09/2008 - 13:42.

In a discussion on Friday’s Dick Feagler TV show, Plain Dealer editor Susan Goldberg mentioned the possibility that newspapers might drop Monday and Tuesday editions, starting the week with Wednesday when they have ads, usually from the supermarkets.

I’ve thought of that too.

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ISN'T IT TIME FOR A TEA PARTY

Submitted by Roldo on Mon, 12/08/2008 - 15:48.

IT IS TIME TO REDUCE REGRESSIVE TAXATION IN CUYAHOGA COUNTY; IT IS TIME TO STOP TAXING LOW INCOME PEOPLE FOR HIGHER INCOME DESIRES.

 We are too busy to remember that the taxes discussed below are relentlessly collected every day, hour and minute on required purchases by all of us. 

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THERE WERE BETTER WAYS THAN THE PD WAY

Submitted by Roldo on Sun, 12/07/2008 - 10:03.

They didn’t have to do it that way, did they?

Editorial people from two newspapers sent e-mails to me about how layoffs were handled at their newspapers.
It differed from how the Plain Dealer handled its exit for loyal employees.

In both case layoffs, they said, it was done by seniority. (Somehow the newspaper guild at the Plain Dealer gave away its seniority rights.)

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TWO PATHETIC MEN TELL US MUCH ABOUT AMERICA

Submitted by Roldo on Fri, 12/05/2008 - 18:47.

You could watch two of the most pathetic Americans of our time on television tonight trying to evade responsibility.

President George W. Bush tell us, “We are in a recession…This is in large part because of severe problems in our housing, credit and financial markets, which have resulted in significant job losses.”

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LET'S DO WHAT EVERYONE ELSE DOES - GIVE AWAY MONEY!

Submitted by Roldo on Thu, 12/04/2008 - 18:37.

Can you say, “Let’s give some money away?!”

Apparently, the Ohio House of Representatives, particularly Republican members, love to say it.

Now they want to give “film makers” tax credits, capped out at $100-million.

Hey, what’s $100-million anymore when we taxpayers are giving away tens of billions of dollars to thieves on Wall Street?

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THE DAY AFTER BADLY HANDLED PD FIRINGS

Submitted by Roldo on Wed, 12/03/2008 - 17:32.

How badly handled was the layoff plan at the Plain Dealer?
Very badly, I’d say.

It seemed designed by lawyers to set tensions at the high level.

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PD STAFF MEMBERS DRESS IN BLACK TODAY

Submitted by Roldo on Tue, 12/02/2008 - 13:29.

See addition below article (also note that Damian Guevara took the buyout and wasn't relieved of his job, as also taking buyouts were April McClellan-Copeland and Jesse Tinsley).

Plain Dealer editorial staff dressed in black today, according to staff members, as the news dribbled in that colleagues had gotten the dreaded call that they were no longer needed.

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NEWS OUTLET CUTBACKS NOT ONLY AT PD - ALSO TV

Submitted by Roldo on Tue, 12/02/2008 - 11:52.

It may seem odd that there’s so much attention paid to those being laid off at the Plain Dealer when so many others are losing their jobs by the hundreds and by the thousands.

However, there is something different about the news media because of the importance of news to a democracy. We are dependent upon these sources for the information as citizens.

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GOLDBERG'S MESSAGE TO PD STAFF

Submitted by Roldo on Mon, 12/01/2008 - 13:49.

The following is the message to Plain Dealer reporters from Editor Susan Goldberg that will mean 27 people will find out with a phone call that their services are no longer required.

It gives privacy, says Goldberg, not to mention a cold message of job loss. Couldn't it have been handled more humanly?

Here's the message:

Colleagues:

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PD REPORTERS AWAIT EGGER AX AS 50 TO GO

Submitted by Roldo on Wed, 11/26/2008 - 14:23.

“There’s bad blood in the city room” says a veteran Plain Dealer reporter as the PD editorial staff awaits more employee cutbacks.

No wonder, the ranks soon will be much thinner. Many are looking over their shoulders, not knowing which will soon not be employed by the newspaper.

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CITY EXTENDS I-X CONVENTION CENTER LEASE UNTIL 2039

Submitted by Roldo on Tue, 11/25/2008 - 15:21.

The City of Cleveland has extended the lease for the I-X (Convention) Center until, with options, until 2039.

Does this mean there won't be a new convention center and medical mart? Naw. 

Council passed legislation recently at the behest of the Jackson administration. 

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ONLY KIND WORDS FOR VOINOVICH FROM PLAIN DEALER

Submitted by Roldo on Sat, 11/22/2008 - 13:32.

Do you notice how the Plain Dealer is so quick to praise Sen. George Voinovich and typically so quick to kick Rep. Dennis Kucinich.

In an editorial today, the Plain Dealer went out of its way to praise Sen. Voinovich, who apparently woke up late to the crisis in the auto industry.

Gosh, gee we have to do something about this crashing crisis.

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THE FAILED BALTIMORE MEDICAL MART SAGA

Submitted by Roldo on Fri, 11/21/2008 - 15:51.

The Medical Mart being pitched to us is an old idea, an old failed idea. Ask Baltimore.

Cleveland has been excited about the unique development of a Medical Mart here for some time. The movers and shakers have been pushing for the concept and Cuyahoga County Commissioners Tim Hagan and Jimmy Dimora have voted us a sales tax to fund it.

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WEALTHY EATON CORP. PUTS HANDS IN OHIOAN'S POCKETS

Submitted by Roldo on Thu, 11/20/2008 - 11:29.

When do we stop giving away millions of dollars to profitable corporations and developers who should be supporting themselves?

I see in the Plain Dealer yesterday (why we still need newspapers) that the State of Ohio will give Eaton Corp. $6 million toward building a new headquarters in the Chagrin Highland’s development.

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NOTHING LIKE HONORING THE BOSS, ESPECIALLY IF HE'S THE GOVERONOR

Submitted by Roldo on Tue, 11/18/2008 - 14:36.

Happened to look at Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher’s official site and it made me wonder why Peggy Zone Fisher’s profile and photo are linked there. Did we elect Lee’s wife, too? I don’t think so. That made me think a bit more after I was told some rather high-faulting ticket prices were being asked for the annual fund-raising dinner for Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio. So I look at the Diversity Center and learn its director is none other than Peggy Zone Fisher. Guess who’s the Diversity honoree of the year? Now, come on, think. Well, Lt. Gov.

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SEN. VOINOVICH OWES OBAMA AN APOLOGY

Submitted by Roldo on Tue, 11/18/2008 - 10:07.

Tell Sen. George Voinovich that he must cooperate with President-elect Barack Obama come January.He also owes the President-elect an apology.

Republican Voinovich made an outrageous and disrespectful attack on Obama near the end of the recent presidential campaign. Voinovich apparently thought he could scare Ohioans into voting for his party’s candidate, Sen. John McCain.

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REFORM THAT CREATES BOSSISM IN CUYAHOGA COUNTY

Submitted by Roldo on Wed, 11/12/2008 - 19:37.

The Commission on Cuyahoga County Government reform’s final report is not worth the paper it was printed. No surprise there.

My reading of the skimpy 10-page report – that includes acknowledgements and structure charts – is that it was a big waste of time.

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WALL STREET FINDS A NEW TROUGH

Submitted by Roldo on Sun, 11/09/2008 - 15:51.

For a quick education on how the American people are being taken to the cleaners by Wall Street read Naomi Klein’s article from Rolling Stone.

Klein wrote “The Shock Doctrine – The Rise of Disaster Capitalism,” a riviting expose on how disasters are used to divert the very help that is supposed to aid people right into the pockets of people who helped cause the disaster.

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