This is
a letter I sent to all of Ohio’s major newspapers voicing my opinion on Issue 2
/ SB5. Some papers published it – most did
not. Some acknowledged receipt and again
some did not. It was my desire to
perhaps influence a few individuals to vote informed.
Issue 2
Facts
I
just received another mailer urging me to vote YES on Issue 2. Like the others
it was a litany of false statements. I will address some of them here.
Supporters
say they only want government workers to pay 15% of their health care cost. While some agencies negotiated paid health care in lieu of pay
increases. As a retired Akron
Police Sergeant I pay 25% of my health care cost. For those with a wife and at least one child
that is over $8,000.00 per year for health care.
Supporters
say they only expect police to pay 10% of their pay towards our pension fund.
While it is true that some agencies have that 10% paid by their employer, it is
because they agreed to that as a benefit in lieu of pay raises at the urging of
their city. As an Akron officer I paid 10% towards my pension. How many in the private sector place 10% of
their pay in a 401 K or other retirement plan?
Government
employees do not pay into Social Security.
However, if a government worker works a second job he or she then must
pay Social Security like everyone.
Government
workers are penalized in that he or she only receives approximately 1/3 of what
was actually earned because he or she has a government pension. If that work is
considered self employed or that of an independent contractor, the government
worker must pay the full self-employment tax or Social Security. When I was
self employed it was 15%.. That meant I should be
receiving about $1,200.00 per month. But wait, because I also receive a
government pension I only I get $388.00 each month because of the offset and
after the Medicare deduction I am left with $277.00! This is after working 27
years on the police department and paying the full 15% self employment tax on my
employment and I am left with less than $277.00 after Medicare! Hardly seems
fair considering I paid 15% of my income to Social Security.
Supporters
of Issue 2 say government employees make 43%more than the average worker yet
they provide no facts to support that ridiculous claim. I was elated in 1971
when I made $8,200.00 on the police department. That same year my brother made
$18,000.00 working in the private sector. That is more than 220% that he made at B.F. Goodrich
and he would brag that they had a quota to reach and that it was reached after
the first three hours of the shift. They were permitted to sleep the remaining
five hours! When I quit AT&T and
went to the police department in 1969 I received a $30.00 a week pay cut, not a
43% raise!
Issue
2 supporters say government workers get guaranteed pay increases just for
showing up. I was part of management and
I could deny that raise by giving the employee an unsatisfactory service
rating. Most contracts specify a schedule of raises over a number of years but
are received only if the employee is rated satisfactory or above by management.
Supporters
of Issue 2 say we have to keep raising your taxes to pay for our benefits. I
know of no government employee that has the power to raise taxes. It is the
politicians that do that with the support of the voters. Government workers are
also tax payers and pay the same taxes as those citizens that support Issue 2.
There
is need for change in some areas. Issue 2 as written with over 300 pages is not
the way to address those problem areas. Vote
NO on Issue 2 and together let us force the politicians to come up with a
reasonable replacement bill that truly address those problem areas. Do that and you just may have my vote as well.
Just
my View From Here.
Richard
D. Reese
Vice
President Ohio Police & Fire Retirees
1081
Sterling Oaks Drive
Wadsworth,
Ohio 44281
330-329-8754
THE VIEW FROM HERE
November 2011
Well it’s time to vote again. It appears that again I am perplexed by many of the confusing statements and accusations voiced in many of the advertisements appearing in the media. This is true regarding both political candidates as well as many of the issues being placed before the voters.
This is especially true regarding State Issue 2. To begin the issue is over 300 pages long! That should raise a red flag. 300 pages tells me that there are many thing hidden in the bill that the politicians do not want you the voter to be aware of. The following is a summary of what I believe are some of the most noteworthy points contained in S.B. 5.
S. B. No.5 Issue 2 repeals and revises existing and enacts new provisions of the Ohio Revised Code relating to laws concerning public employees, including collective bargaining, salary schedules and compensation, layoff procedures, and leave, including, but not limited to, the following:
Expands the list of subjects that are inappropriate for collective bargaining.
Requires public employers to not bargain on any subject reserved to the management and direction of the governmental unit, even if the subject affects wages, hours, and terms and conditions of employment.
Prohibits an existing provision of a collective bargaining agreement that was modified, renewed, or extended that does not concern wages, hours, and conditions from being a mandatory subject of collective bargaining.
Allows a public employer to engage in specified employment related actions at the employer’s discretion unless the public employer specifically agrees otherwise in an express written provision of a collective bargaining agreement, with certain exceptions concerning equipment.
Prohibits all "public employees" from striking.
Requires the public employer to deduct from the compensation of a striking employee an amount equal to twice the employee's daily rate of pay for each day or part thereof that the employee engaged in a strike.
Expands the definition of
"supervisor" with respect to members of a fire or police department.
Expands the definition of "supervisor" and "management level employee" with respect to faculty of a state institution of higher education to include those involved in certain decisions.
Prohibits employees of community schools from collectively bargaining, except for conversion community schools.
Allows the governing authority of a conversion community school to opt out of collectively bargaining with the community school's employees.
Limits the ability of other employees to collectively bargain with their public employers, including regional council of government employees and certain members of the unclassified civil service, to allow the employees to bargain only if the public employer elects to do so.
Removes continuation, modification, or deletion of an existing collective bargaining agreement from the subject of collective bargaining.
Changes the time limitations within which the State Employment Relations Board must act upon a request for recognition.
Allows the Board to determine appropriate
units, remove classifications from a bargaining unit, or hold an election
regardless of an agreement or a memorandum of understanding granting
nonexclusive or deemed certified recognition.
Prohibits an appropriate unit of firefighters from including rank and file members with members who are of the rank lieutenant and above.
Permits certain groups to file a decertification petition demonstrating that 30% of the employees in the described bargaining unit support the petition.
Prohibits a public employer that is a school district, educational service center, a conversion community school that collectively bargains, or STEM school from entering into a collective bargaining agreement that does specified things, such as establishing a maximum number of students who may be assigned to a classroom or teacher.
Requires collective bargaining agreements between such an education-related public employer and public employees to comply with all applicable state or local laws or ordinances regarding wages, hours, and terms and conditions of employment, unless the conflicting provision establishes benefits that are less than provided in the law or ordinance.
Prohibits a collective bargaining agreement
from prohibiting a public employer that is in a state of fiscal emergency from
serving a written notice to terminate, modify, or negotiate the agreement.
Prohibits a collective bargaining agreement from prohibiting a public employer that is in a state of fiscal watch from serving a written notice to modify a collective bargaining agreement so that salary or benefit increases, or both, are suspended. .
Prohibits an agreement from
containing a provision that requires as a condition of employment that the
nonmembers of the employee organization pay to the employee organization a fair
share fee.
Prohibits a collective
bargaining agreement entered into or renewed on or after the bill's effective date
from containing provisions limiting a public employer's ability to privatize
operations.
Prohibits a collective bargaining agreement entered into or renewed on or after the bill's effective date from containing provisions for certain types of leave to accrue above listed amounts or to pay out for sick leave at a rate higher than specified amounts.
Prohibits a collective bargaining agreement entered into or renewed on or after the bill's effective date from containing certain provisions regarding the deferred retirement option plan.
Limits the currently required grievance procedure to unresolved grievances that are based on the disputed interpretations of the written provisions of the agreement.
Eliminates the ability of
the parties to submit disputes to an agreed-upon dispute resolution procedure.
Extends the timelines involved in the dispute resolution process.
Expands the list of factors a fact-finder must consider in resolving disputes, and requires the fact finder to consider as the primary factor the interests and welfare of the public and the ability of the public employer to finance and administer the issues proposed.
Eliminates the final offer settlement procedure.
Requires the legislative body of the public employer to be the final decision-maker with respect to any dispute that is unresolved during the fact-finding process, and prescribes procedures and requirements for the legislative body to make a determination.
Requires any agreement determined by the
legislative body to be in effect for three years.
Requires, if the legislative body fails to select a last best offer, the public employer's last best offer to become the agreement between the parties.
Allows, for certain public employers, if the legislative body selects the last best offer that costs more and the chief financial officer of the legislative body determines that insufficient funds exist or refuses to determine whether sufficient funds exist to cover the agreement, the last best offers to be submitted to the voters for selection.
Prescribes procedures to place the last best offers on the ballot and for that election.
Expands the list of unfair labor practices that may be committed by an employee organization, its agents, or public employees and the remedies that may be applied for unfair labor practices committed by those entities.
Revises the procedures regarding hearings on unfair labor practice charges.
Requires a public employer to report certain information about compensation paid to public employees under a collective bargaining agreement.
Repeals the provision requiring the Public Employee Collective Bargaining Law to be liberally construed.
Eliminates statutory salary
schedules and steps.
Requires performance-based pay for most public employees, including board and commission members, and makes other, related changes.
Requires performance-based pay for teachers based, in part, on evaluations conducted under a policy that is based on a framework for teacher evaluations that has been recommended by the Superintendent of Public Instruction and adopted by the State Board of Education.
Caps vacation leave for certain public employees at 7.7 hours per biweekly pay period and limits total accrual for those public employees currently accruing 9.2 hours per pay period.
Reduces sick leave accrual for most public employees from 4.6 hours to 3.1 hours per biweekly pay period.
Limits public employer contributions toward health care benefit costs to 85%.
Requires health care benefits provided to management level employees to be the same as any health care benefits provided to other employees of the same public employer.
Requires boards of education to adopt policies to provide leave with pay for school employees and abolishes statutorily provided leave for those employees.
Abolishes continuing contracts for teachers, except for those continuing contracts in existence prior to the effective date of the bill and revises the law relating to limited contracts.
Prohibits a public employer from paying employee contributions to the five public employee retirement systems.
Requires health care benefits provided through a jointly administered trust fund to be the same as the health care benefits provided to other public employees.
Allows death benefits paid under the Police and Fire Pension Fund to be paid in accordance with existing salary schedules and increases in salaries.
Removes consideration of seniority and length of service, by itself; from decisions regarding a reduction in work force of certain public employees.
Creates the Ohio Commission for Excellence in Public Service to establish and guide programs that foster best practices in public service workplaces.
If a majority of the voters vote to not
approve the Act, then enacted changes will not take effect and the prior
version of the affected laws will remain in effect.
The bottom line is there are some good points contained in the bill but there are many bad ones. This is especially true regarding police and fire employees. It is for that reason that I encourage you the voter to VOTE NO on Issue 2. Let’s force the politicians to go back and rewrite the bill to be something reasonable that all residents of Ohio can live and prosper with.
Just my View From Here.
I close with this thought – Deliver me from all the evildoers that talk nothing but sickness and failure. Grant me the companionship of those who think success and are willing to work for it. Loan me those associates who cheerfully face the problems of the day and try hard to overcome them. Relieve me of cynics and critics. Give me continued good health and the strength to be of real service to the world and receive that which is good for me and all those that want it.
Dick Reese
330-329-8754
wa8dbw@neo.rr.com
THE VIEW FROM HERE
October 2011
Akron's September 13th primary election is now over. I have heard many say they are disappointed
that Michael Williams did not displace Don Plusquellic as Akron’s democratic
candidate. There have been many
theories bantered about. While some have
definite merit it is my belief that many voters thought they had until the
November election to vote. Many were
appalled by the low voter turnout. In
2015 Williams plans to run again. I
believe it is imperative for him to use the next four years to organize a huge
base of citizens that will aid in overcoming the misinformation his opponent
will disseminate to the voters. It is also
imperative that those who profess to support a change in city administration be
willing to get out and do more than just offer lip service in support of a
candidate that dares to oppose Plusquellic.
Some have said they do not understand why Plusquellic
wants to remain in office with 38 years of city service he can retire at any
time. One can speculate as to the reasons; however I believe there is a strong
likelihood that he will step down prior to the end of the upcoming term. Stepping down or retiring would turn the
mayor’s office over to council president, Marco Summerville. It is unfortunate but this would be pretty
much a continuation of Plusquellic’s policies and procedures.
The question arises – what actions should Mike Williams
be performing in the next four years to best insure his election as mayor of
Akron? This questions answer is
complicated by the fact that Plusquellic, Summerville, and Williams are all
democrats. First of all, I believe the
office of mayor should be nonpartisan, and based on that premise, Williams
should run as an independent. I, and
many others, vote for whomever they believe has the best interest of the
community at heart. As I stated in my
endorsement of Williams from September 10, 2011 “I am a Republican that offers
total support of the Williams for Mayor of Akron campaign. I urge you the
reader to do the same.” I believe had
Williams been a republican or preferably an independent, he would have been
successful in his bid to replace Plusquellic as Akron’s mayor.
That’s just The View From Here
By the way – There is still no change in the status of
the healthcare suit. As you remember we
won the last action and Akron appealed it to Franklin County Court. I do not anticipate any ruling until after
the November elections. I promise to
keep you posted as to what develops.
Dick Reese
wa8dbw@neo.rr.com
An Election Editorial
September 10, 2011
Akron's
September 13th primary election is fast approaching. Mayor Plusquellic is for
the first time facing serious competition for the democratic nomination for
mayor. This is due to Michael Williams, Councilman-at-large, having made the
decision to seek the position of mayor of the city of Akron. Williams has long
been involved in Akron politics and is one of the few that has dared to openly
oppose Plusquellic, questioning some of his tactics, attitudes, policies, and
dictatorial actions when dealing with the citizenry in general, surrounding
communities, and city workers.
We have
been inundated with media commercials from Mayor Don Plusquellic in an effort
to convince the citizens of what a marvelous job he has done for the city.
These have included endorsements from some high ranking members of the safety
forces, including a former police chief. This falsely gives the impression that
members of the police division endorse Plusquellic's re-election. Nothing can
be further from the truth. I will concede that some members may support
Plusquellic, but the majority support Mike Williams for the office of Mayor of
Akron. It is unfortunate that some members and former members of the Police
Division have chosen to prostitute themselves by voicing support for
Plusquellic while the majority of the rank and file supports Williams. This is
evident by Williams having received the endorsement of both the Police and Fire
Unions.
Some of
the reasons include the fact that Williams is a man of integrity and has always
been an advocate for the safety of the community, refusing to let personal
likes and dislikes control his policy. This is in contrast to Plusquellic's
denial that there are any safety concerns in Akron's neighborhoods. He has
chosen to disregard mandated staffing levels, jeopardizing the safety of police
officers as well as that of the community. Plusquellic has let his hatred for
union leaders and some members of the safety forces negatively influence his
decisions regarding the safety of the community.
Williams,
while readily admitting that these are austere times and that Akron must
operate with a balanced budget in mind, believes that above all Akron must
maintain a safe environment for its citizens. It serves no purpose to say we
must maintain sanitation services if the citizens are afraid to leave their
homes to take the trash can to the curb for pickup! This is in contrast to
Plusquellic stating that since Safety forces are the largest part of the
employee payroll, they should be first to be severed from the city employment
roster.
Williams
welcomes those persons with ideas that differ from his, while Plusquellic
becomes enraged if you fail to agree with him and even goes so far as to
"reserve a special place in Hell" for those that are foolish enough
to oppose his ideas. I find it noteworthy that Plusquellic apparently has a
relationship with Satan that is so close that he believes he has that ability
to "reserve a special place in Hell" for those who chose to disagree
with or oppose him! I also find it notable that Mike Williams more often than
not ends his conversations with individuals with "May God Bless You!"
Plusquellic
brags about bringing foreign jobs to Akron but when bragging of the number of
jobs he fails to state that most are projected jobs for the future. He thus far
has failed to give a concise accounting of how much money has been spent on
travel to other countries. He states that the travel was paid by JED funds and
that is justification for first class travel and payment of $300 to $600 dollar
per night hotels for each member of his entourage. Plusquellic apparently
forgets that the JED funds are also taxpayer money. He has neglected existing
small and medium business in the area resulting in some companies leaving Akron
for surrounding communities. Williams pledges to concentrate on providing
motivation aimed and keeping existing jobs while enticing other companies to
locate in Akron.
Williams
has pledged to honor Akron's obligations to its residents as well as those
imposed by Ohio and Federal regulatory agencies such as the EPA,
and contractual obligations with Akron's labor organizations. Again this is in
sharp contrast with Plusquellic's total disregard for the same. Plusquellic's
refusal to honor the EPA mandated improvements to the city sewer system has
resulted in millions of dollars in fines that continue to accumulate on a daily
basis.
Mayor
Plusquellic for years has refused to provide contracted Medical Benefits to
Police and Fire Retirees unless they first purchase health care coverage from
Ohio Police and Fire Pension Fund. For some retirees this coverage comes at an
annual cost in excess of $8,000.00! That cost is deducted from the retiree's
pension check. In the event the insurance cost is greater than the pension
benefit, the retiree is billed for the difference!
Seven
years ago the City of Akron was taken to court, and the Mayor claimed that this
was not an issue under the courts jurisdiction, but
instead was an insurance matter. The retirees took this issue to the State of
Ohio Bureau of Insurance, and after lengthy investigation, Mayor Plusquellic
was ordered by the Director of Insurance of the State of Ohio to pay the
present and past medical claims of police and fire retirees and to immediately
stop this unlawful practice. He refused to comply with that order. He is now
claiming that the courts have jurisdiction, not the State Department of
Insurance. Retired police and firemen have died with this issue of their
medical benefits never being resolved . This is an
outrage and Plusquellic must be held accountable. This and other actions have
resulted in the City forgoing the use of the Akron Law Department's expertise
and hiring outside law firms to represent the City of Akron. Some have said
that this was because the Akron Law Department advised Plusquellic was wrong to
avoid his obligation to settle these issues and negate the costly law suits.
Plusquellic then contracted with these private law firms to represent the City
of Akron. Perhaps someone could request an accounting of the monies paid to
those law firms. Meanwhile Plusquellic continues to defy the Ohio Bureau of
Insurance and he continues to give taxpayer money to private law firms to
appeal the State of Ohio order.
Mayor
Plusquellic has permitted his abrasive and arrogant personality to control his
relationships with the safety forces, other employee groups, and the community.
As Akron's chief executive, he is responsible for setting the tone for ALL city
employees. It should be incumbent that he led with maturity and wisdom,
treating others as he would be treated. The citizens and other politicians
should demand it; anyone not willing to operate that way should be summarily removed
from office.
These
are but some of the reasons I oppose the re-election of Don Plusquellic and
support the candidacy of Michael Williams for Mayor of Akron. Yes, Williams is
a Democrat and as a non-resident I cannot vote, but I am a Republican that offers
total support of the Williams for Mayor of Akron campaign. I urge you the
reader to do the same.
Richard
D. Reese
330-329-8754
THE VIEW FROM HERE
September 2011
I would like to begin with an apology for my failure to
write something for the August issue. It
was a hectic month with lots of challenges.
I had tons of medical test and two trips to the hospital. The good news is that I survived the hospital
stays. While I was in AGMC my brother
Robert was in Akron City ICU. Unfortunately
he was not as fortunate as I. He passed
away on the morning of August 3rd.
He left his wife and two sons and a host of other relatives and friends
to morn his passing. He would have been
67 on the 18th of August.
I wish to take this opportunity to thank all of you for
the many expressions of sympathy and we were pleasantly surprised at the number
received from long time – long ago co workers at APD. In particular the many members of the 911
communications center. I have been gone
from there for over sixteen years but they still remember the experiences we
shared. Again thanks to all and may God
bless you and keep you and your loved ones safe and healthy.
On a lighter note Charmaine and I have spent some quality
time together and with some of our six children and nine grandchildren. They are precious to the two of us and we
treasure the time we get to share with them.
We took the motor home to Lake Erie with seven of the grands and two of
our daughters and one son. We all had a
great time with lots of food and fun in the waters of Erie. Perhaps in a couple of months we will get all
of the sand out of the carpet!
August is when we celebrate numerous birthdays. We have two of our daughters Christine and
Meredith’s birthday on the 13th and 17th as well as
nieces, nephews, friends and my sister Becky on the 23rd and mine on
the 24th.
The 22nd of August is the most important day
of my life. You may ask why – well it is
Charmaine and my wedding anniversary.
Some of you know that when I was divorced I vowed to remain single for
the rest of my life. I managed to do so
for eight years and to make a long story short Charmaine proposed to me and I
instantly replied yes. The rest is
history. She is the best thing that ever
happened to me and I am forever grateful for her undying love. I am convinced that if not for her I would
not be among the living. She and my
oncologist Dr. Sandra Hazra are my two angels.
I realize I am rambling and probably boring most of the
readers so I will close this month by again thanking all of you for your well
wishes and expressions of sympathy in the death of my brother Robert. May God bless you and may each of you have as
much happiness as I have been blessed with.
Just my View From Here
Dick Reese
330-329-8754
THE VIEW FROM HERE
August 2011
Essentially
there is nothing new regarding the Health Care law suit. Your attorney Larry
Shenise was at the Wednesday July 13th meeting of the retirees at the lodge. It
appears that the judge and/or the City of Akron are attempting to delay any
decisions until after the fall elections. As you know we received a favorable
ruling from the Bureau of Insurance and as expected Akron filed an appeal.
The
judge in Franklin county court has yet to make a decision on the Akron appeal
and is now questioning if he even had jurisdiction to hear the appeal. it is
our opinion that Ohio law is clear in that regard. Any appeal must be heard in
Franklin County (Columbus) court. Time line for a settlement remains unknown.
Perhaps our best chance for a speedy settlement would be after the November
election and perhaps a new mayor of Akron.
Back
in May an invitation was extended to both Mayor Plusquellic and Councilman at large
Mike Williams to speak at our joint meeting of police and fire retirees.
Williams responded and attended our meeting. He outlined his plan for Akron and
his support of Akron's safety forces.
While
in route to the July 13th meeting I received a phone call at 11:10 am from
Plusquellic's office regarding the meeting. I explained that the invitation was
extended back in May and the meeting was to begin in about 45 minutes.
Plusquellic's spokesperson said that he could not make that days meeting but perhaps
another one may be possible. I explained that we only had one joint meeting
each year but the August Fire meeting on August 4th at the FOP lodge would be
possible. . She stated she would check Plusquellic's calendar and get back to
me. I stated that would be fine. The sooner the better so that I could advise
the police retirees to attend the August meeting with the fire retirees. On
July 23rd I received a call from his campaign office stating Plusquellic was
not available for the August 4th fire meeting. I said the other date is August
10th the date of the next police retiree meeting. I explained that I required
an answer ASAP so that fire retirees could be notified of Plusquellic's
attendance.
As
soon as I receive a reply from Plusquellic's office I will send an email to the
group.
Keep
Bob Trevathan in your prayers. He is recovering from surgery at home. If anyone
has knowledge of any member in need of prayer - please send me an email or call
me on the phone.
Take
care.
Dick
Reese
330-329-8754
THE VIEW FROM HERE
July 2011
Well here it is July
and we have five Fridays, five Saturdays, and five Sundays in this month! This is a combination that will happen again
in July of 2016. Those of you that are
still working have the opportunity to take five weekends off!
Remember Independence
Day is July 4th so fly our flag and say a prayer for our military
and our safety forces.
I wish to remind each
of you that for the first time it appears that Mayor Plusquellic has serious
competition for the office of mayor. As
you know longtime councilman Michael Williams has tossed his hat in the
ring. I contacted both candidates’
offices and extended an invitation to speak to the retirees and inform us as to
their vision of Akron’s future and relay their thoughts regarding the safety
forces. As of this writing Mike Williams
has agreed to speak at our July 13th meeting at noon. This will be a joint meeting of the police
and fire retirees. Mark your calendar
and Charmaine and I are looking forward to seeing you there.
As of June 26 I have
yet to receive a response from Mayor Don Plusquellic. In the event I do I will try and arrange a
date prior to the September vote when Plusquellic can speak to the group
also. You can form your own thoughts as
to why Plusquellic has failed to respond to the invitation to speak to our
group. I will not voice my thoughts
since it would only be speculation since Plusquellic nor his office has given
me the courtesy of a reply to my request for him to speak to our retirees
group. Although I cannot vote in Akron
elections since I am a resident of Wadsworth, and I would never tell anyone how
to cast their ballot, I will advise my friends and relatives that are residents
of Akron that if I were a resident I would cast my ballot for Mike Williams
rather that Plusquellic and yes, I am a registered republican!
An update on the
status of our law suit against the City of Akron regarding our healthcare;
There was a hearing
scheduled in Columbus on June 27th and I was holding this note in anticipation
of providing news of the hearing but when I called to check on the hearing time
on Saturday the 25th I was notified that it was canceled and all
parties were to submit briefs to the judge.
Yes that basically constitutes another delay. As soon as I receive meaningful information
it will be emailed to Don and Sue Dexter to be sent to the email list.
I have had several
people inquire as to what number they should call to get the 2011 Medicare
Reimbursement Form sent to them. You can
call United Health Care at 888-832-0964 or call me at 330-329-8754 and I will
email a copy of the form to you.
Till next time...Stay
safe and be your brother’s keeper.
Dick Reese
330-329-8754
THE VIEW FROM HERE
June 2011
PESSIMISM about the United States rarely pays off in the long run. Time and
again, when we Americans have felt particularly glum, our economy has been on
the brink of a revival. Think of Jimmy Carter’s cardigan-clad doom and gloom in
the inflation-ridden late 1970s, or the fear of competition from Japan that
marked the “jobless recovery” of the early 1990s. Both times the United States
bounced back, boosted on the first occasion by Paul Volcker’s conquest of
inflation and on the second by a productivity spurt that sent growth rates
soaring in the mid-1990s even as Japan’s economy stalled and then stagnated.
That record is worth bearing in mind today. Many Americans are unhappy, and
becoming more so, about the country’s prospects and politicians’ efforts to
improve them. In a new CBS News poll, seven out of ten respondents said America
is on the wrong track. Almost 60% of Americans disapprove of the
administration’s handling of the economy, and three out of four think Congress
is doing an even worse job. Let’s not
even get started on Ohio SB5!
This malaise partly reflects the sluggishness of the recovery. Though unemployment
has reportedly been falling and share prices are close to a three-year high,
home prices are still in the dumps and the price of gas has soared to levels
not seen since the summer of 2008. But it’s not all about oil or indeed the
short term. A careful reading of the polls suggests that our worries stretch
well beyond the next couple of years: about stagnating living standards and a
dark future in an economy slow to create jobs, saddled with big government
deficits and under threat from China. Tellingly, a majority now regard China,
not America, as the world’s leading economy.
Are these worries justified? On the plus side, it is hard to think of any
large country with as many inherent long-term advantages as America: what would
China give to have a Silicon Valley? Or Germany an Ivy League? But it is also
plain that the United States does indeed have long-term economic weaknesses—and
ones that will take time to fix. The real worry for Americans should be that
their politicians, not least their president, are doing so little to tackle
these underlying problems. Three failings stand out.
The first failing, of which President Obama in particular is guilty, is
misstating the problem. He likes to frame America’s challenges in terms of
“competitiveness”, particularly versus China. America’s prosperity, he argues,
depends on “out-innovating, out-educating and out-building” China. This is, in
my opinion, mostly nonsense. America’s prosperity depends not on other
countries’ productivity growth, but on its own (actually pretty fast) pace.
Ideas spill over from one economy to another: when China innovates Americans
benefit.
Of course, plenty more could be done to spur innovation. The system of
corporate taxation is a mess and deters domestic investment. President Obama is
right that America’s infrastructure is creaking. But the solution there has as
much to do with reforming Neanderthal funding systems as it does with the
greater public spending he advocates. Too much of the “competitiveness” talk is
a canard—one that justifies misguided policies, such as subsidies for green
technology, and diverts attention from the country’s real to-do list.
High on that list is sorting out America’s public finances. The budget
deficit is huge and public debt, at over 90% of GDP when measured in an
internationally comparable manner, is high and rising fast. Apart from Japan,
America is the only big rich economy that does not have a plan for getting its
public finances under control.
The good news is that politicians are at last paying attention: deficit
reduction is just about all anybody talks about these days. The bad news—and
the second reason for gloom about what the politicians are up to—is that
neither party is prepared to make the basic compromises that are essential to a
deal. Some say Republicans refuse to accept that taxes will have to rise;
others say it’s the Democrats refusal to admit that spending on “entitlements”
be reduced. No real progress is likely until after the 2012 presidential
election. And the antagonism of today’s deficit debate may even harm the
economy, as Republicans push for excessive cuts in next year’s budget.
Meanwhile, the biggest dangers lie in an area that politicians barely
mention: the labor market. The recent decline in the jobless rate has been
misleading, the result of a surprisingly small growth in the workforce (as
discouraged workers drop out) as much as fast job creation. A stubborn 46% of
America’s jobless, some six million people, have been out of work for more than
six months. The weakness of the recovery is mostly to blame, but there are
signs that America may be developing a distinctly European disease: structural
unemployment.
Youth unemployment is especially high, and joblessness among the young
leaves lasting scars. Strong productivity growth has been achieved partly
through the elimination of many mid-skilled jobs. And what makes this all the
more worrying is that, below the radar screen, America had employment problems
long before the recession, particularly for lesser-skilled men. These were
caused not only by sweeping changes from technology and globalization, which
affect all countries, but also by America’s habit of locking up large numbers
of young men, which drastically diminishes their future employment prospects.
America has a smaller fraction of prime-age men in work and in the labor force
than any other G7 economy. Some 25% of men aged 25-54 with no college degree,
35% of high-school dropouts and almost 70% of black high-school dropouts are
not working.
Beyond the toll to individuals, the lack of work among less-skilled men
could have huge fiscal and social consequences. The cost of disability payments
is some $120 billion (almost 1% of GDP) and rising fast. Male worklessness has
been linked with lower marriage rates and weakening family bonds.
All this means that grappling with entrenched joblessness deserves to be
far higher on America’s policy agenda. Unfortunately, the few (leftish)
politicians who acknowledge the problem tend to have misguided solutions, such
as trade barriers or industrial policy to prop up yesterday’s jobs or to spot
tomorrow’s. That won’t work: government has a terrible record at picking
winners. Instead, America needs to get its macro-medicine right, in particular
by committing itself to medium-term fiscal and monetary stability without
excessive short-term tightening. But it also needs job-market reforms, from
streamlining and upgrading training to increasing employers’ incentives to hire
the low-skilled. And there, strange as it may seem, America could learn from
Europe: the Netherlands, for instance, is a good model for how to overhaul
disability insurance. Stemming the decline in low-skilled men’s work will also
demand more education reform to boost skills, as well as a revised approach to
drugs and imprisonment.
Technology and globalization are remaking labor markets across the rich
world, to the relative detriment of the lower-skilled. That’s why a rosier
outlook for America’s economy does not necessarily mean a rosy future for all
Americans. President Obama and his opponents can help to shape the process.
Sadly, they are doing so for the worse rather than the better.
Just my View From Here
Dick Reese
330-329-8754
THE VIEW FROM HERE
May 2011
Just a few reminders for the month of May;
Remember Mother’s Day
is Sunday May 8th. Give her
a call or go see her if possible. If she
has passed on as mine has then take time to think of her and if you believe –
speak to her and she will hear you and if you believe you will know what her
reply is as well.
Wednesday May 11th
is when we again celebrate Police Memorial Day at Wolter Park. I urge each of you to take time out of your
bust day and attend the service that honors our fallen brethren. As of this time there have been 65 officer
killed in the line of duty nationwide.
We have the dubious distinction of being number three in the country
with 5 officer deaths already. Ohio is
exceeded only by Florida with 10 and Texas with 6!
May 21st
is Armed Forces Day. This little
publicized day is always the third Saturday in May and Armed Forces Day is a day to recognize and honor
the military forces in our nation. Nations throughout the world participate in
observing this day as well.
May 30th Memorial
Day. Memorial Day is a U.S. holiday commemorating
the U.S. men and women who have died in military service to our country. It is always the last Monday in the Month of
May.
May 3rd is
National Teachers Day. National Teacher Day is part of a week-long
celebration honoring our teachers. On Teacher Day, be sure to honor the special
teachers in your life for the hard work they do each day. For me there were two people that taught me
to love to learn new things. One was
Marjorie Rhodes who was my first grade teacher at George barber School that
used to be on Gary Road in Akron. The
second was (you probably guessed it) my mom Clara Reese who taught me more than
words can say. Even though she died in
2007 she continues to teach and influence me each day.
There
is still no decision on our health care suit.
I encourage each of you to be patient and my thoughts are that Politics
makes strange bed fellows and that will work in our favor.
That’s it for
now. Char and I look forward to seeing
each of you at the Wednesday Memorial Service.
Take care of each other and stay safe.
Dick Reese
330-329-8754
THE VIEW FROM HERE
April 2011
Well here it is tax time and also
Easter is on the horizon. I was planning
on an article on Easter, its origin, traditions and little known facts. I realize that some of our readers are extremely
knowledgeable and could lead a class at any seminary while others like me may
only have enough knowledge to be considered dangerous.
I take this opportunity to encourage
you, the reader, to share your thoughts with your fellow readers. It has been my experience that everyone has
something worthy of being shared with others.
Try it and you may be surprised at the response you receive.
I wish to apologies for being missing
from the last few retiree get-togethers.
I have been under the weather for the last four months but I am on the
mend. I have had adverse reactions to
some of my meds, discovered I have heart blockage, polymyositis, pulmonary
fibrosis, and to top it off the left side of my head decided to swell and
generate immense pain that I imagined was caused by a group of alien invaders
that were warring inside my head.
After suffering for a week Char took
me to ER and the good news was there were no tumors or other signs of
concern. It was determined that I have a
bad case of shingles! I always believed
you got them on your chest or back. The
fact is you can get them on any part of your body. I fail to understand – if I had to get
shingles, couldn’t they could have been installed with regular roofing nails
instead of the 8 inch spikes they used!
That’s it for this month. Thanks for the well wishes and, Lord willing,
Char and I will see many of you at the April luncheon.
Till next time...
Dick Reese
330-329-8754
THE VIEW FROM HERE
March 2011
I have been
struggling trying to decide what to say in this month’s View. There are so many things deserving of the
available space. Some subjects are; the
fall from power of Egypt’s Mubarak resulting from citizen peaceful
protest. Don Plusquellic having decided
to again run for mayor of Akron.
Plusquellic and
Mubarak are similar in some respects with their lack of concern for the common
citizen and failure to address that which is important to the citizenry. Perhaps the citizens of Akron should mirror
the tactics of those in Cairo. Who’s to
say, it may result in Plusquellic being forced to resign from power.
I expect that by the
time this goes to print long time councilman Michael Williams will have thrown
his hat into the ring to run for mayor of Akron.
Just as protests have
spread to other Arab nations like Tunisia, Libya, Iran Yemen, and Algeria and
others. Many Arab nations that have
generally been viewed as invulnerable now find they are being challenged and
this may yet spread too many other nations.
Is it possible that the same could happen here in Akron or the State of
Ohio?
I find it intriguing
when thinking of the possibility of social protest here in Ohio or Akron forcing
constructive change in our governments as recent protesting has done in parts
of the Arab world. What are your
thoughts?
So long till next
month. Stay safe and remember there is
strength in unity.
Dick Reese
330-329-8754
wa8dbw@neo.rr.com
VIEW FROM HERE
February 2011
I received this from a good friend...
When I bought my Droid Blueberry Smart Phone I thought about all the years I
worked and how I somehow managed to be somewhat successful in spite of the fact
I did not have a cell phone that plays music, takes videos, photos and
communicates with Skype, Facebook and Twitter.
It has me signed up under duress for Twitter& Facebook, so my kids,
their spouses, grandkids and great-grand kids could communicate with me in
the modern way. I figured I could handle something as simple as Twitter
with only 140 characters of space.
That was before one of my grandkids hooked me up for Tweeter, Tweetree, Twhirl,
Twitterfon, Tweetie and Twittererific Tweetdeck, Twitpix and something that
sends every message to my cell phone and
every other program within the texting world.
My phone was beeping every three minutes with the details of everything except
the bowel movements of the entire next generation. I am not ready to live like
this. I keep my cell phone in the garage in my golf bag.
The kids bought me a GPS for my last birthday because they say I get lost every
now and then going over to the grocery store or library. I keep that in a box
under my tool bench with the Blue tooth (its red) phone I am supposed to use
when I drive. I wore it once and was standing in line at Barnes and Noble
talking to my wife (they closed the Borders Books) and everyone within 50 yards
was glaring at me. I had to take my hearing aid out to use it, and I guess I
got a little loud.
I mean the GPS looked pretty smart on my dash board, but the lady inside that
gadget was the most annoying, rudest person I had run into in a long time.
Every 10 minutes, she would sarcastically say,
"Re-calc-u-lating." You would think that she could be nicer. It was
like she could barely tolerate me. She would let go with a deep sigh and then
tell me to make a U-turn at the next light. Then if I made a right turn
instead. Well, let’s just say it was not a good relationship. When I get really
lost now, I call my wife and tell her the name of the cross streets and while
she is starting to develop the same tone as Gypsy, the GPS lady, at least she
loves me.
To be perfectly frank, I am still trying to learn how to use the cordless
phones in our house. We have had them for many years, but I still haven't
figured out how I can lose five phones all at once and have run around digging
under chair cushions and checking bath-rooms and the dirty laundry baskets when
the phone rings.
The world is just getting too complex for me. They even mess me up every time I
go to the grocery store. You would think they could settle on something
themselves but this sudden "Paper or Plastic?" every time I check out
just knocks me for a loop. I bought some of those cloth reusable bags to avoid
looking confused, but I never remember to take them in with me.
Now I toss it back to them. When they ask me, "Paper or Plastic?" I
just say, "Doesn't matter to me. I am bi-sacksual." Then it's
their turn to stare at me with a blank look. I was recently asked if I tweet. I
answered, No, but I do toot a lot."
Senior citizens don't need anymore gadgets. The TV remote and the garage door
remote are about all we can handle.
***********************************************************************************
Post Script:
I thought it was time for something other than the
normal doom and gloom. I hope the above
gave some of you a chuckle. There is no
news regarding the Health Care Lawsuit other than all of the briefs are in the
judges hands and I have been told to expect a ruling sometime this month.
That’s all for now. Stay healthy and safe. See you at the meeting on February 9th.
Dick Reese
THE VIEW FROM HERE
January 2011
"Happy New Year!" That greeting will be said and
heard for at least the first couple of weeks as 2011 gets under way. But the
day celebrated as New Year's Day in modern America was not always January 1.
The celebration of the New Year is the oldest of all
holidays. It was first observed in ancient Babylon about 4000 years ago. In the
years around 2000 BC, the Babylonian New Year began with the first New Moon
after the first day of spring.
The beginning of spring is a logical time to start a new
year. After all, it is the season of rebirth, of planting new crops, and of
blossoming. January 1, on the other hand, has neither astronomical nor
agricultural significance. It is purely arbitrary.
The Babylonian New Year celebration lasted for eleven
days. Each day had its own particular mode of celebration, but it is safe to
say that modern New Year's Eve gatherings pale in comparison.
The Romans continued to observe the New Year in late
March, but their calendar was continually tampered with by various emperors so
that the calendar soon became out of synchronization with the sun.
In order to set the calendar right, the Roman senate, in
153 BC, declared January 1 to be the beginning of the New Year. But tampering
continued until Julius Caesar, in 46 BC, established what has come to be known
as the Julian calendar. It again established January 1 as the New Year. But in
order to synchronize the calendar with the sun, Caesar had to let the previous
year drag on for 445 days.
Although in the first centuries AD the Romans continued
celebrating the New Year, the early Catholic Church condemned the festivities
as paganism. But as Christianity became more widespread, the early church began
having its own religious observances concurrently with many of the pagan
celebrations, and New Year's Day was no different.
During the middle Ages the Church remained opposed to
celebrating New Years. January 1 has
only been celebrated as a holiday by the West for only the past 400 years.
Other New Year traditions include the making of
resolutions. This also dates back to the
early Babylonians. Modern resolutions
might be to stop smoking or quit drinking or lose weight. The most popular resolution for the
Babylonians was to return all of the farm equipment they had borrowed during
the year.
Many of us will watch the Tournament of Roses Parade this
New Year. Are you aware that the Parade
dates back to 1886? It was started by
the Valley Hunt Club and members decorated their carriages with flowers. The parade was to celebrate the California
orange crop ripening.
Today we associate the New Year with football. The Rose Bowl football game was first played
as part of the Tournament of Roses in 1902.
I am certain that many readers will be parked in front of the big screen
watching the bowl games.
Another thing associated with the New Year is luck. It is the belief of many that what they do or
eat on the first day of the year will determine the luck they will have for the
coming year. For that reason it has
become customary for people to celebrate the New Year with family and friends
often parting into the middle of the night.
Some say that the first visitor on New Year’s Day will bring either good
or bad luck for the remainder of the year.
It is believed that it was really lucky if the visitor happened to be a
tall dark haired man. I guess that
leaves me out – my doctor said I have lost an inch in height and what little
hair I have left has turned gray!
Some believe that food can bring good luck and
prosperity. Many start the New Year consuming black-eyed peas and pork. Some believe cabbage will bring good luck. Cabbage leaves are said to represent
prosperity and are representative of paper currency. Anyone want to try paying for lunch with
cabbage leaves? The Dutch are said to
believe anything in the shape of a ring is good luck. That is the reason the Dutch starts the New
Year eating donuts so they will have good luck for the coming year. See you always wondered why we police
officers crave donuts, bet you never realized we all must have some Dutch in
our family tree!
I think I will adjourn and go to the new Duncan Donut
shop on Rt. 94 and do some additional research on this donut thing.
Till next time take care and stay safe. See you at the retiree meeting Wednesday
January 12th.
Dick Reese
330-329-8754
wa8dbw@neo.rr.com