Collective Bargaining Benefits us All. SB 5 Will Harm Ohio.

As I sit here watching Meet the Press this Sunday morning, I'm struck by how callous Conservatives feel toward public sector workers.  Kim Strassel, a guest on the show and an editorial board member and columnist for the Wall Street Journal, said governors are saying:

"We look at these budgets, it's due to public sector union benefits and we cannot touch them because of collective bargaining, because of these things we need the flexibilities and tools to fix this.  And so that's an argument that resonates with Americans."

So if we eliminate collective bargaining the agreements born of that bargaining are null and void and pensions can be reduced due to budget constraints.  Reducing pension payments are now "flexibilities and tools".  If retirement ages need to be raised, then sit down and prove it.  Put the numbers in front of unions and make the case that the well is dry and thirty and out is no longer an option.  Prove that people are living longer in retirement and that funding exists for only so many years of pension payments.

The taxpayer pie is shrinking and budgets are smaller.  All of us have seen our income reduced or at least the rate of growth slowed.  Benefits have been curtailed and some have lost  their jobs.  Public employees will have to pay higher medical benefit premiums, have their wages frozen or reduced (like the rest of us) and they will probably have to work longer before retirement and if they don't like it they can always find work in the private sector, the same as the rest of us.

Taking away collective bargaining agreements smacks of changing the rules in the middle of the game.  These agreements protect professional employees, establish safe working conditions and ensure accredited employees are in positions that demand specialized training.  Collective bargaining agreements are about far more than pay and benefits.  It is in our best interest to let the process continue and hold both the unions and elected officials to account for the results.

So THAT's What it Feels Like to Face an Unyeilding Horde Who Want You Dead

They're coming to get you Moammar

I wonder if Gadahfi is rethinking that whole military coup thing right now?  He can't hang in Libya much longer and if he goes anywhere else I think we'll try to snatch him for the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103.  This is quite the corner he's painted himself into.

Youngstown 2010 has Lessons for Detroit

The Detroit Free Press posted an informative article comparing Youngstown's efforts to manage a shrinking city with Detroit's.  City leaders in both locations are running into reality as they try to implement plans to reduce the size and scope of city services.  Especially surprising is the resistance people have to relocating from parts of the city leaders would like to shut off.

But relocating people, ambitious in theory, proved difficult in practice. A lack of resources limited the scope. Ultimately, the city offered incentives of up to $50,000 to move just five homeowners. Four declined; one initially said yes but became too ill to accept.Today, Mayor Jay Williams said the idea of moving people always was more "theoretical and academic" than a core part of Youngstown 2010. Hunter Morrison, an urban planning professor who helped draw up Youngstown 2010, said the city has "pretty much abandoned the notion that you're going to aggressively move out folks."

EW.com is the Devil, Firefly Fans Bitterly Disappointed

I was perusing CNN.com and saw a link to an EW.com story that said, "'Firefly' returning to cable; Fillion says he'd play Mal again".

Oh great day in the morning!

Then the hammer fell. 

"The Science Channel has acquired the rights to the cult-hit and will air the series in its short-lived entirety, plus some new extras."

No new series, no further adventures of Serenity and her crew.  Just a headline designed to grab the attention of nerdom.   A collective 'Nooooooooooo' could be heard from sci-fi fans everywhere.

It's probably just as well.  The actors have moved on, the sets have been struck and lightning can rarely be captured twice.   But still, EW, you suck.

That Eminem/ Detroit/ Chrysler Commercial

I like this commercial. It says Detroit and, by extension the Rust Belt, isn't a place to be ashamed of. It says we build things. This little bit of advertising tells the world something we already knew; that making things is good and honorable. In this ridiculous "service economy" full of financial "products" the denizens of the Rust Belt go to work and build rolling steel.

Have You Seen "Pancakes and a Lobster Tank: Living With Autism, Loving Alex" ?

·         Where:  Youngstown State University - Kilcawley Center (Chestnut Room)

·         When:  February 12, 2011 @ 7PM (Box Office Opens @ 5:30pm or Reservations / Pre-Sale at www.rebeccamaher.com

·         Cost:  $9.00 ($8.00 for Seniors / Students with ID)

·         Contact:  John J. Maher (330.233.2439 or john@rebeccamaher.com)

·         About "Pancakes and a Lobster Tank; Living with Autism, Loving Alex":

Rebecca Maher's "Pancakes and a Lobster Tank:  Living With Autism, Loving Alex", a timely and humorous multi- act one woman show, premier performance in Youngstown, Ohio on February 12, 2011.

Youngstown, Ohio - "Pancakes and a Lobster Tank:  Living With Autism, Loving Alex" is the brainchild of Rebecca Maher.  Rebecca is an author, performer, and the mother of a child with autism.  She resides in Warren, Ohio.
 
In "Pancakes and a Lobster Tank; Living With Autism, Loving Alex", the audience is provided with a humorous and heart wrenching account of a mother's experiences raising a child with autism.  Current statistics from the Centers for Disease Control conclude that 1 in 110 children in the United States have Autism.  During the course of this work, the viewer will get to see the world from a unique perspective that is sometimes tragic, always emotionally stirring, and ultimately a triumph of the human spirit and condition.  The journey begins with recounting a "typical" public dining experience and continues to reveal such experiences as receiving the diagnosis, fighting the system, and ends with...a trip to Wal-Mart!  The range of emotions provoked by this work must be experienced to be believed.  Rebecca sums it up best when she says that life with a child with autism "...can be a lot like a roller coaster ride complete with screaming, panic induced laughter, and someone may ultimately vomit."

 This play debuted at the Trumbull Theatre in April 2010 and has been performed across the state of Ohio.  Rebecca has completed a full-length memoir, which served as the inspiration for "Pancakes and a Lobster Tank; Living with Autism, Loving Alex" and her second theatrical piece entitled "Anxiety".  Rebecca is also an experienced performer specializing in readings and stand-up comedy. 

The show, which features a key multimedia component, has recently undergone a soundtrack revision.  The new musical component features the work of Punchline.  Punchline is a Pittsburgh based Punk / Pop band that features emotional lyrics accompanied by powerful pop accompaniment with a strong punk sensibility.  Their work brings a whole new energy to Rebecca's performance!

Please visit www.rebeccamaher.com for more information.