Around Ohio

One of my favorite places to visit in Ohio is Hocking Hills. Just an hour south of metro Columbus, there are fun things to do and pretty places to see regardless of the time of  year.

Visit my Hocking Hills page for details.

Your Buckeye, John Kazalia.

I can’t believe the gambling issue actually passed!  What really shocks me is that old “liberal” Columbus failed it while conservative Cincinnati and Toledo passed it.  I wonder if their proximity to states with gambling has an effect?  They are used to driving across the border so it’s no big deal to them?  Dunno, but I wonder.

We’re so moral, until we squander our manufacturing base and there ain’t much left.  Then it’s gambling after all!

Oh well.

Your Buckeye, John Kazalia.

Lies are the biggest turn off for me. And that’s all I hear in this anti gambling campaign.

So I had to laugh when I was Mary Withrow saying it was all paid for by out-of-state casinos that don’t want to lose money they currently get from Ohioans traveling to them.

Well, so casinos are bad for Ohio? 38 states have them, including all of them that border Ohio. And with the exception of Michigan, all of them are doing better economically (and Michigan is largely because of Detroit). Not too bad for them.

And what is this cash doesn’t count stuff? The proposal says Ohio casinos pay taxes on gross receipts, nothing about cash. And my favorite is when they say the issue “won’t create 34,000 jobs at any one time.” Well yeah, the proposal is predicted to create 34,000 jobs over time, not at one time. Lies, lies, lies.

I can’t wait for the election to be over.

Your Buckeye, John Kazalia.

So I look at this Web site, and I see how Issue 2 is going to create an oversight board to make sure food grown in Ohio is safe and animals are treated humanely.

Then I look at the Humane Society site, and I see they are opposed to Issue 2 because it is just a smokescreen created by agribusiness to make it look like something is being done to improve animal treatment.

So which is it? What’s a Buckeye to do?

Your Buckeye, John Kazalia.

Of course, we all turn to our governor/minister for advice on avoiding swine flu…oh, that’s right, swine flu isn’t PC these days, H1N1, my bad. (Don’t want the dummies to think you get it from eating pork, the other white meat.)

Anyway, here’s his press conference:

Strickland Ohio’s H1N1 Preparedness

Wow, notice the poster: wash your hands! Never thought of that!!

Your Buckeye, John Kazalia.

If you’d like to see some of Ohio’s leaf beauty before you have to rake it, here are some leaf tours you can follow around Ohio:

Lake County
Medina County
Southern Ohio

For more information visit the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources leaf page.

Your Buckeye, John Kazalia.

In order to balance the state budget in light of the postponement of gambling, Governor Strickland has proposed cancelling the last cut in the state income tax to balance the budget.

Let’s hear it for Captain Obvious!

Hip-hip, DUH!  Hip-hip, DUH!  Hip-hip, DUH!

About time!  What is the point in giving taxpayers a piddly tax cut when the state is going broke, local governments are putting levies on the ballot, license fees are being increased, etc.?

Ooh, that big tax cut saves me about 50 bucks a year.  What will I ever do?  Meanwhile Ohio sinks toward rock bottom.

Why couldn’t Strickland have proposed this idea a year or two ago?  If he only had a brain….

Your Buckeye, John Kazalia.

Okay, I’m really getting tired of the negativity on establishing rail service between Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Columbus.

First, Columbus is the largest city in America without passenger rail service.

Second, yes, many won’t use it, but many don’t use schools or airports or whatever.  They are still important.  And don’t forget there are people in Ohio that can’t drive for various reasons.

Third, I am sick of the “it has to make money” bit.  Why does transit always have to make money?  How much money does I-71 make?  It loses billions, not only on building and maintaining it, but on State Highway Patrol keeping it safe, ODOT mowing and plowing, people cleaning the restrooms, etc.

Yes you can buy a tank of gas for what a ticket will cost.  But gas is hardly the only expense in operating an automobile.  For example, last year I attended a conference in Cleveland.  My truck is old, so I rented a car for the trip.  (My conference was in Tower City, so trains would have been perfect.)

The cost?  Rental car fee plus tax plus gas plus exhorbitant parking fees put the cost well over $15o.  That $25 train ticket would have been a bargain.

And I would have loved riding a train.

Your Buckeye, John Kazalia.

At least according to this article:

Strickland Approval Rating Up

Up? Why? What has he done, let alone done right? If 48 percent of Ohioans approve, then 48 percent of Ohioans are morons.

Glad to be in the 52 percent majority.

Your Buckeye, John Kazalia.

I overheard someone say this recently, and I thought, well, why not?

The state of Ohio already runs a numbers racket known as the lottery. Instead of bringing in out-of-state casino operators, or sharing revenue with horse tracks, why not have the state build and operate its’ own casinos?

And then I thought, heck, why build casinos at all?

Ohio state parks have lodges, why not just add a little space for it there? After all, Vegas lets children in as long as they don’t gamble. It would be a lot cheaper, and the state could reap all the profits.

But it won’t happen. Because the state wants the money, but not the responsibility. It’s like cigarettes, they should be illegal but, oh, that’s right, our government loves the revenue they provide.

Your Buckeye, John Kazalia.

Ahh….fall is here!  The days are getting shorter, the air is getting crisper….and the entire Central Ohio region shuts down on Saturdays to watch OSU football!

If you’re headed to “the game,” visit this page for things you need to know and links to more information.

Go Bucks!

Your Buckeye, John Kazalia.

I was thinking recently, gee, Labor Day is approaching. Labor Day was started in Ohio!

Well, not really, it turns out. Those signs you see as you drive through Cedarville really mean their senator pushed to make it an OFFICIAL Federal holiday. Turns out labor leaders had already been calling for it.

So it’s splitting hairs, I guess, but you can think someone in Ohio if you’re lucky enough to be off Monday.

And if you’re off, visit Cedarville.  It’s a charming little southwestern Ohio town.

Your Buckeye, John Kazalia.

Former Youngstown representative James Traficant says he wants to keep a low profile following his September 2 prison release. Democrat Traficant is ending a seven-year federal prison stay for accepting bribes and other corruption charges.

But those planning a “Jim Traficant Appreciation Dinner” four days later in the Youngstown area say even if he doesn’t show, they hope the event will build his morale.

Gotta love Youngstown! Known for lots of Mafia activity, the city would be the one to celebrate the release of a politician convicted of corruption in office.

If Traficant runs again, he might just win! Who knows?

Your Buckeye, John Kazalia.

Looks like Ohio will see another casino proposal on the November ballot. Issue 3 language can be seen here:

Issue 3 Ballot Language

Your Buckeye predicts it will fail, partly because gambling issues have failed before and partly because people will be confused in that our illustrious Governor Strickland has already paved the way for gambling at horse race tracks.  My experience is that when people are confused they vote no.

This proposal is entirely unrelated to Strickland’s thing. Boy, gambling, gambling, gambling. It’s a shame we can’t try to build an economy on, say, manufacturing or green energy or investing in Ohio’s future or similarly frivolous things.

I will vote for it. Ohio needs SOMETHING.  This may take some money currently being gambled away in Wheeling and Rising Sun and bring it back to the Buckeye state.

We will also get to vote on Issue 1, compensating Iraq and Afghanistan vets, and my favorite, Issue 2 that will make life better for chickens.

Your Buckeye, John Kazalia.

When I first read claims from right-wingers that Obama’s health care plan includes a “death panel” that would end the lives of terminally-ill patients, I thought “yeah, right.”

After I saw protesters right here in Ohio claiming such things at local health care reform meetings, I had to investigate the issue.

What Obama’s proposal says is that terminally ill patients would be counseled about their rights and options as they move into critical care or a nursing home or similar facility.  Death panel?  Hardly.

Come on folks.  This is America, we champion the underdog.  We spend billions on various safety nets and health care programs.  Has Medicare ever killed anyone off?  Hardly.

You can’t even EXECUTE A CONVICTED KILLER in this country without them sitting on death row for 10-20 years.  Don’t you think relatives and friends would sue if some “death panel” convicted their mother or other loved one?  Get real.

And shame on Sarah Palin for saying such a thing.  Purely for political gain.  To incite the masses and take away from the REAL questions about health care reform is a travesty when millions of Americans have no health insurance.

Your Buckeye, John Kazalia.