There are several things I clip out of the papers that I thought to comment on and my folder was starting to bulge. So here goes...
At the Chamber dinner Congressman Charlie Wilson said that if the auto industry goes under it would affect 100,000 jobs just in the state of Ohio. That must have just been jobs at the different auto industry plants. Not long after that comment was made I read somewhere that with the trickle down effect with suppliers and what not, that number would be closer to 210,000 jobs just in the Buckeye State. That's scary and just today there was an article written about a plant closing down completely near Dayton. After being forced to live through the decline in the steel industry I can certainly emphasize with those folks.
On a related article there was an editorial earlier this month in the MJ that in essence advocated letting some failing businesses to go ahead and fail. In talking about the bail out the author asked "Where's the protection for these responsible taxpayers?" that pay their mortgages and credit card bills on time. My first reaction was that was pretty harsh. Where is the compassion for those losing their homes and jobs? After thinking about it I thought maybe they were on to something. Is the bail out throwing good money after bad? I don't know the answer but I have to agree that the folks in D.C. have to show discipline and leadership in handling the bail out. As we have seen it can't be business as usual. These industries have to made to promise that they will reorganize the way they do things in exchange for their bail out money.
Also at the Chamber dinner CC Commissioner Jim Hoppel told me that our county's 911 system for cell phones is still about a year away. He said there will be three towers located in the county that will use "triangulation" to locate a caller using a cell phone when it does go into operation. Callers using cell phones can now call 911 but right now there is no way of determining the exact location of the caller. Considering the increasing number of people who only have a cell phone I hope they give this priority.
I got a lot of negative comments on my piece about the Chamber dinner some of the Chamber members. Many of them I rejected. As they continued to roll in I got the impression it was coming from the same one or two people, especially the one who kept using "click" for clique. I have never seen the Chamber's mission statement but, personally, I think our Chamber is doing an outstanding job. No, they weren't responsible for getting Baard interested in our area but they have shown they are willing to do everything possible to make the folks from Baard welcome and to be of any kind of assistance they could render. Time and again they have demonstrated they are willing to do this not only for Baard but for any new or potential business that has the ville in mind. I have only one complaint for anything the Chamber has done lately. Other than that I think those folks active in the Chamber should be commended. In my opinion the negativity is only sour grapes by just a few.
Buckeye Water District keeps growing. Did you see the piece in the paper where officials from Rogers approached them about the possibility of getting their water from BWD?
In another editorial in the MJ today they were getting on the "environmental activists" unrealistic out look on "clean coal technology". If the tree huggers had their way they would probably close down every coal powered electric plant in the nation. They simply are flat out against any use of coal in their efforts to promote going green. The activists advocate there is no such thing as clean coal technology in spite of EPA regulations proving otherwise. In a letter written by Gary Alkire of Salem it was said that the EIA has reported a 70% reduction in emissions from using coal in spite of an 300% increase of using coal since 1970. EIA is the U.S. Energy Info Administration. They estimate the use of coal will increase 57% by the year 2030 and part of that increase will be Baard's ORCF plant. Instead of misleading us the activists should be embracing and promoting the clean coal technology along with their promotion of different green alternative energy sources. The use of coal is not going to go away anytime soon but the new technology out there today is making it more environmentally friendly.
J.C. Amato is still a guest of the county awaiting his murder trial in February and the out come of the additional weapons charges. The new weapons charge is being challenged by his attorney and as soon as they find a judge without a conflict of interest to hear it a determination will be made on that. In the meantime the Grand Jury handed down another indictment recently for another felony charge of being in possession of pipe bombs. Guess that wasn't exactly covered in the additional weapons charge.
In checking out Ohio River Life I found an interesting article by Matt Stewart with ville connections. Matt said he reverted back to his reporter days on this piece and he was "playing it straight" in this piece. It's entitled "The Desarros respond" and pertains to the ELO efforts to close Liquor Dicks.
In the past few weeks there has been $13,400 dollars donated by three different organizations in town. Most of it went for the police and fire departments. It started out with the Elks donating to the WPD, WFD & the Alumni Association's scholarship fund. Then as reported in the piece on the last council meeting the VFW and Eagles also made donations. It's acts of kindness like this that shows Santa gets around town and that the ville is indeed some place special. I would like to add my thanks to all concerned for their generosity.
For you roundball fans the WHS Tigers boy's team is now 2-1 on the season and I think the girls are 2-2. Even though the boys are in a rebuilding year from the team we had last year they have already shown some remarkable talent on this years edition. I think they will do alright. One of last year's standouts, Zane Carter, is now playing for Marietta. Even though he's a freshman once again he's already recorded a double-double against Denison earlier this month. That was after coming in off the bench.
In an article in the USA Today they say bright lights help with Seasonal Adjustment Disorder (SAD). This is a disorder where people like me get grumpy with the shorter hours of daylight in the winter. The missus is sure I got SAD. Anyway they say bathing yourself in bright lights is beneficial in warding off the effects and recommend using artificial light if the sun isn't shining brightly. They caution to dim the lights in the last hour or so before retiring for the night to get your body ready for sleep. I don't think I suffer from SAD. It's the cold that gets me achy & grumpy!
It was 4 degrees at my house this morning. Stay warm...
ole nib
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9 comments:
I think as Buckeye Water District keeps growing Wellsville residents water bill keeps rising. I have lived here for 5 years and it has gone up each year. I don't think we should have to pay for their growth.
Exactly, we pay for their improvements. It's sad when we have to hold our breath not knowing when the water rates will go up. The day Wellsville sold us out to these crooks, is the day we got it good.
Ole Nib: Regarding your thoughts on the auto industry. You have in the past indicated you had a soft spot for History. I would recommend you review the History of Studebaker. This program shown on PBS a number of years ago focused on the delimma faced when either side (management/labor) outlook is not shared, as well as when one is stronger than the other.
What is going on at this moment within the auto industry, from my perspective, is just a repeat of history. The final results today will be, in my opinion, the same as those in the past.
Thought you might be enlighten.
Hi Ole Nib -
I didn't see the Morning Journal editorial... thanks for pointing it out. No doubt coal can be made (and already has been made) cleaner, at least with respect to pollutants like particulates, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, etc. However, technology to eliminate carbon dioxide is experimental at best and there is not a single coal plant in the U.S. that is sequestering a substantial amount of it.
Focusing on the coal burning also misses much of the coal lifecycle. Many coal mine operators try to be as responsible as possible, but there is no way to avoid the acid mine drainage that results from water percolating through abandoned mines. There is no way to avoid the inevitable subsidence that follows coal mining, especially longwall mining. There is also no way to store or dispose of coal slurry (processing waste) - you may have heard about yesterday's coal slurry spill in Tennessee, 40 times larger than the Exxon Valdez spill? Bob Murray's mines in Belmont and Monroe counties have spilled slurry several times in the past decade, too. Slurry impoundments are disasters waiting to happen, and no, they can't be made 'clean'.
Obviously intelligent people differ on the issue, but I don't think it advances the discussion to simply label one side as 'radical'. We now have a President-elect who says coal plants will have to deal with their carbon pollution or go bankrupt, and his DOE appointee Steven Chu has described coal as a 'nightmare' for the environment. These are not radical views. They are mainstream American views, and if Ohio does not move beyond coal and keep pace with the rest of America, we will fall even further behind.
I guess only 1 other person feels that the residents of Wellsville is getting ripped off by Buckeye Water. Why should our water bills raise every year. I have friends that live in Salem, their water and sewer bill is half as much as much bill, which is the minimum. I can't believe how much cheaper it is, plus it includes the sewer. We are getting ripped off big time.
anon..I feel we are getting ripped off, any suggestions about what can be done.
You pay for any utility's growth. The expense is always passed on to the consumer. I don't like it any more than you do, but it's the facts of life. AEP will be making changes to electric, windmills and such, and you can bet that our electric prices will go up as a result. Columbia Gas is installing new lines and meters, this cost will reflect on our bills as well. As far as cities such as Salem and even East Liverpool, those municipalities own their water and sewage and can set those rates according to their operation costs. They are not allowed to make a profit of any kind. Now, I do believe that Buckeye Water is not allowed to make a profit either, but Wellsville has no control or say over the price. One of the reasons we have seen a rise in cost is because the minimum usage was lowered. Minimum usage used to be 4,000 gallons, but many elderly and singles never used that much and complained it wasn't fair to charge them for water they are not using. That makes sense, but those of us who use 3,000 or 4,000 now pay more because our minimum is now based on 2,000 gallons and then so-much per 1,000 gallon above that. I would recommend attending a Buckeye Water Board meeting (open to the public) and ask if there is any chance the water rates will go down in the future.......I'm guessing no.
I've followed the BWD since its inception as SCCRWD and I don't recall the minimum ever being 4,000 gallons. I believe it has always been 2,000 gallons.
The BWD board voted several years ago to an 8 percent ANNUAL increase, no matter what. So your bill goes up by that much every single year, regardless of who signs on for water.
I foresee it increasing more the larger the district gets because small towns like Rogers (400-550 residents/potential customers) probably aren't enough of a base to pay for all the lines, equipment, etc. it will take to get them water.
Just my opinion, not necessarily based on facts (the increase is factual).
Tired of Paying - If you don't remember the minimum being 4000 gallons of water it may be because you're memory doesn't go back that far.
Several years ago and I think this was shortly after we went with BWD there was a lot of complaints, especially with elderly, retired residents on fixed incomes, that they weren't coming close to using the 4000 minimum. As a result they were paying monthly for water they never used. We were told from the get go when the water district was created that the days of $28 quarterly water bills would be history. Back then sewage was part of the same bill. Back then you were charged the same cheap rate for both in one bill. At the time Welllsville was getting deeper and deeper in a hole facing fines for not being in compliance with EPA water standards. It was a damn if you do and a damn if you don't situation. The water district was created by the county in part to bail out the village and take advantage of grants that were available. Wellsville did not have the kind of money it would take to build a new water treatment plant and replace deteriorating water lines. It was cost prohibited back then and is still is in today's times. Consequently the Southern Columbiana County Regional Water District (SCCRWD) was created. With the creation of the district the ville got out from under the heavy debt they were facing and the EPA granted extensions and dropped the fines to give the district time to develop. I'm not sure of the exact timing but I think it was shortly after that the monthly minimum was dropped from 4000 to 2000 gallons.
When the water district was created the cost of water started increasing annually and a lot of folks felt that SCCRWD was indeed screwing us. The way it use to be was long gone. We had to pay for what we got. As it was before the district was created the ville could possibly been faced without having a water supply. We were close to having our treatment plant shut down.
As a side note the geniuses that picked the SCCRWD name eventually got tired of shooting themselves in the foot with all the flack they were getting because of the name. A few years later they changed the name to Buckeye Water District.
nib
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