Dick Farrell

Congrats, you're the best. Buy an ad.

2017-09-14T06:57:00.003-04:00

I hate to be Debbie Downer, but here it goes anyway: The purpose of the local newspaper’s “Reader Choice Awards” is to sell advertising to you.

That’s right. You win but you lose.

Soon after the award is announced there’s an advertising rep knocking at your door with a little window sticker that says “We’re the best!” Oh, yeah, and you'll want to buy an ad.

That’s the reason there are dozens of categories – the more winners, the more advertising targets.

Best self storage facility?

Best divorce lawyer?

Best tattoo parlor?

Best place for a cold beer?

Seriously?

And how do you pick the best pizza parlor? Doesn't it depend on your mood, whether there's a coupon, whether it's open and where it is? I mean I've never met a pizza I haven't liked.

If your business is not the best at something, then you must be doing something terribly wrong – probably a failure to tell your employees and customers to vote for you.

This is not sour grapes although there is the fact that yours truly failed to be nominated for the “best columnist” award yet again. Obviously that’s because I’m no longer attached to a media outlet. Has to be the reason. Doesn’t it? Besides, the paper probably figured that I couldn’t afford to buy an ad if I won.

Anyway, just be cognizant of the fact that the newspaper found a good money-maker a few years ago and has milked it ever since. Lord knows it needs the revenue.

Disclaimer: If by any chance I missed a category in which I was nominated for a best award, well then, never mind this post.

More evidence that a lot of us weren't paying attention in school

2017-09-10T16:40:00.000-04:00

There’s been considerable discussion, on my Facebook feed at least, about Dover City School District appropriating the Dairy Queen property on N. Tuscarawas Ave. for the purpose of building a new school.

Some of the comments underscore yet again the dumbing down of America and should be a wake-up call to those who determine and plot the civics curriculum in our schools. Obviously, the kids -- who grow up to be intellectually challenged adults, i.e. voters -- aren’t learning basic fundamentals of a democracy.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, eminent domain – the process by which Dover City School District acquired properties needed for its project – “has been utilized traditionally to facilitate transportation, supply water, construct public buildings, and aid in defense readiness.

“Early federal cases condemned property for construction of public buildings (e.g., Kohl v. United States) and aqueducts to provide cities with drinking water (e.g., United States v. Great Falls Manufacturing Company, 112 U.S. 645 (1884), supplying water to Washington, D.C.), for maintenance of navigable waters (e.g., United States v. Chandler-Dunbar Co., 229 U.S. 53 (1913), acquiring land north of St. Mary’s Falls canal in Michigan), and for the production of war materials (e.g. Sharp v. United States, 191 U.S. 341 (1903)).”

The DOJ continues: “The Land Acquisition Section and its earlier iterations represented the United States in these cases, thereby playing a central role in early United States infrastructure projects.”

In other words, without eminent domain U.S. citizens would encounter a far less-than-desirable infrastructure and probably would still be driving their cars on dirt roads. In our case, there’d be no flood control in place, which would leave a significant portion of our “settlement” under water on a regular basis.

Without eminent domain, we wouldn’t have our lakes, four-lane highways (two-lane for that matter), or much of our public park land. President Ike Eisenhower’s vision was an interstate highway system that not only could transport people and goods expeditiously but also to provide another cog in our defense system.

If necessary, our interstate highway system not only can provide unobstructed routes so troops and equipment can be moved quickly but also runways for F-18s. The federal government didn’t ask for properties to build our interstate highway system. It appropriated them through eminent domain.

The kicker to the process is that the government must fairly compensate the owner of such acquired property for its value. That’s the law. And it’s followed.

As for Dover, it proceeded with a plan to build a new school – and, yes, we need a new school to replace the old dump -- in the same area as the old one based on what citizens told it to do.

(I personally would have preferred a land swap with the city so that the new high school and current middle school could create a campus that would have allowed younger students easy access to modern educational advancements afforded in a new facility. That idea didn’t get very far. We love our tennis courts.)

In addition, the owner of that Dairy Queen property assured the Dover Board of Education that his family would work with the district, according to board members, if voters approved the project. Apparently there was some mind-changing going on.

Rest assured, dear underdog-loving citizens, the owners of the Dairy Queen will be fairly compensated for their decades-old building and the land it sits on (although I’m sure not for what they believe is their restaurant’s “blue sky” value.)

Meanwhile, Dover gets a brand new school and the public good is served again. And I’ll bet that a new Dairy Queen will spring up some place.

Funny how things work out.

Let's get this straight: Robert E. Lee was a traitor

2017-08-17T11:15:00.000-04:00

I post this only because many people believe that the statues of Robert E. Lee (and other Confederates) in the South’s public squares honor cultural heritage.

Robert E. Lee, who was trained at the U.S. Military Academy, was a traitor.

Putting a statue of him in front of a courthouse is akin to putting one of Judas in the churchyard.

In the aftermath of the Civil War, Lee applied for and was granted amnesty (full amnesty a couple years later) and was allowed to participate in all citizenship activities usually reserved for those loyal to the flag.

He certainly was considered a brilliant military strategist but declined a major role in the Union Army, opting instead to join up with the traitor states, including his beloved Virginia.

It is reasonable to conclude that Lee ultimately was responsible for the 54,000 casualties at Gettysburg, Pa., a battle from which the South never recovered. It was Lee’s decision to invade.

Civil War statues were erected years after the war ended – you know, during the lynching period -- and served as effective reminders to African-Americans that the white man was in charge.

Put the statues in museums. Give them explanation and context. But get them out of our public areas that are shared by all of us.

And, dammit, don’t compare Lee to George Washington, who led a rag-tag army of patriots against all odds to fight tyranny and who formed a country – after fits and starts – that offered a Bill of Rights on which (eventually) all citizens can rely.

America the beautiful -- but not so great

2017-07-13T06:35:00.000-04:00

A presidential candidate’s campaign slogan got me thinking while I watched the Jackie Robinson story on PBS.

I know. My mind works in mysterious ways. I won’t mention the candidate’s name because I’m attempting to stay apolitical in this space at least until this year’s election season is over.

But as the story of Jackie Robinson’s life unfolded, the slogan – “Make America great again” – popped into my head with a realization.

America has never been great, so it will be impossible for Mr. Candidate to make it great “again.” Somebody ought to tell him to put a strike through the word on his ball caps (which incidentally sell for about 20 bucks and help pad his coffers).

Yeah, I know. It’s terrible for me to say that. But it’s true.

For sure America has done some great things in its young life, including but not limited to helping to save the 20^th-century free world from having to live under fascism and communism; sending men to the moon; creating the world’s greatest economy; and giving the world a host of inventions, creations and discoveries.

It’s got great scenery. But we didn’t do that. God did. And he/she gave other countries great scenery, too.

Consider the story of Jackie Robinson, the talented black baseball player who along with his peers was prohibited from joining a major league baseball team because of his color.

That’s not ancient history. That was the reality of post-World War II America – just a handful of years before my birth.

After Robinson broke the barrier and was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, his clubhouse stature was far from equal. He endured separation from his racist teammates and death threats from haters.

All that was systemic of our “great” American culture.

Anyone for a lynching? How about a Ku Klux Klan membership?

One of the best “America isn’t great anymore” rants was given by character Will McAvoy (Jeff Daniels) on the HBO series “Newsroom,” which was written by Aaron Sorkin.

“We stood up for what was right,” he said.

“We fought for moral reasons, we passed and struck down laws for moral reasons. We waged wars on poverty, not poor people. We sacrificed, we cared about our neighbors, we put our money where our mouths were, and we never beat our chest.

“We built great big things, made ungodly technological advances, explored the universe, cured diseases, and cultivated the world’s greatest artists and the world’s greatest economy...”

Except, Will, America was never great.

For the first hundred years of our history, it was OK for our forefathers – the ones who wrote the untouchable constitution – to own people.

In the subsequent 100 years, it was OK for the white folks to pass laws that prohibited co-mingling. To the back of the bus, the white guys demanded.

Meanwhile, we accused others of being communists and isolated Japanese-Americans and German-Americans in wartime.

And speaking of war, we’ve seen no shortage of that. We’ve been involved in armed conflict most years of our history. Who among us will point to Vietnam as a noble exercise?

We certainly have great educational opportunities and health care systems as long as you can afford them. Twenty years ago, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that our system of funding schools favored the wealthy. What’s changed there? Nothing that I can tell.

The citizens of other countries see us as obese, aggressive and consumed with hours of mindless TV. Many of our citizens have an ignorance of geography and an intolerance of race, creed and color. And they vote and own guns.

“Make America great” is something we can try for, Mr. Candidate. Kill the “again.”

This commentary originally appeared in the Bargain Hunter in April 2016.

Cleveland Clinic wins the bidding contest for Union Hospital

2017-06-07T06:19:00.001-04:00

I’ve seen quite a few opinions voiced on Facebook about the purchase of Union Hospital by Cleveland Clinic and, for what it’s worth, I thought I’d offer my own observation.

Union Hospital is a jewel in our community. Employing 1,100 people, it is not only a viable and necessary medical facility, but an economic driver. Its independence has served its community well over the decades, expanding into necessary areas (such as building a state of the art trauma center) and abandoning services that other facilities are better equipped to provide.

Make no mistake that an independent medical facility, managed locally by your neighbors, that can meet expenses and save for the future is the best option for this community. Sadly, the demographics of our community – an increasing number of Medicare and Medicaid patients – don’t help the bottom line.

Enter the Cleveland Clinic.

Personally, I am owing to both facilities. If competent medical personnel weren’t employed locally at Union and for sure at the renowned Cleveland Clinic, I probably wouldn’t be writing this. We can be sure of this: Things going forward will be different and some of that will be good and some will be bad.

I’m told from an independent source that the Clinic is very agreeable to purchasing state-of-the-art equipment for its facilities. That will help Union keep pace with advancement. Time will tell what happens to the 100 beds inside Union.

And at the same time, say goodbye to local control. Your neighbors might serve on a board, but their input will be weighed accordingly.

Meanwhile, all 1,100 employees will answer to Cleveland. While most employees might applaud the sale, it’s my guess Union-employed doctors probably are not jumping up and down over the prospect of answering to what will be a far more authoritarian Cleveland Clinic.

The Times-Reporter used the word “partner” in an editorial rather than “new owner” in describing the Union-Cleveland Clinic relationship. It’s a lot like what’s happening in the newspaper business when small, community newspapers are gobbled up by big publishing conglomerates. Smart corporate types will use the word “partner” in the initial news release. But don’t believe it.

Cleveland Clinic outbid other healthcare providers, including, according to sources, Canton’s Aultman Hospital and Cleveland’s University Hospital systems. Both are quality alternatives. I think it’s safe to assume that the Clinic’s offer was financially the best one.

What happens to the proceeds?

Well, this is where it gets dicey. The proceeds from the sale, minus obligations that Cleveland Clinic will be forced to assume, will be deposited into a charitable foundation. Many details, such as who will serve as a stewards of that money and the goals of such a foundation, are sketchy and are probably among the details to be worked out in coming months.

Personally, the Clinic’s purchase is good news for me. My health care is dictated by the folks in J Building on the Clinic’s main campus, but I have visited a number of Clinic satellite facilities, including a former Akron General one in Green, for lab work. With Union a part of the system, it will make my life easier and my digital record more accurate. (Yeah, I pay attention to the numbers.)

In my visits to the Clinic’s Green facility over a period of a couple of weeks recently, the large “Akron General Hospital” signs were downsized and replaced by larger “Cleveland Clinic” ones. I think you can bet on Union’s “UH” signage to become much smaller in the coming months and for “Cleveland Clinic” to assume space on the side of the building on the Boulevard.

And that, folks, will signal an end to an era.

After extended 'vacation,' back on the blog beat

2017-01-29T10:13:00.002-05:00

Edited and updated Jan. 29, 2017, at 12:15 p.m.

I saw on Facebook a thread on which people lamented the fact that Dover City Schools were going to use eminent domain to acquire the Dairy Queen property, which sits in the footprint of the new high school campus.

This should not be a surprise to anyone and underscores my belief that people actually don’t absorb the news. They just scan it and believe what they want to believe. To hell with the facts.

The David Angel family of Dover owns the property, which is now being managed by Angel’s son-in-law and daughter – Dave and April Angel-Yoder. I’m not sure whose name is actually on the property, but over the years it’s been operated/owned by various members of the Angel family.

When the possibility was raised that the property might be needed if Dover were to construct a new high school in the neighborhood (which subsequently proved to be what voters wanted), Angel assured the Dover Board of Education that he would work with members on a price for the property.

As the property changed hands over the years, the value of it remained constant – about $160,000.

All the other property owners in the path of the new campus settled with the board on prices for their properties and to my knowledge did so willingly.

That leaves one option for the school district to acquire the Dairy Queen property – eminent domain. My guess is that the Angel family will net $160,000 or a little more.

And now the people who have only been scanning the news rather than actually reading it are boo-hooing on behalf of the Angel family.

I’m never surprised by such developments. People read headlines and watch TV (see Trump). That’s about it.

***

Speaking of the news, GateHouse Media has parted company with Times-Reporter Editor Melissa Griffy Seeton and at least a couple other GateHouse Ohio staffers.

GateHouse is a vicious cost cutter and another round of layoffs indicates that it’s been another year of diminished returns. And I think we’re a little closer to the possibility of a non-daily newspaper serving our area.

Good luck to Melissa in whatever endeavor she undertakes.

***

Congratulations are in order for WJER and radio listeners throughout the Tuscarawas Valley. The longtime Dover-New Philadelphia station is an adding a FM version after selling off 101.7 10 years ago. Hard to believe it's been so long. The FM station will offer a mirror of the station's AM broadcast.

By the way, if you’re interested in a daily news briefing without forcing you to sort through honor rolls and sports stories, check out WJER’s website and bookmark its news page. That takes me to my next subject…

***

As primarily a consumer of news and information, I have to indict newspapers, TV stations and major electronic news outlets for their horrible websites that have become bogged down with pop-up ads, unwanted videos and irritating electronic billboards urging readers to subscribe.

If you’re lucky, maybe you can read the story after dealing with the clutter, but you’re better off getting your news feed from social media if you’re on a mobile device, or Microsoft’s new Windows 10 news feed if you’re using a laptop. The Windows 10 news feed offers numerous stories, photos and editorial cartoons from numerous sources without the annoying clutter.

Sorry, newspapers. And, no, I’m not subscribing to 10 different websites. Quit asking.

***

Early reviews of the plans by the new owner of Atwood Lodge and Conference Center are mostly positive. The general reaction to the idea of turning the lodge into an alcohol and drug rehabilitation facility is “we’ve needed something like this for a long time.”

I’m OK with it as well and apparently so are a number of investors. I’m told that rehab centers generate a fairly decent return on investment.

Based on the amount of money put into New Philadelphia’s Hospice facility – a former nursing home – I would think such a conversion of the lodge into a rehab facility would cost upwards of $5 million to $10 million. So, the project will need a significant infusion of money to succeed.

I’m curious what will happen to the facility’s liquor license. Does it die with the resort, or can it move on to somewhere else? Let me know if you know.

(Update: From MWCD Director John Hoopingarner: "The liquor license at Atwood Lodge is a hybrid of sorts. If you recall, the area around the lodge was 'dry'. As the lodge struggled in the late '70s, conservancy district officials appealed to State Rep. William Hinig.

"He helped spearhead legislation that created the opportunity for publicly owned hotels of 100 rooms or more to obtain a liquor license without having to go through a local option election. This legislation helped Atwood Lodge and several other remotely located state park lodges as well.

"The thinking was the ability to serve alcohol would improve business. The license at the lodge has been maintained as such. Radius Hospitality (former operators of the Lodge under agreement with Carroll County) does not own the license, nor are they able to use it elsewhere. Because the lodge is now privately owned, the liquor license effectively evaporates."

Thank you, John.)

***

I can’t put my finger on why I’m losing interest in Facebook – maybe it’s the dogs and cats -- but I’ve mostly moved to Twitter for discussion on the issues. On Twitter I can respond briefly with zingers. I love it.

Some -- not all -- of things I’ve seen and read on Facebook border on being ludicrous, not including the dogs and cats and those tasty-looking meals at your favorite Mexican restaurant. Fake news reigns supreme and the idiots who blame mainstream media for all problems are about all I can take.

(If you remember, I was a longtime member of mainstream media and my goal and that of everyone I worked with and knew in the business was to deliver the truth. I don’t think that’s changed.)

There are also a large number of Facebook users who want to escape from political discourse, posting pictures of their kids, grandkids, food and, of course, dogs and cats. They don’t want to read about politics. And it’s probably why “Dancing with the Stars” continues to be a TV ratings winner – escapism.

So, I’m trying to limit my Facebook issue-based posts while using Twitter to answer the Great Orange One’s tweets. After all, he’s not reading my Facebook posts. At least I don’t think so.

You can follow me on Twitter by searching for dfarrell_dover.

***

For the life of me, I can’t figure how some of my friends, neighbors and family members cast a ballot for a man who mocked the disabled, who is the world’s biggest narcissist, who is a bigot, who is a liar, and who obviously has some mental health issues.

He’s pathological.

Vocabulary.com defines “pathological” thusly: “If something is caused by a physical or mental disease, it is pathological. Someone with a pathological compulsion for cleanliness might scrub the floors for hours every night.”

Trump is a pathological liar.

And he has surrounded himself with men and women, including but not limited to Sean “Baghdad Bob (reincarnated)” Spicer and Kelleyanne “Propaganda Barbie” Conway, to provide the masses with “alternative facts.”

Any of this scare you?

If it’s not obvious to you, well, maybe you’re part of the problem. And don’t be leaving me hate notes on Facebook. I don’t want to read them.

The man has been president for a week and every day brings a new concern. A couple days ago, we’re told the government is going to probe dead voters because Trump can’t handle the fact he didn’t win the popular vote.

Yesterday, he banned some Muslims from entering the United States, although not from the countries that gave us the 911 terrorists. He’s handpicked a few Muslim-populated countries (seven to be exact) such as Iran and Iraq. We shed a lot of blood in the latter country to free its population from a demagogue. Now we won’t let their citizens into our country. Trump also is irked we didn’t steal Iraqi oil.

Meanwhile, countries that host a Trump investment get a pass.

Expect more daily consternation.

Meanwhile, a plurality of voters doesn’t seem to care. I’m hoping that fact changes sooner rather than later because I really think Trump is a danger to the Republic.

After hours of research and watching and listening to Trump voters interviewed on cable TV, it’s apparent that the Great Orange One spoke to a lot of one-issue voters.

He got the pro-life vote (see religious right).

He got the gun vote (see National Rifle Assn. rolls).

He got the under-employed vote (see Walmart).

He got the vote of depressed small-town inhabitants (see Wilmington, Ohio).

He got the vote of coal miners and their families (See West Virginia).

He got the military vote (See communities outside U.S. bases).

He got the Mexico border population vote (See Arizona).

He got the oil vote (See pipelines).

He got the traditional Republican businessman vote (See marketplace regulations and stock market numbers).

And he got the racist and dumb vote (see angry white guys afraid of people who don’t look like them and people who weren’t paying attention in school).

Throw in the people who wasted their votes on third-party candidates and we have a Trump presidency. Yeah, it’s their fault, too.

God help us.

Lovable Ed a fixture in the news business

2016-12-18T07:16:00.001-05:00

The Tuscarawas Valley news business lost its most veteran member – Ed DeGraw, 92, of Dover, who reported for a gazillion years for The Times-Reporter and other publications.

I’m not sure the business can create characters like Ed any longer. Always puffing on his pipe and sipping a Coke, Ed was a fixture in our newsroom, sitting in his little corner of the world pontificating about everything and launching into a rant without warning.

Ed was one of the few reporters and photographers that I managed who actually liked covering the county fair – it could get tedious -- and in tandem with another veteran, Joe Mizer, provided unprecedented coverage for our local agricultural community year after year. I suspect that demographic has noticed that coverage might not be the same since Ed and Joe retired.

But that’s not all.

Ed didn’t understand the concept of overtime pay and would show up for work on days off because there was a story or column to be written. Need a volunteer? Ed would raise his hand.

He’d cover the cops, or city council. Or attend that all-important chicken dinner without complaint. God love him.

I don’t remember him ever calling in sick, or asking to be excused from traveling to work because of bad weather. And he brought a historical view to the news that he wrote -- sometimes to a fault. He knew when stuff happened. Ed was our Google before Google.

It sounds corny, but Ed had the proverbial nose for news and maintained sources on all levels. The first phone call I received on a fateful Sunday morning a couple of decades ago was from Ed who reported that “New Philadelphia High is on fire” and that we needed to rally the troops. A source had tipped him off.

Ed also had a special relationship with gardeners. At the first sign of frost, Ed would knock out a column, offering his thoughts on preparing the soil for winter and he wrote that column from scratch every year. His other passion was the Cleveland Indians, but his sportswriter roots allowed him to offer commentary on every aspect of athletics. And he did. Often.

I suspect God is getting an earful from Ed right now. And if God is smart, he better listen. I suspect He’ll learn something.

***

A few more quick hits and I’ll let you get on with your pre-Christmas activities:

--Please don’t ask me “What do you think of Trump now?” That question usually comes from a Fox News devotee who hasn’t been paying attention. It gets me all riled up and puts me in a really bad mood.

--It seems to me that every elementary school should have its own principal. I would have gone nuts in my elementary school without Sister Monica waving her paddle (with holes drilled in it to alleviate wind resistence) at my fellow hooligans. Fortunately, New Philadelphia Superintendent David Branch agrees and will request Monday that the Board of Education approve the hiring of a full slate of building principals effective Jan. 1.

--If you study the tax duplicate for the famous Dairy Queen which sits in the footstep of the new Dover High campus you will come to the conclusion that the property is worth about $160,000. In my mind, that would be a good offer from the school district to the Yoder-Angel family which owns the property.

--Driving north on N. Wooster Ave. recently, I noticed that I got stopped by only one traffic light, which is a vast improvement over the old system. There’s still more work to be done before the synchronization project is completed and traveling south is still dicey through the retail portion of S. Wooster Ave.

--I’m still encountering folks who are unaware of the existence of this blog. If someone happens to mention to you that he/she can’t find Farrell’s column in the Bargain Hunter, tell them to Google "dickfarrell.blogspot.com." It’s easily found.

--This is probably my last offering before Christmas. I hope you and your family have a great holiday. Talk to you soon.

New frenzy: 'Take his phone away, take his phone away, take his phone away...'

2016-12-03T12:44:00.001-05:00

Warning to my relatives south of the Mason-Dixon Line, staunch Republican friends everywhere and Hillary Clinton haters: You’re not going to like this.

I have been trying to be a good loser and give Donald Trump the benefit of all my doubts.

Doubts? I have had a few.

Less than a month after the election, it is clear to me that we did, in fact, elect a Tweeting reality TV star as opposed to anything resembling a statesman or leader of the free world. In other words, we chose an idiot.

In the interest of space, I won’t go into all of the reasons I decided to abandon hope for Trump. I’ll just focus on a few recent ones:

--He “saved” 1,000 Indiana jobs by striking a deal with the state of Indiana -- that would be the VP's home state -- to provide a $7 million tax break to Carrier Corp., which admitted later that it was only going to move 700 jobs to Mexico. I’m sure news of the deal lit up boardrooms across the country with executives plotting how they will weasel their own deal. Even Sarah Palin was critical of Trump’s “corporate cronyism.” Sarah Palin. Think about that.

--During a stop on his victory tour, he whipped a Cincinnati audience into frenzy, a la the campaign trail. The supporters broke into the intolerant “Lock her up” chant, which sends chills down my anti-fascist back. Then he announced his pick for secretary of defense, which apparently surprised the transition team, including close confidant Kellyanne Conway, who frankly has overstayed her 15 minutes of fame.

--He engaged in a free-flowing phone conversation with Taiwan’s leader even though such conversations violate a U.S. policy and protocol since 1979. So in less than a month, he’s irritated the world’s most populous country -- an important market to U.S. manufacturers and a cog in global supply chain -- sucked up to Russia and had niceties with Pakistan, which wouldn’t mind nuking its neighbor and our ally India. Nice job, Donald.

I’ll let the experts pass judgment on his cabinet picks, which hopefully won’t include former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who as far as I can tell is qualified only to serve as the court jester. He’d make a good one.

Now, none of my relatives or friends has publicly admitted to me that they regret their Trump vote. I suspect it’s a lot like when you buy a car that you brag about but which you find out later actually is a piece of junk. You’re not going to admit you have buyer's remorse.

In the aftermath of the 1972 presidential election and in the wake of the Watergate scandal, a lot of people slapped bumper stickers on their cars that said “Don’t blame me. I voted for McGovern.” Perhaps, we’ll see an updated version of that slogan in the wake of the 2016 election.

Anyway, God help us.

***

I’m happy to report that I got through the first part of the holidays without engaging in any arguments with relatives over the election.

I did, however, hide the posts of a lot of “friends” on Facebook, which in an odd way I felt bad about because I was tailoring my news feed to suit my viewpoint. The deciding factor, however, was a propensity by so many people to cite fake news sources as reasons for hating Hillary.

And that brings me to the underscoring problem: People are ill-informed. They don’t read. They don’t understand history or our global relationships and how they came about. Americans can be dumb.

***

And speaking of education…

The Ohio Chamber of Commerce is supporting legislation that would make financial literacy a high school graduation requirement.

And so do I.

There are too many young adults saddled with enormous debt after graduating (or not) from college, who are easily securing loans and credit card debt without one thought to the future.

House Bill 383 would require high school students to complete a one-half credit course. The number of electives would be reduced from 5 to 4.5.

Hopefully, if the bill is passed, the Legislature will provide schools with funding to teach the subject. I guess that’s part of financial literacy as well.

***

Here’s an interesting little tidbit that you probably won’t read about in the Canton Repository, the official Pro Football Hall of Fame newspaper. (Yes, really.)

In the wake of a lawsuit over cancellation of the 2016 game, it has come to light, via the New York Post, that Hall of Fame President David Baker had a little trouble with the law back in the 1980s.

In an article headlined “How Roger Goodell let a check-forging politician run the Hall of Fame,” the Post detailed Baker’s run-in with the California justice system.

Goodell, who serves on the Hall of Fame’s board of trustees, supported the hiring of Baker back in 2014. The job pays $367,000 a year.

That, folks, is landing on your feet.

***

I’m not sure why but I haven’t seen anything in the local press about the closing of Green Valley Golf Club. (If I missed something, please let me know.)

Green Valley, one of the area’s oldest courses, was challenging to say the least. Its greens gave me fits.

Anyway, operator Gary Miller announced on Facebook on Oct.10 that the course was closing with this (edited) message:

“Well, a long history of New Philadelphia closed last night. Green Valley Golf Club is no longer open this year and maybe for the future. With the lack of new golfers and old diehard golfers getting too old to play golf, (it has become) a challenge for every course in the Tuscarawas Valley.

“So support your local courses and keep them open. On behalf of my dad Merv, mom Millie and myself, I want to thank everyone who supported us for almost 40 years -- lots and lots of memories. I have seen young boys turn into young men.

“We all have had a blast here but like the saying goes all good things must come to an end. It has been an emotional roller coaster for me when we just could not get together on the lease, but we all sure tried. So, thanks to all.”

Miller was among area operators who welcomed youngsters to their courses and treated them as important future customers. Among them was my son. I thank Gary Miller for that. Goodbye, Green Valley.

***

Remember the sale of Atwood Lodge and Conference? It’s been delayed again, this time until Jan. 13, according to the Carrollton Free PressStandard.

Stay tuned.

A retrospective on the election (kind of)

2016-11-12T14:45:00.000-05:00

I decided to let the dust settle a little bit before I wrote anything about the election.

I am elated about the approval of a new Dover High School by voters in the Dover City School District. And I’m not so elated about the results of the presidential election, although I think the Republic somehow will survive if Donald Trump’s family takes away his Twitter account (watch those servers, Donald) and hides the nuclear codes from him.

But first, Dover…

Dover voters may not realize it but they just made their community much more attractive to families relocating to the area. With a new high school coming on line, families will look for homes within the district rather than buying a home in Jackson Township or North Canton, which have far superior educational facilities for their children.

Let Dover’s vote also be a wake-up call for New Philadelphia and Garaway. It’s time, folks, that you took a good look at your educational facilities and start to get serious about the future. Or Strasburg and now Dover are going to eat your lunch.

Let me also again address the letters of support from Dover Mayor Richard Homrighausen and City Councilman Don Maurer.

Before he got into the endorsement part of his letter – for which I am forever grateful -- the mayor schooled us citizens on why council didn’t endorse the high school project during one or more of its monthly caucus meetings.

“…It was a Committee Meeting of the Whole, and as such it was just what the name implies it was a ‘committee meeting.’ Committee meetings are where items are discussed, the pros and the cons of any issue, and not always is there concurrence reached among the wide and varied opinions.”

Let’s get this straight. If Council wanted to endorse the high school project it could have done so at a caucus meeting (or committee meeting of the whole) because there is nothing in the Ohio Revised Code to preclude that.

Meanwhile, I was told by a couple of readers that Maurer actually didn’t endorse the high school project in his letter. So, I went back and read it again.

Yep, they were right. Maurer stated only that Council had supported the schools. I don’t know how I misread that. So, I apologize to voters who might have been swayed by Maurer’s non-endorsement and, of course, to Maurer for getting his intentions wrong.

Let the record show that Maurer never supported the high school project, at least not that I know of.

***

Now that Dover is getting a new high school I can get behind other Dover projects, including downtown revitalization, traffic light synchronization, the riverside park, and a potential ice rink. Did I forget anything? Heck, I’m almost giddy.

I panned the riverside park project in my last offering because of the presence of those giant utility poles and maybe because I have this vision of glow-in-the-dark fish coming out of our river.

But a friend and an expert in the field of lakes, streams and rivers told me that a boat ramp, which was to be dedicated Nov. 12, is a wonderful thing for the Dover community and will allow our citizens to launch and float all kinds of boats. So, I also stand corrected on that issue. You know, mea culpa.

Plus, I’m in a better mood now that we’re finally replacing the decrepit high school.

***

In retrospect, Donald Trump ran a masterful campaign. He knew what would get his base fired into a frenzy. He told them anything – we’re going to build a wall; we’re going to stop Muslims from coming; we’re going to do away with Obamacare; we’re bringing back coal; we’re going to make America great again because, you know, it stinks, and on and on and on.

His tone, remarkably, has changed since last Tuesday when the weight of the world fell onto his shoulders.

Uh-oh.

It’s a given that Trump doesn’t read much. The reality star watches a lot of TV, we’re told, and that got me thinking.

I came up with a list of films and TV series he ought to watch before he takes office in January:

--“John Adams,” the acclaimed HBO series that should give Trump a pretty good idea about the formation of this country and its constitution. How great was America back then? Slaves helped build the White House, so it wasn’t so great just yet. And Adams was oblivious to that inhumanity, or at least accepted it, all the while he was ironing out the details of a democracy with his good friend (not) Thomas Jefferson.

--“Lincoln,” which underscores the enormous – I mean huge -- responsibility of trying to put a divided country back together. Americans were killing each other – not a great period in our history but we learned a great deal about how we need to treat each other. At least I thought we did.

--“All the President’s Men,” which should point out for Trump the role of the press in a free society and how an abuse of power can bring down a president. Be careful out there, Mr. Trump. Reporters everywhere are watching. As well they should be.

--“Saving Private Ryan,” which should offer him a dose of humility as he assumes the role of commander-in-chief. There certainly was greatness in the generation of Americans who rushed ashore on D-Day. (Historical note: Back in the homeland we were interning Japanese-Americans, or prior to that chasing German-Americans from their neighborhoods. See Columbus, Ohio’s GermanVillage. Do we have to mention the widespread segregation that was still prevalent during the period? That wasn't so great.)

--All of the episodes in “The West Wing,” which aired from 1999 to 2006. It’s a fictional account of the well-managed presidency of Democrat Josiah "Jed" Bartlet. He even hired a Republican wonk for his staff who would remind you of Kellyanne Conway. We’re looking for tone and demeanor here, Mr. Trump. By the way, enlist Aaron Sorkin – the series’ creator – to write your speeches, although he doesn’t much care for you right now.

In the meantime, God help us.

Wait until next year. Seriously.

2016-11-03T13:27:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to the Chicago Cubs.

Now that I have that off my chest, I have a couple of observations.

--I’m not sure Game 7 of the 2016 World Series was the greatest baseball game ever played as subjective pundits are saying repeatedly. If you’re an Indians fan, maybe the best game was Game 6 of the 1948 World Series, which the Indians won 4-3 over the Boston Braves, capturing its first championship since 1920. (Incidentally, the game’s duration was two hours and 16 minutes.

Remember those days? Maybe if we could shorten the length of the games, the kids could watch.)

--If I were the owner of the Chicago White Sox, who won the World Series in 2005, I might ponder moving the team to Nashville. No one in Chicago seems to care about the White Sox with the exception of its South Side neighbors.

--How did all those darn Cubs fans get tickets to Game 7 in Cleveland? I don’t mind a couple of visiting fans but filling half the stadium with the enemy doesn’t bode well for the good guys.

--LeBron James really has become the king of Cleveland sports. When he talks, people listen. He provided the Indians words of encouragement after the game. Meanwhile, Charlie Sheen (“Wild Thing”) was a bust. Did anyone even notice him?

--The Indians won the “Best National Anthem” award. I mean the Cleveland Orchestra playing and the fans singing? How cool is that?

--If the Tribe can get Michael Brantley back and hold on to most of the players in 2017, I think they’ll be back. I really believe that. Really. (And Dover’s own Perci Garner needs to be on the active roster, too.)

***

When I first drafted this post, I discussed the nuances of letters to the editor by Dover Mayor Rick Homrighausen and City Councilman DonMaurer.

After reconsidering, I decided to thank both public officials for their support of the very important Dover High project proposal and move on to other things. I’m glad – the community is glad – to have their “yes” votes.

***

Also writing a letter to the editor – this is the season, you know – was April Angel-Yoder of Dover, whose family owns the Dairy Queen in the footprint of the Dover High project.

Angel-Yoder’s point was the school district under Ohio Facilities Commission rules could opt for renovation rather than new construction.

“I’m not ashamed to voice my opinion that demolishing our historic high school is not the best option for our community,” she wrote.

It’s true that the current facility could be renovated, but the taxpayers would be responsible for any costs above and beyond what the commission is willing to pay for new construction. In other words, renovation would cost taxpayers more money. Most, if not all, contractors do a lot of head shaking when asked the renovation question. I know. I’ve asked them.

In addition, I would debate Angel-Yoder that Dover High is somehow worth keeping because of its aesthetics. It looks like every other Ohio school building built shortly after the automobile was invented. It’s decrepit.

And one more point: Sources tell me that the Dover Board of Education has never discussed using its power of eminent domain to acquire Angel-Yoder’s Dairy Queen property. I’d be surprised if its owners weren’t fairly compensated.

***

Ever hear of ECOT?

ECOT is the state’s largest online charter school that siphons millions of taxpayer money from our public schools into the pockets of its for-profit owners.

According to the Columbus Dispatch, the school handed diplomas to 2,374 students last spring.

“The one thing we do at ECOT is we graduate kids,” the Dispatch quoted Superintendent Rick Teeters as saying.

Yeah, right.

One out of every six high school dropouts in Ohio attended ECOT, or 3,252 students.

Our ruling political class in Columbus needs to be held accountable for the laughable performance of many of the state’s charter schools, including ECOT.

Next time you see Republicans state Rep. Al Landis and/or state Sen. Jay Hottinger ask them how they plan on solving this mess.

***

To all my New Philadelphia friends, it is not my fault the traffic lights in Dover still are not synchronized, to wit: “Your city sucks to drive through.”

I know, I know. It’s slow going out there.

And this week, the street department decided to paint new crosswalk lines on S. Wooster Ave. forcing two lanes of traffic into one. That also is not my fault.

I know it’s been since 1962, but the powers have promised a new traffic light system that eventually will make our lives easier. Patience, fellow motorists. Patience.

***

OK, I’m all for beautification projects, but I’m thinking our riverfront will never return to those simpler, more elegant times when courted ladies in long dresses would walk by the river with their beaus, using umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun and being coy about their intentions.

Among the aesthetic problems is the presence of 69-kilovolt transmission line poles in the neighborhood. Not sure a Gibson Girl ever came across one of those.

Meanwhile, I’ve been asking people I know if they’ve visited the riverfront since the city cleared the area along Front St.

They look at me like I’m crazy. For the record, I’m not crazy.

***

Repeat after me…

Just a few more days… Just a few more days … Just a few more days.

Saving Dairy Queen

2016-10-14T08:02:00.000-04:00

Updated on Friday at 4:45 p.m. to reflect endorsements of the issue by two additional Dover councilmen.

///

OK, I missed the edition, but I’m told there was a photo in our daily newspaper this week that not only speaks to the Dover High bond issue, but also to our community’s love of fast food.

“Save Our Dairy Queen.”

That’s right, folks.

Dairy Queen.

You can’t make this stuff up.

Apparently lovers of Dover’s Dairy Queen franchise are appealing to voters to save their bricks-and-mortar fast food joint on N. Tuscarawas Ave. rather than build a new high school on and around DQ's relatively small piece of real estate.

I have some bad news.

In a survey I took of Dover High seniors a couple of years ago, Dairy Queen finished dead last in the list of nearby fast food outlets that students head to during their 39-minute lunch period.

Why?

Because DQ’s drive-through line is the slowest on the planet, that’s why.

Personally, Dairy Queen only comes into play for me during the cold months when our community’s beloved Softies is not in operation. But if you need a quick milk shake fix during the winter, Wendy’s and McDonald’s fill the bill.

Now if Softies was located in the footprint of the new Dover High, well, that would be different.

Sorry, Dairy Queen.

///

Apparently there is a small group of Dover citizens who will never see fit to replace our decrepit high school. Their members shall remain nameless, but I’m told they’re members of the same group that voiced displeasure with the last proposal.

One of the leaders of that Negative Nellie pack lent his artistic abilities to an anti-school proposal sign project. He made an estimated 15 rather ugly large signs – “Save DHS” -- that are now posted on like-minded individuals’ yards and properties throughout the community.

I have to believe he could have volunteered his time doing something worthwhile for the community – you know, like giving back – but, no, he was too busy with his signage project. I wonder how long it took him.

///

Like I mentioned the last time we visited, time was running short for Dover City Council to reach a consensus and endorse the new high school project.

It’s not going to happen.

There is good news, however. Mayor Richard Homrighausen actually donned a campaign t-shirt and posed with a few other city officials, including Auditor Nicole Stoldt, Council President Shane Gunnoe, and Ward 1 Councilman Greg Bair. In addition, Councilman Justin Perkowski penned a letter to the editor offering his support of the project.

Also, Councilmen John Correll and John McFadden and Clerk Julie Leggett have formally endorsed the project with signed letters to the issue's leadership committee.

I have no evidence that council members Don Maurer, Sandy Moss and Bob Mueller support the project.

If you have evidence to the contrary, let me know.

Mueller, if you remember, previously said he can’t afford it although he’s paid more than $7,000 annually for attending a few council meetings a month. In case you’re interested in running for a seat, their terms are up at the end of 2017.

Meanwhile, members of just about every other political subdivision have, in fact, endorsed the project. Good for them.

///

It’s partly my fault that “30 Seconds” lives on.

A little history: It was back in the ‘90s (before the Internet) that newspapers, including mine, were trying to connect better with readers and as a result features such as “30 Seconds” were born.

Initially, readers connected to a mechanical answering machine tucked away in a closet-like office and left all sorts of short messages. Callers weren’t really limited to 30 seconds. It was more of a suggestion; the machines actually listened for a minute.

Anyway, the better comments would make the cut and readers loved it. But whatever benefit it once offered, it now has degenerated into a vehicle for ignorance and intolerance.

Consider this recent entry:

“I am a senior citizen. Our children and grandchildren attended Dover schools, but we will not vote for a school levy until my great-grandchildren are taught how to write cursive and can add, subtract, multiply and divide. Some young people cannot even count your change back to you. A new building will not change this.”

Want to bet the caller doesn’t know how to use a computer?

“30 Seconds” needs to die.

///

Speaking of schools in need of repair and renovation…

Hello, New Philadelphia. You there?

Both East and South elementary schools appear to be in need of serious exterior work, if not interior renovations.

Here’s the deal.

It’s unlikely you would live in a house for 25 years without updating or renovating. The same should go for schools. New Philadelphia High, for example, was remodeled after a fire severely damaged it in the early 1990s. That was 25 years ago.

Is it time to put more money into the facility? Absolutely.

Citizens need to understand that maintaining and updating school facilities is their responsibility. It goes with living and working in a community.

Ahem, so where is the 'big splash'?

2016-10-07T10:58:00.003-04:00

Sorry, it’s been awhile. I’ve been busy…

***

Rumor had it that Dover Mayor Richard Homirghausen and his City Council were going to make a “big splash” with an endorsement of the new high school proposal. I thought maybe there’d be the “big splash” at the caucus meeting the last Monday in September, but there was nothing.

Then I thought that maybe council was going to splash at its regular meeting last Monday.

Nope.

I give up.

At this point, whatever council decides to do is rather moot. Absentee ballots are mailed out beginning Wednesday (Oct. 12), which means people can immediately vote. No longer is the general election date hard and fast. And I suspect most people have already made up their minds about all the high profile races and issues, including the Dover High proposal.

Evidence, however, suggests that at least three members of council – Justin Perkowski, Shane Gunnoe and Greg Bair – have publicly supported the project either by wearing a “We Are Dover” shirt or by writing a letter to the editor.

If any other readers have seen public evidence of support from other council members, please let me know and I will add their names to the above paragraph.

***

A friend of mine suffers from trigeminal neuralgia – severe facial pain – and depends on opioids for relief. He would like everyone to know that not everyone who uses opioids is abusing them. For him, using opioids allows him to function and survive.

Trigeminal neuralgia has been termed “the world’s worst pain.”

Medical marijuana might provide my friend some relief, so he was incredulous when both Dover and New Philadelphia city councils banned the sale of prescription marijuana well in advance of the actual implementation of the law.

For my friend’s sake as well as for other sufferers, I hope both councils will reconsider their decisions.

***

I was asked what I thought about plans to rejuvenate Dover’s downtown and restore the riverfront to some sort of turn of the 20th century glory.

Neither project will mean much if the community fails to approve a new high school facility. As soon as we’re on track for a new school, I’ll get excited. I might, however, go into a state of euphoria after the new traffic signals are turned on and synchronized.

“Synchronized” is the keyword.

***

There seems to be some confusion over why my commentaries no longer appear in the Bargain Hunter.

One of my readers said he called the publication and was told that I left on my own accord. Another reader heard I was fired.

OK, I was never an employee of the Bargain Hunter, so I couldn’t have been fired. Heck, I’ve never been inside one of its offices. I write at home, sometimes at the dining room table, or at the kitchen counter. No fancy office for me.

With a handshake five years ago, I agreed to allow the Bargain Hunter to publish my column on a weekly basis for a modest fee. The deal, at least as I understood, was that the BH would adhere to a hands-off policy and respect my ownership of the column, which for the most part it did – until recently.

As a result, our relationship soured, and I sought a divorce. There was an attempt at counseling, but in the end it didn’t work out. Sometimes you just have to move on.

Tell your friends who are missing me in the BH to Google “dick farrell blogspot” or “dick Farrell blog” and they’ll find me. For those folks who depend entirely on print for their news and opinion, well, they’re out of luck.

Don't blame laid-back Ted for DHL job loss

2016-09-25T06:18:00.002-04:00

I got one of those slick campaign door hangers the other day, this one beating up Ted Strickland for “higher taxes,” “more spending” and “hundreds of thousands of jobs lost.”

Strickland, of course, was Ohio’s governor during the Great Recession and now is opposing Republican U.S. Sen. Rob Portman in his bid for a second term.

Among the jobs lost that Strickland is being blamed for are the 8,000 ones in Wilmington, Ohio, that belonged to DHL, the German company that purchased Airborne Express in 2003 and which then in 2009 basically said, “Never mind.”

DHL abandoned the airfield at Wilmington and left the domestic (U.S.) shipping business, turning over the market to UPS and FedEx. Yes, it moved some jobs to Kentucky in an effort to retool its business strategy – international logistics.

Was it Strickland’s fault?

I think that’s a stretch, although laid-back Ted just doesn’t seem to overwhelm one with his personality and probably would have trouble coaxing a cat to drink milk. Could he have done something to save some of those 400,000 jobs? Maybe, but I’ve always thought politicians get too much credit when jobs are created and too much blame when they leave.

Certainly a governor’s job should be to encourage a business friendly environment and I think John Kasich has done a good job with that. But make no mistake if Kasich were governor in 2009, he couldn’t have saved those DHL jobs in Wilmington. No way. No how.

***

The rumor is that Dover City Council, with the possible exception of members Bob Mueller and Don Maurer, is poised to endorse the proposal on the Nov. 8 ballot to build a new Dover High School.

Feel the earth move?

Mueller has said he can’t afford it and Maurer has been reluctant to offer an opinion on the issue, but the others, including Mayor Richard Homrighausen, apparently are on board.

Especially on board is Councilman Justin Perkowski, who offered his support of the project in a letter to the editor on Sunday. Perkowski, a 2002 graduate of DHS, is one of the young whippersnappers on Council, and might have been reluctant to offer an opinion on his own. I'm glad he did. It shows leadership.

So, why didn’t Council announce its endorsement decision at its last regular meeting on Sept. 19? Got me. Must be some kind of strategy.

Meanwhile, kudos to Dover Township trustees -- John Miceli, John Fondriest and Andrew Yosick -- who readily endorsed the issue at their most recent meeting. I think they understand the importance of a modern high school as it relates to the quality of life in our community.

One more thing.

Mueller’s statement that he couldn’t afford the school’s tax issue got me thinking. Did he vote for the city’s safety issue last November? Isn’t it logical that if he can’t afford the school issue that he probably couldn’t afford the city’s issue either?

Which begs the other question: What’s he doing with the $7,000 he is paid every year for serving on council?

***

One of the benefits of writing this commentary for digital consumption is that I can link to stories or clips that might further explain a particular issue.

For example, if you need proof that there are a lot of dumb Americans out there, check out this clip from the Comedy Central.

It was filmed in Canton at a Donald Trump rally and the responses to the interviewer’s questions are absolutely telling. I especially like the guy who’s criticizing President Barack Obama for not being in the office on 9/11.

It brings to mind what I tell young people when they question the need to learn something that seems to be totally irrelevant to them:

“So, my child, when you’re an adult, people won’t think you’re stupid.”

The Trump supporters’ clip also explains why the loyalists can overlook the fact that their candidate mocks handicapped people and women and won’t release his tax returns.

Until the next time…

Your friendly curmudgeon is back

2016-09-16T06:35:00.002-04:00

OK, I'm back in this space. It doesn't feel comfortable yet, but hopefully it will soon enough. The good news is that if I see something that I've written that I don't like tomorrow, I can change it. That's the beauty of digital. You can't do that in print.

Sadly, however, there were a lot of readers of my column who enjoyed reading it on paper. I haven't figured out that part yet, but when I do, you'll be the first to know.

If someone you know, wants to read this stuff, tell him/her to send a Facebook request to me. As long as they seem to have a legitimate interest, I'll friend them back. I'm that kind of guy.

***

What forced me to write sooner rather than later was news that our councils in Dover and New Philadelphia appear to have permanently banned the sale of medical marijuana in their communities. (The source of that information is our local daily newspaper, which I trust is reporting accurately. If for some reason, it is not, my apologies to the councils and a curse on the paper.)

As I'm reading between the lines, it appears the councils are concerned their communities will turn into Colorado-type, drug-infested havens for evil and long-haired hippies.

Ohio's law, aimed at providing relief to people who are suffering from various serious medical conditions, has no provision to sell recreational marijuana. Nope. You have to have a note from your doctor (read: prescription) and suffer from one of the following conditions:

HIV/AIDS; Alzheimer's disease; Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); cancer; chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE); Crohn's disease; epilepsy or another seizure disorder; fibromyalgia; glaucoma; hepatitis C; inflammatory bowel disease; multiple sclerosis; pain that is chronic, severe, and intractable; Parkinson's disease; post traumatic stress disorder; sickle cell anemia; spinal cord disease or injury; Tourette's syndrome; traumatic brain injury; and ulcerative colitis.

With one swipe of their legislative pen, the councils told such members of their communities to look somewhere else for relief.

Cleveland.com offers a primer of sorts on the new law, which will take two years to fully implement. And at least one lawmaker is urging communities to hold off banning medical marijuana until the details get ironed out.

It's too bad the communties couldn't act as quickly with a program to synchronize their traffic signals as they did with their medical marijuana bans.

***

Speaking of Dover City Council, it will meet in regular session on Monday night.

Will this be the meeting that council members, with the exception of Bob Mueller who can't afford it, finally endorse the new high school building proposal?

If they don't, I'm hoping that Mayor Richard Homrighausen stands on top of the table and delivers the kind of a speech a far-sighted leader would give on behalf of his community's children. That's called leadership. And guts.

***

Rumor has it that the Atwood Resort and Conference Center sale -- for $1.1 million -- has fallen through. My sources report that the Youngstown buyer, who supposedly was acting as an agent for the DeBartolo family which has multiple real estate interests, will lose $75,000 in earnest money.

Presumably the sale process will begin anew.

When in doubt, blame Obamacare

2013-10-01T19:45:00.000-04:00

It was not unexpected that I would receive some pushback on last week’s commentary, which featured (drum roll, please) a discussion about the Affordable Care Act or – what it is has come to be widely known as – Obamacare.

Critics included an old friend – Joanne Limbach – who happens to be a Democrat, a former county commissioner, former Ohio tax commissioner, former and current Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District trustee and former president of the Ohio chapter of AARP, which formerly was known as the American Association of Retired Persons.

(Sidebar: AARP no longer cares whether you are retired. In fact, there likely will come a time when no one is retired because no one will be able to afford to retire. Anyone over the age of reason can now join AARP. Seriously, there are more members with jobs than actually are retired.)

What I said in my commentary was that the hysteria over the law, which as of this writing was to take effect Tuesday, might have some legs because of the announcement a few weeks ago by the Cleveland Clinic that it had to cut $330 million from its budget because of “healthcare reform.”

Limbach told me in no uncertain terms that it’s a bunch of phooey to blame the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.

“The reason why hospitals are counting on less revenue, and lots and lots of less revenue, at least in Ohio, is because our General Assembly has not passed Medicaid expansion,” Limbach wrote in an email.

“In the Medicaid Expansion legislation is the money to pay hospitals for their coverage of the uninsured via emergency care. They have had this reimbursement for some time. But this time the funding is in a different section.

“The Ohio Hospital Association and much of the health care industry are prepared to spend around $20 million to get the expansion on the ballot for Nov. 14. They have already cleared the first step with the Ohio Secretary of State for the ballot issue.

“The irony is that the governor who does not support the ACA does passionately support Medicaid Expansion. He understands how the money is really helpful and necessary for hospitals and the state’s budget will be greatly helped. It means economic development as well as healthy Ohioans.”

Clinic spokesman Eileen Sheil was quoted in the Plain Dealer and by other media outlets as saying, “Healthcare reform has really changed things, and the burden of cost is going to be falling on patients. We want to make sure we can keep care affordable.”

Well, that sounds like she’s blaming Obamacare for the cutbacks, but, as Limbach claims, is she really?

After I received Limbach’s email, I set to work again to find out whether there was a link to the Clinic’s budget cuts and Obamacare. The Atlantic, a respected monthly news and issues magazine, vetted the reports.

Reporter David A. Graham tracked down Sheil for his piece in the Atlantic, headlined: “Obamacare Isn’t Really Taking Away Jobs: Cleveland Clinic Edition.”

“In fact, the ‘Obamacare is killing jobs’ story isn’t really accurate,” he wrote.

“It’s not totally false – the Cleveland Clinic will in fact take in less money because of the law – but it’s a more complicated story about changes in medicine. When I reached Sheil on Thursday, she seemed a bit confused by the emphasis on Obamacare in reports. ‘We’ve been working on reducing costs for years,’ she said.

“‘We felt health-care reform was absolutely necessary,’ Sheil said. ‘This is the new normal. This is where hospitals have to focus to be viable in the long run. This is not doomsday for the clinic. We’re still growing – we’re still hiring. The hardest thing is when it affects people.’”

So, there you have it, folks. Crystal clear, right?

Nothing is crystal clear any longer it seems. Not Obamacare. Not government shutdown. Not managed bankruptcies. Not the Democrat nor the Republican platforms.

I think we’ll have to see where all this takes us, and then make the appropriate changes to correct the errors.

The new normal?

Oh, yippee.

Dick Farrell writes this column weekly for the Bargain Hunter.

Is Cleveland Clinic adding to Obamacare hysteria?

2013-09-30T14:47:00.002-04:00

I’m not one to be all doom and gloom – well, maybe a little – but you have to admit this Obamacare hysteria might have some legs.

The Cleveland Clinic announced recently it will cut $330 million from its budget because it anticipates taking big hit on annual revenue.

“Some of the initiatives include offering early retirement to 3,000 eligible employees, reducing operational costs, stricter review of filling vacant positions, and lastly workforce reductions,” said Eileen Sheil, executive director of corporate communications for the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, who was quoted by numerous media sources.

Or, translated and paraphrased: “Of course we’re going to cut jobs – a lot of them.”

(Note to parents: You might want to rethink the previously sound advice you gave to your kids to seek a healthcare career.)

If you live in Greater Cleveland, or northeastern Ohio for that matter, your path likely will cross with that of the clinic, which owns and operates many of the formerly independent hospitals in all directions.

Indeed, the clinic is Ohio’s second largest employer behind Wal-Mart, which by the way doesn’t provide healthcare coverage to most of its employees. That’s rather ironic, don’t you think?

According to Reuters, the Cleveland Clinic is the largest provider in Ohio of Medicaid health coverage for the poor, the program that will expand to cover uninsured Americans under Obamacare.

“We know we are going to be reimbursed less,” Sheil said.

OK, if Obamacare is going to have that kind of an impact on the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic, what happens to the smaller independent (or nearly independent) hospitals that serve our smaller communities in Tuscarawas and Holmes counties?

That’s right. Obamacare probably isn’t good news for them either.

Already, I’m hearing that finding a doctor is becoming increasingly difficult in this area because doctors are as worried about Obamacare as anyone and would rather wait and see what the future holds than take on new patients (and their potential additional financial liabilities) now.

Obamacare is actually the Affordable Care Act, and there’s plenty of information online – some good, some bad. Here’s the White House’s link to the official line, which you probably ought to check out first: http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/health-care

We’ll see how all this shakes out over the next few weeks, months and years. It looms as the defining issue for measuring the worth of Obama’s presidency, and frankly a lot of people are counting down the days until it’s over.

***

Every time I see John McCain on the news, I wonder if some day, in his memoirs, he will admit to the mistake he made by agreeing to have Sarah Palin as a running mate. I think if he had selected someone who was not so divisive – a moderate – he probably would have won the presidency.

Then, a couple of weeks ago, during the season finale of HBO’s “The Newsroom,” star Jeff Daniels as Will McAvoy summed up rather nicely the GOP’s problem with reacquiring the White House and why a lot of moderate Republicans are troubled with the current state of things.

McAvoy was asked by a Republican strategist during an election night program if he was a Republican because it gave him credibility when he criticized the party.

“No, I call myself a Republican because I am one,” he said.

“I believe in market solutions and common sense realities and the necessity to defend ourselves against a dangerous world and that’s about it.

“The problem is now I have to be homophobic.

“I have to count the number of times people go to church.

“I have to deny facts and think scientific research is a long con.

“I have to think poor people are getting a sweet ride.

“And I have to have such a stunning inferiority complex that I fear education and intellect … in the 21st century.

“But most of all, the biggest new requirement, really the only requirement, is that I have to hate Democrats.

“And I have to hate Chris Christie for not spitting on the president when he got off of Air Force One.

“The two-party system is crucial to the whole operation. There is honor in being the loyal opposition. And I’m a Republican for the same reasons you are.”

Daniels/McAvoy is right. We need a strong two-party system in this country without the hate.

There I go again.

Dick Farrell writes this column weekly for the Bargain Hunter.

Hooray for the fair! (And I don't have to go.)

2013-09-30T14:41:00.001-04:00

I have a confession to make.

I never really liked going to the Tuscarawas County Fair.

There. I said it – got it off my chest.

That’s not to say I don’t like the Tuscarawas County Fair because I know that if I said that, I probably would be shunned forever by native-born Tuscarawas County folks. Not liking “The Fair” is akin to treason in these parts.

I just never liked going to it. My kids, of course, thought the fair was the highlight of the year so I did my duty, traipsing through mud and straw and junk to “enjoy” the pigs, goats and cows.

And the carnival games. And the rides. And the junk food. And the tractor pulls.

Oh, boy.

My non-love affair with the Tuscarawas County Fair started many years ago when I got in line at the Grange lunch counter, finally being able to order a hamburger after a long wait.

“Can you put some cheese on that?” I asked.

“No,” replied the Grange lady. “We don’t have any cheese.”

In fact, if I remember correctly, there were few condiments available for that coveted Grange hamburger that everyone fawned over – maybe a little ketchup and mustard but nothing else. No onions, no pickles, no special sauce.

Big disappointment, Grange ladies.

With all due respect.

In a piece I wrote for the local daily newspaper, I told of my experience with the condiment-less burger. It wasn’t criticism actually. I just thought – in 9 1/2-point text forever laid down on brilliant white newsprint – that perhaps the next year the Grange ladies might offer cheese on the burger.

The Grange ladies and about a thousand or so of their supporters (it seemed like that) let me have it in no uncertain terms. I think it was one of the times I was chastised for “not being from around here.” I learned from that experience that I should keep my thoughts about “The Fair” pretty much to myself.

I was thinking about the piece while listening to WJER owner Gary Petricola relate during a “fair update” segment this week that he had interviewed 19 sets of fair kings and queens. God love him, I thought. He’s a stronger man than I.

So, this is kind of a true confession moment for me. Being a kid from the city, the culture of “The Fair” was wasted on me. I just wasn’t into it.

As irony would have it, however, I am proud to announce that my 4-year-old grandson Brendan finished in third place in the (ahem) kiddie tractor pull contest at this year’s Geauga County Fair, qualifying him to compete in next year’s Ohio State Fair in Columbus.

He got his picture on the front page of the local newspaper. Grandpa is very proud.

So, there’s a distinct possibility I’ll be on the fair circuit next year, following my grandson (good gene pool obviously) in his quest for greatness on the kiddie tractor pull track.

And that ultimately might lead us to the Tuscarawas County Fair.

Bring it on. I’ll be there.

Dick Farrell writes this column weekly for the Bargain Hunter.

'Right here on our stage, the dean of rock and roll....'

2013-09-15T19:46:00.000-04:00

The year was 1973, and the scene was at the Ed Sullivan Theater.

“Right here on our stage – you’re going to see them after we take a quick break – will be five young lads from Canton, Ohio, who have taken the music world by storm,” announced famed TV producer and variety show host Ed Sullivan.

Screams from teenage girls overwhelmed Sullivan’s stage microphones at that point. Sullivan waved both of his hands in a downward motion. He smiled broadly.

“OK, now, Brimstone will be right here on our stage right after a word from our sponsor and a performance by that incredible mouse, Topo Gigio…”

OK, I made all that up. Well, not Ed Sullivan, or Topo Gigio – they were real. Well, Sullivan was real and Topo Gigio was a real puppet.

But the part about Brimstone appearing on “The Ed Sullivan Show”?

I made that up.

And, hopefully, I got your attention.

Brimstone actually is a real rock band and is reuniting for a special show Oct. 12 at the Performing Arts Center at Kent-Tuscarawas. The band will open for Evolution, an Eric Clapton tribute band.

Brimstone and Evolution feature guitarist Chris Wintrip, but there is one special member of Brimstone whose talent might surprise the students who walk the halls of Kent-Tuscarawas.

Dean Gregg Andrews – and I make no apologies for admiring the work Andrews has done for the campus and community since his arrival here 15 years ago – was and is Brimstone’s vocalist.

So, shill I must.

Brimstone, which I had never heard of until a couple of years ago, apparently was a pretty good band.

“You were in a rock band?” I asked Andrews at the time.

“Yes, I was,” he said with a straight face.

Holy cow. Who would have believed that?

Andrews holds a doctorate degree and loves numbers and organization. He doesn’t remind me of Glen Frey or Don Henley, but what the heck.

The band, also comprised of Ken Miller, Jeff Miller and Dan Porter, played a lot of gigs in the Canton area and cut a critically acclaimed record – “Paper Winged Dreams” – before breaking up in the ’80s.

The album, by the way, has attained cult-like status in Europe. A copy of it was available earlier this week on eBay for $130.

According to the notes on the PAC’s website, Brimstone “evolved from a combination of several traditional rock bands. Brimstone's ‘Paper Winged Dreams’ is a unique progressive-art-rock work with influences from a wide range of musical genres.

“Brimstone’s ambitious effort focuses on ensemble collaboration, lyrical content and vocal harmonies resulting in a delicate, introspective outcome…

“They have been named Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honorees in the ‘My Town’ display.”

Perhaps the best thing about this upcoming Brimstone/Evolution night at the PAC is the price. Seats are $10 or $20.

But I think there’s a lesson here as well as a great night of music.

You don’t have to give up that “I want to be a rock star dream” no matter how old you are. Gregg Andrews, after all, is just south of Mick Jagger’s and Paul McCartney’s age.

And, surprise, so am I.

Ah, boomers. Those of us who’ve been around awhile should be encouraged by Brimstone’s upcoming concert. Heck, all of us can do other things.

“The Dean” obviously is musically inclined and perhaps will be re-living something next month that he might have thought was long gone.

“…A delicate, introspective outcome,” say the “liner” notes.

Cool.

I’ll be there, God willing.

Dick Farrell writes this column weekly for the Bargain Hunter.

Maybe they should have called them dumbphones

2013-09-08T20:02:00.005-04:00

I was listening to a friend tell a story about a recent experience he had had when for some inexplicable reason I pulled out my smartphone and looked at it.

Immediately interrupting his own train of thought, he called me on my behavior.

“Well, I can see you’re not listening,” he said.

OK, that’s embarrassing.

Actually, I was listening to his story, but pulling out my smartphone to look at something on it – such as the time – has become pretty much of a reflex for me. I don’t realize I’m doing it until someone mentions it.

A few hours later, an online piece posted by the New York Times caught my attention.

“Disruptions: More Connected But More Alone,” said the headline.

The piece, written by Nick Bilton, told of a YouTube video that showed in three minutes or so how our lives have become controlled by the smartphone, which we use to surf the Web, check text and email messages, take pictures and videos, order a cab, check airline flight schedules, and, yes, even use as a phone.

And when we do use it as a phone, we raise our voices in restaurants to levels so loud that patrons sitting 10 tables away know what we need at the grocery store (or some other innocuous detail of our lives).

Bilton’s story’s crux is that we seem to be missing out on life’s simple pleasures – such as face-to-face communication with people – because of the devices that most of us carry. In our quest to take a video of the sunset, we miss the sunset.

Let’s call it “The Plague Of The Smartphone,” which has infected all generations, including my own (despite our advancing ages). Let’s chill on blaming young people.

(Young people will tell you that old people are killing Facebook because, I guess, we’re pretty stupid about it.)

Anyway, I’m not going to throw away my smartphone. It’s too valuable a tool to do that. Mine has apps for GPS travel navigation and golf course yardages and is generally the neatest thing I own. Being able to Google a sports question and instantly obtain the answer is invaluable.

A friend of mine recently admitted that he didn’t have a smartphone and wasn’t planning on getting one. I felt sorry for him because he really doesn’t know what he’s missing.

But, alas, it’s time we come up with commandments for smartphone etiquette and vow to stick with them. I promise to obey them as well (really, I do):

–Thou shall not drive a car and use a smartphone (or any cell phone) at any time unless in an emergency or when utilizing that neat GPS app.

–Thou shall always have your smartphone in “quiet” or “vibrate” mode, especially in public places.

–Thou shall never pull a smartphone out of your pocket or purse while in the middle of a conversation with a live person.

–Thou shall wear a watch, so that looking at a smartphone is never really necessary. (Sigh.)

–Thou shall never take a picture of food served to you at a restaurant and then text the pic to friends or post it on Facebook.

–Thou shall never publicly share a smartphone picture or video of your dog, cat, gerbil or bunny under any circumstances. (I know I will get pushback on this one.)

–Thou shall talk in a normal tone of voice on your smartphone even if the person you’re talking to is in a different part of the country. (Trust me. He can hear you.)

–Thou shall never play with your smartphone in a house of worship under any circumstances. Taking pictures of a bride is permitted as long as proper decorum is observed. In other words, don’t be jumping into the aisle or asking the bride’s father to get out of the way.

–Thou shall not take videos of your kid’s soccer game unless you have enjoyed – sans smartphone – the experience of watching him play on at least five different occasions.

–Thou shall never place a live smartphone in front of you on the table during a meeting unless there is a reasonable explanation, i.e., “I’m waiting to see if I still have a job.”

–Thou shall never fire or discipline an employee via text, email or voicemail. This is a mortal offense if there ever was one and is punishable by death. (OK, I’m kidding. Kind of.)

Dick Farrell writes this column weekly for the Bargain Hunter.

Flunking the new batch of school report cards

2013-09-01T07:20:00.001-04:00

Welcome back for another school year, dear teachers.

Along with the children who seem to be well-adjusted and ready to learn, please take those with special needs or cultural differences or from troubled homes – or all of the above – and turn them into kind, productive and intelligent members of our communities who will be poised to lead future generations.

By the way, you stink.

If that’s the message the Ohio Department of Education wanted to send to Ohio educators with the release last week of yet another revamped “report card,” it’s done a pretty good job.

Even districts that last year were deemed “excellent with distinction” are holding report cards dotted with “F’s.”

On top of that, a diminished print news media continues to give major play to the report card story, giving credibility to a process that really doesn’t make much sense.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer, in one of its printed weekday editions (which you can now count on one hand), screamed across the top of Page 1: “WHICH SCHOOLS MADE THE GRADE?”

I downloaded a few of the district and building report cards in hopes of some kind of analysis but immediately grew frustrated with the data. It lacks context. And without context it is meaningless. It’s poppycock. It’s bull.

I did come across a response to the new report cards by George Wood, superintendent of Federal Hocking Local Schools, who said the report cards lead us “down a dead-end road.”

“There is no evidence that the way the state reports on student achievement, or school performance, primarily by using standardized test scores, helps children learn or our teachers teach,” he wrote. “The ‘new’ report card simply continues this attempt to grade our schools with tools that are not up to the job.”

As Wood pointed out, Ohio’s public school districts have received little or no funding increases over the last few years. I’ll add that during the same time for-profit charter schools seem to enjoy ever-increasing ways to make their owners money, courtesy of a Legislature that is bent on giving the public schools competition.

So public schools, in efforts to make ends meet, are cutting all those plushy, cake jobs (please read sarcasm here), such as guidance counselors and specialized teachers, who used to help the lower and higher ends of the educational spectrum while encouraging and helping the middle to achieve educational success.

Now the state, in a gotchya minute, declares your district isn’t doing the job when it comes to the lower and higher ends.

Huh?

OK, if you’re within the sound of my voice, don’t worry, Mom and Dad. Your schools are good. Your kids, as long as they have your help, will get a good education. Most of your teachers are very dedicated. And our schools are turning out tomorrow’s physicians, engineers, accountants and leaders. There are numerous examples.

(Now, if we could just keep some of them here. But that’s a different subject for another time.)

Phooey on the report cards.

***

After another Lake Erie rescue attempt that ended with a fatality, a police officer was trying to offer some advice to would-be rescuers.

He was telling a television reporter that one needs adequate water skills to not only save the victim but also himself. Clearly he was trying to be diplomatic with his comments.

I think what he wanted to say was this:

“If you can’t swim, you aren’t doing anyone a favor. Stay out of the water, or you might die.”

A year ago, six Louisiana teenagers drowned while trying to conduct a water rescue. Not one could swim and their parents, who also could not swim, watched helplessly on the river bank. It was a needless tragedy.

So, Mom and Dad, not only should you assist in your child’s educational development (see above), you also should make sure he learns how to swim. After all, three-quarters of the Earth’s surface is covered by water, and there are swimming pools everywhere.

Dick Farrell writes this column weekly for the Bargain Hunter.

Back to school in the middle of the summer

2013-09-01T07:16:00.001-04:00

It’s the middle of August, and the kids are back in school.

The middle of August used to be summer in Ohio. Now, it’s the start of fall. Remember when the kids went back to school after Labor Day?

Those were the good old days. But times change. Always have. Always will.

Our seasons are delineated by events and cultural earmarks, not necessarily the positions of the sun. Here’s how the seasons previously lined up in Ohio:

Summer – All of June, July and August and up to a week in September, ending on Labor Day. All schoolchildren returned to classes on Tuesday after Labor Day. In northeastern Ohio attention would turn to complaining about the Browns rather than the Indians.

Autumn – It started the Tuesday after Labor Day and ended on Thanksgiving. In addition to football, the “leaf rule” – no penalty stroke on golf balls obviously lost under fallen leaves – was put into effect.

Winter – This season always started the day after Thanksgiving with the early and fun period marked by the Christmas countdown in the paper. People shopped for gifts from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Christmas music would end promptly at midnight Dec. 25, replaced by Top 100 oldies countdowns, which would end promptly at midnight Jan. 1, replaced by at least two and a half months of freezing rain, snow, ice, clouds and general dreariness.

Spring – Ah, the season of rebirth would begin sometime in March when we would get a teaser day or two of temperatures in the 60s or 70s. Winter would return briefly during April and May, finally exiting Ohio on Memorial Day.

Here’s how the seasons stack up today:

Summer – With climate change, I think we can compress this season into one day: Fourth of July.

Post-summer – This is a new season marked by back-to-school sales. It runs until mid-August when school begins.

Autumn – Mid-August to Sept. 30.

Winter – Once again, climate change rears its ugly head. Oct. 1 starts the new winter, which lasts now until May 1.

Spring – The month of May.

***

Seriously, you old folks out there who think that schools ought to “go back to the basics” and the “good old days” don’t have a clue what’s asked of today’s students. They are tested and re-tested on material that includes developments that weren’t around when their parents and grandparents went to school.

And that’s one reason they have a longer school year. So be it.

Remember when you took naps in kindergarten? Well, many of today’s kindergartners attended some sort of pre-school and many already are proficient at navigating technology. Hand a typical 5-year-old an iPad, and he’ll ask what apps are on it.

And if you need an explanation of the last sentence, you might need some remedial instruction before being qualified to be the 5-year-old’s classmate.

According to Scholastic.com, here’s a portion of the skill set successful kindergartners will acquire:

–Recognize and write all of the letters of the alphabet in upper- and lowercase forms.

–Write his first and last name.

–Learn sounds corresponding to vowels and consonants.

–Use initial consonant sounds and sound patterns to read words.

–Identify several sight words, including names of colors.

–Recognize and use rhyming words.

–Retell a story including details.

–Put events of a story in order.

–Write simple sentences using sight words and phonics skills.

–Act on instruction and repeat spoken directions.

–Engage in question-and-answer dialogue with classmates and teachers.

–Work as a team on projects or problem-solving.

–Sort and classify objects using one or more attributes.

–Recognize and write numbers to 30.

–Count orally by ones, fives and 10s.

–Name ordinal numbers first through 10^th.

–Add and subtract using manipulatives (Cheerios, candy, etc.).

–Understand spatial relationships (top/bottom, near/far, ahead/behind).

–Compare quantities by estimating, weighing and measuring.

–Use graphs to gather information.

–Recognize patterns and shapes.

–Tell time to the nearest hour.

–Count coins.

–Recite the days of the week and months of the year.

And you wonder why now we have full-day kindergarten?

This isn’t your father’s world. Nor his kindergarten.

***

As we start this school year, I offer a toast of good luck to all of our educators, who seem to be perpetually undervalued for what they do, and for their students, who are learning in a changing and difficult world.

Cheers!

Dick Farrell writes this column weekly for the Bargain Hunter.

Rocky turns 80; I turn retrospective

2013-08-12T22:10:00.001-04:00

At some point in 1959 Look magazine published a full-page color photo of my hero, Rocky Colavito.

Colavito was posing in his Cleveland Indians uniform in Municipal Stadium, leaning on his bat.

“INDIAN IDOL” read the overlayed headline.

“When Rocky Colavito comes to bat in Cleveland the crowd roars its acclaim, a fitting salute to this great young slugger,” said the caption.

“In that roar is a unique overtone: delighted bobby-soxer squeals that are an equally fitting tribute to Rocky’s dark good looks and appealing, youthful magnetism.”

Well, I didn’t care much about the bobby-soxer thing, but I tore the picture out of the magazine. He was, after all, the greatest baseball player in my world. I was 8.

At about the same time the Look magazine photo was published, my father, God love him, ran into Colavito at one of the downtown Cleveland restaurants and secured an autograph on an envelope-sized white piece of paper.

“To Dick, Best Wishes. Rocky Colavito.”

My dad handed me the note that evening.

I was ecstatic.

My mother, God love her, fashioned a cardboard frame and married the autograph to the Look photo, covering them with a clear plastic film. The “framed” tribute took up residence in my bedroom and later my wife, who understands the importance of childhood treasures, had my mother’s arts and crafts project professionally framed. Since then, my Rocky tribute has moved from house to house, spending time recently in a basement storage room.

I searched for it after learning this month that Colavito had turned 80.

That’s right – 80.

OK, I now officially feel old.

It doesn’t bother me that lots of famous people from their heydays in the ’50s and ’60s are well into their elderly years. But Rocky Colavito turning 80? How can that be?

I wore Rocky’s number (6) on my pee wee baseball jersey, played for a team called the “Rocky Colavitos” and more or less devoted my life to securing his signature on my baseball glove.

I think a lot of folks my age who grew up rooting for one of the most frustrating sports franchises in history wonder the same thing. Rocky’s 80? How can that be?

Well, we haven’t had a lot to cheer about over the years. The Indians have never won a World Series in my lifetime and have gotten close only a couple of times.

Rocky was a bright spot. Coming off the 1959 season, during which Colavito hit four consecutive home runs in a single game and hit a league-leading 42 homers, the slugger thought he was worth more than $28,000 a year.

No kidding. Mickey Mantle was making $70,000. Darn Yankees.

Indians general manager Frank Lane finally and reluctantly agreed to a raise Colavito’s salary to $35,000. But the contentious salary negotiations doomed the relationship. “Trader” Lane sent Colavito to the Detroit Tigers for singles hitter Harvey Kuenn during spring training 1960.

Sports writer Terry Pluto in a book many years later deemed the trade began “The Curse of Rocky Colavito.” It was the beginning of decades-long frustration for Indians fans.

In a news conference on the occasion of his 80^th birthday party in Cleveland, Colavito discussed his career in what Cleveland.com called “the best 16 minutes of your day.” The video is available online.

I watched it several times, fascinated that Rocky remembers his playing days like they were yesterday. They weren’t, of course. They were a half-century ago. Man, I feel old.

And then I dug that old treasure out of the storage room.

Have to hang it up again…

Dick Farrell writes weekly for the Bargain Hunter.

I offer a mea culpa (but we still need to save public education)

2013-08-12T22:02:00.002-04:00

A couple of commentaries ago, I violated one of my own long-held rules of writing.

Don’t generalize.

As soon as a writer offers one or more generalizations – like I did in the piece on the state senator who wants to exempt homeschooling parents from paying school property taxes – at least one reader will rip said writer to shreds – as Jenifer Boros of Holmes County did to me.

Allow me to refresh.

I wrote that Delaware County Republican state Sen. Kris Jordan wants to give a tax break to parents who home school their children. I pretty much panned that proposal, noting that it should die a quick death. That might be an understatement. I called Jordan’s proposal “dumb.”

During my discussion of that proposal, I also took some shots at homeschooling.

I generalized that there were “a lot of parents who think they know better than the professionals.”

Jenifer killed me with exclamation points.

“Contrary to what you may think, many homeschool parents are quite educated!” she wrote. “We have degrees in nursing, engineering, elementary education, graphic arts, occupational therapy, Turf grass management and in many other fields. We are quite qualified to teach many high school courses, and for those we may need help with there are numerous resources out there! We are not afraid to learn ourselves! Many homeschooled children are motivated, independent workers who love learning and thrive even if their parents aren't experts in everything! We personally know students enrolled at the College of Wooster (our daughter), St. Vincent College (our son), OSU, Malone College, Walsh, Tri-C, and numerous others.”

Back in the commentary, I continued to dig myself a literary grave:

"Because public education benefits all of us – even home-school families and even if they won't admit it …” I wrote.

“Who won't admit it?” she demanded.

“Of course there are thousands of young people doing great things in today's world. I cannot even fathom where you get the idea that homeschoolers won't admit it – maybe because it's simply that we haven't chosen the public school system (your system!).

“It's unfair to conclude that since we have made a different choice that we are unable to appreciate your choice! Many homeschoolers have friends and relatives in the public school system – we manage to get along and be friendly! The ball may be in your court – can you in turn appreciate and acknowledge that the young, homeschooled students of today benefit and enrich our society?”

I still wasn’t done. Neither was she.

“Heaven help the future generations because I can’t imagine a population that relies on Mom and Pop to teach subjects that are better left to specialists,” I theorized.

Oh boy.

“Mom and Pop can be pretty darn good teachers, and sometimes ‘specialists’ aren’t what they appear!” responded Jenifer.

“Isn’t it true that some ‘specialists’ may have only earned C’s in their college courses? Looks can be deceiving. In any case, if homeschooling is a growing trend there must be reasons that intelligent, educated people choose it! Get used to it, as my daughter says. She knows a number of classmates at the College of Wooster who were homeschooled at some point in their lives. It is not that weird anymore! The motivation to homeschool can take many forms and it might be worth the effort to ask why so many parents choose it.”

For the record, Jenifer and her husband, John, have five children. Jenifer, who says she has mixed feelings about Sen. Jordan’s bill, has a degree in elementary education, while John holds degrees in business and nursing.

If I’m doing the math right, the couple have been homeschooling their children the last 15 or so years. They began homeschooling because the local Catholic school would not admit their daughter to kindergarten because her birthday fell past the deadline and as an alternative to having their children ride a school bus for a couple of hours each day.

As for me, I still believe Jordan’s proposal is dumb; that the state is wrongly siphoning money out of public education to for-profit charter schools; and that the country’s future depends on a viable public school system for which all of us ought to pay.

As for homeschooling, I offer a mea culpa for my generalizations. But I still think those who choose homeschooling for their children pass up the opportunity for them to learn from many terrific teachers who guide and educate young minds every day in our public (and traditional private and parochial) schools.

That’s not a generalization. That’s my opinion.

Read more from Dick Farrell at TuscBargainHunter.com.

Attention, parents: Give your kids a book

2013-08-05T07:07:00.001-04:00

(Originally published in the Bargain Hunter on August 2, 2013)

An old classmate of mine posted on Facebook the eulogy he and his brothers and sisters wrote for their mother’s funeral.

It was a great piece of writing, delivered I believe by the oldest of the 10 siblings – yes, that’s right, 10 – and it contained some wonderful insight on good parenting, which is something that seems to be lacking in this upside down day and age we live in.

By no means am I any kind of expert on parenting. I made my mistakes certainly, but then so has every other parent. I take solace in that. Show me a perfect parent and I’ll show you a liar.

Here’s part of the eulogy for my classmate’s mom, whose name was Ruth:

“She was a reader. Libraries were her Windsor Castle, her Taj Mahal.

“As a girl, she and her three sisters and brother wore out their library cards. They strolled down the street with their books open before them, and one time Ruth bumped into a telephone pole.

“She taught her children to do the same. Not bumping into things, but going to the library. She loved libraries so much she worked in them for decades.

“She read books to all of us as young children and made readers of all of us. And at the end, when her eyesight failed, we read to her.

“She was a writer. She had always wanted to get published. She subscribed to magazines aimed at freelance writers and had some pieces make it into print. Her real gift, though, showed itself in the hundreds, the thousands of letters she wrote to us while we were away in the Army or in college, or in the Peace Corps.

“Or the ones she sent to her siblings and friends.

“These letters were filled with wisdom and meditations on living a meaningful life. They displayed her strong religious faith…”

Reading. It’s important.

Get it?

My parents, too, were voracious readers. My first task at the breakfast table was to read a story in the Cleveland Plain Dealer that my father found to be important. But it was my mother who nurtured the process.

When I was six, Mom gave me the best book ever – “The Cat in the Hat,” which was written, I would learn later, as an alternative to the boring “Dick and Jane” books that were creating – get this – a reading crisis among American schoolchildren.

“The Cat in the Hat,” authored by Theodor Geisel (writing as Dr. Seuss), was different from other books in that it showed a couple of latchkey kids under the influence of a playful, chaotic visitor.

“What would you tell your mother?” the book asks at the end.

The book, released in 1957, has sold 12 million copies worldwide and still is among the top books recommended for children.

I loved “The Cat in the Hat” and read it so many times that the cover finally came loose and had to be taped back on.

According to Wikipedia (phooey on those who say you shouldn’t use the website as a credible source), “The Cat in the Hat” is “1,629 words in length and uses a vocabulary of only 236 distinct words, of which 54 occur once and 33 twice. Only a single word – another – has three syllables, while 14 have two and the remaining 221 are monosyllabic. The longest words are something and playthings.”

It was an easy read.

Fast forward to 2013 and the back-to-school season, and you’ll find many parents focused on making sure their kids have the latest in fashion and technology.

For goodness’ sake, don’t forget to encourage them to read. Buy the young ones books and more books. Read to the tots. Explain the importance of reading to teenagers, many of whom readily admit they’d rather play video games than read.

If you can’t read, you can’t write. And if you can do neither, you are doomed to failure. Trust me on this, Mom and Dad. Teach your kids to read.

Ruth would understand.

Read more from Dick Farrell at TuscBargainHunter.com.

Dumb and dumber

2013-08-05T06:54:00.001-04:00

(Originally published in the Bargain Hunter on July 22, 2013)

One of the intellects in Columbus has come up with yet another brilliant idea.

Delaware County Republican state Sen. Kris Jordan wants to give a tax break to parents who home school their children.

According to Jordan’s official Ohio Senate website, he is sponsoring Senate Bill 127. Let’s hope it dies quickly.

The website provides this quotation from Jordan:

“Home schooling requires an immense amount of parental involvement, which has many positive benefits for children, but it also involves a great deal of sacrifice.

“Families that elect to home school their children often pay directly out of pocket for many of the materials and other items needed, and my proposal could help significantly in defraying some of these costs. This could free up resources that could be used for other needs or to further enhance a child’s education.”

Jordan’s website claims there are more than 20,000 home-schooled children in Ohio, which in my mind is an alarming number. That’s a lot of parents who think they know better than the professionals.

Under Jordan’s proposal, families who home school would be eligible for a property tax reduction after submitting an application to the county auditor.

Ahem.

I think I’m correct in noting that the idea of our forefathers was to make public education a right granted to each citizen. In return, we’d all be responsible for paying for public education because an educated population benefits all of us.

Get it? Let me repeat: It benefits all of us.

All those kids we educate, well, eventually a lot of them do great things, such as engineering cars that park themselves, or using satellites to help navigate our vast system of highways and byways, or cure cancer.

If we start excepting segments of our population from paying for public education because they choose a different educational path for their children, well, we’re in trouble. If we give home-schoolers a tax break, shouldn’t we give a tax break to people who send their children to private and parochial schools?

And if we do that, why don’t we just charge the families who use public education? So that means childless couples shouldn’t have to pay school taxes. Or senior citizens. Or Chinese businessmen who buy property in our state as an investment.

Why should anyone other than families who use the public school system have to pay school taxes?

Because public education benefits all of us – even home-school families and even if they won’t admit it.

Don’t they get that down there in Columbus?

I’ll answer that.

No. They don’t get it.

I’ve always believed – at least in Ohio – that public schools do a pretty good job with the resources they have. The six urban districts – Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Toledo, Akron and Youngstown – are exceptions. We need to retool and resize those districts so that they can better serve their respective populations.

Rather than do that, the ultra-conservative forces in this state are bent on encouraging the creation of charter schools, which has resulted in another layer of educational bureaucracy that taxpayers are funding (yes, you are) that encourages among other things private-sector greed and shoddy curriculum.

And now we have a state senator who wants to further the cause of public education mediocrity in Ohio by cutting even more resources.

If there are indeed 20,000 home-schooled children in this state and if that number keeps growing, heaven help the future generations because I can’t imagine a population that relies on Mom and Pop to teach subjects that are better left to specialists.

Dumb, dumb, dumb.

Read more from Dick Farrell at TuscBargainHunter.com.