Thurber's Thoughts

The Buckeye Institute has released a study showing public charter schools provide a great value to Ohio's K-12 education system. Report co-authors Matthew Carr and Beth Lear found closing existing public charter schools will result in reduced per pupil spending levels in each of the "Big 8" city school systems. Significant property tax increases would be required to maintain current per student funding levels.

From The Patriot Post:"It should be your care, therefore, and mine, to elevate the minds of our children and exalt their courage; to accelerate and animate their industry and activity; to excite in them an habitual contempt of meanness, abhorrence of injustice and inhumanity, and an ambition to excel in every capacity, faculty, and virtue. If we suffer their minds to grovel and creep in infancy, they will grovel all their lives." - John Adams, Dissertation on the Canon and Feudal Law, 1756

Governor Ted Stricland announced he is placing Helen Jones-Kelley, the director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, on a one-month unpaid suspension as a result of the report issued by the Inspector General regarding her searches of confidential databases.

Governor Ted Strickland announced he is placing Helen Jones-Kelley, the director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, on a one-month unpaid suspension as a result of the report issued by the Inspector General regarding her searches of confidential databases for information on Sam "Joe the Plumber" Wurzelbacher.He rejected a request from Senate President Bill Harris to fire her for abusing her power and authority.UPDATED:

The City of Toledo has issued bills to the McCain and Obama campaigns for the costs of public services during visits by the candidates and their surrogates.I asked for further information because the McCain campaign had six visits but got billed nearly $28,000 while the Obama campaign had eight visits and was billed just under $22,000.This is the response from the Police Department that Jason Webber, the city's public information officer, sent to me:

Well, duh! We all figured that one out as soon as it was made public....The report states:

Perhaps unnoticed by many - if not all - people in Northwest Ohio, today is World Toilet Day, promoted by the World Toilet Organization. (Of course - to have a 'day' you first have to have an organization.)The WTO also sponsors a World Toilet Summit along with an Expo & Forum to draw attention to good sanitary conditions. From their website:

Are unpaid furloughs of city employees a good idea? Probably. Facing a $10 million deficit to close out 2008, Mayor Carty Finkbeiner has suggested that non-essential city workers be furloughed the day after Thanksgiving, the day after Christmas and New Year's Eve. I don't believe closing the city on these days will have a negative impact on operations or citizens since most people aren't looking to do business with public entities on those days anyway.

As a Lucas County Commissioner, I was opposed to taking policies and programs from Toledo and Toledo city government and copying them as county programs. I viewed it (rightly so, I believe) as exporting the failed policies of Toledo into the county as a whole.

Sure - why not? If New York is doing it, it must be good for Toledo, too. Right?That's our mayor! See an idea someone else has and copy it...all as a way to provide more income for an overbloated, wasteful budget.Here's his letter to city council: