Candidates’ Night

Last night I had the luxury of attending the local Candidates’ Night because of my AP Government class.  Much to my surprise I actually found some interesting points in between periods of extreme boredom.  There were only three competitive races and only two of them may directly affect me. Overall I took it all as a good learning experience.

                The night started with all of the candidates running for reelection that didn’t have anybody running against them. They all basically gave the same speeches explain what they do and did over their last term. They also thanked voters for their support. No big deal. At one point in this I did ask myself “well what if no one votes for them? Do they just get the spot anyway?” I am assuming they would but I do think that would be pretty funny if no one did vote for them.

                Following the agenda the school board was next. This was the most interesting part of the event. There are three spots open with seven people running. Two of whom are running for re-election. This race also has some of the more interesting people running in it.

                Running for election are two bankers, two current board members, a retired pediatrician, and two educators. It made for an interesting debate. Overall everyone had similar ideas for the schools except for the doctor and the one banker who is a Tea Party member. All the other candidates were talking about keeping up our good education, introducing technology, and keeping teachers.  There were a couple very good presenters who know how to publicly speak and I personally respect that.  One of the educators was very nervous and it affected her presentation.

                The two most interesting comments came from the Tea Partier and the doctor. The doctors only concern was health and that was it. The Tea Partier was worried only about money and how everything costs too much. He was concerned with that fact that two brand new school busses cost a lot of money (I forget the exact value he said…but it was a lot).  What he failed to mention was that the schools will use that bus for the next twenty years.

                The next debate was for a chair in the city council. I really didn’t pay attention to this because it wasn’t the ward I live in.

                The final debate was between the three candidates running for mayor. The candidates are the current mayor, the former mayor, and the council president.  In my opinion, there were no real surprises in this debate. The former mayor has taken a pretty radical stance on issues, and the current mayor and the council president have similar ideas for the city. This will be the closest race and it will probably cause a run off.

                Overall the biggest thing I learned at this event was don’t run for public office. To me it simply seems to be a bad idea. I honestly have no idea why anyone would want to do that.

Inmate Firefighters

“Inmates could staff fire stations in Ga. County” was an article title that caught my eye today. My instant reaction was “Really?! Are you serious?!”

                Naturally, I clicked on the short article and I read it.  I was amazed by the fact that this county in Georgia is considering placing two to three inmates in fire stations to respond to all emergencies along side the real responders. 

                The sole reason for this proposal is to potentially save 500,000 dollars a year. Now don’t get me wrong I’m all for saving money, but at the expense of the safety of ordinary people?  The inmates that would be eligible for this program are charged with theft and drug related crimes.  I don’t think that people will want these criminals coming into their house when they need help.

                The idea for this program would be that firefighters would be trained on how to handle the inmates since there will be no guards to watch them.  The officials propose that one traditional firefighter will be able to guard and control up to three, trained inmate firefighters. 

                In my personal opinion this is a terrible idea (incase you didn’t pick up on that yet). Why would anyone want to let charged criminals in their house when they need help?  People trust the fire department and shouldn’t be afraid to call for help.  If criminals are responding with the fire department people are going to be reluctant to call for help. In an emergency every second counts on whether someone lives or dies and if they are reluctant to call then they very well may end up in more trouble.

                Also, if these inmates are in prison because of drug charges and theft how can you trust them in an environment where things like drugs and personal property can easily be taken without people knowing of it?  For example ambulances and paramedics have controlled substances with them.  How do we know that these inmates will not take them to use or sell?

                 Also note that If anyone were to be hired as a career firefighter they would have to have a clean record. So how does it make sense to put felons in the same position? Let me know if you would feel safe letting felons into your home to help you.

Click here for a link to the story/video


Prsioner + Firefighter = ?!

Senate Bill 5 aka Issue 2 Commercials

What ever you call it, Issue 2 or Senate Bill 5, it is the same thing. As the law stands right now in the state of Ohio all public employees (firefighters, police officers, teachers etc.) will not allowed to collectively bargain for their benefits. The idea behind this law is that in the long run it will balance the state budget. This law also limits the pay and pensions of public employees. Currently, the law is being petitioned and it is put on referendum for voters to make it official or not. The voting will take place in November.

Now I am sure that there are parts that I am missing but I am trying to make it brief and concise.  However, I do want to point out the fact that it is an all around a terrible idea. I come from a blue collar family where my dad is a firefighter and my mom is a teacher. Both of them will be directly affected in some way.

I also want to point out all of the commercials that are playing right now for or against the Issue. Some are good and others are bad. I feel like the commercials in favor of the bill are very deceptive. For example there is one with John Kasich explaining why the law is a good thing and how it will create jobs in Ohio.  However to me it is hypocritical because he wants to sell prisons in Ohio to out of state, private companies. This takes jobs away from the state. Can anyone explain this to me?!

There is also another commercial where a teacher is explaining why it is good for him that this Issue be passed. I can honestly say that I have not heard of any teacher that is in favor of Issue 2.  

Another commercial I don’t understand is the one with the mayor of Toledo. He was a firefighter for the city before becoming a mayor.  He said that he was laid off as a fireman while on the job and he didn’t think it was fair. However the catch is that he was eventually was hired back and he retired after being promoted to a Captain or Battalion Chief.  

On the other side of the argument I think that the commercials against Issue 2 are very well worded. I feel like they people speaking in them are very honest and they tell it how it is. I think that these commercials are true but I’m sure there are people out there who think that they are lying.

I feel like the Republican Party in this case is trying to cheat the people of the state. I do agree that the budget needs balanced. I just feel like the government is trying to do it in the wrong way. I guess I consider myself a Democrat because of issues like this. I just want the government to do what they can without making public issues private and vice versa. Also, I feel like the government needs to be able to compromise more instead of just bickering.

However, this is my opinion and I usually keep them to myself but in this case I feel like people need to vote to repeal Issue 2.