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Local sponsors make Make-A-Wish benefit CD possible

By
Erin Holden
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Art McCormick, of A&D Glass & Mirror, and his daughter Ally McCormick. Toledo Free Press photo.

Joe Choate, plant manager of GM Powertrain Toledo, knows the pain of losing a child, while Art McCormick, president of A&D Glass & Mirror in Perrysburg, is thankful for his family’s continued health.

Both men’s companies provided financial support to “Holiday Wishes 2,” a Make-A-Wish benefit CD organized for the second year by Toledo Free Press Editor in Chief Michael S. Miller.

Also supporting the CD were UAW Local 14, WNWO, 101.5 The River, Levis Commons and Panera Bread.

GM Powertrain Toledo, UAW Local 14 and Panera Bread also sponsored last year’s inaugural benefit CD, a 25-track compilation that raised more than $25,000 for Make-A-Wish.

This year’s two-disc package features 44 tracks contributed by local artists. CDs are available for $15 at area Panera Bread stores and select Levis Commons locations. Digital downloads are also available.

Art McCormick, of A&D Glass & Mirror, with his daughter, Ally McCormick.

Because of the local sponsorship, all proceeds will go directly to Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana to help grant wishes for Northwest Ohio children with life-threatening medical conditions.

Make-A-Wish does not receive federal, state or local government funding. Wishes are paid for by donations and donations-in-kind. The average cost of a wish is $8,000.

The mission of Make-A-Wish is especially meaningful to Choate, whose 12-year-old son, Matthew, died of a congenital heart defect in 1989.

Although his son was not involved with Make-A-Wish, Choate later served on the organization’s regional board for several years.

“I know what it’s like to have a very sick child,” Choate said. “I found out about Make-A-Wish way back when. [Matthew] never received a wish, but I was always really curious about what they did and how they did it. When I was transferred to Toledo, I was asked to serve on the board.”

Choate heard about the 2011 “Holiday Wishes” CD project from Eric Slough, former executive director of Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, Northwest Ohio Regional Office.

“Eric was telling me about this idea [for the CD] and expressed the need to find someone to fund some of the costs and we jumped on it from year one,” Choate said. “We wanted to help give people an awareness of what Make-A-Wish is all about and what they do for families and to promote the mission itself. That’s why we’re involved in it. We’re looking for Make-A-Wish to be successful at granting wishes. We’re not looking for it to sell an extra car. We did it to help out Make-A-Wish.”

GM Powertrain Toledo has a community relations board that regularly allocates funds to help support local charities and community organizations, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, the American Red Cross of Northwest Ohio, the NAACP and more.

“We’ve been active in the community in a lot of different ways. We stick pretty well to the needs of the community,” Choate said.

“A lot of people in the Toledo area affiliate Toledo with being a Chrysler-Jeep town. We like to get the General Motors name out there too, and make sure people understand we’re a big part of the community as well. The CDs are great. They make nice Christmas gifts. It’s just a unique idea and it’s nice to be able to be associated with that.”

McCormick, whose daughter Ally McCormick is vice president of A&D Glass & Mirror, recently attended a Make-A-Wish fundraiser, where he learned more about the organization and wanted to support it.

“My daughter is partner with me in this company and I just feel very fortunate to have a successful business and a healthy daughter,” McCormick said. “I feel very lucky from the standpoint of having succeeded during the tough times of this economy and am still able to give back. We’re very fortunate.”

McCormick, a Toledo native who has been a Toledo area business owner since 1990, founded A&D Glass & Mirror in 2006. He said he tries to support local nonprofits and organizations, including the YMCA and the Sisters of Notre Dame, whenever possible.

“The opportunity to help arose and Make-A-Wish just seemed to fit into the realm of what we were doing and fit well with me,” McCormick said. “Michael [Miller] was telling me how they do so well with the CDs and being part of that was just a great opportunity for us. Our supporting role is really small compared to others involved, but we’re fortunate to be able to help out where we can. Make-A-Wish is a great organization, it really is. I think it’s very important as a business owner in Northwest Ohio to give back. I try to do everything locally and to give back to my local community.

“It’s a great CD,” McCormick said. “It’s very diverse. It pulls in local talent, which is really great, and again it goes back to the community. That’s what it’s all about, our community. I think as you get older you realize that. Helping each other is the only way you make it through life. We’re very fortunate and lucky to be able to give back.”

Rathbun: Much ado about nothing

By
Gary Rathbun
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I am getting very tired of hearing about the severity of the tax increases and spending cuts that are supposed to take effect, but ultimately won’t, on Jan. 1.

Let’s take a quick look at the term fiscal cliff. Once a person or an object goes over a cliff, it is pretty much an irreversible action. No matter how God-like Congress thinks it is, it cannot reverse time or repeal the law of gravity. So going off a cliff is not a proper analogy. Maybe pothole would be more appropriate, especially in Toledo.

Let’s go with fiscal pothole, since it is less fatal but still something one wants to avoid if possible. Now that we have the proper analogy, let’s look at the numbers that are being thrown around and see if they add up. The fiscal pothole consists of $100 billion in mandatory spending cuts and $400 billion in increased taxes.

The $100 billion in spending cuts is not a cut but merely a decrease in the rate of increase of government spending. Four years ago when President Barack Obama took office the highest annual deficit to date was $500 million under President Bush. Since then we have run annual deficits of more than $1 trillion for four years in a row. Will reducing that by $100 billion or 8 percent of the deficit or less than 4 percent of the annual budget, send us over an irreversible cliff? Doubtful.

Next, the $400 billion in tax increases. While I agree that this is bad for the economy and for growth overall, the negative effect will not be felt on Jan. 1 but it will probably take more than 18 months to fully collect the amount of taxes indicated. That is assuming, of course, that those with high incomes don’t figure out how to avoid being assessed those taxes to begin with.

Every time that a government raises taxes on people they ultimately figure out how to avoid those taxes and consequently the government actually collects less in taxes than it did before the increase. Just ask England.

Furthermore, to illustrate the futility of this discussion of raising taxes on the rich, if President Obama gets his tax increases on the “rich” it will only take 500 years of that increase to pay off the 2011 budget deficit! Five-hundred years to pay off one year of deficit. “It’s about math!”

The bottom line is that this is not about revenue, spending cuts or math; this is about power and ego. All of these politicians are only concerned about their own legacies and re-election prospects. They could not care less about the financial condition of the American people, jobs, the value of our money or America’s place in the world.

The new taxes will affect the stock market in the sense that people will sell holdings before the end of the year and next year, if the law stays in place, dividends and capital gains will be penalized. Every dollar that is taken out of the system in taxes is one more dollar that is not available for capital reinvestment and therefore hurts the overall economy.

Jan. 1 may be an additional fiscal pothole for the taxpayers but we are not going off a cliff because of current tax laws and scheduled spending cuts. One could, however, make the case that we are already over the cliff with a $16.3 trillion anvil tied around our neck. But that’s another topic for another day.

Gary L. Rathbun is the president and CEO of Private Wealth Consultants, LTD. He can be heard weekdays on 1370 WSPD at 4:06 p.m. on “After the Bell” and every Wednesday and Thursday at 6 p.m. throughout Northern Ohio on “Eye on Your Money.” He can be reached at (419) 842-0334 or email him at [email protected].

Retirement Guys: Mapping out a financial inventory

By
Mark Clair & Nolan Baker
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Sometimes one of the hardest parts of financial planning is getting started. The average investor has saved and accumulated a variety of financial and insurance accounts over the years. Putting it all together can seem like a daunting task. But it is important to take time to create a financial inventory to eliminate inefficiencies and keep everything up to date. The way to get started is to map out the financial plan in a few easy steps by creating an inventory and action plan.

Organize all of the financial accounts and documents and take an inventory of everything. The inventory should include all of the personal information for the individual and his or her spouse, such as name, date of birth and Social Security number. It is also helpful to gather all of the personal information on the children as well as their addresses, as this will often be used for updating the beneficiary forms if needed. Then organize the documents into file folders in the following categories, investment statements: company benefits, taxes, estate plans, insurances, and miscellaneous.

Make a note in each folder as to the last time a comprehensive review was done on each category. If there is a specific purpose or a concern about any financial account, make note of that as well.

The next step is to take all of the information gathered in the inventory and put together a one-page summary. The goal of the summary is to have a quick, handy reference guide that gives the average investor a good overview.

The sections to include on the summary are current investments; current and future income sources and needs; tax distribution of the accounts between taxable, tax deferred and tax free; and current insurances. Next to each investment and insurance account, put the account numbers and where the account is held.

Also include whether the account is safe or risky.

Now start to put together an action plan on items that need to be addressed. Look for opportunities and/or threats. When I create action plans, I separate observations into categories for investment planning, tax planning, estate planning, insurance planning, liabilities and any miscellaneous items. The investor can use the one-page summary to take a look at how much risk they are taking, how much money they have in each tax category and what type of income needs there will be in retirement, as well as making sure the surviving spouse is protected in the event of a premature death.

The person creating the financial inventory and map should now go back and look at each folder that was created when they were organizing their documents. Review any notes in each folder and put those notes on the main action plan.

As the person reviews each folder for more action items, a thorough review should be done on the current investment fees and expenses as well as the current yield on the accounts. Review the beneficiary designations on all financial and insurance accounts. Be sure to include the beneficiary’s full name, date of birth, Social Security number, physical address and the exact percentage you are leaving that person. As these items are discovered, include them on the one-page summary.

At this point, the average person should have a pretty good overview of their entire financial picture, a detailed inventory along with a one page summary and a list of action items to address.

If several items are listed on the action plan, prioritize the list and set deadlines to get each category accomplished. We recommend that the individual or family work on one section at a time. For example, complete all investment planning action items before moving on to estate planning.

Now all you need to do is take action!

 

For more information about The Retirement Guys, tune in every Saturday at 1 p.m. on 1370 WSPD or visit www.retirementguysnetwork.com. Securities and Investment Advisory Services are offered through NEXT Financial Group Inc., Member FINRA / SIPC. NEXT Financial Group, Inc. does not provide tax or legal advice. The Retirement Guys are not an affiliate of NEXT Financial Group. The office is at 1700 Woodlands Drive, Suite 100, Maumee, OH 43537. (419) 842-0550.

Shawn Colvin talks about new book, disc

By
Vicki Kroll
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Relationship drama, alcoholism, depression — Shawn Colvin has dealt with it all and survived, thanks to one friend.

“To say [music is] something I’ve turned to in times of trouble is almost an understatement; it’s just been my constant companion,” Colvin said.

“I grew up surrounded by [music], listening to it. I think a lot of people do and that doesn’t necessarily mean that they fell in love with it the way I did. I find so much solace; it was both comforting and inspiring. And then to top it all off, I could sing.”

Colvin tells her story in “Diamond in the Rough,” a memoir that shares the title of a song from her Grammy Award-winning disc, “Steady On.” Released in June, the 240-page book mirrors her music, which is honest and witty.

 

Shawn Colvin

“I’ve had to have humor; that was necessary,” she said with a laugh during a call from her home in Austin, Texas.

She talked about being upfront about her struggles.

“Part of my salvation has been people who have been willing to be open and honest with me, people who have suffered from alcoholism and depression.

“When you hear honesty from people who have actually gone through something that you’re going through, it’s about the most helpful thing there is, I would say. So I like to give that back.

“And I’m just so used to this feeling that comes with being honest about things that people don’t necessarily still like to acknowledge or talk about it,” Colvin said.

The singer also wrote about the stories behind her songs, including “Get Out of This House,” “Fill Me Up,” “Shotgun Down the Avalanche” and “Sunny Came Home,” which won Grammys for Record of the Year and Song of the Year in 1998.

“All Fall Down,” Colvin’s eighth studio CD, also came out in June. Recorded in Nashville, the disc features several guests: Alison Krauss, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Jakob Dylan and Emmylou Harris.

“My producer, Buddy Miller, is well-loved, deeply respected, and records in his home, and there’s this kind of open-door policy,” she said of the added star power.

Colvin will play a solo show at 8 p.m. Dec. 12 at the Ark in Ann Arbor. Tickets are $42.50. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.

“When I go out and sing, it’s generally by myself, and it’s just a very pure experience that I appreciate more and more as time goes on because as natural as it feels to me to go and entertain by myself, as the years go by, I’m just more and more appreciative that people still come and the fact that it’s my responsibility to take care of them for that hour and a half by myself.

“It’s almost more daunting than it used to be; in your youth, you take things for granted and you’re cockier,” she said and laughed.

“So it’s an extremely rewarding experience all around for me because that expression for me is vital, and my communication with the audience and their trust in me to move them is also invaluable to me; I need it.”

Allegrini: Freedom vs. license

By
Scott Allegrini
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Recently, I survived my 11th Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year. Working in retail this time of year is amazing because I never know what I will witness. There were hundreds of people waiting to get “the deals.” The biggest Black Friday 2012 sensation was $25 video games, normally $59, so it was a great deal for avid gamers.

With the sale beginning at 8 p.m., people lined up as early as 5 p.m., and as sale time approached, the lines grew and the demeanor of those standing in line became tense. People tried to cut in line while countless others tried to sneak around the back, hoping to just grab a game and run.

The potential to lose control of the anxious crowd grew, and two police officers began to intervene. With their best authoritative voices, they told the customers how things were going to proceed as 8 p.m. approached. The amazing thing was that once the sale started, the crowd followed the police officers’ directions, and the sale went off without any rushing, fights or punches thrown. That was good news — this would not be the Black Friday that would land our retail location in the headlines.

As I reflected on the “good news” of the day, I realized that this news was in reality, not so good at all. The demeanor of the crowd that I experienced, along with the necessary intervention of the law, was quite indicative of the state of the culture.

The experience proved that if citizens are unable to regulate themselves and act in a civilized way, it is necessary to have an outside agency control their actions. Americans are fond of talking about wanting freedom and how “rights” are deserved, but those same people forget that with those freedoms and rights comes the acceptance of responsibilities.

In today’s society, Americans mistake “license” for freedom.

When people “take license,” they believe they can do whatever they want with no limits. License is the throwing off of all responsibility. It is carte blanche to do as one feels, because one wants to. It is a very selfish and childish way to live life. In this manner, right and wrong is derived from self-interest, with no regard for the effects of actions on others or on society.

Freedom is having the choice to do what ought to be done. Freedom means doing what one is meant to do, but freedom has to have boundaries and responsibilities. The challenge of freedom is accepting the responsibility of to act in a way that can support and nurture a society that allows freedom to flourish.

If people want freedom, they have to accept the responsibility that comes along with it. There is a reason that freedom has been such a rarity throughout human history, because it is hard. License is much easier because one just does whatever one feels like doing, without worrying about anyone else.

So there is a choice. Do people accept responsibility for the effects that their actions have on others and society in general, or do they just do what they feel like doing?

Choosing freedom is the only way that the nation can continue to grow. My grandfather’s family did not come here so that they could do whatever they felt like, they came here because they recognized that in the United States, if they worked hard and followed the rules, they could achieve the American Dream and become the best version of themselves. That is the attraction to freedom — the opportunity to work hard and reap the rewards that come from becoming the best version of oneself.

If society continues to digress into a culture of license, history shows this will lead to an authority dictating people’s actions, because they can’t. License leads to hundreds of people willing to do anything in order to get a cheap video game. What happens to others is not of concern, as long as they get the video game. This approach always leads to the same ending, an authority controlling actions. When people cannot control their own actions, authority steps in, whether it’s parents, teachers, neighbors or, eventually, the state. If society continues down this path, it ends with the police controlling the actions of the people.

So I ask you to think about how much you value freedom. Because if citizens want to keep freedom, they need to act in a way worthy of it, and accept that there are times when people must act selflessly and in ways that will create a better society, even if that means we don’t get our way or the cheap video game.

Email columnist Scott Allegrini at [email protected].

Barhite: Zepf Center needs donations for its holiday store

By
Brandi Barhite
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Josie Allen cannot afford to buy much for her family at Christmas. Everyone is limited to one gift each.

But last year her family was selected to participate in the Zepf Center’s Adopt-a-Family program, so her children received multiple gifts.

They opened sweat suits, games and even received a PlayStation 2.

“I would not have been able to provide that,” Allen said.

These gifts were possible because two of her teenage daughters (one is a relative whom she considers a daughter) receive services at the Zepf Center, which provides behavioral health and vocational help to youth and adults with mental illness.

The nonprofit also hosts a holiday store as part of its December outreach. Donations are still needed for the store, as well as a volunteer to play Santa on Dec. 19.

I learned more about the Zepf when my sister began to work there. Last year, I helped adopt one of the 40 families. This year, I am having my BGSU students collect hygiene products like toilet paper, toothbrushes and shampoo for the holiday store.

Families who are selected to participate can shop for new and used clothes and toys, as well as the hygiene products I am gathering. Video games, DVDs, crafts and Hello Kitty merchandise are some of the most-requested items. Everything is free.

Zepf employee Kim Middleton said for some clients and their families this is the only resource for celebrating the holidays.

“Last year, with the help of Toys for Tots, we were able to provide over 200 children with two new toys for each client and their siblings in the household,” Middleton said in an email.

Zepf was able to provide families with new and gently used household items, as well as cleaning supplies.

Things that most people consider everyday necessities are luxuries to some Zepf families, Middleton said.

“One mother was overjoyed because we were able to give each family a new laundry basket filled with laundry detergent, food and paper products. She was so excited over a four-pack of toilet tissue, I thought she was going to cry,” Middleton said.

To donate, drop off items at the Zepf Center, 6605 W. Central Ave., or at its 905 Nebraska Ave. location. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Former pastor discusses new book on atheism

By
David Yonke
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Jerry DeWitt spoke to Great Lakes Atheists Dec. 3, 2012. Photo by David Yonke.
After 25 years of preaching about God, hell and salvation, Jerry deWitt just couldn’t take it anymore.
For too long, he said, he’d been preaching messages he didn’t believe.
Last year, he reached a point where he had had enough of living a lie. He quit his job as a Pentecostal pastor, dropped out of church completely and declared to the world that he was a nonbeliever.
“I committed identity suicide,” deWitt said in a talk Dec. 3 in Toledo.
The 43-year-old Louisiana native is traveling the country to promote his book, “Hope After Faith,” scheduled to be published next spring by daCapo Press.
Walking away from his job as a pastor was a gut-wrenching decision, one that deWitt wrestled with for years.
He knew he wasn’t just leaving the ministry, he was leaving the only world he had ever known. Virtually all of his friends and his church community abandoned him, he said. He claims he was fired from his city job by his best friend because of the controversy caused by publicly doubting God’s existence.
DeWitt, well-spoken with a strong southern accent, spoke informally to 10 people from the Great Lakes Atheists and the local branch of Recovering From Religion, seated around conference tables in a room at the Washington Branch library.
“When word got out, I wasn’t surprised about how many people suddenly thought I was going to hell. But I was surprised at how well they were taking it,” deWitt joked.
He was “humiliated” to go to bankruptcy court to save his house. His wife left him — not for dropping out of church but because of the pressures of being married to “the most hated man in town.”
“I can tell you the rejection of the community, because I was such a people-pleaser, has been grueling. It has had me more than once on the verge of suicide. If it wasn’t for my son, my 20-year-old son, then there’s no doubt I wouldn’t be here,” deWitt said.
One of the reasons he stayed in the church and the pastorate so long was that he didn’t want to destroy his family’s lives.
“Life’s not just good for me, life is also good for my wife, my soulmate. Life is also good for my son, the young life I want to shape and mold into a real man and send off to college,” deWitt said. “And I’m going to screw all of that up because it bothers my conscience [to preach]?”
DeWitt grew up in church. His paternal grandfather was an Assembly of God preacher and his maternal grandparents were leaders in the United Pentecostal Church. Some of his earliest memories were of being prayed for by church members in the sanctuary, and resting his head in his grandmother’s lap as she prayed in tongues.
“I really grew up thinking I would be a preacher,” he said.
At 17, he attended a church camp meeting in Baton Rouge, La.
“And lo and behold, it does its thing and I get saved at Jimmy Swaggart’s church,” deWitt said, triggering moans and groans from the Toledo atheists.
“I mean a really true blue,100 percent experience. It was truly life changing,” he said.
He started preaching at age 17, became an evangelist at 19, and later served as a pastor of two Pentecostal churches.
His first doubts came early, he said, finding it hard to believe that a loving God would condemn most of humanity to hell. And it was a struggle trying to understand why God didn’t heal some of the most devout Christians, he said.
“I will never know that there isn’t a God,” deWitt said. “Based on the evidence, I gladly say atheism is my opinion, and that may change. Humanism has always been my motivation.”
He has found a new calling, so to speak, telling people about his personal journey from Pentecostal pastor to nonbeliever. He is motivated to help the “thousands and thousands of people across the United States” going through the same struggles.
“I pastor. I know atheists don’t like that word, but I pastor every day. I pastor via e-mail, Facebook, phone calls, in person. … I pastor through Recovering From Religion. I pastor, and that’s the joy of my life. That’s what I live for.”
David Yonke is the editor and community manager of Toledo Faith & Values (ToledoFAVS.com), a website that provides in-depth, nonsectarian news coverage of religion, faith and spirituality in the Toledo area.

Nonprofit uses little libraries to unite community

By
Brigitta Burks
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Little Free Library

Brigitta Burks
TOLEDO FREE PRESS NEWS EDITOR

Libraries are clearly important to Chad Stanton of Stanton Fine Furniture.

He taught himself his profession out of library books — and he recently built a “Little Free Library” on his street.Little Free Library is an organization that helps create mini libraries where users can take and leave books at no cost — all without a library card.

Co-founder Todd Bol started the project in Hudson, Wis., in 2009 to honor his deceased mother.

“We’ve had people who say it absolutely has redefined their neighbor-hood,” Bol said. The project, co-founded by Rick Brooks, has grown immensely since they built the first few.

“What happened is we started to plant these seeds to build interest. This time last year, we had about 100 of these libraries and this time a year later, we have 4,000, pushing 5,000.”

Stanton started the first Little Free Library in Toledo because he likes to use his profession to help the community. He has made instructional videos for Habitat for Humanity and also made one on constructing the library that can be viewed at youtube.com/watch?V=EMApN1EHEQU.

Those interested in building a library can purchase construction materials at www.littlefreelibrary.org and can register their library on the site so it appears on a map. Libraries can be constructed and designed using other outlets like Home Depot and still be registered with Little Free Library for a fee.

Usually about 10-20 books are in the library on Oak Grove Place, Stanton said.

“Everyone on the street loves it,” he said. “It kind of brings a sense of unity to the neighborhood that we’re all looking out for the kids.” Bol said Little Free Libraries tend to unite neighborhoods.

He’s gotten comments like “It’s like having a front porch that extends to the sidewalk,” or “The only way the Little Free Library could be better is if there was a fairy that lived in it.”

“You know how a puppy enters the room, the biggest, burliest guy will bend over in delight and squeal over the puppy?” Bol said. “People would walk by the Little Free Library and they’d make a, ‘Cute! Oh, wow!’”

Many of the libraries are themed, and Bol said he’s seen ones with cat, dog, health, environmental and music motifs, to name a few.

Some people also view the libraries as a sort of art project.

“We’ve been told we are a folk art revival, where multigenerational families get together to build a library,” Bol said.

Bol’s group also aims to get Little Free Libraries in small towns where there aren’t public libraries. Structures have also been built in developing countries. Additionally, the organization has an outreach program, funded by an AARP grant, for isolated senior citizens.

Those interested in sponsoring a Little Free Library can do so at www.littlefreelibrary.org. Bol said he would like to see the number of Little Free Libraries increase in Ohio as it has in other states. There are 17 in Ohio, according to the map.

“We like to think it’s more stable than a trend or something that’s flashing because it’s got that ongoing community engagement,” he said.

“I’m hoping others in the Toledo area will catch on and try to do it as well,” Stanton said. “To me, libraries are essential.”

Bol added, “Where they work best is with somebody that’s absolutely dedicated to making it work.”

So far, Stanton is that person for his neighborhood.

“I just really hope more people in Toledo are willing to get to know their neighbors and realize that kids are really the future and I hope the kids can be pulled away from the video games,” he said.

Confusion

By
Rick Kerger
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By Rick Kerger
SPECIAL TO TOLEDO FREE PRESS

Ford looked angrily at him.
“Will you listen?” he snapped.
“I’ve been listening,” said Arthur, “but I am not sure it’s helping.”

Yes, I have been rereading Douglas Adams’ treatise, “Theb More Than Complete Hitch-hiker’s Guide to the Universe.” More than 30 years ago, this tome made its way into the world and while it is only slightly less difficult to follow than the Book of Revelation, it is a great deal funnier. I bring this up because modern circumstances make me feel a little like Arthur Dent, the protagonist of Adams’ works.

Shooting across the galaxy in an in-credibly large spacecraft with a two-headed friend and a depressed robot, then having to put up with an even larger spacecraft filled with comatose telephone sanitizers and hairdressers, coupled with watching his planet (that is to say our planet) blown up, Arthur is a bit puzzled. So am I these days.

Some of the puzzling things are good, but still inexplicable. For example, when John Kennedy ran for president, there was a near-constant attack to the effect that if he were elected, the pope would run the United States. That was because of his religion— he was a Catholic. Mitt Romney is an active and sincere Mormon, a Christian religion of fairly recent vintage that is far less mainstream than Catholicism. Yet his religion in no way became even a side issue in the recent election.

Now perhaps there were closets full of people voting for Obama and against Romney because of Mitt’s Mormonism, but that seems pretty unlikely.

So why this complete shift in attitude in just 50 years? Why an outbreak of tolerance in regard to religion? Is it because Democrats are more tolerant? Or maybe the Broadway play about the Mormons humanized them and Mitt?

Then I read about a group of Texans that wants to have their home state secede from the union. What is ironic is that the odds-on favorite movie to win the Best Picture Oscar this year is “Lincoln,” a film about how a president becomes a giant historical figure by defeating the South’s effort to secede! Perhaps they do not show the film in Texas, but if I were heading down the avenue some of them apparently are, it is a film worth watching.Dallas might wind up looking like Atlanta after Gen. Sherman’s saunter through Georgia.

Then there is the “fiscal cliff.” Apparently the United States Congress and the president are going to join hands and run over a cliff like lemmings because of inaction. Criticism could be leveled that the cliff is not high enough and certainly not soon enough to have avoided the insanity of the last election, but we talk about its consequences as being the economic equivalent of the Bubonic plague! From my reading, it is more like a fiscal speed bump than a cliff.

All of this has combined to create a miasma that leaves me as confused as Arthur Dent — I am listening but it is not helping.

Where is Zaphod Beeblebrox when we need him?

Pounds: Questionable bid-ness

By
Tom Pounds
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By Tom Pounds

The economy is on the minds of more than just business owners. It seems everyone is hyper-aware of the economic uncertainty that has investment retracting and governments finding new ways of conducting business to save taxpayer money.

In October 2011, Gov. John Kasich signed into law Ohio House Bill 153, which broke the monopoly daily publications held on legal notices purchased with public money.

The bill eliminated the limitation that links charging for newspapers with being permitted to publish legal notices. It opened the legal publication business to any newspaper of general circulation that publishes at least once a week and meets other criteria, all of which Toledo Free Press satisfies. The bill also requires a participating newspaper to offer its best classified rate for such publications. The planned participation of newspapers such as Toledo Free Press is intended to ensure that the best rate offered by any participant in this market will be competitive. The result should be substantial savings for all who are required to publish legal notices.

Toledo Free Press has, predictably, had to fight to get local government to learn and respect the new law. A number of agencies have begun taking advantage of our lower rates to reach Lucas County taxpayers. Recently, we began the process with Lucas County Auditor Anita Lopez to compete for delinquent property ads. The county’s last purchase of these ads in The Blade cost taxpayers $369,145.98.

Eventually, Lopez sought an opinion from the Lucas County Prosecutor’s Office, which, on Oct. 16, ruled, “[Toledo] Free Press would now qualify as a paper of general circulation.”

Shortly after that, Lopez opened bids for the delinquent property ads.

The numbers would seem to make the choice easy. Toledo Free Press publishes 86,600 copies (2012 CVC audit). During a weekday when The Blade would presumably carry the delinquent property ads, the daily newspaper prints 81,473 copies with 59,249 of those copies distributed in Lucas County (September 2011 ABC audit; the September 2012 audit is not available yet).

There are three other factors in Toledo Free Press’ favor. While a daily newspaper comes and goes in one day, our paper is on racks in 432 locations for seven days in addition to our 70,000 home-delivered copies. It is worth noting that taxpayers who wish to see the information they have paid to publish would get that information at no cost in Toledo Free Press; they would have to pay for it (again) to read it in a daily newspaper.

But here is the most striking difference: The Blade’s Nov. 26 bid was $330,617.70. Our bid was $86,100. Seems like an easy choice, but Lopez (and the Lucas County Commissioners) went with the bid that ran almost four times higher.

Too many Lucas County officials are stuck in old models and counterproductive ways of thinking. There is a new reality, and while many fear and resent the changes, those changes are active in many counties and will continue to chip away at reckless spending of taxpayer money.

Toledo Free Press will continue to compete for county legal ads, in what will undoubtedly be a long educational process.

You may absolutely accuse us of sour grapes. In fact, as a Lucas County taxpayer, you may accuse us of harboring 244,517 sour grapes, one for each of your dollars Lopez needlessly spent.

Thomas F. Pounds is president and publisher of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Contact him at [email protected].

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