Oak Hill needs this school project

Tonight the Oak Hill School Board holds a public hearing on a 15 million dollar school improvement project. The Marion Chronicle-Tribune and the Oak Hill Times have both reported that some local farmers are against the project. The key word is "some." Not all local farmers are against the project. I won't waste my time here railing about how the local print media loves to tell negative stories and won't take the time to find the positive in the news. But isn't it amazing how much time the media spends on the negative and won't give the positive news the time of day? I digress.

We should support the Oak Hill School Improvement project. Some of the project features include:

1. Updated Science Labs
2. An updated and improved high school library and media center
3. Updated Industrial Technology and Agriculture labs
4. A renovated kitchen and food serving area in the cafeteria
5. Enlarged public restrooms
6. Teacher collaboration workspace
7. A multi-purpose music and drama facility i.e. an auditorium.

The price tag is 15 million 2 hundred and 10 thousand dollars. Is it worth it? Yes. Do we need it? Yes. I think the school board has done a good job paring "wants" from the list and focusing on needs. Oak Hill High School was built in 1971. Can we afford to go on teaching our kids 21st century science in a 1970's facility? Don't we want the best for our kids? Don't we want to give them the best education we can give them?

You can't just buy a car and drive it for 30 years and expect it to run as well as it did on day one. Sure the high school building has done a great job over the years, but we need to upgrade it. We need to take care of it.

This is all about sacrifice. It's going to cost the average home owner with a house with 100 thousand dollar assessed valuation 66 cents a day in additional taxes. That's less than a gallon of gas, a lottery ticket, a pack of cigarettes or a 20 ounce bottle of Diet Coke per day. Farmers will pay 3.96 per acre per month in new taxes. So a farmer with one thousand acres will pay an additional four thousand dollars a year.

It's not going to be cheap. But it will be worth it if we have a better educated, better trained student population. They'll get into better colleges. They'll get better degrees and better jobs. I don't think you can be against this just because it's going to cost you more money. My mother sacrificed to raise me and my brother and my sister. She was a single mom who put us through school and then sent us to college. I am willing to make sacrifices for my kids.

I don't like paying higher taxes. But I would rather pay higher taxes because we have an improved school building than pay higher taxes just because a politician wants a pay raise.

The Oak Hill School Board meets tonight at 7 p.m. at the Administration Building in Mier. Public Comment will be allowed.

NHL Hockey...dead, not coming back

USATODAY.com - Roenick has advice for fans that blame players for lockout

I used to be a fan of National Hockey League Hockey. Jeremy Roenick has just pushed me over the edge. I do not feel sorry for millionaires who are crying about how hard their life is. I will never watch an NHL game again if the league ever comes back. Sorry NHL, but I'm done. These celebrities and athletes who think they have it so hard making a million dollars a year need to wake up. I can show you some neighborhoods and some people who would gladly change places with you. I know there are a lot of street kids in Honduras who would just like to have a place to stay, any place to stay, let alone a mansion like these NHL nit wits.

They Just Won't Quit...

INDOT meeting on new I-69 leg hears mostly foes of highway

These people against extending I-69 are nuts. At least some of the people quoted in this article are honest, they want the government to pay them for their land. I do not see the Governor recinding this project. Monroe County must have a lot of crazies. We need the I-69 extension to help attract businesses to this state. I would be interested to see what happens to those Southern Indiana counties once the interstate is built and they get more business and industry. And by the way, back a few weeks ago when those vandals hit the statehouse, did you hear the reaction of the anti-I-69 crowd. "We neither condone nor condemn what they did." Excuse me? You don't condemn people for vandalizing public buildings? What a bunch of nuts...

A Little Over Dramatic Don't You Think?

USATODAY.com - Wal-Mart store tells workers to be ready to work any shift

I don't think this Wal-Mart in West Virginia is being unreasonable asking employees to be available for any shift between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. However, I think they need to be accommodating to people who have certain needs for child care, elder care etc. I think the over dramatic part is the union rep who calls the move "chilling." Workers should not be able to dictate to their employers when they will work. You are needed between hours x and x, if you can't work then, we'll find someone else. That's the hard line, but I refuse to believe management wouldn't make some concessions for those with certain needs. As long as you're giving them the schedule a week before and you're not moving them around all the time, I think it's ok.

Remember, there were other retailers to market before Wal-Mart and there will be someone who eats their lunch too....

James Dean Fest was a Success

You probably think I am out of my mind. I'm not. I think James Dean Fest was a success. Sure the promoter says he's lost about a million dollars. And that same promoter has stopped payment on checks to some folks who did hard work to help him pull off the festival. Before I explain why the James Dean Fest was a success, let's recap why it didn't work out as planned:

• Poor market research. The promoters forget. James Dean is an every day, every year thing around here. Want to see a Porsche Spyder like JD drove? Go to the James Dean Gallery or see a picture at the Fairmount Historical museum. Want to see his films? Rent a video or go to Museum Days.
• Poor market research part 2. Who was this festival aimed at? The locals? World Wide Dean Fans? U.S. Dean Fans? I don't think they knew who this was aimed at. Die hard Dean fans would have no problem paying $25 to get into the venue. After the plant closings and the unemployment in Marion, $25 per person admission seems steep to some folks. Then again, how much do you pay when you go to King's Island, or a Fort Wayne Wizard's game? But if you go to King's Island or a Wizard's game you expect to get your money's worth
• Deceptive Advertising. Martin Sheen was a main cog in the advertising campaign for the event. Then he's a no show? Celebrities were promised and true, some did show up, but they were more well known to die hard Dean fans or old timers. True they did some big time advertising, but when you can't back it up, why advertise?
• The Music. The groups they booked were good groups. A comment was made in the Chronicle Tribune that a really big act would have cost a lot of money. Well, you have to spend money to make money. It goes back to market research again. In Marion, Indiana, we can drive a few hours and see the Fifth Dimension at Holiday Star Theater in Merrillville or 1964-The Tribute at the Walton Performing Arts Center. I would imagine they thought the hicks of Grant County would pay money to see anyone play. Nope, not true. If they brought in John Mellancamp, John Fogarty or even Bob Dylan, people would have packed the place.
• The Purpose. The purpose of James Dean Fest was to promote the new DVD Boxed Set of Jimmy's three movies. If the promoter loses money on the event, it's a drop in the bucket for Warner Brothers. Warner Brothers loses money on movie and DVD releases every year. Just because they didn't do their due diligence in putting together the event doesn't mean firefighters shouldn't get paid.

So why was James Dean Fest a success?

1. Publicity. The event got mentions all over the nation and on the Internet. I read about James Dean Fest and Marion, Indiana in USA Today and the Los Angeles times.
2. People came into Grant County and stayed in hotel rooms, ate at restaurants, and bought gasoline from local merchants. Any event that can do that, is a good event.
3. It spurred successful free local events in Downtown Marion and Gas City. Kudos to the folks that put those events together.

I think James Dean Fest would have been even more successful if they had held the event on Memorial Day weekend to piggyback with the Indianapolis 500. Or maybe they should have waited for the Formula One race at Indy this weekend to see if they could draw International Fans. Why didn't they hold James Dean Fest on James Dean Weekend in September? I don't think it would have killed Fairmount Museum Days. I think it would have enhanced the event. Did they even ask the Museum Days folks for their opinion? Probably not. Those who think James Dean Fest was a grab by Marion to take away something that belongs to Fairmont is wrong. I just think its sad that Marion and Grant County are getting negative press for something that is not totally their fault.

We have a lot to be thankful for in Grant County. So while it's easier to moan about the negative, let's celebrate the success of James Dean Fest.

Liberals Whine About Media

Media Notes Extra

The part of this Howard Kurtz blog I want you to look at is where the Democrats in Congress are talking about how the media is the president's lap dog. Oh come on!!!! Really? When they're not in control, they whine about everything. When they're in control they whine about everything. The problem with our government today is it's all about power games and what's in it for me. The problem with our media is they report emotions and not facts. I'm sick of all of them, Democrats, Republicans, Katie Couric, Larry King, James Carville, throw em all out. All of them!

The Desire to Help Others...

ESPN.com: Page 2 : A walk on the wild side

If this story doesn't make you thankful for everything you have, I don't know what will. This guy must have a heart of gold to walk all the way from Arizona to Chicago for a guy he doesn't know personally. Wow!

Deep Throat Revealed

VANITY FAIR : ROUNDTABLE : CONTENT

Upfront, I want to say what Richard Nixon did was wrong. No one is above the law, including the President of the United States. Nixon's resignation in 1974 and the entire Watergate Scandal interested me as an elementary school student. Because of my love of radio, I was always hearing new things about Watergate. Books I have read in the course of my education and life lead me to believe the 1960 Presidential Election loss to John Kennedy made Richard Nixon very paranoid and bitter. That set in motion a series of events that led us to the resignation of an American President.

That being said, is Mark Felt, the man who leaked information to Woodward and Bernstein, a patriot? I don't think so. I understand what he did and why he did it. But I agree with those who say he should have gone to the Justice Department and asked for a special prosecutor or a grand jury. One way or another, Nixon would have fallen. Whether it was through impeachment or someone else leaking information. I am suspicious of Mark Felt's family. I believe, for them, this is all about money.

When I was in junior high school I read a lot of books about the FBI. For a time I thought about pursuing a career in law enforcement. I do give Mark Felt credit for doing what he thought was in the best interest of the FBI and the American People. I believe the people who choose to work in public service, including the FBI, are honorable people. I respect Mark Felt for his service to this country. But Mark Felt's actions helped cause a change in this country that I regret.

Watergate, the Viet Nam war, the hippie/radical movement of the 1960's and 1970's all made a big impact on the media. The print and television reporters of today don't care about the facts. It's about punishing the establishment, the people who want them to follow the rules. Conservatives, especially Religious Conservatives represent the establishment. We represent rules. The God most of us worship has 10 commandments. You can't tell these people how to live. They live their life the way they want. The truth is, I've found life is easier and more rewarding living by those 10 commandments and worshipping a God who is a very awesome and loving God.

We have a very liberal and very vindictive media today. We also continue to have a very corrupt federal government. You can change Presidents. You can change who is in charge, but the career bureaucrats who continue to push papers and make decisions are very corrupt and don't care about this nation or you and me. It's all about them. I know it's idealistic to believe our government should work for the people. But that's what I believe. Maybe someday we can clean up the corruption and have more servant leadership in government. I don't see that happening any time soon, but it's a nice dream to dream.

Open Wheel Racing gets a break...

USATODAY.com - R. Gordon meant no disrespect of Patrick in weight remarks

Nice backpedaling Robby. What a jerk. Robby Gordon is one of the biggest whiners in American Sports History. He couldn't win the Indianapolis 500 with AJ Foyt as his team owner, he can't keep his temper to win a Nextel Cup. If Danica Patrick had been "Dan Patrick" no one would have said anything. Open Wheel Racing has been suffering since the IRL/Cart split. Danica Patrick and Sunday's exciting Indianapolis 500 finish could be the magic elixer that cures what ails open wheel racing. NASCAR is popular because of personalities. Open Wheel has become generic, teams don't put that much into marketing personalities. I think Rahal/Letterman Racing understands what it is going to take to successfully market drivers like Buddy Rice and Danica Patrick. I was on the Rahal/Letterman bandwagon before Danica Patrick and I'll be on the Rahal/Letterman bandwagon as long as Bobby and Dave own the team.