***** Trustee Jobs go to Contributors
The Toledo Blade has another great article. This time they expose that Republican big contributors often get appointments on state colleges' boards of trustees. Not only are these appointments payoffs for political support but the trustees also get "perks" with their service:
Trustees appointed by the governor’s office to sit on the boards of Ohio’s public colleges have contributed more than $500,000 to fund the political ambitions of Gov. Bob Taft, a Blade investigation shows.
About 80 percent of current governor-appointed trustees and their spouses have contributed to political candidates, pouring nearly $3 million into the state’s political money machine since 1990 — contributing overwhelmingly to Republicans...
Catherine Turcer, the legislative director of the watchdog group, Ohio Citizen Action, said appointments are considered a “wonderful perk” for contributors.
“The people who give in this kind of significant way ... can be rewarded in a variety of ways,” Ms. Turcer said. “And this is one of them.”
The appointment process has allowed for the selection of high-dollar contributors, like Tom Noe. Despite being a college dropout, Mr. Noe was appointed to the Ohio Board of Regents, which oversees the state’s colleges and universities.
Mr. Noe also was appointed to the Ohio Turnpike Commission and earlier was given a trustee position at Bowling Green State University. He resigned his appointments last spring amid the controversy surrounding his management of Ohio’s defunct $50 million rare-coin investment.
Other appointees include Ann Brennan, a University of Akron trustee, who, along with her husband, has contributed more than $1 million to Ohio political candidates. The list includes Columbus State Community College Trustee William Antonoplos, a Columbus lobbyist who has contributed more than $100,000 on the state level...
**** "You are so grounded!"
An American high school student decided to do some real investigative reporting by going to Iraq to check out the war. Yahoo News Wouldn't you like to be in the room when his parents greet him? I'm sure they are relieved he is safe, but they must be very upset with his trip to a war zone.
**** Stupid, Stupid, Stupid
Britney Spears wants to have another baby with her husband, Kevin Federline. WHY? MSNBC has the story.
***** The Best is Yet to Come
Jack Abramoff will be pouring his heart out to investigators about his ties to lawmakers. Republicans Tom DeLay and Bob Ney must be feeling pretty, pretty good right now. MSNBC
****** Bitter Waitress
The next time you consider leaving a gratuity at a restaurant, think about how you'd feel if your name was listed at http://www.bitterwaitress.com/std/ as a bad tipper. There are lists of regular people, celebrities, and the cheapskates. Beware! The comments are not for the faint-hearted. There is also a search feature.
******** Pensions
Recent stories have been attacking workers who have pensions. The transit strike in New York City had the mayor and newspapers attacking the employees for wanting to protect their pensions. Stories about the financial problems of American automakers often note that the companies have to deal with the burden of pensions. The pensions were promises made by companies and governments, and workers contributed to their pensions. White collar workers have IRA's and 401K's and others have pensions. Stop attacking the workers and their pensions!
**** Fun With Wings
Are you looking for a fun place to take the kids, family and friends? You should visit Quaker Steak and Lube. The food is terrific and the car-themed decor makes it a fun place. Look for the Lube Guy and don't forget to tip your waiter/waitress!
