And, to further explain my “economic ideas”. I have never been able to justify taxing the public to build mega public work projects such as stadiums and convention centers. There are over 8700 hours in each year and these works sit idle for over 90% of that time. If our tax dollars are to build anything they should build factories, refining is one example because this country has not built a state of the art refinery in over 30 years. We have a great port that could easily take in products to be refined from around the world and we could rival New Orleans and the Henry Hub for business because we have no threat of hurricanes to stop production. True, the ports are closed for a few months in the winter, but it shouldn’t stop anyone from stockpiling products before the lake freezes and what may seem like a departure from the norm; shut them down for a 4 to 6 weeks to clean them up, repair and maintain so that we make sure to protect our environment that surrounds it. The nay sayers will say that the super tankers of today can’t make it through the St Lawrence Seaway, but from Cleveland to Toledo there used to be a huge industry in shipbuilding. Build custom made tankers that fit, that will create even more jobs.

And, if not a refinery how about building a state of the art display factory using Nano technology and give that to Sharp or somebody.

In essence what I am saying is that these mega public works projects are built on the backs of the taxpayer yet they provide no long term jobs that family’s can depend upon to support them for a generation or two. Jobs for the blue color workers of the 21st century so that we can re-obtain and support the middle class which has been the backbone of North East Ohio for over a century.

And, yes, build the factory or the refinery with tax payer dollars and just give it to the company that can run it efficiently and profitably but, with conditions. They have to pay property tax, 90% of the people working there have to be native to North East Ohio, which means that while it is being built they start training and educating people to work the jobs they need to be done.

Creating and attracting new business in new or existing industries will fill the treasuries of the city and the county. Rebuild the schools, rebuild the infrastructure and even more industry will come, more tax dollars generated and then the tax revenue on its own would allow mega public works like stadiums or convention centers to be built.

Our past and current leadership has never had the vision to show the leadership or the cogliones to carry it forward, to turn vision into reality. They keep putting the cart before the horse and once you’re sat down all nice and comfortable in that cart all you have staring you in the face is the horse’s ass and you’re not going anywhere.

We need some real leaders in North East Ohio, in the cities, in the county, in the State and the Federal jobs that we elect them to. None have surfaced; it is just the same old stuff from the same old mind set.

Maybe one day.