Sinclair Community College Board of Trustees voted today to place a 3.2 mill property tax levy on the March 2008 ballot.  The new levy would replace the current 2.5 mill levy that expires at the end of 2008.

The current levy is collected at an effective (net) millage of 1.82 for residential property.  The replacement levy of 3.2 mill equates to a 75.8% increase.  For a ten year levy that’s about a 7.5% increase per year.

The requested increase might seem reasonable unless you consider the following:

Sinclair currently has about $120 million in cash reserves against an annual budget of about $110 million
Sinclair

…continue reading the article Sinclair Hordes $120 million, Asks Taxpayers for $100 million MORE (VOTE NO)

Al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden called on Europeans to stop helping the United States in the war in Afghanistan, according to excerpts of a new audiotape broadcast Thursday on Al-Jazeera television.

Bin Laden said it was unjust for the United States to have invaded Afghanistan for sheltering him after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, saying he was the “only one responsible” for the deadly assaults on New York and Washington.

“The events of Manhattan were retaliation against the American-Israeli alliance’s aggression against our people in Palestine and Lebanon, and I am the only one responsible for it. The Afghan people and government

…continue reading the article Bin Laden: Europeans Should End US Help

A study conducted for a Virginia-based mental health nonprofit ranked Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia on Thursday among the ten “most depressed” states in the nation.

Mental Health America, previously known as the National Mental Health Association, released an analysis based on government-collected rates of depression and suicide among state populations.

Utah was ranked 51st in depression status among the states and the District of Columbia, just after West Virginia and Kentucky. Ohio was ranked 43rd in the bottom category.

Michigan was ranked in the middle nationally at 22nd, trailing Pennsylvania (17th) but ahead of Indiana (39th).

The study said 9% of adults in

…continue reading the article Ohio Among “Most Depressed” States

As New York mayor, Rudy Giuliani billed obscure city agencies for tens of thousands of dollars in security expenses amassed during the time when he was beginning an extramarital relationship with future wife Judith Nathan in the Hamptons, according to previously undisclosed government records.

The documents, obtained by Politico under New York’s Freedom of Information Law, show that the mayoral costs had nothing to do with the functions of the little-known city offices that defrayed his tabs, including agencies responsible for regulating loft apartments, aiding the disabled and providing lawyers for indigent defendants.

At the time, the mayor’s office refused to explain

…continue reading the article Giuliani billed obscure agencies for trips

An interesting article in the New York Times by Eric Schlosser tells how Florida, because of pressure from Burger King, is rescinding the meager one cent raise per pound given to migrant tomato harvesters in 2005.

The article says, “THE migrant farm workers who harvest tomatoes in South Florida have one of the nation’s most backbreaking jobs. For 10 to 12 hours a day, they pick tomatoes by hand, earning a piece-rate of about 45 cents for every 32-pound bucket. During a typical day each migrant picks, carries and unloads two tons of tomatoes. For their efforts, this holiday season many

…continue reading the article Burger King Forces Cut in Pay For Florida’s Migrant Tomato Workers

Mike Huckabee’s presidential rivals are pointing to chinks in his record as Arkansas’ governor – from ethics complaints to tax increases to illegal immigration and his support for releasing a rapist who was later convicted of killing a Missouri woman.

The Republican presidential candidate has plenty to champion from his 10 1/2 years as governor – including school improvements and health insurance for the children of the working poor. But his record has rough edges, and Huckabee has a habit of playing fast and loose with it.

Other campaigns for the GOP nomination, watching Huckabee’s rise in polls in Iowa, are starting

…continue reading the article Huckabee’s Arkansas Record Begins to Sees the Light of Day