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Saturday, February 05, 2005
Just Didn't Go Far Enough
About 7 or 8 years ago, I could go to the drug store and pick up some generic allergy pills containing Pseudoephedrine in a bottle format for $5-8, and depending on the sale possibly cheaper. There would be be about 100 in the bottle. Far cheaper than having to buy the name brand Sudafed or any generic sold in blister packs.
The problem, according to law enforcement and politicians, was that format was facilitating the production of methamphetamine. The pills were too cheap and too easy to acquire. The solution, require all pseudephedrine to be sold in blister packs. You have to pay more for them, because you are paying for the safety packaging, and you get less.
I remember, shortly before the law was to go into effect going to a local Rite-Aid and buying about 3 bottles, which would last me about 6 - 9 months.
Now, I buy the generic and pay $2-4 for about 24 pills at a time. Funny thing, the production of meth hasn't decreased. So, what's the solution, further restriction on access.
Allergy and cold sufferers may have to ask a pharmacist to get common over-the-counter medications, a step designed to curb illegal use of the drugs. Many such medications contain the primary ingredient of the highly addictive, illegal drug methamphetamine, which is dangerous to the user and to anyone involved in making it. Legislation proposed Thursday by State Rep. Timothy DeGeeter -- and last week by U.S. senators -- would restrict medicines that contain pseudoephedrine, the key ingredient in methamphetamine, also called "speed," "meth" or "crank." The legislation would require that the medicines be kept behind the register or pharmacy counter. The number of boxes or bottles of the medicines would be limited to two per person, and customers would have to show identification. Minors could not buy the products. Great plan. Limit the places where the product can be sold -- only where there is an in-house pharmacist -- and when it can be purchased -- when the pharmacist is on duty. Drive the cost up and reduce the selection. Just take a look at your local drugstore some time for the shelf space taken up by the varieties of pseudephedrine laced cold and allergy medicines. You really think stores are going to stock anywhere near the quantities and varieties? Simple economics, you can expect the prices to rise.
There's the usual boilerplate stuff about how it is destroying families, that it is a scourge of society. You know, the same stuff we heard in the 80s and early 90s about crack. Meth now has the boogeyman status.
As always, cigarettes will be available anywhere and beer and wine most places. Sad thing. This won't make a damn bit of difference.
Thursday, February 03, 2005
Downtown Dreaming In Cleveland
An interesting semi-opinion piece from the Cleveland Plain Dealer deputy business editor. His topic is a new convention center and where they might try to place it. He starts with a little anectdote from his first visit to the Forest City offices.
The point of this tale is that it rarely pays in Cleveland to bet against the political clout of the Ratner family. They give on both sides of the aisle, handsomely.
That will be a huge factor when the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Convention Facilities Authority decides where downtown to place the proposed new convention center. Mayor Jane Campbell's choice is to replace the current, antiquated facility beneath the Mall.
The Ratners want it as an adjunct to Tower City, jutting out toward Collision Bend in the Cuyahoga River. They want it - some would say need it - because their urban mall is struggling. [Emphasis added.]
He briefly retells another instance where Forest City and Tower City won at a cost to the city. I have trouble getting as worked up for this latest go-round on the convention center, because so many people seem to be sitting this out. Last time, there were various sites offered up, with presentations and visions. This time, some powers are pushing it, but in the quiet and the backrooms.
While that makes for your standard stories of corporate/municipal intrigue and visions of the load being dropped on the rest later, the system has changed. They still need to go before the public and make them believe there are good reasons for taxing themselves for the benefit of real estate developers and to get maybe 5-8 more conventions a year. The more they hide from public discourse, the harder it will be to get their way.
That should have been a lesson they learned from the last flop, but I suspect they have convinced themselves that it collapsed because of political squabbling between the County Commissioners and the Mayor. Since I'm against a new convention center, I suppose I shouldn't be telling them this.
Then there is the pipe dream of getting a casino downtown. Right. Some groups representing Indian tribes are making pitches to the Mayor for them to come and help get a casino in the area. Whatever happens, it looks like there will be some interesting questions on the May and November ballots.
So, with all the ballot issues for important stuff like a casino, the convention center, and a Mayoral election; is it any wonder that Mayor Campbell wants to push off any talk of putting another levy on the May and possibly November ballots for something as inconsequential as the schools? I mean the Cleveland School District is only looking at having to cut some $25 million from their budget because of the deficits. No worries.
Wanting tax money for a useless convention center, pursuing the pipe dream of tax money from casinos, and an ever crumbling school system. And people wonder why no one is moving into the Cleveland city limits?
Not A Shock
A couple months ago I posted on how the Mayor of Eastlake wanted the minor league ballclub to agree to charge an extra dollar on all tickets to help pay down the stadium debt, and how stupid and unlikely that would occur. The team officially rejected the proposal yesterday.
"I'm very disappointed that the Captains are unwilling to work with the city of Eastlake and the residents of Eastlake on this matter," Andrzejewski said. "I had hoped the Captains would help close the gap between revenue brought in by the stadium and payments on stadium bonds."
Current projections put the price of the stadium project at $37 million by the time loan payments end in 2027.
Formerly the Columbus (Ga.) RedStixx, the Captains signed a 25-year lease with the city when the South Atlantic League franchise agreed to relocate from Georgia to Eastlake in January 2002. After spending the 2002 season in Georgia while the new stadium was under construction, the team began playing at Eastlake Ballpark in April 2003.
Under terms of that lease, in force for another 23 years, the power to set ticket prices is reserved solely to the team.
...
"I understand that they are fully complying with the lease, and we appreciate that. However, most aspects of the lease are totally in favor of the Captains," Andrzejewski said. This is such a red herring by the Mayor. First of all, the stadium was already being constructed before Eastlake even found a tenant. So I don't even see much of a moral claim by Eastlake. The plan was build and then find someone. The Mayor and those on City Council who backed this, let themselves be put in a position of weakness in any deals. Second, the contract isn't that different from the ones most places with minor league teams saddle themselves with. I'm not in favor of this sort of thing, but I'm not naive.
"Based on the tremendous support shown by the residents of Eastlake for the Captains, I hoped the team would help residents pay for the stadium by agreeing to the increase," Andrzejewski said. By having the people attending the games -- a lot of Eastlake residents -- pay extra?
Stump said while the Captains will not raise its ticket prices, team management wants to "work closely with the city on identifying new revenue streams at the stadium, including collaborating on concerts and other special events."
Andrzejewski said while he would welcome such assistance from the Captains, he added that revenue generated by a limited number of concerts or special events would be "only a drop in the bucket" of what the city needs to bridge what he said is the gap between projected stadium revenue and required loan payments in years to come. But the $1 surcharge wouldn't end up as merely a drop in the bucket? As my early post on this subject indicated, this tax would likely be a similar drop in the bucket ultimately.
The GM of the Lake County Captains has an open letter on their site.
Now that the Mayor has wasted a couple months trying to scrounge money from that, maybe he can turn to the ugly part. Making the cuts in the overall budget.
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
Eastlake Update -- No Change, But...
...Things are bubbling under the surface.
Last week, to the surprise of none, it would appear that attempts to get money from the State of Ohio to help pay for Eastlake's Ballpark will not happen.
The problem is a growing set of obstacles in Columbus that are driven by current state budget realities and the ongoing budget deficit in the city of Eastlake.
...
A second challenge, he said, is that many state officials are reluctant to give money to the Lake County Captains' home stadium because of Eastlake's financial situation.
The city is in fiscal emergency.
Its $3.2 million budget deficit is decreasing, but not fast enough for some state leaders.
The state has provided $850,000 for Eastlake Ballpark so far. This led to only a passing whine from the local Lake County newspaper editorial board about the money not coming from the state. Here's the thing. The myth, if you will. There never were any guarantees of money from the state. Ohio officials said they would try to get money, that they would submit bills in favor of the funding. But there were no guarantees that they would pass. The funding was never in place in advance. So when the state has a budget problem, and Eastlake has shown complete mismanagement of its finances, can anyone be really shocked that no more money is forthcoming?
Way back in October, the Cleveland Plain Dealer noted that former Mayor Dan DiLiberto's son repaid the City of Eastlake to the tune of $1200 for some garbage bags he had "obtained" from the city. I noted, then, something in the article that was much more interesting.
Eastlake Law Director Randy Klammer said: "I can't comment on what is a much larger and confidential investigation." Police here have been conducting a wide-ranging investigation that includes allegations that city property and services were misappropriated. Police also are investigating whether Richmond Heights developer John Chiappetta submitted false documents to obtain state loans for work at an industrial park and whether he misused employee retirement and health care funds. The Chiappetta stuff looks like it will be what brings down DiLiberto and his old cronies. The FBI and Ohio state investigators have also been nosing around all of this. Now the investigation is getting more specific.
Former Mayor Dan DiLiberto has become the subject of an expanding investigation by Eastlake police that already has seen one of his top aides charged with theft in office.
The investigation recently shifted its focus from Michael Hutchinson, the city's recreation director while DiLiberto was mayor, to DiLiberto himself.
Police are investigating whether DiLiberto:
Kept money for performing marriages, which state law does not allow.
Misused campaign contributions.
Steered city business to his brother.
Received goods or services purchased by the city. The marriage license graft really added up. The pathetic thing, is he was so obvious about it. Even worse, it comes back to another crony.
The auditor's office looked at the issue in 2001 after two Eastlake businessmen complained that no money had been deposited into a city wedding fund for two years. Auditors reached 15 of the 40 couples DiLiberto had married between January 1999 and June 2001 as part of the city's 2001 audit. Ten told auditors they had given DiLiberto money. DiLiberto told auditors he did not keep receipts, but, using a partial list provided by auditors, he noted that he had received $70 each for 24 of the 26 weddings on the list. He said he used some of the money to donate $2,000 to help pay for city Christmas decorations, $1,000 to a city flag fund and $900 to the Eastlake Police Activities League. An auditor's report recommended that any money collected by the mayor for a public purpose be deposited into the city treasury. DiLiberto kept receipts for wedding payments for 15 months beginning in late 1996. Nearly $2,000 was deposited into the city's wedding fund. Records show, however, that $1,704 from the fund was paid back to him and that federal income taxes were withheld from one of the payments. Records show DiLiberto performed at least 80 more weddings before his office began issuing receipts and during 1998, a period not covered by the state audit. No records are available to show how much he might have received. Documents that DiLiberto provided to auditors to show he donated wedding money include two receipts to a Christmas lighting fund written on the letterhead of a company called Holiday Lighting Displays. This company in question happens to have been paid over $100,000 dollars by the City of Eastlake for Christmas decorations during a 10 year period. And of course, the company would appear to be a shell company of Chiappetta.
Funny thing. All of these recent stories of the investigations and corruption have been broken by the Plain Dealer. The News-Herald, the paper for Lake County, has barely even acknowledged them after the fact. Too inconvenient, and may negatively reflect on the Eastlake Ballpark it seems.
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