Zucal Election and New Philadelphia's Budget

     There is something you must understand about this year’s election.  It is totally about money.  Forget all the rest of the lies and fabrications you have been hearing, it’s the money, the city budget.  It’s about pay increases for the City of New Philadelphia employees, maintenance workers, police and firemen, elected officials like the mayor, auditor, treasurer, city council, city council president, even appointed administrative members like the service director, water superintendent, all of them with the exception of the park director and the law director who have declined such raises. 

But there is more.  The New Philadelphia school department wants more money, this time admitting it is for salary raises.  When I say more money, I mean lots more money. 

Interestingly enough, there is a common thread that runs through this whole scenario, and that is John Zucal, Ward Two City Councilman, a position he has held for the past four years.  Zucal not only sits on city council, he is also principal of the New Philadelphia Central Middle School.  He is the brother of Jim Zucal, New Philadelphia service director, and husband of Wendy Zucal, the Director of Schoenbrunn Village and the Dennison Railroad Museum.  These connections give me cause for concern. 

Where does his interest and loyalty reside, with his personal priorities or with his constituents?  As Dr. Phil has often said, the best indicator of future performance is past performance.  So how does that apply in this case?  The Times-Reporter, on October 18, ran an article of what Zucal considers to be his goals.  It is an interesting recital.
 

He has, according to the article, worked with city, state, and local people to develop a strategic plan to improve the quality of life in New Philadelphia.  His plan, he reported, would be paid for from income that would not come from New Philadelphia residents.  Interesting thought.  Could this be the three percent bed tax that was hotly debated in city council?  If that is the case, how is Zucal’s demand that the bed tax be used to help finance Schoenbrunn Village, a state run operation, or the Tuscarawas County Visitors and Convention Bureau, a Tuscarawas County operation in which the city has no obligation nor financial interest.  He wants to use bed tax money for grants to businesses outside the city.  His proposals give 80-plus percent of bed tax revenues to businesses totally outside New Philadelphia. 

     Mr. Zucal wants budget reform.  That sounds good but what has he done in the past.  He is pushing for pay raises for administration officials which amount to 2.75-percent this year and made retroactive to January 1, 2013.  A previous retroactive pay raise was made for the year 2012.  If passed, it will be the second time that retroactive pay raises have been granted with the blessings of Zucal during his tenure. 

The list goes on.  He takes credit for bringing natural gas companies to New Philadelphia.  I am aware of one company, Piedmont, which has been distributing gas since 1988, but am not aware of any gas or oil company drilling or pumping within the New Philadelphia city limits.  Am I missing something?

He does say that we need budget reform in New Philadelphia.  We all agree with that.  But his reform seems to be a reform that will continue to force New Philadelphia finances into bankruptcy.  His current proposals include a new fire station, pay increases for members of city council to $10,000 a year, promises of pay raises for all department heads.  The list goes on.

He just doesn’t get it.  There is no money.  The mayor doesn’t get it.  Most of the city council doesn’t get it.  The city is on the verge of going broke and he wants to increase salaries, grant more benefits to city employees who are making more money from city employment than the citizens of the city who are paying the taxes  City revenues are down.  Last year’s ending of the death tax cut the budget for 2013 by two million dollars.  But Zucal doesn’t get it.  He still proposes spending that we just can’t afford.

Why this interest in Zucal?   Because he is one of the four city councilpersons up for election this year.  If reelected he will continue his current, and past, spending agendas.  The way city council is made up now, the other ward councilmen seem to be under the thumb of Mr. Zucal.  Councilmen from wards three and four, who generally follow Zucal’s lead on legislation, are coming back for another four years as they are running unopposed.  This almost guarantees three votes Zucal on issues he proposes. 

The councilperson from Ward One is an unknown factor, but if Zucal is reelected, there will be a sure three votes on spending, Zucal, Maurer, and Lautenschleger, with another possible vote coming from the new councilperson from Ward One..  That will lock in the votes on legislation with those who lack the understanding of being good stewards of taxpayer money and continue the spending of tax dollars which has driven New Philadelphia to the edge of bankruptcy.

If you don’t think that we are in a financial crisis, then explain the issue on the ballot that is requesting a 3/4-percent increase in your New Philadelphia income tax, a proposal supportred by Mr. Zucal, who by the way, has offered no suggestions on how to cut back on city expenses.  Oh, yeah.  Zucal also backs the 7.2 mill increase in the New Philadelphia school tax.

Get involved.  Tell ‘em “No” to increased spending.  Tell ‘em “No” to increases taxation.  Tell ‘em “No” to more money for city officials.  Tell ‘em “No” to Zucal

Gun-grabbers promise protection they can't deliver

 

By GREGORY KANE | OCTOBER 17, 2013 AT 8:52 AM

                      

When a group of thugs dragged Alexian Lien from his SUV on Sept. 29 and savagely beat him, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was nowhere to be found.
Neither was President Obama.
Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, reputed to be a presidential aspirant, wasn’t on hand to protect Lien, either.
It should be pretty obvious what Bloomberg, Obama and O’Malley have in common, other than protoplasm.
We’ve been hearing from all three since the tragedy in Newtown, Conn., on the matter of America needing more gun control laws.
Bloomberg, Obama and O’Malley were among those calling for laws that would limit the magazine capacity for firearms.
The argument of gun controllers goes like this: There really isn't a need for guns with magazines that can fire large numbers of rounds, because only crazed killers would want to kill that many people.    
Lien should have been armed with a gun that had a high-capacity magazine as he drove on New York City’s Westside Highway on the afternoon of Sept. 29.
No one wants deranged killers mowing down large numbers of people with weapons that have large-capacity magazines.
But I want people that are attacked by members of, oh, I don’t know, say a motorcycle gang, to have enough firepower to defend themselves, too.
So I wasn’t in favor of the proposal to ban guns that had large-capacity magazines. My argument was simple:
People like Bloomberg, Obama and O’Malley really shouldn’t be in the business of telling the American people how many attackers they might have to shoot.
A six-shot revolver would have done Lien little good in defending himself. But a semiautomatic handgun with a magazine capacity of 15-20 rounds might have come in real handy.
The gun-grabbers use logic similar to their “no one needs to shoot that many people” argument when they talk about banning assault rifles. No one, they claim, needs an assault rifle.
Whether a person needs an assault rifle depends strictly on how many people are present to do him harm.
I don't know if those Korean-American merchants that had to defend their lives, homes and businesses during the 1992 Los Angeles riots had used assault rifles, but they'd have been darned well justified if they had.
Los Angeles police, for whatever reason, provided no protection for those Korean-American merchants.
So they decided to protect themselves, and made many Americans proud to be Americans when they did.
According to news reports, there were undercover New York City police officers among the biker thugs that attacked Lien. They were of no help, either.
The gun-grabbers assure us that the cops will protect us whenever we need protecting, but the incidents in Los Angeles 21 years ago and on New York City’s Westside Highway on Sept. 29 prove what a world of delusion they’re living in.
Cops can’t protect us in every situation. In Lien’s case, a cop might have been one of the bikers trying to smash his SUV window.
Citizens have to protect themselves. That’s why we have a Second Amendment in the first place.
When elected officials like Bloomberg, Obama and O’Malley advocate and sign laws designed to restrict the gun rights of law-abiding citizens, they’re in essence cutting a deal. They’re making us a promise.
They’re telling us that we don’t have to fret about protecting ourselves, because they and their big, bad, brave police force will protect us.
But the likes of Bloomberg, Obama and O’Malley are lying when they make such a promise, and they know darned well they’re lying.
They’re also writing a check with their mouths that they know our bodies won’t be able to cash.

GREGORY KANE, a Washington Examiner columnist, is a Pulitzer Prize-nominated news and opinion journalist who has covered people and politics from Baltimore to the Sudan.

Excessive Tax Increases Coming To New Philadelphia

This is going to be one of the most important elections we have had in recent memory.  What happens this November will set the standard of living in New Philadelphia for years to come.  I know you have heard it before, but this year is different, really.

For one thing, issues on the ballot will affect your standard of living in ways you could never imagine.  The proposals include a city income tax as well as a school proposal.  Already the county has raised your country property tax by three percent, and when you total them all together the result is a big bite out of your income, a really big bite.

Let’s start with something simple, Tuscarawas County real estate tax.  You won’t find this one on the ballot, but you are going to find it on the bill from the Tuscarawas County Auditor next spring when your real estate tax bill comes.  You have probably received the notice already.  If you didn’t notice, the market value for your house has been increased.  It doesn’t mention the tax increase in so many words, but look out, it is going to be a real shocker.  The market value of your house has been increased by three percent.  Keeping the math simple, that means that next year the cost of your real estate tax alone will increase.  To figure out how much, look at your real estate tax for last year and multiply it by 1.03.  The figure you come up with is your new county property tax.  If, in the box on the lower right of your real estate bill, the amount due is $500, remember that is only for half a year, the tax is increasing by about $15.  It’s not much, only $30 a year.   There is not much we can do to prevent it since it is a state law and you know how much we can do to affect that.  By the way, folks who rent are going to pay this tax as well.  Trust me that the property owners you rent from aren’t going to absorb that loss.

Also on the ballot is a proposal to raise the city income tax by 3/4 percent.  That will kick your income tax up to 2.25%.  If your reportable income is $30,000 a year, your city income tax will jump from $450 to $675 per year if Ballot Issue 1 is enacted.  But then, as the advocates of the issue figure, it’s only a $225 increase.  What they don’t say is that there will be $225 less in your grocery budget.

Then comes the big one, the levy for the New Philadelphia Schools who want to add a 7.2 mill increase to your taxes.  The current tax rate is 49.2 mills, or 49.2 cents per thousand dollars real estate evaluation.  Should this levy pass it would increase the school taxes to 56.4 mills.  So for a property valued at $40,000 by the county, a resident who now pays $1,968 a year in school taxes, will be paying $288 more a year for a total of $2,256 in school tax.  But wait.  His house evaluation has increased by three percent, which raises his school tax by the same amount, to a total of $2,324

So if you live in a house for which the county has valued at $40,000 and have an adjusted income of $30,000 a year, voting for increasing the city income tax increase and the school levy will boost your taxes to almost $3,000.  And this, believe it or not, is on top of the increase in the sales tax, which is 6.75% on all you buy except for food you take home. 

The politicians will tell you we need these tax increases to make the city and county run.  I think we need that money to feed, clothe, and house our families.  Isn’t it about time we say no to those elected officials who are supposed to be looking out for our good but instead spend our money on their pet projects, on city employee wages, and expenses that don’t help us?

Vote in this election.  Vote no on the spending bills.  Make government live within their budget as we have to live within ours.  Tell ‘em no!

 

Goverment Shutdown Without the Panic

Jewish World Review Oct. 4, 2013/ 30 Tishrei, 5774

Who Shut Down the Government?

By Thomas Sowell @www.tsowell.com

	Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on print Share on email More Sharing Services209

 

http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | Even when it comes to something as basic, and apparently as simple and straightforward, as the question of who shut down the federal government, there are diametrically opposite answers, depending on whether you talk to Democrats or to Republicans.

There is really nothing complicated about the facts. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted all the money required to keep all government activities going — except for ObamaCare.

This is not a matter of opinion. You can check the Congressional Record.

As for the House of Representatives' right to grant or withhold money, that is not a matter of opinion either. You can check the Constitution of the United States . All spending bills must originate in the House of Representatives, which means that Congressmen there have a right to decide whether or not they want to spend money on a particular government activity.

Whether ObamaCare is good, bad or indifferent is a matter of opinion. But it is a matter of fact that members of the House of Representatives have a right to make spending decisions based on their opinion.

ObamaCare is indeed "the law of the land," as its supporters keep saying, and the Supreme Court has upheld its Constitutionality.

But the whole point of having a division of powers within the federal government is that each branch can decide independently what it wants to do or not do, regardless of what the other branches do, when exercising the powers specifically granted to that branch by the Constitution.

The hundreds of thousands of government workers who have been laid off are not idle because the House of Representatives did not vote enough money to pay their salaries or the other expenses of their agencies — unless they are in an agency that would administer ObamaCare.

 

Since we cannot read minds, we cannot say who — if anybody — "wants to shut down the government." But we do know who had the option to keep the government running and chose not to. The money voted by the House of Representatives covered everything that the government does, except for ObamaCare.

The Senate chose not to vote to authorize that money to be spent, because it did not include money for ObamaCare. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says that he wants a "clean" bill from the House of Representatives, and some in the media keep repeating the word "clean" like a mantra. But what is unclean about not giving Harry Reid everything he wants?

If Senator Reid and President Obama refuse to accept the money required to run the government, because it leaves out the money they want to run ObamaCare, that is their right. But that is also their responsibility.

You cannot blame other people for not giving you everything you want. And it is a fraud to blame them when you refuse to use the money they did vote, even when it is ample to pay for everything else in the government.

 

When Barack Obama keeps claiming that it is some new outrage for those who control the money to try to change government policy by granting or withholding money, that is simply a bald-faced lie. You can check the history of other examples of "legislation by appropriation" as it used to be called.

Whether legislation by appropriation is a good idea or a bad idea is a matter of opinion. But whether it is both legal and not unprecedented is a matter of fact.

Perhaps the biggest of the big lies is that the government will not be able to pay what it owes on the national debt, creating a danger of default. Tax money keeps coming into the Treasury during the shutdown, and it vastly exceeds the interest that has to be paid on the national debt.

Even if the debt ceiling is not lifted, that only means that government is not allowed to run up new debt. But that does not mean that it is unable to pay the interest on existing debt.

None of this is rocket science. But unless the Republicans get their side of the story out — and articulation has never been their strong suit — the lies will win. More important, the whole country will lose.

Bed Tax Concerns New Philadelphia Ohio

       On Monday, June 24, the Finance Committee of the New Philadelphia City Council met to discuss the imposition of a three-percent (3%) bed tax on the motels, and other overnight lodging businesses within the city.  Should the tax be passed by the city council and approved by the Mayor, it would increase the city’s revenue by approximately $200,000 a year.

       This increase in city revenue, while not an economic cure for New Philadelphia’s worsening financial stability, would help to keep the city from the disaster of a possible bankruptcy. 

Consider the following:

The Estate Tax in Ohio has been repealed.  This alone has reduced income to the city by two million dollars this year already;

Income tax revenues are down $55,000;

Businesses are experiencing decreased sales due to increased prices combined with decreased personal income;

State contributions to the city from the state have been reduced, as have those from the county;

The recent round of pay increases for city employees amount to almost 8% in the next three years, some of those the raises being retroactive to January of last year, others to January of this year;

City maintenance costs have risen along with the rate of inflation.

       Increases to city funds will help alleviate an impending financial crisis, and if the increase in revenue can be accomplished without adding additional hardship on the taxpaying citizen of New Philadelphia, so much the better.

       But wait.  We’re talking $200,000 here.  Like road kill on a country road attracts vultures, new revenues attract people and organizations who believe that they are entitled to a piece of the take just because it is there.  Think not?  Well, get a load of this.

The local Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) based at Clever Airport in New Philadelphia, wants $50,000 as its “educational projects bring many visitors to the city airport.”  I belonged to the EAA in past years and appreciate what it does, but the use of city tax money to support a flying club really does not make sense.

The Athletic Department of the New Philadelphia Schools, wants $50,000 according to the president of the Quaker Club.  After all, they have made improvements to the stadium, which the School Department rents for a dollar a year.  They feel they deserve the money as football games bring people into town and the school contributes to the stadium maintenance. 

      The Tuscarawas County Convention and Visitors Bureau (TCCVB), in a letter to the City Council, requests $100,000 (50%) of the collected bed tax for their use, at their sole discretion.  $75,000 of this would be given to local facilities including but not limited to local museums, historic sites and the downtown of the city, beautification of public property including public parks, bike and hiking paths, the Tuscarawas River, and special events.  $25,000 is recommended to be spent for crosswalks and other capital expenditures.  Incidentally, if more than $100,000 becomes available because of an increase in bed tax revenues, the TCCVB wants the same percentage of payment (50%) from the bed tax if it exceeds the original $100,000.

Then there is Councilman Zucal.  He wants the money from the bed tax to be spent on specific projects, and get this, which are specified by legislation which means forever.  Remember, we are dealing with around $200,000 a year here.  Here’s his plan:

$70,000 (35%) to be spent for an Economic Development Director, who would be charge of the enhancement of the economy and climate of the city.  What ever happened to the Chamber of Commerce and the CIC?  Oh, yeah.  We can’t forget the secretary to help the new director out and the salary and benefits that would go along with that job.

      $10,000 (5%) for operating expenses of Schoenbrunn Village which is owned, operated, and funded, by the State Historical Society.

$10,000 (5%) for operating expenses to support Trumpet In The Land.

$10,000 (5%) for operations of Tuscora Park.

$10,000 (5%) to support the Quaker Club, an intrigal part of the New Philadelphia School System.

$30,000 (15%) to no more than six nonprofit organizations to be named later.

$60,000 (30%) to be given as grants for unnamed projects.

Let’s see.  Zucal’s plan spends the whole $200,000 (100%) proposed bed tax revenue on some very interesting places, only one of which, Tuscora Park, which is owned by the city and currently funded through city taxes.  The remainder of Zucal’s recommended spending plan goes to organizations which are not even a part of the City of New Philadelphia. 

The Quaker Club, as a part of the New Philadelphia Schools, is a separate political entity with its own taxing system, administration, and budgeting, and as such contributes nothing to the City from its over ten million dollar yearly budget.  The school system, supported by the real estate taxes of the citizenry of New Philadelphia, additionally charges its student families for sports, music instruction, books, and then wants additional money from the bed tax to pay its bills.

The Tuscarawas County Convention and Visitor Bureau is funded by state and county taxes and responsible for increasing tourism in the entire county.  Most of the projects mentioned in the request for $100,000 from the proposed bed tax are not in the city of New Philadelphia.  The suggestion that the TCCVB should also take over responsibility for projects such as painting crosswalks for motels is ludicrous.  Such projects are the city’s responsibility, not one of an organization wishing to grab funds from a city bed tax.

The fact of the matter is that New Philadelphia is going broke.  The bed tax is a partial solution to keeping the city solvent and by accomplishing that, keeping the State of Ohio from coming in and taking control of our city as it has already done in several cities.  I say a partial solution because until New Philadelphia city management, Administrative and Legislative, face the fact that the city is in need of realistic budgeting and acts accordingly, it will never achieve a sound financial state.

The bed tax should be passed.  However, the ordinance creating it should specifically stipulate that all income from that tax must go into the city’s General Fund and may not be spent without proper legislation by the City Council and approval of the Mayor. 

Legislation of a tax which does not directly have a favorable result for the citizenry should be defeated, no matter what the personal, political, or other gain, may be realized by members of city government.

Rosemary LaBonte on Immigration

I hate it when when somebody says it better than I do, in this case they did, but that doesn't stop me from passing it along.  Rosemary is so correct and to the point that I had to share it.  It was sent to me by a friend so I don't know Rosemary, but boy, do I agree with her.

**************



From: "David LaBonte"
My wife, Rosemary, wrote a wonderful letter to the editor of the OC Register which, of course, was not printed. So, I decided to "print" it myself by sending it out on the Internet. Pass it along if you feel so inclined. Written in response to a series of letters to the editor in the Orange County Register:

Dear Editor:

So many letter writers have based their arguments on how this land is made up of immigrants. Ernie Lujan for one, suggests we should tear down the Statue of Liberty because the people now in question aren't being treated the same as those who passed through Ellis Island and other ports of entry.
Maybe we should turn to our history books and point out to people like Mr. Lujan why today's American is not willing to accept this new kind of immigrant any longer. Back in 1900 when there was a rush from all areas of Europe to come to the United States, people had to get off a ship and stand in a long line in New York and be documented. Some would even get down on their hands and knees and kiss the ground. They made a pledge to uphold the laws and support their new country in good and bad times. They made learning English a primary rule in their new American households and some even changed their names to blend in with their new home.

They had waved good bye to their birth place to give their children a new life and did everything in their power to help their children assimilate into one culture. Nothing was handed to them. No free lunches, no welfare, no labor laws to protect them. All they had were the skills and craftsmanship they had brought with them to trade for a future of prosperity.

Most of their children came of age when World War II broke out. My father fought alongside men whose parents had come straight over from Germany, Italy , France and Japan. None of these 1st generation Americans ever gave any thought about what country their parents had come from. They were Americans fighting Hitler, Mussolini and the Emperor of Japan. They were defending the United States of America as one people.

When we liberated France, no one in those villages were looking for the French-American or the German American or the Irish American. The people of France saw only Americans. And we carried one flag that represented one country. Not one of those immigrant sons would have thought about picking up another country's flag and waving it to represent who they were. It would have been a disgrace to their parents who had sacrificed so much to be here. These immigrants truly knew what it meant to be an American. They stirred the melting pot into one red, white and blue bowl.


And here we are with a new kind of immigrant who wants the same rights and privileges. Only they want to achieve it by playing with a different set of rules, one that includes the entitlement card and a guarantee of being faithful to their mother country. I'm sorry, that's not what being an American is all about. I believe that the immigrants who landed on Ellis Island in t he early 1900's deserve better than that for all the toil, hard work and sacrifice in raising future generations to create a land that has become a beacon for those legally searching for a better life. I think they would be appalled that they are being used as an example by those waving foreign country flags.

And for that suggestion about taking down the Statue of Liberty, it happens to mean a lot to the citizens who are voting on the immigration bill. I wouldn't start talking about dismantling the United States just yet.

(signed)
Rosemary LaBonte

D-Day, June 6, 1944. Bernard Sterno's story of his jump into Normandy and History.

D-Day.  June 6, 1944, as recalled by Bernard Sterno, Infantryman, 101st Airborne Division, United States Army.  Originally from Georgia, he had moved to New York in search of work.  New York was not what he thought it would be, so when the war started, he volunteered.  His objective was to get into the paratroopers.  He was 19 years old.  This is his story, in his words.

 

 

They postponed D-Day one day because the weather was too rough.  Then the next day, it was it.  They had a meeting before dark and General Eisenhower came out and walked right among us.  It was very informal.  Usually, when a general comes up they have you at attention. But as soon as Eisenhower walked up, the company commander was briefed.  He said, "At rest."  That meant you could stand around.  Eisenhower came browsing through us, talking to us, joking with us, asking questions, where we were from, what did we do in civilian life, and things like that.

After he left, they took us, and all our heavy equipment, down to the C-47s, and we loaded up.

     We took off before dark on the fifth of June.  I don't know how long it took us to get into formation.  I was sitting next to one guy and we got tired and fell asleep.  It was dark then, we were still flying.  When I woke up and looked down, I could see a light flashing up at us.  We were over the English Channel.  It must have been a submarine or something like that that was flashing.

The next thing I knew, I could hear what sounded like a bunch of gravel on the plane.  I could see streaks of tracer bullets coming up from the ground.  I said, "Look there.  It looks like tracer bullet fire or something."

The guy next to me said, "It's just fire from the exhaust of the engines."

I said, "No it's not."

Then we started rocking.

They told us to stand up and hook up and we parachuted into Normandy at night.

We were scattered all over and mixed in with the 82nd Airborne[1].  It was just all mixed up that first night.  Every time another plane would come over the Germans would start shooting.  We got as close to them as we could and threw some hand grenades at them.  That quieted some of them down.  When it got daylight and we started seeing some of our own people.

We stayed together and when we ran into groups of Germans, we'd get rid of them.  Some of them would run and roll.  It was nip and tuck.

When we came to a village, we hit it along with other companies.  We were all mixed up with the 82nd Airborne.  We were just disorganized.  After a couple of days we all got together as people wandered in.

Some of the men landed further away from our objective than we did.  One plane load landed in the channel and were never seen again.  They were from Company A, First Battalion, 502 Parachute Regiment.  Their company commander was on the plane that went down.

I don't know how many days we were there.  After the 10th, we were supposed to go and take Carentan[2].  The whole company slept in a barn that night.  The next morning we started out toward the open causeway.  We had to rush in bunches and hit the ground and roll because the Germans were shooting at us and it was all in the open.  We'd go across one of those bridges, hit the shoulder of the road, and lay down low.  Some of the bridges were blown out.  We strung ropes across them and pulled ourselves across the water on the ropes.  We were all day long there.

When it got night, a dog-gone German dive bomber came over and was firing bullets.  He was hitting the paved road and everybody there.  He knocked several people of G Company out.  He just got them.  A British night fighter came in behind him and knocked him down.  The dive bomber looked like a torch in the air.  I could see it going over and hit the ground over on the other side of Carentan.  You could see it burning all night long.

When it got daylight, we were out on the end of the bridge. They sent Company H up ahead because the other companies had already taken a beating.  There was a big steel gate there and they pulled the gate open.  They needed somebody to go so they said Company H, that was our company.

      Our commander says, "Come on Company H, let's do it."

The battalion commander, who was Colonel Cole, Robert Cole, from Texas, was standing there in the bald open with a .45 pistol on him.  Our company commander was talking in a little whisper, and Colonel Cole said, "Damn it, Simmons, those Heinies know you're here.  There's no sense whispering."

Our company commander, Cecil L. Simmons, was from Grand Rapids, Michigan.  He was a captain.  After the war, he became the head of the Michigan National Guard and made brigadier general.  I've seen him twice since then.  I saw him at the Orlando reunion about 15 or 20 years ago and again when we were in Holland in 1989, at the celebration they had in memory of the liberation of Eindhoven.  That's the place where we jumped in Holland.

I knew the Germans were sitting there waiting, because all day long we had been trying to get to them.  When we started to cross over a hedge, all hell broke loose.  I mean, they just opened up. 

We sent one patrol out across an open field to a farm house. No sooner had they gone out, I was just getting ready to go over the hedge, and, man, the bullets and crap started flying.  We laid down in a ditch.  The rest of the battalion was up and down the ditch too, just pinned down.

It was just starting to get daylight when I noticed artillery shells started going into them, our artillery.  I said, "The next artillery man I meet I want to shake his hand."  Those heavy aerial bursts would burst over the foxholes and trenches the Germans were in.  They would explode and hit them even though there were in slit trenches.  They kept pouring that on them.

Finally the Colonel said, "When the smoke gets here," we would fire smoke shells which would hinder the Germans' visibility, "I want you to fix bayonets and charge."

I couldn't believe it.  But, sure enough, why, I looked over and saw Colonel Cole leading the dog-gone battalion.  He was the one that gave the order.  And then the rest of us, we jumped up and started going.  I went about a hundred or a hundred and fifty feet and I was looking for an German to shoot at.  One had his head right up there in the slit trench, I could see his helmet.  I aimed at it and got him.  He had a P-38 pistol and I wanted that son-of-a-gun.  I was laying on my stomach so I wouldn't get hit.  I reached up and got my trench knife out of my boot to cut the pistol loose.  I went to cut it, and my hand just jolted like that, and blood started to come out both sides of my finger.  A bullet had gone through my finger just as neat as anything.  I cut the pistol loose and crawled over to a more secure spot.

A medic happened to come by, Land, was his name, a guy from Tampa, Florida.  Zephyr Hills, I think.  He saw my hand bleeding and he said, "Let me bandage that."

I said, "Aw, it's not bothering me at all.  It's just throbs a little."

He said, "Yeah, I want to bandage it."  He bandaged it up okay.  He had my whole hand just wrapped with the darn thing.

Then we moved on forward to where the Germans were.  Colonel Cole looked over at me.  He remembered me, and he said, "Sterno, get back there and get some more medical attention.  You can't sit up here with that."

I said, "It don't bother me."

He said, "Get back," and I said, "Yes, sir."

I went back and found a friend of mine, who was a sergeant. We used to go into London together.  He was on his back holding his stomach.  I crawled over to him, and I don't know whether it was a shell, or a bullet, or what hit him, but some of his intestines were showing.

I heard somebody grunting and groaning and looked over and it was our medic.  He got one in his back.  He died right there. I got his first aid kit and started putting sulfathilamide powder and sulfa on the sergeant's wound with big, heavy pieces of gauze.  I gave him some morphine shots, from the little tubes of morphine they issued us.  I squirted that into him and he felt better.

Vehicles started coming up because they patched up the bridge.  One weapons carrier came driving in with more ammunition for us and they used that to pick up wounded.  There were a couple of medics on it.  They came over to where we were and got the wounded. 

"I told them, there's one over here,” and they got the sergeant on a stretcher and got him out of there. 

Another guy there was on his back.  His name was Reiley, and he was shot.  A bullet went completely through his chest. 

He said, "I can't breath, I can't breathe."

He was begging me to shoot him.  I thought he must be in pretty bad shape.

I said, "No, I can't do that."

A couple of medics came up and set him against a tree.  They saw there was not much they could do with him.  Later on, after a little more excitement, we found him on his back, dead.

A lieutenant who was there said, "Get back.  You're wounded. We've got enough people here."

My hand didn't bother me.  It was just because the darned hand was bandaged all the way, but I went back.  I really wasn't hurt bad.

I got back to the trench we started from, and there were three or four wounded people in there.  One guy, I'll never forget, had a handlebar mustache.  When Eisenhower was walking among us before we jumped that night, he said, "What did you do in civilian life?"  He said he was a waiter or something.  Eisenhower said, "I think he was a pirate, the way he looks."  He was joking humorously.  But he was there.  He apparently had been wounded, he had his arm in a sling leaning back smoking a cigarette.

I kept hearing these mortar shells.  I thought they were 88s at first.  I figured they were mortar shells, because you could hear pumph, pumph, and a short while thereafter, you'd hear the things whiz over.  They started hitting close to us.  I crawled into a little trench that was there.  It sounded like one hit real close to us and it felt like a board hitting my butt, tore my groin up a little bit.  My ears were ringing and when everything cleared, I could hear this one guy saying, "My eye, my eye."  His right eye was completely torn out.  I said, "Just be thankful you have the other one."  I put a piece of gauze and bandage on it for him.  Another guy, he had a submachine gun, was sitting there, his head lolling back and forth, blood coming our of both his nose and ears.  I don't know how he turned out.  But the guy who had the handlebar mustache, I wouldn't have recognized him if it hadn't been for that.  All that was left of his face was from the nose down.  The rest of it, it had shaved his head completely off, in two.

I was hurt then, really hurt.  I could hardly stand.  I could get up and limp.  I didn't know how bad I was hurt.  I had blood all over me, and my hip was aching.  I had shrapnel in my groin, my butt.  So I crawled on back to the iron gate.  I got back across the bridge and saw this little foxhole and got down in it.

There were other people back there who were wounded, and some who hadn't got up to the front yet.  The lieutenant from our company was there in a little foxhole about 10 feet from me.  All of a sudden, boom, it was a small caliber shell, I think a 55-mm mortar that the Germans had, that hit right between us.  It grazed my neck enough to make it bleed.  That didn't hurt bad, but it also go me in the chest.  There's still a little piece shrapnel in there now.  The lieutenant caught most of it in his arm.  I heard him over there moaning.

Finally, they had a truce.  They told all walking wounded, “If you can walk, get up and get to the rear."  We couldn't have any weapons or anything.  Our supply sergeant was there and he said, "I'll take care of that P-38 for you."  I said, "Okay."

I asked him later on back in England what happened to it.  "Well, I went across a river and lost it," he said.  I don't know what he did with it. 

So they sent me back to England.

---

[1] Due mainly to inexperience on the part of the troop carrier pilots, the paratroopers of the 101st were scattered over a large area.  At dawn of June 6, only 1,100 men were under a unified command out of the 6,600 who jumped.  Working as separate units, groups of up to 50 paratroopers attempted to carry out assignments planned for battalion size units.

[2] Carentan was taken on June 11, 1944.

Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown On Gun Control

The following was sent to Senator Sherrod Brown on March 21, 2013.  Two days later the Senate voted not to approve Obama’s request to include the United States in the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty.  The Arms Trade Treaty would have outlawed the possession of firearms by the United States Citizenry.  Senator Brown, along with 45 other traitors and perjurers in the United States Senate, voted to approve trashing the Constitutions Second Amendment by turning United States gun control over to the United Nations.

Senator Brown’s first response to the letter can be found below.  His second response was his recent vote to turn our security over to the United Nations.

 

***************************************************

 

Dear Senator,

I am writing you today because of concerns I have over your stance on the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution.

To refresh your memory, the Second Amendment states, “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”

Having experienced a tyrannical reign of government from King George, they wanted to prevent another despotic rule by government to the new nation they had created.  They realized that without protection from the government by the citizen himself, the government could seize control with a subsequent loss of liberty and freedom.  To prevent this, the Second Amendment was added to the Constitution to assure that should the government attempt such an action, the citizen could protect himself from a despotic government.

Additionally, the Bill of Rights, along with the Constitution, affirms the God given right of every man to protect himself, his family, and property, from harm.  It is each man’s responsibility to provide that protection for himself and his neighbors, a task, which the government at all levels, is unable to do. The courts in fact, have ruled that the police are under no obligation to respond to calls for assistance from the citizenry.

This then, places the citizen in a precarious position.  If he cannot depend on the police to protect him, he must protect himself.  The Second Amendment provides the citizen with the means to do this, without equivocation.  To protect this right is the duty of all Americans, especially those in government.

You may recall the words, “I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”  If you don’t, they are  the oath of office you took when you were seated in the United States Senate.

You promised, under oath, to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.  Not to do so after giving your pledge under oath, before the Congress and the American people, is a disgrace.

The position you have consistently taken on Second Amendment legislation raises serious questions about your desire, or ability, to fulfill your obligation to those who elected you.  Your position has been consistently against the Second Amendment.  You have supported those who have tried to disarm the American citizen of his constitutional rights through any means, regardless of your oath to protect the Constitution. 

Should you disagree with the Second Amendment, your course should be its repeal and not  passage of legislation that is contrary to the basic law of the land.

Your disregard of the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the oath you took when you were seated in the Senate, condemns you as being guilty of  treason and perjury, a legacy of shame that could follow you long after death.

Senator, I write you with all due respect. I bear no animosity against your person.  But I strongly object to your blatant disregard of the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution.

Respectfully,

 

Robert N. Conner

Bcc: Undisclosed Recipients

 

 

*************************************************************

 

Reply from Sherrod Brown, March 22, 2013, 4:18 p.m.       Dear Mr. Conner: Thank you for expressing your views about firearms legislation. As a United States Senator, I took an oath to defend the Constitution. The Second Amendment makes clear that Americans have the right to own guns, and the Supreme Court over time has given meaning to this right. When our children and families are no longer safe at our schools, in our malls, and in our movie theaters, then we as a country must take action. The shocking numbers of public shootings throughout the country last year, culminating in Newtown, Connecticut, demands that we engage in a serious national discussion about gun violence, not just in terms of weapons and bullets, but also including     mental health access, public safety officers, and our responsibility both as individuals and a society. Like all rights, it must be balanced against others. I have supported restrictions on the possession of     assault-style weapons so our public safety officers are not put at increased risk, and restrictions on the ability of criminals to possess handguns but I fully support the right of Ohioans to own firearms. Should the Senate consider this issue in the future, I will support common-sense reforms that protect     both public safety and the rights of gun owners. Thank you again for contacting me. Sincerely, Sherrod Brown United States Senator

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sweet Potato Recipe

Stopped by to see Kim Adams today.  She runs OV Harvest, which we wrote about in the blog OV Harvest Brings Oil and Vinegar to New Philadelphia on 10/7/12.  She's doing well, which is nice, and part of the reason why is she cooks and has some really neat recipes.  One which caught our fancy is the following, which is good but not all that difficult.

 

Cinnamon-Pear Balsamic Roasted Sweet Potatoes

 

 Ingredients:

    4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and each cut lengthwise into eight pierces

    1/3 cup Cinnamon-Pear Balsamic Vinegar

    2 tablespoons Organic Butter Extra Virgin Olive Oil

    3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt or sea salt

Preparation:

    Preheat the oven to 400F.  Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of a half sheet jelly-roll pan.  Thoroughly shake or whisk together the Cinnamon-Pear Balsamic Vinegar and Butter Olive Oil. Put in a large bowl and toss to liberally coat the sweet potato wedges with the vinegar and oil mixture.  Arrange the sweet potato wedges on the parchment paper lined pan In a single layer without overcrowding.  Sprinkle with the sea salt and roast until the balsamic glaze has caramelized.

    Serves four.

 

If you can't find the olive oil or vinegar, or just have questions about the recipe, give Kim a call or drop a note to:

 

Kimberly Adams

OV Harvest

106 2nd Street, SW

New Philadelphia, OH  414663

      330-365-9458

New Philadelphia Bed Tax Concerns

At the last New Philadelphia Council meeting, January 28, 2013, the request for a bed tax raised its head again.  This time it did so in the form of Ordinance 2-2013, the title of which you will love, AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE TAX CODE FOR TRANSIENT GUESTS WITHIN THE CITY OF NEW PHILADELPHIA, OHIO, TO ENACT A LODGING TAX FOR HOTELS, MOTELS, AND OTHER ESTABLISHMENTS FOR TRANSIENT GUESTS WITHIN THE CITY OF NEW PHILADELPHIA.

Wow! 

That the ordinance was created came as no surprise.  It was originally brought up by Ms. Dee Grossman on July 30, 2012 and referred to Sandy Cox, Chairman of the Finance Committee.  Cox, after researching various options connected with Grossman’s original proposal, with consent of the Finance Committee, asked Law Director Fete to prepare an ordinance for presentation to City Council.  Ordinance 2-2013 presented by Fete on January 28^th to City Council.

At the present time there is a three-percent bed tax imposed in Tuscarawas County by the County Commissioners.  Approximately $200,000 is collected by the county from New Philadelphia .  New Philadelphia receives ten-percent, $20,000, while the Tuscarawas County Convention and Visitors Bureau (TCCVB), Ms. Dee Grossman, Executive Director, receives the remaining $180,000 for her operation.  Her total operating budget, funded by the county, approximates $390,000.

If the City of New Philadelphia collects the proposed three-percent bed tax, a number of things occur.  The City’s income increases by $180,000 (revenue from the bed tax, $200,000 less $20,000 now being paid by the county).  The Convention Bureau does not loose its income as the County’s three-percent bed tax remains in effect.  The tax on motel rooms increasess from three- to six-percent.

The greatest concern of Ordinance 2-2013 is how the money collected by the bed tax is to be spent.  The most active advocate for the bed tax, and how it is to be spent, is Grossman.  Her interest, expressed in a letter to City council dated January 28, 2013, suggests procedures that, if implemented, would place the authority for spending the bed tax revenue collections in the hands of the TCCVB.  Grossman’s desire is that the tax be divided, 40% ($80,000) to the TCCVB, with the remaining 60% to go to the City of New Philadelphia to be used as it sees fit. 

 The TCCVB plan is to use the funds for museums, jogging paths, parks, improvements to the Tuscarawas River shoreline, marking crosswalks near motels, operation of special events, community events, and other activities determined by the TCCVB.  The proposed Ordinance 2-2013 has similar goals. 

Under the plan proposed by TCCVB plan the money will be allocated by a county appointed grant committee.  This is a concern as the TCCVB is a County operation with no connection to, or responsibility to, the City of New Philadelphia.  There is no guarantee that money collected from the New Philadelphia bed tax will be spent in New Philadelphia.

Under the proposed ordinance, control of spending of money brought in from the bed tax by the City of New Philadelphia would be limited to the same general restrictions as those mandated to the TCCVB with a singular difference.  Spending under the ordinance would be exempt from normal procedures such as public hearings.  The ordinance states that the bed tax receipts may be used for “any other lawful purpose as approved by the administration of the city of New Philadelphia or the city council.”  This statement, if approved, gives the Mayor the power to spend monies, in any amount, without approval of city council and, likewise, allows the City Council spend monies without agreement by the mayor.  Such a situation is to the determent of the financial stability of the City.

While there are numerous other concerns with Ordinance 2-2013, a major concern is the taking over of New Philadelphia city responsibilities by a non-New Philadelphia political entity.  The TCCVB has no connection with New Philadelphia other than it occupies office space in a building located in the city.  It is charted by the State of Ohio.  Its mandate includes the entire county, not only New Philadelphia.  So the question arises should New Philadelphia tax money be used for improvements in Strausburg, support of the Cheese Festival in Sugarcreek, or improvements and maintenance ot the Dennison Railroad Museum?

The TCCVB argument that it would use the money for painting crosswalks in motel areas, improve the city parks, and the like, are city responsibilities and should not be delegated to others, especially those from non-city political entities.  The liability implications, which could arise from such activities, could lead to lawsuits with which the city might not be able to cope

If the City of New Philadelphia is to legislate a three-percent bed tax in New Philadelphia, the tax money should stay in New Philadelphia.  According to the opinion of Mr. Fete, the New Philadelphia Law Director, there is no reason why the entire three-percent bed tax cannot be retained by New Philadelphia and used as it sees fit.  It is not necessary that any money from the tax be given to the TCCVB.  An additional $200,000 addition to the city’s income would help to alleviate the possibility of financial default by the city in a worsening economy.  But to commit to giving city tax money to an organization which has no responsibility, nor allegiance, nor connection to the city, makes no sense.

 

New Philadelphia Pay Raises Retroactive To January 2012

It’s tough getting older. It’s even tougher when you get there. It isn’t the aches and creaks that get to you as much as it is the knowledge that things aren’t all that they used to be. What it boils down to is that folks just aren’t as smart as they used to be.   Let’s take a look at the New Philadelphia city council for instance. On January 17, the Times Reporter ran an article - Philadelphia officials get raises, including mayor – which reported that the council had approved three-percent pay raises for Mayor Taylor, City Auditor Gundy, City Treasurer Johnson, Council President Hi tchcock, and Council Clerk McKay. Taylor, Gundy, and Johnson have constantly complained that they were underpaid. The vote wasn’t even close. For the pay raise were Mauer, Lautenschleger, Espinscheid, Zucal, and Lanzer. Against were Cox and Walker. This vote was interesting for a number of reasons. For one thing, everybody who was given a pay raise by this vote ran for the offices they hold knowing full well what the salary was. Oddly, before the election their concern for higher wages was not an issue. For another, those who voted for the raise totally disregarded the opinion of Law Director Fete who, according to the Times Reporter, explained that the practice of granting in-term raises for elected officials ”is not illegal — although the Ohio Revised Code does prohibit it”, a comment which makes no sense to me at all. No reason it should because the Ohio Fifth District Court made the decision over-riding state statutes. According to the TR, Fete did not take the pay raise because of ethical issues. Then it really got strange. Maurer said he didn’t feel comfortable voting on the pay raise. Espenshied said she had a problem with the issue as well. In spite of their uncertainty, both voted for the issue when the vote was taken. One of the strangest comments was one from Lautenschleger who said that if Hitchcock had handled the issue immediately, he, Lautenschleger, would have voted against it. I guess that legislation, like hamburger, turns rancid with time. So, on this vote, it appears that two of the votes for the pay raise were made by people who expressed concerns about its passage before and after the vote was taken, one voted for the pay raise because he wasn’t pleased with the speed with which the Council President brought the matter to the floor, one who publicly said he would vote against the pay increase changed his vote at the last minute to vote for it. Mr. Zucal’s vote for the pay raise came as no surprise. His history on City Council has been consistant with the administeration’s wishes, especially when it comes to spending money. In addition to the three-percent pay raise for this year, the legislation passed by council included a three-percent pay raise for last year retroactive to January 1, 2012. Figure that one out. The interesting part of the retroactive pay raise is that ex-Treasurer Johnson was included inspite of his refusal to provide council with monthly reports on the financial status of the city on a monthly basis as required by law, a discrepancy which was addressed by the State Auditor’s office in a recent audit of the city’s finances. To add fuel to the fire, Johnson had resigned his position effective the end of 2012, before the pay raises even became effective. Now being an old guy, it is hard to imagine that fiscal spending runs rampant in New Philadelphia. I remember the depression when money just wasn’t available. You made do with what you had. Old saying back then: Buy it new, wear it out; fix it up or do without. Today the administration of New Philadelphia, and the apparent majority of city council, chooses to ignore that message. It is obvious that they do not have New Philadelphia’s residents in mind when they consider financial activities in the city. Is this because their priorties are not with the residents of the city? Maybe we should ask what their true agendas are. Or maybe the Peter principle has finaly kicked in and New Philadelphia politicians have finally reached their levels of incompetance