A less than fond farewell for Kay Rogers

Butler County Auditor Kay Rogers was brief, civil and only partially self-serving in a resignation letter Friday in which she (mostly) assumed responsibility for her part in a fiber optics scandal that sucker-punched her county.

It was nothing like the Rogers I recall from her endorsement interview in the 2006 auditor's race.

Then she was memorably sharp-tongued, sarcastic and indignant, berating her opponent Roger Reynolds and barely entertaining questions about the Dynus Corp. mess in which she helped secure loans for a company that pretended to have a contract with Butler County but didn't.

I guess being forced to acknowledge she accepted $9,500 from the company and pleading guilty to federal charges had something of a wash-your-mouth-out-with-soap effect on Rogers.

"More information will surface in the coming months that may better explain the actions concerning this situation," she writes in her letter.

Let's not hold our breath.

"I regret that I put my trust in some people that have let me down," she continues.

And we regret that she let down the good people of Butler County.

More lessons for KY from Jersey

As part of my Web surfing routine, I stumbled across a New York Times editorial today on New Jersey's budget woes -- probably not a subject of great interest in our region normally. (Click here to read the full editorial.) It adds ammunition to an earlier posting in this blog by Ray Cooklis, my fellow editorial board member, about Kentucky's fiscal problems. That includes a woefully underfunded pension system that promised benefits that aren't sustainable.

Substitute the word "Kentucky" for "New Jersey" in the Times editorial, and you have an eerie similarity to not only the pension mess but the huge budget shortfall Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear is facing.

The paragraph I found most pertinent:

New Jersey’s problems are magnified by a long history of irresponsible borrowing and spending. In a self-destructive gimmick, the state seriously underfunded its pension plan and used the money to pay for current spending programs.

Beshear's pension reform plan takes steps toward solving the problem. A House committee has approved the measure, but it doesn't appear to go far enough. (The changes don't cover legislators either. Hmm.)

The state budget is an even bigger, immediate problem. Beshear inherited both a weaker economy and mismanagement by the outgoing Fletcher administration that included overuse of one-time funds to fund ongoing operations. Meanwhile, as Fletcher sought re-election, it seemed like if you wanted something paved anywhere in Kentucky last fall, the guv was happy to show up with a check and a photographer. And here we are today.

Buckley, Obama: Would they be friends?

I don’t know if famed conservative commentator William F. Buckley, who died Wednesday at the age of 82, had much contact with presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama. But I suspect the two might have gotten along quite nicely. That thought occurred to me Thursday afternoon as the Enquirer Editorial Board conducted a phone interview with Sen. Obama. I asked the senator how he would make his case to conservative voters and embrace the nation’s diversity of opinion. He replied that he’d welcome conservatives to the table to help develop “practical, common-sense, non-ideological approaches to policy making.”

That’s a refreshing thought, although the proof is clearly in the pudding and Obama’s track record, he admitted, is as a “progressive/liberal.” Still, this is the guy who rattled Democrats by unabashedly having nice words for Ronald Reagan – a president, by the way, who some observers believe Obama resembles more than he does John F. Kennedy. “I am not somebody who believes one party has a monopoly on wisdom,” Obama said. “I’m a proud Democrat, but I’m not an ideologue.”

You certainly can argue that Buckley was an ideologue – he almost single-handedly created the modern American conservative movement – but not in the pejorative sense we’ve infected that word with. Buckley was a major player in an era – an era we sorely miss – in which political discourse could often be conducted with decent civility by opponents actually respecting each other’s views while disagreeing strongly – even vehemently at times – with them. Buckley debated with rapier wit, and reveled in thrust and parry with those who could capably disagree with him. Obviously, this was the era before the likes of Bill Cunningham.

In a tribute to Buckley posted online Thursday by The New Republic, biographer John B. Judis reminds readers that Buckley was “a rebel, but not a heretic.” Buckley, he writes was a man of “wide-ranging and close friendships,” and many of his dearest friends were the leading liberals of the day – John Kenneth Galbraith and Norman Mailer, to name two. Today, what passes for political debates seems to comes from ideological fringes – left, right or nondirectional – populated by characters pursuing agendas that perhaps only a psychoanalyst could begin to understand. The aim is not to enlighten, but to demonize, dehumanize and humiliate the “stupid” people on the “other” side.

Buckley operated on a much higher plane. His final column for the National Review, a sort of linguistic analysis of a Clinton-Obama debate, was remarkable for its civility and perceptiveness. If Obama becomes president, I like to think that William F. Buckley would be among the sort of folks he’d want to bring to the table – perhaps to drink some fine wine, listen to some J.S. Bach, and help figure out where we all go from here.

Tasteless introduction to Cincinnati

Rob Portman told the crowd he was glad Bill Cunningham was lending his voice to warm up a Memorial Hall crowd for Tuesday’s John McCain rally. It was definitely a sub prime loan and Portman should have known better.

McCain showed class by repudiating Cunningham’s disparaging remarks about Barack Obama. The Republican frontrunner wasn’t on the stage when Cunningham was spewing and said he didn’t hear him speak and said he had never met the man. Still, said McCain, it’s his campaign and he would take responsibility for it. “I will not tolerate anything in this campaign that denigrates either Sen. Obama or Sen. (Hillary) Clinton,’’ McCain told reporters.

Most people in Cincinnati are familiar with Cunningham’s brand of thoughtless bombast. He never debates when he can insult. But it’s an unfortunate first impression for McCain to take away from our community. It’s also unfortunate that the clip of Cunningham making snide remarks about Obama’s middle name, Hussein, and calling him a “hack” will be played over and over in the national media. It will be a great boon to the city’s reputation for civility.

What Cunningham said was stupid. What was worse was the way so many people accept it. From Portman, to many of those responding to our online discussion board, to Hamilton County Prosecutor (and local party heavyweight) Joe Deters.

“Bill does this kind of thing a lot at Republican events, and we’re used to hearing it,’’ Deters said. That’s too bad.

Pension system takes its toll

Kentucky’s state pension system is, by any measure, a mess – more than that, a fiscal disaster waiting to happen. Combined, the retirement systems for teachers and government employees face a deficit of $26.6 billion in unfunded liabilities. A big problem, most observers say, is a history of overly liberal rules that allow employees to retire too early with too-generous benefits.

But hey, things could be worse. It could be New Jersey – where officials are facing a $113 billion shortfall. So Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear’s pension reform proposal, announced late last week, is being seen as a painful but needed step.

For current employees and retirees, the yearly cost-of-living adjustment would be lowered (from the present 3 percent) and fixed at 1.5 percent, a figure that couldn’t increase unless the legislature proves it already has the funds to do so. It looks for ways to reduce health insurance costs and expand wellness programs, and reins in “double dipping” – collecting two state pensions. But the real savings would come with future hires: They would have to work for 30 years and would have to be at least 55 years old to be elegible for retirement benefits. To workers in the private sector, that seems like an outrageously sweet deal, but it’s at least three years longer than under the current system.

That brings us to New Jersey, which has been even more generous than Kentucky over the years. Gov. Jon Corzine, the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday, is cracking down on the state’s retirement system – raising the retirement age to 60 for new hires and insisting that employees contribute to health insurance premiums. New Jersey, the Journal rightly concludes, is "where decades of tax and spend politics is reaching its logical conclusion."

Corzine's way-belated pension reform will help some. But fixing New Jersey’s gigantic unfunded liability will take more – so Corzine is proposing to borrow $38 billion in bonds using the state’s toll roads as collateral, then pay them back by raising tolls on the New Jersey Turnpike and other highways by 50 percent every four years.

Tolls? Where have we heard that idea before? And will we hear it again? Beshear's plan won't even reduce the $26.6 billion shortfall, just slow its growth rate.

Maybe the future of Kentucky is now. And it’s in New Jersey.

Smiling Bob

Friday’s conviction of Berkeley Premium Nutraceuticals’ founder Steve Warshak should bring a smile to many faces.

Warshak scammed thousands with his worthless claims that the herbal supplements he sold could fix everything from insomnia to a poor sex life.

He was convicted in U.S. District Court on conspiracy, bank fraud and money laundering.
Warshak denied doing anything wrong. The defense he presented was that if mistakes were made in the way the company collected payments it was just because the company was growing so fast.

In reality, the company was growing so fast because the company made outlandish claims and then ran up unauthorized credit card charges on its gullible customers.

Enzyte, called a “natural male enhancement,” and advertised with a silent but always smiling “Bob” in a series of television ads, probably was Warshak’s best known product. This guy preyed on human weakness and capitalized on the victims’ embarrassment.

Warshak could be sentenced to 20 years in prison and his company could forfeit millions based on the convictions. “Smiling Bob,” is probably smiling no more.

Beshear's budget bludgeons education in NKY

Rep. Dennis Keene, D-Wilder, says he is planning a bill to freeze state tuition at public universities and community colleges for two years.

His heart might be in the right place -- tuition increases seem out of control around the country -- but it smacks of a political grandstand play. By that, I mean this is one of those measures that will sound superficially good to many voters, fail to recognize the complexities of an issue and stand little chance of passage.

A mandated tuition freeze on top of a cut in the state allocation of about 12 percent would be awful for Northern Kentucky University and perhaps even more devastating to Gateway Community and Technical College. It would be a setback not just to those institutions, but also to the region's economic progress and its ability to consistently be an economic engine for the whole state.

Keene needs to stand up to the governor of his own political party and find out why Gov. Steve Beshear's budget is so unfair to Northern Kentucky. To keep local tuition down, he could help NKU get funded at a level comparable to, say, Western Kentucky, which receives about $5,500 per full-time student vs $4,800 per student at Northern.

Beshear's budget seems to snub the region in other ways, too.

For example, Gateway President Ed Hughes says he will be in the absurd situation of having newly constructed buildings that he won't have funds to operate, including a centerpiece of regional economic development -- the center for advanced manufacturing at Gateway's Boone campus.

And, for some strange reason, the governor found money in a tight budget to fund seven higher education projects that weren't even on the priority list of the state's Council on Postsecondary Education. None of those projects are in Northern Kentucky. Fast-growing NKU had two highly ranked projects -- renovation of its science building and constructing a health innovation center -- that won't see a nickle in 2008-10 while lower-ranked projects are getting funds.

The budgetary bludgeoning isn't limited to higher education. Because of the inequities in the state's formula for funding public schools, Northern Kentucky will continue to have seven of the 13 least-funded districts in the state based on per-pupil spending: Boone, Beechwood, Fort Thomas, Kenton, Campbell, Southgate and Erlanger-Elsmere. And other state educational funds, such as textbooks, would be slashed. I saw a spreadsheet that showed Boone County alone would have $356,000 less to spend on textbooks next year.

Beshear says everyone has to bite the bullet. Fair enough, but why should Northern Kentucky take the biggest bite? It will take a united front from Northern Kentucky's legislative delegation to limit the damage.

No 11-year-old is a "mom"

Our story on the 11-year-old who gave birth after reportedly being raped by her mother's boyfriend sucks out the hope I usually hold for the world.

When I gave birth to my own daughter 17 years ago and requested that she stay in my room with me, a nurse's voice got wistful. "It's nice to see a mom who wants her baby nearby," she said, then added softly, "We have an 11-year-old mom down the hall who asked that her baby not be brought to her room, but wanted a coloring book and crayons."

The sadness of that request silenced both of us. An event that for me was the best day of my life must have been utter horror for that little girl. She was a mom before she was a junior high school kid, a fact that blasphemied both motherhood and childhood.

Hamilton County prosecutors want to remove the baby from the girl's care. I can't see any other tolerable outcome to this tragedy. Why would anyone force a female already so humiliated and wounded to have to pretend -- in any way -- that she is a mother? Why would anyone who cared about her even a whit think she could live alongside a baby produced by her being repeatedly raped at age 10?

May she one day see the strength and grace she has to merely get through this.

Prophet Without Honor II: Closer to home

After seeing my previous post on presidential hopeful Rep. Ron Paul's reported struggle holding on to his own seat in Congress (below), alert reader Michael Harlow of Colerain Township sent an e-mail while on the road, pointing out that another long-shot candidate faces trouble in his home district -- Ohio's own Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Flying Saucer.

True enough. The Cleveland Democrat, who dropped out of the presidential race last month, was emphatically un-endorsed Thursday by the city's major newspaper, the Plain Dealer. The PD spared little invective in lambasting Kucinich for conducting "two embarrassingly ineffective presidential campaigns" while his district "suffer(s) from economic decline and federal neglect." It favors City Councilman Joe Cimperman in the five-way Democratic primary race, saying the district needs a full-time representative "who can set aside personal ambition and self-righteousness."

Prophet without honor in his own district?

Supporters of very-long-shot but still-hanging-in-there presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul may believe they have something to cheer about: One report this week says that recent polls place Paul 11 points behind his opponent, 43 percent to 32 percent.

Only 11 percent?

Only one problem: This report claims that with only two weeks to go before Texas’ March 4 primary, the Republican congressman is behind in the primary race for his own seat in the U.S. House. Internal campaign polls show Paul trailing challenger Chris Peden in the 14th District race, according to Pajamas Media, an online blog network.

If Pajama's posting is true -- and that may be a BIG if -- Peden evidently has been able to capitalize on Paul’s absence from the district during the traveling presidential circus. Could it actually be that a six-term House member with national name recognition is in danger of losing to a near-unknown – a city councilman in Friendswood, Texas?

Paul's true believers aren't buying it, of course. But if there's even a chance his House seat is in doubt, that would present Paul with a couple of dilemmas. Although he’s raised an astounding amount of cash through his online grassroots campaign – having already spent $20 million – he can’t use any of the more than $8 million in his presidential campaign account to defend his seat unless he drops out as a presidential candidate. But Paul shows no signs of doing that. So his supporters are scrambling to raise funds online -- for his congressional race.

Then there’s the matter of time. Paul may need plenty of it to deal with Peden in his Gulf Coast district, which stretches through 10 counties from near Corpus Christi to the Houston suburbs. But the Ohio, Texas, Rhode Island and Vermont primaries are on the same day – March 4 – so Paul likely will be on the national campaign trail. Peden's rather self-serving observation is that Paul is willing to risk losing his House seat for a chance to make a speech at the Republican National Convention, a prospect that becomes more likely the longer Paul stays in the presidential race to harvest delegates. Peden's also quick to point out that unlike Paul, he doesn't believe that NASA -- many of whose employees live in the district -- is unconstitutional.

So ... face time on CNN, or shaking hands at a strip mall in Matagorda County? Decisions, decisions. What’s a peripatetic Libertarian to do?

30 years of drunken driving

A word of thanks to Alex Heher of Fairfield Township who dodged flying car parts and spewed oil to trail a drunk hit-and-skip driver. The 20-year-old Heher's derring-do was essential in making the case against Stephen Wolf, who racked up his 19th drunk driving conviction. Police say Wolf was on his way to a bar. If he had entered and consumed a drink, police couldn't have proven how much he had to drink before the hit-and-skip, they say.

That said, it's ridiculous that anyone can accumulate 30 years worth of drunk-driving convictions and still be able to get behind the wheel, even illegally. Wolf now faces up to 10 years in prison. He spent one year in prison on felony drunken driving charges before.

Wolf deserves punishment, but what he and every other multiple-repeat offender need is treatment. They also need technology so that if they've consumed alcohol they can't start any car to which they have access. And they need people around them who will hold them accountable, care enough to take a stand against their driving, prevent them from having access to a car if they can, and make a case against their drinking.

Wolf's attorney did nobody a favor with his comments that his client is "a really personable guy" and "not nearly as bad as his record would reflect." Personable or not, Wolf is a danger to every other driver, passenger and pedestrian on the streets with him, and to himself. That he still can manage to find a way to get behind the wheel is a travesty and a pity.

A plan to 'see and raise' on Kentucky casinos

Cincinnati Councilman Jeff Berding wants to make sure Cincinnati gets a seat in the game when it comes to casino gambling. The stakes are too high, he says, in tourist dollars and tax revenues, to let all of the bets be placed in Indiana and Kentucky.

Maybe he has a point. He proposes an amendment to Ohio’s constitution that would only come into play if Kentucky amends its constitution to allow casinos on the south side of the Ohio River. If that happens, the Ohio amendment would allow Ohio counties bordering Kentucky casino counties, the local option of setting up a few gambling houses of their own.

The Kentucky plan under consideration envisions a casino at the Turfway Park race track and another, free-standing operation in Campbell or Kenton counties.

Under Berding’s plan, a casino in Campbell County would mean Hamilton and Clermont counties could opt for up to two casinos each. Or they could opt for none, leaving the benefits – and problems – of casinos to Kentucky.

Ohio voters have turned down casinos three times on a statewide basis, but Berding says casinos in Northern Kentucky would change the game. He says his proposal will at least allow Ohioans near those casinos “a chance to discuss the implications” such operations would have on the economy and social fabric of Southwest Ohio. Whether or not you want casinos in Ohio, those implications are worth discussing.

More on the Freedom Center

Here’s a follow-up post about the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center from Sharon Morgan, editorial assistant to the editorial board.

I’m a native Cincinnatian. When I heard about the Freedom Center coming to our city I was excited but also skeptical that it would be embraced by this city.

When it opened four years ago, I visited several times and had taken my out-of-town guest to the facility. I’m looking forward to going back; I’m waiting for that urge! It’s an emotional journey through time but necessary to move forward. However, there are many who want things to remain the same. I believe people are afraid to take that emotional journey and afraid to be judged by their neighbor for seeking out the truth about African-Americans’ historical information that was left out of textbooks. The Freedom Center brought that knowledge here to Cincinnati.

In my lifetime, I have experienced in this city unpleasant encounters in certain communities when I was judged not by my character but by my skin color. However, it did not deter me from volunteering in the community to help our youth to believe in themselves and to excel in their achievements.

The Freedom Center belongs here in Cincinnati and deserves to be supported by everyone. Instead of wishing it wasn’t here or thinking it’s not worth visiting, take a chance to learn something new because it’s not in the textbooks.
--Sharon Morgan

Sore losers

What’s more obnoxious than a disgruntled sports fan?

A disgruntled sports fan who also happens to be a lawsuit-happy lawyer.

Enter “fans” Eric Deters of Independence, Hugh Campbell Jr. of Villa Hills and John Young of New Orleans, the legal triumvirate whose suit accuses the New England Patriots of cheating to beat the St. Louis Rams in the 2002 Super Bowl. Their clients include Cincinnati ticket broker Kevin Hacker, who attended the game, and wants the federal courts to order refunds to all 72,022 people who attended the game, and award that would come to $29,168,800.

Plaintiff Willi Gary, who played on the Rams that year, wants each member of the losing team to get $25,000, the difference in bonus money between winners and losers of the contest. He also wants “compensation” for not getting a 2002 Super Bowl ring, which unsentimental winners are able to now sell on eBay for $125,000.

These guys all claim the Patriots and their coach, Bill Belichick, improperly videotaped a Rams walk-through practice before the game, giving them unfair knowledge of the St. Louis game plan. The Patriots won 20-17 with a field goal.

I’m no fan of Belichick, who is a great coach but an unabashed cheater. He was fined $500,000 by the NFL this year for taping an opposing team’s signals, something he had previously been warned not to do. But right up there with cheaters are sore losers who are upset they didn’t win rings they could hock. And right up there with cheaters and sore losers are… well, the rest of the greedy clowns involved in this suit.

We have rules to deal with cheaters in football games. We don’t lawsuits.

When the arts disappear from schools

This week Enquirer reporter Sara Pearce wrote a piece about Cincinnati Public Schools' $6 million art collection, which is being exhibited at the Cincinnati Art Museum and Cincinnati Museum Center.

It's a creative, publicly beneficial way to show and share the art, but it's also a bittersweet issue. Art and music are wonderful things -- wonderful things that are at risk of disappearing from Cincinnati Public Schools. As budget cuts loom, it's hard to hold onto the arts. And in CPS, it's become hard to hold onto many extracurricular activities, from athletics to clubs.

I'm sure some taxpayers, faced with a high-millage levy in March, will suggest selling off the collection. It wouldn't be enough to solve this budget crunch and it would be the loss of both a financial and symbolic investment. Still, the district is close to a fire sale, where far more precious things than adult artworks may have to go.

Years back, I had the opportunity to view an absolutely beautiful collection of the artwork of Cincinnati Public Schools students -- hundreds of still lifes, self portraits, landscapes and sketches done over decades. It told me all I ever needed to know about the quality of education in the district and the potential of its students.

I hope, if and when the district gets through the troubled times it now faces, there are again such rich opportunities for all Cincinnati students.

Freedom Center observations

Here's a guest post from Sharon Morgan, editorial assistant to the Editorial Board:

In reference to the Freedom Center wanting to relocate the front entry to get foot traffic: why couldn’t they place a welcome sign for the public where the group entry is located facing downtown? They could reconfigure the look of the new entry. It might not be as grand as the south side for the public to enter, but at least they could save money.

I believe the problem with the Freedom Center from the beginning has been their marketing and advertising campaign. It has not enticed me to go. But, I think the city also did a poor job in supporting the center and encouraging all communities to be a part of this historical place, while it was being built. We were lucky to get such an establishment here, but the way African-Americans have been treated in this city makes it really hard to support something that reminds them of the past because the present is almost the same environment. And whites probably are wondering why it would be to their interest to go because it has nothing to do with them. Some already think African-Americans use the "race card" too often.

So until the city includes all people and stops trying to keep relocating them, the Freedom Center will continue to struggle. And the Freedom Center has to do a better job in informing this city why it’s a place for everyone, not only through discussion but with action.

I’ve yet to see something that makes me say: "I have got to go see that." And I get the newsletter monthly.
--Sharon Morgan

Summer vacation more important than education

If the Kentucky Legislature wants to send the exact wrong signal about the commonwealth's commitment to better education -- which still has a huge distance to travel by any measure -- it should just go ahead and approve a misguided effort to micro-manage when the state's school districts can begin their school years.

As reported today by The Enquirer's Bill Croyle, Senate Bill 134 would mandate that most of the state's districts couldn't start any earlier than the third Monday in August. Many districts in Northern Kentucky start earlier than that now.

While this is characterized as a grass-roots effort by citizens who don't want to interfere with summer vacation time, elements of Kentucky's tourism industry have pushed this for years.

Both notions are misguided. The need for cheap, summertime labor at tourist spots pales by comparison to the need for school districts to set calendars that make the most sense for their students -- or maybe you want Johnnie or Jennie to pump gas into boats at Lake Cumberland after graduation, too. If anything, Kentucky's school year should be longer.

And local school superintendents point out quite correctly that the school calendar should be a local decision. If citizens don't like the local calendar, they can elect new school board members.

Legislators should kill this bill and devote their energy on education into helping students achieve at higher levels.

Language barrier

I've just been reading the post by Carl Weiser over on the Politics Extra blog about Ohio Rep. Bob Mecklenborg's ill-conceived bill to make English the official language of Ohio.

The key to understanding this nonsense is Mecklenborg's quote: "This bill also has an important symbolic function because it sends a clear and concise signal to all those who want to participate in our state as citizens that there are responsibilities, as well as benefits."

The "clear and concise signal" being sent by Mecklenborg, who is facing a Republican primary challenge, is an appeal to people who don't like immigrants. These are people who like to point to such things as "for English press one," telephone messages as sure signs that the American way of life is on the brink. They note that their grandparents learned English when they came to this country and never demanded such communication aids.

Of course when their grandparents arrived we didn't have a telephone in every pocket either. Immigrants tended to group in isolated enclaves where old-country languages were spoken by the first generation while their children went to school and learned English. The "immigrant forefathers" Mecklenborg speaks of didn't need for the state to have an "official" language to understand that their children would benefit by learning English so that they could function in the larger society, doing business, branching out, and in some cases, ending up in the state legislature.

In case you are wondering, Ohio's official business already is conducted in English -- except in the legislature, where members sometimes speak a language all their own.

Primary Pallor: "No Candidate Filed"

When it comes to casting my ballot, I’m as pro-choice as they come: I actually want to be able to choose between candidates for a particular office. The audacity! Too often, however, that’s an unrealistic expectation. Take the March 4 Ohio primary, at least in much of Hamilton County.

I called up the sample ballots available for my precinct on the Hamilton County Board of Elections Web site (some other county boards also have this online feature). Here are the grim facts: Aside from the presidential race and two county ballot issues, only one contested race appears on the Republican ballot in my precinct – Pat DeWine vs. Kathy King for the GOP nomination to a Common Pleas judgeship – and none are on the Democratic ballot.

Yes, it is a partisan primary, and each party might be expected to have fielded only one candidate in many races. But oh, if it were even that crowded. In many races they haven’t mustered up any candidates. On the Democratic ballot, 16 races are devoid of names, with the solemn advisory “No Candidate Filed a Declaration of Candidacy for this Office.” It’s only one on the GOP side, but that’s not much to crow about. What this means, of course, is that in the November election, 16 Republicans and one Democrat will get a pass.

You might chalk it up to this year’s highly publicized “deal” between the county GOP and Dems not to field candidates in certain races, but this sort of thing has been going on for decades, especially when judges and countywide offices are on the ballot. Take a wider look, and it’s even worse:

=In the fall of 2002, two-thirds of the seats in the Kentucky House were unopposed.
=In the fall of 2003, there were 90 uncontested “races” for local offices throughout Hamilton County – plus eight with no candidates at all.
=In the fall of 2004, 48 of the 100 Kentucky House races and eight of 19 Senate races had no opposition.
=And in the fall of 2006, one of the U.S. House seats from Kentucky had no major-party opposition!

What concerns me most is what young voters, especially first-time voters, might think when they see their primary ballots after all the build-up they’ve experienced for this civic exercise. I can imagine they’ll think: If it doesn’t matter to the parties and candidates, why should it matter to me?

Uncontested layups in March, I like. Uncontested seats, not so much.

U.S. loses a voice for human rights

It wouldn’t be much of an exaggeration to say that Congress lost its conscience Monday when Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif. and chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, died in Washington from cancer of the esophagus. Lantos, 80, a Hungarian Jew who escaped twice from Nazi concentration camps, was the only Holocaust survivor ever to serve in Congress. While he was involved in some controversial – and questionable – dealings over the years, he was that body’s most powerful voice for human rights and civil liberties. With a moral authority born of personal suffering, he kept his colleagues honest on such issues.

He was one of several lawmakers arrested at the Sudanese Embassy in Washington in 2006 during a protest of the Darfur genocide. He spoke out about the mistreatment of religious minorities in various countries, and was particularly focused on preventing a resurgence of antisemitism. He was instrumental in the 2004 deal that led to Libya’s Moammar Gadhafi ending his nation’s nuclear weapons program.

And he wasn’t one to pull his punches. In November, Lantos upbraided Yahoo executives over the online firm’s cooperation with Chinese authorities that led to a journalist’s 10-year jail sentence: “Morally, you are pygmies,” he told them. In June, he called former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder a “political prostitute” for his ties to Russian energy firms, then apologized – to prostitutes.

“He was the embodiment of what it meant to have one’s freedom denied and then to find it and to insist that America stand for spreading freedom and prosperity to others,” Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said. “He was also a dear, dear friend and I am personally quite devastated by his loss.”

Lantos’ life story is an amazing one by any standard. He was a teenager when he and his family were imprisoned by the Nazis. He eventually got away, aided by the legendary Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat who rescued thousands of Hungarian Jews. After the war, Lantos reunited with his childhood sweetheart, Annette, who became his wife of 58 years. He won a scholarship to study in America, enrolled in the University of Washington, and went on to get a doctorate in economics at Berkeley. He ran for Congress in 1980, and held his seat ever since then.

“It is only in the United States that a penniless survivor of the Holocaust and a fighter in the anti-Nazi underground could have received an education, raised a family and had the privilege of serving the last three decades of his life as a member of Congress,” Lantos said last month. “I will never be able to express fully my profoundly felt gratitude to this great country.”

Lantos was wrong. With his service to America and humanity, he expressed it well indeed.

Signing Day: News item from a parallel universe

Prep scholars grow up in a flash
Kelly quick
to praise
new smarts
Science positions are bolstered

For years, the University of Cincinnati academic program has had a difficult time recruiting enough brilliance to allow the Bearcats to compete successfully with some of the nation’s big-time programs. But UC academic coach Brian Kelly believes he made a breakthrough in that area with his 2008 recruiting class.

“We added innovative skills in the cutting-edge sciences,” Kelly said Wednesday as he introduced UC’s 4,150-scholar class on national letter-of-intent signing day. “The depth of insight in the history and philosophy majors I think is first-class and national in terms of its scope. We’ll see how they develop, but coming in they have the intellectual ability to change society for the better.”

Meanwhile, Academic Championship Series national runner-up Ohio State signed 6,160 scholars on signing day, but the Buckeyes must wait to hear from one of their most coveted recruits – a ballyhooed high school physicist from Western Pennsylvania who has been compared to Stephen Hawking. “I’d like to take more time and be fair to all the professors who spent a lot of time recruiting me,” he said.

Even so, Ohio State’s class ranked in the top 10 by ScholasticRivals.com. “A fine blend of brilliance, intellectual curiosity, discipline and needs highlights this group of 6,160 young people with great character,” OSU academic coach Jim Tressel said.

Happy bears; sad seniors

It's hard not to be cynical about Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear's priorities.

I don't doubt there's a budget crisis. But, somehow, there is $6 million for a polar bear exhibit at the Louisville Zoo (and Louisville is a bastion of Democratic Party strength) while higher education, Medicaid support and programs such as Meals on Wheels for the elderly face big cuts.

It smacks of an old political budget-cutting trick. I've seen school boards do it, too, cutting sports, band and bus services before taking hard looks at administrative costs and overhead. Don't cut where it will hurt the least; cut where it will hurt the most and be most visible to the public.

The outcry erupting from the Kentucky budget process nicely plants seeds for the revenue lure of casino gambling, doesn't it?

Personally, I had come to the conclusion that people are going to gamble, and Kentucky might as well have a piece of the action if it is limited and well-regulated. Gambling would bring a lot of revenue into Northern Kentucky. No doubt about it. But, if these are the tactics being used to get us there, I just might change my mind.

New! Improved! Strickland's Frontier 3.1

Here’s an economic stimulus proposal from Ohio’s governor: Let’s issue $1.7 billion in bonds to develop high-tech and biomedical industries, shore up the state’s infrastructure and fund other public works. Sound familiar? It should.

One of the highlights from Gov. Ted Strickland’s State of the State speech Wednesday, the plan bears more than a passing resemblance to the 2005 Issue 1 proposal, which went to fund the Third Frontier high-tech initiative of Strickland’s predecessor, Bob Taft.

Taft’s $1.85 billion issue included money for roads, bridges and sewers as well as for cutting-edge technology firms. Strickland’s $1.7 billion issue would include money for bridge and road replacement, as well as for cutting-edge bioproduct and energy firms. Taft’s 2005 ballot issue was called “Jobs for Ohio.” Strickland is calling his proposal “Building Ohio Jobs.”

Notice a trend here? The libertarian Buckeye Institute does, and it doesn’t like it. “Bonds are not free,” Buckeye President David Hansen said. “Future generations of Ohioans will be stuck with an ever-increasing mountain of state debt, payable with interest.” Hansen was talking about Strickland’s plan, but he could have been talking about Taft’s. In fact, his colleague Douglas Oliver made essentially the same argument in 2005: “Ohio doesn’t need any more Third Frontier debt.” But hey, it sure worked for Taft. It’s bound to work for Strickland, right?

So call it the Fourth Frontier. Or maybe Frontier 3.1.

The courage to talk about what we believe

Are we living in an age of increased tolerance of religious, political and cultural differences, or is it getting more uncomfortable than ever to discuss such matters or publicly live out religious and philosophical beliefs?

That tension was a topic of discussion yesterday when the editorial board met with officials of the Cincinnati chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. It can lead some people to publicly disavow their faith, to live as religiously neutral as possible. It can lead others to build relationships almost exclusively with people of their own faith, effectively insulating themselves from other points of view and the debate and discomfort that can accompany such contacts.

What is then missing, as the CAIR leaders eloquently reminded us, is dialogue, an exchange of viewpoints, deeper understanding of other faiths (or political beliefs)and a platform on which to build healthy and diverse relationships.

It sometimes does feel "safer" to be a get-along, go-along kind of person who shies away from controversial beliefs, or to surround oneself with people who feel exactly as you do about issues.

How sad if we are losing the ability -- and personal integrity -- to commit deeply to political, ethical or religious beliefs. And how frightening if we no longer feel safe, or know how to, discuss them with others in civil discussion.

Better education? More time in school

What is it that you don't want?

That's the question I suspect teachers and principals want to ask as they read articles making the case for more school music and art, more phys ed, more foreign language, more technology training and, most of all, more work on reading and math.

The answer is, we want it all. We think a well-rounded education will foster creativity, competence, independence and mental and physical health in our children.

Unfortunately, we've often been in denial about what it will take to deliver such a comprehensive education: more learning time. It's time to admit we can't keep trying to force teachers to cram more into the current school day or calendar, or bashing them when they can't.

A Washington Post story makes a good case for adding hours, days or even weeks to the academic calendar. The curriculum can broaden and teaching and learning can deepen. But that doesn't mean the additional time has to look exactly like the old school day.

As a former teacher and education reporter, I've seen students benefit greatly from week-long mini terms added between the semesters, or end-of-the-day physical activity and extracurricular periods. Children and teenagers need an opportunity somewhere in their academic career to explore areas of interest, connect with teachers in a different way and simply to get a breather from their normal school routines. Increasing learning time shouldn't mean increasing burnout.

But while we're getting real about things: more time in the classroom is going to require more funding.

Tight squeeze for Southgate firefighting

Retired Southgate Fire Chief Ray Muench, 80 years young, called me to say I really needed to see the Southgate firehouse for myself.

Southgate, a small Campbell County city nestled between Wilder, Newport and Fort Thomas, desperately needs a fire station. A referendum to increase local taxes failed by eight votes a few months ago. That's too bad, but it seemed silly that talks about consolidation weren't serious since neighboring stations were less than 2 miles away. I said as much in a Forum blog posting.

What I learned on my visit reminded me that sometimes what seems logical on the surface isn't always the way to go.

Chief John Beatsch was a young firefighter on the scene of the Beverly Hills Supper Club fire. Now he volunteers when he isn't running a convenience store in Fort Thomas. He convinced me that consolidation won't offer better fire protection to Southgate residents and certainly won't lower their taxes.

So, they're back to the drawing board with plans for a scaled-back proposal that should reduce the maximum cost to about $1.2 million.. This time, Beatsch said, he hopes the council simply will vote to raise taxes instead of going to a referendum. It'll cost the average taxpayer less than $100 per year. Homeowner's insurance and taxes could go up more than that if the department merges, he said.

Lest you think the department isn't busy, the chief said that they had 180 fire calls and about 300 ambulance runs last year, many in support of surrounding communities. All, he said, on a budget of about $200,000 -- $179,000 from the city and the rest from fund-raising. That's less than 20 cents per day per citizen.

Not doing anything shouldn't be an option, which brings me back to my tour of the aging station. The floor of the station is holding a load many times beyond its safe capacity. When they have meetings in the basement, they have to pull the two trucks onto the street. And they can't pull one of the trucks out without removing the other -- a loss of potentially critical response time.

If you live in Southgate, you really should see it for yourself. For now, check out the photo that shows the tight squeeze when they pull out of the station. The trucks have to be custom built for a lower height. And pictured, from left, are my three tour guides: Muench, Beatsch and Assistant Chief Steve Rath, one of the few paid firefighters. Rath also is on the Fort Thomas department.

Beatsch thinks consolidation will come someday. But he argues that the new station will be that much more valuable for the merged department, local insurance rates and -- most important of all -- rapid service that you hope and pray you never need. I think he's right.

Questions for candidates?

As will be noted in Sunday's Forum, the Enquirer Editorial Board soon will begin its endorsement process. Among the first candidates we will be talking to are those seeking the nominations for Ohio's 2nd Congressional District.

Do you have any questions you want us to ask them? Add a comment here or go on our discussion board at Cincinnati.Com Search: conversation.

Talk about the elections

The Enquirer’s Editorial Board is forming a reader advisory panel to meet with us periodically from now through the election in November.

We’re interested in people who are interested in local and national races and like to discuss the issues. We want people who are willing to present their opinions, and equally willing to listen to the opinions of others. We aren’t looking for campaign operatives, but if you are a supporter of a particular party or candidate, that’s fine. It’s also fine if you haven’t made up your mind yet.

Our plan is to set the group up as a local online discussion group. The group will meet in person once every month or so, but will be expected to talk online frequently to hash out subjects suggested by the editorial board, one another and our readers.

If you are interested in participating in this project, e-mail me at dwells@enquirer.com. Include your name, age, address, telephone, e-mail, and a brief statement about what you see as the top local and national issues facing voters this year. We will select a panel with diverse views from the applicants.

Higher ed: A tale of two states

Maybe it doesn’t qualify as irony, but it is an incongruity: Enrollment in Kentucky’s public universities and colleges is at a record high, the Council on Postsecondary Education reported Friday, with 212,994 students enrolled in fall 2007 – a 3.2 percent increase over the previous fall. Meanwhile, Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear has proposed to slash university funding by 12 percent in the next state budget. What’s wrong with this picture?

It’s clear – and heartening – that more students than ever are seeking a college education, and are relying on state institutions to fill the bill. The University of Cincinnati this fall welcomed its largest incoming freshman class in decades – about 4,150 new students, boosting overall UC enrollment to around an unprecedented 37,000. There even was a waiting list for would-be UC freshmen. All this has happened despite – or perhaps because of – higher academic and admissions standards during the past couple of years. Meanwhile, Kentucky’s new figures put it on track toward its goal, announced last year, of doubling the number of college graduates living in the state by 2020.

The reasons why both states should cheer increased enrollment is clear: More students means more graduates, finding better jobs with better incomes, helping state economies. It’s one of the best long-term investments a state can make. So Beshear’s proposed cut must be troubling to many Kentucky business and educational leaders. Ohioans, on the other hand, should welcome Gov. Ted Strickland’s decision this week not to target universities for cuts, despite a predicted shortfall that could reach $1.9 billion by June. Eric Fingerhut, head of the state’s board of regents, called that a “watershed moment,” especially considering Ohio’s recent past of deep cuts to higher education.

Building a bridge to Washington, D.C.

Our Jan. 31 editorial about how Kentucky is wrestling with funding options for a Brent Spence Bridge replacement touched on the federal government’s involvement – rather, its lack of involvement – in this project. The bridge and the Interstate highway that crosses it are vital parts of the national infrastructure – and vital to national security, you can argue. The solution for funding the new bridge clearly should be national in scope. Yet federal officials essentially have told the states they’re on their own. Even if Kentucky lawmakers pass Senate President David Williams’ bill to let local governments establish authorities to raise and borrow money, they’ll need Washington’s buy-in as well. “We’ve got to get the federal government more involved than they want to be,” Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear told the Enquirer editorial board recently.

Washington says the money isn’t there in its Highway Trust Fund, but that situation might change. A congressional commission recommended last month that federal gasoline taxes be increased by up to 40 cents a gallon over the next five years to pay for infrastructure such as bridges. If Beshear is serious about tweaking the feds on these projects, he should be waving that study in their faces. And he should enlist the aid of Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland and the two states’ congressional delegations to emphasize the point.

There’s a moral justification here: Both Ohio and Kentucky have been shortchanged by that highway fund for literally decades, getting less back in federal transportation funding than they contribute in gas taxes (a little over 90 cents to the dollar, up from about 64 cents a decade ago). They’re paying for the infrastructure of recipient states such as West Virginia, which has gotten about $1.69 for each dollar it put into the kitty, thanks largely to the influence of Sen. Robert Byrd, D-Pork.

May that’s the argument Kentucky should be making: After all these years, you owe us one.