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JULY 11, 2013 • CAMPBELL COMMUNITY RECORDER • A9
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Editor: Michelle Shaw, mshaw@nky.com, 578-1053
EDITORIALS | LETTERS | COLUMNS | CH@TROOM
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Guiding a common agenda for N. Ky. Vision 2015 was launched eight years ago with a charge to implement a bold, strategic plan for Northern Kentucky. The organization’s most innovative and important work is highlighted in the recently released Vision 2015 Annual Kara Williams Report to the Community. COMMUNITY RECORDER GUEST Vision 2015 COLUMNIST was created as a shared public plan that represents the region’s priorities. Six focus areas emerged: Economic competitiveness; educational excellence; livable communities; urban renaissance; regional stewardship; and effective governance. The 2013 community report details achievements in each focus area, including the opening of the Licking River
Greenway and Trails, the first class of UpTech graduates, and The Catalytic Development Funding Corp. of Northern Kentucky reaching its goal of raising $10 million for the development of market race housing and commercial projects in the region’s urban core. Northern Kentucky is a region recognized for its ability to work together to get things done, a concept known as “collective impact.” Vision 2015’s annual report focuses on the five pillars of the collective impact model: Common agenda; measuring results consistently; mutually reinforcing activities; continuous communication; and backbone support organization. Using these five pillars and working with community, business, government, education and other leaders from both sides of the Ohio River, Vision 2015 helps establish and guide a common agenda for Northern Kentucky.
In 2012, Vision 2015 partnered with Agenda 360 – Southwest Ohio’s regional action plan for job growth, talent acquisition and economic opportunity – on a number of initiatives, including The Story Project. We introduced The Story Project to create a common narrative for the region. It is a project that uncovers our region’s DNA and through powerful storytelling identifies what sets us apart from competing regions.
We must overhaul the role of the TSA You probably think this doesn’t apply to you. Wrong. Even if you never enter an airport your hard earned dollars are paying big salaries and big benefits to thousands of federal TSA workers right now. How many times a year do you fly on an airplane? Millions of Americans have Glenn Mollette never flown on a commercial COMMUNITY plane and RECORDER GUEST COLUMNIST millions more have only flown a couple of times. Statistics of who have and have not flown vary. Fifty million people in the United States are living in poverty and on food stamps. Are these people jet setting around the country? Another one hundred million people in the United States are still earning about $40,000 or less each year. Do you think these individuals have lots of plane cash stashed aside? They do not. Consider the millions who seldom take a vacation and prefer to drive when they do and you start seeing a smaller number of frequent air travelers. How many people fly each year in the United States? Air travel: About 42 percent of U.S. adults reported traveling by air for leisure trips taken between August 2008 and July 2009. The percentage of air travelers increases to 48 percent among U.S. adults who traveled for business purposes in the past year. (Source: travelhorizonsTM, July 2009) Air travel hassles: A June 2008 study by the U.S. Travel Association revealed a deep frustration among air travelers that caused them to avoid an estimated 41 million trips over the past 12 months at a cost of more than $26 billion to the U.S. economy. Air travelers expressed little optimism for positive change, with nearly 50 percent saying
ABOUT LETTERS AND COLUMNS We welcome your comments on editorials, columns, stories or other topics important to you in the Community Recorder. Include your name, address and phone number(s) so we may verify your letter. Letters of 200 or fewer words and columns of 500 or fewer words have the best chance of being published. All submissions may be edited for length, accuracy and clarity. Deadline: Noon Friday E-mail: mshaw@community press.com Fax: 283-7285. U.S. mail: See box below Letters, columns and articles submitted to the Community Recorder may be published or distributed in print, electronic or other forms.
that the air travel system is not likely to improve in the near future. The effect of avoided trips cost airlines more than $9 billion in revenue; hotels nearly $6 billion and restaurants more than $3 billion. Federal, state and local governments lost more than $4 billion in tax revenue because of reduced spending by travelers. (Source: Air Travel Survey, 2008) Check USTravel.org for more statistics. So let’s say 165 million Americans are flying occasionally while the other 165 million are driving or taking other transportation. Why should half of the country who never fly be paying for something they never use? Plus, the payment is big. The TSA federal budget is over $7.6 billion. This is in comparison to a $3.2 billion green energy budget. The average paycheck for the 3,900 employees at the Washington, D.C., office is $103,852 while one executive made over $5 million for nine months of work. Employees have grown from 16,500 to over 65,000 employees. Like most government entities it continues to grow and devour more of your paycheck.
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Airlines utilizing private contractors should provide and pay the bill for those who watch the scanners and check the bags. The people flying should pay the costs. Airplane tickets are high enough. I fly occasionally. I really don’t want to pay more. However, it’s not fair for those who never fly to bear the cost. Government involvement means more burdens for more taxes on average America that is already stressed to the max on paying taxes. Further, the TSA is going too far in harassing people at the airports of America. Elderly people, little children and women are being violated and harassed every day in our country. What seemed like a good idea after 911 has become extreme. I understand why the TSA came into existence but like the Patriot Act it needs some edits and compromises. Persons now have to practically undress and are subjected to some stranger patting them down. This is a violation of our civil liberties. I am not opposed to scanners that detect metal objects, people emptying their pockets and bag checks. However, subjecting people to pat downs and invasive x-rays have to be eliminated. Every pilot or copilot should be allowed to carry a gun. We now have cabin doors that protect the cockpit crew from an intruder. These cabin doors are vital to our flight security and cost thousands of dollars. Every plane should have a U.S. Marshal or designated plain-clothed security guard on board. I agree that every airport should have the presence of the proper authorities necessary to take someone to jail if necessary. Anyone posing a threat should be detained and escorted to jail. I am a believer in transportation security but we must overhaul the role of the Transportation Security Administration and who pays for it. Glenn Mollette is author of “American Issues, Every American Has An Opinion.”
In the spirit of the collective impact model, Vision 2015 consistently measures results using clear, objective data. Vision 2015’s Regional Indicators Report expanded this year to include The 2020 Jobs Outlook and Diverse by Design: Meeting the Talent Challenge in a Global Economy. These reports compare data across 11 metropolitan regions we compete with for jobs and talent. Vision 2015 found success in linking organizations with mutually reinforcing missions, including Green Umbrella and the Northern Kentucky Education Council (NKYEC). Green Umbrella aligns the missions of its 280 members to help our region become one of the top-10 most sustainable communities in the country by 2020. Vision 2015’s annual report highlights the launch of an NKYEC toolkit that assists businesses in engaging students. At its core, Vision 2015 is a
backbone support organization. No complex region can accomplish its goals without a central organization staying on mission and measuring progress. Vision 2015 does more than support the region’s development; it catalyzes its progress with a call to action to enact change and improve Northern Kentucky by and beyond 2015. You can join the conversation and the effort. » Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/vision2015. » Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/vision2015 » Drop by for a visit: 50 East River Center Blvd. Suite 465 in Covington’s RiverCenter office tower. » Give us a call: 859-2912020. » View the annual report and learn more about Vision, visit www.vision2015.org. Kara Williams is the vice president of strategic initiatives at Vision 2015.
Bring jobs ‘out of the shadows’ When I did something stupid, my mother would raise her voice and say “Have you lost your livin’ lovin’ mind?” It was a rhetorical question – her way of telling me I was, in fact, doing something stupid. Largely as a result of this stern upbringing, and from having frequently Rob Hudson been stupid COMMUNITY before, I RECORDER GUEST COLUMNIST know a thing or two about the subject. Recent events inspire me to rhetorically inquire, “Has Washington, D.C., has lost its livin’ lovin’ mind?” We are fixated on immigration reform – which would make illegal immigrants legal and provide a “path to citizenship.” It’s a matter of priorities, and it has been for awhile. By any computation, every day Congress is in session costs tens of millions of dollars. As debate rages on, the tab will reach hundreds of millions of dollars just to deal with immigration reform. The bill has ballooned to 1,200 pages and, once again, I suspect nobody voting on it will have the time to read it. Meanwhile, real unemployment for our Americans here legally has remained above 8 percent for more than five years. Would it be more helpful for Congress to focus on making it easier for employers to hire unemployed Americans rather spending its time adding millions of illegal immigrants to our workforce? I think I know how unemployed Americans would answer this question. The mantra is that we need to bring illegal immigrants “out of the shadows.” Imagine what it’s like to be an illegal immigrant. Every day you wake up and you know your presence is
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illegal. You obtain fake identification. You lie to get employment. You lie to legal authorities. You remain in the shadows because most days you are engaging in a pattern of deception. This is a harsh truth which is uncomfortable to discuss. But if we are going to grant illegal immigrants some form of amnesty, I can’t help but ask for some corresponding job-related “amnesty” initiatives to bring jobs “out of the shadows.” How about some tongue in cheek, tit-for-tat? 1. Employers should be granted amnesty from all litigation brought by the federal government. At least these employers have been here legally, contributing to our economy. 2. Employers should be granted amnesty from our complex tax code. Overhaul and get it down to 10 pages. Single spaced instead of double spaced should do it. 3. Employers should be granted amnesty from all pending government investigations – if they’re willing to hire new employees with the money they save. 4. Amnesty on all banking rules for business expansion loans if the expansion will result in jobs. Jobs are worth taking a chance on with loan rule amnesty. I wish we didn’t have an illegal immigration problem, but my sympathy lies with millions of law-abiding, chronically unemployed Americans. I’m sure there are great free market proposals out there which would liberate businesses and grow jobs. The immigration debate will end at some point, at which time there will be enough oxygen in the room to focus on jobs – assuming we don’t lose our livin’ lovin’ minds. Rob Hudson is a lawyer at Frost Brown Todd in Florence. He is author of “A Better Tomorrow – Fighting for Capitalism and Jobs in the Heartland.”
Campbell Community Editor Michelle Shaw mshaw@nky.com, 578-1053 Office hours: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday See page A2 for additional contact information.