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Northeast Suburban Life
May 4, 2011
VIEWPOINTS CH@TROOM
Last week’s question
How much attention are you paying to the wedding plans of Prince William and Kate Middleton? Why do you think people are fascinated by the Royal Family? “I love the diversion for war coverage, economic news and all things stressful. Compared to our homegrown celebrities, these two appear to be drug, alcohol, Botox and neurotic free.” S.J.P. “Absolutely NONE just as I did when Diana was married. People need to get a life and start paying attention to what is happening in their own country such as unemployment and gas at $4 a gallon. While I think it’s interesting about the royal family wedding, why is it such a big deal in England? You’d never get that much attention if a president’s daughter or son married.” R.H. “Zero attention. These are 2 human beings among approximately 6.5 billion on the planet earth. While they are privileged in comparison to the people of the countries of Africa, Asia, and other poor areas, they are no more “important” in objective terms than you or I. “ I have always been puzzled by the fascination of so many people by members of the Royal Family, and by celebrities like Lindsay Lohan, Charlie Sheen, Britney Spears, Brad Pitt, etc. Some psychologists say that it could be that individuals find it easier to form imaginary relationships with the famous than with normal people. “They also say that such people are often dysfunctional. Our parents, siblings, spouses and children deserve more of our attention than celebrities, and yet we don’t always give it to them. Some experts also say that watching celebrities is a form of “reality show”, and we do it for amusement or entertainment. James Houran and Cooper Lawrence are two “experts” in the area of celebrity worship, and both have good books for further exploration (‘Celebrity Worshippers’ and ‘The Cult of Celebrity.’)” Bill B. “I have paid a fair amount of attention to the wedding plans of Prince William and Kate Middleton. In a time of war, high costs on fuel and groceries, it is a little R & R from the stress of everyday
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Editor Dick Maloney | rmaloney@communitypress.com | 248-7134
Next questions
What do you think about the United States ending the space shuttle program later this year, and relying on private companies to ferry cargo and crew into space? Every week The Northeast Suburban Life asks readers a questions that they can reply to via email. Send your answers to nesuburban@communitypress.com with “chatroom” in the subject line. life. Isn’t it every girl’s dream to marry a prince? Hopefully they will live ‘happily ever after.’” I.B. “I feel there is excessive coverage that panders to the tabloid crowd. I remember the wedding of Charles and Diana quite well without the benefit of days upon days of in-depth coverage. I don’t really care where Kate bought her gown or how much she weighs.” R.V. “None! I don’t mean to sound like a hater, but why does anyone care??? I can’t for the life of me figure out why people are so obsessed with them (or any ‘celebrity’ for that matter). “I do wish the media would leave them alone. Doesn’t anyone remember Prince William’s mother, Princess Diana, died being chased around by paparazzi?! Let them be and let them go about their business and live happily ever after without the scrutiny and prying eyes (and camera crews!) of nosy people wanting to know everything about them all the time. It’s nobody’s business but theirs!” J.E.K. “I will watch the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton and review some of videos and posts on the Internet. I believe anyone who has wealth and is powerful attracts the public’s interest. The perceived glamor and mystique surrounding royalty in general adds to our curiosity. “Our country has no Royal Family so I think some of the fascination is because it is unusual, some because it is so high end. In the case of Prince William, I feel the public feels an attachment because they watched him grow up in the media and he is the son of Princess Diana who was adored by many. Having had a mom who was born in London, I feel a bond to the UK plus I will enjoy seeing the city and its people on TV as well as the royals.” G.H.
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Disagreement
I have to disagree with (Colleen) Greissinger’s argument that it is in the best interest of the residents in the Sycamore school district to support the school voucher program. The fact that we have a strong public school system means that our homes retain our values better than communities that do not. Our school system attracts new families to the Cincinnati area that live, work and spend money in our communities. Why should we put money and effort into a voucher system, when we already have a public school that offers much more than a lot of the private schools in the area? I think it is our best interest to support the exceptional school system we already have in place, and work toward keeping it competitive in the future. Mary Shaw Blue Ash
Reduce costs
According to the current fiveyear forecast projections, the
About letters & columns We welcome your comments on editorials, columns, stories or other topics. 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. Sycamore School District will have a 2015 ending cash balance deficit of $15.6 million. The taxpayers will likely be asked to approve a tax levy in 2012. Other districts in Southwest Ohio are facing similar problems and are freezing salary, eliminating step increases and laying off employees. By reducing Sycamore’s compensation costs by 10 percent and limiting future compensation growth to 3.2 percent, the 2015 ending cash balance could be a $37 million surplus. There would be no need for a tax levy. Besides eliminating a tax increase, why is this reduced expenditure solution important?
Deadline: Noon Friday E-mail: nesuburban@communitypress.com Fax: 248-1938 U.S. mail: See box below Letters, columns and articles submitted to The Northeast Suburban Life may be published or distributed in print, electronic or other forms. • Without it, compensation costs would grow to 102.2 percent of total revenues by 2015, • Sycamore’s average teacher salary is 27 percent higher than the state average and 46 percent higher than local median income, • Sycamore spends more dollars per student than 76 of the 81 top rated “Excellent with Distinction” districts, • Local taxpayers would save nearly $20 million annually if Sycamore spent at the 75th percentile of all Ohio Excellent with Distinction districts. Sycamore is now spending at the 94th percentile. Glenn Welch Montgomery
Celebrating ‘over the hump’ Spring greetings to my family, friends and neighbors from Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. I’m happy to report that my Seabee unit is officially “Over the Hump” – a military tradition steeped in the historical celebration of passing through the midway point of one’s deployment. It is a significant milestone, but also a reminder that because several months remain, complacency, distraction and lack of concentration are our enemies. My previous deployment to Iraq taught me that keeping our collective heads in the game will be our biggest challenge during the last months. I wish I could report that our international forces have achieved everything we set out to do, but the reality is that progress (American style) takes a long time to accomplish – particularly when we’re trying to establish national security, economic and political stability all at once in a country where living in a mud hut is normal. Now that the annual poppy harvest is winding down, the insurgents’ priorities shift from protecting the opium trade (which funds their motives) to fighting all who oppose them – infidels, Afghan National Military and police and the general Afghan
population. In the past several weeks, men peddling hate and anger have scored thumping victories. The extremist few have ably outPhil Beck maneuvered the Community peaceful many. Despite this Press guest working envicolumnist ronment and the personal toll, I am still proud to have answered the call of our nation and have personally witnessed clear evidence that our efforts are truly appreciated by the Afghan citizens. We will continue to construct infrastructure: building roads; drilling wells; improving camps; and establishing new forward operating bases and command outposts where none previously existed. These efforts are required to gain the trust of the local nationals. As Khaled Hosseini wrote in his book, “The Kite Runner,” “War doesn’t negate decency. It demands it, even more than in time of peace.” My Seabee family and I carry on, cognizant that the sand in our
deployment hourglass is running low, but reminding ourselves daily to remain alert and conduct ourselves properly. As I begin to allow my mind to dream about transitioning back to civilian life, I am struck by how these concepts of human decency are universally applicable. We must conduct ourselves, our marriages, children, families, households, schools, businesses and our government with integrity, responsibility, loyalty and decency – whether standing in the sand of Afghanistan or on the soil of America. I really appreciate the outpouring of support I have received from family, friends, veterans of several U.S. conflicts (World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Iraq and Afghanistan), residents of Symmes Township, the Symmes Township Historical Society, the Symmes Township administration and the Cincinnati Horticultural Society. I have shared many of your care packages with the Wounded Warrior Project here on base. Please continue to keep the “Bees” of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 26 in your thoughts and prayers. Phil Beck is a Symmes Township trustee.
‘Elections fraud’ bill is example of legislative overkill Only with diverse backgrounds and different life stories can we possibly hope to craft legislation that refrains from over-reaching or causing harm to many of our citizens. This certainly played out when we debated H.B. 159. House Bill 159 was introduced by two legislators from Hamilton County who presented it as a means to address elections fraud. I found it very curious that these two men were suddenly interested in election fraud. After all, in the previous General Assembly, they both voted against a bill designed to combat elections fraud. To be honest, there are stark differences between the two measures. The previous bill tar-
geted fake signatures on petitions. Rampant fraud surfaced right here in Hamilton County just a few yeas ago, when thousands of State Rep. fraudulent sigConnie Pillich natures were on Community uncovered petitions for a Press guest Cincinnati ballot columnist initiative. In contrast, current H.B. 159 addresses voter impersonation. Voter impersonation accounts for 0.00000025 percent of votes. Clearly, not much of a problem. The bill has untenable consequences.
The simple truth is that H.B. 159 will unconstitutionally disenfranchise the poor, the elderly and women. Requiring a specific photo ID violates the rights of some citizens to vote. While you and I may not have a problem obtaining and paying for a driver’s license, state ID or passport, for many this is a costly burden. Poor and working people and the elderly may not have the means to get to the BMV or pay even a small fee. It could mean taking time off from work, compounding the cost. The costs involved in this mandate amount to nothing more than a poll tax. Women, who are more likely
to change their name upon marriage and less likely to drive as they age, are disproportionately affected by this bill. These repercussions may be beyond the life experiences of the two male sponsors. Moreover, the Constitution does not limit voting to only those with sufficient property and wealth so as to afford a driver’s license, state ID or passport. Indeed, H.B. 159 as currently written cannot pass constitutional muster. Photo ID laws upheld in other states protect the poor, the elderly and women. To be constitutional, we must offer a photo ID to everyone, free of charge, regardless of income, race, or background, and at convenient locations with extended
A publication of Northeast Suburban Life Editor .Dick Maloney rmaloney@communitypress.com . . . . . .248-7134
operating hours in the evenings and on weekends. It will cost us more than $22 million to provide a constitutionally adequate photo ID program. All to combat 0.00000025 of votes. In my race for state representative, that would have amounted to about 8/1,000ths of one vote. A more thoughtful approach is needed in crafting legislation. House Bill 159 passed the Ohio House March 23, a mere eight days after being introduced. I voted No. It is being now considered by the Ohio Senate. State Rep. Connie Pillich represents Ohio’s 28th House District. Reach her at 614-466-8120, district28@ ohr.state.oh.us, www.conniepillich. com or on facebook and twitter.
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A WORLD OF DIFFERENT VOICES
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