We traveled west to Edgerton, Ohio (pop. 1,000) where I interviewed Ruth Kimpel. In 1943, Mrs. Kimpel started working for the Edgerton Earth newspaper as a reporter. She said how she would often “gather the news,” was she would head out on her bicycle and knock on doors at random througout the town, asking: “Did you go to a particularly interesting place over the weekend? Or is there a new baby in the house? ” Ah, for those ‘good news’ days again… While in Edgerton, I also interviewed one of Ruth’s relatives, Denver Kimpel. He owns a used car lot in nearby Auburn, Indiana. His business doesn’t have a phone, or a fax, or a computer… and all the business is generated by word of mouth. He’s been open 32 years and said family generations come to him again and again, partly: because of his honesty. He said besides displaying the price on the car’s window — he also writes what’s wrong with it ! I told the Edgerton Earth newspaper that wouldn’t it be refreshing if during this year’s World Series a player slid into second and was tagged out before he hit the bag. The umpire, however, misses it and calls him “safe.” Then… the runner walks off the bag and up to the umpire, saying: “Actually ump, I’m out.” Note: When did we stop being that honest anyway?
10/15/05
We traveled to Bryan, Ohio where the family and I took in a Saturday morning soccer game(s). The park had multiple soccer fields with all ages of kids playing, and a good number of parents and neighbors watching… Afterward, I interviewed Bryan’s Paul Langevin who shared his thoughts about Social Security. He said that there’s been consistent talk that the Social Security Fund is in crisis and may actually run out, sooner than later. He said his belief is we should raise the income cap to bolster the Fund. That is, he said there is currently an assessment of a flat 6 and three-fourths percent on income money up to $90,000. Beyond $90,000, there is no additional assessment. Paul said he believes the cap needs to be moved up to, say, $3 million — with an assessment of at least half the 6 and three-fourths on this money. Sure, this would impact the more affluent; yet in the long run, I believe it would help the Fund tremendously and bring more of a measure of social parity to America — especially with the chasm between haves and have nots growing the way it is.
10/14/05
I attended a Bible Study at St. Casper’s Church in Wauseon, Ohio last night. A line from the Beatitudes came up. It was Jesus saying: “Woe to you who are filled now.” I said my take on this is ‘woe’ to us Americans who are ‘filled’ each day with three meals and snacks; or ‘fill’ our homes with central heat and air conditioning; or ‘fill’ our lives with with nice cars, nice furniture, all kinds of entertainment… while some two-thirds of the people in the world live on one meager meal a day, dwell in cobbled together shacks with no electricity, and don’t even have the basics in medicine, clothes… This morning after Mass at St. Casper’s, Fr. Robert Holden told me he thought it was important for people not to just stay in the cloister of small town, or suburban, bubbles; but rather to intimately experience the poor. Apparently, a good number of the people in the town of Ridgeville Corners, Ohio (pop. 400) don’t agree. A pastor at Christ Community Church there offered to retro-fit his church to provide temporary shelter for 50 displaced people from New Orleans. What’s more, the church was going to set up a network of “host families” to help each person in as many ways as possible. But a vocal contingent in town spoke against it at community meetings, and the zoning board wouldn’t ok the church’s building plan. While the idea fell through, what happened in Ridgeville Corners has become a national story (with overtones of prejudice, etc.). We journeyed there today… Christ Community Church member Holly Hershberger (their pastor was away in Biloxi, Mississippi helping hurricane victims this day) said although their idea to use the church as a shelter was voted down, the church was helping coordinate an alternative plan to house some eight (so far) hurricane victims in host family homes around the area. “We are a ministry of common sense,” said Holly. “If people need shelter, food, clothing… we try and find that for them…” Christ Community Church also has a Friday Homeschooling Co-op at their facility and I was asked to give a talk to their high school “God & Politics” class. The issue of abortion came up, and the students offered a series of alternatives: adoption, providing a safety net for women in crisis pregnance, and… abstinence in the first place. Students Arminda Whitlock and Rebecca Font said they regularly talk to junior high school and high school classes throughout the area on the subject of abstinence, including why they personally have chosen this path. Interestingly, the girls said they had just met with their state representative in Columbus who told them there was a bill being considered that would ban the use of the word “marriage” in the public schools (motivated, apparently, by a gay rights agenda, according to the girls). The girls were chagrined, saying in their talks they often recommend youth stay abstinent until: “marriage”… We traveled on to Stryker, Ohio where I talked to an old time resident who explained in 1912 Stryker High School won the State Championship in football. Several years later, a Stryker High School football player died of a head injury on the field. And since then — the school hasn’t had a football program.
10/13/05
We have traveled to Napolean, Ohio where I interviewed two representatives of the American Foundry Society (AFS). Glenn Nelson represented AFS in D.C. last year by lobbying about a variety of issues, including the increasing outsourcing of foundry jobs in America. “Our industrial base (in the U.S.) is diminishing considerably,” he said. And there is not much of a dedication to “buy American” these days among U.S. consumers either, he added… I was then interviewed by Napolean’s News Signal newspaper. I told editor Brian Koeller that we should look at the higher gas prices, not as a “crisis,” but rather as an: “opportunity.” An opportunity to learn to conserve, while moving to more alternative (and cleaner) modes of transportation. I then talked about the hybrid bus we had researched at Bowling Green State University the day before… We then headed to Wauseon, Ohio where I talked with Steve Short about trade. Short is not an economist, but rather an average citizen — with some common sense — who has been simply thinking about trade issues for quite some time. He said in order to even the playing field internationally: To trade with countries like, say, China, the stipulation should be that workers there (in a specific field) get the same kind of ‘living wage’ (working conditions, benefits…) that American workers in the same field here get. In addition, Short said he believed that country should also adhere to the same environmental protection standards for industry that we do here… I was then interviewed by Fulton County’s The Expositor newspaper. Reporter Steve Colan asked me if there was anything different about this campaign, than the previous two. I said the main thing is that “we’ve learned even more things.” Then I talked about the Bowling Green State University hybrid bus, as an example. Note: Colan pointed out that many indicators would point toward us losing the election again. (It wasn’t clear which polls he was referring to, but nevertheless…) I said in response that if a town picks up on the hybrid bus idea and the air is a little cleaner for my children, or his, to breath: “We win.” I also said that, by the way… we are trying to win the whole thing as well.
10/12/05
We headed into Bowling Green, Ohio where I was interviewed by the Bowling Green Sentinel Tribune. I told the reporter that some 10 years ago, I researched a program called: “Take A Stand for Kids” (TASK) on the Monterey Peninsula in California. Adults from all over the Peninsula had formed a grassroots organization to help parents see, and break, addictive patterns (drugs, alcoholism, compuslive overeating, codependency, compulsive TV watching, gambling, workaholism…), and at the same time, parents would learn about how to significantly improve their parenting skills… Although no amount of parenting skills, I’ve found, can equip you to deal with an acting out two-year-old — like our Jonathan today! I told the reporter our administration may have to formulate some “Special Two-Year-Old Federal Legislation” to curb this growing national problem. He said he has a two-year-old at home himself — and I had his vote… I then went to Bowling Green’s Public Library where I interviewed librarian Michael Penrod about the town’s “Community Reads” Program. Penrod said Bowling Green is in its fourth cycle of the program. Each cycle people in the community read two books, attend discussions pertaining to the books (which include authors and other experts on the book subjects.) During these cycles, there are also things like writing contests, Soup Dinners, and the like. Penrod said the program has really helped bring town factions together, whether city officials, the high school and elementary school, the college, and a good number of the general citizenry… I then interviewed professor Jon Opperman, an instructor of Mechanical Design at Bowling Green State University’s College of Technology here. Professor Opperman’s Department, with a grant from NASA, has designed a hybrid shuttle bus that is being used on campus — and saves 30% on fuel (while generating less pollution) with a design that harnesses, and stores, electricity from the breaking action of the bus. Professor Opperman said with us just about reaching “peak oil production” worldwide, we are going to have to go to alternatives, one of which he said he finds quite viable is: “mass transportion…” After interviewing Professor Opperman, I was interviewed by the Bowling Green State University newspaper. I told the reporter we would take the information about BG’s “green bus” and talk about it across the country in our travels — with the hopes of inspiring municipalities to consider fleets of these. Note: I also told the BG News reporter that while I didn’t pander to anyone, our campaign promise to the BG students would be to change the national symbol from an eagle to a: falcon (BG’s mascott). He smiled. [I tried that last election, but obviously to no avail.]
10/11/05
We’ve headed back into Northwest Ohio where we stumped in downtown Port Clinton and then we were interviewed by the News Herald there. Reporter Kristina Smith asked my wife (and ‘almost First Lady’) Liz about the long road we’ve been on (three elections, 75,000 miles to date). Liz responded that: “We live in a culture of instant gratification. This (the campaign) is long term. It is a real commitment.” During the interview, I said America should be stridently exploring alternative energy sources. [However, one alternative energy source I am adamantly opposed to is: nuclear power.] This evening we took our children to a small beach on Lake Erie, in Port Clinton. As they walked the shore line looking for driftwood and shells, off in the distance — in what could be best described as an: eerie back drop — the Davis Bessee Nuclear Power Plant’s steam rose into the dreary, gray twilight sky. Just a couple years prior, (in what received much national coverage) a part of the Davis Bessee reactor had corroded to an alarming, razor thin thickness — before it was discovered. This technology, based on the research we’ve done, is way too dangerous. And in our quest for “immediate gratification (in the case of nuclear power: abundant energy now),” to quote Liz, we are putting children in this generation, and those in future generations, at tremendous risk. Note: Earlier in the day, we stopped at the Coffee Express in Port Clinton. T-shirts on the employees of the coffee house all read: “Life is short… Stay awake for it!” Let’s all stay awake for this nuclear thing as well.
10/9/05
We spent the weekend back in Cleveland’s inner city. While back here, I talked with Joe Bouman who is running for Mayor of North Olmsted ( a suburb a bit southwest of Cleveland). A strong one for fiscal responsibilty, Bouman showed me one of his campaign signs. It read: “Vote Joe… If You Want Dough.” In an article in Elyria, Ohio’s Chronical-Telegram newspaper, Bouman was quoted as saying: “I’m disappointed in the performance of the (local) administration, especially in waste and debt.” Likewise, on a national level: we have amassed quite a debt. Someone told me USA Today had recently run a piece saying that the current Federal deficit translated to a whopping $124,000 for every man, woman, and child in the U.S. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m not sure how I’m going to come up with that much… On Sunday afternoon, our kids played football with some inner city kids in a school yard parking lot. I joined in for awhile. The kids (ages 8 to 12) seemed to be having a great time, and were quite lost in the play. Some were probably trying to mentally escape from what’s going on at home. The backdrop for this game was dilapidated row-houses — with metal bars on most of the windows. Inside, some parents (I’m sure) we’re getting drunk, or high, watching the Cleveland Browns football game. (None of the parents were watching their kids play on this cold, gray afternoon.) I couldn’t help but look beyond the game on this parking lot… to these kids’ futures. Fighting the odds (of getting out) seemed about as dismal as this gray Fall afternoon weather in Cleveland.
10/7/05
I was interviewed on a morning talk show with WFOB Radio in Fostoria, Ohio. I was asked what I would do to help turn voter apathy around. (One of the hosts explained that during the last Election, their particular county had an anemic 31% voter turn out.) I said when we were in Pennsylvania campaigning a couple years back, I inteviewed a member of the Constitution Party who said he believes politics, at the very least, should be the “hobby of every American.” [He had explained he’d read where a former U.S. president — I forget which one — had said that.] If, indeed, politics was a “hobby” for most, you’d see much more participation — both at the voting booth, and in the political process in general… Note: At the station breaks, the hosts would take turns reading the forcasts for the day, and evening. It would go something like: “Forecast for today: Sunny and mild with temperatures in the mid 60s. Forecast for tonight: Cool and clear with lows in the upper 40s,” and so on… I asked if I could read the evening forecast at one of the breaks, and the hosts said sure. When it got to me, I said: “Forecast for tonight: (dramatic pause) Dark.” They laughed… I was also interviewed over the phone later this morning by a radio station in Marion, Ohio. I mentioned, as I do often, that in the Third World 24,000 people starve to death every day, according to U.N figures. And what’s more, I said many in the U.S. have become “food terrorists.” That is, studies show some 27% of our food is thrown away and we spend countless millions (maybe billions) overeating, or on non-nutritional junk food — (read: we’re hoarding, or wasting, food supplies and monetary resources: while little children starve. I explained, rather emphatically, that all this savings on wasted food, and such, would be much better spent on humanitarian aid agencies to many of these Third World countries.
10/6/05
In East Liberty Township I interviewed local farmer John Brickner who said nearby Bascom, Ohio is only one of two places in Ohio that has a Grain Elevator and Supply Co. Co-op owned by some 330 local farmers who have all bought shares. The Co-op is 95-years-old. What’s more, Bascom (pop. 400) also has a locally owned telephone company [quite rare these days]. Our campaign promotes “decentralism,” that is a shift back to much more of a local, community focus. And both the grain elevator and phone company are excellent examples of that local focus, both of which enhance mutual cooperation in an area and a stronger community spirit in general… We went to Mass at St. Andrews (built circa 1834), a small country church in East Liberty. Afterward we had a lengthy discussion with Fr. Art Neiwiadomski here, who majored in philosophy and is versed in arguements around logic and reason. And one thing he finds quite ‘unreaonable’ is: abortion. For “Respect Life Sunday” last week, he put the following quote from the book Roe v. Reason in the bulletin: “Roe holds that a change in location, passage through the birth canal, can turn a potential human being into an actual human being. But this makes no sense. What something is does not depend on where it is. The court didn’t just reason poorly in Roe. It abandoned reason altogether.”… Later this morning, during an interview with Fostoria Focus newspaper reporter John Montgomery, I said I, too, found abortion to be unreasonable, and just plain wrong… This afternoon I interviewed Mark West in Fostoria. He started the Oasis Program at the Piqua (Ohio) Correctional Institute. A 200 bed drug and alcohol treatment ward in the prison, the nine month program had a 95% success rate and is being used as a model on the Federal level now. Mr. West, who now consults with prisons in northern Ohio, told me some 80% of crimes that land people in prison were committed either under the influence, or were motivated by someone wanting to get more drugs, alcohol, etc. The prison recovery program lasts nine months and has saved the state millions as there are less and less repeat offenses by prisoners who have completed the program, said Mr. West. Note: The prison system in Ohio is the states: 2nd leading industry, said Mark West. Ohio has 50 prisons.
10/5/05
A priest at St. Mary’s Church in Tiffin, Ohio this morning told me he believed people in the Pro-Life Movement should have a fund earmaarked for offering women in crisis pregancy substantial amounts of money (“Like $20,000,” he said.) — to keep their babies… We then drove to Fostoria, Ohio where I was inteviewed by reporter Tim Soster of the Review Times. Our Sarah, 9, and Joseph, 8, sat in on the interview. At one point, I said the children were participating in a “great social experiment.” That is, they were being raised without television because it is currently too corrosive and can lead to “brain atrophy.” I said story telling and reading excercises the mind because the listener or reader (Sarah has read 50 books this summer) has to picture characters, envision plot development, and so on. The kids then jumped in and told Mr. Soster about one of the more current stories (or rather: “tales”) I told them around a campfire in Peebles, Ohio. It was the story of the little purple people from “Planet Zig.” Mr. Soster, playing along (I think), said he’d actually heard of these aliens. [Don’t think I’m not going to try to get to the bottom of this UFO thing when I get into Office — not to mention immediately opening “Area 51” to the public.]… On a more sober note, I told Mr. Soster that I’d just read this morning that there are still some 68,000 people from New Orleans in shelters. I said this was a: “national disgrace.” That is, it’s hard for me to understand how, say, many more churches in the U.S. didn’t offer to take in at least one family (or individual). That is, one church member could provide space in their home, others could provide clothing, food, camaraderie in the form of social outings, funds to start over… Yeah, we’re providing money… but if 68,000 people are still in shelters. I mean, c’mmon… After the interview, we went to Bascom, Ohio where I played tag with the kids on some most refreshingly unusual playground equipment. Developed in part by the Ohio Department of Natural Resource’s “Recycling and Litter Prevention” Division, this playground was made all of recycled material. The steel posts represented: 3 cars, or 64,000 soup cans. The wood chips were from power line trimming. The plastic benches were made with 446 milk cartons. Note: At a recent environmental seminar on energy, speaker Pat Murphy said we must become a society of “conservers,” rather than the current dominant paradigm of being, primarily: “consumers.” And this playground is a good example a shift in this area. Note 2: Meadowbrook Park manager David Hossler pointed to a rather expansive, white wooden building here and told me it was a dance hall dating back to the “Big Band Era” of the 1930s. Earlier in the day, I had told the reporter in Fostoria that ours was a “Retro Campaign.” That is, we’d like to see the country go back to a time like this when there was less crime on the streets, less pollution in the air, less drugs in peoples’ systems, and there was a much slower, saner pace to life… “To go back, I believe, would be to go forward in this case,” I said.