Vote for Joe

Catching up on the last few weeks… During an Ada Village Council meeting I covered recently, it was noted that Ada was just listed as the “79th safest town in America” by an organization called “Safe-wise,” which tracks centralized crime and safety trends. This is in no small part because of the village’s “SAFER” program, which is an amalgam of law enforcement, business community members, general citizens… who all team up, through regular meetings, seminars, and so on, with a focus on promoting a form of “Community Oriented Policing,” if you will. For more on our position on crime, see… During that same council meeting it was noted that Ada would operating on a $6.9 million budget in 2021, and what’s more, the mayor noted that the village continued to operate “…in the black.” Now if the federal government could just figure this out. We have, and for more on our position on this, see… In the same newspaper edition, there was a column I wrote about the national debt, which now stands at $27 trillion. Incidentally, one trillion is $1 million dollars multiplied by a million. (Wrap your head around that!) Our platform: Tighten our belts, raise taxes… AND PAY IT OFF! So we don’t kick the can down the road to our kids… And speaking of our kids inheriting stuff: I also wrote a column about global warming and how it relates to Antarctica. That is, as with every place else on the globe, it’s warming down there, according to more and more news reports. The reason its warming, if global warming theorists are right, is because we’re burning too much fossil fuels. Ironically, with the thawing in Antarctica, this is making drilling for fossil fuels more conducive. When you put CO2 and CO2 together, you get: NUTS! Our administration would not push for drilling down there. We’d push for energy sacrifice across the board for the American people, while ramping up, exponentially, renewable energy. This would include, among a good number of things, asking Americans to “…live more simply” in regard to their purchase of items, etc. We forget, it takes the burning of fossil fuels to make most of these items. What’s more, our society should go to great lengths to move from a throw-away society, to one that focuses on maintaining and conserving items to the 9th degree. Another article that I wrote during this time, is about a rather elaborate thrift store in Bluffton with 100 volunteers who spend all kinds of time repurposing items that have been donated. And if some are beyond repurposing, they go to great lengths each month, to get those items to a recycling center in the county… For more on our energy position, see

I just wrote a newspaper column about the Antarctica Treaty. It was the first treaty of the Cold War. It was initially signed by 12 nations, including the U.S. There are now 54 nation signatories, and counting. The treaty specifies no nation, at this point, can “own” any part of Antarctica. But the nations can set up research station to do environmentally, non-invasive research. And part of this research, at this point, is how global warming is effecting Antarctica. (Read: thawing, with an exponent.) But some, unbelievably, see this as a good thing because it makes the region more accessible to drilling for fossil fuels and the like — when nations start jockeying for ownership. I note in the column that when you put CO2 and CO2 together, you get: idiocy. Burning fossil fuels is accelerating rising sea levels, massive forest fires, super charged hurricanes and typhoons, drought and famine in more arid countries, thawing in the polar regions… The latter being ‘the canary, or rather the penguin, in the coal mine.’ We would do well, and our administration would push for this, to leave Antarctica what it currently is: the world’s largest nature preserve. And we would do well, concurrently, to start sacrificing much more when it comes to cutting back on energy use, while ramping up alternative energy sources. That is, if we’re interested in being good environmental stewards — the way God might see it.

I’ve just picked my local “Sports Person of the Year” for one of the area newspapers I write for. The boy is a senior at Ada High School, has a mild form of autism, and gets in games, occasionally, toward the end — if the team is winning, or losing, by a lot. He’s played football, basketball, and baseball since he was quite young. And even though he knows he’s not going to get in the games much, he, nonetheless, gives it 100% at practice. One of his coaches told me the boy is an “absolute joy” to be around, and consistently brings everyone’s moods up. The true character (Notre Dame University student) in the movie “Rudy” comes to mind. We could learn from these guys, well, more than we often do.

Catching up… I’m writing this on Dec. 2. And yes, my campaign sign is still up. And no, I’m not waiting on any recounts and/or favorable court cases. I’m actually waiting for Dec. 14. This is the day designated for electors to officially file their votes in their respective states. So… What if between now and then, there’s this HUGE epiphany throughout the country that I am, indeed, the best candidate — and all these electors jump ship and vote for, well, me? It could happen… You know, after giving a talk at Antioch College during Campaign 2000, a professor there referred to me as a “cockeyed-optimist.” She was right…. However, while waiting for my tremendously surprising victory, I still have to, well, put food on the table –and keep up my “populist” image. So to that end, my son Jonathan and I have just finished a porch painting project on a big, 100-year-old rather stately home on Main Street in Bluffton. Came out pretty nice, actually. They don’t call me “Joe the Painter” for nothing… Speaking of Jonathan, when he’s not painting, he’s playing soccer. In fact, he was just named to the 1st Team All-State in Division III Boys High School soccer. Quite an accomplishment… On the small town journalism front, I did, among a number of stories, a nostalgic piece on an old, rather iconic, Marathon Gas Station in a neighboring town. It’s no longer there, except in folks’ memories and old black & white photos. It was referred to back then as a “full service gas station.” That is, besides a full-time mechanic, high school boys would greet you when you pulled up, pump your gas, wash your windshields, and check your oil. The station was in operation during the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s. And speaking the 1950s, we might want to consider recapturing some of the ethos (wholesomeness, etc.) of what that was all about. Our campaign things so. See…

I did an update article on a homeless shelter called City Mission in nearby Findlay, Ohio. (I did the initial article some three years ago.) The title of that article that came out last week: Homeless for the Holidays. The shelter has a capacity for 109 people — singles, families, etc. What’s more, people can stay up to nine months, or sometimes even more. And the facility offers a creative amalgam of addiction recovery options, mental health counseling, education, job training… It’s actually a pretty comprehensive safety net — and the facility takes no federal/state funds. It’s Christian based and relies on donations from local churches, from individuals, and so on. Note: Our administration would use this program as a model that could be replicated in every county in the country. Instead of “three hots and a cot,” as it is colloquially referred to, it’s these types of comprehensive programs that go a long way in helping those who want it, really get back on their feet. For a look at other models we’ve researched across the country to help people get out of poverty in general, see…