Vote for Joe

I talked with a man who was a member of Warren, Ohio’s City Council for 18 years and was on Warren’s Budget Committee for eight years.   (He requested anonymity because he doesn’t like his name on the internet.)   However, he wasn’t short on opinions.   For one, he said he believed Social Security should be, at least in part, made private.   That is, as former President George Bush proposed, people should be able to invest  a percentage of their  Social Security money themselves.   For instance this man  said that 45 years ago, he spent $1,500 on bonds and didn’t cash them in until last year.   The yield was: $10,000.   He said because of his experience, he “knew money,” and believed people like himself should have access to some of his SS money because he thought he could actually do better than the government in investment strategies…   After the talk with this former city council member, we went to Mosquito Lake State Park (Who was thinking on that public relations gaffe?) to work on our campaign vehicles.   While I was painting part of the ceiling of the “average Joe mobile,” I noticed a group of some 10 people on a walking tour of the park.   I burst out of the vehicle — paint on my hands and sweatshirt (authentic “Joe the painter” stuff) — approached them and said I was running for president.   Of the United States.   Of America.   We talked politics a bit and I passed out some campaign cards.   Toward the end, I apologized for interrupting the tour, “but whenever I see a crowd…”   One guy responded.   “This isn’t exactly a crowd .”   I said:   “When you’re an independent candidate, it can be.”   They smiled, then headed on to look at more mosquitoes, or something.   Note:   I just spelled mosquitoes without the e, but the spell check corrected me.   If Dan Quayle had only had one of those on the potato(e) thing, huh.

Talked in Terry Armstrong’s government class at Labrea High School in Leavittsburg, Ohio, today.   Mr. Armstrong is one of the most proactive high school government teachers we’ve met in our travels across the country.   He brings candidates in to talk to his students, takes the students on field trips to political events, and so on…   We did a “town meeting” format in the class today, and  rather animated discussions started up around health care, taxes, immigration, Social Security…   Mr. Armstrong said projections indicate that the Social Security Fund will run out in the year 2037. “The year I retire,” Mr. Armstrong smiled (sort of).   I said that, among other things, my administration would push for the Social Security Fund becoming a “lock box.”   That is, unlike it is now, the government couldn’t borrow from the Fund…   Yesterday in Warren, Ohio, I stumped with a group of older women (a majority probably on Social Security) who were playing bridge at, perhaps, the most impressive McDonalds that we’ve seen anywhere in the country.   It  had two stories (no Playland), an atrium, a piano (really ), a glass elevator…   The women were playing cards at four tables.   I waited until each table was shuffling, then approached, and  as if it were  Vegas (a little literary license here), dealt out “average Joe” cards to everyone.   A few women looked up askance when I said I was running for president.   “Well, somone has to do it,” I smiled.   Note:   The Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper noted yesterday that a new federal Hardist Hit Fund will help some 26,000 homeowners in Ohio  (many of them jobless) with up to $15,000 apiece to help them stay in their homes…   In Winona, Minnesota, several years ago, we researched that town’s Home Share  Program.   Families are doubling up, or renting out a room in a place, etc., as  innovate ways to share space, and expenses.   Common sense says there are a lot of creative ways to come at the housing crisis in America.   In fact, it might not so much be a “crisis,” as it is an “opportunity” to start moving in a more frugal and conservation- minded way in this country.

We have launched on the next phase of our campaign tour…   We stopped first in Trumbull County, Ohio. In Warren, Ohio, here, I talked with Fr. Charles Crumbley who is a chaplain for the U.S. Marshalls (showed me his badge and everything).   He also worked  with Childrens Services here for 19 years.   In a series of counseling sessions, he learned one youth grew up without a father at home and the mother would regularly sell  the boy  for sex, beginning at age eight.   “I thought I’d grown up in an ‘abusive’ home because my parents hadn’t given me a car when I turned 16,”   Fr. Charles smiled, explaining his perspective on dysfunctional families changed considerably during his work with these troubled youth.     Speaking of troubled youth, or sort of troubled youth…   Over the weekend our Jonathan, 7, had, oh,  a little bit of bad behavior.   After his “time out” was over, he approached me and said he was thinking about running away to: “Mayberry.”   Note:   I am a former counselor who worked extensively with addictive family systems and  have  heard stories similar to what Fr. Charles described.   What’s more, our Healing the Family position paper notes that if we don’t ‘heal the family,’ we’re not going to ‘heal the country.’  

Talked with Baldwin Wallace College’s Professor Tom Sutton.   He said the “greening” of Cleveland goes on.   The city is just starting to develop a six-acre urban farm, complete with Amish organic farm consultants.   Across the street from us is a one-acre urban farm that was developed over an old asphalt parking lot.   (The farm coordinator for this was walking around today with a t-shirt that read:   “Got Mulch?”   There is also a good sprinkling of community gardens and farmers markets in Cleveland.   And there is a number of Backyard Habitats as well, including ours.   I often say on the campaign trail that when we get to the White House, we’re going to turn the entire front lawn into a perma-culture; while trying to inspire homeowners across the nation to do the same.   Note:   Professor Sutton teaches Political Science and I’ve talked in his class a couple times over the years.   He asked me how the campaign was going.   I replied:   “Even though I’m the only one to declare at this point, the polls are showing I’m still behind.”   He laughed.  

Talked today with two human rights advocates who work in Colombia.   Chris Knestrick told me that malaria is a huge problem in that country and he had recently gone on a mission to bring a man deathly sick with the disease to a hospital.   The team had to hike 20  hours into rural Colombia and another 20  hours  back to get this man to the hospital… Another huge problem in Colombia are international companies who come in virtually rape the land of natural resources (trees, minerals…),  which, in turn, leads to all sorts of human rights travesties.   This weekend at St. Patrick’s Church in Cleveland, Deacon Bill Merriman said during his sermon that America takes a huge amount of natural resources from around the world to fuel it’s collective, rather exhorbitant lifestyle.   Once again, as I mention in the last post, wouldn’t it be common sense that we begin to connect the dots between the collective lifestyle we’re maintaining here and the human rights abuses happening in other parts of the country.   Note:   While shopping for my Fall presidential candidate wardrobe at the thrift store (needless to say I spent a bit less than the $150,000 Ms. Palin spent on hers last election)  around the corner today, a saw a t-shirt that read:   I hear voices in my head… and they don’t like you.