Thanks Jackie! Another stimulus- Show us one already committed that works

Publication:The Columbus Dispatch; Date:Dec 2, 2009; Section:Opinion; Page Number:A10


EDITORIALS Overstimulation

Calls for more federal pump-priming are driven by election fears




The Democratic majority in Congress hopes to have a jobs-creation bill on President Barack Obama’s desk as soon as January. No dollar figure has been attached to this stimulus effort, but congressional aides have said that it likely will cost tens of billions of dollars.

This plan follows a $787 billion bill in February that was intended to create jobs and get the economy trucking again. Nine months later, 3 million more jobs have been lost, 10.2 percent of Americans are unemployed and 17.5 percent are underemployed, meaning they either gave up looking for work or they reluctantly took a part-time job to squeak by.

This less-than-stimulating stimulus adds the better part of another $1 trillion to the U.S. deficit and national debt.

If jobs were saved or created by the manipulations of Congress and the Obama administration, they were hard for the American public to see. Congressional Democrats are frustrated about that lack of visibility. A significant number of Democrat-held House and Senate seats that are considered to be in play for next year’s election are in states where the unemployment rate has topped 10 percent for the past couple of months.

Members of the majority party see no light at the end of the unemployment tunnel, and they know the voters might punish them for it in 2010.

Thus, the calls for yet another stimulus. If it passes, watch for the Obama administration to spin the results as it did with the last bill. Washington claimed that as of Sept. 30, the stimulus had saved or created 640,000 jobs directly and perhaps a million jobs indirectly. Almost overnight, stories appeared on TV and in newspapers across the U.S. disputing the numbers.

The Columbus City Schools, for example, reported to the feds that of the 212.5 full-time-equivalent jobs that the district expected to fund with part of the $64 million in stimulus it expected, about 65 percent were saved jobs, including 36 school administrators. But when the district was asked whether it was on the verge of laying off 36 administrators, it said no, the money for those positions would have come from another part of the budget. But “saved” and “created” were the only two options for reporting how the funds were used.

A new stimulus might be a do-nothing measure — economists say that even an aggressive new program would decrease joblessness by perhaps only one percentage point — or it could make things worse.

Business people and investors need stability and predictability in the economy, so that they can make long-term plans for economic growth with a reasonable expectation that conditions won’t change overnight and undercut their investments.

Having the government intervene in the economy every few months with massive spending programs or takeovers creates the opposite of stability and predictability; it creates uncertainty that slows or paralyzes private-sector decision-making, and this prolongs economic stagnation.

In the face of widespread economic distress, it is part of every politician’s DNA to appear to be doing something. But doing something that deepens a problem rather than fixing it is hardly what this battered nation needs.

Thanks Jackie Brown!- Martings in Portsmouth

My wife, Jeanette Weddington Kegley loved Martings and Atlas Fashion and she bought a lot of her clothes in those quality stores. Her best friend, Deloris Salyers, was a buyer for Martings for several years.

Sam

To me, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Marting's and Mom are all tied up together in my memories....not to mention going there to shop and meeting up with friends and boyfriends, etc. during the magical holiday season. Cashmere sweater sets; Je Reviens Perfume; prom dresses....Marting's had it all and my youthful ghost together with all the people important to me are probably still in there, wondering and wandering around the store at the center of many of our halcyon, happy 50's and 60's days....I loved this piece - thanks for sending. Jackie
----- Original Message -----
From: Karen Colley
To: Doug Harness ; Jackie Brown ; Brenda Mitchell ; Gerry A. Lenhart
Sent: Wednesday, December 02, 2009 4:36 PM
Subject: Fw: friend recommendation from Portsmouth Daily Times - Your source for local news, classifieds, business listings and events.



----- Original Message -----
From: Portsmouth Daily Times - Your source for local news, classifieds, business listings and events.
To: kbcolley@roadrunner.com
Sent: Wednesday, December 02, 2009 4:02 PM
Subject: friend recommendation from Portsmouth Daily Times - Your source for local news, classifieds, business listings and events.


Karen (kbcolley@roadrunner.com) wanted to share this with you



story about Martings!



Shopping season brings back memories of Marting’s


by David Horr



Many of us can remember back a few years when we would enter Marting’s Department Store on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. What a wonderful sight greeted us: The store was brightly lit. All the beautiful Christmas decorations which had been carefully put up over the previous weeks were alive with lights at last! Christmas music was playing in the background. That day, everything at Marting’s was ready for what was traditionally the largest single shopping day of the year.

How can anyone forget that glorious experience? Thanksgiving week-end at Marting’s was always special in a number of ways. Christmas decorations were shining brightly. Departments were well stocked wi th merchandise and looked very inviting. The island show window on Chillicothe Street glowed with the life-size figures of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Wise Men and animals. In Gift Wrap, hundreds of bows in all colors had been measured out, punched and tied, and were waiting to be peeled open and put on wrapped packages. And customers streamed in by the thousands – young people home from college, relatives back home to share the holiday with families. Grandparents, parents, children, grandchildren, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, cousins. It was like “old-home week,” a great family reunion right in the store, and everyone loved it.

For 130 years, The Marting Brothers Company occupied a prominent place in the life of Portsmouth, Southern Ohio and Northern Kentucky. Like countless other family department stores across America, Marting’s carried on a proud tradition of serving the shopping needs of the customers in our community with quality merchandise and friendly, personal service. It may seem strange now, but back then we took all that for granted. It was just the way the store did business. At the end of the day when employees left the store, perhaps they felt a bit tired, but they also knew they had served their customers proudly and well, and they had fun doing it! The kind of shopping experience they provided was special. Each employee felt a real sense of pride in knowing they were part of a great family of Associates who helped keep that experience alive for so many years, and who helped make Marting’s “One of Ohio’s Good Stores.”

David Horr retired from Marting’s in 1994 after serving for 31 years, first as controller, then secretary-treasurer, president, and finally chairman of the Board of Directors. A native of Portsmouth, he was the last family member to head the company, founded by his great-great-grandfather Henry Marting in 1872. He now resides in Tucson, Ariz.


Thanks for reading!
Portsmouth Daily Times - Your source for local news, classifieds, business listings and events.

Email from a good friend- #77

Thanks Dean,

I didn't know either.

Sam


----- Original Message -----
From: "Dean Williams" Subject: FW: *77



Hi Sam & Jean! Please share with your Family & Friends. I never knew
there was such a number.

Take care,
Dean


THIS IS IMPORTANT!!!!


I knew about the red light on
cars,
but not the *77
It was about 1:00 p.m. in the afternoon,
and Lauren was driving to visit a friend. An UNMARKED police car pulled
up behind her and put his lights on. Lauren's parents have always told
her never to pull over for an unmarked car on the side of the road, but
rather to wait until they get to a gas station, etc.

Lauren had actually listened to her
parents advice, and promptly called *77 on her cell phone to tell the
police
dispatcher that she would not pull over right away. She proceeded to
tell
the dispatcher that there was an unmarked police car with a flashing
red light on his rooftop behind her. The dispatcher checked to see if
there
were police cars where she was and there weren't, and he told her to
keep
driving, remain calm and that he had back up already on the way.

Ten minutes later 4 cop cars surrounded
her and the unmarked car behind her. One policeman went to her side and
the others surrounded the car behind. They pulled the guy from the car
and tackled him to the ground. The man was a convicted rapist and wa
nted for other crimes.

I never knew about the *77 Cell Phone
Feature, but especially for a woman alone in a car, you should not
pull
over for an unmarked car. Apparently police have to respect your right
to keep going to a safe place.

*Speaking to a service representative at
**
Bell ** Mobility confirmed that *77 was a direct link to State
trooper
info. So, now it's your turn to let your friends know about *77..

Send this to every woman (and person) you
know; it may save a l ife This applies to ALL 50 states.

--------------------------------------------------

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Thanks Sweetie! Cherokee Legend

Subject: Cherokee Legend




" Be kinder than necessary, for everyone we meet is fighting some kind of battle"




Not sure if this is factual about the Native Americans but I am sure about the conclusion and moral of this story.



Cherokee Legend

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of Passage?

His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him an leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone.



Once he survives the night, he is a MAN.

He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own.

The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him . Maybe even some human might do him harm. The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man! Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold.

It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.



We, too, are never alone. Even when we don't know it, God is watching over us, Sitting on the stump beside us. When trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him.


If you liked this story, pass it on. If not, you took off your blindfold before dawn.

Moral of the story: Just because you can't see God, Doesn't mean He is not there. "For we walk by faith, not by sight."

This email was cleaned by emailStripper, available for free from http://www.papercut.biz/emailStripper.htm

From a good Denison friend- Priceless indeed!

Subject: FW: LETTER FROM GRANDPA......PRICELESS!!


Grandpa is 63 years old and owns a small business. He's a life-long Republican and sees his dream of retiring next year has all but evaporated. With the stock market crashing and new taxes coming his way, John assumes now that he will work to his dying day.

John has a granddaughter. Ashley is a recent college grad. She drives a flashy hybrid car, wears all the latest fashions, and loves to go out to nightclubs and restaurants. Ashley campaigned hard for Barak Obama. After the election she made sure her grandfather (and all other Republican family members) received a big I told-you-so earful on how the world is going to be a much better place now that her party is taking over.

Having lost both roommates, Ashley recently ran short of cash and cannot pay the rent (again) on her 3 bedroom townhouse. Like she has done many times in the past, she e-mailed her grandfather asking for some financial help. Here is his reply:

Sweetheart,

I received your request for assistance.

Ashley, you know I love you dearly and I'm sympathetic to your financial plight. Unfortunately, times have changed. With the election of President Obama, your grandmother and I have had to set forth a bold new economic plan of our own..."The Ashley Economic Empowerment Plan." Let me explain.

Your grandmother and I are life-long, wage-earning tax payers. We have lived a comfortable life, as you know, but we have never had the fancier things like European vacations, luxury cars, etc. We have worked hard and were looking forward to retiring soon. But the plan has changed. Your president is raising our personal and business taxes significantly. He says it is so he can give our hard earned money to other people. Do you know what this means, Ashley? It means less for us, and we must cut back on many business and personal expenses.

You know the wonderful receptionist who worked in my office for more than 23 years? The one who always gave you candy when came over to visit? I had to let her go last week. I can't afford to pay her salary and all of the government mandated taxes that go with having employees. Your grandmother will now work 4 days a week to answer phones, take orders and handle the books. We will be closed on Fridays and will lose even more income to the Wal-Mart.

I'm also very sorry to report that your cousin Frank will no longer be working summers in the warehouse. I called him at school this morning. He already knows about it and he's upset because he will have to give up skydiving and his yearly trip to Greenland to survey the polar bears.

That's just the business side of things. Some personal economic effects of Obama's new taxation policies include none other than you. You know very well that over the years your grandmother and I have given you thousands of dollars in cash, tuition assistance, food, housing, clothing, gifts, etc., etc. But by your vote, you have chosen to help others -- not at your expense -- but at our expense.

If you need money now sweetheart, I recommend you call 202-456-1111. That is the direct phone number for the White House. You yourself told me how foolish it is to vote Republican. You said Mr. Obama is going to be the People's President, and is going to help every American live a better life. Based on everything you've told me, along with all the promises we heard during the campaign, I'm sure Mr. Obama will be happy to transfer some stimulus money into your bank account. Have him call me for the account number which I memorized years ago.

Perhaps you can now understand what I've been saying all my life: those who vote for a president should consider the impact on the nation as a whole, and not be just concerned with what they can get for themselves. What Obama supporters don't seem to realize is all of the money he is redistributing to illegal aliens and non-taxpaying Americans (the so-called "less fortunate") comes from tax-paying families.

Remember how you told me, "Only the richest of the rich will be affected"? Well guess what, honey? Because we own a business, your grandmother and I are now considered to be the richest of the rich. On paper, it might look that way, but in the real world, we are far from it.

As you said while campaigning for Obama, some people will have to carry more of the burden so all of America can prosper. You understand what that means, right? It means that raising taxes on productive people results in them having less money; less money for everything, including granddaughters.

I'm sorry, Ashley, but the well has run dry. The free lunches are over. I have no money to give you now.

So, congratulations on your choice for "change." For future reference, I encourage you to try and add up the total value of the gifts and cash you have received from us, just since you went off to college, and compare it to what you expect to get from Mr. Obama over the next 4 (or 8) years. I have not kept track of it, Ashley. It has all truly been the gift of our hearts.

Remember, we love you dearly....but from now on you'll need to call the number mentioned above. Your "Savior" has the money we would have given to you. Just try and get it from him.


Good luck, sweetheart.

Love,

Grandpa.

My sweet sister, Sharon still loves old Sam TIO

Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't
mean
they don't love you with all they have. Ralph and Edna were both
patients in a
mental hospital. One day while they were walking past the hospital
swimming
pool, Ralph suddenly
jumped into the deep end.


He sank to the bottom of the pool and stayed there.


Edna promptly jumped in to save him. She swam to the bottom and pulled
him out.
When the Head Nurse Director became aware of Edna's heroic act she
immediately
ordered her to be discharged from the hospital, as she now considered
her to be
mentally stable.


When she went to tell Edna the news she said, 'Edna, I have good news
and bad
news. The good news is you're being discharged, since you were able to
rationally respond to a crisis by jumping in and saving the life of the
person
you love... I have concluded that your act displays sound mindedness.


The bad news is, Ralph hung himself in the bathroom with his bathrobe
belt right
after you saved him. I am so sorry, but he's dead.'


Edna replied, 'He didn't hang himself, I put him there to dry..
How soon can I go home?'


Happy Mental Health Day!


You can do your bit by remembering to send an email to an unstable
friend...

Done my part Yep, now its your turn