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Topic Review (Newest First)
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| Sep 26th, 2007 01:36 PM | |
| KevinTheOmnivore |
Permit me to introduce myself. My name is Joe Bialek and I was born on September 12, 1963 just 40 days before the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. My family was originally from Cleveland, Ohio. It is the city of my current residence. I attended Padua High School in Parma, Ohio and went on to complete a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Masters of Public Administration at the University of Akron. In 1993, I moved back to Cleveland and resided in my grandfather's house located in the neighborhood known as Slavic Village. This is where my grandfather immigrated from Poland and the house where my father was born. I then ran for [COLOR=#222222! important][FONT=verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif][COLOR=#222222! important][FONT=verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif]city [/font][COLOR=#222222! important][FONT=verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif]council[/font][/color][/font][/color][/color] against the incumbent who was elected in 1985. After work each day I would walk to each of the 9,000 registered households from April to August and seemed to make a positive impression among the voters. However two other candidates entered the race and I finished last. The strange thing about the results, however, was the disparity between the [COLOR=#222222! important][FONT=verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif][COLOR=#222222! important][FONT=verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif]absentee [/font][COLOR=#222222! important][FONT=verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif]ballots[/font][/color][/font][/color][/color] and the card-punched ballots. According to the absentee ballots, I lost by a 2-to-1 margin to the incumbent but won by a 16-to-1 margin over the other two candidates. But according to the card-punched ballots, I finished last by just 4 votes. I was so exhausted by the campaign that a recount was the furthest from my mind. In the [COLOR=#222222! important][FONT=verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif][COLOR=#222222! important][FONT=verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif]general [/font][COLOR=#222222! important][FONT=verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif]election[/font][/color][/font][/color][/color], the incumbent retained his seat. Shortly after the election, I was elected President of South East Clevelanders Together. The purpose of this non-profit group was to organize each of the twelve sub-neighborhoods located within Slavic Village (Ward 12) to address quality of life issues in an aggressive and systematic manner. Needless to say, it did not take long for our group to clash with the Councilman's housing group. Their primary objective was to build and rehabilitate housing without any real regard for the other issues affecting the residents and business owners. The councilman's father owns a large real estate company so I'll let you draw your own conclusion. Our funding was cut off from the City of Cleveland and efforts to raise money through foundations were sabotaged. Inevitably I was forced to use my own money to sustain the efforts of the organization. In spite of all the resistance, however, we were very successfull in organizing block clubs and civic associations as well as bringing pressure to provide solutions to the problems plaguing the community. All during this time, the councilman attempted to spin my intentions as simply an effort to prepare for a second council run. I did not run again in 1997 because I felt it would be more beneficial for the community if SECT continued to push for action rather than allow the entrenched councilman to ignore issues while his housing group pushed rehabilitations and new construction. In 1999, I moved to the Old Brooklyn neighborhood of the city of Cleveland. I decided to withdraw from public life and shift my focus to reading philosophy, economics, sociology, religion, psychology and political theory. I also committed to writing a editorial piece once per month hence the reason for my monthly email and [COLOR=#222222! important][FONT=verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif][COLOR=#222222! important][FONT=verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif]message [/font][COLOR=#222222! important][FONT=verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif]board[/font][/color][/font][/color][/color] postings. I do this out of altruism and receive no compensation what so ever. My sole objective is to offer suggestions on how we may fine tune America and stear the United States in a positive direction. I know I've been guilty of posting to message boards and not returning to join in the discussion. But I have read most responses. Accordingly, I hereby commit to returning no sooner or later than 24 hours after my post to answer counter arguments. I'll only respond to intellectual contributions not insults or statements from those who treat message boards like their little fiefdoms. For those of you who would like to contact me, you may reach me at the [COLOR=#222222! important][FONT=verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif][COLOR=#222222! important][FONT=verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif]email [/font][COLOR=#222222! important][FONT=verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif]address[/font][/color][/font][/color][/color] listed below. Thanks and let us continue to "fine tune America". Joe Bialek Cleveland, Ohio jgbialek@adelphia.net |
| Sep 24th, 2007 05:30 PM | |
| Miss Modular | 3...2...Kevin deletes. |
| Sep 24th, 2007 02:27 AM | |
| ItalianStereotype | isn't this guy just a geggy alt or something? |
| Sep 23rd, 2007 07:45 PM | |
| Esuohlim |
I watched an episode of Penn & Teller's Bullshit so therefore I am the chief expert on recycling here, pal. Yes that's right I learned from magicians that recycling is pointless so I can tell you straight up that this guy isn't putting out some separate container for glass and plastic like some sucker. Although I do return bottles and cans because hell man you get 10 cents back per can here in Michigan. If you've ever watched Seinfeld you know you can too, all you need is a fifth overflow mail truck and some determination Hope this helps! |
| Sep 23rd, 2007 06:34 PM | |
| JOEBIALEK |
Recycling According to Wikipedia {the free encyclopedia} "recycling is the reprocessing of materials into new products. Recycling generally prevents the waste of potentially useful materials, reduces the consumption of raw materials and reduces energy usage, and hence greenhouse gas emissions, compared to virgin production." The recent discussion concerning global warming has focused primarily on alternative sources of fuel for the purpose of transportation. However, another very important pro-environment tool is recycling. The effort needs to involve more than the consumer and the government. It needs to involve those who sell {and profit} from those products that can be recycled. For example, the manufactures of bottles and cans along with the producers of what's sold inside them as well as the grocery stores that distribute them must take on a greater economic role in the process of recycling. The voluntary "blue bag at the curb" approach is a good start but it relies primarily on the altruism of the consumer. The question is: does the consumer bear sole responsibility for what happens to a can or bottle that contains the product used? or should some of that responsibility be borne by those who profit from its' use? Are these responsibilities being borne already and are they equitable? Some time ago bottlers would charge a five-cent "deposit" on a bottle to be "refunded" when the consumer returned the bottle. It would seem that this concept could be reoperationalized for a whole host of products. The consumer could clean the bottle or can, return it to the grocery story for a "refund" and the grocery store would return it to the producer then to the manufacturer etcetera each receiving a "refund" along the way. When all parties involved have an economic incentive to participate, recycling will make a much larger contribution towards preserving the environment. |
