Loveland Magazine

by Dermot Mackey

    Yes, this is yet another letter on the contentious Loveland School Tax levy.  I feel compelled to write to you because I feel the large NO signs that dot our community, and the various articles that I have seen published in our newspapers from anti-levy campaigners, do not address all the facts of this important community issue.  Let me begin by stating that I am not a member of any organized campaign, school board, or outside pressure group.  I am a concerned parent and homeowner, with one child in 2nd grade and another approaching Kindergarten, who feels that his neighbors and the larger community should have all the facts at hand, and understand all the implications of their decision, beyond simple property tax payments, before voting on March 4th.

    Firstly, the statement that “taxes will go up 21%”, 8.5 mills,  or $260 per $100,000 of assessed value, is misleading.  If you consider no other factors, then this statement is true.  However, the fact of the matter is that this rise will coincide with a rate reduction of approximately 3.5-4 mills, roughly $120 per $100,000 assessed value, due to reduced interest payments on a 1998 bond levy.  The resulting tax increase that homeowners will actually see, and therefore the only figure that really matters, is $140 per $100,000.  Based on the average price of a home in Loveland, which is $212,149, the average home owner will pay about $25 a month more in tax.  If thats' what it takes to keep our schools excellent then I'm willing to pay it.

    Another key fact is that the anti-levy Fair Tax group do not actually oppose all tax increases, just property tax increases.  Their  proposal is a 3/4% earned income tax.  If you're retired, which several spokesmen for the anti-levy group are, then I guess you might call this fair.  However, if you're like me, a middle-income earner who is the sole-provider for a family of four, then you may not be so quick to agreed.  Whether we like it or not, property taxation is the primary source of funding for our public schools, and it has always been the responsibility of all property owners, whether working or retired, to invest in this cornerstone of the community.

    However, what's really the big picture here?    I think its much more than a simple question of whether you can afford, or not afford, $25 more per month on your tax bill.  It's a question of investing in the future of our children and maintaining the reputation of the community.  Loveland schools have been able to achieve an excellent rating for the last seven years in a row.  It is one of only a handful of districts in the state to do so while keeping the dollar cost per child below state average ($8,700 last year compared to $12,688 in Montgomery).  Our teachers, school staff members, school board and hard-working students should be commended for achieving such success, not penalized.  The NO signs in the community demand fiscal responsibility.  How much more fiscally responsible can we get?  If the anti-levy campaigners believe there is tangible waste in the school district then the onus is on them to present their plan to save the district roughly $5m a year (the amount of revenue that the levy will generate).  If it means cutting bus services, increasing class sizes, reducing school curriculum and compromising standards then it is indeed a heavy price.

    Finally, our schools are one of the main selling points for our real estate to prospective home-buyers.  They are one of the main reasons I moved my family to Loveland in 2005.  I know many families, mine included, who would have chosen to live in Mason, West Chester or Montgomery if Loveland schools had not been rated excellent.  Can we afford future home-buyers to turn their backs on Loveland and live elsewhere?  What type of community will we have if that happens?  There is much food for thought.

Dermot Mackey is a resident of Loveland and the Loveland School District

School, Mall and Workplace Shootings: Why So Many?

Going Postal: Rage, Murder, and Rebellion
by Mark Ames
Soft Skull Press, 2005
360 pages, $15.95

In April 2007, when a Virginia Tech student killed 32, it was one of the worst ever, to coin a phrase, "social shootings." Earlier, in February, five were killed in a Salt Lake mall and then, in December, nine in an Omaha mall.

Going Postal: Rage, Murder, and Rebellion by Mark Ames was published by Soft Skull Press back in 2005. But the continued popularity of school, mall, and workplace shootings as a practical solution for troubled souls obligates us to revisit this essential work.

Continue reading this compelling book review: School, Mall and Workplace Shootings: Why So Many?.

A silent baby? No crying? ...No way.

Away in the Manager

A recent sermon by Rev. Dr. Doug Damron

Luke 1:39-56

Our carol for consideration today is sweet and soothing “Away in the Manager,” one of our most beloved and sung Christmas carols in the worship life of the church.  Though Away in the Manager is a close second in tenderness to Silent Night, Away in the Manager has been a source of conflict for music historians for generations.

The controversy centers around who wrote the lyrics to Away in the Manager.  On the one hand there are those who contend the greater Reformer Martin Luther was the lyric writer for this beloved carol.  And on the other side we find music historians who contend it was an anonymous hymn writer whose identity will we never know. 

After studying this issue, I am surprised how passionate I am in my belief that Martin Luther did not write Away in the Manager.  Let to tell you how I come to that conclusion.

Though I’m a proud Methodist, I have always been fascinated by the great reformer of the church and pastor, Martin Luther.  What fascinates me about Luther is his not fitting well into the “pastor stereotype.”  Martin Luther enjoyed his beer.  Luther was renown to sometimes used words that would make a sailor blush.  And Luther was a humorist.   A man who loved to laugh and make others laugh.  Contrary to proper form, Luther used humor in teaching and preaching the Gospel.  Crusty, non-sentimental, Luther possessed what we might call an “earthy spirituality.”

Knowing that Luther as an earthy/realist, I think he have found this line in Away in Manager to be absolutely hilarious, bordering on ridiculous.  “The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes, but little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes.”   Let me get this straight, Luther would have reasoned.  A baby is born on a cold night, in barn, wrapped in clothe bands and laid in a feed box, come on who is going to believe that?

Luther knew something about newborns.  He and his ex-nun wife Katie had four children.  He knew something about newborns, they cry, they wail.  Everyone knows when a baby is born. 

Luther couldn’t have written this line about “no crying he makes” because Luther was a serious student of the Bible.  No where in the Christmas narratives, in Matthew’s story or Luke’s Christmas story, do we get a sense that Jesus was born to be a silent and accommodating presence.   Matter of fact, when read what his Mamma Mary sang about the child she was carrying, you get a sense that this baby was about a crier, a screamer as soon as he was born. 

Listen again to the description Mary had for the baby in her womb.  “His mighty arm has done tremendous things!  He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.  He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble.  He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands.”  What Mary was saying that her baby was going to a spitting image of his Daddy, the God of Israel and the universe.  My baby is coming into the world to shake it up and turn upside down.

The Christ child came into this world with an incredible mission to reclaim creation and return it to its rightful owner, God.  This baby was coming into the world to pry this world out of the clutches of the Satan.  Out of the grip of oppression, violence, greed, and return all of us to our Father. 

I think that first Christmas night baby Jesus was screaming for all to hear.  Your God is hear, you redemption is nigh!  I think a more appropriate, biblical line for this carol would be “the cattle are kicking, Satan is hiding, because little baby Jesus won’t stop crying!”

The Christ child cried when he entered the world, and no mistake about it, the Christ child continues to cry in our world right now.  It seems to me one of the purposes of this Advent season is to so sensitize our spirits so that we can hear the Christ child crying today.  When we hear him crying, we come running. 

When might you hear Christ crying for your attention?  Well, when we encounter one who is least, last, or lost. 

Maybe you will hear the baby crying when you pass the home of a neighbor who lost a loved one this year.  When your baby cries you drop everything and go.  Drop your shopping list and reach out in care.  Find a small way to bless the one who is experiencing a blue Christmas this year.  Be a living expression of Emmanuel—God has drawn close.

While we are moving from party to party, others in our community are moving from doctor to doctor.  Opps, there he goes again, crying again. Caring for those with health concerns is not just the doctor, or the pastor’s job, it is the entire family of faith willing to pray, cook, visit, whatever it takes.  Pick up the baby and ask him what he wants you to do for someone in experiencing a health crisis.

In a minute Stan Prichard (Mission Chair) is going to come and talk to our family about the Christmas Offering and our efforts as a church to bless needy children here and around the globe.  It is going to get as loud as hospital nursery all the crying by the baby.  Every one of us can find a way to significantly support Christian ministries that provide food, clothing, housing, hope to needy kids here, in Namibia, and around the world.  Plan now, if you are able, to give the best Christmas gift to these needy ones you have ever given. 

Friends, enjoy Away in the Manager.  But when you come to that line, you know which one; let that line become an opportunity for prayer.  Lord Jesus, you came crying for a new world.  Enable me to join you in re-making of the entire world.  Amen

Rev. Dr. Doug Damron is Senior Pastor at Epiphany United Methodist Church in Miami Township. Click here to read other Damron Sermons.

Care package has that power to get rid of those aches and pains

(A letter from a Navy Corpsman serving in Iraq who recently received a Christmas care package from a Loveland Magazine reader who participated in the "Adopt a Soldier for the Holiday" program)

Dear Linda, Dan, Jared, and Logan

Thank you for the care package, I am always surprised to find a care package with my name on it, yet I don't recognize the people who send it. This is my fourth care package since arriving to Iraq and it always makes my day in opening them, and learning about the people who sent them to me.

I was adopted from the Philippines at the age of nine. I last lived in Loveland Ohio before joining the Navy as a Navy Corpsman. I went to school at Loveland high for my last three years in high school, which is where I think fate has connected us. A school teacher from there has been asking for my address, so I gave it to him. So I guess it was eventually given to you.

I am currently in a camp in Iraq, located near the border of Iran. As I said  before I am a Corpsman; currently attached to a unique small unit made up of several MOS. There are about 216 of us and I am one of nine Corpsman attached to them. We arrived hear in the beginning of November.

I am not allowed to tell you exactly what we do... but I can tell you what my job is, as a Corpsman. Pretty much I do what a Medic does for the Army, only I am in the Navy and I take care of Marines instead. We go out and patrol this area... make contact with the local populace and engage/capture any enemy, foreign or domestic we encounter. My job is to preserve the lives of those injured in this conflict, be they enemy or friend. If they're hurt it is my duty to keep them alive as long as possible until higher aid arrives.

Other than that I'm doing well out here... we are being replaced in February so it is likely that we go home in March... however our higher ups are trying to get us to stay for the full deployment. If we do stay it will be likely that we go elsewhere in Iraq and the rumor mill has; it will be in Alambar Province where most of the fighting is now. I also heard they might try and get us to Afghanistan. Typical of them - they just want another ribbon on their chest that says they went to Afghanistan. Anyway, its up to fate whether we stay. Personally, I'd like to serve my full seven months. I just think it not fair that we end up going home early when others before us have been extended for up to a year.

It rained a couple days  here - it's supposed to be the rainy season but it hasn't rained much. Part of me is glad, the other part is disappointed. I am told that when it rains everything turns to mud and they usually don't send anyone outside the wire except to resupply, because they'd normally get stuck. Some good sleep in time that would be.

Anyway, again, I am glad to hear from you guys. It always makes my day a little easier after opening a care package, especially after coming back from a long patrol. For some strange reason, a care package has that power to get rid of those aches and pains, even if its just for that day, so thank you.

(Name withheld for security reasons, upon request)

Schmidt asks for your opinion

Dear Friends,

As your Representative, it is vitally important that I know where you stand on the issues that are most important to our country.  Each year I ask those who are willing to take a few moments and give me their thoughts on key issues.

As we enter the second half of the 110th Congress, I wanted to take a few minutes of your valuable time again and ask you to complete a simple survey on the important issues facing our nation.

I look forward to hearing from you about these or any other matters of importance to you.   If I can ever be of assistance, please do not hesitate to contact my office.

Sincerely,

   Jean Schmidt
    Representative

*By answering this survey, you are subscribing to my newsletter.

Click here to take survey.

Aren't there people in Loveland who could be somewhere bigger and better?

by Bill Croskey

   The November Character Quality of the Month is Determination. It is defined as "Purposing to accomplish right goals at the right time, regardless of the opposition." The opposite is Faintheartedness.

    To practice Determination , "I will" statements for children and adults alike are: I will.

• Set goals
• Make sure my goals are right
• Ignore distractions
• Not allow others to discourage me
• Face problems head on

      My wife Nancy and I attended a book signing recently at Lunken Airport and got to meet Loren Long.  He is an illustrator who has done artwork for many children's books, including The Little Engine That Could and a book by Madonna. He was very humble, and he talked of his love for books and baseball and kids and his family.  His paintings are, in my mind, remarkable, because they harken back to an earlier era, as do the subjects of many of his books.  Ironically, he was seated under some of the murals which grace the lobby of Lunken Airport Terminal. They were painted in 1937 by William Harry Gothard and were part of the New Deal's Works Progress Administration commissions. It struck me that his style of painting was similar to that of Mr. Gothard.  Mr. Long agreed and said that he was happy to be able to see the murals again and to keep that style alive.

     I mention Loren Long because I believe that he is an example of what I think of as  a Cincinnati Treasure.  By that, I mean a person who has attained a measure of national or international fame, but who chooses to remain in and around Cincinnati.  Examples would be Erich Kunzel of the Cincinnati Pops;  Anthony Munoz, Hall of Fame Bengal; C. F. Payne, Jim Borgman, or John Ruthven, famed artists who continue to live and work here; Nick Clooney, Cincinnati Post columnist and commentator; or even Jean-Robert de Cavel, chef and restauranteur.  These Cincinnati Treasures are skilled enough, and enjoy enough fame, that they could move to a more prestigious city to operate.  Why do they stay here? I'm not privy to their inner thoughts, of course. But I suspect that they do it, at least in part, out of Determination.  Being a big fish in a small pond, or a big fish in a more prestigious pond, does not motivate them.To them,

     Being a local Treasure does not mean one is perfect or wholly fulfilled. In the musical "Camelot," which recently played in Cincinnati, Lancelot asks King Arthur whether he ever doubted that the Round Table would succeed.  Arthur says, "Of course. Only a fool never doubts."   I believe that Cincinnati Treasures have attained their level of acclaim not because they are perfectly confident. Rather, they often harbor self-doubts which in many cases push them harder and higher and farther.  Maybe reassuring themselves of their worth drives them; it's not about impressing the people on the East or West Coasts.

     What about Loveland? Don't we have "Loveland Treasures?"  Aren't there people here who could be somewhere bigger and better? If we are lucky enough to keep certain people around here as our own Treasures, we need to praise their Determination.  I urge you to seek out our local Treasures. Thank them for the rest of us. Their Determination helps Loveland to Determine its success.

Bill Croskey, NCSP, is the Loveland Intermediate and Middle School Psychologist 

Remembering National Adoption Day

National Adoption Day began in 2000 as a “collective national effort to raise awareness of the 114,000 children in foster care waiting to find permanent, loving families,” according to nationaladoptionday.org.  Since its inception, nearly 17,000 foster children have been placed with families and more than 3,300 foster children were adopted on National Adoption Day last year.

 The need to find families for the 114,000 foster children whose parents’ parental rights have been terminated is acute.  It is estimated that the average foster child waits more than 3 years to be adopted and, 21% of foster children waiting to be adopted will wait 5 years or more.  Each year, 25,000 foster children “age out” of the system without ever having lived in a real family environment. Statistics indicate that the future for these children is bleak.

 

THE LOVELAND INITIATIVE 10th ANNUAL CHRISTMAS TOY STORE

The Loveland Initiative is proud once again to host the 10th Annual Christmas Toy Store. The Toy Store was created to help low income families who could not afford toys & gifts. Purchasing toys & gifts at a discount helps parents feel they are contributing to their child's Christmas.

We are committed to using the money raised by the Toy Store for the betterment of children and families in Loveland. The past eight years, the money raised has been used for the Tracy Johnson Scholarship Fund which assists a student to further his or her education. We are very proud that twelve college scholarships have been awarded to Loveland graduates. Each year, we award a $1500 scholarship. Any additional money raised will go towards our other educational programs. We feel one of the ways to empower people is through education and is the way to break the cycle of poverty. Without you we can not offer to help these children. We will be accepting donations of NEW UNWRAPPED toys and gifts for children, preteens and teens ages newborn to 18.

Drop off NEW UNWRAPPED Toys & Gifts
Every Monday between 6:30pm-8:30pm
Starting November 26th & December 3rd, 10th, 17th, and Saturday Dec 22nd         
At The Loveland Initiative 405 Loveland Madeira Rd.
Across the street from the Goodwill and United Dairy Farmers
Contact Information
Terri Rogers 677-1057(home) & 255-6821(cell)
Lill Lane 774-7878

Last minute items can be dropped off at the Loveland Fireman's VFW Hall (227 East Loveland Avenue) Tuesday December 18 2:00pm-7:00pm, Wednesday December 19 2:00pm-7:00pm and Thursday December 20 12:00 noon-8:00pm. We can also make arrangements to pick up gifts. In addition to gifts we always need volunteers for pick-up wrapping, displays and transportation. We are confident that our community will once again come together to help the children and families in Loveland. Please feel free to call or e-mail lovelandinitiative@yahoo.com with any questions or concerns. Thank you in advance for your help!

Terri Rogers, President

A Budget for All to See

by Paul Elliott

As a member of the city's finance committee, I get to be one of the first to see the proposed budget for the upcoming year, 2008.  The committee will look over what the city manager has brought forth, based on departmental requests, short and long range goals by council, normal city maintenance (road repair, water line replacement, etc), big capital expenditures (a new public works building), administrative updates (new computers, copiers, hard & software systems), and of course salary increases for all. 

Needless to say, all the spread sheets, charts and line items makes perfect sense and are rationalized into "budgetary needs".  So why do I feel there's little attention paid to spending tax dollars on the folks that actually provide these tax dollars in the first place?  I do believe we "get our tax dollars back" with filled potholes, excellent police and fire protection, leaf and snow removal, flowers in the bridge boxes, and more.  And maybe it's just me, but when I look at the long list of expenditures planned for 2008, I see a lot of "their wish list", and not much for the ordinary George and Martha taxpayer.

So I'm going to suggest that the proposed 2008 budget be online on the city's website for all to see.  You'll be able to make up your own mind if there's anything in it "for you", besides the necessary functionings of a small town government.  With the recent rejection of a 20% income tax increase, maybe we all will look at how our tax dollars are being spent with much more scrutiny and an eye towards wiser spending. Just maybe with a little fiscal belt tightening and more discretion, the city just might be able to achieve some of your goals, recreation and otherwise.

Paul Elliott, member
Loveland City Council

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

in Memory of Congresswoman Jo Ann Davis

My friend and colleague Congresswoman Jo Ann Davis passed away Saturday, October 6, 2007, after a 2 year battle with breast cancer. She was only 57 years old. I wrote about Breast Cancer Awareness month in 2005, but her death should serve as an unfortunate reminder about this tragic disease. Roughly 400,000 women have been diagnosed with, and 80,000 women have passed away from breast cancer since my last column.

According to the Centers for Disease Control Ohio’s incidence rate for breast cancer is lower than the national average at 117.1 cases per 100,000 persons, compared to 119 nationally. This is a good thing. Ohio’s death rate, however, is higher than the national average at 27.9 deaths per 100,000 people compared to 25.2 nationally. This is a bad thing. This cannot be easily explained, but it is telling of the work we have ahead of us.

The good news is that those survival rates are improving. Technological improvements and earlier detections have both contributed to these survival rates.  According to the National Cancer Institute, today, 5 year survival rates approach 88% and ten year survival rates approach 80%. We know that early detection improves outcome rates exponentially. Regular testing is the best way to ensure early detection.

The American Cancer Society (ACS) gives the following testing recommendations:

• Yearly mammograms are recommended starting at age 40 and continuing for as long as a woman is in good health.
• Clinical breast exam (CBE) should be part of a periodic health exam, about every 3 years for women in their 20s and 30s and every year for women 40 and over.
• Women should know how their breasts normally feel and report any breast change promptly to their health care providers. Breast self-exam (BSE) is an option for women starting in their 20s.
• Women at high risk (greater than 20% lifetime risk) should get an MRI and a mammogram every year. Women at moderately increased risk (15% to 20% lifetime risk) should talk with their doctors about the benefits and limitations of adding MRI screening to their yearly mammogram. Yearly MRI screening is not recommended for women whose lifetime risk of breast cancer is less than 15%.

Further, the ACS has created a helpful mammogram reminder, which will send you annual emails to let you when it is time to schedule an exam. Click here to sign up.

Survival rates are also improving due to technological advancements in detection and treatment techniques. As a State Representative, I passed a law that increased the reimbursement rate that medical facilities would receive for mammograms. This ensures that the best possible technology is available for women in the State of Ohio, especially in our more rural areas.

As a Member of Congress, I have consistently advocated for increased research funding to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) which include the National Cancer Institute. NIH estimates it will spend about $717 million on breast cancer research this year. Though this seems like a large amount, it is very small compared to the costs of cancer treatment, lost wages, and early deaths. If a simple and effective treatment, cure, or preventative measure could be found, countless lives and billions of dollars would be saved in treatment and economic costs.

So if you are a woman, married to a woman, or have one as a mother, please remember that early detection saves lives, and to take the appropriate action for yourself or your loved ones.

If you would like more information please visit these sites:

www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/breastcancer.html

www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/

www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/breast

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/lrn/lrn_0.asp

http://www.stopbreastcancer.org/

http://www.bcacincy.org/