Weirdness at Federal Hocking's graduation

One of the girls graduated yesterday. Attached to her diploma was something that was strange to me, as I've never seen anything like this before. Maybe this happens all the time, but I've never seen it before.

It was a letter from our State Representative Debbie Phillips. I didn't find it odd that Debbie Phillips would want to hand out "congrats" letters to all the graduates. It makes good political sense to congratulate them, especially since they are all, now, voting age.

What I found odd was that the school would do her bidding for her.

Then, I remembered that George Wood (the high school principal who handed out the actual diplomas attached to this letter after the ceremony was over) is (or at least was) a member of the Athens County democrat Central Committee.

Makes me wonder of Jimmy Stewart (our State Senator who happens to be a Republican) was offered the same deal as Debbie?

I've been around Athens County too long not to think something fishy is going on. Maybe not??

Then, once you get to the letter itself, you realize that Debbie doesn't do herself any good when she refers to the graduates in the manner that she does. Or, more importantly, how the graduates interpret the tone of her letter.

Here it is, the phrase that really turns off the young ladies that I'm sure she feels are her voters anyway.

"Being from Southeastern Ohio, you have confronted challenges, etc........"

So, the implication is, you are really dumb, you're a hillbilly from Appalachia and it's a real achievement that you even graduated........you know.

More than one of my daughter's friends noticed this slight of hand in this letter.

I know the young people around here don't like being labeled as stupid and needing "help" just because of where they live geographically in Ohio. They see this labeling as nothing more than Bolshevik's trying to get more tax money for their socialist programs.

Here's a message to the label making politicians:

1. We have high speed Internet already, we don't need your help. If you'd get out of the way, private businesses would have had DSL to all the folks in SE Ohio by now.
2. We have and know how to use cell phones.
3. We even have color TV!
   

We don't need or want your "help". But if Debbie Phillips wants to continue to insult our young people, that's OK with me, she's just helping the GOP candidate for the 92nd district.

Never trust the government

Strickland's latest deal with taking money from the blind reminds me of a few other under handed dealings recently, but in local government.

1. Federal Hocking Local School district's 20 year bond was about to be paid off. 20 years ago there was a tax levy voted on to pay off the bond. You'd think that after the bond was paid, the tax payers' tax rates would reduce the amount that corresponds with the tax for the bond, right? Wrong. The school board moved inside millage to outside millage and the state kicked in the rest. So, not only did the local tax payers receive a massive tax increase without a vote....the State of Ohio's (funded by taxpayers) costs increased to fund the school district.

2. Troy Township (in Athens county) did not have enough money in their roads and bridge account to pay for all the road work they desired to do. So, instead of deciding not to do so much road work, they raided the Cemetery fund! Took money that people specifically voted a tax on themselves to keep up the township's cemeteries. The State Auditor did not catch this, by the way.

3. Then we have Strickland doing the same thing with money that folks paid into a fund for a specific purpose, yet he chooses to ignore the will of the people and spend it as he sees fit.

Just a few of the many abuses of our tax dollars in Ohio. The media is no where to be found with most of the local issues / abuses that abound. About all the "reporting" they do is cut and paste Congressmen's press releases when it shows up in their in-boxes.