For many years, people have been consuming Dei Fratelli brand tomato products and Silver Fleece brand sauerkraut made from locally grown produce that is processed, packed and distributed by the Hirzel Canning Company and Farms based on Lemoyne Road in Northwood.
The company is in the midst of its busiest time of year: a tomato harvest that runs from mid-August into the third week of October.
“We’re packing from fresh tomatoes during the harvest season rather than using tomato paste and water for our products,” said Steve Hirzel, president and a fourth-generation member in the family-owned business.

Smaller and firmer tomatoes are floated through the production system at Hirzel Canning.

“Timing the harvest with growers to meet the optimum production of tomatoes that go into different products is critical in order to provide consistent products for consumers based on crop and harvest schedules,” Hirzel said.
Picking tomatoes when they are ripe is the biggest challenge, so they use produce grown at farms close to their canning operations to assure freshness, he said.
Hirzel said the company contracts with about 30 tomato growers in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan, all within a 50-mile radius of its headquarters and packing operations in Northwood. It also has canning and packing facilities in Pemberville and Ottawa.
The company conducts its own research and development of tomato plants that are preseeded and germinated in greenhouses until they are mature enough to be transplanted in the fields. The company ships the young plants to the growers for transplanting in order to control the quality of the tomatoes for its products, he said.
“We’re proud of our sophisticated growers for the consistent quality produce they grow to put in our products. They’re doing a phenomenal job of growing for us,” Hirzel said.
The products have a shelf life of more than two years, but consumers should look for the “best by date for optimal freshness and flavor,” he said. “We have a sophisticated tracking system of the tomatoes grown and used in our products for safety, so people can trust our products.”
A variety of 53 different Dei Fratelli tomato products and Silver Fleece sauerkraut are sold in retail stores, primarily in the Midwest but also stretching from Florida to the Rocky Mountains. The brands are sold in local stores, such as The Andersons, Churchill’s, Sautter’s and Kazmaier’s 5-Star Markets, as well as in national chains, including Kroger, Giant Eagle, Meijer and Wal-Mart.
“It’s worked well for business with our local brands supported by local stores and national chains. The local stores carry many of our unique products that aren’t available in the chain stores that usually carry a smaller selection,” Hirzel said.
“We don’t use additives, preservatives or add water to our products and emphasize the lower salt content to meet consumer and health demands,” he said. “Our tomato juice is made entirely from fresh tomatoes, not from concentrate and water.”
The company packs larger cans and plastic pouches of tomato products under the Star Cross brand for use in restaurants and the food service market. It also sells products in packages from 3-gallon bags to 55-gallon barrels for use as ingredients in other products in what it calls the industrial market.
Hirzel said the privately owned company does not release its sales figures but processes about 100 flatbed truckloads of tomatoes daily and 4,200 truckloads in a seasonal harvest. The company puts out approximately 100 million cans of product in one year.
The company employs about 120 full-time workers, which includes its farming operation. It uses an additional 350 workers during the peak harvest and production season, Hirzel said.
The family-owned business was founded in 1923 by Carl Hirzel on the site of its current headquarters. Today, nine members of the Hirzel family are involved in the business, said Steve, who took over leadership of the family business from his father, Karl Jr.
Steve’s great-grandfather Carl started selling sauerkraut from wooden barrels and passed the family business onto his grandfather, Karl Sr. Two uncles remain active in the company with Joe Hirzel Sr., serving as chairman, and Bill Hirzel, as secretary and resident scientist.
Dei Fratelli is hosting its third annual Ripened Recipe Contest in celebration of National Tomato Month in October. The brand encourages home chefs to get creative with one of nature’s healthiest fruits, using its canned tomato products.
“The Ripened Recipe Contest is one of the bright spots of the Dei Fratelli family business. Past entrants have wowed us with their creativity and passion for our products,” Steve said. “This contest is a dependable channel to interact with and better understand our consumers.”
Consumers can submit original recipes using any Dei Fratelli products. The top 10 recipes will be chosen based on flavor, appeal and originality, with each winner receiving a one-year supply of Dei Fratelli products.
Recipes can be submitted from Oct. 1 through Nov. 30 on its website at DeiFratelli.com, on Facebook or by mail with name, address and contact information to Dei Fratelli Ripened Recipe Contest, c/o RMD Advertising, 6116 Cleveland Ave., Columbus, OH 43231.
The winning recipes will be announced Dec. 15 and published on the Dei Fratelli website and Facebook page. The company has had several local winners in past years, Steve said.

The the all-seeing, all-knowing National Bureau of Economic Research announced that the Great Recession officially ended in June 2009. If only they were a little quicker on the draw. In the same month that the recession officially ended, we penned an article entitled “United States on Clearance.” To quote from it directly:
“We continue to believe that prices will be increasing in the near future due to both inflation and the recovery of the global economy. We see signs of these things emerging every day.”
A little vindication certainly is nice every now and again.
Now, with the not-so-great recession officially behind us, fading into the annals of history, we’re ready to move on, both topically and economically.
The fact that more than a year has passed since the recession ended may prove to be the final nail in the coffin of the argument for a possible double-dip. As we have long argued, this country was never poised for a double-dip, not since the Fed took steps to inject sufficient liquidity to keep markets solvent.
While obviously this hasn’t solved all our nation’s problems, it did turn what could have been a double-dip into more of an economic stagnation as recovery dollar spending ran dry. In that sense, as we’ve repeatedly argued, the economy has not declined since the initial recovery ran its course, but it certainly hasn’t gotten much better either.
Before the real recovery can begin in this country — the one that will take this country back to its place as a prominent global economic power — some changes still need to be made.
Most notably, this country needs guidance and incentive from Washington, rather than uncertainty, burdensome regulation and impotent foreign policy. Another hindrance the U.S. could and likely will do without is another round of quantitative easing on top of already long-depressed interest rates. Judging by the Fed’s announcement on Sept. 21, QE2 sounds less than likely.
And yet, the market seems continually worried about the “imminent” collapse of the U.S. dollar. Every day seems to see more money piling into traditional inflation/calamity hedges ranging from gold and Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) to corporate and government debt.
Many major mutual fund companies continue to report substantial flows of retail investor assets into fixed income securities (Neil Anderson, Fixed Income Still Dominates Mutual Fund Flows … ). Why investors have chosen to make such a move as interest rates hover at 30-year lows, we may never know.
The biggest comfort amidst worries of the dollar collapsing, though, comes from outside this country — from our neighbors across the pond. Some may remember that earlier this summer the fear permeating the world’s financial markets was the prospective failure of the European Union, a notion which even we did not dismiss.
Admittedly, Europe is still a long way from having worked through its fiscal and economic woes, which are numerous and substantial, but the fear of the EU’s failure seems to have mostly subsided. So too will fears surrounding the dollar or the breakdown of the U.S. economy, but certainly at a higher cost to investors.
Dock David Treece is a discretionary money manager with Treece Investment Advisory Corp. (www.TreeceInvestments.com) and a stockbroker licensed with FINRA. He works for Treece Financial Services Corp and also serves as editor of the financial news site Green Faucet (www.GreenFaucet.com). The above information is the express opinion of Dock David Treece and should not be construed as investment advice or used without outside verification.

There is a rumor going around that St. John’s Jesuit football coach Doug Pearson said that his 2010 team was the best Titans team he has coached since 2001. If Pearson did say it, that’s news to him.
“I never said that,” he said with a laugh. “For my money, the best St. Johns team was that 2003 team that went to the state final four. Until a team reaches that level in the playoffs, then they are not the best team I have coached here.”
Even if it isn’t true, Pearson’s Titans are doing their best to prove that they are indeed the best football team in Northwest Ohio.
The Titans were picked to finish third in the City League this season behind Central Catholic and Whitmer, but after four games, St. John’s looks like the team to beat in the league’s final season as it is currently comprised.
“We have played well so far,” Pearson said. “This team has great chemistry and I have been impressed with what they have done so far, but we still have to work to keep getting better.”
The Titans’ undefeated start has been due in large part to the play of sophomore quarterback Brogan Roback. While many sophomores are still riding the bench, Roback has taken the reigns of one of the most potent offenses in the area and looked good doing it. It is something that he is thankful for everyday.
“I am truly blessed,” he said. “Coach Pearson has faith in me, and he has always thought highly of me. I know he took a big risk by putting me in there, and hopefully it continues to work out for the best.”
St. John’s is coming off their most dominant performance to date, beating arch rival St. Francis de Sales 42-10 at BGSU’s Doyt Perry Stadium on September 17. The Titans jumped out to a 21-3 lead early on and never looked back.
Roback was one of the key contributors, completing seven of eight passes for 172 yards and three touchdowns. In fact, St. John’s scored on all but three of their possessions in the ball game. The lopsided final score was a surprise to many in the area, including the Titans.
“St. Francis is a good football team, but some felt that they might be better for playing a tougher schedule than us to that point,” Pearson said. “We challenged our kids to come out early and remove all doubt who was the better team and put them away early. I felt like we did that last week.”
Roback felt that the game was won last week during the Titans’ practices leading up to the big game.
“We worked hard to be prepared and we were very confident heading into that game that we had a good football team,” he said. “They are a good team, but I felt confident with the teammates around me that we would come out on top.”
Despite winning handily last week, coach Pearson and the rest of Titans know that the job is far from over to win a City League championship, something the team has not won outright in Pearson’s tenure as head coach.
St. John’s still has matchups left against Whitmer (3-1, 1-0 CL) on September 24, and they close out the season on the road against Central Catholic (4-0, 1-0 CL) on October 29.
Pearson said to make it through a grueling City League season, the Titans must continue to improve in every facet of the game.
“Even though we won last week, I still found plenty of things that we needed to work on in order to keep getting better,” he said. “There is room for improvement on both sides of the ball, and we are always working on those things to be better.”
Roback said that he and his teammates need to continue to work hard in practice in order to reach their ultimate goal.
“We just need to stay prepared and keep executing the way we have been. If we do that we can be successful.”
The sophomore will do all he can to make sure the senior class goes out with a final City League championship.
“We have leaned on them a bunch in the past,” Roback said. “We would like to come through for them and send them out as champions.”

Chris Schmidbauer is sports editor for Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Contact him at cschmidbauer@toledofreepress.com. He is also the co-host of the “Odd Couple Sports Show” on Fox Sports Radio 1230 WCWA and can be heard every weekday from at 10 a.m. to noon. He can also be seen weekly on the “Friday Night Frenzy Tailgate Show” on NBC 24.

Like life, sports is full of lessons, surprises and unexpected twists and turns that can alter the game permanently. Just when you think you have someone or something figured out, that individual or situation can turn out to be completely different than what you expected.
Whenever I encounter those people or situations, be it through my everyday life or through covering sports, they always make me think of the late Randy Pausch. In case that name escapes you, Pausch was the former Carnegie Mellon professor who gained worldwide praise and fame after he gave his moving speech about life and achieving childhood dreams to a packed auditorium at the university in the midst of his battle with pancreatic cancer. I watched Pausch’s speech in my news writing class during my junior year at the University of Toledo.
In honor of the great man Pausch was and because it is the three-year anniversary of his speech this month, there was one thing he said that still sticks with me to this day that I wanted to write about. Pausch was quoting advice he got from Jon Snoddy, who was running the team that was working on Walt Disney Imagineering’s virtual reality project at the time and it is as follows:
“Wait long enough, and people will surprise and impress you.”
This reminded me of how the Rockets have played so far this season, particularly on defense.
In this crazy technological age that we live in, we’re a society that has become accustomed to getting things at the push of a button, such as instant uploads and downloads, e-mail straight to our phones, Internet access anywhere, and a whole slew of “apps” that we don’t really need. That same attitude of wanting results quickly can be applied to today’s sports fans, especially in Toledo.
If America is the melting pot of cultures, then Toledo is the melting pot of numerous favorite sports teams. Having grown up and been educated in T-Town, I know that I’m more likely to run into a Cowboys or Steelers fan than I am a Lions or Browns fan, even though the latter are closer to home. The same can be said for college football. I know I’m more likely to run into a Buckeyes or Wolverines fan than I am a Rockets fan. A lot of that has to do with losing.
People like winners, and Toledo football has not done much of that the past few years. I get it. So far this season, however, the Rockets are 2-1. Both of those victories came on the road against not only two quality Mid-American Conference opponents in Ohio and Western Michigan, but two opponents that were picked to finish better in their respective divisions than Toledo was in the preseason poll done by the MAC News Media Association. This early-season success for the Rockets is directly related to the play of the defense through the first three games, in particular the defensive line.
After limiting the Bobcats to just 46 yards rushing for a 1.6 yards per carry average in the second contest of the year, Toledo was even more impressive against the Broncos, allowing just 13 yards on 26 carries. The Rockets recorded seven sacks, four interceptions and forced two fumbles for a total of six turnovers in its game with Western Michigan, bringing its total to 11 so far on the year.
“I just would credit it to our schemes that the coaches put in all week,” said senior cornerback Desmond Marrow. Marrow was the second Toledo player in consecutive weeks to be selected as the MAC West Division Defensive Player of the Week after he recorded 10 tackles, one pass breakup and two interceptions against the Broncos, returning one for a touchdown.
While Marrow was elated after getting the first two interceptions of his collegiate career that wasn’t the best thing about his performance.
“I think the best thing about the interceptions was our D-line,” Marrow said. “Our D-line is playing really well this year, and as a DB, it’s the best thing to have when a defense has a D-line. If they can get to the quarterback faster, then you have to cover shorter, and you get interceptions and everybody’s happy.”
And while it may be a tall task, it’s not a stretch to say that the Rockets are capable of coming out of Ross-Ade Stadium with an upset victory over Purdue on Sept. 25. Like Pausch said in his speech, if you give people long enough, they’ll surprise and impress you.
Just ask Michigan about that day in the Big House.

Editor’s note: Toledo Free Press will follow the Blank family of Millbury for the next year as they rebuild their lives after the June 5 tornado destroyed their Main Street home.

An event that started out as a way to raise money for Lake Local Schools might become a tradition for the Flyers.
Five hundred people, including Ed and Julie Blank, who lost their home in the June 5 tornado, participated in “Lifting Up Lake 5K Run Walk Crawl” on Sept. 18. The race was hosted by the Northwest Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA) at Lake High School.
“This was our first time doing anything like this,” said Angela Wallington Zimmann, president-elect of the Northwest Ohio Executive Committee. “I talked to the Lake School Board and Lake might take this event over and make it an annual event.”
The idea to help Lake came just one day after the tornado.
“We always meet on a Sunday four times per year and this meeting happened to be set for the 6th of June,” Zimmann said. “Someone suggested we do something for Lake and we all agreed. We didn’t want to wait until October when we would meet again, so we had a meeting on July 11 for those who were really interested in doing a fundraiser for Lake.”
David Spridgeon, executive committee member from Arcadia, had been involved in 5Ks in the past. He and those helping thought a 5K would be a great opportunity for people to get together. The planning started immediately.
“I did the initial fundraising. I wanted to get as many $500 sponsors as possible out of the gate,” Zimmann said. “We didn’t want to rely on entry fees. We wanted all of the $20 fees to go to Lake.”
Zimmann said Lake will receive approximately $10,000 once the rest of the bills for the race are paid.
Initially, organizers thought they might get as many as 1,500 participants in the race, but as the event neared, they aimed for 500. They realized too late that Sept. 18 was Harrison Rally Day in Perrysburg. Also, many of those who would be interested in participating, like cross country runners, had tournaments.
“Someone told us you would be lucky if you get 100, but we knew we  would get more than that. We were really pleased with turnout, but not totally shocked,” Zimmann said.
Judy Jackson May, regional manager for the 20 counties in the Northwest Ohio OSBA, couldn’t walk or run in the 5K because she was too busy working on registration. She was happy to help Lake.
“Lake is in our region,” she said. “We met and we thought about what we could do to help them. At that time, Lake hadn’t received any funding to rebuild their high school.”
Since then, Lake has settled with insurance agents to rebuild the school. Lake will receive $19.1 million. The money raised at the 5K and upcoming silent auction will now be used at Lake’s discretion, Zimmann said.
May said it would be nice if the money went toward school supplies lost in the tornado.
“You live 20 miles from someone and you never really get to know anyone, but I feel like we have made a lot of new friends, people who are neighbors. It is not about the amount of money, it is about the caring,” May said.

The Neighborhood Health Association (NHA) aims to raise domestic violence awareness through its new year-round Sister Care Series. On Oct. 1, at the start of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the NHA will host a domestic violence seminar.
“We want to reduce the barriers that people who are being abused have to climb over to get out of the situation,” said Doni Miller, CEO of NHA.
“We hope to bring to the attention of the community the impact domestic violence has on workplace, health care and families, not to mention the impact on the person that is involved with domestic violence,” she said.
Each year, the Sister Care Series will focus on different topics and will be aimed at educating and empowering women, Miller said.
“The Sister Care Series is designed to keep issues that have a negative impact on the empowerment of women in front of the community,” she said. “We’ll focus on issues that keep women from being the best they can be and try to open pathways of communication.”
To kick off the Sister Care Series programs, NHA decided to focus on domestic violence issues.
“There still seems to be a significant reticence to talk and seek help in issues of domestic violence. There’s an increase locally and nationally of the number of people being abused,” Miller said.
In 2009, Lucas County had 1,599 reported domestic violence incidents, according to the Ohio Domestic Violence Network. The number of domestic violence incidents may be even higher; however, since some victims don’t report abuse because they’re afraid, don’t trust the police or have a record themselves.
NHA’s domestic violence symposium will feature a general session on the dynamics of domestic violence as well as domestic violence workshops. Workshops will cover topics, such as traits and characteristics of batterers, treatment options, domestic violence issues for health care providers and legal issues.
Area professionals will lead workshops and share their expertise. Everyone in attendance will also take home a tool kit about domestic violence, which they are encouraged to share it with others and become an advocate against domestic violence, Miller said.
Keynote speaker for the symposium is Rory Kennedy, daughter of Robert F. Kennedy and documentary filmmaker.  Kennedy has addressed the issue of domestic violence in some of her work.
Partners in the symposium include Bethany House, Crossroads Family Resource Center, Family Services of Northwest Ohio, Toledo Lucas County Victim Assistance Program, the YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter, among others.
The symposium is from 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Oct. 1 at the Holiday Inn French Quarter conference center, 10630 Fremont Pike, Perrysburg. Tickets are $75 a person, or $40 a student. Fees include breakfast, lunch and program materials. A limited number of courtesy registrations are available for those who cannot afford to attend. Registration begins at 7:45 a.m.
NHA provides health care services through its 10 neighborhood clinics in Toledo. NHA plans to host more domestic violence awareness events throughout the coming year.
For more information or to register, visit www.nhaic.org.

A construction project overrun, a water deal with Rossford not approved by Council, the Board of Community Relations (BCR) and the mayor’s recent trip to China were all part of the discussion at the Sept. 21 Toledo City Council agenda review.
These items also raised the issues of communication, following ordinances and the City Charter. The discussion concerning communication with the BCR was, at times, tense.
Mayor Mike Bell said to Councilman Joe McNamara, “I have not had a contact with the BCR besides with Ms. Greene … I haven’t turned down a meeting with them, so I don’t know where that’s coming from.”
Later, Councilwoman Lindsay Webb said, “It’s my understanding that there have been exactly nine appointees that the board has submitted to the mayor’s office for council approval to the board that have been held up. You’ve been in office long enough that we should have seen those come across here  … ”
Bell said, “I’m telling you I have not seen those recommendations. I’m telling you that. OK? I have no reason to come here and say anything different; maybe it’s somewhere in the system, but I as the mayor, have not seen those recommendations.”
Webb said it was her understanding more than one communication had been attempted. Bell said he may not have seen it.
“Perhaps that’s an issue to take up with your staff,” Webb said.
Bell said,  “I’ll handle my staff. I’m just saying, the issue here is that all this, I mean we are playing it out here in this arena, but I’ve been pretty easy to work with …” He said he meets with everyone, “even people that I don’t necessarily want to meet with. I’m saying there is a miscommunication here of what’s been sent, or asked of me and I stand by that.”
Toledo Free Press has obtained copies of e-mails and letters from the beginning of Bell’s term in office to as late as last week, asking for meetings with Bell and Deputy Mayor Steve Herwat and pushing the issue of the appointments to the BCR board.  Some of the communications express frustration with how long the appointment process is taking. Others express concern as to the scope and focus of the BCR without clarification from Bell following the upcoming retirement of Juanita Greene.
The June 24 BCR meeting minutes state, “Status of Board Candidates: The administration has been contacted thru email requesting an update — no responses at this time.” It’s also noted that several of the applications for board members have been submitted three times.
More than one member of the BCR said they had personally spoken with the mayor requesting meetings. It’s reported Mayor Bell told them to call to schedule a meeting and when they did, calls were not returned.
When a failed attempt to schedule a meeting was explained to the mayor in person at a public event, the BCR member was told that they had contacted the wrong person. When they contacted the person, they were specifically instructed to call, repeated calls were not returned.
During agenda review, McNamara said he felt the administration needed to work on communication with council and BCR. The topic then turned to a request from Councilman Adam Martinez for information on Bell’s trip to China.
After answering Martinez’s questions, Bell said he disagreed with McNamara and that “You have never, since you’ve been a councilman, had a mayor that sits down here and listens to your agenda sessions as well as your Council meetings and tries to understand what you guys are talking about, so we can be on target.”
Bell said he found the comment about needing to improve communication “amazing.” He told McNamara that he disagreed with the impression that the administration was missing steps. “We do seem to, on a pretty regular occasion, miss the mark as to where you’re at, but I don’t know if we miss it with everybody else on council,” Bell said.

McNamara said he appreciates the mayor’s attendance, “but, you know, you left the country for 11 days and only a few members of council knew about it, so that’s what I’m talking about. BCR didn’t know what was going on and I  don’t want to get into an argument with you, but …”

Bell said, “No, You brought it up. We’ll finish it.”
McNamara said, “All right.”
Councilman Steve Steel said, “Can we complete our agenda?”
So they did, with a BCR meeting scheduled for Sept. 23 and a future Council hearing on BCR planned. Time will tell if they can move beyond the differing versions of who did or did not communicate and focus on the task of community relations.

Toledo Free Press contributor Lisa Renee Ward operates the political blog GlassCityJungle.com.

We’ve been discussing the extension of the Bush tax cuts and the deficit hawks’ counterintuitive love of extending the tax cuts for the billionaires who make up their base, even at the cost of $700 billion during the next decade. The same old claptrap and fear that they’ve been peddling, along with the outright lies and revisionist history seem to be the only thing they have going in answer to our plight.
They’ve been peddling this crap since the FDR years to try to stifle any innovation in the way we do things in America.
The betterment of the better off is their only concern and the rest of us can pound sand as far as they are concerned. Unfortunately, too many people seem to be buying into this against their own self-interest. They scream about how we need to get back to the Founding Fathers’ view in our country. I would humbly point out that the major belief behind the American Revolution, which everyone seems to forget, was that every American was equal, and that there should be no ruling class in this country. Evidently, they didn’t get the memo in the GOP and corporate world.
These days, the constant drumbeat on the right is that the only way to create jobs is by giving the richest of our citizens the lion’s share of the economic pie. This started with the discredited trickle-down economics of the Reagan administration and culminated with the Bush tax cuts, which were introduced against the advice of his top economic advisers and led to the no growth, no jobs, economic-imploding decade that we’ve experienced and continue to experience.
None of the promises that were made have come to pass for anyone other than the very top of the economic food chain. Their answer to this conundrum? More of the same!
The main effect that the Bush tax cuts had was to reduce government revenue and to double the deficit that they are now crying crocodile tears over. If you need further proof that they have learned nothing in the past 10 years, look no further than Ohio’s John Kasich, whose “plan” to deal with the hardships in our state is to do away with the state income tax and to cut regulations for businesses, including the financial sector that made him a multimillionaire under some nebulous plan that he refuses to release (like his tax returns). Instead, we’re given the same patented, vague GOP promises, couched in sound bites about how our well-being is their No. 1 concern.
How long are we going to keep falling for this people?
I’ve been called a Socialist, Communist, and lots of other cutesy buzzwords by tea partiers and wealth managers who cry that Obama and I want to redistribute wealth in this country.
Let’s take a look at some more of those pesky facts. President Obama’s tax cuts benefited more than 95 percent of Americans, and the average taxpayer will receive a nearly $3,000 tax cut this year, up nearly $1,000 from last year. According to the Citizens for Tax Justice, the lower 20 percent of income earners (up to $19,972 in 2009) received an average of $604.
Under the Bush tax cuts, they received an average tax cut of $22, according to the Center for Tax Policy. The next 20 percent (up to $38,000 in 2009) got an average tax cut of $628 as compared to $360 under the Bush tax cuts. Ninety-seven percent of small business owners receive tax cuts under the Obama plan. Yes, the same small business owners that Mitch McConnell loses sleep over. Except under the figures that Mitch uses, these include movie stars, athletes, law firms and many others that the average person doesn’t think of as small businesses.
The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities says that a family of four in the exact center of the income spectrum will pay 4.6 percent of their income in taxes this year under Obama’s tax cuts, and will average a 10 percent increase in their refund. Under Bush, in 2005, 66.7 percent of all U.S. corporations paid no income tax. Didn’t the Supreme Court decide that corporations are people? How come you and I didn’t get that deal? And we want to go back to this? Perhaps in the next column we should look at where the real wealth distribution is going. It might surprise some of you tea and Kool-Aid drinkers.

E-mail columnist Don Burnard at letters@toledofreepress.com.

We often hear our elected leaders say we need to think outside the box when confronted with difficult problems. But what does such a box look like and how do you construct a problem-solving process that results in innovative solutions?
School board president Bob Vasquez is the latest to jump on the outside-the-box bandwagon with the suggestion that he needs a “blue ribbon” committee to solve the problems of Toledo Public Schools (TPS) with revolutionary ideas.
Vasquez told Toledo Free Press recently, “We talked about online classrooms. The superintendent, Mr. Foley, had to share a certain number of hours [teachers] have to have with students face-to-face. I didn’t know that and I’m sure the general public doesn’t know that.”
TPS’ former superintendent appears to have constructed a box around Vasquez that he has accepted as doctrine.
But, a review of the Ohio Revised Code and consultation with officials of the Ohio Department of Education found no such face-to-face student-teacher time requirements.
Contrary to Vasquez’s statements, in a traditional public school setting both virtual classes and schools can be used as educational alternatives for instructional delivery.
Just down the road in Columbus, the public school system has taken up the challenge and integrated virtual learning, albeit in limited ways. Columbus City Schools operates a Virtual Credit Advancement Program, providing a range of high school course materials. Virtual courses are accepted for full credit by the Columbus City Schools and students can take these online courses concurrently with courses at a traditional public high school.
Virtual educational technology has the potential to revolutionize how students learn!
Implementation of virtual technology in TPS schools along with the use of off-the-shelf software could produce major productivity improvements.
Fewer teachers would be needed for the same student population. Fewer administrators would be needed to oversee the smaller teaching and support staffs. The resulting cost of education to the taxpayer would decline. Of course, this would awaken the bureaucracy’s self-preservation instincts and likely result in TPS officials and union leadership opposing virtual technology with vigor.
School board members, many of whom covet higher office, don’t have incentives to pursue such efforts. It would upset the apple cart containing the campaign donations, endorsements and volunteers needed to attain their next office.
TPS board members should provide oversight. When Vasquez was presented with the roadblocks to using virtual technology, why did he not ask the key questions: What are the requirements? Can we change them or get an exemption? If not, how can we take advantage of the technologies and stay within state statutes?
So the box constraining progress is not state education laws and regulations, but appears to be union contracts, politics centered on the interests of employees and lack of effective oversight by the board.
I have often discussed and written about using technology, especially at the high school level, as a way to expand the limited course offerings at some TPS schools, assure advanced placement classes are available to all students and supplement and enhance student learning through off-the-shelf software. These ideas just expand on the Columbus program and integrate technology more completely and effectively into the learning environment.
Honor students and those taking advanced placement tests could take virtual courses at home, in a traditional public school or a community center. Learning is where you challenge your mind and it is not restricted to a seat in a classroom of a traditional public school.
The opportunities for virtual technology are endless if we are serious about practicing outside-the-box thinking.
Vasquez says he is looking for this revolutionary kind of change while creating a sustainable financial foundation. Yet his approach is anything but outside the box. He brings the same people to the same round table and claims he can reform the educational bureaucracy whose purpose is to maintain the status quo.
With the presence of politicians around the table, Vasquez has assured that politics will be the final arbiter of the solutions proposed.
Where are the independent outside-the-box thinkers who would demand the facts, ask why not and challenge the bureaucracy with innovative solutions?
Vasquez seems like so many of our leaders. They live their lives so far inside the box of politics that they don’t want or can’t see the box that constrains the real innovation and progress they claim to seek.

Steven Flagg is an education advocate and has been involved with education reform in Toledo for more than 15 years.

Most people now realize that bailouts have become the new norm. If one company, government entity, or country around the world doesn’t have enough money, no problem, give them a bailout. The European Union gave Greece a $141 billion dollar bailout. Then the Italian Government offered a $103 billion dollar bailout. Which in turn led to Spain and Ireland possibly needing a bailout. Then Germany and France offered the European Union a trillion dollar bailout. This is backed by the International Monetary Fund. The International Monetary Fund is backed in part by the US. Japan owns a lot of US Treasuries. Their stock market has been terrible for nearly two decades. But that puts them on the hook too right? The Final Jeopardy question is how can broke economies lend money to other broke economies that haven’t got any money? We call it the political merry go round.

Growing up, the merry go round usually didn’t always end well, often ending suddenly when someone got sick or thrown off while spinning at nearly light speed. As kids, we can’t really remember our parents talking much about a billion, let alone a trillion dollars. Let’s put it in perspective. One million seconds ago was 13 days ago; one billion seconds ago was 31 years ago. For a trillion dollars a person could buy a $3 latte for 900 million years every day. A trillion dollars could cover every rent check in the US for 3 years. A trillion seconds ago it was 31,688 years ago. That is right, a trillion seconds ago, none of us existed. Yet, a trillion dollars is only one tenth of the current bailout program.

Next problem is the fuzzy math our government uses. The current 12 plus trillion dollar deficit we owe only counts current obligations, it doesn’t count future debts. For me and you, and corporations, debts not only count current obligations, but also future debts owed. If we add in future liabilities for social security, Medicare, and the prescription drug plan alone the total unfunded liabilities of the US jumps to over $110 trillion dollars. That is over $346,000 per American citizen!

Compound the problem. How many Baby Boomers are currently receiving Medicare benefits? What’s your guess? Is it 50%, 30%, 20%? The answer is actually zero. In fact, the oldest of baby boomers is currently only the age of 64. Yet, this is the first year the social security administration actually paid out more in benefits than it took in. Take a look at the first page of your SSI statement, they actually print the fact they will be broke in only a few short years.

So what is the solution? The government could lower benefits, raise taxes, or devalue the US dollar. We don’t really care what political party you belong to, those are the choices. If we consider the fact, that a majority of retirees currently depend on Social Security for a majority of their income, do cuts make sense there? If tax rates are at historic lows could we see tax rates go up in the future? Or will our Country continue to devalue the US dollar to new record lows?

In general we believe in less government, less spending, and less taxes, but support vital government programs. The Obama administration’s policy to avoid addressing the Bush Tax Cuts is simply a political game. It is time for our government to return to political responsibility, and pay as you go budgeting, as the current administration promised on the campaign trail. This out of control spending has to stop before future generations owe more than can be paid back. We have to rely on the citizens of America to take care of our own.

So where does that leave you? Either you agree with us and get it, or you trust and put your faith in our current leaders. If you choose to take control of your own future, then take immediate steps to limit you and your family’s future taxes by taking control of your own financial situation. The way to do this is to diversify money into tax free accounts.

You might be asking how much should be in tax free accounts. The answer is we don’t know without knowing you. The best way to figure it out is to get together before the end of the year when the Bush Tax cuts are set to expire and talk with your financial professional and accountant to determine the right amount. In our opinion, a good plan is to have plenty of money in both tax deferred and tax free accounts. That way, no matter what our political leaders decide to do, you and your family can draw money from which ever bucket of money that makes the most sense in your own individual situation. Take control of your financial future. Don’t leave that choice up to our political leaders as taxing retirement accounts may be the solution to our country’s current and future debt problems.

For more information about The Retirement Guys, tune in every Saturday at 1 PM on 1370 WSPD or visit www.retirementguysradio.com. Securities are offered through NEXT Financial Group Inc., Member FINRA / SIPC. NEXT Financial Group, Inc nor its representatives provide tax advice. The Retirement Guys are not an affiliate of NEXT Financial Group. The office is at 1700 Woodlands Drive, Suite 100, Maumee, OH 43537.