By Francis Anthony Govia
I spent a few days in Ohio recently and can report that Joe the Plumber is dead. In the inner cities of Cleveland and Dayton, he has been cast into an early grave, buried by vandals who are ripping out the heart of peoples homes, selling everything that is scrap metal, and people do not have enough money left to redo the plumbing. In Dayton, where I spent most of the time, I saw despair on the face of an owner of a Chinese restaurant. His restaurant was empty except for me the lonely traveler from New York. You know that business is bad when even a Chinese restaurant is not selling food.
When GM closed the door to its plant in Melville, doom began to descend on the city. I wondered what more is going to happen if rescue does not come soon. The country is pinning its hopes on Barack Obama. Perhaps, the proposals he has will bring new jobs for Americans. Many of us think that it is time that the people in Washington stop bickering, and get the stimulus package passed. People need help – now!
Down in Dayton, even the City Government is going the way of the vandals. After properties are looted and destroyed by the vandals, the housing inspectors follow and attach a pink notice warning of impending and complete destruction of the properties by a contractor that may be hired by the city.
The City, I was told, is in the pockets of an owner of a landfill and demolition company, and it is believed that Mr. Landfill will be reaping the benefit of the City’s plan. The cost for the demolition, of course, will be assessed to the property owners. Maybe the City officials will get another trip to Las Vegas.
A home inspector, whom I talked to concerning the plan, implied that it is not the City’s responsibility to police and protect properties from burglary and vandalism. That is the responsibility of a property manager he said. But life has a way of biting all of us in the ass. I got a telephone call from a friend I made in Dayton. He told me that that same housing inspector called a meeting of family and friends to tell them to start buying homes in Dayton now that homes are going cheap. The word among a select few is that something big is being planned for Dayton. The meeting for the housing inspector and his family never happened. Someone smashed the windows and vandalized his car.
Francis Anthony Govia is the publisher of The Muffin Post. He is a graduate of Boston University and the University of Wisconsin Law School.
February 5, 2009 at 4:21 pm
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