What the heck is going on in our city? Has the administration and its minions lost their minds??

This morning as I listened to Fred Lefbvre on WSPD it became very apparent that there are some folks in positions of power that should not be. Now this is not a total revelation, believe me, but it seems odd that these people are always in the soup and nothing is ever done.

The chat was about a gentleman in East Toledo that had his boat and his race car parked on a gravel pad next to his driveway. Well, apparently Sue Fredericks from the Dept. of Neighborhoods decided that she didn't like this arrangement and told the man he would have to move the boat and race car. So the man moved them over onto the concrete driveway.

Well, lo and behold, Ms. Fredericks shows up with a tow truck in her wake and tows the man's boat and race car. Now he has to pay a towing fee and a daily fee for storage in order to get his property back.

Now, I know there is an ordinance regarding parking cars on your lawn, leaving cars parked too long on city streets, etc. But this man had his boat and race car parked on a driveway and it was on private property. How does that constitute a violation that would require a tow truck?

This is not the first complaint against Ms. Fredericks. Apparently she is either 1) very motivated, 2) has a constant pucker going on, 3) needs a lover, 4) needs hormone replacement therapy, or 5) just needs a good old fashioned tongue lashing in order to bring her back to reality.

This woman abuses her power at every available turn. She needs to be sent to sensitivity training and then made to apologize to all those that she has threatened, harrassed and embarrassed.

BTW - did I mention this guy is unemployed??

Belly button boobs???

OK - I see myself as a pretty accepting individual and heartily support people making their own decisions regarding their bodies. So when a woman wants/needs breast augmentation my thoughts are ... whatever works. None of my business.

BUT --- as I sit here cooling off from my errands of the day I am watching a commercial on TV that talks about "scar-less breast augmentation." OK, sounds interesting. How do they pull this off?

Next words are, "With a small incision in the belly button ... " Now call me dense, call me off center, call me what you want ---- but how in the holy hell does one get a silicone/saline breast implant through a small incision in your belly button?

I am conjuring mental images of a substance akin to a tube for a tire being pushed through this "small incision" and then twisted and poked into place beneath my left boob so that it can be inflated to whatever pre-determined size I had chosen. Sorry, doc, but this just seems totally off the wall.

If you doubt this theory ... Ok ladies, measure the space from your navel to the center of your boob. It's no short distance. Makes me wonder if perhaps it's a setup for the eventuality of gravity taking over. After all, your belly button and your boobs don't meet until later in life, ya know.

Introducing ... Frustro! the Magnificent!!

So ... there are days and then there are days. Days when one wonders just how much more insane this world can get. Just how much more convoluted can the thought processes of our politicians get? Just how much more demand on our pocketbooks can we stand?

Well, I decided to ask Frustro! the Magnificent those questions. And I have to tell ya - poor Frustro! was totally rocked on his heels!! As Frustro! read through other blogs and the local news rag he started crying. Such an odd sight.

Poor, poor Frustro! He's overwhelmed by the closing of the NW station of Toledo Police Department, the senseless murder that took place in East Toledo, the apparent gang violence that's becoming pervasive in our city, the lack of services after we, the people, got duped into supporting the 3/4% tax - again, the very apparent dissension between our Lucas County Commissioners, the stranglehold of the local unions, and it goes on and on and on and ...

Frustro! please - dry your eyes. It's much easier to see your way out of this with clear and dry eyes. After all, at this point too many of us have been disenchanted and it won't help if you get that way, too!

So ---- just what do you see happening here, Frustro!?

Thinking ..... thinking ..... thinking .....

Me thinks that there shall be more unemployment due to the overall state of the economy, that the metropolitan population will dwindle to levels consistent with a ghost town, the Marina District will eventually become a reality - too late, businesses will continue to close due to the insanity of our city council and all their "emergency" ordinances, there will be no convenience stores or day care centers, the theories of free enterprise will become text in a history book - nothing more, the housing market will become a real task - people upside down all over the place, and the choices for elected officials will look like the cast from Deliverance - dueling banjos and all.

But don't despair! After the federal government comes in and takes the city into receivership there will be those dreaded soldiers in the streets (scaring the citizens), the banks will be shuttered and dark, the police will be on bicycles as there will be no money for cars or fuel, and we will be starting over from scratch.

And I'm not sure that's a bad thing.

What do you call a rude kid?

While having breakfast this morning with a good friend, we had a conversation about the level of manners and politeness that other areas have. We both agreed that Toledo, OH, has become rather barbaric and truly is a "me me me" city.

My friend came up with a new term for todays' street punks - feral kids.

I mean, after all, there are feral cats aren't there?

**this term has been attributed to an author (not me) and shall not be used without permission**

Controlling wildlife in an urban setting ...

In light of all the recent press about shootings, robberies, punks playing cop and the outstanding admission by our police chief that there is a gang problem in Toledo, OH, it is no wonder that many of us are scratching our heads over the recent shuffle of police operational policy. But hey - what do I know. I'm just a citizen.

A citizen that has told the powers-that-be that there has to be a better way to create a relationship between the citizenry and law enforcement so that these types of bone-headed maneuvers don't cause an even larger gap in public cooperation. But, alas, I have been banging my head against the wall for long enough. I'm throwing in the towel.

The recent shuffle will diminish response times (which are already horrible) and create yet another area that becomes fair game to those that are thieves, muggers and general idiots. So, the castle doctrine was signed just in time...

As I continue to pack boxes and sort through non-essential items, I am SO looking forward to moving away from here. And that's sad.

Are you ready to defend your self, your home and your possessions? 'Cause it might take a while for an officer to get there now - especially in West Toledo.

And as an aside ... this past weekend I had cause to dial 911. The phone rang 8 times and then a recording came on telling me that I had " reached the Toledo Police Department emergency line and all operators are busy. Please stay on the line and an operator will be with you ..." I waited 3 minutes. No operator. Don't think 3 minutes is long? Hold a phone to your ear for 3 minutes. Seems like an eternity.

But - I hung up. That was 3 days ago. To this day there has not been one person call me back and ask why I hung up on a 911 line. I guess that since nobody has reported me missing or dead that it's of no consequence.

Nice to know they care. Makes me truly skeptical that all this recent "reorganization" is going to make my world safer.

Pay more but get less?? Doesn't make sense to me.

The illustrious leaders of our city have decided to shuffle our law enforcement stations around and leave a huge part of the city without 'local' representation.

Our property taxes have gone up, all kinds of fees are in place, we are constantly bombarded with request for levies at election time and our pockets just keep getting barer and barer. And in return we get less services, less protection and fewer improvements.

So, it seems, the practice is to charge more and deliver less. Hmmmmm - makes no freaking sense to me.

What say you?

Who dropped the ball here?

One of the big stories in Toledo, OH right now is about a 2 year old little boy that was bitten in the face by a pit bull. Apparently the mother of the traumatized child thought it more important to try to open a can of whoop-arse on the dog owner than to take her son to the hospital to be treated.

The child very obviously needs to be looked at, as is evidenced in this video from NBC-24.

My questions about this incident ... if the police were on scene then why did they not report the dog bite? Why did the mother not think enough of her son to make sure he saw a doctor immediately? Who in the world would let this woman remain in control of her son?

And to go one step further ... what a shining example of humanity/motherhood/responsibility this woman is for showing her arse in front of her children, the neighbors and a television camera.

As for the dog being a pit bull ... it's not always the breed that is at fault. I have heard speculation that the child pulled the dog's tail and that's when the dog turned and bit him. If that is the case, then you can count on a chihuaha, schnauzer, toy poodle or German shepherd becoming snappy. Perhaps the mother should have been watching her child. Perhaps she should have taught him not to pull the dog's tail.

Perhaps she should be enrolled in a responsible parenting class. God knows she needs it.

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND .... THE BUSINESS OF LANDLORDING

Well! I am becoming a firm believer in the saying, "Some days you're the windshield, some days you're the bug." And when that windshield hits you .... well, it just isn't pretty!

What is a landlord to do? You screen tenants, you make sure the property is maintained and that any issues are handled promptly. When there is a plumbing problem you call a plumber, an electrical issue - you call an electrician. Makes sense, doesn't it?

Well, for some that's not enough.

From day one these tenants have been told that they need to clean the lint and dirt from the grate over the floor drain in the basement. Each time I have gone down there the grate is laying across the room and the drain is full of junk. Each time I remind them of their obligation to leave the grate in place. Round and round and round we go...

With the recent heavy rains there was apparently a small amount of water that backed up in that basement. So I get an email telling me that "the basement flooded with the rain the other day and now our dryer motor is rusted..." "What can we do to solve this?"

My response? "Leave the grate over the drain and keep it cleaned off so the floor drain doesn't clog. Put the dryer up on bricks to protect it."

Next thing I know I'm getting notice that these tenants are moving out because they are having 'too much trouble' with the plumbing. Grrrrrrrrrrrr

They have called me 4 times in 18 months with issues regarding the plumbing. Each time they have called I immediately called Roto-Rooter and had them go out and take care of it. Each time it was always the same thing - floor drain clogged with lint, dirt and Hot Wheels cars. I never said a word - just reminded them to leave the grate on. IMO that was pretty level headed of me. I could have started charging them for the plumber's visits since it was always the same issue!

So now I am going to be left with an empty property. Hopefully I will have it rented before these folks move out. It's a really nice home and we have spent thousands of dollars maintaining it properly.

My dilemma is this: Why is it always some issue with the property that tenants use as an excuse to move? Why do they never seem to take responsibility and say, "If I had kept the drain grate on and cleaned like she said then this wouldn't have happened?"

I don't know. Perhaps some folks just need constant hand-holding. Even though they pass themselves off as adults.

Oh well ... life goes on.

Anyone want to rent a 1700 square foot house?

Now is the time ...

for all good men ...

Remember that phrase from typing class? It sounded kind of goofy way back then, but now it's a reality.

So much going on. War. Unemployment. Health care. Transportation. Recession. Depression. High fuel costs. How can we stand it?

Well, folks, that answer is simple. We stand it because we have to. We are too pampered in many ways. Reminiscent of a spoiled child. But we have no intention of "lowering our standards" to accommodate the world.

Boy! we sound selfish, don't we?

Well, we don't have to be selfish. Not at all. All we have to do is look back. Look back into a time when people truly lived within their means. Where the purchase of a car or home was something we saved for - not something we just went out and bought because we could. There was very little money wasted on "things" that were not essential. Those superfluous things that really don't matter.

But somehow we have allowed those "things" to define us. To determine our place in society. And that's just plain wrong. Wrong.

It's time to go back. Back to a simpler time. Where people talked to each other, ate dinner together, learned new things together.

But we have not only become elitists - we have become separatists.

What a shame.