The Cleveland Tea Rally and my Chinese Experience

I decided to take a brief break from writing about Euclid and tell you about the Cleveland tea party rally and my Chinese restaurant experience though this story does go back to what I have been screaming about - Euclid and socialism. Hey I wish I could just write about happy things, its not my fault our waitress decided to tell us about her life and homeland that brought me back to that topic.
Anyway... I started a new account recently. Its on Paine Ave. in Cleveland. Across from it is an Asian Plaza that I have never been to before. I told mom about it and she replied I have been going there for years. Now I know how the kimchee, dim-sum, and other Asian delights end up in our fridge.
Just before heading to this new account in downtown Cleveland I decided to swing by the Tea Rally. My thoughts of this rally was another pompous display of cheer leading to get someone elected. Can you tell how disillusioned I am? How hard have I tried to organize an effort in my support against Euclid? Exactly, so call it pouting if you like but if people won't support my effort why should I support theirs? Yes yes yes I do realize this is about country first, just need to keep trying to wake people up I guess.
Minutes before taking off I quickly threw together a pamphlet hi-lighting Euclid's codes and fines keeping it very short and not even including my plight so people would read it. I wanted to hand these out at the rally since it was all about taxes and erosion of our rights, maybe someone from the crowd will join my battle.
Jeff and I got to the rally late, about the last 30 minutes. The crowd was of decent size with many signs and flags waving. My little pamphlet was well received except for one lady who just didn't get it. I almost wanted to escort her out of the rally. When I tried to explain to her what is going on she said angrily "Well they are trying to stop it from becoming another E. Cleveland." Lady, high taxes, regulations, government interference are all playing a large part of people fleeing Euclid. The more people flee, the more empty houses and the more values keep plummeting. Capeesh?
I did take a moment at the rally to step back and take it all in. The crowd of people was mixed, old, young, well dressed, jeans and piercings, some in costume, black, white, male, female. Quite a few had signs, some waving flags. The words of the speaker, the cheers, it was an event but the atmosphere was not festive. I realized how on the cusp we are to a real revolt. And as I was reflecting on this I actually felt my words may come true and soon if things don't change - some city hall is going to be hit by someone who is losing it all and cant take anymore. Not like Oklahoma City, an armed rebellion. I don't wish it but I almost feel its inevitable.
We left there to go to work but before starting I wanted to check out the Asian plaza to possibly get a bite to eat. It was quite an interesting experience. This is one time I didn't check if the products were made in China, I would of been disappointed if they weren't. The plaza isn't that large. Its anchored by Li Wah a Chinese restaurant and a Chinese grocery store. When you walk into the Chinese grocery store the odor hits you and it ain't pleasant. What a difference between this and an Italian food store with all those wonderful scents. I love trying different foods but there was a couple of items I don't think I could try. One is the duck tongues, quack, I mean yuck.
We then went to Li Wah to eat where we met the talkative little Chinese waitress. Jeff and I almost left when we asked another waitress if the Mandarin pork chops were filling. She said it was small. Small turned out to be small as in small pieces and but the serving was quite large. Mandarin pork chops are similar to sweet and sour pork except the sauce is not red and not as sweet.
Half way through our meal is when the talkative and friendly waitress, Young, walked by and commented on what we ordered. Oh you ordered the Mandarin pork chops that is my daughters favorite. It went from there to telling us that she came to the US in 1988 and the last time she went back home to China was in 1992. Jeff and I had little room to respond as she kept on talking. I stopped eating to listen and didn't want to interrupt her either. Both of us found what she had to say as very informative and interesting. She must of talked at least a good ten minutes.
Young went on to say how things have changed in China since 1992. Before people were trying their best to come to America as there was no opportunity to succeed in China. It was very hard to start a business. Back then you had to go to one office to register, another place to get a license. Very very difficult for businesses. Now they have relaxed their rules and it is easy to start a business. One of the few times I could get anything in I said it seems like China is becoming easier and less rules and America is becoming harder and more regulations. She said exactly! Her friends and family no longer hope to come here and they ask her to come home things are much different. Before hardly anyone had cars, just businesses or government, now people are buying cars and they are everywhere.
China is more free now, more tourists. American businesses have opened like McDonald's and KFC. When McDonald's first opened you couldn't even move it was so crowded. Everyone wanted to try it.
I asked her about Hong Kong if it was a problem that China took them over. She said not really. Before you needed a passport to go there, now we go freely back and forth, Hong Kong is built up and people love going there.
About education she had this to say. American students aren't as smart. My daughter needed to buy a calculator for math, in China we don't use them, we use pencil and paper. Our chidren are way more advanced. A Chinese child in the third grade comes here and knows everything already and should really be put into the sixth grade.
Young started laughing when she realized how she interrupted our meal and apologized. I said please don't apologize I enjoyed your talk immensely, I learned a lot and hope to talk with you again.
Now do you see how this ties in with Euclid and the Tea Rally? It just upsets me that America the land of the free for some reason wants to embrace socialism/communism that has failed miserably everywhere else. Wake up people.
I just marvel at my life, though I get tired and fed up and say thats it, it never fails to amaze me the connections that seem to cross my path that ties things together and makes me continue onward.

CKM

Are you aware?

Has anyone read these?



http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090403/ap_on_bi_go_ec_fi/economy
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Ohio lost Over 200,000 manufacturing jobs
Ohio’s median household income decreased By 6.6%
Rising energy costs burden Ohio’s families, including a 12.1% rise in home heating costs in 2008 over 2007

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Euclid has installed alarm systems in some vacant houses to keep out people hoping to steal lights and other fixtures, drug users and squatters. *The city has hired three new building inspectors, bringing the total to nine, to deal with troubled properties and is getting a $1 million loan from the county to cover the costs of rehabilitation, demolition and lawn care at the foreclosed houses. (When the properties are sold, such direct maintenance costs will be recovered through tax assessments.)

The Euclid mayor, Bill Cervenik, said the city, with a population of 53,000, was losing $750,000 a year in property taxes from the empty houses.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/23/us/23vacant.html?ex=1332302400&en=69666b5ca7a12704&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

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News Herald March 12, 2009
Blighted Urban Areas Need Help, Congressman Brown and Ryan Say
.........Locally it appears Euclid because of its 32% population since 1970 might be the only city eligible to receive funds.....
......It is exactly what cities like Euclid need.....to rid ourselves of the damage in our neighborhoods that foreclosures and reductions in population have caused Euclid Mayor Cervenek said.
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These are just a few articles my research has led me to.

The irony is this, Euclid has hammered me so bad with 19 bogus violations and come after me because my nephew stayed at my house for 3 months, that I may have to declare bankruptcy or just plain and simple - abandon. Here Mayor Cervenek is trying to figure out what to do and yet Euclids policies are forcing me to possibly lose both properties. And I KNOW I am not alone. Instead of working with me, the house on Crystal Ave. has sat empty since July, no income tax paid on it, no income tax from a tenant and the tenant and/or tenant & family would be supporting local stores, plus the obvious, another house in Euclid that is sitting vacant could be filled. IRONY? I think so.

CKM



*The city has hired three new building inspectors, bringing the total to nine. This floored me!!!! They hired more inspectors but are possibly going to lay off what makes a city safe - police officers! Ask anyone would you feel safer with less police officers or more mandatory inspections? I can guarantee if polled everyone would agree a house with bad windows and cracks in the driveway doesn't make anyone feel safer if they are fixed but I am sure they would feel far safer with more police. Is anyone out there????
http://www.news-herald.com/articles/2009/02/25/news/doc49a5b9e59152f710997714.txt

Ron speaks on my behalf

Here's an update for you. NO - no more pleading and no more of the same, not that kind of update. I just want to tell some of you, if you are going to send political emails, complain to me of government, and a host of other wishes and complaints remember I tried. I had very very little backing so it looks like I may declare bankruptcy and or just abandon the house on Crystal. Only one person I know wrote to Euclid on my behalf, and really, yours also, you just don't realize it. Carey will be laying very low for awhile. I said these words many times in the past and each time I come back, I come back a little less. Just very disturbed with whats going on in America. I keep thinking why didn't the people fight back against Hitler? Heck we can't even band together to fight back against a city like Euclid who is forcing me out of my house, now I understand why, people are frightened, feel powerless and/or don't want to get involved.

I asked Ron if I could forward on what he wrote this is his words:

Send it to whoever you want. I'm old fashoned enough to belive that if you say something, you should be willing to take responsibility for what you said. Ron



Forwarded Message: Rental Properties
Rental PropertiesMonday, March 30, 2009 12:23 PM
To: kholzheimergail@cityofeuclid.com
Dear Ms. Holzheimer:

I have read about the problems Carey M. is going through and agree with him.

If I owned rental property or was a tenant I would be upset about having my privacy violated with mandatory annual inside inspections. If a place looks neglected on the outside that would give probable cause to do a further inspection, and it may be needed, but entering someone's residence routinely is just wrong.

I was also unaware of the added fees Euclid charges such as rental fees and mandatory yearly inspection fees.

Since I used to work in Euclid, I know that you have the highest city income tax rate in the state. My company had difficulty getting people to transfer to the Euclid facility largely because of the high city income tax. The facility was subsequently closed.

A warrant for someone's arrest because he had a family member staying at his house sharing expenses, but did not declare him to be a renter seems excessive.

The above does not make Euclid an attractive place to live or do business. I read in the News Herald that you are trying to put in a Marina to attract business and raise your tax base. May I suggest that more reasonable taxes, fees and housing regulations would do Euclid at least as much good than a marina?

Please give Cory any help you can with his problem.

Yours truly
Ron B.