According to the 2010 Ohio Manufacturers Directory, industrial employment in Ohio fell 10.4% over the past twenty-four months. Ohio lost a total of 106,629 manufacturing jobs over the past two years, with 27,398 jobs lost between August 2007 and August 2008 and 79,231 industrial jobs from 2008 to August of 2009. During the same period, Ohio lost 1,1198 manufacturers.

The loss of nearly 80,000 manufacturing jobs over the past year marks the sharpest decline that Manufacturers' News has ever reported in the 26-years it has been tracking the state's industry.

The sharpest decline in employment was in the lumber and wood sector, which saw a 44% decline in the past year. Employment in furniture/fixtures saw a 11.4% drop.

The top manufacturing sector in Ohio remains industrial machinery and equipment with 144,747 of the state's industrial jobs. This sector was down 4.4% over the past two years. The second ranked industry -fabricated metal products - accounts for 107,344 of Ohio's industrial jobs and is down 11%. Third ranked transportation equipment saw one of the worst drops in employment, down 20.5%.

You don’t understand the power and cost of small, supposedly inconsequential taxes on “little people” in contrast to taxes that hit the “big people” unless and until you total up the cost. Then only blindness hides the truth.

The latest “little taxes” – on various sales – show that Cuyahoga County has taken $178.9 million out of the pockets of mostly ordinary people. It is to pay for what our corporatist leaders want. At little cost to them, of course.

The quarter-percent sales tax increase voted without the public for the medical mart hit $71.3 million at the end of September. The exact figure: $71,339,247.06. That’s only since January 2008 and during a recession. It’s a 40 year tax! Hold on tight!

The small cigarette tax for arts and culture raised $50.4 million as of the end of September. The exact figure: $50,436,967.24. The tax started in February 2007.

The Browns Stadium sin taxes – wine, beer, alcohol and cigarettes – have taken $57.1 million. The exact figure: $57,147,458.95. The tax started in August 2005.

The latter two taxes – arts & Browns - were actually by public vote.

However, what alternative was given by our corporate-controlled politicians for funding the arts and sports? Did anyone have a choice of taxes? Hell, no.

Starting Too Late

Mayor Frank Jackson is to be roundly applauded for his efforts in regards to making community college available to every young person who graduates from a Cleveland high school. But the old adage, “You can lead horses to water, but you cannot make them drink,” kicked in and a good percentage of those students who took the mayor up on his offer didn’t make it through the first year. That has to be extremely disheartening to the mayor (as it was to most everyone else)… but, it also was so predictable. Most were the first in their families to go to college, and many struggled just to get out of high school. Clearly, what they needed were remedial tutors, coaches and mentors — and even then the failure rate might still be unacceptably high.

Chetania Davis, the Akron exotic dancer who made headlines when she stabbed a fellow dancer with her stiletto shoe, has made a plea deal with prosecutors and will serve one year on probation. The 22 year old is eight months pregnant and had faced a felony assault charge before agreeing to plead guilty to a misdemeanor today.

Davis made headlines when she stabbed 52 year old Jo Nolan at Club 1245. Nolan needed seven staples after the attack.

Memo to Susan Goldberg, Pee Dee editor: Stop making the news and start reporting it.

Today it was “economic development” again as the Pee Dee attributed nonsensical advantages to Issue 6, which, of course, the Pee Dee strongly backs. It’s a supposed County reform issue that has too many holes in it. Big holes.

Eliminating elective functioning offices – sheriff, treasurer, recorder, and auditor - except the County Prosecutor is an invitation to a king-maker position for Bill Mason, present prosecutor and prime mover of Issue 6. Mason doesn’t deserve the promotion.

It just doesn’t make sense. It isn’t reform. It’s merely change. Not good enough.

Also, will Ms. Goldberg please announced what the final vote total of the Pee Dee editorial board on endorsing Issue 3 favoring monopoly casinos? Let’s have a little of that transparency editors are always talk about. Because I can’t see how the editorial board – knowing its make-up – voted for a monopoly casino issue. I was told the vote was “close.”

What do we really know about Dan Gilbert? Not much. But it sounds as if he’s the kind of guy that plays one city off against another for his own benefit.

I think anyone with any sense understands what Gilbert is about.

A columnist in the Detroit News questions Gilbert’s motives about his dedication to Detroit (oh, not Cleveland?).

“Dan Gilbert, the self-proclaimed Detroiter working big plans for his diverse business empire, remains bullish on his hometown,” writes Daniel Howes.

Howes says that Gilbert – who supposedly located a few jobs here – plans to locate his headquarters for Quicken Loans in downtown Detroit, along with other business activities. That’s 2,000 jobs, they say, for Detroit.

“But there’s potentially big money to be made down in Ohio where Gilbert, the principal owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, is a prominent force behind a ballot initiative (Vote NO on 3) to green light casinos for the Buckeye State’s four largest cities. Bullishness, it seems, has limits when opportunity knocks,” writes Howes.

Dollar Bank is making a lot of Clevelanders happy today. Representatives from the bank have been dispersing $2 bills in front of the CVS on East 9th Street. In addition to getting a fresh crisp bill that features President Jefferson, you also are entered in a drawing to win $1,000 in cash by bringing the bill into one of their offices. One person will win by matching the serial number on the bill.

Perhaps the Pittsburgh-based bank is trying to win the hearts and minds of those of us on the Northcoast before the Browns face the big task of defeating the Steelers on Sunday.

On Monday, the Cleveland City Council voted overwhelming in favor of endorsing a "yes" vote on State Issue 3, which would make way for casinos to be built in Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo, and Cincinnati. City Council cites the creation of 19,000 jobs and 15,000 permanent jobs in troubling economic times amongst the reasons that they decided to support the issue.

City Council passed emergency Resolution 1456-09 by a vote of 17-2, stating that Issue 3 "will produce $651 million in tax revenue every year, with the vast majority of the funds going to local governments and every school district in the state... studies confirm that the casinos will bring a mandated $1 billion in new economic development."

City Council members met in September with representatives of the Ohio Jobs and Growth Plan, the committee sponsoring the "Yes on Issue 3" campaign, to view a presentation on the proposed casino. In Cleveland, the proposal is to build a casino near Public Square and Gateway, adjacent to the Quicken Loans Arena on the Cuyahoga River.

The two Ohio congressmen might have vastly different view points, but Democrat Dennis Kucinich and Republican Steve LaTourette have joined forces for a bipartisan comedy skit for NBC's "The Jay Leno Show". The two recorded skits with comedian D.L. Hughley on Capital Hill on Monday.

A spokesman for the show says that they have not yet set an air date for the skits, and neither is willing to share details of their unscripted segments as of yet. Kucinich, however, says that unlike much of what is happening now in Washington, it's stuff that people will actually find entertaining.

LaTourette, clearly impressed by his colleague, calls Kucinich "a comic genius" and adds that the two of them could bill themselves as the next Penn and Teller, except that Kucinich talks too much.

Last Sunday night I drove down to Columbus to see Snow Patrol perform at the Lifestyle Community Pavilion. This was my first time attending a show at this venue and it is really nice. This show was inside but there is also an outdoor venue adjacent to the indoor stage. There are some great bands on the lineup for fall in Columbus including, Stone Temple Pilots, Pete Yorn, OK Go, Them Crooked Vultures and Our Lady Peace.

I know that this might seem like a ridiculous statement but Snow Patrol has been number one on my list of bands to see. Most people probably know this band from their hit song "Chasing Cars" which was featured on Grey's Anatomy a few years ago. "Chasing Cars" was on the band's 4th album titled "Eyes Open". In October of 2008 the band released their 5th studio album titled "A Hundred Million Suns".