Division I regional track finals
Fenwick graduation 2012
Ponitz graduation 2012
Home > Blogs > Ohio politics > Archives > 2008 > August > 19
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
More letters between DHL chief, McCain
Presumptive Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain and U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville, who urged Frank Appel, chairman of Deutsche Post World Net, the parent company of DHL, to meet with DHL employees, got a response, Monday, Aug. 18
“I am very aware that the plan will have significant impact on the people working at the air hub,” Appel wrote, referring to a proposal that would allow UPS to take on DHL’s domestic air freight - a possibility that could cost upwards of 8,000 jobs. “However, there is no alternative to taking this drastic measure.”
Appel said he’s talked with Ohio Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher and U.S. Ambassador William R. Timken, Jr., but did not mention any plan to meet with DHL workers as McCain and Turner had urged.
He also said DHL has committed to fund a triple-digit million-dollar amount on planned severance, retention and health benefits for ABX, ASTAR, and DHL employees. DHL Express U.S., he said, currently loses $1.3 billion annually. “The DHL family and I personally deeply regret that this unavoidable and irreversible decision will cause severe hardships to many families in Wilmington and Ohio,” he wrote.
McCain promptly wrote back Tuesday, Aug. 19, reiterating that he wanted Appel to visit Wilmington.
“It is very important that you hear first-hand the concerns of the local stakeholders in this matter before any final decisions are made,” he wrote, adding that “thousands of citizens stand to be severely impacted by your decision and as such, I again urge you to schedule a forum before any contractual agreement is executed and allow local community members to share with you directly their concerns.”
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment |
TweetClean energy rally today
MoveOn.org will deliver a report to the local presidential campaign headquarters of Sen. John McCain and hold a rally at Dave Hall Plaza in downtown Dayton at 5 p.m. today, Aug. 19.
The report by the Center for American Progress looks at tax breaks and subsidies the organization says McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, wants to give to oil companies.
The event is one of 130 Rallies for Clean Energy that the group is holding around the country.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
TweetTo Veep or Not to Veep: Portman will be at Nutter Center either way
Regardless of whether former U.S. Rep. Rob Portman is Sen. John McCain’s vice-presidential pick, he will be at next Friday’s McCain rally at the Nutter Center at Wright State University, according to Rob Lehman, a longtime Portman aide.
Lehman also said that Portman will be at the Republican National Convention in two weeks in Minneapolis. But he would not discuss whether or if Portman is in talks with McCain about being the vice-presidential nominee.
Portman, of Terrace Park, is a former U.S. trade representative and former director of the Office of Management and Budget. He also served Ohio’s 2nd Congressional District from 1993 to 2005. He’s also been repeatedly mentioned as a possible vice-presidential contender.
Permalink | Comments (10) | Post your comment |
TweetNo more ‘sleepovers’ allowed
Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner issued a directive on Tuesday, Aug. 19, that will end the practice of allowing poll workers to take voting machines home overnight in the days leading up to the election.
Yes, that’s right: poll workers in 20 counties had been taking voting machines home — a practice quaintly referred to in the past as “sleepovers.”
Brunner said it just didn’t fit with the goal of promoting confidence in the election.
The secretary of state offered federal funds to county boards of elections to help pay for secure storage and transportation of the machines in the days leading up to the Nov. 4 election. Brunner’s office budgeted $100,000 for the effort.
Brunner also set minimum storage requirements for the machines including temperatures between 50 and 90 degrees, relative humidity between 35 percent and 85 percent, and no drinks or leaky roofs nearby.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
TweetOpponents say sick day proposal would cost 75,000 jobs
Opponents of a paid sick day ballot proposal have released a study that finds the plan would result in the loss of an estimated 75,000 Ohio jobs over five years.
The study, released on Tuesday, Aug. 19, also found that it would cost employers about $1.17 billion annually to pay for the plan. In addition, Ohio companies would lose $9.4 billion in sales from 2008-2012 as the result of the sick day requirement, the study found.
The ballot proposal would require businesses with 25 employees or more to give full-time workers at least seven paid sick days each year.
Dale Butland, a spokesman for the ballot proposal, sharply criticized the report.
The study was released at a Statehouse press conference by the Ohio chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business. Click here to see the full study.
It was prepared by Bruce Phillips of the NFIB Research Foundation.
Butland said the study was not independent and that some of the conclusions “appear ridiculous on their face.” They are contradicted by independent studies that conclude paid sick days would save employers money, Butland said.
Meanwhile, Gov. Ted Strickland is continuing to try to find a compromise to keep the issue of the Nov. 4 ballot.
However, Roger Geiger, vice president and executive director of the Ohio NFIB, said Strickland was talking only with “elitist” businesses. Geiger said he expects the issue to be on the ballot.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
TweetWright State will get Hobson’s papers
Rep. David Hobson, R-Springfield, is spending part of this month sorting through his papers with the plans of giving them to Wright State University after he retires at the end of this year.
Both Wright State and Ohio State expressed interest in keeping his papers, but Wright State got the edge because it teaches a course in archiving, Hobson said.
“Wright State has Tony Hall’s papers and the Wright Brothers’ papers…so I thought it would make a nice gift,” he said.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
TweetMcCain can blow out 72 candles at Nutter Center
If John McCain comes to the Nutter Center at Wright State University for a big rally on Aug. 29 - and it seems almost certain that he will - somebody should bring a birthday cake with 72 candles.
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee turns 72 that day. The birthday party- rally could turn into an announcement party for a vice presidential candidate but McCain campaign aides wont’ even confirm that the rally is scheduled, let alone comment on VP possibilities.
Rob Portman, the former Cincinnati-area congressman and former U.S. budget director, is among those being considered for the number two spot on the McCain ticket.
Permalink | Comments (13) | Post your comment |
TweetNew poll: McCain better qualified to deal with Russia
By a 2-1 margin, likely voters across the country believe Republican John McCain is better qualified to deal with Russia than Democrat Barack Obama.
In a Quinnipiac University poll released on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 55 percent said McCain was better qualified to deal with Russia, while 27 percent gave the nod to Obama.
Overall, Obama leads McCain 47-42 percent nationally in the poll, compared to the 50-41 percent lead that Obama had in a July 15 Quinnipiac poll.
“In dealing with Russia, even a large minority of Democrats think McCain would do better than Obama,” Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said in a press release.
A Public Policy Polling poll released on Sunday, Aug. 17, showed McCain and Obama deadlocked at 45-45 percent in the presidential race in Ohio.
For full Quinnipiac poll results, click here.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment |
Tweet
