What's the hurry with Bill Gates' generosity?

1/16/2005

Nine bite-size Lemmon Drops to nibble on while waiting for the next surprise on our winter roller coaster:

  • I'm going to give the "Early College High School" program the benefit of the doubt because it's being funded by a foundation with ties to Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who is a pretty sharp guy.

    The program will allow up to 400 students attending Toledo Public Schools to obtain an associate's degree from the University of Toledo while they are still in high school.

    A nagging question: What's the hurry?

    If the program is about saving parents money, fine. (Students would not be required to pay college tuition, which at UT is $7,067 a year.)

    If it's about helping TPS recruit and retain students, that's fine too.

    But if it's about merely accelerating the educational process, allowing students to graduate from college when they're 19 or 20, I fail to see the long-term benefits. There's more to the college experience than a classroom education.

  • Memo to the Ohio Turnpike's unionized toll collectors and maintenance workers: It's 2005, and to expect a contract in which workers receive full health benefits without any form of co-payment isn't very realistic. (Just ask the Toledo Federation of Teachers.) If you go on strike, no one is going to shed a tear over your plight.

  • OK, I admit to having to crack open a dictionary after reading this quote in Wednesday's paper from Mark Sobczak, who lost to Phillip Copeland in a bid to become a member of Toledo City Council: "The pusillanimous vote that was made was deeply disappointing to me."

  • First, TARTA announces that it is ending bus service to Toledo Express Airport. Then, three days later, Childers Limousine Service abruptly cancels its exclusive agreement to provide walk-up taxi service at the airport.

    If I'm teaching Economics 101 this semester, ground transportation at the airport would make for a good case study in supply and demand.

  • After reading about TARTA's decision to cancel its airport service, my mind drifted back to something that appeared in this space on Nov. 16, 2003: "I can see the headline now: 'TARTA raises fare to offset loss on airport route.' "

  • Thank you, President Bush, for creating an economic climate that allowed my 401(k) to grow by 16.8 percent during the fourth quarter of 2004.

    Oh, wait. When I criticized Mr. Bush in October for a 5.6-percent decline in my 401(k), Bush apologists said he didn't deserve the blame. So that means he doesn't deserve credit for the fourth-quarter spike, right?

  • The latest addition to my clip-and-save file was found in Thursday's paper. Toledo Mayor Jack Ford said "dirt should be flying by April" on the former Toledo Edison steam plant, which is to be converted into riverfront housing and retail shops.

  • You gotta love the motto of New York-based Wegmans Food Markets, which, according to Fortune magazine, is the best company to work for in America: "Employees first, customers second."

    Apparently, the customer isn't always right at Wegmans. Which, considering that we've turned into a nation of complainers, is kind of refreshing.

  • I wish elected officials in the suburban communities weren't so pusillanimous about engaging in public debates on smoking bans and the concept of a regional government.