Odds and ends, 10/29/07

Chris Harris/The Herald-Dispatch

New Beginings Apostolic Church members volunteer their Saturday to paint the east bridge at Ritter Park Saturday, October 27, 2007.

The 12th Street bridge at Ritter Park was painted by a church group this past weekend as part of "Make a Difference Day." The paint job certainly made a difference, in more ways than one.

When I saw the article in the newspaper yesterday morning, my first thought was whether the group had permission from the Greater Huntington Park and Recreation District to paint the bridge. Some of us remember that this particular bridge was the first one that a rural Cabell County resident attempted to paint pink last year for breast cancer awareness.

His problem was that he did not receive permission from the park district to paint that particular bridge. So he slapped some white paint over the pink and moved down Fourpole Creek. He got the mayor's permission to paint the 8th Street bridge, and the rest is part of Huntington's history.

Anyway, I called the park district office this morning, and the church group did indeed have the district's permission and cooperation in painting the 12th Street bridge. The district cleaned the bridge and even provided the paint. I went over the bridge this morning, and I couldn't see any of the pink paint that had been peeking through the previous white paint-over.

Things really do go better when you arrange things ahead of time. We used to have a photographer here whose philosphy was that it's easier to receive forgiveness than permission. In this case, permission was a lot better

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People in Point Pleasant can expect to see large passenger riverboats dock at their city park almost every week next summer. Even the Delta Queen, in what could be its final season, will dock at Point Pleasant, according to a story in The Point Pleasant Register.

Meanwhile, at Harris Riverfront Park, we can expect more of the same in terms of visits by large passenger riverboats -- practically nothing.

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Here's a game that the two major political parties in Ohio will play next year to increase voter turnout: Fill the ballot with hot-button initiatives.

This is how the AP describes it:

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Next month’s ballot will be free of statewide issues — but don’t think voters in a state so pivotal to the 2008 election will find such a light lineup next year.

With the presidential contest coming, outside groups with a stake in who wins are sure to find Ohio’s ballot an attractive place to help them reach their political goals.

The strategy helped elect President Bush in 2004 — when conservative voters came out in high numbers to approve the gay-marriage ban supported by one of Bush’s biggest contributors — and groundwork is already being laid to adjust voter mindsets in ways beneficial to certain candidates before next year.

Though labor unions have played down the link, the sick-day initiative they’re backing for a possible ballot spot in 2008 would bring out many voters who’ll side with whatever Democratic candidate ends up winning the party’s nomination. They’ll be trying first to force the Legislature to pass it.

Dubbed the “Healthy Families Act,” the mandate to require bigger employers to offer a minimum of seven sick days per year will surely resonate with the state’s working class voters, most of whom lean Democrat or independent. ...

Republicans, though, may emerge with a family issue of their own to counter the Democrats’ values talk: a gay adoption ban. ...

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A couple of years ago, I was wondering about AK Steel, which has a big operation in Ashland.

Events have shown why I'm sitting at a keyboard instead of investing other people's money.

Two years ago, AK Steel stock was selling at $6.95 a share. Late this afternoon, with closing still a few minutes away, it was selling at $53.21. If I had invested $1,000 in AK Steel two years ago, that investment would be worth $7,656 today.

That's a lot better than ExxonMobil or Marathon Oil.

As I said, that's why I'm not in the financial planning profession.