Sidney, VAN Wert, and County Courthouses

(You see what I did there?)

The Mobile Express made an overnight trip to Western Ohio and both events were quite successful.

On Tuesday, I took the Van out to Sidney, the seat of Shelby County. We had been to Sidney before to work with ex-offenders and we were to do the same this time around. Our first trip was much more personal as we spoke to people after they left meetings with their parole officer. This trip was a horse of a different color as that same parole officer, the wonderful Rick Harmon, created more of an event atmosphere the second time around.

And man did that change yield some positive results on our end. We were busy. In three hours we had completed over a dozen applications and spoke to 20 people in need. It was fantastic.

The next day was spent in Van Wert, the seat of - you guessed it! - Van Wert County. The entire county is unrepresented by the Ohio Benefit Bank-- Zero sites. The closest ones are 20 miles up the road in Paulding. Our Northwest Ohio Regional Coordinator, Gayle Loyola, was hosting a presentation about the Benefit Bank to local non-profits and she wanted us there to show them the awesomeness of the Mobile Express. We were happy to oblige.

One thing that struck me about Van Wert and Sidney and Bellefontaine (which we drove through) are the absolutely ridiculous county courthouses. I'm sorry, Ohio, but these things are tacky.

First we have Bellefontaine's:


And let's follow up with the courthouse in Sidney:


That building looks like a crazed dollhouse.

Finally, Van Wert:


This is probably the worst offender since Van Wert is a fairly tiny place. Why does it need to try so hard?

Now, let's contrast these with the courthouse in my home county, Barnstable County, Massachusetts.


Ah. Home sweet home!

That humble old-timey courthouse covers a population 1.85 times the population of those three Ohio counties combined.

Obviously the Ohio courthouses happened and getting rid of them isn't plausible or necessary and they would be really neat if there wasn't one just as gaudy one county over. I just wonder what the heck Ohioans were thinking when they built these things. It seems very nouveau-riche; like Ohio was so happy to be a statewhere no expense was spared. And that is how you end up with McMansions of the courthouse architecture community.

Food Pantry Distribution in Gallipolis

Erin and I were in Gallipolis yesterday, just across the river from the Mothman. Lutheran Social Services still has their mobile food pantry up and running and we wanted to kick it old school and tag along.

It was a tough trip. A lot of people in Southeast Ohio are really struggling. And there is nothing more depressing than a food pantry distribution. People waiting in a parking lot in the sun and then shuffling along for the opportunity to get canned beets and grape juice concentrate.

Now, I don't want that to be interpreted as a criticism of what Lutheran Social Services is doing. They are, to put it eloquently, the bomb. There isn't really a better way to do what they're doing. And what they're doing is making such a difference in these smaller communities. They deserve all the kudos I have to offer.

Still, it's a depressing scene. While talking to people while they were waiting in line, I thought of a reprehensible editorial cartoon I had recently seen:

Ugh. Seeing it again is filling me with impotent rage.

Ignoring the fact that the last panel is totally nonsensical since the mortgage interest write-off costs twice as much money as the Earned Income Tax Credit that allows people to not pay any income tax, and ignoring the fact that the no income tax argument is ridiculous since the lower tax brackets pay a much higher percentage of income in payroll and sales taxes, and ignoring the fact that the second panel doesn't make sense either since anyone getting a bailout had to pay that money back and those people were making millions of dollars and therefore were (presumably) paying a ton of income tax and...

No. This is too much to ignore. This is the worst kind of stupidity.

If you see anyone complaining about people not paying income tax or people not paying their fair share, please suggest to them that they spend a day hanging out a food pantry distribution. Let them talk to those people. Those people not paying any income tax because they're on disability or on Social Security but it isn't enough to pay the bills. Or the people who are unemployed in a terrible job market that just doesn't have room for them. Or the people working part-time and/or at minimum wage trying to raise children on his/her own.

I know that I'm probably preaching to the choir here. But please remember not to let these kind of ignorant comments go without a fight. Make sure people know the stakes in this fight against poverty.

And, to end on a happier note, Gallipolis truly was lovely. Erin and I just love the hills.

The Final Push

Your taxes are due this Thursday. If you think you're getting a refund, what are you waiting for? If you think you're going to owe, then at least you don't have to pay extra when you use the 100% free Ohio Benefit Bank software. There's no need to pay money just to find out you have to pay more money.

Over here at the Direct Service Office in Columbus, we're making our last big push for tax season. We're extending our hours and working the night shift to make sure Ohioans get their taxes done. I imagine the majority of people reading this site are OBB counselors, so consider this a call to arms. If you know or meet someone who hasn't done their taxes, get 'em done.