The Tax Bias Against Cities
Not that long ago, I couldn’t imagine a more boring topic than taxes. Then I saw this documentary about how regressive state taxes in Alabama were enriching the wealthy at the expense of the state’s poorest residents. The documentary featured people that literally did not have indoor plumbing but were carrying the state government on their backs while many wealthy residents of the state were entirely exempt from paying state taxes. This is because Alabama has a regressive state income tax policy that lets residents write …

The Buffalo News’ “The ‘Burbs” blog posed a question yesterday that has been asked by many a municipality: should public employees be required to live where they work?

(Sorry for this lame picture. I couldn’t think of any other way to illustrate this story.)
Their post dealt with the Buffalo suburb of Amherst, but it’s a question that has been asked throughout our region.
Typically, municipal leaders – and oftentimes voters as well – favor such rules, which are often opposed by police and firefighters unions.
This has been a hot topic in Ohio …

What does it take to retrain middle-aged factory workers?
 
NPR takes a look at the process in this story about a Toledo-area couple, both in their 50s, who are back in high school learning algebra and training for their first white-collar jobs.
The effort paid off for Jim Buford, who recently got a job installing solar panels.

 
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Toledo resident Stacy Jurich, 23, traveled 10,000 miles across the United States this winter on a Mercedez Benz powered by vegetable oil.
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Rust Wire has previously featured the work of Lorain, Ohio, native Nick Kowalczyk, a writer who is working on a book about his hometown.
Kowalczyk, an assistant professor of writing at Ithaca College, will be returning to the city to do some research this summer and is looking to speak to Lorainites. (Click on the above link for his contact information.)

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The Environmental Defense Fund has launched a new ad with Braddock Mayor John Fetterman, claiming carbon caps could offer relief to former steel towns.

Wow.
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Monday’s L.A. Times has an interesting article about how President Obama will have to tread lightly for fear of alienating auto workers and auto retirees in the auto swing states of Ohio and Indiana.
“…politics could prove unavoidable, given the president’s ties to the UAW and his election campaign’s reliance on auto-heavy states such as Ohio, Michigan and Indiana.”
The story goes on to add, “White House officials have moved in recent days to minimize future strains on union ties by offering at least supportive words for the UAW’s arguments. An administration …