It's odd that as you get older the past keeps popping up to surprise you.

Recently, the Plain Dealer ran on its web site a copy of a page one from back in 1967 that I had written when the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. came to Cleveland. It brought back memories.

Now in the 2012 Republican primary the name Saul Alinsky has risen to prominence again. And memories return for me.

I suspect not too many people remember that Alinsky almost came to Cleveland to ply his talents. Actually, he did appear here but he didn't stay.

In this year's Republican primary Newt Gingrich has tried to associate President Barack Obama with Alinsky. Some believe that Gingrich is trying to tar Obama as a socialist radical by linking his name with Alinsky, dead for some 40 years. Alinsky was a community organizer as was Obama. Both in Chicago.

The first notice of Alinsky's possible arrival in Cleveland was an article I wrote on December 23 1966 for the Plain Dealer. The headline read: "Come to Cleveland, 'Agitator' is Urged."

The first paragraph said:

"Saul D. Alinsky, a radical community organizer, has been approached to serve as a consultant for a mass citizens organization effort in Negro neighborhoods by the Council of Churches in Greater Cleveland."

No one noticed. No one pays much attention. It's only public money.

The County sent a check, as it does each January 15, to bondholders for the 1990s Gateway bailout.

We'll see this week how it has added up substantially. The latest payment means Cuyahoga County taxpayers have sent $116.8 million to bondholders since 1992 to pay for Gateway overruns.

It doesn't even make a ripple in the public consciousness. That's because our main source of information is the Plain Dealer. And the Plain Dealer doesn't care. It's too worried about team owners and what they might think. It's had a blackout on the truth about Gateway for years.

I'm going to try to compile as much of the cost the people of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County have sunk into providing sports to fans, whether they want it or not.

On Jan. 15 2012, as it since 1992 and will until 2023, Cuyahoga County sent a check to bondholders - this time for $5,091,820.46 for debt on Gateway. The County has to pay bondholders each year for bonds it let in the 1990s for cost overruns at Gateway.

It was a bailout before bailouts became popular.

As we near 20 years after Gateway was built - and still paying for the damned thing - the rumblings are that - just as Browns Stadium - big improvements for big dollars are going to be needed at Progressive Field.

The thievery continues. No one is paying attention.

I don't get around much these days. But I have had recent occasion to ride by Progressive Field at night. I saw it all brightly lit up.

I didn't think the Indians were in town. I don't even believe Spring Training has started yet. Has it?

Then I remembered. Oh, yeah.

The Indians run a winter-time extravaganza on the baseball field. They even put up a full hockey rink on the baseball infield. 150 tons of snow, they say. Must be good for second base.
Progressive Field is turned into a winter profit place with everything from snow tubing, ice skating, even a snow maze in the outfield. And it was the site this year for the Ohio State/University of Michigan hockey game.

Of course, they say they don't make a dime. Do you believe them? Neither do I. The winter charges ranged from $10 to $25 a person and $100 a family. Food and drinks extra, of course. At fancy digs built by taxpayer bucks.

Larry Dolan and family can use the stadium we paid for - ANY WAY THEY WANT. The Dolans are billionaires.

Isn't that the privilege of wealth? Doesn't our system work that way now? Why of course it does. We see it all around us.

Do they pay Gateway - the non-profit set up to operate the stadium and arena - anything for use of the summer-time baseball stadium, anything for the extra use in the winter? Like rent?
No, says Gateway.

With the news that Randy Lerner is looking for a $6 Million handout from the City of Cleveland to help repair Cleveland Browns Stadium, Roldo wanted us to reprint a story he did on Mr. Lerner's sweetheart deal with the city he published in June. Here is what the legendary Cleveland journalist had to say:

The Wonder of Randy Lerner's Life

The realization that the school children of Cleveland subsidize the lifestyle of Browns owner Randy Lerner is testimony to our times. Let the wealthy get wealthier. Let the poor get poorer.

It’s one of the most disgusting examples of wealth living off poverty. It goes uncontested by columnists, by politicians, by our sharp news media outlets.

Mayor Jackson, the Plain Dealer and civic leaders as Ronn Richard of the Cleveland Foundation and Joe Roman of the Greater Cleveland Partnership – in other words the servants of the rich - want more attention paid to school teachers and their pay and working privileges (see my last posting below).

Privilege, however, thy name is Lerner.

The Wall Street Journal has been tracking the use of private jet planes and how they are used by the wealthy. Of course, you pay for this too as corporations write the cost off as an expense.

You know folks, the 2012 Republicans are out to destroy working/middle class people and, of course, America with it. Everything goes to the top!

They cry, "Exceptionalism," to describe America. Yet they push the nation toward mediocrity or worse. They don't value freedom. They value the aristocracy of wealth.
They'd love to change Social Security to a private program open to Wall Street interests. Medicare? Do away with it, they say.

They want to stop the government. Or slow it as much as possible. Obstinate Obstruction is their political game. It has the Democrats bollixed.

Can we save our decaying democracy? Not from what I see.

I want to talk a bit about the silly trash talk about President Obama as our "Socialist" leader. The mainstream media allow this nonsense attention.

Mitt Romney repeats a line about President Barack Obama accusing him of wanting a "European-style welfare state." Wish that he did.
The truth is that Romney and his wealthy Republican backers are the ones who would like to replace for Americans a "European-style" state.

It was called Serfdom.

The European Serfdom of the 14th Century. In other words, work for the Overlord. Work for what the Overlords decide is "fair." And work as long each day as the Overlord decreed.

What has been written in the past often has relevance to the present and future.

I was struck (infuriated) recently by an article on the business pages of the New York Times. It revealed that the State of New Jersey was providing the developers of a luxury hotel/casino in Atlantic City with some $260 million in tax breaks.

It prompted me to seek out the foreclosure problem in New Jersey. People really in need. The number of foreclosures from 2009 projected through 2012: 235,881. That's a lot of families. A lot of pain.

I wonder how they feel about Republican Gov. Chris Christy's generosity to casino hotel developers. (It seems Republican politicians are against the dole unless it goes to wealthy interests.) What is surprising is that no one ever has to prove these generous subsidies ever really work.

Equally disturbing, the Times today reveals that "Mr. Ratner... would haul in $726 million in special public benefits" from development in NYC. Indeed, Mr. Ratner (Bruce) is related to our Forest City Ratners. The article points out he is "Developer No. 1" and "Developer No. 2" in two corruption cases in the city, though he isn't charged in either. The article notes that Bruce Ratner "walked between the legal raindrops."

Development and Corruption seem uniquely tied so often. But, hell, money is involved so why not?

With newspapers in such precipitous decline my thoughts have traveled back to my first newspaper job in Bridgeport Conn. in 1959.

It made me think that I was lucky enough to experience the days of old newspaper people and when the daily newspaper WAS the news. I had the opportunity to enjoy newspapers as we remember them.

I haven't been in a modern newspaper since the inception of the internet and new technology. The newsroom I experienced has disappeared. So I don't know how the modern newsroom works. I know it's different, however. (The last time I was in a newspaper office I sort of snuck into the Plain Dealer news room. It was before the paper was in security lock-down. I got in the locked door by following Mary Strassmeyer as she went through. I remember Bob McGruder reacting in mock shock and telling others that I had a satchel that might be dangerous. What shocked me was the clean whiteness of the city room.)

I remember the huge and dingy old "city room." I started working nights in the sports department for the Bridgeport Telegram, the name of the morning newspaper in Bridgeport, Conn. The afternoon paper was called the Bridgeport Post. Today it is called the Connecticut Post.

Will somebody please notice that our state, county and local governments are stuffing the craw of big businesses - you know the 1 percent - with tons of free money.

We're providing holiday gifts to all kinds of private businesses.

It hardly gets noticed. The press never keeps an eye on this sleaze.
Hey, it's only our tax money.

The new welfare culture demands that the dole is for those who have more than enough already while those who have nothing or less can swim for themselves.

Is this anywhere near fair?

When our local schools are dying from lack of financial support. The word is also out that half our population is now either poor or low income and so many are finding the street their new un-foreclosed homes.
I don't know what the difference is between poor or low income. Maybe they mean impoverished and people just plain old broke.

Let's not worry too much. Instead, play the Star Spangled Banner. Let's have a parade.

(I wonder also when the Plain Dealer editorialists will request billionaire Randy Lerner to pay some property taxes on the stadium as it demands Cleveland teachers provide extra dough in these tough times. Lerner, thanks to Fred Nance's negotiated lease, pays no property taxes. Nance now works for Lerner's Browns. What could be more natural in a give-away culture?)

TRANSPARENCY.

It has been the righteous code word of the Plain Dealer in its dealing with public officials. Especially the new County Council.

What transparency means is this:

Honesty.

Openness.

Trustworthiness.

Fairness.

In this respect, the Plain Dealer is absolutely correct. And righteous. And true.

Now comes the hard part.
What's good for public officials should be good for PD editors. No?

Next time the PD editorial board makes a crucial editorial endorsement - be it for President, mayor, county office or for any important public issue - let it practice what it preaches.
Give us transparency.
Let us know precisely how each editorial board member votes.

We would know what the score should be. Did they vote unanimously or was it a split vote? Or did one boss determine the outcome?
Wouldn't that be fair? Wouldn't that lend some public trust? Wouldn't that give readers a sense of confidence that the decision was honestly tallied?
Wouldn't that give the PD editorial decision the quality it demands of others - transparency? Would that be so hard?

An honest tally would insure that the paper doesn't fall into a phony and embarrassing situation as it did in 2004.
You probably remember that the editorial board - though we didn't know the vote tally - choose to endorse John Kerry for President.

Eight years ago I asked, "Who should schedule when firefighters are on duty - the city or the fire union?

I guess they haven't figured it out yet at city hall. Or they don't want to figure it out.

The latest audit that revealed the disgusting waste of city tax funds because firefighters are using gimmicks to not work should rate a special grand jury.

Not only should heads roll but people may have to go to prison.

They have essentially been robbing the city blind. For years.

Safety Director Martin Flask should immediately resign or be fired. Same goes with Fire Chief Paul Stubbs.

Mayor Frank Jackson by making excuses for his leadership team doesn't deserve to be in the office of mayor. He needs to go!

I wrote back in 2003 that on Oct 31 the city "had to call 28 firefighters for overtime duty!"

Then, as now, the city was facing financial crisis.

Here is what I wrote:

"The situation is this: Firefighters with seniority can choose to a degree what days they want to work. The record indicates that many choose Monday through Thursday. Without enough firefighters to cover, Friday through Sunday, requires the city to call in firefighters on overtime.