( 2 Votes )

Written by Michael Metzinger | August 28, 2010
Posted in Airport

A little over a month ago I went to the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport and met with the new Airport Director Daniel Dickten. One idea Mr. Dickten suggested was the creation of an airport support group to help in the following areas:

-advocate to Valley travelers to fly from Youngstown over Akron/Canton, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh,
-seek out such things as trip guarantees from local businesses and travelers which can potentially be used in negotiations with airlines, and
-work to make the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport a viable facility for travelers in Northeast Ohio and Northwest Pennsylvania.

For the airport to move ahead to where we would all like to see it be, I truly believe a group something along the lines of what I outlined above is greatly needed. Youngstown State Head Football Coach Eric Wolford said the following when talking about turning around the YSU Football program, which also can be applied to the airport, saying, "it's going to take a community effort... we cannot do it alone." For us to turn the airport around, we need the community to help make it happen.

With that being said, I am calling on everyone in the Mahoning Valley interested in being part of a community support group for the airport to email me your name and contact information at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . With your help, we can collectively help make the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport a viable facility once again.

Thank You for Your Support,

Michael Metzinger

( 1 Vote )

Written by Michael Metzinger | August 27, 2010
Posted in Local

WFMJ broke the news this evening at 6pm that Jim Traficant appears to have enough signatures to make the ballot in the 17th District. It was a month ago that Traficant was 200+ valid signatures short of making the ballot, but after appeals and some revisions in the number of valid signatures he needed to make the ballot, it now appears Jim Traficant will officially be on the ballot this November.

We will have more on this when it becomes available this weekend.

( 2 Votes )

Written by Michael Metzinger | July 28, 2010
Posted in Airport

Yesterday, the Vindicator highlighted a number of potential airlines and routes that new Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport Director Daniel Dickten is going after to come to the Mahoning Valley. With the area's strong support of Allegiant Air, coupled with the aggressiveness of Daniel Dickten's efforts to increase air service locally, we may very well see more flights flying in and out of Youngstown in the very near future.

Now some people believe the airport is a cesspool and is a waste of our tax dollars, but I beg to differ. In order for the Mahoning Valley to make a comeback, we will need a strong and vibrant airport to take valley travelers to and from every major city in the United States within 1 stop or less. With daily flights to Detroit, Chicago, and/or Washington DC, that may very well be possible.

The bottom line is this: The Mahoning Valley has been a strong supporter of Allegiant Air in what is now their 4th year here at the airport. If the Mahoning Valley supports another airline, whether it be Delta to Detroit, United to Chicago or Washington DC, or Spirit to Ft. Lauderdale, then we can truly make Youngstown a strong alternative to the hour long drives and the hassle of flying from Cleveland, Pittsburgh, or Akron-Canton.

If you plan on flying to Orlando or Myrtle Beach in the coming months, please consider flying Allegiant Air from Youngstown because I can promise you this:
1. there fares are cheaper than those you can find at CLE, PIT, and CAK;
2. parking rates at YNG are cheaper than what you will find at the other 3; and
3. you will be within 20 minutes of your house when driving home from the airport, an entire hour quicker than CLE (turnpike), PIT (turnpike), and CAK.

I would truly like to commend Daniel Dickten for doing a tremendous job thus far as our new airport director!

( 5 Votes )

Written by Michael Metzinger | July 12, 2010
Posted in Site

I just wanted to apologize for the very long break between posts on the site. I am working at bringing a few writers, some of which you may know from our comments, on board to blog on here as well. It is difficult to keep a political website active 7 days a week, 365 days a year; so when someone assists me with it, things become a lot easier. There is no doubt in my mind this site will become more active as the big November Mid-Term Election comes fast approaching.

Again my apologies and I will definitely work hard to keep this site active and warn you in advance of any long breaks in my posts. Thanks for your support!

( 0 Votes )

Written by Michael Metzinger | June 04, 2010
Posted in National

I know it's been quiet here recently, but that is only because there has not been too much to talk about. The race between Tim Ryan and Jim Traficant is awful quiet right now and I am not going to touch the BP oil mess either. Anyways I figured I would make a few comments on this job report that came out yesterday. I am going to cut to the chase, it was bad. The DailyKos said that it, "fell far short of expectations, once again raising serious questions about the sustainability of the recovery that began in the third quarter of 2009." The Huffington Post called the jobs report "bleak." I personally would call this jobs report lousy and something that should be very worrisome to most Americans.

Perhaps the most mind-boggling thing about all of this is that President Obama is trying to put a positive spin on this. Obama said today that the economy [is] "getting stronger by the day," There is nothing positive to spin on this jobs report Mr. President. Your $787 billion stimulus, paid for by our friends in China and elsewhere around the globe, has failed royally. Look at the chart to the right; private job creation fell to a measly 41,000 in May, a dramatic drop from the 218,000 we saw in April. Considering 70% of our GDP comes from consumer spending, that drastic decline is something I would not want to be touting right now.

There are two more things that should really worry the Obama Administration right now.
1. Although 431,000 jobs were created last month, some 411,000 were Census jobs that will expire in the coming months. In due time, those 411,000 people will be looking for yet another job; and most of which will have a hard time finding one.

2. With stimulus spending set to decline sharply in the final two quarters of 2010, it will be up to private job creation to sustain this so-called economic recovery that we have seen signs of in the past half-year. As we saw in today's job report, private job creation is a long ways away from getting our economy back to where it needs to be.

Something that I predicted early last year (February 5th), just by looking back at history from the 1930s with the New Deal, was that the stimulus would lead us right back into another recession in a few years. Well apparently my prediction was not so far fetched after all. Sung Won Sohn, an economics professor with California State University Channel Islands said, "There is growing concern about a double-dip recession."

And before I hear anyone say I am cheering about bad economic numbers, I am not. I am simply pointing out the economy is not in as good as shape as many of you claim. I go to bed each night praying for our economy, because in two and a half short years, I will be out there looking for a job. By the way it is looking now, it may be in my best interest to start looking now!

What say you? (this one is for you Tim)

( 2 Votes )

Written by Michael Metzinger | May 27, 2010
Posted in National

Whether you agree or disagree with them on the issues, there is no denying the Tea Party movement is going to have a major impact on the Midterm Election this November. We have already seen a number of Tea Party candidates win across the country, taking out the establishment Republican candidates that in years past were victorious in such races. I think Rand Paul said it best last Tuesday after he won the Republican Party nomination, "I have a message from the tea party, a message that is loud and clear and does not mince words. We've come to take our government back."

Paul was exactly right in his statement; Americans are fed up with the direction this country has been going, not only under Obama, but also under Bush, and we want to take our country back. Personally, I think the the Tea Party should consider becoming that third party that America desperately needs. This movement represents the conservative principles the Republican Party has ignored for far too long. Since 40% of Americans identify themselves as conservatives, and because the Tea Party is more popular than the Democrat and Republican Party according to a NBC/WSJ poll, I truly believe the Tea Party could emerge as a legitimate third party in America's politics.

Let's take a second and look at the Florida Senate Race between Republican Marco Rubio, Independent Charlie Crist, and Democrat Kendrick Meek. The race is neck and neck according to the RCP average, with Crist holding a miniscule 0.3 lead; although some argue his favorable poll numbers after switching to an Independent are due to a poll bounce that will begin to die off in future polls. Anyways, the Tea Party candidate, Rubio, has a great opportunity to knock off the now former establishment Republican candidate Charlie Crist. It's races like these that show the Democrats and establishment Republicans alike are in for an ugly Election this November because the Tea Party movement is growing and will be a major factor on 11/2/2010.

What say you?