Not all predictions should come true

More often than not, New Year's predictions are a reflection of what the predictor subconsciously wants to see occur, but there are two being offered today that this writer would welcome being told at the end of the year, "You were dead wrong." That's because if these predictions turn out to be true, the public will be the loser.
The first involves Mafia boss Lenine "Murder is part of the business" Strollo, who has been in federal protective custody since Dec. 11, 1997. The 72-year-old Strollo is scheduled to appear Jan. 27 before U.S. District Judge Kathleen "I feel your pain" O'Malley for sentencing on various crimes related to his leadership of the local organized crime syndicate. He faces 12 to 15 years.
The prediction: Strollo will be released from prison and will be placed under house arrest. In other words, he'll be back in his Canfield home shortly. Judge O'Malley, who has dealt with several prominent crooks from the Mahoning Valley, including former Mahoning County Sheriff Phil Chance, will give the mob boss credit for time served and will be swayed by federal prosecutor Craig S. Morford's explanation of just how important Strollo has been as a government snitch.
The long-time mobster reached a plea agreement and became a government witness in February 1999, 14 months after he was indicted for aggravated murder, casino-style gambling and numbers lottery. He was arrested the following day. The indictment listed 29 co-defendants.
Dividends
His singing like a canary has paid dividends for the federal government, which successfully convicted Chance, former Mahoning County Prosecutor James A. Philomena and several other prominent Valley residents and organized crime figures.
So why begrudge Strollo his freedom in the twilight of his life? Because a Mafia boss by any other name is still a criminal. It doesn't matter how sorry he is for his sins -- remember he testified that murder was part of his business -- and how important he has been to the federal government's crackdown on government corruption and organized crime in the Mahoning Valley.
Strollo found religion only after he was nabbed by the FBI. He did not wake up one morning, look at his wife across the breakfast table and declare, "The Lord appeared to me last night and told me to repent. I'm going to turn myself in to the FBI." No, he played "Let's make a Deal" with the feds, just as other crooks from this region have done.
Federal officials defend such deal-making on the grounds that it usually leads to the big fish. Thus, there's no harm in letting the guppies go. But the fact remains that big or small, they're all fish, and they're rotten to the gills.
That is why the prospect of someone like Strollo -- a big fish by any prosecutorial definition -- being given a reprieve after six years of protective custody has such a stench to it, and why the prediction of his release in a couple of weeks isn't one this writer wants to see come true.
Strollo should serve the entire 15 years, which means nine more behind bars. His involvement in the rackets from the time he was in his teens shows that he cannot be trusted to walk the straight and narrow if he is released. House arrest would certainly be no deterrent for a man with his talents.
Ohio issue
The second prediction that must not come true involves the state of Ohio's economic future. Here it is: The 1-penny sales tax increase imposed by the General Assembly last year to prevent a fiscal meltdown of state government will be rolled back if Secretary of State Ken Blackwell succeeds in putting the issue before the voters in November.
Blackwell has conducted an effective, hard-hitting campaign around the state to sell the idea that state government does not need the revenue generated by the tax and that there is fat that can be cut. His success in getting petition signatures suggests that many Ohioans have bought into the notion that they are overtaxed.
So what if the prediction comes true? There's one word that aptly describes what will occur: implosion. Just about every service provided by state government will be affected. Local governments will be especially hard hit and that means we'll all suffer the consequences.
Finally, here's one prediction that everyone should embrace: Ohio Sens. Mike DeWine and George Voinovich, with the support of Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Niles, and Youngstown Mayor George M. Mc-Kelvey, will change the language governing a $26.8 million federal grant to Youngstown to allow the city to use the money for job-creation projects, instead of spending it all on an arena.