House Going into Foreclosure?

Republican candidate for Congress, Steve Stivers, once said that foreclosures are the result of job losses and that you should not be able to sue your lender. (Stivers, once a bank lobbyist, still likes to protect his bank buddies!)
Here are some excerpts from the Dispatch (1/19/06):
....Sen. Steve Stivers, a Republican and former lobbyist for Bank One, said Ohio should remain one of only two states that exempts the mortgage industry from the Consumer Sales Practices Act....
....Stivers isn't finding much support in his own caucus, much less among advocates for the poor.

Bill Faith, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio, said the proposals would not address Ohio?s mortgage lending problems.

"The bottom line is the homeowner has to have the ability to seek redress," he said, adding that consumers have more protections when buying a toaster than a house...

Unfortunately, Ohio is one of the top states in the current foreclosure mess. Does Stivers still feel the same way about protecting lenders instead of consumers?

----> Did you see this article in the New York Times Magazine's cover story called

The End of Republican America?

Here is an excerpt:

....Going into the 2008 elections, (Rep. Tom) Cole faces a daunting list of challenges. To date, 29 of his party’s representatives in Congress have retired, an unusually large number, leaving open politically marginal seats that incumbents might have held but which will be more difficult for challengers to defend — Deborah Pryce’s seat in Columbus, Ohio; Mike Ferguson’s in central New Jersey; Heather Wilson’s around Albuquerque; Thomas M. Reynolds’s in Buffalo. Reynolds, Cole’s predecessor at the N.R.C.C., just narrowly held his seat in 2006. Rick Renzi, a Republican congressman from Arizona, was indicted last month on federal corruption charges, putting what was another safe Republican seat in play. These vacancies mean that in a year when, by historical standards, his party would be expected to win back seats, Cole will have to defend many more seats than he will be able to attack (only six Democratic incumbents have announced they are leaving office). His committee has approximately $5 million on hand, roughly one-eighth the amount of cash on hand as its Democratic counterpart, which at latest count had $38 million. Worse still, the National Republican Congressional Committee recently discovered, during an internal audit, accounting fraud so extensive that it had to call in the F.B.I., which is now investigating embezzlement by the committee’s former treasurer. Many conservative activists have become so dissatisfied with the party’s heresies, particularly on immigration and government spending, that as Cole’s staff took over, the committee’s fund-raising pleas were being ignored and, on at least one occasion, returned in an envelope stuffed with feces.....

Interesting.

You Should Know...

(1) Our hearts go out this evening to the family and friends of Staff Sergeant Matt Maupin, of Ohio.
WKRC-TV is reporting:

The remains of Staff Sergeant Matt Maupin have been found in Iraq. That announcement from the Yellow Ribbon Support Center.

Maupin was captured near Baghdad when his convoy was attacked nearly four years ago. The Batavia native and Glen Este High School was last seen on video tape shortly after his disappearance. Until today the Pentagon listed his status as "captured missing."

....Matt Maupin would have been 24 years old in July.


(2) What does a former Secretary of the Treasury think of John McCain? Here is a tidbit from an interview with Paul O'Neill in this Sunday's The New York Times Magazine:

How do you feel about John McCain, who claims to be a straight talker? I don’t want a straight talker. I want a leader. And a straight talker is one dimension of a leader.

McCain recently confessed in public that his grasp of economics is limited. Yeah. That’s a great place to start from, isn’t it?

(3) Swing State Project has a few comments about Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy and Ohio's 15th congressional district:

Tier One: Toss-Up

15th District Central Ohio (includes part of Columbus and west and northwest suburbs, Hilliard, Marysville). Cook PVI R+1.1. Bush won 50% in 2004. In 2006 retiring incumbent Deborah Pryce (R) defeated Mary Jo Kilroy (D) by just over 1,000 votes. 2008 congressional primary turnout was 62.1% Democratic. DCCC Red-to-Blue program.

County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy (D-Columbus) is running almost like an incumbent after her photo finish in 2006 and the retirement of her opponent. She has raised an impressive amount of money and has strong support from labor, womens' groups (including Emily's List) and among students, who are very numerous in this district......

Kilroy has better name recognition in the district than former bank lobbyist Stivers.

Not Ready for Another Republican Governor

Republican John Kasich has announced his intention of running for Ohio governor, according to the Dispatch. I wrote about this on this blog just last month. Here is what I said in February 2008:

1. The state is in trouble because of the corrupt Republican Taft administration.

2. The Republicans who control the state legislature are more concerned with getting re-elected than helping out the citizens of Ohio.

3. After a year in office and no cooperation from Jon Husted and the rest of the self-centered Republican members of the legislature, Gov. Strickland is still working through the mess left by the Taft administration (a. mismanagement and millions of dollars lost in the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation;
b. no-bid contracts in Taft's Ohio Dept. of Transportation;
c. a mess in the election boards across the state; etc., etc., etc.)

4. Kasich works for the right wing propaganda machine, Fox News.

Here is what Kasich said as reported in the Dispatch:

Kasich said he feels compelled to run because Ohio needs a governor willing to take dramatic action to stem Ohio's job losses, low personal-income growth and flight of young people.

"Every economic factor you look at, we're in the bottom of the barrel," he said. "The only reason I'm interested in this is because I think our state is in a death spiral."

and.....

"Frankly, I believe the (state) income tax has to be phased out," Kasich said, promising to detail in the future how he would make up for a tax that provides the state with more than $9 billion a year, or 34 percent of its operating money.

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland was asked for his impression of Kasich's proposals. Here is Strickland's response:

"I guess I'm just more optimistic about Ohio's future than Mr. Kasich's comments would indicate that he is," Strickland told reporters after an event this morning.....

Such a move, Strickland contended, could mean "you're going to dismantle higher education, and elementary and secondary education, and various departments of government," which, he claimed, would put Ohio in a death spiral.

"I would just be interested to know how such a loss in revenue would be possible without basically giving up on the state of Ohio," Strickland said....

I don't think that Ohioans are ready to turn the governor's office over to the Republicans. We are still hurting from the scandals the GOP left on our doorstep.

Good Vibes for Dems in Ohio's 15th Congressional District

The November election for the congressional seat in Ohio's 15th CD should be a spirited one. Trends show that Democrats are gaining strength throughout the district. Here are some points to ponder from data provided by CQ Politics:

* Democratic congressional candidates have been gaining more votes in every election and Republicans have been winning by smaller percentages.

* Mary Jo Kilroy, the Democratic candidate for the 15th, has a much larger campaign war chest than her Republican opponent.

* Much of the criticism that retiring GOP Rep. Deborah Pryce has received has been her overwhelming support of banks, big oil, big pharmaceuticals, insurance companies, and large corporations instead of her constituents. This time, the GOP candidate is a former bank lobbyist who has made no apologies for his support of banks/lending institutions instead of consumers.

* Worthington and Upper Arlington, two suburbs in the 15th, were once solidly Republican. Today these two suburbs are bluer and large Progressive groups have attracted residents and volunteers for Democratic candidates.

* Closed restaurants, home foreclosures, and business failures will force many voters to support candidates that offer solutions to economic problems.

Obstructing Progress

Ohio Gov. Strickland's energy bill is geared to help reduce the state's reliance on foreign oil and create jobs in the state. However, according to the Toledo Blade, Strickland ....said the bill, after passing the Senate unanimously, is languishing in the Republican-controlled House....

Republican Speaker of the Ohio House Jon Husted is blocking this legislation. Not a surprise. Husted is trying to delay getting anything done until the next Republican is elected governor. Just look at the schedule that the Republican-controlled state legislature has---( http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/today.cfm ). Working 2-3 days per week isn't getting anything accomplished in the state. It is clear that the Republicans are obstructing progress in Ohio.

Further evidence from the Plain Dealer indicates that Husted and his GOP buddies are attacking Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner with a goal in mind. The Republicans are trying to weaken Brunner so that Jon Husted can run for her office in 2010. (To readers outside of Ohio: Republicans in this state are still trying to gain control of the governor's office after the scandals of the previous Republican administration.)
Republicans want to have a Republican Secretary of State because it is the office that manages the voting, how votes are counted, and who sits on the county board of elections, etc.... Get it?

Americablog has an interesting statistic:
1 in 10 Ohioans Receiving Food Stamps

...As for Ohio, after years of a complete lock on power, the state is going to take years to undo the problems created by Republican rule. McCain is going to have a tough time winning over the swing state, especially since his own economic policies and advisers are so closely tied to the kinds of policies that dragged the state down. Of course, Democrats are going to have to start pointing this out much more often...

Here is the Dispatch article on the sad statistic:

.....Caseloads have almost doubled just since 2001, with 1.1 million residents now collecting benefits, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

Low wages, unemployment and the rising cost of groceries, gasoline and other necessities are to blame for financial hardships facing many Ohio families.....

....Not surprisingly, food pantries and soup kitchens across the state have been reporting record demands. Like the families they serve, they, too, cannot keep pace....

While Husted and the Republicans work to expand their campaign war chests, consolidate their power, and plot their political futures, they are doing nothing to help Ohio families.

Stivers Trying to Divert Attention Away from War, Recession, and Foreclosures

Steve Stivers, former bank lobbyist and current Republican candidate for Ohio's 15th congressional district is trying to divert your attention. According to the Dispatch, if elected to Congress, Stivers wants to end some earmarks. Oh. I see. Why has Stivers turned his talking points to earmarks?

>Stivers won't talk about the tanking economy because the policies of a Republican President got us here.
>Stivers can't talk about the Iraq War because a Republican President created the war and the mess we have now.
>Stivers won't talk about Ohio's bad economy because former Republican Gov. Taft and the Republican controlled state legislature are responsible for the disarray and problems.
>Stivers won't talk about improving education because he is part of the Republican controlled legislature that has refused to fix the school funding problems in Ohio.
>Stivers won't talk about about cleaning up government because Ohio and the nation are still recovering from the Republican scandals.

:::: Need reminding?????
1. Ohio's "Coin-gate" scandal and Republican fundraiser Tom Noe

2. Hundreds of millions of dollars missing from Ohio's Bureau of Workers' Compensation under Taft

3. The Abramoff Scandals- Ohio's own Republican member of Congress--Bob Ney

4. The Republican Mark Foley scandal involving the congressional pages

5. Lack of both body armor and properly armored vehicles for our troops under a Republican White House

6. Tax relief for big oil while they make obscene profits on rising gas prices

7. American soldiers electrocuted and provided contaminated water by Republican friendly war contractors

8. Republican Sen. Larry Craig's scandal

9. Almost 4,000 Americans have been killed in Iraq. With a Veterans' Administration unable to handle the numbers of physically wounded and those suffering from PTSD, many returning veterans and their families feel forgotten by their government.

10. According to the National Priorities Project, the Iraq War has cost us over $500 trillion dollars. Even though the Bush administration said it would only cost a few million dollars and last only six weeks, the Iraq War has cost us thousands of lives, heartbroken families, and money that we will never get back.

Ask Steve Stivers to talk about how he'll fix this Republican mess.

We need real change and that means electing Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy for Ohio's 15th congressional district.

What is it with the Summit County Ohio Republican Party?

The Dispatch has the information on the tape of when the Summit County Republicans sued Ohio Secretary of State, Jennifer Brunner:
....The tape shows a nearly five-hour deposition of Brunner in a lawsuit before the Ohio Supreme Court. The Summit County Republican Party is suing Brunner after she didn't accept the party's recommendation to appoint Brian K. Daley to the county Board of Elections.....
....Brunner mostly answers the questions in a matter-of-fact way. She shows little reaction, even as state Sen. Timothy J. Grendell, representing the Summit County GOP, and Assistant Attorney General Richard N. Coglianese bicker throughout.

At one point, a disgusted Grendell, R-Chesterland, throws down a stack of documents in front of Brunner, and Coglianese quickly says for the record that Grendell "threw the exhibits at the secretary of state." Grendell later apologized.....

It really makes you wonder why the Summit County Republican Party felt the need to sue the Ohio Secretary of State. Are they afraid of fair elections in Ohio? You bet. The Summit County GOP doesn't want to give up power to a Democratic Secretary of State.

By the way, in my humble opinion, the Grendell guy seems like a real jerk and very unprofessional.

More Questions for the Passport Security Problems

MSNBC News:
State Department employees snooped through the passport files of three presidential candidates — Sens. Barack Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton and John McCain — and the department's inspector general is investigating.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the violations of McCain and Clinton's passport files were not discovered until Friday, after officials were made aware of the unauthorized access of Obama's records and a separate search was conducted.....

This is an incredible story about how this administration is not even protecting our security within its own government. I was listening to the Ed Schultz radio show and a person who identified himself as an IT specialist said that there could be even more problems than just the breaches of security and privacy. Someone could have altered information within each of those passport files. What if someone changed names, dates, and the places visited? Was this breach intentional? Are these temporary contractors American citizens, members or associates of terrorist organizations or members of an extreme political movement? Did someone ask or pay them to access these files? What was done with the information they found?

Now that we know that three presidential candidates had their passport files breached, do we know if these contractors accessed any other private or secure information? Why does Rice's department allow temporary workers to have access to this secure information?

CQ Politics:

....Meanwhile, Rep. Henry A. Waxman , D-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, demanded that the State Department release the names of the companies through which passport records for the three presidential candidates were breached.

“I am writing to request that you provide the Oversight Committee by Monday with the identities of the companies involved in these breaches,” Waxman said in a letter to Rice. “I also believe this information should be made publicly available.”

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard L. Berman , D-Calif., said his panel also would investigate the breach.....

This all reminds me of the Watergate break-in story that said some low-level burglars had broken into the office of the Democratic National Committee. Is this breach the new break-in for the computer age?

Now You Know: Stivers Favors McCain's 100 Year War Strategy

Update: There is a picture of Steve "ex-bank lobbyist" Stivers and his supporters at the Dublin St. Patrick's Day Parade. Why are only white people in pictures with Stivers? Are there any minorities that support Stivers in Ohio's 15th district?

According to the Dispatch, Steve "former bank lobbyist" Stivers .....was supportive of McCain and less critical of Bush, although he did acknowledge "mistakes" in the handling of the war.. during a recent radio interview.

If Republican Steve Stivers were elected to Congress to represent Ohio's 15th congressional district, he'd most likely vote to continue the war when those votes came up in Congress. We'd continue to lose American lives (3992 at present), and trillions of dollars in Iraq. It is time to change policy and direction. We don't need a Deborah Pryce clone like Steve Stivers.

If you're satisfied with the Bush economy, you should support Stivers. However, if you think we can and must do better, you'll support and vote for Mary Jo Kilroy, Democrat.

Do most Catholics support more war and suffering?

I don't think that most Catholics support unending war and suffering.

The group called Roman Catholics for Obama has had a presence in the Obama for President campaign.
Not to be outdone, the Republicans had to come out with a group for Republican Catholics who support McCain for President. You won't be surprised about the members of this committee. According to earnedmedia.org, 'The National Catholics for McCain Committee' is a newly formed group to support the candidacy of John McCain.


>>Here is a list of some of the members: (These people support Bush and McCain's unending war.)
Republican House Leader John Boehner, Ohio
Former U.S. Senator Mike DeWine, Ohio
Representative Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Florida
Representative Mario Diaz-Balart, Florida
Former U.S. Secretary of State Alexander Haig, Washington, DC
Representative Ray LaHood, Illinois
Representative Dan Lungren, California
U.S. Senator Mel Martinez, Florida
Representative Jean Schmidt, Ohio
Representative Pat Tiberi, Ohio

There are other names on the list, but they are all Republicans who have participated in GOP administrations or worked for Republicans in other capacities.

Apparently, they've forgotten the first line of the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

News from Central Ohio

> High school football recruit, Terrelle Pryor, will be an Ohio State Buckeye in the fall.

> Everyone I've talked with has given positive assessments for Sen. Barack Obama's speech. Barack Obama has learned from the past and is ready to lead us into the 21st century. (Unlike McCain, who is firmly planted in the past and doesn't seem to know what is going on in Iraq. For information on McCain's confusion about the Iraq war, see Raw Story.)

> There are grumblings in Ohio's 12th congressional district about Republican Rep. Pat Tiberi's change of focus. Tiberi has been less available to constituents because he is concentrating on increasing his status in the Republican leadership. Isn't that nice. Basically, he is saying he doesn't care about the needs and concerns of his constituents.

> 5 years of the Iraq War: 3990 Americans killed and over 30,000 injured/wounded Americans.

> Do you know that the last time that the U.S. dollar lost this much value was during the presidency of George H.W. Bush?

It Continues.....

The Inquirer:
Alerted by Ohio's Secretary of State, Jennifer Brunner, Franklin County election officials have ordered the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation to seize as an official crime scene some 15 touch-screen voting machines that had produced improbable results in a state-wide 2006 election.

In addition, a bogus Homeland Security Alert that led to 2004 general election vote counting shenanigans in a key southwestern Ohio county is under renewed investigation. It is well documented and widely believed that numerous election "irregularities" orchestrated by J. Kenneth Blackwell, Ohio's former Secretary of State, succeeded in stealing Ohio's 20 electoral votes for George W. Bush in 2004, delivering to him an undeserved, catastrophic second term as President ['allegedly', adds our legal department].....

Now you know why the Republicans are fighting Brunner every step of the way. Brunner wants fair and honest elections and the Ohio Republicans.......not so much.

....Franklin County Board of Elections Director Matt Damschroder was removed prior to Ohio's 2008 primary election. He had previously been suspended for a month without pay for accepting a $10,000 Republican campaign contribution check from a voting machine salesman at his office.

The check was delivered on the day Ohio's electronic voting machine contracts were opened for bidding. Damschroder had been the chair of the Franklin County Republican Party and was the state's leading opponent of paper balloting until he was forced out......

Wow! What a coincidence!!! Damschroder got a check for $10,000 for the GOP on the same day bidding was opened on voting machines.

David Robinson in the 12th

There is a well-qualified Democrat running for Ohio's 12th district and his name is David Robinson. All you need to do is visit Robinson's website to see how he can bring change to Washington. Robinson is running against Bush robot, Pat Tiberi. Tiberi, who is in tight with all the lobbyists and special interest groups, continues to do his part to push for unending war and corporate welfare.

Which candidate do you think has this on his website---- Robinson or Tiberi?

For both economic and ethical reasons, support the availability of health care for all; reducing costs by reforming Medicaid/Medicare to allow for greater range of services from general practitioners; support national campaigns to discourage smoking and obesity; reform of drug benefits to favor generics and competitive bidding by Medicare; increased funding for Alzheimer’s research.

Robinson

Who posted this------
I am running for Congress because the America we grew up knowing and loving is now at risk. We pursue policies that enrich a few today, but impoverish the many tomorrow. We create false problems, while ignoring real ones. We divide ourselves through bigotry and fear, when what we need is common cause and big dreams. It’s time to choose the better way. It’s time to restore our country and reclaim our future, and I ask that you join our campaign in this common cause. If not us, who? If not now, when?

David Robinson! If you really believe in change, you'll vote for David Robinson. Visit his website and support his campaign.

Ohio GOP: Kicking and Screaming

Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner is getting attacked by the Ohio GOP because of her desire to have and maintain clean, honest, and fair elections in the state. However, the Republicans who've been controlling every aspect of the vote in Ohio, are kicking and screaming to protest. The Republicans once controlled where votes were counted and which of the the party "bigshots" counted the vote. Now the Republicans are acting like two year olds throwing tantrums all over the state. Here is an example from a story in the Plain Dealer:

Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner is knee-deep in a turf war in Summit County with the GOP.

Brunner, a Democrat, was grilled for more than four hours Wednesday night in a deposition over her decision to take on the Summit County Republican Party Executive Committee twice this year over its selection to the county's elections board. And the Ohio Supreme Court is still taking evidence in that party's complaint against her.

As the head of the state's election system, Brunner selects the four members to the county election boards based on recommendations from Democratic and Republican parties. Two members represent each party....

> What have the Republicans done in Summit County? Here is an article about massive voter registration fraud in Ohio 2004 from the Election Defense Alliance:

In that book, Miller recounts his conversations with Denise Shull, a poll checker in Summit County. During the course of her work on Election Day, Shull noted that approximately 10% to 20% of registered Democratic voters on her list were not on the official list of registered voters. Furthermore – and this is very important – these voters were described as ardent Democrats, as long time voters in the area, AND most of them were not voting....

....How could voter purging be made more efficient in counties with large percentages of Republican voters?

Miller’s book also describes a break-in at Democratic Party headquarters in Akron, Summit County, in the summer of 2004. The only thing stolen was two computers with Democratic campaign-related information on them. A similar break-in occurred three months later in Lucas County, and was described by the Toledo Blade. One can guess that with voter information obtained from these computers, the targeting of Democratic voters in these two counties could have been made a lot more efficient than it could have been without that information.....

>> Here is something else from Harper's Magazine---"None Dare Call It Stolen..." (August 2005):

....Finally, Democratic and/or Green observers were denied access to absentee, and/or provisional ballots, or were not allowed to monitor the recount process, in Summit, Huron, Putnam, Allen, Holmes, Mahoning, Licking, Stark, Medina, Warren, and Morgan counties. In short, the Ohio vote was never properly recounted, as required by Ohio law....

>> One last article talks about the iron-fisted leader of the Summit County Republican Party. Clevescene:

The Republican boss of Summit County revels in crushing his enemies.....

Yep. Those old white guys in the Summit County Republican Party just don't want YOUR vote to count. Remember, Jennifer Brunner is trying to have fair and honest elections, which is something the Summit County Republicans don't want.

Write a letter to the editor to support the work of Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner. Her work must be making an impact on the old GOPers.

Inquiring Minds Want To Know

It appears that the website that provides information about registered lobbyists in the state of Ohio is having difficulty with all the requests for information on Republican Steve Stivers (candidate for Ohio's 15th district).
Perhaps you'll have better luck later. In the meantime, if you wish to find the papers and reports that Stivers has filed, follow the information below:

1. Visit: http://www.jlec-olig.state.oh.us/
2. When the "Lobbying Center" page opens, look to the right on the page for the heading "Public Information"
3. Click on "Lobbyist Forms Filed 1991 to Present"
4. On the next page that opens, type in Stivers where it says Search by Lobbying Agent.
5. The next page will say Agents Found and Stivers, Steven E will pop up.

(****Note: Apparently, too many people want to see these reports, and their website seems to be unable to fulfill the search requests at this time.)

The bottom line is this: Steve Stivers was a LOBBYIST for Bank One. He worked as a lobbyist as he visited various offices within the state government. Even today, he has bank investments which allow him to profit. So when I've previously said that Stivers' support of bills helped his banking friends, I was right.

Update: Official Paperwork Proves Stivers Was A Lobbyist

I started to laugh out loud when I read the Dispatch this morning. In a story buried inside the paper, Republican candidate for Ohio's 15th congressional district, Steve Stivers said he was not a lobbyist for Bank One. Unfortunately, for Stivers, the State of Ohio has the paperwork to show that he was indeed a lobbyist.

After doing a search at http://www.jlec-olig.state.oh.us/ this is what I found:

There are a total of 56 documents detailing Steve Stivers and his lobbying efforts for Bank One.
For example: Item #1 was filed on 2/1/2000. The form is titled "Executive Agency Lobbyist/Employer Initial Registration Statement."
On page 2 of the form, it says the following:
C. Brief description of the Executive Agency Decision(s) to to which Executive Agency Lobbyist's engagement relates: "Financial Decisions"
D. Categorical listing of offices of Elected Executive Official, Department or Executive Agencies to which the engagement relates. There are checks next to Governor, Lt. Governor, Sec. of State, Auditor of State, Treasurer of State, Attorney General.

The form is signed by Steve Stivers.

Ohio GOP: Putting Children At Risk

Do you wonder why the Republican-controlled Ohio Legislature never seems to get anything done? It is because they aren't working that much. With so many school levies failing in recent elections, you'd think the elected Ohio Republicans would get off their behinds to solve the school funding crisis in Ohio. The Republicans, as the majority, set the agenda and the calendar. As it stands, they are only working 2-3 days per week.

Here is the Ohio Legislative Session Calendar (as posted at the OLA- Ohio Lobbying Association):

OHIO SENATE
January:
09 Session
10 Committee Hearings
15 Session
16 Committee Hearings
17 Committee Hearings
22 Committee Hearings
23 Session
24 Committee Hearings
29 Session
30 Session
31 Committee Hearings

February:
05 Session
06 Session
07 Committee Hearings
12 Committee Hearings
13 Committee Hearings
14 Committee Hearings
19 Committee Hearings
20 Committee Hearings
21 Committee Hearings
26 Committee Hearings
27 Committee Hearings
28 Committee Hearings

March:
05 Committee Hearings
06 Committee Hearings
11 Session
12 Session
13 Committee Hearings

April:
01 Session
02 Session
03 Committee Hearings
08 Session
09 Session
10 Committee Hearings
15 Session
16 Session
17 Committee Hearings
22 Session
23 Session
24 Committee Hearings
29 Session
30 Session

May:
01 Committee Hearings
06 Session
07 Session
08 Committee Hearings
13 Session
14 Session
15 Committee Hearings
20 Session
21 Session
22 Session

June:
10 Session (if needed)
11 Session (if needed)
24 Session (if needed)
25 Session (if needed)

OHIO HOUSE
January:
09 Session
10 Committee Hearings
15 Session
16 Committee Hearings
17 Committee Hearings
22 Committee Hearings
23 Session
24 Committee Hearings
29 Session
30 Session
31 Committee Hearings

February:
05 Session
06 Session
07 Committee Hearings
12 Committee Hearings
13 Committee Hearings
14 Committee Hearings
19 Committee Hearings
20 Committee Hearings
21 Committee Hearings
26 Committee Hearings
27 Committee Hearings
28 Committee Hearings

March:
05 Committee Hearings
06 Committee Hearings
11 Session
12 Session
13 Committee Hearings

April:
01 Session
02 Session
03 Committee Hearings
08 Session
09 Session
10 Committee Hearings
15 Session
16 Session
17 Committee Hearings
22 Session
23 Session
24 Committee Hearings
29 Session
30 Session

May:
01 Committee Hearings
06 Session
07 Session
08 Committee Hearings
13 Session
14 Session
15 Committee Hearings
20 Session
21 Session
22 Session

June:
10 Session (if needed)
11 Session (if needed)
24 Session (if needed)
25 Session (if needed)


No wonder these Republican have so much time to raise money for their election campaigns, golf, and have dinner at the country club. While school districts cut funding, layoff teachers, cut back on programs and field trips, the Republicans in the Ohio Senate are spending little time actually working. Their lack of a work ethic puts Ohio's children at risk. Don't you think it is time to to elect a Democratic majority in the Ohio legislature?

Snowy Update

We received 20.4" inches of snow here in central Ohio. It took us several hours to shovel our driveway and sidewalks. In the process, we broke 2 shovels.

Just when you thought the current administration couldn't screw up anything else, another problem pops up. Miami Herald:
The 2010 Census is already in trouble.
The handheld mobile computers that are supposed to replace the pens and paper long used by census-takers aren't working properly, and delays could send the cost from $600 million to as much as $2 billion.
The Census Bureau has done little, if any, planning for what to do if the handheld mobile computers can't be made to work...

''I cannot overemphasize the seriousness of this problem,'' Census Bureau Director Steve Murdock told a Senate hearing last week....

In case you were wondering.....

1. Mr. Murdock is another person President Bush brought from Texas.

2. Open Secrets reports that over $17,000 was contributed by Harris Corp. to various Republican committees.

3. Open Secrets details that Harris Corp. gave over $7,000 to the campaign of George W. Bush.

Ohio Blizzard

We are experiencing a blizzard in central Ohio. With snowfalls around 12" and powerful winds, most people have accepted the fact that the weekend will be spent inside at home.

*Ohio's 16th congressional district has a well-qualified Democrat for this fall's election. John Boccieri has accomplished a lot and intends to bring change to Washington. Here are some highlights from John's bio:

....Still a Major in the Air Force Reserve, John has served our nation in more than 40 countries and has 11 years of service in the U.S. Military. An aircraft commander aboard the C-30 Hercules, he recently deployed in four rotations in Iraq and Afghanistan in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom....
...He worked to lower property taxes for working families and sponsored a bill to help grandparents raising their grandchildren with housing grants. John has fought for Ohio’s steel industry jobs, helped give seniors access to donated prescription drugs, co-sponsored legislation to safeguard pension funds from corporate greed, and has been an avid supporter of conservation efforts in Ohio....
....John’s record of standing up for Ohioans has earned accolades from groups throughout Ohio. He received the Merle Shoemaker award for integrity in office by Ohio Democrats and was recognized as the Legislator of the Year by the AMVETS and East Central Ohio Education Association in 2004. In addition, he received the 2006 Legislator of the Year award from the Ohio League of Sportsman for state conservation efforts....

Visit Boccieri's website and contribute some money to his campaign.

*If you are ready to look at more information about Bush's miserable failures, you must read "The Gaza Bombshell" in Vanity Fair.

Stivers

It is amazing what you find on the internet!!!!

> According to the Ohio Office of the Legislative Inspector General Joint Legislative Ethics Committee (http://www.jlec-olig.state.oh.us/ ) financial disclosure statements (see PUBLIC INFORMATION on the page), Republican candidate for Ohio's 15th district, Steve Stivers, who was a lobbyist for Bank One, has quite substantial financial holdings and investments in banking institutions. In the past when he voted to protect lenders, he was protecting his banking buddies but also his own financial assets (documents are in pdf form).

Here are some ideas for bumper stickers for Stivers:

PROTECT THE BANKS

VOTE FOR STIVERS

I think that in this climate of increasing home foreclosures, it would be inappropriate to elect someone who has such strong ties and sympathy for lending institutions. USA Today has an article about home delinquencies and foreclosures. The Cincinnati Enquirer states that "...foreclosures hit a record 83,230 in Ohio."


> In a Dispatch news story from June 15, 2006, Steve Stivers proposed a bill to exempt insurance agents from ethics laws. Do you see anything wrong with this???????????????

Take Note!

> A crime prevention program that supplies a $645,000 grant to Franklin County is being cut by the federal government. County leaders were meeting this evening to figure out how to keep some of the programs going. President Bush must need more money for his Iraq War.

> President Bush endorsed Sen. John McCain for the Republican nominee for president. I watched part of the press conference that Bush and McCain had from the White House. Here are a few of the comments made by President Bush:

In speaking about if McCain would need Bush to campaign with him in Texas, Bush said, "He won't need me in Texas. There will be a landslide for him in Texas." (I hope the people in Texas are smarter than that.)

Bush also said that being President "had been a fabulous experience...."
(Too bad it wasn't so fabulous for the American people, especially the American military.)

After the press conference, Brian Williams added the following comment---"McCain is the successor of the President's policies...." (Exactly----same wars, same tax cuts for the rich, same big money for oil companies, same lamebrain foreign policy, and same worthless economic policies.)

Kilroy Is Ready to Take On Bankers' Best Friend---Steve Stivers

Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy is prepared for anything that may come along in the campaign. With a firm understanding of the needs of the people of Ohio's 15th district, she plans to help our district.

On the other hand, Republican candidate Steve Stivers, a career lobbyist for banks, would do a fine job to make sure that his bank buddies are not forced to face more regulations. After all, 'Stivers voted against a bill to make it easier for victims of predatory lending to sue' (Dispatch). Doesn't he sound like a cold, uncaring person?

Here is some additional information from the same Disptach article:
Kilroy said she expects to benefit from a high turnout of Democratic voters yearning for change. She dismissed Stivers' contention that he also embodies change.

"We're talking about changing more than the name of the person representing us," Kilroy said. "We're talking about someone who will stand up for the 15th Congressional District, for health care, for ending tax breaks for companies that send jobs overseas, for bringing the troops home."

Way to go, Mary Jo!

Vets for the Bush Agenda

A right wing Republican veterans' group that backs Bush's unending war and McCain's 1,000 years of war in Iraq has endorsed Steve Stivers.

Yawn. Tell me something new.

In their effort to cover up the truth, the largest newspaper in Columbus, got all the information wrong on the Vets for Freedom. I'd suggest that the author of the article, James Nash, do some research on the Vets for Freedom. Even I know that it was hatched out of the Bush White House to promote the president's agenda.

With all the trouble lobbyists have created in Washington, D.C., the last thing we need is a career lobbyist like Steve Stivers.

To change Washington we've got to get someone to represent us. That someone is Mary Jo Kilroy.

***Here is a little tidbit about Republican Steve Stivers from the Washington Post: Stivers says, according to the article, that people are not talking about the war.

...Steve Stivers sees it every day as he campaigns for a congressional seat in Ohio.

"Usually, I bring it up unsolicited because nobody's talking about it now," said Stivers, a Republican state senator and an officer in the Ohio National Guard. Making the rounds ahead of Tuesday's primary for an open House seat, he hears more about jobs, gas prices and health insurance.

"It's weird," Stivers said. "The economy is just overshadowing everything. When people are worried about jobs and their pocketbook, they don't want to think about things across the world."

I have an explanation for that----- Stivers is not talking with people who have sons and daughters in the military. Obviously, the people at his fund raisers don't have children who are serving overseas. Therefore, to Stivers' supporters it is someone else's kid and someone else's war.

In conversations that I have with people, we discuss why our country is unable to put more money into education, health care, rebuilding our infrastructure, helping New Orleans, assisting the poor and our seniors, etc., etc. If Stivers and his banking buddies are not talking about the need to end the war, they are clearly out of touch with the real problems facing our country. The war is the cause of the economic downturn. The Iraq war is draining important money that would provide for a better tomorrow for all our citizens. As long as Stivers and the Republicans vote to continue the war in Iraq, the economy will remain poor.

Huge Democratic Party

We just got back home from an absolutely huge party put together by Progressive radio, WVKO (1580 AM). There were close to 500 people in attendance at the Makoy Center in Hilliard, Ohio. Democratic candidates at the party included Mary Jo Kilroy, John O'Grady, Dan Stewart, Shawn Dingus, Danielle Blue, Russ Goodwin, Tracy Heard, Paula Borrks, Marian Harris, Jan Lanier, Tomi Lynn Dorris, Kelley Wenzlaff, Ted Celeste, and Bev Campbell. Entertainment was provided by Victoria Parks, The Ukulele Man, Magician Michael Kent, Donna Mogavero, and The Spikedrivers.

The highlight of the evening was the appearance of talk show host, Stephanie Miller. Although she was raised by Republicans, Stephanie Miller is now a progressive.

The enthusiasm we saw this evening was amazing. If this many Democrats are willing to go out on a cold night in Ohio and meet and greet their candidates, the Grumpy Old Party should be very worried. Very worried.