Even More....

*** A car accident in Dublin, Ohio, killed two popular students from Dublin Scioto High School.
The Dispatch has the complete story.


* How good was John Kasich's record as a member of Congress (1991-2000)? According to GovTrack.us, not so good:

...John Kasich missed 305 (5%) of 6331 votes between Jan 23, 1990. and Dec 15, 2000....
....John Kasich has sponsored 39 bills between May 1, 1991. and Dec 15, 2000 of which 33 haven't made it out of committee and 3 were successfully enacted....

Here is even more on Kasich from Ontheissues.org:

...Voted YES on giving federal aid only to schools allowing voluntary prayer. (Mar 1994)...
....Personal Retirement Savings Accounts invest 2% privately. (May 1999)....

From the Freeonlinelibrary, we see that Kasich supports tax cuts for the rich. Too bad, average person. This was even before he worked for Lehman Brothers.

More Reasons Not to Support Kasich for Governor

According to an article in the Cleveland Jewish News, John Kasich, Republican candidate for Ohio Governor has some big plans for Ohio if he wins the election:

Cleveland Jewish News:

....To improve the economy in Cleveland and Ohio, Kasich wants to gradually phase out the state income tax and eliminate the inheritance tax.....

...Kasich favors charter schools and tuition vouchers to give parents choice in educating their children...

...On social issues, Kasich said he supports teaching both evolution and “creation science” in Ohio biology classes.....

Kasich is very frightening!!! No income tax??? More money given to failing charter schools???? Teaching "creation science" in biology classes? Just remember that he worked as a managing director at Lehman Brothers.

Splitsville?

Is there a split in the Ohio GOP?

Cincinnati.com:

All over the country, a battle is going on for the heart and soul of the Republican Party.

....In Ohio, the line is being drawn between the two announced candidates for attorney general, who will face each other in the May primary - former U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine, who has had some problems with the party's most conservative members in the past, and Delaware County prosecutor Dave Yost...

...The Ohio GOP endorsed two candidates who are likely to have primary opposition in the May primary - former congressman Rob Portman for the U.S. Senate over Cleveland car dealer Tom Ganley; and former Ohio House speaker Jon Husted for secretary of state over Sandra O'Brien of Ashtabula....

DeWine, Portman, and Husted might not be conservative enough for some Tea Party members in the Republican Party. That is why their opponents from their own party are making it a little uncomfortable. Tea Party supporters have flocked to Yost for AG, Ganley for U.S. Senate, and O'Brien for Ohio Sec. of State, much to the dismay of the Ohio GOP and Chairman Kevin DeWine. Although they might not admit it, the Republicans are worried about the future of their party.

>>> A recent editorial from the very conservative Columbus Dispatch, even accuses Ohio's Republicans of trying to save themselves, instead of people.

Dispatch:

No reason to sugarcoat the obvious: Senate Republicans look foolish in their handling of the state budget crisis.

The longer they delay filling an $851 million hole in the current two-year budget, the more nervous school superintendents, university presidents, prison wardens and children-services leaders become about getting the money they've been promised.....

...Motivated by self-preservation, the 21 senators in the GOP majority are so afraid of their right flank that they are paralyzed from adopting a common-sense budget solution favored by even their most ardent benefactors, including the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, the Ohio Manufacturers Association and the Ohio Business Roundtable....

While this is going on, the entire state sits and waits for these selfish members of the Republican Party to agree to the budget.

In case you were wondering.....

....in a letter to the editor, a citizen from Republican Jon Husted's district puts the blame squarely on Husted's shoulders for a telephone surcharge. (Dayton Daily News)

....Sen. George Voinovich (OH-R) did not vote on Saturday evening when the U.S. Senate voted to start the floor debate on the health care reform bill, according to iMarketNews. What was that about?

.....the usual groups and individuals are still contributing to the Republican candidate for Ohio's 15th district. In a search of the FEC.gov, Stivers is pulling in the money from the usual individuals --- bankers, insurance executives, utility executives, financial consultants, etc. (see FEC disclosures). Do you think these bankers and the rest of these big shots believe that Stivers would work for them if he is elected? Isn't that just what we need to Washington----- a former bank lobbyist with sympathy for bankers and insurance companies?

...... the Buckeyes won on Saturday. The Ohio State Buckeyes beat Michigan for the sixth time in a row. The Buckeyes will be going to the Rose Bowl. (Do you think Pryor is happy he chose Ohio State over that other school?)

O-H-I-O

Congratulations to the Ohio State Buckeyes for defeating that team up north. The Buckeyes have won 6 in a row against the wolverines. As a tribute to Stefanie Spielman, the team had a sticker on their helmets with the initials SS and a pink buckeye leaf.

Thank you, Coach Tressel and Buckeyes, for a terrific win!!!!!

There are several additional articles about Stefanie Spielman in today's Dispatch. Make sure you see the Dispatch slideshow dedicated to Stefanie Spielman.

Boehner

John Boehner has gone off his rocker again. Time and time again, Boehner just lies about legislation and yet few people actually call him on it. TPMDC shows how the DNC got him!

TPMDC:

The Democratic National Committee released a rapid response to House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), who claimed that the Senate Democratic health care bill would result in Americans paying a "monthly abortion premium."

The response cites various media outlets that have fact-checked and/or debunked the claim that the Democratic bill would pay for abortions: "With such clear evidence to the contrary, we'd like to believe that this is the last time we'll hear this scare-tactic from Boehner and the Party of NO... but since all Republicans have to offer are more lies, we're not counting on it."

I think all those cigarettes and tanning have somehow made Boehner unable to speak the truth.

The Palm Beach Post has a few things to say about Boehner's scare tactics:

By now, John Boehner probably can't go more than 10 minutes without using the words "government takeover of health care." His use of that phrase on Thursday, though, deserves a response.

The House Republican leader dialed up his favorite five words when news broke that the federal debt had hit $12 trillion. This milestone prompted Rep. Boehner to issue a call for spending cuts and to warn for the 817th time that the country can't afford the Democrats' "government takeover of health care."

....Another comment is that Rep. Boehner, like most members of Congress, criticizes federal spending only when he disagrees with what the spending is for. During the Bush administration, the debt increased 92 percent, from $6.2 trillion to $11.9 trillion. For most of that time, Republicans controlled Congress, and thus controlled spending. The deficit and debt swelled because of tax cuts, the Iraq War and the Medicare drug plan, none of which was offset by tax increases or spending cuts....

We are all tired of the pompous comments from Boehner and the rest of the Republicans. Boehner and the GOP have spent too much time hanging out with lobbyists, golfing at private country clubs, and sipping expensive wines at fundraisers. They just don't get what Americans really need and want --- affordable health care.

Remembering Stefanie Spielman

Stefanie Spielman has passed away. Those of us here in central Ohio will remember her courage and her extraordinary dedication to raise money for the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research. Because of her example, many of us participated in the annual Komen Race, got mammograms, and contributed money for cancer research. Our thoughts and prayers are with her husband, Chris Spielman, and their family.

10TV.com:

Stefanie Spielman, whose public battle against breast cancer gripped central Ohio for more than a decade, died Thursday. She was 42.

Spielman and her husband, Chris, tirelessly raised breast cancer awareness and helped form Stefanie's Champions, raising millions of dollars for Ohio State's James Cancer Hospital.....

...She was by his side, though, when Chris was recognized at Ohio Stadium on Sept. 5 during halftime of Ohio State's season opener. The crowd and his wife cheered his accomplishments, both on and off the field....

971thefan.com has additional information, tributes, and funeral arrangements.

Why do the Ohio Republicans refuse to work with Gov. Strickland?

Ohio Republican Jon Husted, who is so accustomed to getting his way (remember the residency case?), has called Gov. Ted Strickland's remarks "almost childish", according to the DaytonDailyNews:

Gov. Ted Strickland has told Senate President Bill Harris, R-Ashland, that the Senate Republican budget plan unveiled on Wednesday, Nov. 18, “is not a responsible way to address the serious budget challenges facing the state and Ohio’s schools,” Amanda Wurst, Strickland’s spokeswoman said.

“…the governor believes that the Senate has the responsibility to either put forward a realistic and responsible proposal or adopt the tax freeze, even if that means working through the weekend,” said Wurst.

Sen. Jon Husted, R-Kettering, fired back, calling Strickland’s response “almost childish.”

Childish? This is from Husted who has been known to scream at people when he doesn't get his way. How do you think he got all those state road projects in Kettering when they were not even necessary? The Ohio GOP and their elected officials would like to cut programs that hurt people but they want to protect their road and construction projects that benefit their wealthy political contributors. Husted and the Republicans will sacrifice the public school children, the poor, and the elderly just so they can reward their wealthy patrons with a tax cut and their best pals who own charter schools. Haven't we had enough of them?

The Examiner points out that Republican leader John Boehner is wrong, wrong, wrong, about health care reform:

The House minority leader Congressman John Boehner (r) 2nd OH, has said repeatedly that the American people do not want this health care reform.

Two very interesting polls released in the last few days provide evidence that John Boehner has no clue when talking about health care reform. One from CNN shows that 46% of respondents support the health care bill, but when you add in the 10% who oppose it because they think it should be more (single payer) you have a firm 56% supporting health care reform. Only 34% oppose.

The other poll from ABC News/Washington Post is even more dramatic. In that poll 53% support the public option (43% oppose) but when asked a different way support jumps to 72% (28% oppose)....

Don't you wonder where Boehner gets his facts? Does he get them from the lobbyists he golfs with at those fancy golf courses?

*** News from ODOT (Ohio Department of Transportation) as published in the Dispatch:

Two Ohio Department of Transportation officials moonlighted as real-estate and tax consultants on state time, a watchdog report found today.

Inspector General Thomas P. Charles found that Roland O. Ladipo, a transportation technician, and traffic engineer Albert S. Antoine used their personal cellular telephones to run private businesses while on the clock for the state transportation agency....

...In a separate report, the inspector general also found that Myron "Skip" Downard, a supervisor at the Ohio Industrial Commission who was paid nearly $83,000 last year, golfed on state time....

Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.

Trouble in the Ohio GOP???

>Is there trouble in the Ohio Republican Party? The Middletown Journal:

Local ties and name recognition weren’t enough for former U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine to get support for state office from what one observer called an “angry crowd” at a Butler County GOP meeting Thursday, Nov. 12.

Instead, the party endorsed Delaware County Prosecutor Dave Yost in the leadup to the Republican primary for state attorney general....

...“Basically, he was paying for his past sins,” said Jones, criticizing DeWine as too liberal for, among other things, supporting gun control and being soft on illegal immigration....

"...Instead, the Butler County GOP endorsed little known, Delaware County Prosecutor David Yost...." David Yost???? Here is a little tidbit about Yost that I found in the Delaware Gazette:

Yost said he would campaign during evenings and weekends in preparation for the primary election, to be held in 2010. He has already attended 35 Lincoln Day Dinners, prominent county GOP fundraising events, across the state.

He has also spoken at two “Tea Party” events in Columbus, including one earlier this week that attracted a crowd that numbered in the thousands.....

Has the Ohio GOP been hijacked by the far right tea party group?

Even Republican candidate for Ohio Governor, and former Lehman Brothers Director, John Kasich has been attending tea parties and wooing the teabaggers (Kasichblog).

>>>> Did you know that veterans groups had complained about Rob Portman when he served in the Bush administration? Americanprogress:

...Portman felt he had provided adequately for veterans despite the criticisms of veterans groups and many in Congress....

Senate Guru reported that Portman's law firm represented Chinese tire makers:

...Ohio union members haved filed a complaint against a business group from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce; and, Rob Portman's law firm is supporting the Chinese companies over the Ohio union members.....

Portman doesn't like Ohio workers?

* When Portman served in the Bush administration, he also came out against a Democratic plan to raise military pay, according to CommonDreams:

...In a letter from the White House Office of Management and Budget to congressional committees overseeing the military, OMB director Rob Portman said Wednesday that the administration "strongly opposes" a Democratic plan to bump up military salaries by 3.5 percent instead of Bush's request for a 3 percent jump....

...Top Democratic leaders vowed to continue their efforts to enact a larger raise, arguing that members of the armed forces and their families deserve annual pay raises higher than the private sector due to the dangers of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan....

Let me sum up Rob Portman:

1. architect of the Bush budget

2. fought against Ohio tire makers

3. worked against increasing vet programs and salaries for our military

Ewww. Yet some people want to send this Bush guy to the U.S. Senate??????? Haven't we had enough?

Monday's Good News and Bad News

* The Buckeyes are going to the Rose Bowl!!!!!

We were lucky enough to be at the game on Saturday. It was very exciting. During TV commercial breaks, the scoreboard had video messages from active duty military personnel who were stationed in Iraq. Each of the men and women offered some cheer or encouragement for the Buckeyes. When the Buckeyes won, the students flooded the field and joined with the team to celebrate. The only thing the Buckeyes have to do now is beat that team up north this Saturday.


* The Ohio Republicans are fighting to give their rich friends tax breaks at the expense of programs and state employees. Despite the fact that the economy is not doing well in the state, the Republicans want to still give tax breaks that they voted for during the Gov. Taft's administration.

The Dispatch:

....."We're trying desperately to find options other than going with freezing the tax cuts," said Sen. David Goodman, R-New Albany....

If only David Goodman worked "desperately" for the average working person and Ohio's school children the way he works for the rich.

The Dispatch has listed some of the possible plans the Republicans propose so that the wealthy can get tax cuts:

...Eliminate the 12.5 percent property-tax relief on newly approved levies...

...Cut the pay of all state workers by 5 percent...

...Draw from school-construction money...

There are other cockamamie ideas from the Ohio GOP. If you notice, all of these plans to save the tax cuts hurt ordinary people. Just in the three I've listed, homeowners would pay higher taxes, hardworking state workers would lose part of their pay (they've already had to take multiple unpaid furlough days), and Ohio's school children will continue to go to school in unsafe buildings.

If you'd like to offer David Goodman your feelings about his proposals to save the tax cuts for the rich, you may contact him: Phone: (614) 466-8064 Email: SD03@senate.state.oh.us

Shame on David Goodman and the rest of the Ohio Republicans.

Ohio GOP

John Kasich, Republican candidate for Ohio Governor, worked for several years for Lehman Brothers. Yes. That Lehman Brothers. You can't remember the full extent about the disaster of Lehman Brothers? Let me refresh your memory with this tidbit from Reuters:

Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc's emergency bankruptcy filing wiped out as much as $75 billion of potential value for creditors, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing an analysis by the bank's restructuring advisers....

....Lehman filed for bankruptcy protection in September after the U.S. government declined to bail it out and a frantic weekend of negotiations to save the investment bank failed.

The Lehman meltdown touched of a stock market panic and credit crisis and was quickly followed by a government rescue of American International Group Inc, once the world's largest insurer....

Do you think that Ohioans care about Kasich's association with the failed Lehman Brothers? Just asking. Since Kasich wants to severely cut state government, how many state employees does he plan to lay off? Will entire departments be eliminated?

>>> Republican leader, John Boehner, who enjoys government provided health care, obviously doesn't care if you are unable to get medical treatment because you don't have health insurance. Nashua Telegraph.com:

House Minority Leader John Boehner is telling New Hampshire Republicans that American outrage will help defeat a national health care reform bill before Congress.

The Ohio Republican appeared at a fundraising reception for the state Republican State Committee Friday night in Concord, N.H.

Boehner told The Union Leader that if the American people continue to stay engaged in the fight, reform can be stopped....

Boehner doesn't care if you don't have health care, as long as he has it and he can golf on those fancy, schmancy country club courses.

**** Kevin DeWine and the Ohio GOP lost round one in the courts, according to the Dispatch:

A Franklin County judge yesterday temporarily blocked releasing to the Ohio Republican Party the names, addresses and phone numbers of and other information about Ohio teachers, school administrators and staff members.

Common Pleas Judge Laurel A. Beatty granted the temporary restraining order at the request of the Ohio Education Association, the state's largest teachers union....

The Republicans have not been very good to teachers. We are still waiting for them to solve the state education funding problem that was called unconstitutional by the Ohio Supreme Court.

He Has Health Insurance!

Sometimes candidates for office set up and sponsor events in specific areas because they think it will be a friendly crowd. That did not happen to the Republican candidate for Ohio Secretary of State. The Dayton Daily News:

...Twice during the two-hour event, some among the crowd of 130 barked at state Sen. John Husted:

• Once while Husted, R-Kettering, a panelist, discussed the role that crisis, real or imagined, plays in creating momentum for big pieces of legislation like the health care bill currently in Congress.

• And again when he emphasized the cost of health care and the $12 trillion national debt.....

The article states that the forum was sponsored "......by Take It Back, a group that favors free-market policy solutions...."

Although Husted talks about bipartisanship, his true colors and right wing leanings were evident. He clearly supports a free market health care solution. In other words, Husted is just like the rest of the Republicans. As far as health care is concerned, he is happy with the way things are now--- he has health insurance.

Working for Middle Class? Show Me!

It has been awhile since I've checked TheMiddleClass.org to see how our elected officials are doing in helping regular Americans. Here is some information from TheMiddleClass.org:

Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (OH-15-Democrat) = (2009 year to date total) 100%

According to TheMiddleClass.org, Kilroy has voted for legislation that helps the Middle Class:

H.R. 3962 Affordable Health Care for America Act, H.R.3639 Expedited Card Reform for Consumers Act of 2009, H.R. 3548 Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2009, H.R. 3269 Corporate and Financial Institution Compensation Fairness Act of 2009, Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009, ........

You get the picture. Kilroy has voted for legislation that helps average Americans.

In contrast, Rep. Steve Austria (OH-7th-Republican) has been given a grade of 29% by TheMiddleClass.org because of he has voted against average Americans.

Rep. Pat Tiberi (OH-12-Republican) garnered a 45% from TheMiddleClass.org for his voting record.

Republican leader, Rep. John Boehner (OH-8th) got a fabulous 5% from TheMiddleClass.org for his record.

Cincinnati.com has been collecting information on John Boehner's political fundraising activity:

House Minority Leader John Boehner has crisscrossed the country like a traveling salesman to make the pitch for the GOP, but it could hardly be described as drudge work....

Cincinnati.com also has information from a Gannett analysis which includes this:

...He has stayed at the Peninsula Beverly Hills, the highest-rated luxury hotel in Southern California, where the cheapest room goes for more than $500 a night....

...In all, Boehner has traveled to more than three dozen stately and sunny resorts in places like Naples, Fla., and Palm Desert, Calif., since 2007, with the tab covered by contributions often made by lobbyists and special interests to his congressional campaign committee and the Freedom Project, a "leadership committee" set up by Boehner to raise money for other Republican candidates.

How many middle class voters do you think Boehner saw at the Peninsular Beverly Hills or on any of those lobbyist funded golf trips? Probably zero.

For further review, check out the Data Center at Cincinnati.com for additional info on Boehner's campaign expenditures. The list is quite extensive and this is only a sampling---

Expenses: $88,922.60......Place: Cantina Marina....

Expenses: $60,893.98.....Place: Wetherington Golf & Country Club....

Expenses: $41,374.26.......Place: Muirfield Village Golf Club....

This all seems obscene considering the state of the economy.

Thank you, veterans, for your service!

**************
**************
**************

*** Think Progress has comments from Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (OH-15). On the day of the passage of the health care reform bill, Kilroy and other female members of the House were yelled at and screamed at by members of the Republican Party. Think Progress has Kilroy's reaction to the Republicans' disgusting behavior :


It wasn’t just me they were shouting down; it was every Democratic woman that got up to speak, to ask for unanimous consent to extend and revise the remarks in support of the Democratic health care bill. And each woman was giving a very short, one-sentence statement about why it was important for women — all the different aspects of the bill, why it was important for the women.

Apparently that message was too hard for Republican members of Congress to take because three male members of Congress got up and started shouting down — trying to shout down the Democratic women. I thought it was loud, I thought it was rude, I thought it was disrespectful, and I thought it was sexist.....

.......You heard recently comments — from the Republican side of the aisle, some of my Republican colleagues over there — saying Speaker Pelosi should be put in her place, and I think that’s what they thought they were doing with the Democratic women. And it’s simply outrageous to me to have women being treated like that on the floor of the House. And the rules clearly say we can get up, give a simple sentence about why we’re supporting the bill, and ask to revise and extend. They were simply shouting that down.

I think this is why women voters support Democratic candidates over Republicans ones, time and time again. Democrats respect women. Republicans do not.

> What does it say if a candidate for office suddenly releases the list of his county chairman for an election that is next year? Don't you think that is arrogant? Considering the candidate, I'm not surprised. Check out the Daily Briefing from the Dispatch for details. For the list click here. There are some questionable picks, especially for Mahoning County. I'm sure Democrats will be pouring over this list very carefully.

>>> WARNING: Sarah Palin will be visiting Columbus, according to the Dispatch:

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will sign copies of her new book, Going Rogue, in Columbus on Nov. 20.

A spokeswoman for HarperCollins Publishers said Palin will appear at the Borders bookstore on Sawmill Road from 6 to 9 p.m. to sign her book....

While people suffer and die without health insurance....

While people suffer and die without health insurance, the Republicans are going after Ohio's Democrats for supporting the health care reform bill.

The Lancaster Eagle Gazette:

The Republican Party has launched a political attack against three Ohio Democrats they say cast the decisive votes for a $1.1 trillion health care reform bill that the GOP claims will cost American jobs.

The Republican National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee said Reps. Zack Space, Mary Jo Kilroy and Steve Driehaus gave House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California the majority needed to pass the health care bill Saturday night, 220-215.

"Together, they gave Pelosi a win, but on Election Day they will pay a price," NRCC spokesman Tory Mazzola said.....

The Republicans are full of baloney. Every single day the GOP makes up lies about President Obama, Democrats, and the Democratic legislation. The Republicans are without ideas and are like and empty can---- "An empty can makes the most noise." They have NOTHING to offer the American people except the same old same old.

The Republicans just don't care. Here is some information from the Dayton Business Journal that Ohio's Republicans just choose to ignore:

Nearly one-third of Ohioans under age 65 went without health insurance sometime during the past two years, according to a report released Tuesday.

Approximately 29 percent, or 2.9 million, Ohio residents were uninsured during the time frame, according to Families USA, a nonprofit group that advocates for affordable health care....

Ohio's Republicans don't care if you can't get treatment for cancer or diabetes. They don't care if your child has strep throat but you can't afford the medicine. The GOP doesn't care if you've been denied health care because you had breast cancer. They don't care if you can't get a mammogram because you have no insurance. As long as the Ohio Republicans get their political contributions from lobbyists and insurance PACs, they'll keep fighting against you having health insurance.

Does Boehner work for his constituents or for his campaign donors? Just asking.

Open Secrets:

Top Industries that contributed to Boehner 2009-2010:

Industry	Total	Indivs	PACs
Insurance	$179,900	$44,750	$135,150
Electric Utilities	$122,050	$16,050	$106,000
Pharmaceuticals/Health Products	$120,450	$8,200	$112,250
Securities & Investment	$94,150	$18,150	$76,000
Lobbyists	$70,850	$67,350	$3,500
TV/Movies/Music	$67,850	$17,450	$50,400
Health Professionals	$67,300	$7,300	$60,000
Lawyers/Law Firms	$66,650	$23,050	$43,600
Commercial Banks	$56,500	$7,500	$49,000
Real Estate	$56,100	$23,100	$33,000
Oil & Gas	$53,750	$750	$53,000
Casinos/Gambling	$42,500	$32,500	$10,000
Retired	$42,227	$42,227	$0
Misc Finance	$42,150	$24,150	$18,000
Retail Sales	$41,250	$2,000	$39,250
Railroads	$40,000	$0	$40,000
Tobacco	$40,000	$15,000	$25,000
Accountants	$39,750	$2,250	$37,500
Misc Manufacturing & Distributing	$36,200	$18,200	$18,000
Beer, Wine & Liquor	$36,000	$0	$36,000

Is Boehner working for people or corporations and lobbyists????? As long as Boehner and his Republicans keep fighting against health care reform, they'll continue to get those big donations from insurance companies, drug companies, and lobbyists. Nice job, Boehner. Keep filling those campaign coffers while people suffer and die.

If you'd like to tell Boehner what you think of his fight against health care, you can call his office:

(513) 779-5400 or (202) 225-6205 or (937) 339-1524

or Residents of his district: (800) 582-1001

Don't let Boehner think he has done a good job fighting against health care.

Just Enough

*** Thank you, Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (OH-15) for voting in support of the health reform bill on Saturday night. Thank you!

* * * Do Ohioans really believe anything that comes out of the mouth of Republican Jon Husted? Husted has apparently teamed up with another Republican state senator, John Carey, to have a favorable commentary appear in the Chillicothe Gazette. Carey should have had to pay for the political ad for the propaganda that was printed in the newspaper. According to the article, Husted wants to improve funding for education. Husted is a major advocate for charter schools, and has received huge amounts of political contributions from the largest owner of charter schools in the state. Husted's political leanings make me suspicious of anything he says or does. His actions and language remind me too much of Kenneth Blackwell. We all remember what a nightmare voting was during Blackwell's control of elections!

Husted spoke at a Republican stronghold on Friday in Hancock County, Ohio. The Courier has information about his speech and this little tidbit on Husted's view of early voting:

....The early voting process still needs work, Husted said. One way of offering it may work in Hancock County, but not in Franklin County, he said.....


Does Husted want to have early voting differ in various parts of the state? Doesn't that go against people having equal access to vote? Is Husted trying to change voting in Franklin County because it is a huge Democratic Party stronghold?

If you recall, Republicans tried to stop certain aspects of the early voting. Here is a USA Today article from 9/30/2008 that shows exactly how Republicans tried to stop people from exercising their right to vote:

...On Monday, the state Supreme Court and two federal judges upheld the ruling by Democratic Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner that allows new voters to register and cast an absentee ballot on the same day from Tuesday through Oct. 6. Republicans argued that Ohio law requires voters to be registered for 30 days before they cast an absentee ballot.

The Ohio GOP asked the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati on Tuesday either to stop same-day voting or require elections official to separate those ballots so the registrations can be verified. But Brunner already has instructed election officials to segregate those ballots and verify the registrations before counting them.

Is this how Husted wants to "fix" Ohio's voting laws? Does he want to throw out early voting? The Republicans just want to do their part through Husted to disqualify and disenfranchise voters. They've done it before and they'll try to do it again.

Health Care Bill Passes the House!!!

Thank you to all those who supported the passage of the Health Care Reform bill in the House!!! Your support of this bill shows that you care more about people than the insurance companies who have shown their greed and non-caring attitude.

Nice job, Boehner and company for your disrespect of the House, the disrespect you showed the female members of the House, and your own greed to support those big insurance companies that contribute through their PACs.

If you haven't seen Kos eviscerate Tom Tancredo, here is a video not to be missed:



****** I'm watching NBC's Meet the Press because Rachel Maddow is on this morning.

---- Haley Barbour was just on NBC's Meet the Press. I'm sorry, but I found it very difficult to understand him. Barbour is rumored to be a Republican presidential hopeful.
----- David Brooks is a loser.
----- Ed Gillespie said he hopes that President Obama makes the right decision. No matter what President Obama decides, Gillespie and his Republican losers will find fault with it.

Update!

Hey, Music and Tea Fans! I just saw this at the Whole Foods Facebook website:

Whole Foods Market Dublin Remember: Jorma, former lead guitarist of Jefferson Airplane & Rock-n-Roll Hall of Famer will play at our store on Saturday, 11/7 at 1 p.m.

Jorma was also a member of Hot Tuna.

Whole Foods is located at 3670 W. Dublin Granville Rd, in Dublin, Ohio.

>>> Back to politics.....
This is a commentary from the Guardian about the tea party on the steps of the Capitol:

...But check out David Corn's account:

Think I'm being harsh? The angry folks at the protest -- which attracted several thousand conservatives -- held up signs with messages of hate: "Get the Red Out of the White House," "Waterboard Congress," "Ken-ya Trust Obama?" One called the president a "Traitor to the U.S. Constitution." Another sign showed pictures of dead bodies at the Dachau concentration camp and compared health care reform to the Holocaust. A different placard depicted Obama as Sambo. Yes, Sambo. Another read, "Obama takes his orders from the Rothchilds" -- a reference to the anti-Semitic conspiracy theory holding that one evil Jewish family has manipulated events around the globe for decades.....

and this------

....And at one point during the rally -- call it a Bachmannalia -- when John Ratzenberger, a.k.a Cliff Clavin from "Cheers," claimed that the Democrats were turning the United States into a land of European socialism, the audience shouted, "Nazis, Nazis." No Republican legislator left the stage in protest. Boehner and his fellow GOP leaders should be asked how they feel about mounting a rally that attracted intense hate-mongering....

As the post notes, this demonstration was sponsored by House Republicans.

Of course, we expect this type of insanity from Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann. However, now we've seen proof that the rest of the Republicans have gone over the edge to embrace the extremists of the teabaggers. Apparently, there is no room for moderate Republicans. The GOP has taken a hard turn to the right.

It appears that the Republican Party's long awaited health care bill has arrived. Unfortunately, it is positively worthless. Here is an article about the GOP bill from NY Daily News:

....the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found an odd feature in the 230-page bill: Coverage would be more expensive for older people and folks who are sick.

And it would not bar insurers from excluding preexisting conditions....

...."Some provisions of the legislation would tend to decrease the premiums paid by all insurance enrollees, while other provisions would tend to increase the premiums paid by less healthy enrollees," the CBO analysis says....

In an effort to bring attention to their bill, Republicans in Congress held a rally with teabaggers, rounded up by Michele Bachmann. The most serious part of yesterday's demonstration on the announcement of the Republican bill was that the GOP has aligned itself with right wing loon, Rep. Michele Bachmann and the teabaggers. Bachmann was recently called "captain crazy" by another Republican lawmaker, according to a story at Raw Story.

>>> It looks like Republican candidates in Ohio are courting Republicans. Although to win, Republican candidates need to have Republicans, Democrats, and Independents vote for them. However, with some Republican candidates showing up at teabagger meetings, they seem to be playing to the far right of their own party. This strategy could backfire.

**** In a vote yesterday, Roll Call Vote 863, some members of the House voted against a bill to help in the diagnosis of cancers and serious diseases. In a recent posting at SNM.org, scientists and doctors ask for support for this bill:

SNM is asking members to contact their Member of Congress to urge them to cosponsor the American Medical Isotope Production Act of 2009 (H.R.3276), recently introduced by Congressman Edward Markey (D-MA).

The recent supply interruptions of Molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) from foreign vendors and the lack of a reliable supplier of Mo-99 in the United States is severely affecting patient access to safe and effective medical treatment. The supply of Mo-99 is essential to medical imaging as Technetium-99m (Tc-99m), the radioactive ingredient required for imaging, is made from Mo-99 as it decays. Patients rely on imaging for early detection of cancer, heart disease, stroke or debilitating neurological conditions. The Mo-99 shortage is putting patients' lives are at risk as numerous nuclear medicine professionals across the country are forced to delay or cancel imaging procedures.....

However, some lawmakers voted against the bill. Apparently, these lawmakers don't care about seriously ill patients.

Clerk of the House:

HR 3276---
QUESTION: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended
BILL TITLE: American Medical Isotopes Production Act of 2009
400 YEAS, 17 NAYS

Here are the 17 NAYs from the House of Representatives (all Republicans):

Broun (GA)
Campbell
Chaffetz
Conaway
Flake
Hensarling
Jordan (OH)
Kingston
Lamborn
Paul
Pence
Poe (TX)
Rooney
Royce
Sensenbrenner
Shadegg
Westmoreland

These 17 Republicans should be ashamed of themselves for trying to slow down the medical diagnostic process. How dare they vote against a bill to help patients get immediate help for life threatening problems?

Some Members of Congress Just Like to Help and Protect Bankers

A vote yesterday shows exactly which members of the House of Representatives support people and which support banks. HR 3639 was passed to stop banks and credit card companies from increasing rates to high, obscene percentages before a law kicks in next year.

From Thomas, the Library of Congress, HR 3639 is described as---
Title: To amend the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 to establish an earlier effective date for various consumer protections, and for other purposes.

Note: Our very own member of the House, Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (OH-15), is listed as one of the cosponsors. (I wonder how her Republican opponent, a former bank lobbyist, would have voted on this measure.)

The vote for the measure, according to the House Clerk, went like this--- 331=YES and 92= NO.
Among those voting NO! from Ohio are ----- Austria, Boehner, Jordan, Latta, Schmidt.

Busy, Busy

> Democrats won the open seats for Congress in NY-23rd and CA-10th. Bill Owens (NY-23) beat the far right conservative that had been endorsed by Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, and other extremists. In California, Democrat John Garamendi, beat the Republican and some third party candidates.

>Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (OH-15) has been busy in Congress. HS Today:

...Finally, the Strengthening and Updating Resources and Equipment Act (HR 3837) would counteract a FEMA policy to bar state and local governments from using preparedness funds to maintain homeland security equipment.

The bill, introduced by Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (D-Ohio), would overturn a FEMA policy that prohibits recipients of homeland security grants to use their funding for sustaining equipment....

This would especially help smaller and rural communities, according to the article.

**** That Republican health care bill is nothing more than a rehash of all their previous cockamamie ideas--- tort reform, tax credits, health care savings accounts, same old, same old, same old. Did you really expect any original ideas from the Republicans?

>>>> A blog from the Stanford Review has a take on the replay of Democratic Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (OH-15) vs. Republican Steve Stivers, a former bank lobbyist:


...Ohio’s 15th District, a longtime Republican stronghold centered around Columbus, was one of the closest races in the country in 2008. An open Republican seat, Franklin County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy (D) barely prevailed after being behind State Sen. Steve Stivers (R) on election night. Stivers has opted for a rematch in 2010, in what would surely be a nail-biter. But as Politico recently reported, a Ron Paul acolyte, David Ryon, has decided to run as an independent in the general election rather than as a Republican against Stivers in the primary. In such a close race, that could be the difference that keeps the seat in Kilroy’s hands....

Very interesting. The other consideration for the 15th is that the district is trending more Democratic.

Boehner

My posting today is a little late. I think the squirrels were having fun outside playing with the cable.

**** After months of stalling, the Republicans have their own health care bill. It is amazing that they've come up with something at all. The GOP is sort of like the kid who turns in a project late, after seeing how all the other students did their projects. It must have been hard for the GOP because they don't want to make any of their insurance PACs unhappy. However, even though the Republicans have their own plan, their intentions have been revealed in an Examiner article:

...House Republican Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, has vowed to make it "as difficult as possible" for Democrats to pass the legislation, although they have strong majority.

How nice. While Boehner and his wife golf on weekends at their country club, you are left with the high cost of medical bills. No matter what, Boehner and his GOPers have no interest in any health care reform. The Republican "health care bill" is a sham. The quote by Boehner shows that the Republicans are only interested in delaying, denying, and stopping the legislation.

Stopping Credit Card Rate Increases

Both U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (Ohio) and U.S. Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (OH-15th), Democrats, are working on legislation to hold up any further credit card interest rate increases.

Dispatch:

Sen. Sherrod Brown has signed on to a bill unveiled last week in his Senate Banking Committee that would freeze credit-card interest rates and other fees until a credit-reform law goes into effect next year...
...Similar measures are being looked at in the House, where Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy, D-Columbus, a member of the House Financial Services panel, and other lawmakers have been urging credit-card companies not to raise rates. The House committee has passed a bill, which awaits action in the full House, moving the effective date on limiting rate hikes to Dec. 1.

Hmmm. I wonder if our U.S. Representative had been a former bank lobbyist if he would be working on similar legislation. I'm not mentioning any names, but you know the Republican that I mean. A bank lobbyist works to protect banks, not consumers.