WFMJ:
Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel (man-DELL') has tacitly revealed the worst kept secret in Ohio politics: He's running for the U.S. Senate.....
According to a document that is available at the FEC, Mandel filed a statement of candidacy on 4/6/2011 (see the "Display the Full Report" PDF report on the bottom of the page). If you do a search at the FEC, look for 2 committees--- Friends of Josh Mandel and Ohio Senate Fund. The committee reports do not appear to be updated.
The DaytonDailyNews (May 25, 2011) has this line which is the most important line in the article:
...Mandel, a former city councilman, said he supports Senate Bill 5 but has not taken a position on Ryan’s Medicare plan....
*** Meanwhile, in the U.S. House of Representatives, it appears that Republican Rep. Steve Stivers (OH-15) is wasting his time trying to sell a balanced budget amendment. Politico:
“I think everybody in that room will vote for it,” said Steve Stivers (R-Ohio.) “It’s important. We need structural change,” he said, predicting that structural change “has to be part of the final deal.”
But a balanced budget amendment will be a tough sell. It requires a two-thirds majority to pass the House, and unlike the version passed in 1995, it will require a two-thirds majority to increase tax revenues, a provision Democrats are strongly opposed to......
Stivers may not know it, but the balance budget amendment has been proposed at least thirteen times (see uspolitics) and has never had enough votes to pass. Besides, making such a proposal at this late time in the debt ceiling talks is just plain worthless. Here is some information from uspolitics:
- 2006
On 16 March, Congress raised the debt limit to $9 trillion.
On 17 March, the total debt of the US federal government was $8.273 trillion. That's $27,690.88 for each adult and child in this country (estimated population: 298,798,379). Since the fiscal year began on 1 October 2005, debt has grown $2.03 billion per day.
- 2008
In October, the national debt exceeded $10 trillion for the first time.
- 2009
On 2 March, the total debt of the US federal government was $10.895 trillion. That's an estimated $35,635.54 for each U.S. citizen. The Bush Administration is responsible for 40 percent[]/link] of this debt load.
Here is one more tiny tidbit to offer to your Republican friends----
CBS News (September 29, 2008):
With no fanfare and little notice, the national debt has grown by more than $4 trillion during George W. Bush's presidency.
It's the biggest increase under any president in U.S history.
On the day President Bush took office, the national debt stood at $5.727 trillion. The latest number from the Treasury Department shows the national debt now stands at more than $9.849 trillion. That's a 71.9 percent increase on Mr. Bush's watch.....
It's the biggest increase under any president in U.S history.
On the day President Bush took office, the national debt stood at $5.727 trillion. The latest number from the Treasury Department shows the national debt now stands at more than $9.849 trillion. That's a 71.9 percent increase on Mr. Bush's watch.....