Save the Buckeye Tree!

>>>>>  Why am I not surprised????  Gov. John Kasich admits that he doesn't read any Ohio newspapers (PlainDealer).  Does that surprise you?  Kasich is just not into the small lives of the small people of Ohio.  We are nothing to him, and he has no interest in what happens here.

The Business-Journal is reporting that Kasich has hired KPMG to look into selling/leasing the Ohio Turnpike:

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan and other Democratic members of Ohio's congressional delegation are again criticizing plans by Gov. John Kasich to explore a potential lease of the Ohio Turnpike.

The renewed criticism comes in response to Ohio officials' selection of KPMG LLP for a federally subsidized state contract to study changes to the turnpike, including potential privatization of the toll road.... 

...KPMG, a unit of Switzerland-based KPMG International, which has a presence in more than 150 countries, belongs to the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals and was selected as one of the "World's Best Outsourcing Advisors" this year, the Democrats note. KPMG has until July 1 to make its recommendations to the state on privatization and other options....

As Plunderbund pointed out yesterday,  KPMG will get a substantial amount of money from Ohio-------$1.5 million.  I wonder if KPMG had any business ties to Kasich while he was with Lehman Brothers.  Is anyone checking this?


*  Did you know that the anti-environmental Republicans who don't believe in global warming are actually killing Buckeye trees? 

ThinkProgress:

This Saturday’s Crankshaft cartoon took on global warming, noting that climate change is threatening Ohio’s iconic buckeye trees, the namesake of the Ohio State Buckeyes. “Once it starts to affect football, they’ll get moving on climate change,” one character says:

As greenhouse pollution from oil and coal continues to build, the Ohio buckeye (Aesculus glabra) is on its way out of the Buckeye State. Between 1990 and 2006, United States hardiness zones shifted northward, putting Ohio closer to the southern end of buckeye viability. That trend will accelerate. A 2007 study by Daniel W. McKenney and other forest scientists of the effect of climate pollution increases on 130 tree species projects major changes in North American tree populations, as practically all of the southern and western United States grow too warm and arid for nearly all species. The Ohio buckeye’s range, now centered on Ohio and Indiana, is projected to shrink and shift drastically under business-as-usual....

Republican Rep. Steve Stivers (OH-15th) and his small-minded, anti-environmental regulation buddies, are killing Buckeye trees!!!!  Save the Buckeye tree!  Vote Democratic!

*** Stivers also was mentioned in an article at American Banker.  As a former bank lobbyist, Stivers always appears to go out of his way to push for things that large banks want, like less regulations, and less transparency.  Even though he said in his campaign that he would bring jobs to the state, nothing has materialized except for his "job fair" that was a major photo op/campaign event for Stivers.  In the article linked below, Stivers is pushing for legislation that protects consumers from risky bank maneuvers.

American Banker:

Three Republican-sponsored bills that would amend the derivatives provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act are scheduled for a committee vote in the House on Wednesday.

If the measures become law, they would require regulators to rethink their approach to some of the thorny questions that have arisen during the implementation of the 2010 law's new derivatives rules.....

...A second bill, sponsored by Rep. Steve Stivers, R-Ohio, would exempt swaps traded between different affiliates within the same financial institution from some of the requirements imposed by Dodd-Frank....

The Stivers re-election campaign should produce signs that say "Protect the Bankers---NOT people."  With Rep. Barney Frank retiring, we'll need someone else to step up and protect us from this greedy bankers.  We know it won't be Stivers.  According to OpenSecrets, Stivers has received over $284,000 in campaign contributions from the banking industry.

Which groups are paying for Kasich?

* More bad economic news for Ohio:  Chiquita Brands International is moving their headquarters to North Carolina, according to the Washington Post. Rubbermaid is closing the massive distribution center it has in Wooster, Ohio (BeaconJournal).

Why didn't Kasich fight for these companies?

Did you know that some well-known groups have been spending huge amounts of money to promote fracking in Ohio.
Truth-Out:

....Common Cause reports that fracking companies spent $2.8 million in political contributions to Ohio parties and candidates since 2001. Republican Gov. John Kasich tops the list and has received $213,519 in campaign contributions from the industry.

Additional analysis of campaign records by Truthout reveals that wealthy executives of companies connected to the natural gas industry, including billionaires William "Bill" Koch and David Koch of Koch brothers fame, funneled an additional $127,268 in personal donations through a political action committee (PAC) to support Kasich's election in 2010.....

.....he RGA and its Ohio PAC spent $11 million supporting Kasich's 2010 campaign and swooped into Ohio again to defend Senate Bill 5, an anti-collective-bargaining bill championed by Kasich and repealed by Ohio voters on November 8. The RGA set up a front group to hide its finances during the campaign leading up to the referendum on Senate Bill 5. A recent investigation by Truthout revealed that the RGA had raised nearly $5 million from private healthcare, corrections and education firms to support Kasich in 2010 before returning to Ohio in 2011 to protect its investment.....

Information like this makes Kasich even more disgusting.  With money from the Koch Brothers and other fracking proponents, Kasich has been able to be propped up by these big shots.

Keep Your Eyes on Kasich

We've had a busy, busy week. With Thanksgiving dinner preparation, the holiday meal, the clean up, and shopping, we've had little down time here in central Ohio.  You always know people are spending money when Sawmill Road becomes a parking lot.

* People might not be watching what is going on in the Kasich administration, but you cannot keep your eyes off of that Republican controlled state government.


A story in the Youngstown Vindicator indicates that Gov. John Kasich might indulge in some payback to certain areas of the state.
Vindy:

State Rep. Robert F. Hagan, a Democrat from Youngstown, says he expects Kasich to use the construction budget as a way to punish those communities that didn’t support Senate Bill 5, the controversial collective-bargaining law for public workers that voters overturned this month.....

...Hagan says he remembers when the Ohio House, Ohio Senate and governor each controlled $100 million for community projects and wonders if the governor will just take control of it all this time.

Kasich will argue that there’s no money for construction projects, but that’s because tax breaks to corporations took the money away, Hagan said....

In the article, Hagan described Kasich this way, "....He’s shown vindictiveness...." Exactly.  Kasich is known as a bitter, vindictive person to those he deems his enemies. Those of us that know a little more about Kasich's record are well aware of these characteristics.  Opponents of SB5 and of Kasich's agenda should remember this---- Kasich will consider this part of his agenda (SB5 and anti-collective bargaining legislation) as not being finished.  The guy does not like to lose.  Even though most of us know that he has a big chip on his shoulder, that chip just got bigger.  Unfortunately, we have at least three more years of this anti-worker, anti-public school, pro-corporate agenda.

>>>>  Save the trees!!!!

In his effort to destroy our state parks and environment by knocking down regulations and pushing fracking, it appears that Gov. Kasich has other plans.


The Athens News:

Ohio Gov. John Kasich plans to log our state parks. In this forestry region, he has initially targeted four parks: Lake Hope, Forked Run, Tar Hollow and Scioto Trail. Logging is planned for some two-thirds of the land area of Lake Hope State Park, as well as about half of Forked Run. This is according to the state's own plans for the parks.

The hillside overlooking the entryway to Tar Hollow is going to be logged; it's a done deal. I was told it would not be visible from the road, but looking at the map, it was clear that it will be a clearly visible eyesore.

Lake Hope State Park is popular with Athens-area residents. This wild jewel set amidst Ohio's second-largest state forest features recreational resources that include an extensive mountain-biking trail system. The planned cutting zones there (Zones C and D) are in the mountain-bike trail areas. The trails could be made un-ridable with Kasich's plans.....

More details can be found at The Athens News on Kasich's logging plans.

***  Does anyone know why Andy Teater's name does not show up on the State Treasurer's list of terminated employees?  Teater once worked in the Ohio Dept. of Public Safety but was allegedly terminated in 2010 after an investigation.  He still keeps his job on the Hilliard School Board, and although terminated, he allegedly works as a consultant for some highway contractors.  Why was he terminated from the state? Do you think that the people in Hilliard might want to know?

End to Medicare???? Republicans Want It

Do you know why nothing got done in the "super committee" in Congress?  Republicans on the committee tried to end Medicare.  TalkingPointsMemo has the details.

>  Boehner had this to say, according to SFGate:

U.S. House Speaker John Boehner said he is open to discussing an extension of the expiring payroll tax cut with the Obama administration.

"We told the president in September that we stand ready to have an honest and fruitful discussion with him regarding the payroll tax extension, and that invitation stands," the Ohio Republican said in a statement today....

Boehner is full of it.  I don't trust Boehner because his goals include protecting the wealthy and staying in power. As long as Boehner is the Speaker of the House, nothing will get done.  The so-called "jobs" bills passed by the House of Representatives are nothing more than tax cuts for the wealthy, and ending environmental and banking regulations. Ending regulations, especially in the area of banking, will bring us back to the autumn of 2008 when Lehman Brothers and Wall Street collapsed. 

>>>>  Lying Mitt Romney?  Yep. Romney thinks it is okay to lie. 

WashingtonPost:

As you know, the Romney campaign is airing an ad in New Hampshire that plucks Obama’s words out of context in a comically dishonest way. Obama is shown seeming to acknowledge that talking about the economy is a political loser for him, when in reality, he was quoting a John McCain adviser making that claim. The ad is now being widely pilloried as false....

....The Romney camp is explicitly saying it’s totally fair game to take an opponent’s words out of context in a way that completely changes their meaning, simply because the actual words in question did come out of the speaker’s mouth. As many have noted today, the Romney ad’s decontextualizing of Obama’s words is so egregious that it amounts to a lie. Yet here a Romney adviser is claiming that this is fair game, because he said those words.

Today Think Progress released a new video lampooning the Romney ad with footage of Romney himself torn out of context. It shows Romney saying things like “we should just raise everybody’s taxes,” and “there’s nothing unique about the United States.” Obviously Romney was really saying the opposite of those things. But as Think Progress notes, those depictions are “accurate, according to the Romney standard of accuracy.”

Here is that ad put out by Think Progress:
YouTube



*****  More layoff are coming in Ohio!

1. DaytonDailyNews:

...Ovonic has told state government that it does not know whether the layoffs will be temporary or permanent. It will lay off 77 employees for at least six months beginning in March, an employee of the Springboro company has written state government in a WARN (Worker Adjustment Retraining Notification) notice.....

 2. TheAdvertiser-Tribune:

Come next year, more than 50 employees of Tiffin Developmental Center could be laid off.

Friday morning, TDC employees were told they would be facing layoffs by Feb. 17 - with most cuts coming Jan. 6.

A representative of the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities said Friday the cut would be about 49 employees, but as many as 52 positions could be on the chopping block....

3.  Bizjournals: (h/t dailyjobcuts.com)

Cincinnati Bell Inc.    plans to close its Dayton-area office before year's end, the Dayton Business Journal reports.

The number of employees who will be affected by closing the office on Prestige Place in Miamisburg is unknown, the newspaper reports, but the shuttering is expected as early as December.

Cincinnati Bell (NYSE: CBB) had 174 employees and 74,000 customers in Dayton in 2010, making it the second-largest telecommunications provider for the area, the newspaper reports.....

More Baloney....

Republican Josh Mandel must have a fable factory within his campaign to make up lies, and tall tales. Politifact called Mandel's latest statements about Sen. Sherrod Brown in the PANTS ON FIRE category.

Politifact:

...Mandel specifically focused on reports of distasteful demonstrations that Republicans have sought to make representative of the entire movement.

Brown is "out there egging on a lot of these protesters who are spitting on policemen and going to the bathroom on policemen’s cars at these protests on Wall Street and other places," he said....

....But we didn’t, because no such evidence exists.....

Don't you think that Sen. Sherrod Brown has something else to do?  Politifact found no evidence of Mandel's statements about Sen. Brown.  Once again we see that Josh Mandel is a liar.  Did Josh Mandel attend the Tommy Flannagan school for pathological liars?

***  It appears that Gov. John Kasich hopes that you don't remember that he was against President Obama's auto bailouts.  Now, Kasich just wants to steal the limelight.

Stowsentry:

Columbus -- Democratic state legislative leaders criticized Gov. John Kasich and Republican GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney for not supporting federal support for automotive companies but trying to take credit for jobs those companies are now creating.

Minority Leader Capri Cafaro, D-Hubbard, and Rep. Matt Szollosi, D-Toledo, said it was President Barack Obama and other Democrats who spearheaded the preservation and advancement of the country's automobile industry -- at a time when Republicans were opposed to the bailout plan.

"Democratic leaders had the foresight to invest in American workers, regardless of the political ramifications" Szollosi said, adding later, "It's easy for the governor to take his taxpayer-funded plane around the state for photo opps."

Kasich is like the guy that shows at the celebration but did none of the work to achieve success.
 
Here is even more on Kasich....
WKYC:

....Sears Holding Corp. said last month it was looking at possibly relocating to Columbus or Austin, Texas, though it was still talking with Illinois officials about staying put. 

The Columbus Dispatch reports Ohio Gov. John Kasich spoke earlier this week with Sears CEO Louis D'Ambrosio. Kasich said Thursday that the Sears chief described Ohio's pitch as stunning and creative. 

Still, Kasich says he doubts the company will leave the Chicago suburbs.....

Stunning?  Creative?  When one says that something is "stunning," it doesn't always mean something positive. It could mean, according to Merriam-Webster, "causing astonishment or disbelief <stunning news>...."

The size of Kasich's ego is stunning.  It is astonishing that the rest of the population can fit into the state of Ohio.

Tax the Rich!

*  The pepper spraying of peaceful students at UC Davis is disgusting.  It looks like investigations will be started.  For more info, see HuffingtonPost.

* To those involved in the Occupy movements across the country:  Continue the fight for justice and fairness!  

* Do you remember the early days in the Kasich administration?  Business Week (2/1/11) noted that the JobsOhio legislation was sponsored by Worthington Republican, Mike Duffey:

....The bill calls for JobsOhio to do much of its work in private. Certain records would be exempt from disclosure under Ohio public records law. The panel would have four public meetings a year but could have closed-doors talks about its negotiations with businesses.

Its members would be appointed by the governor to serve four-year terms. They wouldn't be paid but would be reimbursed for expenses.....

Aren't you still bothered by this JobsOhio entity that is funded by your tax dollars, but works behind closed doors?

*  Wow.  Did you know that the Bush administration funded a research project that involved Solyndra? In an article from March 26, 2008, information is provided by  Optics.org:

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has earmarked up to $13.7 million over the next three years for the eleven selected research projects, while agreed cost sharing with the universities and industry partners should boost the total investment across all the projects to $17.4 million. "These projects will help meet President Bush's goal of making clean and renewable solar power commercially viable by 2015," said Alexander Karsner of the DOE....

....Other projects funded by the DOE are:

.....• University of Florida with Global Solar Energy, International Solar Electric Technology, Nanosolar and Solyndra: Routes for rapid synthesis of CIGS absorbers....

The Bush administration also had invited Solyndra and other companies to participate in federal program, as noted on 10/08/2007 at Ens-Newswire:

The federal government is supporting clean energy projects using innovative technologies with a loan guarantee program finalized Thursday by the Department of Energy. The program is based on the Energy Policy Act of 2005. 

Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman has invited 16 project sponsors, who submitted pre-applications last fall, to submit full applications for loan guarantees.....

....Solyndra, Inc. - California Manufacture of efficient thin-film photovoltaic modules....

Yet Republicans like Joe Barton want to blame everything on the Obama administration. 

Gerrymandering?

* Third Eye Blind has released a song, If There Ever Was A Time, through their Facebook page.  The song is about the Occupy Wall Street Movement.  According to Raw Story, Third Eye Blind, has encouraged people to share the song.  It is also available on YouTube:





Surprise!  The Wall Street millionaires are getting help to fight back the 99%.

MSNBC:

A well-known Washington lobbying firm with links to the financial industry has proposed an $850,000 plan to take on Occupy Wall Street and politicians who might express sympathy for the protests, according to a memo obtained by the MSNBC program “Up w/ Chris Hayes.”

The proposal was written on the letterhead of the lobbying firm Clark Lytle Geduldig & Cranford and addressed to one of CLGC’s clients, the American Bankers Association.

CLGC’s memo proposes that the ABA pay CLGC $850,000 to conduct “opposition research” on Occupy Wall Street in order to construct “negative narratives” about the protests and allied politicians. The memo also asserts that Democratic victories in 2012 would be detrimental for Wall Street and targets specific races in which it says Wall Street would benefit by electing Republicans instead....

The rich have to hire lobbyists to fight off the 99%??????  That is pretty amazing. 

>>>>> The gerrymandering done by the Ohio Republicans in order to create new maps for redistricting, is drawing a lot of attention.  After further study, many people have noticed that one particular Republican will benefit from the new lines.


CantonRep.:

When Republicans in the Ohio General Assembly approved new congressional districts in September, the new map not only split Stark County into three districts, it also established district lines in unexpected places in southwest Canton....

....It’s not a coincidence that three Timken plants, part of Timken headquarters and its Timken technology center in Jackson Township, are in the 16th District.

Ohio House Republican spokesman Mike Dittoe said in an email: “The new map simply reflects the desire to continue to have the Timken facilities, a landmark staple of the 16th Congressional District in Northeast Ohio since at least the 1960s, continue (to) be represented by the 16th Congressional District. ... Rep. Renacci is also a member of the Congressional Steel Caucus; so it also makes sense to have the Timken facilities represented by someone who serves in that caucus.”

The Republicans have to protect the Timken people. Open Secrets reports that people associated with Timken Co. have contributed  $124,000 to Republican candidates in the election cycles of 2008, 2010, and 2012, and just over $5000 to Democratic candidates.

Don't Bother

Republican member of the Ohio House Mike Duffey, who continues to enthusiastically support Gov. John Kasich and SB5/Issue 2, has an E-Invite out for a fundraiser at the Sharon Township Memorial Hall on 11/29/11, from 6-8 pm.  Don't spend the money to support his campaign.  Instead, we should all work together to vote him out of office.

Duffey has stooped to complete laziness with this entry on his Facebook page:

Mike Duffey asked: Submit your ideas for bills I might sponsor in the legislature here and let your peers vote on them....

Share · November 14 at 6:07pm ·

Isn't he getting paid to come up with legislation?  Why should constituents do his work?

Vote Smart has Duffey's voting record which includes his vote in support of restrictions on abortions, SB 5, reducing school funding, etc.  Obviously, Duffey does not support the same ideals and goals of his constituents, and has taken a far right turn.

Jobs in Ohio?

*  Ohio's unemployment rate for October 2011 is now 9.0%, according to a report issued at the ODJFS.  In the previous month, the unemployment rate was 9.1%.

*  In the plan being proposed by Gov. John Kasich to lease/sell the Ohio Turnpike, no mention has been made of whether the state would also sell off/lease the fiber optic or communication lines that run under the turnpike.  Would someone else get that money other than the state? Apparently, the money from those lines is quite high.

* ONNtv has captured some remarks from Gov. Kasich:

"Look, I have a very good relationship with operating engineers. I mean when I'm at these plants, the UAW is there, yesterday it was the United Steelworkers. I mean, I come from a labor background. I'm always willing to listen," said Kasich.....

"I'll meet with any of the labor folks. Frankly they would be surprised how comfortable I am with them.  Because that's where I come from, not from the white collar CEO, but from a background that's blue collar and labor," said Kasich.

Have any of the unions received an invitation from the governor? Kasich's choice of words is odd when he said that unions "....would be surprised how comfortable I am with them..."  Why?  Then again, why would the unions want to meet with him?  He called union members thugs, he disparaged their work, their dedication, and lied repeatedly about their wages and benefits. I'd like to see an open, televised meeting, if he ever issues an invitation to anyone.

Thank President Obama!

New York Times:

Chrysler said Wednesday that it would add 1,100 jobs at a sport utility vehicle plant here as it spends $1.7 billion developing new models for its Jeep brand. 

The new jobs, to be filled in 2013, amount to more than half of the 2,100 that Chrysler committed to creating under the four-year labor agreement that its unionized workers ratified in October.....

If President Obama hadn't bailed out GM and Chrysler, those companies would not exist today.

Here is a little reminder from the Washington Monthly (May 10, 2011):

....Republicans hate Obama’s rescue of the American automotive industry, but love taking credit now that it’s a sterling success.....

....Kasich, like other Ohio Republicans, including House Speaker John Boehner, decried Obama’s rescue of the American automotive industry. The president said it would work, Kasich said it would not. Obama was right; Kasich was wrong....

Gov. John Kasich was against the bailouts but today is trying to take some credit for the jobs. By the way, those auto jobs are union jobs.  What does the anti-union Kasich think about that?

In other Ohio job news:

(1) A company that has been in business for 65 years will be closing, and 23 people will be jobless (see Toledo Blade and  Daily Job Cuts).

(2) The Rite Aid in Mayfield Heights is closing (see Patch and Daily Job Cuts).

.....................................

*****  Could Republican Rep. Steve Stivers be in trouble with voters?

ThinkProgress has the results of some recent polling by Hart Research to see how people felt about "....votes to block the cleanup of toxic pollution from incinerators and industrial boilers (HR 2250)...." (Those who voted "...to block the cleanup..." included Steve Stivers.)

ThinkProgress:

• Swing voter support for Steve Stivers dropped by a stunning 15 points between the pre-ad and post-ad polls, cutting his advantage over an unnamed opponent from a twenty point lead to a five point lead. At the same time, the percent of undecided voters increased by 15 points during the same period, landing at 53% undecided after the ad.
• Most swing voters – 53% say that knowing their Representative had voted to weaken clean air standards would cause them to feel less favorable toward the Rep – and 27% say this would make them feel much less favorable.
• Swing voters’ negative feelings toward Stivers went up by 6 points between pre- and post-ad polls. Of those voters who definitely recalled the ad, 28% viewed Stivers negatively....

Stivers continues to vote for bills that protect bankers and major polluters. The people in the 15th district should demand that he start working for people --- not corporations.

Defeated Kasich Alters Agenda

***  With his job approval rating in the toilet, Ohio Gov. John Kasich has changed his mind about some items on his agenda.

Insurancenewsnet:

At the end of a speech Tuesday in Lorain, Gov. John Kasich made a passing reference to his stinging defeat at the polls last week when voters overwhelmingly killed Senate Bill 5....

...No longer apparently on the front burner is major reform of Ohio's workers' compensation system, one of the things he named as a top priority upon taking office early this year.

Among the ideas discussed was the injection of a private insurance element to compete with the state-run insurance fund for injured workers.....


Insurance executives around Ohio will be weeping into their martinis.

****  Have you and your spouse been married a long time?  Gov. John Kasich is looking for you!
Coshoctontribune:

Long-married couples involved in their community have a chance to be recognized by the annual Joined Hearts in Giving.

Nominations are being accepted by the Ohio Department of Aging through Nov. 30.

Joined Hearts honors Ohio couples who have been married for at least 40 years and share a commitment not only to each other, but also to their community through volunteerism. 

Couples chosen will be honored at a special reception hosted by the department and Ohio first lady Karen Waldbillig Kasich in observance of Valentine's Day....

If you are one of the finalist couples selected, please wear your "No on Issue 2" button, and "Ted" buttons to the ceremony.

Ready, Set, Go...

Vice President Joe Biden was in Ohio today.
ABC News:

Vice President Joe Biden today officially kicked off the Obama re-election campaign in Ohio, rallying with Cleveland-area firefighters who last week helped to lead a successful repeal of the state’s controversial new collective bargaining rights law.

“Folks, you fired the first shot. It’s not about Barack Obama. It’s not about Joe Biden. It’s about whether middle-class people are going to be put back in the saddle again – because you are the people who make this country move,” Biden told the crowd of 500 in a Euclid firehouse, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer....

...Since April, when Obama announced his bid for a second term, more than 6,000 Ohio volunteers have enlisted to support Obama, organizing more than 3,700 events across the state, according to the campaign.....

Well done!

*** The Ohio Republicans are moving forward with a bill which will take even more money from Ohio's public school districts.  Plunderbund has all the dirty details on House Bill 136 which, according to Plunderbund, ----

...To clarify, that means that the amount of tuition a student will receive through the HB 136 PACT voucher program is between $2,282 and $4,563.  The student’s home school district, however, will ALWAYS be hit with a $5703.90 deduction in funding for each student awarded a voucher.  The remaining amount, a minimum of $1,140.90, will then be “retained by the state” instead of being returned to the district.

This is merely one more backhanded attempt by the legislature is using to try and de-fund public schools in Ohio.....

Read the complete post over at Plunderbund. I wonder how much property taxes would go up with this Republican plan to steal money from public school.

>>>> If you are a Republican and thinking about Newt Gingrich as the party's nominee, you might want to read the PoliticalGuide article about Newt. You might also want to read some articles from the NY Times from 1995-97 on the various ethics problems Gingrich had in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Keeping Watch

* Republican Rep. Steve Stivers (OH-15th) has been busy trying to promote drilling off our shores. Stivers and his anti-environment Republicans are trying to overturn the moratorium put in place by President Obama after the oil spill disaster in the gulf. Switchboard at the NRDC has details.

Stivers has not been doing that well in getting his sponsored bills into law. Of his sponsored bills, none have become law.
Opencongress:
5 Sponsored Bills (Ranks of 440) 0 Made Into Law (Ranks of 440)

That is pretty dismal.  Where are the jobs Stivers promised?

>>>>>  The Dispatch is reporting that today, Noon, free cake at the 150th celebration of the Statehouse in Columbus.  Be there.

*  Ohioans must realize that just as we might be happy about repealing SB 5/Issue 2, it is not over.  Even as I type this, there are people within the Kasich administration and the state legislature that are crafting legislation to push similar, smaller bills that would limit the rights of public employees.  The Republicans feel that SB 5 was too big, and so they will "take care" of one group of public employees at a time, or a certain benefit (pensions) or aspect of a public employee's job. More bills will emerge after the holidays.

 Just as the Ohio Republicans crafted their anti-collective bargaining bill in secret, they are doing the same regarding the sale/lease of the Ohio Turnpike.  Although citizens might not know it, there are meetings being held to set up a structure to sale/lease the state toll road.  Once again, we are seeing an example of the lack of transparency in the Kasich administration.

*****Time Magazine takes another look at SB 5/Issue 2:

...Kasich rankled voters by delivering strident denunciation of public workers that convinced many that the real purpose of the legislation was not economic reform but union busting...

...Democrats are also trying to hang SB5 around the necks of the Republican presidential candidates who supported it. There are signs the gambit could work: approximately half of voters surveyed in the AFL-CIO poll said they’d be less likely to vote for Mitt Romney because of his support for the bill. The legislation will be woven into one of the Democratic Party’s thematic arguments for 2012: that the GOP has collectively embraced extreme policy that protects the rich while punishing the middle class. The defeat of Issue 2, AFSCME President Gerald McEntee declared in the wake of the vote, “delivered a clear message to corporate-backed politicians across the country that we will no longer stay silent as Wall Street tries to steal the American Dream. This was a brazen attempt to silence the voice of the 99%.”

We Are Ohio awakened a strong, powerful voice--- the middle class.

Sloppy or Arrogant

>>> What is it about Republican Josh Mandel that just seems so sloppy?  With word that his big database of public employees salaries included inaccuracies and omissions, everything he does seems to be lacking in providing accurate information.  For months, he did not file his pfd (personal financial disclosure), as required by law for federal candidates.  He appeared to know little about SB 5, except to mimic the Republican talking points. Are his failures to follow rules/laws and indication of his sloppiness or his arrogance? Now, there is another bit of information missing from his campaign reports.

OhioDems:

Ohio’s ethically challenged Treasurer Josh Mandel has violated FEC law yet again, this time due to hundreds of omissions on his Q3 report. In the “disbursements” section of every FEC report, each individual disbursement has a line where candidates are legally required to fill out the “purpose” of said disbursement. Josh Mandel’s Q3 report reveals that he’s neglected to list the purpose of his disbursement nearly 300 times.

Below is an example of Josh Mandel leaving the legally required “purpose” entry blank. Remember, this happens nearly 300 times in his Q3 report.

While it’s hardly a secret that Josh Mandel sees no problem whatsoever with breaking the law (Watch him do it here, here, here, and here) the Ohio Democratic Party is sensitive to the fact that someone who claims to be in charge of watching the state’s tax dollars may have trouble reading and filling out basic campaign finance documents (Remember his 6 month law breaking refusal to file his PFD?)....

If Josh Mandel wants to be taken seriously as a candidate for U.S. Senate, he needs to
(1)  follow the law in filing his reports,

(2) explain why he wants to privatize social security, medicare, and support Republican Rep. Paul Ryan's Ayn Rand inspired budget,

(3) stop acting like he is running for a middle school student council election and do his due diligence!

-----------------------------

***   If you've been to an Ohio State football game this year or watched any television, then you know that we are being bombarded with the brainwashing sponsored by oil/gas/energy concerns.  At the football games, the names of energy companies flash on the horizontal screens at the bottom of "C" deck, and even the cheerleaders throw OSU t-shirts into the stands with the names of energy companies emblazoned on them as a sponsor. 

Local TV stations have been playing ads sponsored by energy companies in which a diverse group of smiling "workers" show how pleased they are to work for a corporation that might be polluting our air, drinking, water, and environment.  How could anyone suspect the corporation they work for of doing anything wrong??? 

With news that Gov. John Kasich is reaping campaign benefits from these energy producers, Ohioans should not be surprised.

Bizjournals:

....The report also indicated that nearly $750 million was spent nationally by oil and gas producers on lobbying during the same period, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich took in $213,519 in contributions from the oil and gas industry, the most of any Ohio politician, according to the report. Former Gov. Ted Strickland took in $87,450 and Secretary of State Jon Husted, from Kettering, took in $84,750.

Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols was quoted as saying gas drilling is expected to create 200,000 jobs over the next four years but that Kasich also warned oil and gas producers that they will need to adhere to Ohio's environmental rules.

Yeah, right.  Kasich and the Republicans will do all they can to knock down, obliterate, and destroy any regulations that stand in their way.  Republicans are, as you know, allergic to regulations that protect our lives and environment.

***  Hey!  Would someone please stop running those ads featuring birther, Pat Boone?

Ooooooops!

Spell check?  The good people over at Plunderbund have found a big mistake on an email sent out from the Ohio Auditor Dave Yost's campaign website on the occasion of Veterans' Day.

Here is the screenshot Plunderbund provided:





As you guessed, they must not be using spell check.  If they had, they would have noticed that "heros" is spelled "heroes" and "Superhoes" is not something I'm familiar with at all. "Superhoes" might actually be "superheroes" considering the fact that the email was sent our to honor veterans.  Whether or not Dave Yost sent this message out himself is immaterial, because the website is his, with his name emblazoned across the top.  Ultimately, he is responsible because he should approve every message that goes out of his site.

****  Republican presidential want to bomb Iran (see Philly.com).

*  Glory be!  Mitt Romney's business background shows that he bought up companies, took out money, and then put the companies out of business, and people out of work.  Check out the NYTimes for the ugly details of Romney's "business" knowledge.

>>> Now that the Ohio Republicans failed in pushing their SB 5 agenda, do you think that they'll actually spend time listening to people? Don't hold your breath.

They Are Protecting the 1%

In honor of Veterans Day, Republican Sen. Jim DeMint voted against a bill that would give a tax break to companies that hired veterans. Ed Schultz just mentioned that there are 900,000 unemployed veterans today.  At least veterans know that DeMint is doing nothing to help them. This vote is just another vote by DeMint in which he has demonstrated his lack of support for our vets.

Votesmart has some of the list of DeMint "NO" votes on veterans issues.  Why does DeMint hate veterans, yet he protects the 1%? 

_     _     _     _     _

>>>>  The Huffington Post had the results of a Hart Research Poll which shows a split in the Ohio Republican Party.  If you have a little time, check out the questions and answers from the poll. Kasich is in big, big, trouble because any support he had is quickly eroding.

_____________

* * * Who is getting the blame for the loss of funding for cities and counties?
Masonbuzz:

...The Enquirer’s Steve Kemme and Amanda Seitz reports that Issue 2′s defeat hasn’t induced panic among other local communities that might gained some financial benefits from its passage.

Communities are far more worried about the loss of Ohio’s estate tax revenue in 2013 and the continued reduction of the state-provided Local Government Fund. Both of these cuts were supported by Republican Gov. John Kasich and the GOP-controlled General Assembly, the same ones who offered Senate Bill 5 as an antidote to local governments’ money woes.

Ohio’s $55.8 billion budget, signed by Kasich in July, slashes the Local Government Fund almost in half over the next two years. That fund provided $665 million for local governments this year. The state budget also eliminates the estate tax, 80 percent of which has gone to local governments....

Kasich talked about a fair share, but there was no fair share.  He went after the middle class workers in the state. Kasich and the Ohio Republicans slashed budgets, but they didn't cut their own salaries, and they continue to freely give away tax breaks to corporations.  In an article in the Dispatch on 5/25/2011,  Kasich said he wanted to give banks tax breaks:

John Kasich used to be a banker. Now, Ohio's Republican governor is studying a possible tax cut for the state's financial institutions.

Banks, savings and loans and most other Ohio financial institutions still pay a corporate franchise tax, a 13-mill tax based on net worth. Kasich, a former executive at Lehman Brothers, suggested yesterday that altering the tax could reduce costs for banks and generate more loans.

"I mean, taxing people on the basis of net worth instead of net income is something that's not all that appealing to me," Kasich told about 300 bank executives at the Ohio Bankers' Day Conference at the Crowne Plaza Columbus North....

 

Isn't that just what we need? With bankers making obscene profits and bonuses, John Kasich wants to reward them by giving them tax breaks!!!!   Kasich supports the 1%.  What about the rest of the people?  Where is his concern for school children, the elderly, the poor, and neighborhoods that lost funding?

Stivers: Protecting the 1%

Why would anyone be against rules that protect consumers?  I guess if you think banks should be allowed to risk consumer money, make deals in backrooms away from regulations, and gamble with junk investments, you must be one of the Republicans in Congress trying to overturn Dodd-Frank.

An article from 2010 by Stuart Gittleman in Complinet, explains what Dodd-Frank will do:

....Dodd, who chairs the Banking Committee and is not running for reelection next month, told attendees at the New York University School of Law fourth annual global economic policy forum that TARP helped save the global financial system from itself. He expects that the laws he helped steer to passage this July, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, will help keep the system away from the abyss, he added.

NYU professor William Allen introduced Dodd, saying the three legs of the Dodd-Frank Act are regulating systemic risk; reining in and bringing transparency to the shadow banking system of hedge funds, swaps and derivatives; and protecting consumers. Allen, a former Delaware chancellor, said the third leg may be the most politically challenging.....

In an article in the Washington Times, Republican Rep. Steve Stivers (OH-15), states his opinion on why Dodd-Frank regulations are bad for business. Stivers, who even voted against consumer protection while in the state senate and pushed back on consumer protections as a Bank One lobbyist, appears to have the repeal of the Dodd-Frank Act has his central goal in life. 

Personally, I'm tired of elected officials that continue to go to bat to protect the profits of banks, while they tear down regulations that protect consumers.  This is an outrage!  Stivers and others were sent to Congress to represent people - not corporations, and certainly not the 1%.  Since I did not vote for Stivers, I'm really not sure why people voted for him. He certainly has not delivered on creating jobs.  His weak "job fair" was a staged photo op for him and we've not heard how many of the applicants got jobs.  Most of those companies appearing at the Stivers job fair had been campaign contributors.

Stivers moved his congressional office out of Columbus and into Hilliard. By moving his office away from the most densely populated area of Ohio's 15th congressional district, he has stayed clear of hearing the plight of college students and average Ohioans. He seems able to use the backdrop of college students when it fits his needs, but has done nothing to create jobs for college grads and unemployed Ohioans.  Overturning banking regulations does not create jobs--- it emboldens bankers to take further risks.

_   _   _   _   _   _

The Dispatch article reporting that some right wing tea party groups want to make a push for Ohio to become a right-to -work state make people believe that some Republicans still have not gotten the message.  Right-to-work states generally have higher job accidents/fatalities, low wages, and fewer worker protections. 

Dispatch:

...The coalition formed to make Ohio the 23rd, Ohioans for Workplace Freedom, includes Chris Littleton, president of the Ohio Liberty Council; Maurice Thompson, executive director of the 1851 Center for Constitutional Law; and former state Rep. Bryan Williams of Akron, director of government affairs for the Associated Builders and Contractors of Ohio.

Littleton and Thompson were two of the masterminds behind the health-care amendment that passed with almost 66 percent of the vote. All three men said passage of Issue 3 was triggered by Ohioans’ strong support for individual freedoms — strong enough, they say, to trump the apparent support for current union rules shown by the landslide defeat of Issue 2....

How would being a right-to-work state help Ohioans?  Have you seen homes being built in the area?  Who is doing the brick work, carpentry, drywall, and roofing?  They are not workers from central Ohio.  The workers that some of the builders bring in are paid so low that some of the workers stay in the homes to sleep.  What wages are paid to these workers that even some builders find unsatisfactory?  How much more money do builders and contractors need for profits that they (some) import workers, and pay them low wages?
 

Here We Go Again

*  Ohio's Republicans and their corporate supporters are not giving up on attacking Ohio's middle class workers.  Sure, Gov. Kasich, Shannon Jones, William Batchelder, and the rest of the Republicans lost a big one when SB 5 was repealed by 61% of Ohio's voters. Now they will try another way to punish the hardworking men and women of Ohio by using their buddies/surrogates.

Dispatch:

Although Senate Bill 5 is still smoldering after going down in flames on Tuesday, tea party activists announced their intentions today to place a constitutional amendment before voters next year that would make Ohio a right-to-work state.

The amendment, to be titled the “Workplace Freedom Amendment,” comes from individuals who crafted and placed Ohio’s health-care amendment that passed overwhelmingly through Issue 3. But Ohioans just held a referendum on public employee collective bargaining and union rules, and the state’s current system was upheld when Issue 2 was crushed 61 percent to 39 percent.....

.....“Just two days ago, Ohioans spoke with one clear and emphatic voice, and voted by an overwhelming margin to support our everyday heroes and their right to collectively bargain,” said Melissa Fazekas, spokeswoman for We Are Ohio, the labor coalition that raised more than $30 million to defeat Issue 2. “Yet, today their voices are already being ignored, even after Governor Kasich and legislative leaders have promised to listen and reflect on Tuesday’s vote....

A man listed in the article and promoter of the amendment, Bryan Williams, is a registered lobbyist for the Associated Builders and Contractors of Ohio, and they were donors to the Building A Better Ohio.  He is a former elected official.  A similar move was tried in the 1950's when Republicans tried to push for right-to-work legislation, but it was shot down. Right-to-work states have higher work fatalities and low wages. 

Don't sign a petition entitled "Workplace Freedom Amendment" if it is presented to you.

Well done!

* Congratulations to the good people involved in We Are Ohio, and every firefighter, teacher, police officer, nurse, and public employee that worked to repeals SB 5 (Issue 2).  Thank you to Ohio's voters for repealing SB 5. Your hard work to protect the rights of Ohio's middle class was a success.  However, as jubilant that we all are today, there are a few things we must remember:

1. Gov. Kasich is still governor for another three years. He will show his resentment and bitterness until he is out of office.

2. Republicans have no history of supporting labor. No one should believe they ever will. Use this as a teachable moment.  Tell your children what happened, how the good people of Ohio helped you, and explain to them why unions and the middle class are important to our country.

3. Kasich and the Ohio Republicans will consider public employees the thorns in their sides, and they will try a similar tactic like SB 5 again. Speaker of the Ohio House William Batchelder said they'd try again--- in 2012 (see Washington Post).

4. The Republicans, the Koch Brothers, Americans for Prosperity, charter school owners/promoters, corporations, Tea Partiers, and right wingers still consider public employees their enemies. (Keep in mind--- Josh Mandel supported SB 5.  Mitt Romney flip-flopped on it.) Be alert. Stay informed. Read something other than the local newspaper, since they all supported Kasich.

5.  Never surrender your rights to those who wish to profit off of your hard work.  Keep in mind the words of the famous American philosopher, Yogi Berra:

" It ain't over 'til it's over. "

 *   *   *

Note:  Don't worry about Issue 3 losing, because that will be settled by the federal courts.

Thank you, Ohio!

Thank you, Ohio, for voting NO on Issue 2!  Thank you for standing up for the middle class, and the good people in your community!

Thank Them-- Vote NO on Issue 2

*** Update: 5:00pm.  Think Progress has a picture of Gov. John Kasich sporting a shirt from an exclusive, private, male-only country club:

Today, Ohioans will decide on Issue 2, a referendum on GOP Gov. John Kasich’s deeply unpopular anti-labor law Senate Bill 5. In its print-version of a story on how voters “are set to roundly reject” his “signature achievement, Politico included a picture of the beleaguered Kasich stumping for his law at a Building A Better Ohio meeting. What’s striking about this image, however, is his shirt. It appears that Kasich decided to step out at a public event in a polo shirt bearing the logo of the Pine Valley Golf Club — an invitation-only, male-only country club.

Described as one of the “most exclusive” clubs in the world, Pine Valley Golf Club in Camden, New Jersey is “male-only membership” that is offered “by invitation from the board of directors only.” The membership list is “a closely guarded secret” and women wishing to play the course are permitted only on Sunday afternoons.....

(You can see the picture at Think Progress.)

As he goes up against middle class workers in Ohio, Kasich wears a shirt that clearly says, "I think I'm better than you." 

Vote NO on Issue 2.

------------------

In a very odd way, voting NO on Ohio's Issue 2 is a way of saying "Thank You" to those in your community that have worked to make your life good and safe.  Issue 2 would create chaos and danger in our neighborhoods, hospitals, and schools.

*  Having the best qualified teachers in our public school classrooms is a benefit to our children and our communities.  Experienced teachers provide their knowledge, familiarity with curriculum, skills to motivate children, proper degrees and certificates in education, the ability to deal with all learning levels and situations, and the common sense to know what works in the classroom.  Why would you take away the input of knowledgeable, experienced teachers and replace that with the decisions made by a partisan bureaucrat who hates teachers and public education?

Thank your teachers, past and present, and vote NO on Issue 2.

* Several years ago, we had a fire in our neighborhood. It was amazing to see the bravery and skills of our local, professional firefighters. They worked rapidly, and efficiently to get the fire out.  Of course, it had a lot to do with the fact that they were outfitted in modern fire safety gear, professionally trained, and properly staffed at their firehouse.  They respond to health emergencies quickly with care and professionalism.  Living close to a firehouse has provided us with insight into their daily lives and emergency runs, and the fact that they put their lives on the line every single day at work.

Stand up, and thank our firefighters, show them you respect them, and vote NO on Issue 2.

*  Whether it be on the highway or in the neighborhood, our police officers risk their lives in keeping us safe.  In an road accident, they are the first to arrive and assess the situation. When a crime is occurring, you know that your 911 call will have your local police officers respond immediately.  Staffing is so very important for our officers and our own safety. In an emergency, we don't want to wait for twenty or thirty minutes for assistance because someone, other than police officers, decided that only one or two officers could maintain order and safety.

Let your police officers know that you appreciate their hard work, vote NO on Issue 2.

* If you've ever been a patient in the hospital or have had a loved one in the hospital, you've watched nurses at work.  Nurses see us all in our most difficult of life's situations, and yet, because of their training and experience, they are able to respond quicklyand calmly to our needs.  In an emergency, the last thing you want to hear from someone is that there are not enough nurses on duty to respond to your rapid heart rate, bleeding ulcer, or birth of your child.  How many nurses does it take to staff an emergency room? Today, that decision is handled by other nursing staff.  Issue 2 would allow someone else, not a nurse, to set staffing levels, and would prevent nurses from speaking up about problems.

Thank a nurse for helping you and your loved ones.  Show you care, and vote NO on 2.

*  Our public employees have been under an incredible amount of pressure recently.  They've been forced to take several weeks of furlough days without pay. With the new administration in power, they've also experienced a huge amount of stress because they never know if their position will be eliminated.  Despite what some have indicated in their database of public employees salaries (Josh Mandel's flawed, inaccurate, mistake-filled website-see NewsNet 5, Plunderbund, News-Herald), public employees are not overpaid.

Support our men and women in public service, and vote NO on Issue 2.

For all these people and your community, vote NO on Issue 2.

We don't want some Wall Street vice president/Fox News talking head to tell us what we need.  We know what we want and need-----

Vote NO on Issue 2.

Get Out the Vote, Ohio: NO on 2

 With the polls opening on Tuesday at 6:30 am, Ohio voters have a lot on the line regarding our safety, security, our values, and our way of life.  If you've voted by absentee ballot, I hope that you've returned your ballot.  However, if you will vote on Tuesday, get to your polling place, and be prepared: (1) bring your picture ID, (2) look for illegal campaign pamphlets in the lobby (toss them in the trash), and (3) vote NO on Issues 1, 2, 3.

If you need some additional guidance, check out the good people over at We Are Ohio.

Apparently, the friends of the governor have brought in some sleazy groups to mislead voters. Plunderbund has the details about a particular mailer sent to voters that clearly lies about what is happening in Ohio. Haven't we just had enough of these right wing liars?


* It was great to see Ed Schultz in Ohio this evening on MSNBC.  He will be in Ohio again tomorrow with his show on at 7pm and 11pm. 

>>>>>> Send a message to Kasich, Batchelder, and the rest of the Ohio Republicans, and...

Vote NO on Issue 2.

NO   NO   NO

Vote NO on 2!!!!

* In the November 14, 2011 issue of The Nation, Melissa Fazekas, of We Are Ohio, has a great quote concerning Issue 2 (SB 5): "The question comes down to whom do you trust?..........Real people who are our friends, family and neighbors, or deceptive and misleading ad funded by anonymous corporate donors?..."

Melissa Fazekas hit the nail on the head.  Do you trust John Kasich, a talk show host on Fox News,  and former Lehman Brothers Vice President , that helped our public employee retirement systems lose hundreds of millions of dollars?  Truthfully, you need to look for honesty, and guidance to those people in our community, "....our friends, family, and neighbors..." who work as firefighters, police, teachers, nurses, and public employees, who share your life and goals.

If you are looking for some outside views of Kasich's war on the middle class, check out these links:  DailyKos, Huffington Post, Malcontends, Findlaydem, and RawStory.

In case you are interested, our family cancelled our subscription to the Dispatch several weeks ago.

VOTE NO ON ISSUE 2.

Vote No on Issues 1, 2, and 3.

(NOTE: A word to the wise----  When you go into your polling place, make sure that there are no pamphlets/political handouts in the lobby. Take a quick look around.  If you see anything, toss them in the trash.  I've seem some right wing religious groups sprinkle their  candidate/issue leaflets in polling areas.)

.................................

Does anyone else find it creepy that Republicans Josh Mandel and John Boehner refuse to give up campaign contributions from a former Republican candidate, Rich Iott?  Iott, also spends time dressing up as a Nazi re-enactor.


DaytonDailyNews:

At least two Democrat-leaning political organizations are calling for Ohio Treasurer and U.S. Senate candidate Josh Mandel to return a $1,000 contribution he received from a former Republican congressional candidate who was involved in a Nazi re-enactment group. 

Specifically, both ProgressOhio and the National Jewish Democratic Council want Mandel, a Republican, to donate the contribution from Rich Iott, a former Toledo-area congressional candidate, to a charity such as the Wiesenthal Center, the Southern Poverty Law Center or “other appropriate charities.” 

Mandel, who is Jewish, received the contribution Sept. 5.....

How can they accept his money? Yuck.  I also find it disturbing that Iott listed his occupation on a campaign contribution in the following manner, and available at OpenSecrets:

IOTT, RICHARD MR
MONCLOVA,OH 43542       STATE OF OHIO/SOLDIER

Send a Message to Kasich

* Other people have noticed the hypocrisy coming from the Ohio Republicans on Issue 2 (SB5). Even the Washington Post took notice of how the Republicans have pushed for cuts for everyone but themselves.
WashingtonPost:

...GOP state Rep. Lou Blessing — a prominent Republican voice in this fight, as the Speaker Pro Tempore of the Ohio House of Representatives — made the claim during an interview with Ohio public radio, audio of which is right here. Pressed on why he and some other GOPers wouldn’t agree to labor’s insistence that legislators also accept a pay cut, he said:

“Because it’s not merited. I earn my pay. I think that was just political baloney. So they can say in an ad, `Gee , you know, they didn’t support a pay cut.’ Well, no, I don’t support a pay cut. Republicans earn their money. Apparently Democrats don’t. They feel they should be paid less. That may be true. Maybe we’ll just cut the Democrats’ pay.”

Blessing also argues that public employees wouldn’t necessarily see a pay cut as the result of the rollback of bargaining rights. But PolitiFact recently concluded that it was very likely that the rollback would lead to pay sacrifices.... 

While Gov. Kasich has paid his staff salaries that far exceeded those in the previous administration, you wonder if Kasich and his GOP buddies are just living in a bubble, without any connection to real people.

An opinion piece in the Lantern explains how professors would be hurt and college students would lose out if Issue 2 passed.

The Lantern:

....Senate Bill 5/ Issue 2 is not about saving the budget. If that was the case taxes would be raised on the wealthy and on all of us. If Kasich was concerned about our financial problems, he would bring regulations back that prevent corporations from greed. This isn't about the budget … it's about politics and making sure that Democrats do not have a chance in future elections.

Governor Kasich is waging partisan warfare on the party that will go after him when he runs for re-election and his doing so is putting our state in peril. Issue 2 is bad for students, it's bad for teachers, and it's bad for firefighters and police and nurses. The only people that Issue 2 is good for are the rich and their bought-and-paid-for politicians like Governor Kasich.

Just say NO to Issue 2.

NO to 2, and NO to Kasich.

Stivers Likes His Contributors' Burgers

* Republican Rep. Steve Stivers (OH-15) is doing nothing to create jobs, but he did get his name in the Washington Post for his tribute to White Castle.

WashingtonPost:

....Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio) on Tuesday honored White Castle with a congressional tribute to the “tasty little burgers” and the company that serves them (which is, of course, based in his home district). “White Castle is truly an American original and is inspiring because it is a story about the successs of the American Dream,” Stivers enthused in the tribute, which he submitted for the congressional record.

A spokeswoman notes that Stivers’s interest in the company isn’t just as the boosterish hometown congressman. “He’s a big fan,” she says, noting that her boss also celebrated the chain’s anniversary by flipping burgers at a local outlet....

Of course, Stivers is a "big fan" of White Castle!  They're his campaign contributors!!!!
According to OpenSecrets, those associated with White Castle contributed the following funds to the Stivers campaign: $11,100.  The Ingram family supports Republicans and the rest of the Ohio Republicans also enjoy their campaign contributions.

How many real jobs has Steve Stivers created in Ohio's 15th district? Anyone? Anyone?

----------------

**** Cleveland Browns fans lost any bit of respect they may have had for Gov. John Kasich.
The Washington Monthly provides the ugly details.

VOTE  NO  ON  ISSUE  2.

Know Your Friends

* Do you think that some people should actually spend a little time within the state to learn what is really going on here?  Josh Mandel, Republican, and current Ohio Treasurer, appears to be an uninformed voter. He has spent so much time jetting around from Hawaii, to Las Vegas, Washington, D.C., and visiting every county Republican barbecue as he tries to raise money for a run for the Senate.

Think Progress had a piece about what Mandel "knows" (and I use that word loosely) about SB 5, but first here is Mandel on YouTube:



ThinkProgress:

...In what must come as a surprise to Mandel, Ohio’s teachers, police, firefighters, and even veterans feel slighted — not respected — by this bill. SB5 strips unions of the right to negotiate wages, eliminates pay increases, and completely bans the right to strike. As public officials and unions both note, teachers and safety forces have already made substantial sacrifices — including zero pay raises and paying more for health insurance — to accommodate the tough economy....

Mandel's explanation seems like a bunch of baloney, like the kid who gives a book report, but didn't read the book.  Mandel is hoping to run as the Republican candidate for U.S. Senator, but if this is his level of understanding about an important issue, he should at least try to act and sound like he knows something.

Firefighters, police officers, teachers, nurses, and all public employees, take note: Josh Mandel is clueless about your concerns.

**** Here is another reason to vote NO on Issue 2:  Sarah Palin is for it, according to FoxToledo.

>>> Finally, an article in the News-Messenger indicates that Republican Speaker of the Ohio House, William Batchelder, may try again if SB 5 doesn't go their way.

No on Issue 1. 

No on Issue 2.  

No on Issue 3.