Monday, December 30, 2013

Ohio's Economy in the Pits


Business First:

..Ohio's lagging job market is highlighted in starker relief in the latest monthly report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. The bank's coincident index of four economic indicators found only three states failing to make progress from September to November – Alaska, Wyoming and Ohio...

Gov. John Kasich has created a real economic mess in Ohio. There are no jobs, small businesses are failing, large businesses are laying off, and JobsOhio has proven to be an example of the failure of "trickle down" economics. Giving millions of dollars to corporations and CEO's has resulted in nothing for the people of Ohio. Ohio's economy is in the pits.

  Here is a graph from the Philadelphia Fed:



Friday, December 27, 2013

Ohio's Fat Cats Doing Well for Themselves


The following is an example of some of the Ohio Republicans who've been elected in the state legislature.

YouTube:




Incredible!!!


____

Ohio's religious leaders are voicing their opposition to Gov. Kasich's cuts in food stamps.

WKSU:

Some leaders of Ohio’s faith communities are urging Gov. Kasich and state leaders not to stiffen work requirements and make other changes to Ohio’s food stamp program. The Rev. Tim Ahrens of Columbus says veterans are among those who will be hurt the most if the changes take effect in January.....

......The average family in Ohio got $287 a month in food stamps in 2012.


With all of these cuts, food pantries, soup kitchens, and programs that help the poor are being overwhelmed with requests from the needy. A hungry child cannot learn, but the fat cats in Ohio just don't care.

Monday, December 23, 2013

No miracles here in Ohio!


Not that long ago I wrote that Ohio was 44th in job creation. Now Ohio is 46th in job creation!



Ohio is 46th in job creation!!!!!!

W.P. Carey School of Business has the details.

What is going on in Ohio? How is it that Kasich is giving away millions of dollars, and tax incentives to corporations to create jobs, but no jobs are being created???  Not that long ago, Gov. John Kasich said that Ohio's economy was a "miracle."  Kasich is wrong. Ohio's economy under the Gov. Kasich is a major, catastrophic economic disaster.

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Kasich's Job Losses


Ohio has not had a robust economy under Gov. John Kasich's leadership. Despite his own claims, the existence of the corporate give away program (known as JobsOhio), the people in the state have not seen any increase in jobs.

Dispatch:

Ohio lost more jobs than any other state last month and is on track this year to post its weakest job growth since the recession ended in 2009.

The state lost 12,000 jobs last month, nearly twice the 6,500 jobs cut in second-to-last North Carolina, according to federal Bureau of Labor Statistics data released yesterday.

A separate report by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services showed the losses were across several sectors: leisure and hospitality, construction, and professional and business services, even as the unemployment rate dipped to 7.4 percent in November from 7.5 percent in October.....
 

If someone is making out with the millions of dollars flowing out in incentives to businesses, and corporations, it is not the unemployed and underemployed in Ohio. Every week you hear about tax incentives and grants being awarded to companies, but there are no new jobs. Every person in Ohio knows of people that have been looking for jobs for months, and years, but haven't found employment in the Kasich economy. When Kasich turned his back on the 1,000 Ormet workers and allowed their job losses, Ohioans learned that Kasich just doesn't care about working people.

It is time for Ohio voters to wake up and deny Kasich, the former Lehman Brothers vice president, a second term. This will also end his goal of running for President.

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Ohio GOP Planning Assault on Unions- Again


If you live in Ohio you are well aware that the voters overturned SB5. Unfortunately, you might not know that Gov. Kasich, the Republicans, the Tea Party Republicans, and far right Koch-supported organizations are waiting to bring up right to work legislation again.

This past summer, organizations were in Ohio talking up putting an end to unions. 

ToledoBlade reports that ALEC supported groups, and Vincent Vernuccio of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, have been touring Ohio and organizing their next anti-union campaign. Teachers, firefighters, police, nurses, state workers, and their families and friends should be prepared for the next legislation to curb workers' rights.  If Kasich is re-elected, we can be certain that he and his minions will try an SB5 type move again.

* * *

Channel 4 in Columbus has and update on marriage equality in Ohio:

A new poll commissioned by an organization that promotes the legalization of same-sex marriage in Ohio shows that Ohio voters are split down the middle on the issue.

In 2004, Ohio voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment to ban same sex marriage.

Freedom to Marry – Ohio, the group gathering signatures on petitions to repeal and replace the ban, says a new poll indicates Ohioans have changed their stance....

 This is an active, ongoing campaign in Ohio, with many people supporting marriage equality.
Most state right-to-work laws were enacted in the 1940s and 1950s. But businesses and conservative lawmakers, working through groups such as the American Legislative Exchange Council, have mounted a new push as union membership has dwindled and the competition for jobs has intensified among states.
Read more at http://www.toledoblade.com/State/2013/12/18/Quest-to-restrict-union-fees-targets-3-new-states.html#vBcZgjdF8t4GzgMu.99

Most state right-to-work laws were enacted in the 1940s and 1950s. But businesses and conservative lawmakers, working through groups such as the American Legislative Exchange Council, have mounted a new push as union membership has dwindled and the competition for jobs has intensified among states.
Read more at http://www.toledoblade.com/State/2013/12/18/Quest-to-restrict-union-fees-targets-3-new-states.html#vBcZgjdF8t4GzgMu.99

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Really??


Once again we see that layoffs in Ohio are becoming part of everyday life here: 
http://jfs.ohio.gov/warn/current.stm  There is no miracle in Ohio.

* Do you want to hear something frightening? Rumor has it that Republican Gov. John Kasich intends to run for President. Plunderbund has all the details.

Monday, December 16, 2013

GOP vs. Public Schools


Plunderbund has noticed that Gov. John Kasich and the elected Republicans in the Ohio legislature are busy creating laws for everyone else.

As we’ve pointed out over the last couple of days, Ohio’s private schools are exempt from the same level of standardized testing requirements that are stressing out teachers, students, and parents in the public schools.  These exemptions occur because of the ways the laws are written by Ohio’s elected state officials — they simply make the laws apply only to the public school children, omitting nonpublic (i.e., private) schools from the vast majority of the testing requirements.

Currently, students in Ohio’s public schools are required to test a minimum of 20 times throughout their 13 years (K-12).  Meanwhile, students in the private schools (including Catholic schools) are only required to take the Ohio Graduation Tests when they are in high school.  The public schools have the burden of engaging children when they are 8 or 9 years old in third grade in the process of high-stakes testing when they take the 3rd grade reading test in October and again in April along with the math assessment.  These children then take the reading and math tests again every year through 8th grade in addition to science tests in grades 5 and 8....

These laws also demonstrate the disdain that Kasich and Republicans have for public schools and public school teachers. When Kasich, with the approval of the legislature, cuts education, they still expect students and teachers to perform at higher numbers. They'll be ready to criticize public school students and teachers when grades and testing scores go down. They just hope that voters forget of that the GOP and Kasich cut funding, teachers, guidance counselors, nurses, and specialists from the schools.

What else have these Ohio Republicans done? They've passed the most restrictive laws on women's health, birth control, and access to safe, legal emergency abortion. The Republicans are doing their best to cut, restrict, and block voters from exercising their rights at the polls.

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

*** How many jobs has Rep. Steve Stivers created for the people of Ohio's 15th district? Anyone? I'm still looking for them!  It appears that most of the legislation Stivers supported had to do with protecting bankers, maximizing profits for traders, and repealing the health care law, again, and again, and again. He did not create any jobs. Yes, he did sponsor a "job fair" in his district, but those jobs offered were minimum wage positions.

Friday, December 13, 2013

Fixing the numbers????


* Ohioans should thank the good people of Plunderbund for their good work in documenting the backroom deals being made at JobsOhio (renamed RobsOhio by Plunderbund).  Two recent posts should make every Ohioan stand up and question what is being done with our money.

1. Plunderbund noticed some odd expenses at JobsOhio:

....According to that audit,  JobsOhio billed the Development Services Agency $860,000 for “economic development and marketing services” but included no information about how those amounts were.    DSA just paid JobsOhio and didn’t ask any questions.

The audit also found $165,245  in public money went to the the JobsOhio Beverage System.  Again, those payments “were not supported by an invoice or other detailed documentation.”

Together the two audit reports identify over one million dollars in undocumented spending involving JobsOhio, yet Yost makes no recommendations for recovering that money like he has in other audits....


Kasich's JobsOhio is spending your tax dollars on "beverage services" in this report. Is that for the imported coffee and drinks at the coffee bar (see pic provided by IO) in the JobsOhio office or is it something else? How can JobsOhio have "...over one million dollars in undocumented spending..." and get away with it? I smell a repeat of another Ohio Republican scandal.

•••••••••••••

2.  Plunderbund has a big story on how JobsOhio has altered their recent report:

If you recently tried to read our story about JobsOhio’s disappointing third quarter report you may have noticed that the link to the report no longer works.   That because JobsOhio removed the original report and replaced it with a new, modified version of the document.

The first file had a create date of 11/21/2013 at 3:18:08 AM and a modified date of 11/22/2013 at 3:29:08 PM.   It was quietly released on JobsOhio’s website sometime over the weekend of November 29th......

......Based on an automated comparison of the two documents, we determined that the document had been altered by modifying the text describing the number of job commitments made by companies in the quarter.....


Thank you, Plunderbund, for your hard work exposing Kasich's shenanigans.

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Numbers


No one could be happy about Gov. John Kasich's record on job creation and retention. More companies in Ohio are involved in layoffs as indicated by the 569 people laid off since Thanksgiving. Here is a link to Ohio's Current Warn Law List.

>>> With the massive cuts made by Gov. Kasich to primary and secondary education, and colleges,  it is no surprise that students are failing to achieve reading goals.  According to the Columbus Dispatch, 58% of Ohio's 3rd graders have not passed the 3rd grade reading test. If they are unable to pass, the failing 3rd graders will be forced to attend summer school, and face the possibility of repeating the 3rd grade.  Of course, it doesn't help that Kasich's school budgets have resulted to layoffs of teachers across the state.

We might want to explain to Kasich that cuts to education, the layoffs of teachers, tutors, and specialists result in lower quality results.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

There Goes Our Money


Ohioans are worried about the money going out to friends of Gov. John Kasich. Kasich's buddy, Mark Kvamme, served as the director of JobsOhio, but then resigned to return to his investment firm. Kvamme was able to secure $50 million in investments from the Ohio State University with the help of then University President Gordon Gee. After Gee resigned, he continued to push OSU to get involved with Kvamme's investment, even though some thought it was too much of an outlay of money. 

Today, Ohioans are asking lots of questions about the details of this investment. 

Recordpub:

...Progress Ohio is questioning whether OSU agreed to comparable terms in its $50 million investment in Mark Kvamme's Drive Capital as were offered to at least one other public agency approached by the firm for funds....

....Rothenberg said OSU's investment in the latter should prompt an examination of state ethics laws to block officials leaving JobsOhio or other appointed positions from benefitting financially from their former positions.

"We have somebody who'd never been to Ohio or hadn't spent much time in Ohio, did not have a whole lot of contacts, came in for a dollar a year, made many contacts through JobsOhio with the business community and other wealthy folks in Ohio and turned around and resigned and three years later was able to get a contract which we know was a sweetheart contract...," he said. "That's a pretty big return for anybody anywhere in the country. I think he definitely cashed in on the relationships that he was able to develop in Ohio, better than most Ohioans could."

The ToledoBlade notes that Kvamme could make $9 million from the agreement.

This whole investment thing is just disgusting. Ohio taxpayers have their money being funneled to JobsOhio, but we are not allowed to see the details of what is happening.  Ohio State makes an agreement with Kasich's buddy, but taxpayers, students, parents that foot the bill for tuition, and OSU donors are not permitted to see the facts of the financial arrangement. In the past, Ohio State has not given money of this size to an individual for investment. Some within the university suggested a much smaller amount of investment, but were shot down by Gordon Gee and others.  If Ohio State loses money on this deal, will Gordon Gee cover the losses?

The article in the ToledoBlade reminds Ohioans that the last Ohio Republican administration also went down the private investment route. Former Gov. Bob Taft brought us "Coingate" and the loss of hundreds of millions of state dollars that were invested in coins, Beanie Babies, and art. Why are we allowing Kasich, his friends, and the GOP to travel to the secret, backroom money deals as they did with Tom Noe?

>>>>  Is John Kasich rewarding failing charter schools? Plunderbund has the info:

The Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT) is the largest charter school in the state of Ohio.  The online school is larger than the vast majority of Ohio’s traditional school districts and received over $88 million in state funding last school year.  This year that amount is expected to jump to over $92 million....

....For graduation rate, a key indicator for the long-term success of a school/district, ECOT’s 5-year graduation rate of 37.8% was over 25 points worse than the lowest urban, Cleveland, who checked in at 63.3%.....

....As was the case in 2011, that money is STILL not going to educate the students enrolled at ECOT, but instead is lining the pockets of owner/operator William Lager, massive donor to the Ohio Republican Party.  In 2010, Lager donated $220,795 to Ohio’s lawmakers.  In 2011, the yearly donations dropped to $83,500.00, but he rebounded in 2012 with $201,537.40 in donations and $196,878.06 in only the first half of 2013.  While much of this money was directed toward specific candidates, $64,000 was donated to the Republican House and Senate Campaign committees (file that away for later)....

It appears that if you own a charter school, contribute to Ohio Republicans, you can get more money for your failing charter.
The venture capital firm co-founded by Mark Kvamme, Gov. John Kasich’s former jobs czar, stands to make at least $9 million in management fees on a $50 million, 10-year investment made by Ohio State University.
Read more at http://www.toledoblade.com/Politics/2013/12/10/lt-div-class-libPageBodyLinebreak-gt-Kvamme-s-firm-could-lt-br-gt-reap-9M-lt-br-gt-from-OSU-lt-div-gt-Copy.html#dSXgBiJfBCwgMJB2.99

Monday, December 09, 2013

In the news....


There are more businesses leaving Ohio.  Daily Job Cuts found that PendaForm Co. is closing their plant in New Concord, Ohio.  This is just another example of Gov. John Kasich's failing grade in job creation and retention!

>>>  Many people are pushing for an increase for the minimum wage. Republicans are totally against any increases. The GOP likes keeping people poor.  I hope that President Obama pushes the raise in minimum wage. It is only fair.

Friday, December 06, 2013

On the Agenda


• The world mourns the loss of Nelson Mandela. As President Obama said, "....we have lost one of the most influential, courageous, and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this Earth. He no longer belongs to us -- he belongs to the ages....." (USA Today)

- - - - -


* Ohioans are wondering why the Republicans are working so hard to eliminate voting opportunities in the state. Republican in the Ohio General Assembly have passed voting "reform" legislation that would cut the number of days for voting, throw more people off the voting rolls, and create other restrictions to casting a vote.  Gov. John Kasich is expected to be presented the voting "reform" legislation for his signature, according to the Record-Courier. The Republicans and their anti-women, anti-workers' rights, anti-minorities, anti-public education, anti-young people, and anti-middle class agenda can't win elections without tampering with the vote.

(Note: Anytime the Republicans use the word "reform," it means that they intend to hurt your rights, and your access to a right guaranteed in our country. The GOP education "reform" legislation, for example, gave more money to charter schools while it cut funding to traditional public schools and state universities. The public should be cautious of any bill that the GOP calls a "reform" bill.)

--------

>>> People want to know why Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner refuses to bring forth legislation on immigration. Is he afraid of angering his far right tea party Republicans? Why is Boehner more concerned with his party than with the lives of millions of people?

****

Here is a piece of advice---  If you think Social Security should be eliminated, you need to vote for Republicans, because that is their goal.  If you want your parents and grandparents living in your basement, Paul Ryan, Rand Paul, and the rest of the GOP have plans to make that come true with their plan to cut Social Security, Medicaid, education, science research, and the EPA.

Tuesday, December 03, 2013

On the List Again?


Gov. John Kasich has distinguished himself again, but..............not in a good way.

Plunderbund:

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has released their second annual Worst Governors in America report and, for the second year in a row, Ohio’s John Kasich made the cut.

According to CREW “Gov. Kasich will do whatever it takes to keep the public in the dark about the non-profit he created, and played partisan politics with his state’s voting laws.”

That about sums it up. You can read the full list of reasons Kasich made the list here. The full report is available here.

Ohioans have to be embarrassed to have the governor of our state on the list of "worst governors" for the second year in a row!!!!!!!  It is time to vote Kasich out of office.

Monday, December 02, 2013

More Failing Numbers


It is becoming more apparent that Gov. John Kasich's JobsOhio is a catastrophe for Ohio's working people. The only beneficiaries of JobsOhio appear to be corporations and CEOs.

Plunderbund has the latest for JobsOhio:

Here are those results:

Q3 2012 RESULTS Q3 2013 RESULTS
Total # of Projects 87 61
New Jobs 5,788 3,835
New Jobs Payroll  $228 million $174 million
Retained Jobs 16,317 6,161
Retained Jobs Payroll  $853 million $309 million
Total Jobs 22,105 9,996
Total Jobs Payroll $1.1 billion $483 million
Capital Investment by Companies $1.0 billion $708 million


...With more bad news, here comes the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia which just released a report showing that Ohio is ranked nearly last on the quality of our economic conditions for the past three months.    Almost every state has shown some recent improvement.   Ohio, like only four other states, is moving backwards....



The longer this continues, the more our state falls behind.  JobsOhio is putting our economic growth down the toilet.

My Rights


Ohio Gov. John Kasich finally signed disaster relief for residents of Putnam County and Wood County. It took nine days for him to get around to it because Kasich had other priorities.  He had to attend the Republican Governors conference in Arizona immediately after the Ohio disaster to promote himself.

>>> Far right wing Republican Rick Santorum believes that an employer's rights are more important a person's individual rights.

OpposingViews:


Former Republican presidential nominee Rick Santorum told CNN’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday that employers have the right to deny women contraception coverage if it's against their religious faith.

The U.S. Supreme Court plans to hear a case brought by Christian-owned Hobby Lobby, which believes the Affordable Care Act mandate requiring healthcare coverage include birth control violates their religious freedom.....



How is it that these Republicans believe that your health insurance should pay for male enhancement drugs like Viagra, but not birth control pills? There is something wrong with the Republican mindset!

Rick Santorum would have been very popular during ancient times because he believes women are property subject to their husbands and their employers. That is a load of baloney!

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Preparing


Even though I promised myself I wouldn't do the cooking extravaganza again--- I'm doing it again for tomorrow.  I enjoy having family together, but I just hate the cooking and the clean up!

In the meantime---- Happy Thanksgiving!

Next year, I hope we eat out in a restaurant!!!!!!

Friday, November 22, 2013

Today we remember....


Those of us that were old enough to remember the significance of November 22, 1963, will live forever with the memory of that tragic day. Today, we continue to mourn the loss of President Kennedy.

For more of my personal reflections, visit StubbornLiberal.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Ohio Charter Schools Failing


Ohio charter schools have expanded this year under the support of Gov. John Kasich and the Ohio GOP. More of the private operators have moved in with the intention of what appears to be making money off of our taxes.  More charter schools have closed because of not enough students, poor fiscal management, not paying staff, and other problems.

Dispatch:

After resigning this year as superintendent of a financially troubled Internet charter school amid allegations of nepotism, James McCord had a new plan, and it again involved a charter school employing him and his family....

....By the time the Olympus schools closed, one had only four confirmed students; another had five; another, six. In all, the eight schools had a total of 128 students show up.

That’s about two students for each Olympus and EII employee. The state paid Olympus based on an estimate of 700 students....

Will we ever get back that $1.2 million from this operator?  Read the whole article at this Dispatch link and you'll feel just as disgusted as I am.

In another news item from last week, the Dispatch provides details on other charter schools closing. 
This is just a horrible way to spend our tax dollars!

The Far Right is Still Wrong


> The Republican governors, including Ohio's John Kasich, are having a big meeting in Arizona. According to the Columbus Dispatch (AKA Kasich's fan club), Kasich is getting a lot of attention from his colleagues.

ColumbusDispatch:

....Kasich also was one of the first governors featured in the RGA’s new media campaign, titled “ Republican Governors are Driving America’s Comeback.” He’ll have a featured role in the conference today, sitting on a panel talking about GOP messaging for 2014 with Morning Joe co-host Joe Scarborough and Perry. He’ll then be joined by Jindal at a news conference....

I'm sure a majority of women in the country will just vomit over the thought of any of these anti-women's rights Republicans moving into the White House.


>>>  This shouldn't surprise a lot of Ohioans------
Progress Ohio reveals some very interesting information about the Buckeye Institute:


A new, in-depth report by ProgressOhio, along with the Center for Media and Democracy, exposes the truth behind the Buckeye Institute. The report, titled "Smoke Screen: The Buckeye Institute", finds that the Buckeye Institute is one of many "think tanks" in a network funded by the State Policy Network, which has close ties to the Koch brothers and other powerful right-wing families.

The Buckeye Institute often pushes the corporate agenda of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) by promoting the organization and its policies on their website. Additionally, the Buckeye Institute's staff has a history of working for ALEC.

An executive summary of the report recounts the following regarding the Buckeye Institute:

         The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a shadowy organization where corporate lobbyists and state lawmakers vote as equals on "model bills" behind closed doors. In addition to sharing many of the same corporation-first policies, many Buckeye Institute staff members previously worked at ALEC-related organizations and have attended ALEC meetings....


That explains the far right opinions that are produced by the Buckeye Institute!

Monday, November 18, 2013

Ohio Mess?


Plunderbund has details on Gov. John Kasich's messed up Medicaid sign up web page.

Plunderbund:

....Kasich’s Medicaid website makes it impossible to enroll in Medicaid at the moment....

....Kasich’s www.benefits.ohio.gov, however, will quickly and reliably reject qualified applicants. Its computers don’t reflect the Medicaid expansion, and they won’t until December 9 (yeah, sure they will).

Unlike the federal website (which lets you know that there’s a problem) Kasich’s website just tells people that they don’t qualify for Medicaid and sends them away.  It doesn’t hold on to their application, and they won’t be reprocessing their applications once the database is fixed.  On top of that, the new website is 100% politically motivated....

Wow! The Ohio Medicaid sign up sounds like it was designed by a Tea Party Republican!

**** More Ohio layoffs have been posted at ODJFS.  This time Cenveo will layoff 77 workers.  Note to GOP p.r. people----There has been no Ohio "miracle" under Gov. John Kasich.

Friday, November 15, 2013

Ohio News....


The Toledo Blade is reporting that U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown has officially endorsed Democrat Ed FitzGerald for Ohio Governor.

Toledo Blade:

....Senator Brown said the Republicans are implementing a “national playbook” with attacks on women’s rights, workers’ rights, and voter rights.

“You know they’ll go after prevailing wage, right-to-work, the middle class standard of living,” Mr. Brown said.

Mr. FitzGerald attacked Mr. Kasich’s administration as one created for “a small group of friends,” saying the GOP has raided education and local government funds, and reduced eligibility for the homestead exemption in property taxes to pay for tax cuts for “the richest people in the state.”

Ed FitzGerald will need all of our help to overcome the right wing Republicans and John Kasich.

>>>   According to a report published by the Senate, Ohio's median household income has decreased by $10,000 from 2007 to 2012.
Senator Brown said the Republicans are implementing a “national playbook” with attacks on women’s rights, workers’ rights, and voter rights.
“You know they’ll go after prevailing wage, right-to-work, the middle class standard of living,” Mr. Brown said.
Mr. FitzGerald attacked Mr. Kasich’s administration as one created for “a small group of friends,” saying the GOP has raided education and local government funds, and reduced eligibility for the homestead exemption in property taxes to pay for tax cuts for “the richest people in the state.”

Read more at http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2013/11/15/U-S-Sherrod-Brown-comes-to-Toledo-to-endorse-FitzGerald-for-governor.html#GdUlXI1QDhjo9uBq.99
Senator Brown said the Republicans are implementing a “national playbook” with attacks on women’s rights, workers’ rights, and voter rights.
“You know they’ll go after prevailing wage, right-to-work, the middle class standard of living,” Mr. Brown said.
Mr. FitzGerald attacked Mr. Kasich’s administration as one created for “a small group of friends,” saying the GOP has raided education and local government funds, and reduced eligibility for the homestead exemption in property taxes to pay for tax cuts for “the richest people in the state.”

Read more at http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2013/11/15/U-S-Sherrod-Brown-comes-to-Toledo-to-endorse-FitzGerald-for-governor.html#GdUlXI1QDhjo9uBq.99

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Boehner on Immigration


CrooksandLiars has an amazing video of young people speaking with Speaker of the House John Boehner about immigration reform.

CrooksandLiars:





These are very brave, polite young people. More voters should be willing to discuss concerns with elected officials. Unfortunately, the Republicans have nothing to offer Americans on immigration. The GOP has no plan, and Boehner refuses to bring the Senate bill to the House for a vote (see HuffPost). The other problem with Boehner's House Republicans is that there are very few actual workdays left for the "do nothing House Republicans" this year. Boehner, Eric Cantor, and the GOP just don't care.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

More Ohio Layoffs???


There is no miracle job creation in Ohio. Today, two more companies in Ohio provided the required warn notice for layoffs.

ODJFS Online-WARN:

11-08-2013 Janesville Acoustics Norwalk/Huron
300
01-06-2014 419-660-2326
CMRJB
007-13-033
11-04-2013 GE Ohio Lamp Warren/Trumbull
179
01-24-2014 330-306-7241
IUE-CWA Local 84722
018-13-03



Isn't it odd that these jobs involve union workers? I guess Gov. John Kasich and his appointed JobsOhio board members just don't think these jobs are worth saving.

Save Ohio Jobs


Gov. John Kasich and the Ohio GOP have successfully hidden details of what is really happening at Kasich's pet, JobsOhio.  Kasich and the GOP don't want anyone to audit JobsOhio. Apparently, Ohio Republicans are allergic to transparency.

The steelworkers are questioning why Kasich has refused to save the 1,000 jobs at the Ormet plant in Hannibal, Ohio.  The Digital Journal reports that the steelworkers at Ormet have started a website, www.saveohiojobs.org, in an effort to push for action to retain these good jobs in Ohio. Under Kasich, Ohio is now 44th in job creation in the nation. Why is Kasich so reluctant to save these jobs and the community? Is Kasich against saving these jobs because these are union jobs?



Monday, November 11, 2013

Today


*** Today we salute and honor our veterans.  We must do more to help our vets find jobs, housing, and speed up the health care they need. Words are nice, but we have got to actively assist them to get what they need and what they deserve. 

-----------

***  There seems to be a lot of negatives surrounding Ohio Gov. John Kasich. People are concerned about the lack of real jobs in the state, Kasich's drastic funding cuts to education, his total disregard for women's rights, and his lack of respect for the people that make Ohio function--- police, firefighters, nurses, teachers, and the middle class.

Examiner:

....Friday's release of a poll by Public Policy Polling [PPP], ranked among the top rated polling outfits in the nation, shows Gov. Kasich no longer trails Ed FitzGerald, his Democratic challenger for governor next year, by three points—38-35 from an August poll—but is now tied with FitzGerald at 41 all, shows Kasich stumbling a year in advance of what many analysts believe is an election he should win but can lose in many ways....

.....Kasich has long complained about the so-called "headwinds from Washington," but what was learned from last Tuesday's elections is that more and more voters attribute those headwinds to GOP forces that have sought to undermine the White House at every turn. The disapproval rating for Republicans in general and the Tea Party in particular, have given renewed hope to Democrats that they can retake the U.S. The house next year, which if Democrats can retain their majority in the Senate would deliver a death blow to the GOP as a party and to many of its outspoken spokesman, like Gov. Kasich, who ran and won with the help of Tea Party activists in 2010 but who now find themselves in disfavor as the nation struggles to move forward from a Great Recession caused in large part by debts and deficits run up under Republicans when they controlled the White House and Congress for years under President George W. Bush.....

As the Examiner article notes, Ohio is 44th in job growth.

Kasich and his Republicans are out of touch with the American people.  The Republican Party has  spent much of the time trying to harm the poor, deny health care for the uninsured, attacking women's reproductive rights, and denying children a proper, strong education. These are not positive steps. The Republicans and their draconian ideas may have been popular several centuries ago, but we need progress.

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

Ohio's charter schools are performing far below traditional public schools. As Plunderbund points out, the Republicans who've written the laws and rules concerning charters have exempted them from certain educational requirements. Every teacher, parent, and public school advocate should read the entire article at Plunderbund. Here is a sample-----


....Last year, the Ohio Legislative Service Commission (LSC), a nonpartisan agency that provides drafting, fiscal, research, training, and other technical services to the General Assembly, published a brief titled Education Laws and Community Schools.  In that brief, they document over 150 references to Ohio Revised Code that don’t apply to charters, but which all public school districts must follow.
On the opening page of the brief, the LSC states it simply:
Community schools are exempt from many of the education laws of the state...

I only have two words for that ---- Holy cow! This article explains why charters are doing so poorly--- they are exempt from the same requirements and guidelines used in traditional public schools. 

Friday, November 08, 2013

Note This!!!!


Plunderbund has more info on how the Springboro voters tossed out some of the tea party members on their school board.

*  Hungry children cannot learn. Someone needs to tell that to a school district in Texas. Check out the circumstances where a child was denied breakfast: Raw Story.

* The Republican shutdown of the government was disastrous on many levels. Those responsible should never hold public office again. The shutdown cost us over $2 billion, according to the MinnPost.

>>> In a letter to the editor of the Newark Advocate, the writer notes a lack of any "...significant piece of legislation ever produced by Pat Tiberi...."

This is true. Tiberi is great at parades and speaking in front of special groups, but he rarely speaks in front of regular people (unless they are members of the Chamber of Commerce or the county GOP).
Personally, I've always viewed Pat Tiberi as someone that just follows Boehner's orders.

Wednesday, November 06, 2013

News from Ohio


Here are some of yesterday's election results in Ohio---

Dispatch:

....Westerville: Voters in Westerville opted for fresh faces, too, by electing Nancy Nestor-Baker, Tracy Davidson and Rick Vilardo. The only incumbent, Kevin Hoffman, lost his bid for his fourth term. A slate of three candidates led by Westerville Tea Party President Jim Burgess was unsuccessful....

...Olentangy: Incumbents Julie Feasel and Dave King beat out conservative challengers Katy Barricklow and Brian Helwig.....

> The parents, students, and teachers of Springboro schools have some good news this morning.

 WYSO:

Voters in Springboro have decided to change the course on the conservative policies in place at the Springboro School district. The school board has been at the center of controversy over the past several years.

The Springboro School Board has been criticized over it discussion of hot-button topics, like teaching creationism in the classroom, and offering classes on the constitution which critics said had religious overtones. Tuesdays election of Ron Malone, Charles Anderson, and Dave Stuckey dismantles the majority of the conservatives on the school board, and changes the direction of the district....

....Malone, Stuckey and Anderson beat out the more conversative opponents, David Bittner and Kolton Vaughan. Two remaining conservative members, Jim Regano and David Petroni, remain on the school board.  

Bittner and Vaughan had been supported by Tea Party activist, Kelly Kohls. Kohls remains on the board.

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

*** The Plain Dealer has some very interesting news about Republicand U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci and Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel.

PlainDealer:

Congressman Jim Renacci wrote a 2011 letter to Ohio Gov. John Kasich on behalf of Suarez Corporation Industries about the same time the company's employees made $90,000 in questionable donations to Renacci's re-election campaign.

The Wadsworth Republican’s letter urged Kasich to contact California Gov. Jerry Brown to intervene in a legal dispute that Suarez, a North Canton direct marketing company, was having in California....

....Ohio Treasurer Mandel did not share Kasich’s misgivings about acting on Suarez’ behalf, records released by his office show. Mandel sent Renacci a letter on March 21, 2011 that urged him to introduce the legislation sought by Suarez....

Read the entire article and see the relevant documents associated with the investigation at this PlainDealer link.
•••••

WOSU notes that the Ohio Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the case concerning Gov. Kasich's pet project, JobsOhio.


*** The pro-SB5, anti-union mayor of Toledo has been voted out of office. The ToledoBlade has the news on why Mayor Mike Bell lost his re-election campaign.

The race was watched closely statewide because of the Ohio Democratic Party’s stated goal of turning Mr. Bell out of office because of his close relationship with Republican Gov. John Kasich.
Read more at http://www.toledoblade.com/Politics/2013/11/06/Collins-bounces-Bell.html#5L6ySAhDLPFk4dcd.99

Sunday, November 03, 2013

Did you miss it?


The Columbus Dispatch ran a news items they probably hoped that you wouldn't notice about the recent investment from the Ohio State University. If you live in Ohio, you should know how some people are investing your money. Your tax dollars help support state universities, and your money is going to someone with connections to Gov. John Kasich.

Dispatch:

Ohio State’s chief investment officer argued against investing the university’s money with a Midwest-focused investment fund run by Mark Kvamme, the former leader of Gov. John Kasich’s JobsOhio program.

In a March memo released yesterday, Jonathan Hook, chief investment officer, said Kvamme’s Drive Capital proposal “is still very much unproven at this stage. The fund hasn’t demonstrated proof-of-concept, doesn’t offer (redacted) the historical track record, and carries a variety of other risks and unknowns. In summary, it does not meet our traditional underwriting standards and risk/return criteria.”

....Yesterday afternoon, Ohio State University released more than 100 pages of records — many of them heavily redacted — that had been requested by The Dispatch and others about the $50 million the university pledged to Drive Capital in July....

Why would Ohio State go against the advice of their investment officer? Why did they make a massive investment that, according to the Dispatch article, most of these types of investments are usually at a lower amount? Why is Ohio State investing with someone with ties to Gov. John Kasich?  Are other friend of John Kasich's getting investment money from other state universities or other agencies in the state? Does anyone else remember the last Republican scandal "Coingate" and how our tax money was invested in coins, Beanie Babies, and other items?

There also is an earlier article about the investment at this Dispatch link.

Friday, November 01, 2013

News to Use


The Toledo Blade has done some investigative reporting about the money given out for job development.  In a series of articles, the Toledo Blade has unmasked some of the failures of funding job development in Ohio.

ToledoBlade:
 ....Three years after it received almost $3 million from the state of Ohio, Buckeye Silicon has failed to launch....

ToledoBlade:
The state of Ohio has little idea whether the loans and grants it awards to businesses actually spur job growth,.....

Take a few minutes to read the articles and stay informed about how our tax money is being spent.


* State Rep. Matt Lynch (OH-R) has come out against any compensation to the kidnapped victims of Ariel Castro. ABC News has the detail.  If you recall, Matt Lynch was the lawmaker that made of fool of himself when he appeared on MSNBC-TV.


In the case of Willard & Kelsey Solar Group, a defunct Perrysburg solar-panel manufacturer that received $10 million in state loans, the state was unaware the firm laid off its staff in January, 2012. Willard & Kelsey’s 2011 annual report, which was filed with the state in May, 2012, stated the firm had 59 employees as of December, 2010.
Read more at http://www.toledoblade.com/State/2013/10/27/State-does-little-to-track-jobs-from-loans.html#04jHVirpRwfBBm0P.99
In the case of Willard & Kelsey Solar Group, a defunct Perrysburg solar-panel manufacturer that received $10 million in state loans, the state was unaware the firm laid off its staff in January, 2012. Willard & Kelsey’s 2011 annual report, which was filed with the state in May, 2012, stated the firm had 59 employees as of December, 2010.

Read more at http://www.toledoblade.com/State/2013/10/27/State-does-little-to-track-jobs-from-loans.html#04jHVirpRwfBBm0P.99
Republican Gov. John Kasich and the General Assembly eliminated the Ohio Department of Development and created the downsized Development Services Agency in September, 2012. Some of the work that was performed by the former Department of Development is now conducted in private by JobsOhio, a nonprofit agency created by legislators to drive economic development.
Read more at http://www.toledoblade.com/State/2013/10/27/State-does-little-to-track-jobs-from-loans.html#04jHVirpRwfBBm0P.99
Republican Gov. John Kasich and the General Assembly eliminated the Ohio Department of Development and created the downsized Development Services Agency in September, 2012. Some of the work that was performed by the former Department of Development is now conducted in private by JobsOhio, a nonprofit agency created by legislators to drive economic development.
Read more at http://www.toledoblade.com/State/2013/10/27/State-does-little-to-track-jobs-from-loans.html#04jHVirpRwfBBm0P.99

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Most Qualified?????


Here we go again! Gov. John Kasich has made another appointment to his administration.

StateImpact:

The Ohio Department of Education’s teacher liaison has been promoted to senior policy advisor, a top post at the agency.
Sarah Dove, 33, has a long association with Gov. John Kasich. She was a production assistant for his Fox News program Heartland with John Kasich. The program ran from 2001 to 2007.....

...Her promotion to senior policy advisor came with a raise of about $38,000, bringing her salary to about $89,500, according to state administrative records.....

Here is the kicker from the StateImpact article:

...Dove worked on Kasich’s 2010 gubernatorial campaign and was publicly critical of teacher unions in the months leading up to the successful campaign to repeal Senate Bill 5....

Wow! She has five years of teaching and now she is a "senior policy advisor"!!!!!  Miss Dove and Kyle Farmer (an Ohio GOP county chairperson) ran the small "Teachers for Kasich" group. It is absolutely amazing that this friend of John Kasich's is the most qualified person in the entire state of Ohio!!!  Wow! 

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Be Informed


Has Gov. John Kasich created jobs in Ohio? He says he has. Unfortunately, many of the jobs he has created are minimum wage jobs with limited hours, and the layoffs are still happening (see ODJFS WarnPage). Kasich is still several hundred thousand jobs behind of total employment in the state. Although Kasich may have expanded Medicaid by going through the State Controlling Board, his anti-women's rights stand has been horrible. Poor women across the state are finding health care clinics being closed and less access to women's gynecological medical help. 

>>>>  The people that brought you SB 5, are still active in Ohio. The Americans For Prosperity group has offices across Ohio. AFP and their supporters will continue to push Ohio into the right-to-work column. If Ohio re-elects Kasich, legislation like SB 5 will be pushed by the Republicans and their anti-union, anti-worker rights, supporters. (See news from May 2013.)

**** How are some of Ohio's elected officials helping women? Check out the PPAction website to see the Thanks for Sen. Sherrod Brown and the Spanks for Rep. Steve Stivers: PPAction.


Monday, October 28, 2013

Westerville Schools


Westerville Public Schools School Board is being targeted by the Ohio Tea Party. Kelly Kohls of the Springboro School Board has recruited teams of tea party members to run for school positions.

Plunderbund:

Ohio Tea Party activists have set their sights on controlling local school boards around the state, and they are doing it through deceptive marketing campaigns, claiming to care about “students.”   Many are following the lead of Springboro’s Kelly Kohls......

....The ticket is headed up by Westerville Tea Party director Jim Burgess, one of the leaders of an effort to overturn the Westerville school levy passed by voters last year.   
WSF_Preso_14
The plan, promoted on their website, calls for cutting school funding by opposing school levies, then reprioritizing spending for the remaining money.    A fancy pyramid graphic shows the order in which things will be cut, starting with teacher benefits and reimbursements for things like classroom supplies.
Support services go next, and then sports, food service and busing.....

Parents, students, and teachers need to spread the word about this radical plan from the Ohio Tea Party and Kelly Kohls.

If you like Ted Cruz and enjoyed the government shutdown orchestrated by the Republican Tea Party, then you'll love watching the destruction of your public schools.

Is your neighborhood next?


A few weeks ago, the administration of Gov. John Kasich forced the resignation of the water safety expert in the Ohio EPA. Now it appears that a "poop pond" is being constructed in Pickaway County even though the residents of the area were never informed.

Dispatch:

....The 12-foot-deep lagoon would hold 10 million gallons of sewage sludge, animal manure, food waste and other materials to be converted into fertilizer. It would be constructed to prevent groundwater contamination, EPA officials said....

...An Ohio EPA spokeswoman said no public hearing was required because the proposed lagoon does not threaten waterways. Scioto Township has no authority to approve or block the project because the site is properly zoned.....

....The sludge would be imported from the company’s facility along Jackson Pike on the South Side that converts Columbus sewage-plant sludge and other waste into natural gas. The Ohio EPA has cited the company’s plant twice since 2011 for odor violations.

What could go wrong? Are there any wells in the area? What kinds of insects and parasites could be attracted to such a facility? A similar plan for Pittsfield Township was stopped earlier this year, according to the Chronicle-Telegram:

"....a Pittsfield Township zoning inspector issued a cease-and-desist order alleging that the lagoon was not permitted by township zoning rules...."

What other kinds of projects are being kept away from the public by the Kasich administration?

*** Citizens are finding fault with the fact that Republican Rep. Steve Stivers and Rep. Pat Tiberi did nothing for 16 days to end the government shutdown. A letter to the editor of the Dispatch notes:
 

....Boehner, of course, is culpable for not allowing a vote, but if the discharge petition was a way out, at least 17 Republican House members are blameworthy for sitting on their hands for 16 days, and Hallett's version of events — “Republican Reps. Pat Tiberi of Genoa Township and Steve Stivers of Upper Arlington stood up to the bullies and voted to end the shutdown” — is misleading, at best.

They waited until our economy was $24 billion in the hole and their party's reputation was clearly headed south, to vote to end it. That's “standing up to the bullies?” Please.

“Moderate Republicans” such as Tiberi and Stivers have a credibility problem as long as they allow their radical brethren to run amok. And bringing the U.S. economy to the brink, for something you can't win anyway, is running amok.....

Stivers and Tiberi did nothing for 16 days.  Both men harp about the national debt, but in this case, their silence racked up another $24 billion.

As a result, a Pittsfield Township zoning inspector issued a cease-and-desist order alleging that the lagoon was not permitted by township zoning rules.
In addition, 43 Pittsfield Township residents and their attorney, Gerald Phillips, filed an appeal with the Ohio EPA in January asking that the EPA revoke its permit that was granted to French Creek BioEnergy, a sub-company of Quasar.
They allege that the company provided the EPA with incorrect coordinates and misleading information when the company applied for a permit to build the lagoon.
- See more at: http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2013/05/01/waste-lagoon-plan-flushed/#sthash.V31assE7.dpuf
As a result, a Pittsfield Township zoning inspector issued a cease-and-desist order alleging that the lagoon was not permitted by township zoning rules.
In addition, 43 Pittsfield Township residents and their attorney, Gerald Phillips, filed an appeal with the Ohio EPA in January asking that the EPA revoke its permit that was granted to French Creek BioEnergy, a sub-company of Quasar.
They allege that the company provided the EPA with incorrect coordinates and misleading information when the company applied for a permit to build the lagoon.
- See more at: http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2013/05/01/waste-lagoon-plan-flushed/#sthash.V31assE7.dpu

As a result, a Pittsfield Township zoning inspector issued a cease-and-desist order alleging that the lagoon was not permitted by township zoning rules.
In addition, 43 Pittsfield Township residents and their attorney, Gerald Phillips, filed an appeal with the Ohio EPA in January asking that the EPA revoke its permit that was granted to French Creek BioEnergy, a sub-company of Quasar.
They allege that the company provided the EPA with incorrect coordinates and misleading information when the company applied for a permit to build the lagoon.
- See more at: http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2013/05/01/waste-lagoon-plan-flushed/#sthash.V31assE7.dpuf

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Ormet Job Losses


A letter to the editor of the TimesLeaderonline, puts the blame for job losses at the feet of Gov. John Kasich:

....As a Congressman John Kasich voted to outsources our jobs to China. As our Governor, Kasich is responsible for Ormet's closure and he has done nothing to bring back steel jobs in the valley.

Governor Kasich has tried to say that their is an Ohio "Miracle" when it comes to Ohio's economy. 
He and his friends at JobsOhio have tried to convince Ohioans that the economy is turning around. My question to governor is where was the Miracle when it came to saving the jobs at Ormet?

Recently the Ormet CEO in an interview stated that Governor Kasich would not meet with him or discuss saving the 1,000 jobs at Ormet. If Ormet sat on Kasich JobsOhio Board or the executive at Ormet had been campaign contributors to the governor would Ormet still be operating? And we all know John Kasich's record when it comes to Unions. It is no secret that Governor Kasich hates unions, if Ormet was a non union company would the governor had intervened on their behalf?...


Why has the governor been so selective where the JobsOhio development money went? Why have some companies received tax credits/money while others were denied? Does Gov. Kasich only respect corporate leaders that are part of his closed circle of friends?  Did Kasich refuse to intervene because the Ormet jobs involved union workers?

If Kasich is re-elected, he and his Republican supporters will try to disenfranchise workers again. The next time it won't be SB5, it will be even worse. If Kasich didn't show respect to the hardwork of the steelworkers at Ormet, do you really think he respects your work?

We've seen that Republicans in Congress brought this country close to total economic collapse. Kasich, the GOP, and his corporate supporters are more interested in corporate profits than the economic safety of the men and women in Ohio.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Where are the jobs?


Gov. John Kasich claims that he has brought thousands of jobs back to Ohio, but this is not the case. Gov. Ted Strickland preceded Kasich as the Governor of Ohio. In the fall of 2008, Lehman Brothers collapsed along with Wall Street. People lost jobs, homes, and retirement funds. Ohio also lost jobs, but, according to the graph below, has not regained them all. Despite the millions of dollars given away to corporations by JobsOhio to bring jobs to Ohio, the state has yet to see the full employment promised by Kasich.

This is a graph from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Ohio employment:




Tea Party Likes Gridlock???


In an article published in this morning's edition of USA Today, a Tea Party leader reveals future plans --- the farm bill and more gridlock.  USA Today:

"We think gridlock is a good thing," said Diane Cox, a Tea Party activist from Valdosta, Ga., who is one of 6,000 Heritage Action "sentinels" who pushed to defund the Affordable Care Act and is closely watching developments on the farm bill. "It's called the balance of powers."

...After rejecting an earlier version of the farm bill in June, the GOP-led House broke the legislation into two pieces, first approving a chunk that dealt with farm subsidies along with other agriculture policies and then passing the food-stamp portion. The House-passed bill cuts food stamps by roughly $40 billion during the next decade, dropping benefits to 3 million people.

The Senate measure cuts far less from food stamps — about $4 billion over 10 years....

It is apparent that the Republicans and their Tea Party puppet masters are hell-bent on destroying the government and allowing more people to go hungry.  With the Republican budget committee being chaired by Rep. Paul "Social Security is a Ponzi scheme" Ryan, Democrats will need to stand strong against further disruptions to our government, cuts to Social Security, and attempts to end Affordable Health Care.

Tea Party members and their Republican friends don't like progress, innovation, science, or caring for the poor and elderly. Republicans and their Tea Party pals have demonstrated their inability to work with a majority of the American people. It is time to let them join the unemployment line.
 

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Leadership Lacking from GOP


The lack of leadership from Ohio Gov. John Kasich has caused the loss of hundreds of jobs in Ohio. An example of the bumbling from Kasich's office is the layoffs from the Ormet plant. Plunderbund has details on how Kasich and his administration did little to save the jobs and continues to look for someone else to blame. You can read the entire Kasich job disaster at Plunderbund.  You do have to wonder if Kasich failed to do anything because of his deep dislike of union workers, like those at Ormet. No matter how you look at it, Kasich has failed to restore the jobs lost in the last recession.  The state continues to lose jobs.

•  •  •  •  •

The House vote on October 16th (Roll Call Vote 550) lists the following members of the House from Ohio as voting against the legislation to open the government and raise the debt ceiling: Chabot, Gibbs, Johnson, Jordan, Latta, Renacci, Turner, Wenstrup. The lack of leadership on the part of John Boehner has been an embarrassment to the state. It is time for Ohioans to throw these bums out of office and vote for elected officials that will move us forward.

Friday, October 18, 2013

Write Down These Names


The recent shutdown by the Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives reportedly cost our economy $24 Billion.  The most upsetting part of the entire action by the GOP was that they gambled on our country's economic future.  They were willing to let the U.S. go into default, collapse our economy, put millions of people out of work, shutdown Social Security, deny payments to our disabled veterans, and ruin our country's economic reputation in the world just so that could stop people from getting health care. The GOP seems to dislike our President, not because of his policies, but because of the color of his skin. The Republicans showed that they have become a party of radicals that want to destroy our government and our American culture.

When an agreement finally emerged in the Senate, it was one put together by female U.S. Senators. After the legislation passed the Senate, it was set for a vote in the House of Representatives. Knowing that the entire country's future rested on their vote, some Republicans still voted against the legislation to open the government.  The House vote on October 16th (Roll Call Vote 550) lists the following members of the House as voting against the legislation to open the government and raise the debt ceiling: (those highlighted in yellow are from Ohio)

---- NAYS    144 ---

Aderholt
Amash
Amodei
Bachmann
Barr
Barton
Bentivolio
Bishop (UT)
Black
Blackburn
Brady (TX)
Bridenstine
Brooks (AL)
Broun (GA)
Bucshon
Burgess
Campbell
Carter
Cassidy
Chabot
Chaffetz
Collins (GA)
Collins (NY)
Conaway
Culberson
Denham
DeSantis
DesJarlais
Duffy
Duncan (SC)
Duncan (TN)
Ellmers
Farenthold
Fincher
Fleischmann
Fleming
Flores
Forbes
Foxx
Franks (AZ)
Garrett
Gibbs
Gingrey (GA)
Gohmert
Goodlatte
Gosar
Gowdy
Granger
Graves (GA)
Graves (MO)
Griffith (VA)
Hall
Harris
Hartzler
Hensarling
Holding
Hudson
Huelskamp
Huizenga (MI)
Hultgren
Hunter
Hurt
Johnson (OH)
Johnson, Sam
Jones
Jordan
King (IA)
Kingston
Labrador
LaMalfa
Lamborn
Lankford
Latta
Long
Lucas
Luetkemeyer
Lummis
Marchant
Marino
Massie
McCaul
McClintock
Meadows
Messer
Mica
Miller (FL)
Miller (MI)
Mullin
Mulvaney
Neugebauer
Noem
Nugent
Nunnelee
Olson
Palazzo
Pearce
Perry
Petri
Pitts
Poe (TX)
Pompeo
Posey
Price (GA)
Radel
Reed
Renacci
Rice (SC)
Roby
Roe (TN)
Rogers (AL)
Rohrabacher
Rokita
Rooney
Ross
Rothfus
Royce
Ryan (WI)
Salmon
Sanford
Scalise
Schweikert
Scott, Austin
Sensenbrenner
Sessions
Smith (MO)
Smith (TX)
Southerland
Stewart
Stockman
Stutzman
Thornberry
Turner
Wagner
Walberg
Walden
Walorski
Weber (TX)
Wenstrup
Westmoreland
Williams
Wilson (SC)
Woodall
Yoder
Yoho
 
 
 
 
 
These people should be voted out of office! 

*  Republican Sen. Ted Cruz might be very popular in Texas, but some strong Republicans in Ohio and across the nation are vowing to never, ever support him for higher office. His self-promoting  crusade nearly destroyed our country.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

We Won't Forget!


A new poll has some bad numbers for the Tea Party Republicans.

TalkingPointsMemo:




Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Shutdown Fallout in Ohio


* Many people have been furloughed because of the Republicans shutdown of the federal government. Ohio has been especially hit.

Dispatch:

...A report released yesterday by Policy Matters Ohio, a Cleveland-based nonprofit research group, said the shutdown has affected everything from tourism to the state’s safety net.

“What started as a catastrophe for federal workers and their families has spread to start to impact communities, and it’s creeping into the labor market as people lose their services,” said Wendy Patton, who wrote the report. “It’s a spiraling effect, and the longer it lasts, the worse it hits people.”

Her report found effects as disparate as delayed infrastructure projects in northeastern Ohio to a growing backlog of Federal Housing Administration loans. The state has more than 75,800 federal employees, but about 43 percent are employed by the military, where most furloughs have already been reversed....

Ohio voters need to remember this disaster cooked up by the Republicans!

* * * * *

> In case you need a reminder, here is a list of Ohio Republicans that voted to defund the Affordable Care law (aka Obamacare)- Dispatch:

House conservatives today formally launched the opening salvo in what promises to become a to-the-wire brawl over the President’s signature health care law and the budget — one that could result in the government partially shutting down for the first time since 1996.
By a vote of 230-189, the House passed a spending bill that will continue to keep the government open. The catch? It would also strip money from President Barack Obama’s health care law.

Reps. Pat Tiberi, R-Genoa Township, Mike Turner, R-Dayton, Jim Jordan, R-Urbana, Bob Gibbs, R-Lakeville, Bill Johnson, R-Marietta and Steve Stivers, R-Upper Arlington, all supported the bill that passed yesterday....


Even if these Republicans claim that they didn't support closing the government, their vote pushed the country in that direction.

- - - - - -

* Americans have become disgusted at the antics of the Republicans in the House of Representatives in the shutdown of the government. Speaker of the House John Boehner is viewed by many as weak and ineffective, especially in his inability to push back the radicals in his party.  There are people that are advising Boehner. In a post at YahooNews, the National Journal lists those that are part of Boehner's closest confidants:


...Reps. Tom Latham of Iowa, Pat Tiberi of Ohio, and Mike Simpson of Idaho—House veterans, but not household names—are on the list. Notably absent are Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy of California, both of whom are allies but also represent rival power centers in the famously fractious chamber....

...there remains no official membership list. And if there was one, says LaTourette, there would be layers to it.

For instance, he named Tiberi, Simpson, Latham, and Sens. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia and Richard Burr of North Carolina, both former representatives. Boehner also counts on Rep. Greg Walden of Oregon, his appointed National Republican Campaign Committee chairman, and Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, the previous NRCC chairman and now Rules Committee chairman, to advise him about the political scene. And there is Boehner’s “Ohio Mafia,” including Reps. Steve Stivers and Bob Latta.

Beyond these members, LaTourette, lawmakers, and aides also list Reps. Charles Boustany of Louisiana; Doc Hastings of Washington; Frank Lucas of Oklahoma; Frank LoBiondo of New Jersey; and Michael McCaul and Sam Johnson of Texas. There are also newer members, such as Rep. Rick Crawford of Arkansas.....

Steve Stivers? Pat Tiberi? Bob Latta? Do you know what is missing? There is not one elected female member of the House in Boehner's inner circle, and not one member of a minority.

You might notice that Boehner tries to include Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers in every news conference or photo op, but clearly she is not part of the group advising Boehner--- she is just there for the picture.