Republicans

> Some of us already knew this about Ohio's charter schools.
Lancaster Eagle Gazette:

Seven in 10 Ohio charter schools wouldn’t make the grade under the state’s new school rating system, which will replace ambiguous terms with an A-to-F scale.

The new rating system, signed by Republican Gov. John Kasich in December, measures school performance based on a variety of factors from test scores and third-grade reading skills to closing achievement gaps and graduation rates.

An Ohio Department of Education simulation of how schools would perform showed 72 percent of charter schools would receive a F for not meeting 75 percent proficiency on state tests. That’s compared with 6 percent of school districts and 21 percent of traditional buildings that would receive failing grades....

Even though charter schools are failing, Gov. John Kasich wants to give them more money. What else can you expect from the Kasich budget? With looming layoffs in Cincinnati in safety forces, Ohioans should expect further layoffs in their own towns.

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Republican Rep. Steve Chabot describes his views of compromise----no new taxes, but concessions from Democrats on Social Security and Medicare. Philly.com has the details.

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It is hard to see how the Republican Party is succeeding with their outreach to Latino voters when then have someone like Rep. Don Young of Alaska. Young's comments about immigrants employed as farm workers shows that some people in the GOP just are not open to welcoming everyone to their party. The Guardian Express has details on GOP Rep. Don Young's remarks.

Some Bad News

* Ohioans might not know that their state has a rather disgusting ranking.  According to
HuffingtonPost Ohio is one of the six worst states for children being raised by parents of the same sex. You can read how Ohio treats some families and their children at HuffPost.

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* The future of Cincinnati's first responders is being endangered by Gov. John Kasich's budget. The truth is, citizens across the state should look at the events in Cincinnati as a possibility for their own communities.

Plunderbund:

According to CityBeat.com, Cincinnati City Manager Milton Dohoney Jr. blamed a loss of $22.2 million in revenues in the City’s 2013 budget on Kasich’s local government cuts. Policy Matters estimates the City lost $40.7 million in state funding in fiscal years 2012 and 2013.....

.... Dohoney recently told City Beat that 344 city employees could lose their jobs – “including 80 firefighter and 189 police positions.” Today, according to City Beat reporter German Lopez, the plan will take effect immediately:

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The loss of police and firefighters will impact their families, and the communities they serve. Gov. Kasich's budget cuts are destroying our communities, our safety, and our schools.

Send them an email....

It is time for some civic action-----

* One of Gov. John Kasich's biggest supporters, State Rep. Mike Duffey, is seeking your views on the governor's budget (see ThisWeek). Duffey, who actually had Kasich campaign with him, also supported SB 5/Issue 2, and JobsOhio. The Kasich budget, which makes more cuts to communities, public schools, etc., certainly appears to be unfriendly to human beings in Ohio.

Please let Mike Duffey hear from you about how you feel about Duffey's total adoration of Kasich's pro-business, anti-middle class agenda.
  Mike Duffey
  Phone (614) 644-6030
  Fax      (614) 719-6960
Email Representative Duffey

Duffey needs to hear from his constituents.

>>>  Just when you thought that the Republicans were trying to work together, Boehner now wants to reopen future budget negotiations by trying to cut Social Security and Medicare.  The NY Times has the latest from Boehner.

The JobsOhio Saga Continues...

Today we have another article about Ohio Gov. John Kasich's JobsOhio funding controversy.

Examiner:

The mostly private job creation engine Ohio Governor John Kasich has fought so hard to create, made possible through the sale of state liquor profits far into the future, has yet to fire on all cylinders even though it's been more than two years since it was the first order of business of a new Republican governor and a friendly GOP legislature....

...From his first on the job, Gov. Kasich has been adamant in his belief that Ohio's formerly public development department should be private and off limits to public scrutiny so it can act at the "speed of business" instead of the "speed of statute." Speed is good, public prying is bad, according to Team Kasich.

While this kind of talk may sound good in the editorial board room of the Wall Street Journal or Forbes Magazine or even at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, an event Ohio's CEO-style governor attended this year, it may turn out to haunt him going forward if Ohio voters come to believe what Ohio Democrats want them to believe, namely, that the razzle dazzle of Gov. Kasich's private JobsOhio group is really ripping them off. Nobody likes to be ripped off, especially hard-working Ohioans, many of whom continue to struggle to keep a roof over their head, food on the table and hopes high enough to see their lot improving in the near future. 

While Kasich and his hand-picked members of JobsOhio spent millions of dollars on salaries, travel, office supplies, remodeling, top-of-the-line furnishings, and even a coffee bar, Ohio taxpayers have been left in the dark.  We don't know how much money was given to companies, how many jobs that money created, what agreements were made, and the length of those agreements. We have the right to know.

More on JobsOhio and Kasich's Tax Plan

* Today, the Kasich administration turned over the financial records of JobsOhio to State Auditor David Yost. The super secret, coffee bar owning, public private agency, which spent $67,000 on office supplies last year (source: IO), will finally comply with a subpoena from the State Auditor, according to Cincinnati.com.

Wouldn't you want to know how much it cost JobsOhio to install that fancy, schmancy, expensive-looking coffee bar? (See the pic at the IO link above). I doubt that the employees of JobsOhio would be forced to drink coffee from a $19.99 coffee maker!

>>>>  Gov. John Kasich is hearing more opposition about his tax plan, and this time it is from the big shots at the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.

Cleveland.com:

In yet another sign that Gov. John Kasich's tax plan faces trouble, one of his major allies on Tuesday testified against it. 

The Ohio Chamber of Commerce, which in 2010 broke with its 117-year tradition of remaining neutral in the governor's race to back Kasich, took aim at his plan to broaden the sales-tax base....

....Legal, public relations, accounting, entertainment and architectural services are just few of those that would be taxed the under the plan....


Of course, the Chamber of Commerce is protecting businesses, and not the middle class working people of Ohio.  There appears to be no one in the Republican Party or in their rich campaign contributor business groups/PACS that will go to the mat to speak for the middle class. The Kasich friends and supporters just don't care about us. 

Young Voters

* Hey! Are you a voter under the age of 35? The Republican Party is hoping that you don't notice a few things about their organization. 

A research project authorized by the Republican Party has been reported by Raw Story:

“For the GOP to appeal to younger voters, we do not have to agree on every issue, but we do need to make sure young people do not see the Party as totally intolerant of alternative points of view,” the report said. “Already, there is a generational difference within the conservative movement about issues involving the treatment and the rights of gays — and for many younger voters, these issues are a gateway into whether the Party is a place they want to be.”

The document suggested that the party would not budge on its opposition to same sex marriage and other LGBT rights, but “that does not mean we cannot come together on the rest of the issues where we do agree.”

On Sunday, Priebus told CBS News that he was focusing on cosmetic changes like having less debates, earlier conventions, “hackathons” and year round “marketing.”


The Republican Party will remain the same intolerant group of rich white guys, but they will try not to talk about abortion, marriage equality, equal pay for women, improving public education, rights for workers, increasing the minimum wage, or other hot topics. They will put lipstick on a pig with glitzy celebrity endorsements, flashy ads, pretty pictures of children and puppies all in hopes that you can be easily convinced that the Republican Party really cares.  Will you buy into their b.s.?

Standing Against Kasich

*** There are more people speaking up against the agenda of Ohio Gov. John Kasich, and that includes Republicans.

Cincinnati notes that several big shots in the Ohio GOP have voiced their resistance to the Kasich budget and tax plans. Problems might be  exacerbated by the fact that Gov. Kasich just doesn't like hearing opposing views.


As more individuals and groups report their opposition to tax cuts for the rich, tax cuts for businesses, an increase in sales tax, it appears that Ohioans have just about had enough of John Kasich's right wing, penalize the poor, right wing agenda.

>>>> Why isn't Republican Rep. Steve Stivers complaining about cuts to veterans' education benefits under the sequester? Steve Stivers is whining about the fact that the President has cut tours of the White House to save money.  Touring the White House is a frivolous activity, but getting our vets the education benefits they deserve is more important. Get a grip, Stivers and Republicans!

Where have all the right wing nuts gone?

The right wing, conservative, "protect the rich" crowd, birthers, and failed candidates have all turned up at the CPAC meeting.  They've got Orly Taitz, Coulter, McCain, Palin, Santorum, Mitt, Rand (freedom for him, but not for you) Paul, and a guy that owes his career to re-doing Little Richard's songs---Pat Boone.  What a bunch of fools!  They are all legends in their own minds.

What is important?

It doesn't matter that poor children will lose Head Start access, our military can't get tuition assistance, or that there have been cutbacks in schools/communities/safety services ---the Republicans want the White House tours back! Wah! Wah! Wah!
Huffington Post has the details.

> Sen. Rob Portman (OH-R) has changed his opinion on the right of same sex individuals to marry. Read the Dispatch for details.

The Man Behind the Recording

* Tonight MSNBC's Ed Schultz program had an interview with the man that recorded the Romney 47% remarks. Ed's guest was Scott Prouty, the bartender that was tending bar at the Romney fundraising event where the remarks were made.  Scott Prouty is an honorable man who bravely exposed the Romney agenda.  If you missed it, visit the Ed Show link at MSNBC.

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> Republican Rep. Jeff Duncan posted a picture on his Twitter page of President Obama speaking with Congressional Republicans. Look at Eric Cantor's body language in Duncan's photo:

Cantor is so arrogant and disrespectful.

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* As we all know, Ohio Gov. John Kasich can be a very unkind.  He did it again and this time he pissed off the entire state of Indiana.

The Indy Channel:

...During a speech at the Hamilton County (Ohio) Republican Party's Lincoln-Reagan Day dinner Monday night, Kasich talked up his state, but not without slamming his western neighbors in the process, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported.
 
"This is not Indiana where you go to Indianapolis … and then say, 'Where else are we going to go? Gary?'" he told the crowd.

The newspaper pointed out that it isn't the first time Kasich has dismissed Indiana, jokingly calling Hoosiers "foreigners" in his 2012 State of the State address, and taking a jab at the state in a 2012 New York Times Magazine cover article....

Kasich has already attacked Ohio's own working people, fire fighters, police, teachers, nurses, public school superintendents, state workers, college students, the elderly, just to name a few. Ohioans, unfortunately, have become accustomed to Kasich's mean, uncaring  remarks.

What is the deal?

After his defeat last election day, some of us in Ohio were hoping that Republican Josh Mandel would have stayed out of news and just do his day job.  Unfortunately, it appears that Ohio Treasurer Mandel cannot stay away from the media.

Josh Mandel, the far, far, far right Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in 2012, was soundly defeated by U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, Democrat. Now Mandel, who became the darling of right wingers, just can't stop offering his opinion.

Business First:

Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel and House Speaker William Batchelder spoke out against Gov. John Kasich's proposed severance tax increase on drillers during a meeting of the Ohio Oil and Gas Association, the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

The Republicans join others, including that association's executive vice president, in saying the tax unfairly burdens an industry and scares away investment in a promising economic opportunity in Ohio's Utica shale....

Leave it to Mandel and Batchelder to cry and plead for higher profits for businesses. Neither of these men care about the working men and women of Ohio.

_   _   _

Albert Einstein said, 

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

(source: QuoteWorld)


Someone needs to tell Republican Rep. Paul Ryan that his budget plan to continue to vote again, and again, and again, to repeal the Affordable Care Act, is  insane. In the 112th Congress of the House of Representatives, the Republicans held over 30 votes to repeal the health care legislation. This was a waste of time, and money. Member of the House Republican caucus are not being paid to do the same thing repeatedly. Their jobs are to represent the people and help move this country forward. Unfortunately, Paul Ryan and John Boehner want to move backwards.

Want to lower debt? End the war!

* John Boehner and the Republicans cry crocodile tears for their wealthy contributors, while they dismiss the needs of the poor, the elderly, school children, Social Security, and Medicare recipients. The solution to lowering the debt is simple: end the war and bring our troops home. That would save billions of dollars.

* * *

* An editorial in the Cincinnati.com tells Gov. John Kasich what Ohio's school districts need.....'stable funding':

....data from the Ohio Department of Education’s school funding forms show that total per-pupil state funding from 2009 to 2014 increased from $3,573 to $3,697 – just $122 per student, over five years. 

School leaders say it’s simply not been enough to cover rising utility costs, benefits and even modest salary increases, let alone the cost of implementing the Common Core curriculum or the state’s Third Grade Guarantee....

 ....Money drained to charter schools and vouchers – even from top-performing districts – is compromising basic education....


Gov. Kasich is pushing for an unfunded mandate by demanding his Third Grade Guarantee program but not providing enough money to support it. Could it be that Kasich is setting up the schools for failure on purpose?

The more money given to charter schools, the less money traditional public schools are getting, even though they are educating a majority of Ohio's children. Ohioans want to know why Kasich and the GOP continue to pour our state money into poorly performing charter schools. Our money is being wasted to line the pockets of Kasich's friends that own charter schools.

I'd Like to Know....

*** The political feud between Gov. John Kasich and State Auditor Dave Yost continues. I've never been a fan of Dave Yost's because he tried to stop the vote recount in Delaware County, Ohio, during the 2004 election (see my post at StubbornLiberal). This time I'm glad that Yost is the only Republican standing up against Kasich's power grab.  If the State Auditor can audit agencies, school districts, and other entities, he/she should be able to audit some super secret, backroom, private organization that our tax dollars have invested in without our permission.

As an Ohio taxpayer, I'd like to know....
- Which companies and organizations received money from Kasich's JobsOhio?
- How much did each receive?
- How were recipients of our tax dollars picked?Were there formal applications?
- Did any of these companies/organizations have previous ties, or business with Kasich?
- Did any of the CEO's, individuals, or companies have ties to Lehman Brothers?
- How many of these recipients have contributed campaign money to any politician/GOP?
- Exactly how many jobs have been created with this money? Are these full time jobs?

I'm just a little old lady in central Ohio. The good people of Ohio probably have even more questions than I've suggested. It is time for Kasich to let Ohioans know what is really going on in JobsOhio.

They Want to LOWER the Minimum Wage

* The Republicans and their pals at ALEC want to lower the minimum wage. Can you imagine that? What a stupid, stupid, stupid idea!!!!

Raw Story:

The conservative lobbying group Alec has been behind a major push against the pay rates of low-wage American workers by sponsoring or supporting scores of new laws aimed at weakening their protections, a new survey has found.

Since 2011, politicians backed by the American Legislative Exchange Council, which has hit the headlines for previous campaigns on voting rights and gun laws, have introduced 67 different laws in 25 different states on the issue.

The proposed laws are generally aimed at reducing minimum wage levels, weakening overtime protection or stopping the local creation of minimum wage laws in cities or states. Using language similar to “model bill” templates drafted by Alec, they were put forward by local politicians who are almost always Republican and affiliated with the powerful conservative group.....

Republicans supported by ALEC, the Koch Brothers, and other right wing groups should be aware that the American working men and women will not allow more rights and wages to be taken away so that the Koch Brothers can get wealthier.  Shame on anyone that suggests lowering the minimum wage. We are not going to let the greed of some stop the progress of the American middle class workers.

If you are interested in lists of legislators that have signed onto the ALEC manifesto, visit SourceWatch (Ohio's legislators and those w/ties like Kasich), and ALEC Exposed.

By the way, Pro-Publica has the list of ALEC-related contributions received by elected officials, including Steve Stivers.

Sales Tax Opposition Growing

* Various groups opposed to Gov. John Kasich latest cockamamie idea are getting attention.

BusinessFirst:

The association representing real estate agents in Ohio has joined the list of opponents to Gov. John Kasich’s plan to levy the state’s sales tax to a long list of professional service providers that are involved in operating a brokerage or closing a real estate deal.

The Ohio Association of Realtors’ leadership Wednesday said they would actively resist plans for an extension of the sales tax on sales commissions and real estate transaction-related services under Kasich’s 2014-15 budget bill.

Association CEO Bob Fletcher said the sales tax also would extend to accounting and legal services, commercial office rents, title insurance service fees, appraisals, home inspections and mortgage origination fees....

According to FollowtheMoney, Kasich-Taylor received more than $400,000 from those associated with the real estate industry.  They are a big, powerful group that should not be ignored. Of course, the accountants, lawyers, business people, and others have all voiced their distaste of Kasich expansion of the sales tax.

***  OMG! Julian Bond is on the Colbert Report! Julian Bond was a young man when he participated in the Civil Rights Movement, and worked with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Still More....

Update---

* Is it me or does it seem that Ohio Atty. General Mike DeWine has almost daily news conferences, announcements, ore TV interviews. I've lived in Ohio a long time and I cannot remember any previous office holders in that positions that seem to be such a media hog as DeWine.

>>>>  Politifact has a rating for Speaker of the House John Boehner's latest statement:

....Boehner said that the White House and Democrats in the Senate have no plan to replace the sequester.

He’s wrong on both counts. Obama has a proposal for replacing sequestration cuts with a mix of tax increases and spending cuts. And Senate Democrats have filed a sequester-replacement bill taking a similar approach.

Pants on Fire!

Yep. Boehner is telling a tall tale.


•••••>>> Ohio's police, fire fighters, teachers, and correction officers might have thought that they were safe when SB5/Issue 2 went down, but one must remember that Gov. John Kasich is a vindictive person.  Plunderbund lays out the continued attacks by Kasich to undercut the rights of those in our community that we rely on for our safety, security, and education of our children.  The IAFF, AFL-CIO, FOP, OHEA, AFSCME, the AFT, and others should alert members about Kasich's current budget being considered by the Ohio General Assembly.

Ohio's workers need to work against this budget and against the re=election of Kasich and the Republicans that support it.

>>>> Ohio GOP leader, Bob Bennett, is keeping his word to retire in May, according to 10TV. The person in the lead to replace Bennett is Matt Borges.  Borges does have a little problem in his background. You can read the articles at 10TV and Plunderbund.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reminds Ohioans of Borges and his ties to Joe Deters.

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*** The White House supports unlocking cellphones, according to an article at
USA TODAY:

The Obama administration issued its support Monday to reverse a recently enacted ban on unlocking cellphones, echoing many customers' calls to allow mobile devices to be used across wireless carriers without risking penalties once any contract promise is fulfilled. 

"If you have paid for your mobile device and aren't bound by a service agreement or other obligation, you should be able to use it on another network," wrote R. David Edelman, senior adviser for Internet, innovation and privacy at the White House, on WhiteHouse.gov. 

His response was drafted after the White House received more than 114,000 petitions on its website in support of reversing the ban, which became effective Jan. 26.....

The all powerful cellphone lobby won't support any liberalization because they enjoy the big bucks they keep getting from us.

Crazy Ohio Republicans

Plunderbund has news about some Ohio Republicans that plan legislation that is obviously against the U.S. Constitution.

Plunderbund:

We’re hearing State Rep Ron Hood is is preparing to introduce a version of Kris Jordan’s crazy, anti-law enforcement, unconstitutional gun bill in the Ohio House.

The bill would make it a first degree felony for any law enforcement officer – local, state or federal – to enforce a law that required Ohioans to register a firearm.

The Ohio FOP called the bill “grandstanding” and blatantly unconstitutional.....

Read the entire post at Plunderbund.

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>>> With Gov. John Kasich's budget plan now being examined in the Ohio General Assembly, Ohioans want to know how they would get hit with taxes, and cuts.  The Vindicator explains:

....Included in Kasich’s most recent budget is a proposal to “broaden the sales tax base” and impose taxes on hundreds — if not thousands — of products and services not previously subject to Ohio’s sales tax....

....Of course, Kasich made plenty of promises about how he’d fix everything in the future as he unveiled a new school funding plan. And many superintendents took the governor at his word and believed him. But as the facts about the governor’s education funding plan were released, goodwill turned to pessimism as school administrators began to realize they’d been misled again.

The governor claims he’s fixed Ohio’s school funding formula, and that his state budget will help schools and citizens across our state. So what’s to believe? When in doubt, trust the numbers. Mahoning County schools will continue to receive less money for our children than they did before Gov. Kasich took office. And under Kasich’s tax plan, people making less than $51,000 a year will end up paying more in taxes than they do today.

I guess that explains why some people are using "Taxin' John" as Gov. Kasich new nickname.