Ohio Still Bleeding Jobs

How is it that Gov. John Kasich can't explain why Ohio continues to see job layoffs?

Vindy.com:

Two Ohio House members and the Youngstown City Council president, all Democrats, criticized Republican Gov. John Kasich and JobsOhio for giving a $4.5 million tax credit to a company that is closing its Boardman facility.

In Sunday’s Vindicator, it was reported that JobsOhio, a privatized nonprofit created by Kasich’s administration to run the state’s economic-development efforts, recommended the job creation tax credit that was approved by the Ohio Tax Credit Authority.

The tax credit keeps Verizon in Ohio, but will result in the company closing its Boardman facility, which employs 381, by early next year....

ODJFS-Warn:

Date Rec'd	Company	City/County	Potential Number Affected	Layoff Date(s)	Phone Number	Union	Notice ID
09-26-2013	Capital Senior Living	Canton/Stark	43	11-30-2013	972-770-5600	N/A	006-13-020
09-24-2013	JPMorgan Chase	Cleveland/Cuyahoga	31	09-24-2013	201-595-5230	N/A	003-13-019
09-19-2013	Masco Cabinetry	Jackson/Jackson	186	Unknown	740-286-7731	N/A	007-13-018
09-10-2013	Aramark	Columbus/Franklin	70	11-04-2013	215-238-5927	N/A	011-13-017
09-06-2013	CLM Pallet Recycling	Columbus/Franklin	74	11-01-2013	317-351-6912 ext 102	N/A	011-13-016
08-30-2013	Bank of America	Independence/Cuyahoga	53	10-31-2013	980-387-1524	N/A	003-13-015
08-30-2013	Bank of America	Beachwood/Cuyahoga	997	10-31-2013	980-387-1524	N/A	003-13-014

(Note: this is only a partial list)

How does a company get a tax credit even if they layoff people?  Is this corporate welfare??? Where is the "Ohio job miracle" that Kasich talks about in his speeches?

>>>> Isn't it odd that the government shutdown pushed by Republican John Boehner and other Ohio Republicans will cost local communities millions of dollars per day?

DaytonDailyNews:

If the government shuts down at midnight, it will cost $5 million per day in lost wages throughout the Miami Valley.....


The Republicans that represent western Ohio, John Boehner and Mike Turner, should be blamed for this mess. Boehner, Turner, and the rest of the GOPers don't care about average Americans and the local communities. The Republicans just don't know how to govern.

Tomorrow!

Tomorrow, October 1st, is the first day to sign up for Health Care (ACA) in the U.S.A. If you don't have insurance, you can sign up at www.healthcare.gov/marketplace/individual/ on October 1st. WebMD has a simple introduction on what it means:  wb.md/18Gb6AA

* We had to turn off 60 Minutes last night because Bill O'Reilly was a featured guest. Now he is claiming he gets visited by the Holy Spirit to write his books. We couldn't change the channel fast enough.


* It appears that the Ohio tea party Republicans are not in favor of supporting John Kasich's re-election (WYSO).


* Americans are bracing for the government shut down. The Republicans only confirm their lack of interest helping working people.  Yesterday, #ShutDownTheGOP was trending on Twitter and it was great. If Republicans cannot work with each other and for this country, they need to resign. Boehner and the GOP have been a total failure. Democrats need to take back the House and keep control of the Senate.

Shutdown?

The Republicans always say that they love the military, but a shutdown would stop and delay paychecks to members of the military (WHNT). Pay will be delayed until a budget is passed.
Even our troops deployed overseas won't receive their pay.

As it stands, Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, John Boehner, and the Republicans are holding the country and our economy as hostage. These guys will still receive their paychecks, and their health care. They just don't want the uninsured to receive health insurance.

Why would anyone vote for a Republican knowing how they've treated us, especially our men and women in the military?

Helping Themselves?

Finally, we have some information about the problems at JobsOhio.

Dispatch:

More than a third JobsOhio officials — including six of nine board members — have potential conflicts of interest, the Ohio Ethics Commission disclosed today......


...Besides JobsOhio, possible conflicts also were found at such entities as the Ohio Ballot Board, Ohio Library Board and boards of trustees at Columbus State Community College, and Hocking and Marion technical colleges.
The JobsOhio board members with possible conflicts: Chairman James C. Boland, retired vice chairman of Ernst & Young and former president, CEO and vice chairman of Cavaliers Operating Company; Steven A. Davis, chairman of the board and CEO of Bob Evans Farms Inc.; Gary R. Heminger, president and CEO of Marathon Petroleum Corp.; Lawrence J. Kidd, principal and CEO of Reliable Staffing Services and RSS Professional; Pamela Springer, former CEO of Manta Media; and Brad Lindner, CEO of United Dairy Farmers.....

For the shocking details, read the article at the Columbus Dispatch.

Ohio's job seekers have noticed that most of the jobs being offered in Ohio are part time work with low pay. Are these the kinds of jobs that Kasich and his corporate buddies are creating? It is difficult to make a living on a minimum wage job that you work three days per week! But don't worry. It appears that some people are benefiting from the Kasich administration--- those that were appointed by Kasich.

In the know....

>>>> There is news surrounding the campaign finances of Republicans Josh Mandel and Jim Renacci.

Dispatch:

Contributors for state Treasurer Josh Mandel and U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci, R-Wadsworth, face federal charges that they funneled about $200,000 to the two men’s campaigns for Congress in 2012.

Benjamin Suarez, 72, of Canton, and Michael Giorgio, 61, of Cuyahoga Falls, both of Suarez Corp., a direct-marketing company in North Canton, were named in an eight-count indictment filed yesterday by the U.S. attorney’s office in Cleveland. The money went to the failed bid by Mandel, a Republican, to unseat U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, and to Renacci’s victory over Democrat Betty Sutton in a contest between two U.S. House members.

According to the FBI, Suarez “agreed to” raise $100,000 for a U.S. House campaign and another $100,000 for a U.S. Senate campaign. The indictment does not make clear with whom Suarez is accused of making the agreement....

Very interesting!


* If you want to find out more about the new health care program, be sure to visit HealthCare.gov for general information. The actual sign up begins on October 1st.

* It appears that there are some possible problems in the JobsOhio program.

TheNewsLeader:

The Ohio Ethics Commission is preparing to release details of potential conflicts of interest it has identified among board members, employees and other associates of Gov. John Kasich's (KAY'-sik's) oft-criticized job-creation agency, JobsOhio.

Executive Director Paul Nick said he expects the information to be released Thursday....

We'll see what happens.

* In the meantime, there have been more layoffs posted at the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services Warn Notice page.

****  Will the Republicans shut down the government because of their radicalism and adherence to the wishes to their tea party friends? The GOP isn't afraid of destroying the country to get their way.

Ohio Coal vs. Our Safety

Following the firing of Ohio EPA specialist, George Elmaraghy, the Kasich administration was asked to provide documentation on the political maneuver.   People across Ohio were concerned about why a career employee who was an expert on water safety had been forced to retire.  Democratic State Rep. Debbie Phillips received some materials from the office of Gov. Kasich.

AthensNews:

...Phillips said Wednesday that a lot of documents were included, and her office is currently working on going through them before deciding on the best next course of action.....

....Asked whether those communications confirm Elmaraghy's allegations, Phillips said they include language indicating the industry does not believe certain federal mandates are enforceable.

"Mr. Elmaraghy believes the (state) EPA would not accept permit applications that didn't comply with the federal EPA rules," she said. "And industry officials appeared to want the Ohio EPA to challenge the rules."


Federal law trumps state law. The selfish coal companies are running over Kasich and our environment without regard to our safety and future. This is what happens when political contributions dictate policy.  The PublicCampaignActionFund has more details including this info:

....The mining industry donated $305,165 to Kasich’s 2010 election campaign, according to Public Campaign Action Fund analysis of data from the National Institute on Money in State Politics, accessed through Sunlight Foundation's Influence Explorer. Most of that, $270,000, is directly from coal mining interests....

...The Ohio Coal Association donated just $1,000 to Kasich’s 2010 campaign, but employees at all three companies that approached the governor’s office about the permits donated much more....

...The other top giving coal industry donor is Boich Companies, whose executives (and spouses) gave $135,000 to Kasich’s 2010 campaign....

Wow.  Looks like money talks.

• Ohio's economy is not doing well.  Considering the unemployment rate in Ohio (7.3%) and the state poverty rate (16.3%), it is hard to imagine what another four years of Kasich would do to our lives.

>>>> Plunderbund suggests that you enroll in the new health care program by visiting www.healthcare.gov. Open enrollment starts October 1st.

Numbers

Ohio's unemployment rate has increased and more people are losing jobs.

ColumbusCEO:

The unemployment rate in Ohio ticked higher last month as a broad swath of industries cut jobs, according to state figures released this morning.
The unemployment rate rose to 7.3 percent in August from 7.2 percent in July. The 7.3 percent rate is the highest unemployment rate in more than a year.
The number of unemployed workers rose by 3,000 last month to 419,000, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.......

According to the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services Warn page, another company, Masco Cabinetry, has announced that it will lay off 186 people.  Gov. John Kasich has claimed that there is an "Ohio miracle" happening because of his administration. There is no "miracle" only misery.  Someone is making money, and unfortunately, it is not the people of Ohio. It appears that the only groups profiting from state money being given out by JobsOhio are corporations that promise, but don't deliver the jobs.

Where are the jobs, Gov. Kasich?

The List of Shame

The House of Representatives voted this afternoon to cut $38 billion from the SNAP (food stamp program). The legislation to cut the program to feed the needy and disabled was crafted by the Republicans. Here is the list of those voting to cut food for the poor----

Office of the Clerk Roll Call Vote 476:

Aderholt Alexander Amash Amodei Bachmann Bachus Barletta Barr Barton Benishek Bentivolio Bilirakis Bishop (UT) Black Blackburn Boehner Boustany Brady (TX) Bridenstine Brooks (AL) Brooks (IN) Broun (GA) Buchanan Bucshon Burgess Calvert Camp Campbell Cantor Carter Cassidy Chabot Chaffetz Coble Coffman Cole Collins (GA) Collins (NY) Conaway Cook Cotton Cramer Crawford Crenshaw Culberson Daines Davis, Rodney Denham Dent DeSantis DesJarlais Diaz-Balart Duffy Duncan (SC) Duncan (TN) Ellmers Farenthold Fincher Fleischmann Fleming Flores Forbes Foxx Franks (AZ) Frelinghuysen Gardner Garrett Gerlach Gibbs Gingrey (GA) Gohmert Goodlatte Gosar

Gowdy Granger Graves (GA) Graves (MO) Griffin (AR) Griffith (VA) Guthrie Hall Harper Harris Hartzler Hastings (WA) Heck (NV) Hensarling Holding Hudson Huelskamp Huizenga (MI) Hultgren Hunter Hurt Issa Jenkins Johnson (OH) Johnson, Sam Jordan Joyce Kelly (PA) King (IA) Kingston Kinzinger (IL) Kline Labrador LaMalfa Lamborn Lance Lankford Latham Latta Long Lucas Luetkemeyer Lummis Marchant Marino Massie McCarthy (CA) McCaul McClintock McHenry McKeon McKinley McMorris Rodgers Meadows Messer Mica Miller (FL) Miller (MI) Mullin Mulvaney Murphy (PA) Neugebauer Noem Nugent Nunes Nunnelee Olson Palazzo Paulsen Pearce Perry Petri Pittenger

Pitts Poe (TX) Pompeo Posey Price (GA) Radel Reed Reichert Renacci Ribble Rice (SC) Rigell Roby Roe (TN) Rogers (AL) Rogers (KY) Rogers (MI) Rohrabacher Rokita Rooney Ros-Lehtinen Roskam Ross Rothfus Royce Runyan Ryan (WI) Salmon Sanford Scalise Schock Schweikert Scott, Austin Sensenbrenner Sessions Shimkus Shuster Simpson Smith (MO) Smith (NE) Smith (TX) Southerland Stewart Stivers Stockman Stutzman Terry Thompson (PA) Thornberry Tiberi Tipton Turner Upton Wagner Walberg Walden Walorski Weber (TX) Webster (FL) Wenstrup Westmoreland Whitfield Williams Wilson (SC) Wittman Womack Woodall Yoder Yoho Young (FL) Young (IN)

There were only 15 Republicans that voted NO with the Democrats.

There are more

Ohioans have a lot to worry about with the recent forced resignation of Ohio EPA water specialist, George Elmaraghy. Ohio Gov. John Kasich's administration appears to be pushing out and reassigning those state employees that are not following his directives.
MaddowBlog:

George Elmaraghy, the chief of the division of surface water for Ohio's EPA, recently came to a sensible conclusion: permits sought by the coal industry would likely "have a negative impact on Ohio's streams and wetlands and violate state and federal laws." Elmaraghy, a 39-year veteran of the state agency, knew of what he spoke (thanks to my colleague Will Femia for the tip).....

.....in the meantime, Elmaraghy seems to have plenty to say. He talked at length to TPM's Dylan Scott, who heard of a gubernatorial administration "beholden to the coal industry and willing to push out employees who weren't going to capitulate to its demands."

....Let's also not overlook this tidbit:

Elmaraghy said he isn't alone in being targeted by Kasich's office for clashing with coal companies. He mentioned Bruce Goff, another Ohio EPA official who had been overseeing mining applications, who Elmaraghy said had been reassigned for raising similar concerns.
Reached by phone, Goff confirmed to TPM that he did formerly work on coal permits, but had since been reassigned. He declined to comment further.
"I'm not at this point able to really explain what happened," Goff said. "I'm still working here. I have to figure out my career plans."

You just have to wonder what is going on in the Kasich administration.  What environmental dangers are we facing because someone is "fixing" safety reports?  How many employees have been forced out or find themselves in a new job because they wouldn't follow Kasich's orders?

Women Should Be Concerned

Women should be very concerned about the words and agenda of the Republicans.

>  Under the Affordable Care Act (aka "ObamaCare"), women can get yearly exams. The Republicans, however, continue to try to repeal and destroy health care.

>  The Republicans under the leadership of John Boehner, Eric Cantor, and their tea party supporters, continue to slash funding for poor women and children, cut Head Start, and take money from the SNAP program.

>  The Republicans do not support equal pay for women.

>  The Republicans continue to fight against programs that provide women with gynecological care, birth control, and health care. Across the country, and in Ohio, Republican governors have taken funding away from health clinics such as Planned Parenthood.

There are more examples of the GOP attacks on the rights of women, but here is a little of the rhetoric----

RawStory: 

A former New Hampshire state senator who’s announcing his candidacy to unseat Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen says women in the workplace are at least partially to blame for mass shootings and other violence by men.

“Bottom line: the collaborative, flexible, amorphously-hierarchical American economy is shutting out ordinary men who were once the nation’s breadwinners in living-wage labor and manufacturing jobs,” wrote former state Sen. Jim Rubens in a 2009 blog post.

The original post, which is now protected behind a firewall, argues that this loss of status had provoked violence in men....

This New Hampshire Republican blames women for an increase in violence?????  It is clear that Jim Rubens is an idiot. Anyone that holds similar views is also an idiot.

Be sure that when you vote that you know exactly what a candidate has said about issues. People that have demonstrated their stupidity do not deserve your vote.

* The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities notes that less money is being spent on education than before the recession, including Ohio. Check out the report here.

Time to Call in the Feds?

What is going on in Ohio's waterways? Why did Gov. John Kasich force out the head of the Ohio EPA's water safety division? WBNS Channel 10 in Columbus has some answers.

10TV:




...George Elmaraghy, 67, says he was forced to retire from his job at the EPA by his boss, director Scott Nally.
  
"I was devastated," Elmaraghy said. The news was so overwhelming Elmaraghy says he fainted and had to be taken to a hospital.
   
Elmaraghy had served the department for 39 years. His last day was Friday.
   
He says he never got an explanation, but believes the governor's office was upset because he resisted efforts from a coal company to approve a permit that would have allowed the company to potentially pollute streams.
  
He says Gov. John Kasich's office wanted him to issue those permits with quote "no numbers."   

Should the federal government investigate the role of Ohio Republican Kasich & Co. to "fix" water pollution reports? It might be time for someone outside the state to come and find out what is being dumped into our water.

   

Ohio's Middle Class Suffering Under Kasich

The Youngstown Vindicator has an opinion piece from Ed Fitzgerald, Democratic candidate for Ohio governor. Ed Fitzgerald explains how Republican Gov. John Kasich has hurt the middle class.

Vindy:

...Here’s the real story: John Kasich inherited a recovery that began a full year before he took office. In that year, Ohio’s unemployment rate fell by a full point and a half, from 10.6 to 9 percent. Since then, Ohio’s recovery has slowed as newly regressive policies that squeeze the middle class have taken effect. On the governor’s first day in office, Ohio ranked 29th in annual job growth as measured by Arizona State University’s Carey School of Business. Today, we’re 46th in the nation in job growth and a greater percentage of Ohioans have given up looking for work than at any point in the past 30 years. Clearly, the state is not headed in the right direction.

But even as Ohio falls behind, there’s one group of Ohioans whose interests are being taken care of by this governor: the wealthy and well-connected. If ever this tendency of the governor to reward the rich was on full display, it was in his recently enacted biennial budget. The governor has gone to great pains to label this a tax cut for everyone, but as ever, the devil is in the details. In this case, while the wealthiest Ohioans will, on average, receive a $6,000 handout under the governor’s tax plan, middle-class individuals earning about $50,000 a year will see about $9 — not quite enough to buy a pizza. Truly not all tax cuts are created equal....

....Under this governor, they’re also getting less in return, particularly when it comes to education and public safety. And now, over a quarter of Ohio school districts stand to receive less state funding than they did during the last school year, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer....

Ohio is 46th in job growth? OMG! Kasich has really made a mess.


> Kasich has apparently not made all his appointments.  It appears that he has been lagging behind in filling 9 jobs in the area of tourism, according to an AP story at the ReviewOnline.

> The CantonRepository has an editorial that suggests that Debe Terhar step down as President of the Ohio School Board:

...At a board meeting Tuesday, Terhar said that Nobel laureate Toni Morrison’s first novel, “Bluest Eyes,” is “totally inappropriate” for a suggested reading list for high school students. According to The Columbus Dispatch, Terhar told board members: “I don’t want my grandchildren reading it, and I don’t want anyone else’s children reading it. It should not be used in any school for any Ohio K-12 child. If you want to use it in college somewhere, that’s fine.”

...Whether one agrees with her about the book or not (and we don’t), how can this possibly be dismissed as only a personal opinion, on par with that of, say, a parent or student? What part of Terhar’s own words — “It should not be used in any school for any Ohio K-12 child” — spoken during a meeting of a board that makes curriculum decisions for Ohio’s public schools, does she not understand?

The book dispute comes on the heels of a January controversy about Terhar’s
Facebook posting that implicitly compared President Obama to Adolf Hitler. She first defended the post, then apologized for it, calling it “an error in judgment.”

Terhar just doesn't seem to understand the purpose of reading and discussing a book in a school setting. As a matter of fact, there appears to be a lot of stuff that Terhar just doesn't get. Debe Terhar is another one of Kasich's appointments that shows his own poor judgement.

Debe Terhar Against Common Core?????

 Here is some interesting information.

Debe Terhar is a member http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Debe-Terhar/1537899675 of a group that wants to repeal CommonCore education standards http://tinyurl.com/o3mkay8 .

Let me repeat that for you:
Ohio School Board President Debe Terhar is a member of an organization Ohioans for Educational Freedom that wants to repeal, abolish, wipe out the Common Core Standards in education.

Ohioans for Educational Freedom:

OEF opposes all Common Core Initiatives, and will work to repeal any and all regulations and laws in Ohio. We will work in partnership with other groups around the state and use this page to bring you information on pertinent news, as well as advocate meeting details in different parts of the state.....


Isn't that amazing???? And there is even more.......


On the Ohioans for Educational Freedom website, there is a link to the organization's current target---The Bluest Eye. Now we know why Terhar brought up the idea to ban The Bluest Eye.

What jobs?

At a recent event, Republican Gov. John Kasich said that things were coming back in Frazeysberg, Ohio. Unfortunately, there is no evidence of job growth in the area mentioned by Kasich.

WHIZnews:

Governor Kasich made a stop by the new Fanatics facility in the ECO Business Park in Frazeysburg on Thursday, to celebrate the announcement of hundreds of new job opportunities with the e-commerce company. Gov. Kasich acknowledged Senator Troy Balderson, State Representative Brian Hill and the Muskingum County Port Authority's, Mike Jacoby, for their contributions in helping to get the company to open up their new distribution center right here in Muskingum County.....

....Kasich says this is the step in the right direction and that other companies will follow.
"We're beginning to see this part of the state do much better. But on any of these economic nibbles, any of these things where we think we can get a job, we rush in as first responders and try to figure out whether we can win. So this is a good win."


....Fanatics is an online retailer of licensed sports merchandise and their peak season is during the holiday's. That means they're looking for almost 1,000 seasonal employees and about 300 full time employees. You can go online to www.fanaticsinc.com to apply.

I checked the above mentioned website and found that there is one job posted that would pay about $10/hr. I checked GlassDoor for employee reviews of the company. Also, I searched at the Ohiomeansjobs website and found that there are NO posted jobs within 50 miles, 100 miles, or even 150 miles of Frazeysberg, Ohio.

Did anyone else notice that Kasich compares himself and JobsOhio to first responders in this article?

Making A List?

* How well is Ohio doing in job creation? Not so well.

The Detroit Free Press includes Ohio as one of the worst states for those unemployed:

....Based on unemployment insurance benefits data and employment statistics from the Department of Labor, 24/7 Wall St. identified the states where residents had the worst chances of finding work and also received the worst benefits while they were looking for it.....

...Ohio
> Pct. unemployed getting benefits: 37% (18th lowest)
> Pct. average weekly wage covered: 37.2% (20th highest)
> Unemployment rate: 7.2% (21st highest)
> 1-yr. job growth: 0.3% (4th lowest)
Between June of 2012 and 2013, the number of nonfarm jobs in Ohio rose by just 0.3%. The state’s unemployment rate also barely budged, falling from just 7.3% to 7.2%, higher than the majority of states, although below the national rate of 7.6%.....

This appears to give additional evidence to the statement that Kasich's JobsOhio program is a failure for the people in Ohio (not so much for those CEO's raking in the tax credits and money).

Another company in Ohio has announced the layoffs of workers, according to ODJFS Warn Notices--- CLM Pallet Recycling will layoff 74 people. 

>>>> Plunderbund has noticed that some of the individuals being appointed to the Ohio Medical Board appear to have a certain far right agenda. We should all be worried about the selection of non-medical, far right, appointees that bring their point of views into the way medicine is practiced in Ohio. Check out the latest from Plunderbund and forward it to anyone you know that is involved in a  medical profession.

*****  If you are receiving food stamps in Ohio and have no children, Gov. Kasich wants you to work for food assistance.

Dispatch:

Gov. John Kasich’s administration will limit food stamps for more than 130,000 adults in all but a few economically depressed areas starting Jan. 1......

.....More than 1.8 million Ohioans receive food stamps, with the average individual benefit about $132 a month. Of them, an estimated 134,000 adults in 72 Ohio counties will be subject to the work requirements, including 15,000 in Franklin County. They are ages 18 to 50, without children under 18, and deemed to be physically and mentally able to participate, Johnson said.

County officials who administer public assistance and advocates for the poor predict the requirement will take food stamps away from thousands of Ohioans.....


With that slow job growth in Ohio, it will be difficult for people to find a place to work. Will Gov. Kasich find people a place to work or volunteer? You can contact Gov. Kasich's office at  
(614) 466-3555.

(614) 466-3555

(614) 466-3555

Does John Kasich deserve a second term as governor? No he does not!

For Common Core

It is always interesting to see what kinds of controversy pops up in Worthington. Worthington, Ohio, is a suburb of Columbus with very highly-rated schools. Unfortunately, there are some people who believe that the move for "common core" curriculum is some kind of bizarre conspiracy theory to take over education, and brainwash children. (Of course those that oppose this improved curriculum have very little knowledge about education, teaching, and preparing students for the future.)

Here is what happened at a recent meeting to explain the new "common core" curriculum that has been adopted by nearly 50 states.

ThisWeek:

.....Ohio is one of 45 states that have adopted the Common Core standards. Worthington's curriculum has been changed to align with the new state assessments that will begin next year, but it remains Worthington's curriculum, written for the district, district leaders said.

"Worthington has one of the best curriculums around," Tucker said.

An unidentified woman in the crowd said the "devil is in the details" of Common Core.

"I mistrust the government that has a bias, that has an agenda," she said.



These tea party conspiracy people get their information from the likes of Glen Beck and Fox News. That explains everything!!!!

Ohio Charters Still Failing

Did you know that Ohio's charter schools are still failing even though Republican Gov. John Kasich and the elected Republicans continue to give them more money?

CrooksandLiars found this statistic at Education Opportunity Network:

...Almost 84,000 Ohio students — 87 percent of the state’s charter-school students — attend a charter ranking D or F in meeting state performance standards....


Wow! If students are not doing well with the money provided by our taxes, which person or corporation is getting rich off of the school funds?  

Charter school teachers are paid much lower salaries with little or no benefits, and often have 11 or 12 hour workdays.  Classrooms in charters do not have the same equipment (desks, maps, computers, books, etc.) as the traditional public school. Some charters don't even have proper desks and instead have youngsters as young as 5 and 6 sitting in adult folding chairs at large folding tables.  Schools are often housed in former gas stations, office buildings, or church basements.  How are these charters spending their money if it is not being spent on the students? How is this system a good investment for our tax money?

If Kasich Wins.....

Rumors? I've heard them too.  Plunderbund has the goods on what to expect if Republican John Kasich is re-elected Ohio Governor----Right to Work.

Plunderbund:

We heard rumors that Ohio’s GOP legislators were told to hold off on pushing so-called “right-to-work” legislation until after the 2014 election to keep Kasich from having to take a stance on the issue.  In a recent interview with the Delaware Gazette, State Rep Andrew Brenner admits the rumors were true.

When asked about Ohio Work­place Free­dom, Bren­ner said, “I’m co-sponsor on three bills, and I’m told I’m on a wanted poster in one of the union halls. There’s right-to-work for private, public and a resolution to put it on the ballot. I don’t think any of them are going anywhere. We were told not to even bring them up, because next year is an election year for the governor. This may come up if he’s re-elected. If he’s not re-elected, it won’t come up because we won’t get it through Ed FitzGerald.”

.....Kasich and Ohio’s Republicans have NOT given up on their anti-worker, SB5 agenda.   They are simply waiting until after the 2014 election to force it all through.

The "Right to Work" laws give you the right to work for less--- less money, and less worker protections. You can never trust the Republicans on the issues of fair pay and worker safety.

Work your way over to Democrat Ed Fitzgerald's campaign website. Fitzgerald is the Democrat running for governor. Give him your support.

How dare you ask!

The response to the forced resignation (firing) of the water safety expert in the Ohio EPA, has left Ohioans wondering how many other decisions on our safety have been dictated by the campaign donors of Republican Gov. John Kasich.

After the letter from State Rep. Debbie Phillips was sent to the Governor's office asking questions about the dismissal of longtime state employee (not a political appointee), George Elmaraghy, a response was made by the Kasich administration.

Athens News:

Area state representative Debbie Phillips became a subject of ridicule by the administration of Ohio Gov. John Kasich last week after she sought an explanation for the allegedly forced resignation of the state's top water-quality watchdog.

The blogosphere lit up over the weekend after a Kasich spokesperson responded by volleying a personal attack against Phillips, the Albany-based Democrat who currently serves as assistant minority leader in the Ohio House.

"You'd be hard-pressed to find a job creator that she hasn't opposed, vilified or protested at some point," Kasich spokesperson Rob Nichols wrote of Phillips in an email to the Columbus Dispatch. "If she had her way, we'd all be living on a collective farm cooking organic quinoa over a dung fire. So I think we'll take her views in context."



The response from Rob Nichols was harsh, inappropriate, and unprofessional. Was he attacking State Rep. Debbie Phillips because he felt that, as a woman, she had no right to ask these questions? Was Nichols saying that whatever King John Kasich says or does should not be questioned by the people in Ohio? Where is the transparency?

Ohioans have to realize that the quality of the air we breathe and the water we drink is now being decided by Republican campaign donors.

So he says

Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Republican, provided his imput about the latest controversy surrounding Ohio Atty. Gen. Mike DeWine. In the Dispatch, Kasich indicated that the use of new facial recognition software was okay in some situations. Kasich, who is not a lawyer, cannot really provide a legal opinion on the use.

Kasich, who also is not really an educator, provided his latest goal in the area of educating the young.
Dispatch:

...Kasich said he also wants to start introducing students to specific occupations as soon as first grade, start vocational education earlier, and give eight- and ninth-graders credit toward graduation for spending a few hours a week at a local business. 

Isn't that special? Kasich thinks business owners want to keep track of teenagers in their factories and offices. There is a real possibility of danger in this situation that could result in abuse, working near dangerous equipment, and other horrors. There are reasons why teachers and school personnel have background checks. Also, there are laws restricting the kinds of work/labor suitable for young people. Does the Governor want to expose teenagers to these types of dangers? Will the business owner assume all liability?

John Kasich needs to stop tinkering with education.

_______

*** I'd like to see someone ask Republican Rep. Steve Stivers (OH-15) if he supports equal pay for women. Is there anyone willing to ask him? Here is his contact page.

In the past, Stivers has said some creepy things regarding women and girls (Dispatch 2008 and FDL). He needs to go on record with an answer. Until then, we'll just keep reminding women what he said in the past.

In the meantime, Stivers will be in New Lexington, Ohio, for a "listening session" on Thursday, September 5th, 7pm, at Perry Co. Senior Center, 520 1st Street. You might want to ask him some questions regarding equal pay for women, why he continues to protect bankers, and why he continues to take campaign contributions from the anti-environmentalists, anti-clean water Koch Industries (see Open Secrets).