Republican Pledge: "We're not going to be any different from what we've been."

Jon Stewart eviscerated the "new" Republican "Pledge to America" last night on the Daily Show: 

The Daily Show video was posted at Examiner:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Postcards From the Pledge
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

As John Boehner said, "We're not going to be any different from what we've been." 

Don't be fooled.  The Republican playbook is the same:  same old white guys, same old tax cuts for the rich, same old lobbyist friends, same old "trickle down" economics. The messengers like Kasich, Boehner, Stivers, Mandel, both DeWines, Chabot, Renacci, Tiberi, Yost, Gandy, Austria, LaTourette, Turner, Bacon, and the rest of the lying, greedy, pro-bank, pro-oil/gas/mining, anti-regulations, anti-health care, anti-Wall Street reform, anti-fair wage, anti-teacher, anti-environment Republicans are the same as they were last year, and the year before, and the year before that.

They may have a few new words, but their focus remains the same. They don't care about the average American, mother, father, child, college student, unemployed, or elderly.  They only want to be elected at any cost.  After the election, they'll forget about you and continue to work closely with their lobbyist buddies on legislation that helps them- not you.

Wise up, voters!  Just remember what Boehner said:

"We're not going to be any different from what we've been."  

If Boehner takes control, Social Security privatization will be the first thing he'll want to do.  Stop Boehner, Stivers and the rest of the tea party spewing, lobbyist-loving Republicans, from gaining control- - - VOTE   DEMOCRATIC.

Republican Time Machine = Back to Bush Policies

*  Do you really want to go back in a Republican time machine and revisit the Bush years of Wall Street hanky panky, losses to retirement funds, and massive tax breaks for the rich and outsourcers? I don't.

The Republicans have released their agenda and now we have an idea what would happen if  (a) Republican Steve Stivers, a former bank lobbyist, won the election in Ohio's 15th congressional district, and (b) Republicans gained control of the House and the Senate. 

We know that Stivers has stated his individual goals:


1. Repeal the health care reform bill
2. Repeal the 16th Amendment to the Constitution
3. Repeal the 17th Amendment to the Constitution
4. Eliminate the Department of Agriculture
5. Eliminate the Department of Education
6. Eliminate the Department of the Interior
7. Eliminate the Department of Housing of and Urban Development
8. Eliminate the Department of Transportation
9. Eliminate the Department of Energy

Add that to what the Republicans released today, and we'd be looking at a complete disaster for average, hardworking citizens.

What is the Republican plan?  I'm so glad you asked!!!!

Brad Bauman has provided highlights from the new Republican plan:

The 21 page "Pledge to America", which outlines Republican plans for America's future contains the following:


* Tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires by borrowing $700 billion we can't afford.
* Tax hikes for 110 million middle class families and millions of small businesses.
* Cutting rules and oversight for special interests like big oil, big insurance, credit card and mortgage companies, and Wall Street banks.
* Doing nothing to stop the outsourcing of American jobs or to end tax breaks that are given to companies that ship jobs overseas....


This Republican plan would add trillions and trillions of dollars to the national debt...

So while Steve Stivers talks out of one side of his mouth about how the national debt impacts his family, he talks out of the other side of his mouth about how the rich need more tax cuts, how we must end regulations for his special interests (banks, oil, insurance, finance, mining, major polluters), how Wall Street reform should end, and, most importantly, businesses should be able to do whatever they want to make a profit.

The Republican candidates in Ohio have been compared to being like Gordon Gekko in this piece from  Andy Richards:

Some of you may remember Gordon Gekko, the unscrupulous Wall Street trader from the 1987 Academy Award-winning film “Wall Street.” Gekko—played by Michael Douglas and returning this Friday in a new sequel “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps”—uses unethical and deceitful tactics to amass an immense amount of wealth on the backs of working families. “Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works,”^[1] says Gekko, a phrase that has become part of popular usage.

Flash forward more than 20 years and you can see the spirit of Gordon Gekko channeled by candidates right here in Ohio. These Wall Street cheerleaders—John Kasich, Rob Portman, Steve Chabot, Tom Ganley, Bob Gibbs, Jim Renacci and Steve Stivers—have voting records that would make Gekko drool. Whether it’s direct ties to corrupt Wall Street corporations, taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions from Wall Street firms or general unethical and greedy business practices, these candidates rightfully earn the title of Gordon Gekkos of Ohio.... 

Check out the rest of the lowdown on Kasich, Portman, Chabot, Ganley, Gibbs, Renacci, and Stivers at this LINK.

> Here is one last thing to think about that I found in a comment written by Ohiodem1 in August at Dailykos:

The Federal debt doubled under the Bush/Cheney administration's watch.  I will say that again, the Federal debt doubled in the 8 years of the Bush/Cheney administration's watch.  When Bush took office, the national debt was $5.727 Trillion.  When Barack Obama took office, 8 years later, the national debt was $10.62 trillion.  This is a fact.  There is no dispute that this is the case. 

(You might want to e-mail the previous paragraph to Stivers and the rest of the Republicans who blame the debt on President Obama.)

I do not want to revisit the mess of the Bush years on the Republican time machine. We need to tell the Republicans that we've been where they want to take us, and we are not going back there again.

The Really Good Stuff and the Bad

THE REALLY GOOD STUFF:

>>>>  We have evidence of Health Reform in Action in this video from The White House:



This is evidence of the good and life saving treatment that will come out of the health care reform law.  Support it.  Enjoy it.  Thank President Obama and the Democrats for their action.

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

......THE BAD ----
***  Every family has one--- the relative who is a cocky, loud mouthed, know-it-all.  Unfortunately for us, we have a candidate for governor who resembles that cocky, loud mouthed, know-it-all.

Here is my example from the Bucyrustelegraphforum which describes an incident  from Sharonville, Ohio:

....Her brother, a boy of about 10, stood nearby.

"Hey, you've got ketchup or something on your shirt,'' Kasich said, poking the little boy in the breastbone. When the boy looked down, Kasich flipped his finger and popped him in the nose.

"Gotcha,'' the candidate said. The kid had a wide smile, and so did his father....

I don't find that funny.  I don't like it when grownups pick on children and if that had been my child, I wouldn't have been smiling.

Do you remember the hints we got from the article in TheOtherPaper, titled "Does Ohio need an SOB as governor?"  Take this article and the story in the Bucyrustelegraphforum and you have a pretty good picture of the kind of man Kasich is.

Here is a quote that might make you think a little bit more about how Kasich treated this young boy.  Josephsoninstitute.org:

The best index to a person’s character is (a) how he treats people who can’t do him any good, and (b) how he treats people who can’t fight back. 
— Abigail van Buren (Pauline Esther Friedman), American newspaper advice columnist (1918-2002)

*  What were those budgets like that Kasich proposed while he served in the House of Representatives?  The CBPP.org (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities) examined the budget Kasich championed in 1998.   Here are some excerpts from the CBPP's report
(June 12, 1998):

House Budget Contains Large Cuts in Low-Income
Mandatory Programs Not Included in the Senate Budget
by Robert Greenstein and Sam Elkin

....Many of the cuts would primarily or exclusively affect low-income workers or those seeking to work. For example, all remaining funds in the welfare-to-work block grant enacted as part of last year's budget agreement would be eliminated. This block grant provides funds to states and cities to help move the hardest-to-employ welfare recipients into employment.....

.....The House budget also would reduce food stamp benefits for families with children whose housing costs consume more than half of their income. These families' benefits would be cut below the levels prescribed under the welfare law, with many of these families ultimately losing $180 a year in food stamps. A substantial share of those who would be affected are working poor families struggling to raise their families on low wages and receiving neither cash assistance nor housing assistance....

......The House budget would raise taxes on some of the nation's poorest workers. It assumes elimination of the Earned Income Tax Credit for workers with incomes under $10,000 who are not raising minor children..... 

Thank goodness Kasich's budget plan that penalized the poor did not pass. What kind of man proposes to deny the poor of food stamp benefits so that the rich can get tax cuts? Kasich

What do you know?

***   Gov. Ted Strickland is always standing up for Ohio's school children.  He understands the value of a good education and he wants to help every child in Ohio have opportunities to learn.  When Ted Strickland learned of Republican John Kasich's cockamamie education ideas, he called a news conference. 

DaytonDailyNews:
Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland on Wednesday lashed out as his Republican challenger John Kasich, calling Kasich “irresponsible” and “reckless” for saying he would abandon Strickland’s “evidence-based model” for schools and school funding if elected governor.

Strickland, at a Columbus news conference, also said that Kasich’s approach would result in higher property taxes.

“Quite frankly, I don’t think Congressman Kasich knows what he’s talking about,” Strickland said....

Kasich knows nothing about education, instruction, classrooms, meeting federal laws, or teaching.  Kasich probably is being fed misleading and old information from his biggest contributor - David Brennan (& his entire Family), the owner of the largest charter school operation in the state. Brennan's White Hat Management is a big supporter of Kasich and Jon "I live in Kettering" Husted.



 * Did you ever notice that Republicans get hysterical when someone uses "salty' language, but when someone uses state funds (like in the Republican scandal known as Coingate), has ethics violations (like former Republican Bob Taft), loses over $400 million dollars from state retirement funds (like Kasich and his buddies at Lehman Brothers), has affairs outside of marriage (Vitter, Ensign), interferes with the voting process (2000 & 2004), takes money from lobbyists (Portman, Husted, Kasich, Chabot, Stivers, Tiberi), has ties to Jack Abramoff, they hardly make a squeak? 

The Cincinnati Enquirer has the story about hysterical Republicans.  Who the *%#@ cares?

 - _______ -

Plunderbund has another reason not to vote for Republican Steve Chabot, Bush lapdog:

If Kasich wins,....

If Kasich wins, Ohio's schools lose. John Kasich, champion of charter schools and big time recipient of campaign money from charter school mogul, David Brennan, has started to roll out his plans to destroy Ohio's public schools, if he is elected.

Dispatch:

Republican John Kasich says that, if elected, he would get rid of Ohio's new school-funding model, which Gov. Ted Strickland points to as one of the signature accomplishments of his term.

Strickland and legislative Democrats say that once the formula is fully funded, which they hope will occur by 2019, it will be a constitutional, adequate and fair way to pay for public education.....

And if you think your tax burden for local schools is high now, the Dispatch says:

....Although most details remain undisclosed, Kasich's plan could mean more school levies by districts across the state, critics said....

 Did you get that?

........Kasich's plan could mean more school levies.......

Ohio voters would not only have more school levies to decide, but also would see teachers, support staff, and vital programs eliminated from their local schools, if Kasich is elected.

_____________

The more I see that baby ad that Republican Steve Stivers, a former top bank lobbyist,  is running on TV, the more I realize that Stivers just absolves the Bush administration from running up the deficit.  Stivers, who famously wants to repeal Amendments from the U.S. Constitution and dismantle parts of our federal government (see previous post), must have never noticed how Bush's tax cuts, wars, and reckless spending added to our debt. 

Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (OH-15th) is not a former bank lobbyist.  Kilroy has had to face the debt left by the previous administration and the Wall Street disaster.  She has acted honorably to protect the rights of citizens.  (Stivers would rather protect the rights of banks and corporations.)  While Kilroy works for people, Stivers works for Wall Street. 

- - - - - - -

Headline from the Columbus Dispatch:

Ex-GOP Consultant Gets 33 Months in Child-porn Case

....former Republican political consultant Shane R. Ostrowski apologized yesterday in federal court in Columbus.
But U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus sentenced Ostrowski to 33 months in prison for possession of child pornography....

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

$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, Rob Portman, is clearly benefiting from the Citizens United decision that was handed down from the U.S. Supreme Court.

Dispatch:

..... (Carl) Lindner, the founder and principal shareholder of American Financial Group, and his family are longtime financial backers of Portman's campaigns. Portman was an attorney representing Chiquita Brands when that company was owned by Lindner.

American Financial Group gave its contribution on Aug. 2 to American Crossroads, a group that former George W. Bush adviser Karl Rove helped create to aid GOP candidates. In mid-August, American Crossroads launched a statewide TV ad backing Portman's Senate candidacy.

American Crossroads spent $454,000 in August on behalf of Portman's candidacy, records filed with the Federal Election Commission show. Portman, a former congressman from Cincinnati and Bush administration trade representative and budget director, is running against Democrat Lee Fisher, Ohio's lieutenant governor....

If elected, Portman wouldn't be representing Ohio's citizens.  He'll be representing the wishes of corporations.

Scary Stuff from Republicans

>  The BuckeyeStateBlog wants to know "...What Stivers Thinks About This..."

The BSB has noted that the DSCC is running an ad in Colorado that could be used by the DCCC in Ohio's 15th congressional district.  Republican candidate, Steve Stivers, a former corporate bank lobbyist and sweetheart of lobbyists/bankers/Wall Street/insurance PACs/major polluters, has very famously said that he'd like to repeal this:

U.S. Constitution


Amendment 17 - Senators Elected by Popular Vote. Ratified 4/8/1913. History
The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures.
When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.
This amendment shall not be so construed as to affect the election or term of any Senator chosen before it becomes valid as part of the Constitution.

Steve Stivers, a former bank lobbyist, wants to repeal the 17th Amendment. Stivers wants to take away your right to vote for your U.S. Senators.

But wait, there is more!  Stivers want to repeal the 16th Amendment too.
U.S. Constitution:

Amendment 16 - Status of Income Tax Clarified. Ratified 2/3/1913. Note History
The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.

Sounds very radical to me.
Here is the list of things Stivers wants to repeal or eliminate:

1. Repeal the health care reform bill
2. Repeal the 16th Amendment to the Constitution
3. Repeal the 17th Amendment to the Constitution
4. Eliminate the Department of Agriculture
5. Eliminate the Department of Education
6. Eliminate the Department of the Interior
7. Eliminate the Department of Housing of and Urban Development
8. Eliminate the Department of Transportation
9. Eliminate the Department of Energy

(To see the complete survey that Steve Stivers, a former bank lobbyist, filled out for the Glenn Beck meet up 912 group of central Ohio, visit - OH15 MTC QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.)

Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (OH-15th) works for the people of her district.  Steve Stivers, her Republican opponent, wants to work for bankers and corporations. 

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

>  John Kasich, Republican candidate for Ohio Governor, has big plans:  he wants to eviscerate the public schools. Why should you care?  Kasich has always been a person who sticks his nose into things where he knows nothing. Kasich wants to take apart the public schools, remove control from local school boards, and open everything to charter schools.  (Do you think he'll give total control to his biggest contributor: David Brennan & Family, owners of the large charter school corporation in our state, White Hat Management?????) In other words, Kasich wants to take your tax money and give it away to people who, in my humble opinion, are not qualified to oversee/supervise children and education.  Right now in Ohio, people who are principals in public schools are required to have a certain level of education, supervisory certification, and teaching experience.  Kasich is willing to give your tax money to anyone who calls themselves an entrepreneur.  Here are some other plans Kasich has for education:

(a) cut funding to education,
(b) change the way college classes are taught
(c) limit the types of classes and programs of study that are offered at state universities,
(d) put more technology in the classroom, 
(e) Kasich wants to break the backs of teachers' unions.

Plunderbund has even more about Kasich's moronic plans for schools in Ohio.

And there is this about Ohio's schools from Fox8:


A chief architect of last year's overhaul of Ohio's school funding system says the state could end up back in court if it follows a call by Republican governor candidate John Kasich to scrap the changes.

State Rep. Stephen Dyer, a Democrat, says the new model reduces the state's reliance on property taxes to fund schools. The Ohio Supreme Court has four times ruled that Ohio's previous system was unconstitutional....

...In a Cincinnati Enquirer interview published Tuesday, Kasich says rival Gov. Ted Strickland's signature overhaul would be "gone" if he's elected this fall. He says the model isn't fully funded and doesn't direct enough money to classrooms. GOP Senate President Bill Harris echoed similar concerns.

Can you imagine the disarray, lawsuits, and massive confusion that Kasich's education plans will create in Ohio?  Kasich, who thinks of himself as some business mogul, is still the person that helped the Ohio pensions lose over $400 million in their retirement funds. Do you think you can trust Kasich?  Why not ask the retirees who lost money?

___________________

Hilarious.  Republican Rep. Pat Tiberi (OH-12) wants to keep main street working, but he has done nothing to help it.  Tiberi has sat on the sidelines and has opposed job bills and programs that would have gotten real people real jobs.  Tiberi is a seat warmer.  Ohio's 12th district needs someone like Democrat Paula Brooks. Brooks will put people before corporations and lobbyists. 

News from the 15th

* If you attended the OSU Involvement Fair, you had a corporate bank lobbyist attending the event.  Republican Steve Stivers, a corporate bank lobbyist, anti-consumer legislator who voted against stem cell research and scholarships for disabled students was on the Oval.  Ohio State students need to reject the corporate politics of Steve Stivers and support Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy, Democrat.  Kilroy's constituents are people. On the other hand, her opponent, a former bank lobbyist, Stivers, is receiving support from bankers, lobbyists, insurance companies, and major polluters (mining, utilities, gas/oil) and he'll owe them big time for their massive campaign contributions.  The choice for the future is clear--- if you are looking for someone to work for you, and the environment, Mary Jo Kilroy needs your vote for Ohio's 15th congressional district.

* The Ohio State University has received an apology from Ohio University for the vicious attack on Brutus Buckeye perpetrated by their now former mascot. See the Dispatch.

* Republican candidate for the Ohio Supreme Court, Maureen O'Connor, has been using the court's phones for some campaign related activity, which is a big no-no, according to the Dispatch.

Why do these Republicans think that rules apply to everyone but themselves?  Even in the Ohio Department of Transportation, there are some Republicans still on the payroll from the Taft administration who also conduct their other activities on state time.  They might be real estate agents, serve on school boards, sell beauty products, or work on crossword puzzles because their originally politically appointed position was deemed "management" at the end of the Taft term, and they could not be fired.  Now these Republican appointees take advantage of the situation while they await the coming of their right wing protector, John Kasich.

****  Speaking of Kasich----  Did he do his recent campaign ad at the private school where his children attend?  Did he get the use of the facility for free?   If Kasich goes through with his "total free choice" charter school plan, will he push to have their tuition paid for by the state and save himself $10,000/year?  How does Kasich plan to break the back of teachers' unions in Ohio's schools?  Why does Kasich have such a deep seated hatred of public school teachers?  When will people in the Ohio media start asking real questions of Kasich?  Why are they afraid?

Still Relevant

*  John Kasich was talking again and this time he provided a tiny bit more information about what he'd do if elected governor.  Here is a proposal by Kasich that makes you aware that Kasich doesn't know much about federal law.  Cincinnati.com:

"You know all that nice space we have in the rest areas on the interstates?,'' Kasich said. "Why aren't we leasing them to Bob Evans?" But a 1956 federal law bars restaurants from rest areas built after 1960, a law designed to protect restaurants at exits...

Of course, Kasich has received campaign contributions from people associated with Bob Evans Farms.

By the way, in a recent ad, Kasich has used old data when he talks about Ohio's education system. That information comes some analysis from the Republican-loving  Dispatch.

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

>  Republican Rep. Pat Tiberi talks about creating jobs in his latest ad, but he has done nothing to create one job.  Here are a few of Tiberi's key votes from the Washington Post:

2/25/09: Vote 86: H R 1105: Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009- NO

7/12/07:Vote 624: H R 2956: This bill would require the president to begin reducing the number of U.S. troops serving in Iraq 120 days after its enactment and would require most troops to be withdrawn by April 1, 2008-- NO 

1/18/07: Vote 40: H R 6: This bill would repeal tax cuts to oil companies and mandate that they pay a fee to remove oil from the Gulf of Mexico. It would also fund renewable energy programs. The act would repeal a tax break that oil and gas firms received in 2004. - NO

Check out the more of Tiberi's votes that are listed at the Washington Post. Govtrack has the Tiberi votes organized by year: 2010 votes, 2009 votes, 2008 votes, 2007 votes, 2006 votes, 2005 votes, 2004 votes, 2003 votes, 2002 votes, 2001 votes - have fun looking at this list.

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

Here is an appropriate ad about Republican Steve Stivers:

(Youtube)

Why?

*  Why won't Republican Steve Stivers, a former bank lobbyist, discuss issues in his ads?  His first ad described his life as a paperboy and Boy Scout. Now Stivers has a new campaign ad that I thought was an ad for baby furnishings.  Apparently Stivers wants to show us pictures of his child, instead of discussing his views on privatizing Social Security, eliminating the 16th & 17th Amendments to the Constitution, abolishing various parts of the government, his waffling on cap and trade, why he is against consumer protection and stem cell research, and his pro/anti/pro/anti views on reproductive freedom.  Is Stivers just trying to play a game of distraction instead of delving into the hot issues?

*  Hilarious.  That is exactly how I'd describe Republican Pat Tiberi's campaign ads.  Tiberi, who has done absolutely n-o-t-h-i-n-g to create one job in his district, has  an ad that has him visiting various shops.  He seems so out of place and uncomfortable.  Why can't he explain why he didn't vote for the stimulus plan or health care reform?  Pat Tiberi just hasn't delivered anything for his district.

*  What group seems to be the most hated in our country?  Republicans!  Plunderbund has a very informative post about  Pollster.com.

What were the years like with Bob Taft as Governor?

*  Remember when Republicans in the Ohio Legislature pushed for tax cuts that favored the rich?

Dispatch (12/30/2008)
....with the state facing a possible $7.3 billion budget shortfall, critics say Ohio can't afford the estimated $450 million in forgone revenue from the tax cut in fiscal 2010, which starts July 1, and $468 million in fiscal 2011.
 
Zach Schiller of Policy Matters Ohio, a liberal-leaning research group, said that the cuts disproportionately favor the wealthy -- and that the state's economy, which continues to hemorrhage jobs, would be better served by maintaining current levels of government spending... 

....Republicans, who still control the Ohio Senate, remain solidly behind the tax cut and say the job situation would be worse without it. Outgoing House Speaker Jon Husted, R-Kettering, even suggested recently that the cut could be considered an economic-stimulus package.....


Was this another example of Republican  "trickle down economics" that Republicans pushed?  What did Husted's tax cut do for you?


What did the Republicans do to help Ohioans during the 8 years of the Taft administration?
The Columbus Dispatch, the right-leaning, Republican-loving newspaper, had this to say about the Taft administration on December 31, 2006:


....Economically, it can be argued, not much. Ohio's unemployment rate is higher and a greater percentage of the state's residents are now living in poverty than in 1995. During the period of GOP control, Ohio has had the 48 th lowest rate of job growth among the 50 states, has lost 226,700 manufacturing jobs, is 46 th in per-capita income growth, and 47 th in population growth. Since 2000, in-state undergraduate tuition at Ohio's four-year universities has increased 73 percent. 

But the legacy of Republican reign is far more complex, at once embodying landmark changes in the ways Ohioans are taxed and their children are educated along with scandals that wrought the demise of total GOP rule. Over the 12-year period, business interests and social conservatives have had their way, while unions, trial lawyers and advocates for open government have chafed.... 

......Controversially, the Republicans seeded with state money an explosion of privately operated charter schools, growing from 15 such schools with 2,245 students costing the state $11 million in 1999 to 293 schools with 72,053 students costing $485 million in 2006.....

 In 2006, Husted helped to give Ohio tax money to charter schools.  After that, money started to flow from the state treasury to charter schools at a rapid rate.  David Brennan, of White Hat Management and owner of the largest charter schools operation in the state, has continued to reward Jon Husted with boatloads of campaign money from himself, and nearly everyone in his family but the family pet.  (Now John "I worked on Wall Street" Kasich is also getting some of that valuable campaign money.)

How have those charter schools done compared with Ohio's public schools?  Visit the Ohio Department of Education for information for the state report cards:
http://education.ohio.gov/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=115&ContentID=50598&Content=89808

Compare the Candidates

The two candidates running for State Representative for Ohio's 21st District are very different.  Democrat David Robinson has a wonderfully informative website that details his business background.  Here is a an excerpt from the RobinsonforOhio website:

I’m a businessman, a husband and father, and an engaged citizen, and that’s how I think about public policy. This means that I’m committed to creating an environment where innovation and work are rewarded, where opportunity is available to all, and where we honor our responsibility to future generations. These are the basic principles that guide my thinking....


......My experience as a local manufacturer selling innovative products around the globe provides me with a mindset, a set of skills, a basic know-how that I believe will make me an effective proponent of job creation and economic development in the Statehouse. My goal is to move Ohio to the front of the pack, ahead of the curve, in the emerging technologies, energies, and industries that will be the basis of tomorrow’s wealth, jobs, and power.

I make this my primary goal because on the foundation of a strong economy—and only on that basis—can we support and sustain our many commitments to our children and seniors, our veterans, to the building of a better society, and to a clean and healthy natural world....

Wow!  I can't wait to vote for Robinson.

Then, we have his opponent, Republican Mike Duffey.  Duffey's website doesn't really discuss anything about a business background but mostly notes his work in Worthington a small town. Duffey seems more interested in supporting his Republican Party than listening to his constituents and has always impressed me as someone who thinks he is entitled.  

Here in the northern suburbs of Columbus, we also have a Republican candidate named Kevin Bacon. Republican Kevin Bacon has a wonderful record.  NOT!

Republican Kevin Bacon voted against:
-a moratorium on foreclosures in the state
- a bill to protect tenants during a foreclosure of their rental
- the transportation budget
- the state government budget
- HB 260 Campaign Finance and Election Issues (to improve voter access).

Why would he vote against a bill to protect tenants when their rental is being foreclosed?  Don't the tenants deserve some help and assistance?  Does Bacon just want to throw them out into the street? 

Why would he vote against having a stop on home foreclosures?  Is this guy thinking or is it that he just doesn't care about people?  Is Kevin Bacon protecting bankers?????

Republican Kevin Bacon repeats the Republican mantra in his TV ad--- cut regulations, blah, blah, blah, blah.........  He won't get my vote.

Welcome Back Ohio State Students!!!!

With 50,000 students moving in around the Ohio State campus, this might be a good time to avoid driving around the campus area if you can.

As a graduate of Ohio State, I can honestly say that the campus is one of the most beautiful in the country.  Students will meet so many people the first few weeks that it will be overwhelming.  Enjoy every minute but remember---- you still have work to do.  College work is much tougher than high school.

Here are a few pointers for students moving into the dorms:

1. Find out when and where your meals are served.
2. Learn your RA's name.  You never know when you'll need him/her.
3. Try to work out some items with your roommate- - - study time, visitors, alarm clocks, and all those fun things.
4. Take care of your belongings and books.  You are responsible for your own stuff!
5. Find food places that delivers to the dorm.  Keep restaurant menus and telephone numbers in a handy place for those midnight pizza needs.
6. Work out the shortest routes to your classes. 
7. Find out where to do your laundry.  Sooner or later you'll run out of underwear!
8. Be sure to visit one of the largest college organizations in the nation at  OSUDems, their Facebook page,  or check the latest at Twitter. You can stop in and volunteer at
1778 N. High Street and meet everyone.


And............................... GO  BUCKEYES!

While you were gone, things have gotten very heated in the campaigns.

Gov. Ted Strickland, Democrat, is running against John Kasich, a former managing director for Lehman Brothers (yes that Lehman Brothers).  The oatmeal hit the fan when it was revealed that Kasich was paid $50,000/year for seven years to deliver one lecture per month ($4,000/lecture) by Ohio State.  (For more background, check out Plunderbund.)  Can you think of the scholarships that could have been funded with that money??????????


Here is an ad from Youtube:
 



Kasich has long been against student loans and Pell grants.  If he wins election, Kasich wants to dictate what programs are taught at state universities so that there is no duplication. 

In the area of Congressional elections, we have Democratic Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy, a big favorite among OSU college students.  Kilroy has been working hard for college students, American workers, and families. Kilroy has been endorsed by LCV (the League of Consevation Voters), a pro-environmental group..  Kilroy is running for re-election against Republican Steve Stivers, a former bank lobbyist.  You read it correctly----- a former bank lobbyist.  Stivers has been endorsed by bankers, major polluters (gas/oil/utilities/mining concerns) and wants to repeal the 16th and 17th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.  Really.

I'll write more later!  Good luck at OSU and   GO  Bucks!!!!!!!!!!!

This, That, and the Other Thing......

* Is there a battle going on inside the Republican Party of Delaware with the Tea Party members?  It seems like the feud is only getting weirder.  Republicans in that state seem very upset that some right wingers from out of state came in and hijacked their election.

* Some Republicans  are trying to coerce women voters to join them and their splinter group, the Tea Party.  With right wing female leaders like O'Donnell and Palin, some males might wonder why more women aren't flocking to the right wing.  If you haven't figured that out yet, I'll give you a few hints:

* Republicans, O'Donnell, Palin, and their ilk are
-  against reproductive choices.  They want to decide if you should remain pregnant.  They want to decide what types of birth control are available to you.  They want to decide if women's clinics can provide counseling and medical services in the neighborhood.

-  against the rights of gays to marry and adopt.  They don't believe that a safe, loving, and nurturing home can be provided by a gay couple.  Love is love.

-  against women having the same career choices as men.

-  against equal pay for equal work.

-  against voters being able to choose their own U.S. Senators.  It is sad to say that the Tea Partiers, and some Republicans like Steve Stivers, a former bank lobbyist, are against the 17th Amendment.

-   against the new health reform law.

-  against immigrants.

-  against collective bargaining, unions, public school teachers, and of course, President Barack Obama. 

****  The Republicans and their Tea Partiers talk about their family values.  Family values?  Really?  Really.  If you'd like to read about "Republican Family Values" you must visit the Mike Malloy board for a partial list of examples.

>>>>  I saw this at MikeMalloy.com.  Here is the story from JimmyJohnsWorkers:
Jimmy John’s workers were doing more than preparing french bread, cold cuts, and sliced tomatoes for “Dollar Sub Day” this morning as union members and supporters hit the bricks outside stores, asking customers to put up tip jars and use them....


...Despite making hundreds of sandwiches each day, workers are not entitled to a free sandwich unless they work a 7 hour shift, a rarity for a company with standard shifts of 2-4 hours. Today, Jimmy Johns workers will be asked to pay $2.50 for a $1 sandwich, and will not have tips to cover the difference.

“Respect is a core issue at Jimmy John’s, and what we are fighting to regain,” says David Boehnke, an in-shop worker at the Skyway Jimmy John's store in downtown Minneapolis. “While tip jars and free sandwiches may not seem like a big deal, to come in, make $15-25 working all of lunch, make no tips, clean up, and go home hungry—this is not something that connotes respect.”

They don't even give them a sandwich?????  OMG!

*****  You know what?  I'm still upset that John Kasich said (Star Beacon):
....Expand the school voucher program and break the grip unions hold on education. "Now my concern with the teachers union is that I am convinced they are a lot more concerned with their own situation rather than the situation of our children," Kasich said.

“We need more school choice, we need to break the back of organized labor in the schools, and we need to turn our schools into institutions that excite our kids and teach them, and the best way to get it done is to give mothers and fathers the power to take their kids out of bad places and put them in good,” Kasich said to a round of applause....

I guess he wants public school teachers to have the same low pay and no health insurance or benefits like the teachers at the private Christian school where his daughters attend.  Some of them don't even make a living wage. 

I don't know what is the root of Kasich's hatred of public school teachers, but I will tell you that many teachers are more highly educated than he is, have worked in sometimes dangerous conditions (like me), continue to train and retrain, have more years on the job than he has, and are smarter than he is.  I guess that must be it---- Kasich dislikes smart, educated, public school teachers.

****  In case you still haven't figured it out- - - - 

I won't vote for Kasich.

How to have a civil discussion with Kasich

Here is an example of how John Kasich will talk and "listen" to you:

YouTube:




How can we forget that informative story about Kasich from The Other Paper: Does Ohio need an SOB as Governor?  It is already a classic.

Which candidates are protecting you?

The FOP showed their support for Gov. Ted Strickland. MarionStar:


The same day a local police officer was elected president of the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police, the organization also endorsed Gov. Ted Strickland for re-election.....
....The FOP endorsed Strickland because it opposes Kasich's tax plan, which members believe will eventually take away from local government funds distributed to municipalities and other small government organizations....

....McDonald said the state FOP, which represents 26,000 members, including the Marion County Sheriff's Office, Marion City Police Department and Multi-County Correctional Center, also supports funding for state prisons to keep from turning to the alternative of privately run prisons.....

This important endorsement shows us that those who protect and serve in Ohio trust the leadership of Ted Strickland.


* Did you know that Republican Steve Stivers, a former top bank lobbyist, actually worked longer as a bank lobbyist than he did as a state senator?  I find that very interesting. 

****  Did you know that Steve Stivers also voted against a bill that protected consumers?  According to the Dispatch (5/25/06), Stivers voted against a bill "....which for the first time would subject much of the mortgage industry to the state Consumer Sales Practices Act, giving borrowers and the attorney general's office more tools to go after deceptive lenders and brokers." 

BUT STEVE STIVERS VOTED AGAINST IT.

....The bill creates a list of things lenders and brokers can't do, such as fail to consider a borrower's ability to repay a loan and charge prepayment penalties for loans less than $75,000.... 

BUT STEVE STIVERS VOTED AGAINST IT.

....The bill adds a number of specialized-education requirements, background checks and licensure requirements for brokers and lenders. It also lowers the points and fees for highcost loans from 8 percent of the total loan amount to 5 percent, and takes steps to ensure that brokers are acting in a customer's best interest. 

BUT STEVE STIVERS VOTED AGAINST IT.

 Somehow it seems that Stivers continued to think like a bank lobbyist even when he was in the state senate. He continued to protect the interests of banks instead of consumers. 

Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (OH-15th) has demonstrated her dedication to her constituents by voting for the Wall Street reform bill which protects consumers.  Kilroy has your back.

Truth is Good

(Ooops!  Sorry about the typos!)
Hurry and find Republican candidate, Steve Stivers, a former bank lobbyist.  Check his nose.  Is he growing a Pinocchio nose for lying???

Here is the background from the IrregularTimes on a recent ad from Steve Stivers:

 ...Mary Jo Kilroy can't hide from her 98.4% voting record with Nancy Pelosi....

The Irregular Times tells us that----
....This claim by Steve Stivers is a lie.


A review of roll call data for the 111th Congress of 2009-2010 (the only term of Congress Mary Jo Kilroy has had in office) shows that this claim cannot be true. The current set of roll call votes for Rep. Kilroy’s term in office to date (database | codebook) flatly contradicts Steve Stivers’ claims.

The roll call record actually shows that Mary Jo Kilroy can’t possibly have voted with Nancy Pelosi 98.4% of the time, because Nancy Pelosi has only cast 88 out of 1,511 possible votes. This is because in her role as Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi does not actually cast votes unless a bill has a particularly high profile or the vote tally is especially close. Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy, on the other hand, has cast 1,482 out of 1,511 votes, setting one of the best attendance records for the 111th Congress. Mathematically speaking, Mary Jo Kilroy can’t possibly have voted with Nancy Pelosi any more than 5.9% (88/1482) of the time.....

OMG!  Stivers is lying again.  Remember when he said he wasn't really a lobbyist. That was also b.s. Everyone knows that Stivers was a highly paid top bank lobbyist with Bank One for over seven years.

* Did you know that Stivers doesn't care about the environment?    He has demonstrated no activity in protecting our environment.  Project Vote Smart:

Environmental Issues


2006 Based on a point system, with points assigned for actions in support of or in opposition to Ohio League of Conservation Voters's position, Stivers received a rating of 66.

2003 In 2003 Ohio League of Conservation Voters gave Stivers a rating of 0...

That is very pathetic.

Have You Seen It?

* What is it about some of John Kasich's plans that sound so familiar?  I know!  I've heard them all before he released them!  Kasich's plans/proposals are old news.  This great chart is from the OhioDems and it compares the Kasich plans with those that have already been written and enforced by Gov. Ted Strickland.

The Facts

Kasich’s “Proposal”	Gov. Strickland’s Record
Make job training less confusing. [Kasich job training policy rollout, 9/9/09]	Made job training less confusing by consolidating job training programs, realigning job training staff, and consolidating targeted industries training grants. [Office of the Governor 3/27/2008, Plain Dealer 3/27/2008]
Create a new voucher system to involve private companies in job training programs. [Kasich job training policy rollout, 9/9/09]	Provided job training grants to private companies who want to create or retain jobs. [Department of Development, Viewed 9/7/2010, Office of the Governor 3/27/2008]
Use casino funding to expand worker training grants. [Kasich job training policy rollout, 9/9/09]	Supported using casino revenue to expand the Workforce Guarantee Program – while the Republican-controlled State Senate opposed it. [Cincinnati Enquirer 5/30/2010, 6/5/2010]
Make regulation respect businesses. [Kasich CSI Plan Viewed 8/25/2010]	Made business needs a #1 priority when reforming regulations.  [Executive Order 2008-048, 2/12/2008]
Develop regulations transparently. [Kasich CSI Plan Viewed 8/25/2010]	Established transparency as a priority for the rule making process. [Executive Order 2008-048, 2/12/2008]
Avoid duplicate regulations. [Kasich CSI Plan Viewed 8/25/2010]	Declared that duplicative rules should be avoided. [Executive Order 2008-048, 2/12/2008]
Review all regulations. [Kasich CSI Plan Viewed 8/25/2010]	Reviewed all regulations. [Executive Order 2008-048, 2/12/2008]
Treat businesses as customers. [Kasich CSI Plan Viewed 8/25/2010]	Ordered agencies to treat business as customers. [Executive Order 2008-048, 2/12/2008]
Seek feedback for regulations. [Kasich CSI Plan Viewed 8/25/2010]	Mandated agencies to seek business feedback and facilitate business involvement. [Executive Order 2008-048, 2/12/2008]
Seek lower cost regulations and consolidate paperwork where possible. [Kasich CSI Plan Viewed 8/25/2010]	Mandated seeking lowest cost regulations with consolidation and ordered agencies to reduce processing time for permits and licenses. [Executive Order 2008-048, 2/12/2008]
Establish online tools for businesses. [Kasich CSI Plan Viewed 8/25/2010]	Established online tools for businesses. [Executive Order 2008-048, 2/12/2008]

   Did Kasich think that no one would notice that what he proposed has already been done by Gov. Strickland??????  The similarities are amazing. 

*** There is a fabulous new website called Sarah Doesn't Speak for Me!  The website, sponsored by Emily's List, encourages everyone to stand up, speak up, and promise to vote.  Here is the YouTube video:





Awesome!  Sarah Palin and her radical candidates don't speak for me!!!


*  Jon Stewart just announced the RALLY TO RESTORE SANITY on Saturday, October 30th, in Washington, DC.  Wonderful!!!!!!  Get all the information at
http://www.rallytorestoresanity.com/.

What Republican Values?

Where should I start?  The recent ad by Republican Steve Stivers, former "top" bank lobbyist seems to over glorify his days as a paper boy and a Boy Scout.  He talks about the values that his background gave him.  Really?  Did they teach him to protect corporations, and asbestos companies against lawsuits from victims?  While he was a state senator, Stivers worked with then Ohio Gov. Bob "Ethics Charges" Taft to create a bill that would limit lawsuits against corporations that manufactured asbestos (see the Toledo Blade June 4, 2004).  Instead of working to help the victims, Stivers worked to protect the corporations.  These are the types of values that Stivers learned: protect the corporation/bank/company and to hell with the victims.

> Recently, a website called That's My Congress, has noted an extremely large donation made to the Stivers campaign.  According to the article, Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy
(OH-15-Democrat) worked against a common practice in the pharma industry in which the big pharma corporations pay off the generic manufacturers to keep the low cost generic drug off the shelves.   Apparently, such rules would eat into the obscene profits that some pharmaceutical companies enjoy.  Seeing that Kilroy was working to protect people instead of the pharmaceutical industry, campaign contributions from pharma firms have been going to her pro-corporation opponent, Steve Stivers, a former bank lobbyist.

thatsmycongress:

....These policies would cut into Abbott’s profits, and so the corporation’s political action committee contributed the maximum allowable $5,000 to Kilroy’s challenger, corporate lobbyist Steve Stivers. 

That’s all Abbott Laboratories is allowed to contribute as a corporation. But the employees in the “government affairs” offices of Abbott Laboratories didn’t stop there. Jason Grove, Kristin Morris, Rosemary Haas and Thomas Evers, each an employee of the Abbott Laboratories government affairs division — and each a federally-registered lobbyist for Abbott Laboratories — have also kicked in their own contributions to the congressional campaign of Steve Stivers this year. Despite the fact that they live in three different communities in two different states, Grove Morris and Haas even sent their checks to Steve Stivers on the very same day, March 8 2010. According to the Federal Election Commission, another registered lobbyist for Abbott Laboratories named Darren Willcox joined them in making a Stivers contribution on March 8. Haas and Grove gave synchronized contributions to Steve Stivers again on June 17. Abbott lobbyist Kelly Childress is the wild one of the bunch: she gave Steve Stivers her money on a completely different day, March 23.

It’s not at all clear that Abbott Laboratories is in violation of the law for its activities. But there is a breach of trust here with the Stivers campaign: coordinated contributions by corporate employees magnify the influence of those corporations in the electoral process and diminish the freedom of Americans to participate in politics by and for themselves.


I guess the Stivers campaign has really learned a lot since John Boehner has taken him as his protege.

Stivers is clearly a far right candidate. Here are some other things Stivers wants to eliminate/repeal. I wrote about his plans on this blog on June 9, 2010:

1. Repeal the health care reform bill
2. Repeal the 16th Amendment to the Constitution
3. Repeal the 17th Amendment to the Constitution
4. Eliminate the Department of Agriculture
5. Eliminate the Department of Education
6. Eliminate the Department of the Interior
7. Eliminate the Department of Housing of and Urban Development
8. Eliminate the Department of Transportation
9. Eliminate the Department of Energy


In today's New York Times, we have evidence of the increase of poverty in our nation. The recession, created by Wall Street, Lehman Brothers, and the economic policies of President George W. Bush and Rob Portman, has made it difficult for families, the elderly, and single people to survive.  More people are without medical insurance.

NYTimes:
 ....The number of residents without health insurance in 2009 climbed to 51 million, from 46 million in 2008. The share of children who were uninsured fell, though, reflecting an expansion of government health programs covering low-income children. The share of uninsured adults rose, as a long-term decline continued in the number who have private health insurance. Health experts expect the share of residents without health coverage to decline in coming years as the health care overhaul adopted by Congress in March begins to take effect.... 

Be afraid. Be very afraid.  Steve Stivers, Boehner, Portman, and the rest of the Republicans want to repeal the new health care law, if they gain control of Congress.  Even more people would be without insurance.

It is clear to me that the self-centered, pro-business, anti-regulation Republican Party has no desire or interest to help the average American family get back on their feet.

*  The good people over at Irregular Times have noticed something about Republican Rep. Pat Tiberi (OH-12).  Tiberi has been going on and on about how there should be more emphasis on creating jobs, but.......
Irregular Times:

...In the 111th Congress of 2009-2010, has Pat Tiberi introduced any bill with any focus whatsoever on jobs? No.
Has Pat Tiberi introduced any amendment or even symbolic resolution with any focus whatsoever on jobs? No.
Has Tiberi even introduced any bill or amendment or resolution that could create (as he put it) “an environment friendly to job creation”? No.
Heck, has Tiberi even created any budget earmarks that would direct money to his district to create jobs there? No.

Pat Tiberi has introduced seven bills to the U.S. Congress since he was last elected. Five of these are entirely symbolic bills that don’t accomplish anything, but only make declarations (like Tiberi’s declaration that “jobs should be the focus of Congress”): to celebrate an Antarctic treaty forged 50 years ago, to congratulate a local soccer team for winning a game, to rename a post office, to name September “Brain Aneurysm Month”, and to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the use of telescopes for astronomy. Two bills introduced by Pat Tiberi since he last got elected accomplish something: one bill would give one particular family an immigration exemption, and another would review unidentified corpses to determine their veteran status.

That’s all Patrick Tiberi has to his name in the 111th Congress. For a time when so many residents in his district are losing their jobs, Pat Tiberi is writing bills to commemorate telescope usage, rename post offices and recall the glory days of South Pole diplomacy. Although he chastises everybody else in Congress for failing to do anything about American jobs, he doesn’t lift a finger to solve the problem himself.

Those commemoration bills certainly must have taken a lot of thinking and research. (Just kidding.) Voters in Ohio's 12th district have to face facts:  Tiberi has been nothing but a seat warmer and a puppet of John "I'd rather be golfing" Boehner.


There you have it.  The do nothing, all white, mostly male, right wing, party of "No!" has been working hard to protect corporations and doing nothing to help average Americans. If you are interested in moving forward, you'll vote for Democrats. However, if you enjoyed the miserable economic failures of the last Bush administration, you'll vote Republican.

Do we really need another lobbyist in Washington, DC?

*** People are talking about Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy's ad about the thousands of lobbyists in Washington, DC. People give Kilroy's ad a thumbs up!  However, her opponent, "top lobbyist" Steve Stivers, a former bank lobbyist, has been pulling in that big campaign money from lobbyists, financial groups, and anti-environmental groups, which includes electric/oil/gas/utilities producers. 

Keep them coming, Mary Jo!!!!

***  I hope you've read ProgressOhio's post today.  Here are a few highlights.
ProgressOhio:

...What is the Kasich education plan? Kasich's web site, stump speech and debate performance all repeat the same tired mantra: Ohio ranks 46th on money for the classroom and 9th among school "bureaucracy." But that's old data. Kasich's statistics on classroom vs. administrative spending come from a report based on 2006 data, before Strickland was governor, not current spending patterns. The stats ignore the new school funding formula, as well as deep administrative cuts at the Ohio Department of Education....

What?  You mean Mr. Smarty Pants, AKA John Kasich, used old statistics!!!!!!  OMG.  It makes you wonder if he is using a abacus to figure out Ohio's budget cuts.


...Apparently Kasich feels we must eliminate or consolidate some of Ohio's school districts to cut administrative costs. But Ohioans like home-rule government and they cherish local control of schools even more. Kasich will find many in Ohio communities proud of their schools and suspicious of reformers who want to bus their kids to high school two hours a day to cut costs. Besides, wasn't this about revitalizing Ohio communities, not stealing their identity?

Would Kasich cut school budgets to save money for Ohio? Many believe he will simply re-channel that money to charter schools. They don't perform as well as nearby traditional public schools, but they yield tens of thousands in Republican political contributions. In exchange, Republicans have safeguarded charter and voucher programs that receive $700-$800 million in state aid a year.....

I'm so, so, so sick of hearing Kasich make all his big claims.  We heard last night from President Bill Clinton that Kasich should only get 10% credit for the budget fix in the 1990's, and if anyone should know, it would be Clinton.  He knows exactly what everyone did on the budget.  I think Kasich's massive ego has turned his minor role into something  massive.

Where do we go from here?

Ohio voters have some tough decisions to make about our future.  Do we want elected officials who understand our goals and needs, or do we want people to represent us who view us as an annoyance?

Gov. Ted Strickland came up from a tough beginning in southern Ohio.  He knows the value of hard work, an education, and honesty.  Even though Ohio has faced a Wall Street caused recession, we are on our way back.  Ohioans have retrained with Strickland's job training programs, gone to college to get additional education, and learned what is important in life---- family, integrity, trust, and never giving up our goals.  We've had some set backs, but economists agree, that Ohio is poised to gain jobs and industries because of Ted Strickland's leadership.

On the other hand, we have John Kasich, who over exaggerates his role in the budget fix in the 90's (President Clinton give Kasich only 10% credit), his business experience (at a bankrupt Wall Street firm, Lehman Brothers), and promises to use his business contacts (how many from Lehman) to get things done (behind closed doors?).  What regulations is Kasich willing to sacrifice--- your child's right to a good quality education by certified teachers, worker safety, environmental laws, wage agreements, college student loan programs, worker re-training programs, help for the poor and elderly????? He won't say anything but he'll get some people to remove "their snouts from the trough." ( Has anyone else noticed Kasich always talking about himself?)

Kasich used his contacts with Ohio to get Ohio pension funds to invest with Lehman Brothers.  He pushed for Ohio's pension funds to work with Lehman Brothers, and the results are clear.  Ohio's pension funds were sold toxic assets with Lehman and lost over $400 million----- but Kasich still got his bonus!  With a friend like Kasich, ......

Do Ohioans really want someone like Kasich with Wall Street values to run our state?  How would he view programs that help citizens, as numbers on a spread sheet or human beings???? 

Look at the collection of Republican candidates being offered this election season----
> Kasich- Wall Street investment banker, a Lehman Brothers millionaire, right wing TV pundit, free trader (Ohio has lost thousands of jobs because of outsourcing, but Kasich isn't man enough to admit it.)

> Portman- George W. Bush's budget director, doubled the debt, in charge of trade, was for privatizing Social Security, friend of lobbyists, right wing political beliefs. Portman's jobs plan is nothing more than the same old Republican tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy!!! 

> Steve Stivers- former bank lobbyist, continued to work to promote and protect banks and payday lenders even when he served as a state senator----  
You can take the man out of the role of bank lobbyist, but you can't take the bank lobbyist out of the man.  There are more than 12,000 lobbyist in Washington, DC.  Do we really need one more?  How many amendments to the U.S. Constitution does Stivers want to repeal today?????  3? 4? 5?

> Jon Husted- 'bestest' friend of the NCR bunch (golfed with them, flew on their private jets) but was blindsided when they announced they were leaving Dayton because he was living in Upper Arlington!!!!!!!! Don't get him angry;  wants to revise voting laws to make it more difficult for people to vote. (Hint:  Husted = Blackwell's voting problems)

> Pat Tiberi-  What the hell has he done for Ohio's 12th district???? Tiberi is in lockstep with his puppetmaster, Boehner.  He even repeats the Republican mantra.

> Bob Latta- Would someone get this man off his Blackberry so that he can do some real legislative work? Latta has been going around trying to incite people at Republican County meetings with lies about the Obama administration.

> Schmidt, LaTourette, Boehner, Turner, and the rest of the GOP dinosaurs continue to milk the lobbyist money train and vote for their issues instead of them.  And Chabot????  Chabot??  Chabot was Bush's other poodle.  Are the people in that district crazy?  Our country is moving forward and they want to move backward with Chabot?????  Are you kidding me?????????????????????????

{OMG!  I just saw a report on TV and they just rolled out Deborah Pryce. I guess her financial lobbyist buddies want Kasich, Portman, and the rest of the business lap dogs in office.}

Do Republicans just memorize the same lines:
"Cut regulations"  " Cut red tape"  "Reduce taxes" ????????  Even local do-nothing Republican, Kevin Bacon is repeating the mantra!

Ohio is recovering and rebuilding from the Wall Street/Bush-enabled recession.  We cannot give our votes to the right wing Wall Street lovers who got us into this mess!