Ohio GOP: Putting Children At Risk

Do you wonder why the Republican-controlled Ohio Legislature never seems to get anything done? It is because they aren't working that much. With so many school levies failing in recent elections, you'd think the elected Ohio Republicans would get off their behinds to solve the school funding crisis in Ohio. The Republicans, as the majority, set the agenda and the calendar. As it stands, they are only working 2-3 days per week.

Here is the Ohio Legislative Session Calendar (as posted at the OLA- Ohio Lobbying Association):

OHIO SENATE
January:
09 Session
10 Committee Hearings
15 Session
16 Committee Hearings
17 Committee Hearings
22 Committee Hearings
23 Session
24 Committee Hearings
29 Session
30 Session
31 Committee Hearings

February:
05 Session
06 Session
07 Committee Hearings
12 Committee Hearings
13 Committee Hearings
14 Committee Hearings
19 Committee Hearings
20 Committee Hearings
21 Committee Hearings
26 Committee Hearings
27 Committee Hearings
28 Committee Hearings

March:
05 Committee Hearings
06 Committee Hearings
11 Session
12 Session
13 Committee Hearings

April:
01 Session
02 Session
03 Committee Hearings
08 Session
09 Session
10 Committee Hearings
15 Session
16 Session
17 Committee Hearings
22 Session
23 Session
24 Committee Hearings
29 Session
30 Session

May:
01 Committee Hearings
06 Session
07 Session
08 Committee Hearings
13 Session
14 Session
15 Committee Hearings
20 Session
21 Session
22 Session

June:
10 Session (if needed)
11 Session (if needed)
24 Session (if needed)
25 Session (if needed)

OHIO HOUSE
January:
09 Session
10 Committee Hearings
15 Session
16 Committee Hearings
17 Committee Hearings
22 Committee Hearings
23 Session
24 Committee Hearings
29 Session
30 Session
31 Committee Hearings

February:
05 Session
06 Session
07 Committee Hearings
12 Committee Hearings
13 Committee Hearings
14 Committee Hearings
19 Committee Hearings
20 Committee Hearings
21 Committee Hearings
26 Committee Hearings
27 Committee Hearings
28 Committee Hearings

March:
05 Committee Hearings
06 Committee Hearings
11 Session
12 Session
13 Committee Hearings

April:
01 Session
02 Session
03 Committee Hearings
08 Session
09 Session
10 Committee Hearings
15 Session
16 Session
17 Committee Hearings
22 Session
23 Session
24 Committee Hearings
29 Session
30 Session

May:
01 Committee Hearings
06 Session
07 Session
08 Committee Hearings
13 Session
14 Session
15 Committee Hearings
20 Session
21 Session
22 Session

June:
10 Session (if needed)
11 Session (if needed)
24 Session (if needed)
25 Session (if needed)


No wonder these Republican have so much time to raise money for their election campaigns, golf, and have dinner at the country club. While school districts cut funding, layoff teachers, cut back on programs and field trips, the Republicans in the Ohio Senate are spending little time actually working. Their lack of a work ethic puts Ohio's children at risk. Don't you think it is time to to elect a Democratic majority in the Ohio legislature?

Snowy Update

We received 20.4" inches of snow here in central Ohio. It took us several hours to shovel our driveway and sidewalks. In the process, we broke 2 shovels.

Just when you thought the current administration couldn't screw up anything else, another problem pops up. Miami Herald:
The 2010 Census is already in trouble.
The handheld mobile computers that are supposed to replace the pens and paper long used by census-takers aren't working properly, and delays could send the cost from $600 million to as much as $2 billion.
The Census Bureau has done little, if any, planning for what to do if the handheld mobile computers can't be made to work...

''I cannot overemphasize the seriousness of this problem,'' Census Bureau Director Steve Murdock told a Senate hearing last week....

In case you were wondering.....

1. Mr. Murdock is another person President Bush brought from Texas.

2. Open Secrets reports that over $17,000 was contributed by Harris Corp. to various Republican committees.

3. Open Secrets details that Harris Corp. gave over $7,000 to the campaign of George W. Bush.

Ohio Blizzard

We are experiencing a blizzard in central Ohio. With snowfalls around 12" and powerful winds, most people have accepted the fact that the weekend will be spent inside at home.

*Ohio's 16th congressional district has a well-qualified Democrat for this fall's election. John Boccieri has accomplished a lot and intends to bring change to Washington. Here are some highlights from John's bio:

....Still a Major in the Air Force Reserve, John has served our nation in more than 40 countries and has 11 years of service in the U.S. Military. An aircraft commander aboard the C-30 Hercules, he recently deployed in four rotations in Iraq and Afghanistan in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom....
...He worked to lower property taxes for working families and sponsored a bill to help grandparents raising their grandchildren with housing grants. John has fought for Ohio’s steel industry jobs, helped give seniors access to donated prescription drugs, co-sponsored legislation to safeguard pension funds from corporate greed, and has been an avid supporter of conservation efforts in Ohio....
....John’s record of standing up for Ohioans has earned accolades from groups throughout Ohio. He received the Merle Shoemaker award for integrity in office by Ohio Democrats and was recognized as the Legislator of the Year by the AMVETS and East Central Ohio Education Association in 2004. In addition, he received the 2006 Legislator of the Year award from the Ohio League of Sportsman for state conservation efforts....

Visit Boccieri's website and contribute some money to his campaign.

*If you are ready to look at more information about Bush's miserable failures, you must read "The Gaza Bombshell" in Vanity Fair.

Stivers

It is amazing what you find on the internet!!!!

> According to the Ohio Office of the Legislative Inspector General Joint Legislative Ethics Committee (http://www.jlec-olig.state.oh.us/ ) financial disclosure statements (see PUBLIC INFORMATION on the page), Republican candidate for Ohio's 15th district, Steve Stivers, who was a lobbyist for Bank One, has quite substantial financial holdings and investments in banking institutions. In the past when he voted to protect lenders, he was protecting his banking buddies but also his own financial assets (documents are in pdf form).

Here are some ideas for bumper stickers for Stivers:

PROTECT THE BANKS

VOTE FOR STIVERS

I think that in this climate of increasing home foreclosures, it would be inappropriate to elect someone who has such strong ties and sympathy for lending institutions. USA Today has an article about home delinquencies and foreclosures. The Cincinnati Enquirer states that "...foreclosures hit a record 83,230 in Ohio."


> In a Dispatch news story from June 15, 2006, Steve Stivers proposed a bill to exempt insurance agents from ethics laws. Do you see anything wrong with this???????????????

Take Note!

> A crime prevention program that supplies a $645,000 grant to Franklin County is being cut by the federal government. County leaders were meeting this evening to figure out how to keep some of the programs going. President Bush must need more money for his Iraq War.

> President Bush endorsed Sen. John McCain for the Republican nominee for president. I watched part of the press conference that Bush and McCain had from the White House. Here are a few of the comments made by President Bush:

In speaking about if McCain would need Bush to campaign with him in Texas, Bush said, "He won't need me in Texas. There will be a landslide for him in Texas." (I hope the people in Texas are smarter than that.)

Bush also said that being President "had been a fabulous experience...."
(Too bad it wasn't so fabulous for the American people, especially the American military.)

After the press conference, Brian Williams added the following comment---"McCain is the successor of the President's policies...." (Exactly----same wars, same tax cuts for the rich, same big money for oil companies, same lamebrain foreign policy, and same worthless economic policies.)

Kilroy Is Ready to Take On Bankers' Best Friend---Steve Stivers

Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy is prepared for anything that may come along in the campaign. With a firm understanding of the needs of the people of Ohio's 15th district, she plans to help our district.

On the other hand, Republican candidate Steve Stivers, a career lobbyist for banks, would do a fine job to make sure that his bank buddies are not forced to face more regulations. After all, 'Stivers voted against a bill to make it easier for victims of predatory lending to sue' (Dispatch). Doesn't he sound like a cold, uncaring person?

Here is some additional information from the same Disptach article:
Kilroy said she expects to benefit from a high turnout of Democratic voters yearning for change. She dismissed Stivers' contention that he also embodies change.

"We're talking about changing more than the name of the person representing us," Kilroy said. "We're talking about someone who will stand up for the 15th Congressional District, for health care, for ending tax breaks for companies that send jobs overseas, for bringing the troops home."

Way to go, Mary Jo!

Vets for the Bush Agenda

A right wing Republican veterans' group that backs Bush's unending war and McCain's 1,000 years of war in Iraq has endorsed Steve Stivers.

Yawn. Tell me something new.

In their effort to cover up the truth, the largest newspaper in Columbus, got all the information wrong on the Vets for Freedom. I'd suggest that the author of the article, James Nash, do some research on the Vets for Freedom. Even I know that it was hatched out of the Bush White House to promote the president's agenda.

With all the trouble lobbyists have created in Washington, D.C., the last thing we need is a career lobbyist like Steve Stivers.

To change Washington we've got to get someone to represent us. That someone is Mary Jo Kilroy.

***Here is a little tidbit about Republican Steve Stivers from the Washington Post: Stivers says, according to the article, that people are not talking about the war.

...Steve Stivers sees it every day as he campaigns for a congressional seat in Ohio.

"Usually, I bring it up unsolicited because nobody's talking about it now," said Stivers, a Republican state senator and an officer in the Ohio National Guard. Making the rounds ahead of Tuesday's primary for an open House seat, he hears more about jobs, gas prices and health insurance.

"It's weird," Stivers said. "The economy is just overshadowing everything. When people are worried about jobs and their pocketbook, they don't want to think about things across the world."

I have an explanation for that----- Stivers is not talking with people who have sons and daughters in the military. Obviously, the people at his fund raisers don't have children who are serving overseas. Therefore, to Stivers' supporters it is someone else's kid and someone else's war.

In conversations that I have with people, we discuss why our country is unable to put more money into education, health care, rebuilding our infrastructure, helping New Orleans, assisting the poor and our seniors, etc., etc. If Stivers and his banking buddies are not talking about the need to end the war, they are clearly out of touch with the real problems facing our country. The war is the cause of the economic downturn. The Iraq war is draining important money that would provide for a better tomorrow for all our citizens. As long as Stivers and the Republicans vote to continue the war in Iraq, the economy will remain poor.

Huge Democratic Party

We just got back home from an absolutely huge party put together by Progressive radio, WVKO (1580 AM). There were close to 500 people in attendance at the Makoy Center in Hilliard, Ohio. Democratic candidates at the party included Mary Jo Kilroy, John O'Grady, Dan Stewart, Shawn Dingus, Danielle Blue, Russ Goodwin, Tracy Heard, Paula Borrks, Marian Harris, Jan Lanier, Tomi Lynn Dorris, Kelley Wenzlaff, Ted Celeste, and Bev Campbell. Entertainment was provided by Victoria Parks, The Ukulele Man, Magician Michael Kent, Donna Mogavero, and The Spikedrivers.

The highlight of the evening was the appearance of talk show host, Stephanie Miller. Although she was raised by Republicans, Stephanie Miller is now a progressive.

The enthusiasm we saw this evening was amazing. If this many Democrats are willing to go out on a cold night in Ohio and meet and greet their candidates, the Grumpy Old Party should be very worried. Very worried.

Smart Campaigning

Here in Ohio, the presidential campaign for Barack Obama is hitting the airwaves. Within an hour's time, a TV viewer will normally see at least four campaign commercials for Sen. Obama. This evening there was even a commercial that asked viewers to send a text to the Obama campaign to get more information. This was absolutely brilliant! Not only are they getting young voters to support them, but they are also getting those valuable numbers for the future. The Obama campaign is using the tools young people use everyday to enlist their support.

I wonder if members of the GOP (Grumpy Old Party) know how to send a text message? Would they try to do it on their rotary phones?

Pryce Still AWOL

While people in Ohio's 15th district are suffering from the latest Bush recession, our elected Republican member of Congress, Deborah Pryce, sits at home instead of doing something to help us. Pryce, who is not up for re-election, has apparently started a semi-retirement program of her own. She shows up to work in Washington, DC whenever she damn well feels like it. Unfortunately for us, Pryce hasn't felt like working and would rather hang out in her home in the affluent suburb of Upper Arlington.

Pryce has missed many votes (Washington Post) and now has missed 170 votes (13.8%) from the current Congress (just since January 2007).

Call Pryce's local office ( (614) 469-5614 ) and tell her staff that you are offended and upset that she has missed so much time in the Congress. They'll try to say that she is working in her Columbus office, but remind them that she was elected to serve in Washington, DC.

Meanwhile, Republican candidate for Ohio's 15th district, Steve Stivers, should be asked if he favors continuing the troop strength at 140,000 in Iraq. Does Stivers support Sen. McCain's plans for Iraq? Someone needs to find out where he stands.

They Don't Get It

This is from the Chillicothe Gazette:

Former Ohio politician and television personality John Kasich announced he is interested in getting back into Ohio politics and exploring the possibility of a gubernatorial bid in 2012.....

"I think the state is in trouble, and I don't think we have the dramatic leadership we need," Kasich said, adding he had hoped for more job growth under Gov. Ted Strickland. "I was hoping we'd see it out of the governor, and we haven't really seen it yet. So I'm very seriously looking at running in the governor's race."

Kasich is currently a best-selling author and contributor to Fox News, and has served as chairman of the House Budget Committee during his 18 years in congress representing Ohio's 12th District.....

Here is my take on this.....
1. The state is in trouble because of the corrupt Republican Taft administration.

2. The Republicans who control the state legislature are more concerned with getting re-elected than helping out the citizens of Ohio.

3. After a year in office and no cooperation from Jon Husted and the rest of the self-centered Republican members of the legislature, Gov. Strickland is still working through the mess left by the Taft administration (a. mismanagement and millions of dollars lost in the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation; b. no-bid contracts in Taft's Ohio Dept. of Transportation; c. a mess in the election boards across the state; etc., etc., etc.)

4. Kasich works for the right wing propaganda machine, Fox News.

I could go on, but I'd only make myself puke.

>>> Keeping with her hardly working retirement tour, Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) is still putting out little effort for her constituents. According to the Clerk of the House of Representatives, Pryce missed three votes yesterday. Way to go!!!!

Republicans Worry About Vote

Kevin Dewine, Ohio GOP's "big macher" is worried about voting in Ohio. Dewine and the rest of the Republicans are concerned that their ability to "control" counting the votes, election machines, the availability of paper ballots, and even who gets to vote, is being threatened. They have demonized Jennifer Brunner. In the past in Ohio, votes were "counted" in back rooms and behind locked doors.

Do you remember these Republican voting manipulations?

1. Bernadette Noe (wife of Republican "Coingate" scandalmeister, Tom Noe): (Raw Story---->)

In yet another surreal twist in Ohio's coin-gate scandal, the wife of Bush's chief Ohio fundraiser, Tom Noe who is currently embroiled in campaign finance and money laundering probes surprised poll workers and observers alike by disrupting the ballot count during the 2004 general election, RAW STORY has discovered.

Bernadette Noe, who served dual roles as chairman for the Lucas County Republican Party and the Lucas County Board of Elections, sent twelve partisans into a warehouse on Election Day, according a memo authored by Ohio's Director of Campaign Finance Richard Weghorst who was present at the time....

2. Ohio Election Fraud Blog: The Republican head of the Board of Elections in Franklin County, Ohio, manipulated the supply of voting machines on November 2, denying thousands of likely Democrats the right to cast their votes in a fair and timely manner.

As indicated in the sworn testimony below, offered here for the first time, the election was engineered to make voting as difficult as possible for inner city residents, and to drive away those who could not afford to stay away from work or families, or whose health made it imprudent or impossible to endure the long, cold, wet lines......

Of course there was a shortage of voting machines in those areas that were dominated by African-American Democrats.

3. How can we forget the mess the Republicans created in Gambier, Ohio at Kenyon College when hundreds of college students had to wait for hours to vote because of the purposeful lack of voting machines?

Kenyon College website recounts the voting problems:

.....At 12:36 a.m. on election night, CNN.com posted the news that, "Even at this hour, people in Knox County are still voting. At Kenyon College some people stood in line for up to seven hours."

Bloomberg.com also observed that, "Voting in Ohio was plagued by long delays at some polling places. Voters in Gambier, the home of Kenyon College, waited more than four hours to cast their ballots. At the 1,500-student college, some voters were waiting in line after midnight." They reported that according to English professor David Lynn, poll workers told voters they might have to wait as much as five hours in order to vote....

These are just a small sample of how the Ohio GOP's culture of corruption "managed" voting in this state. Obviously, we don't want a repeat of this.

The next time you hear Kevin Dewine complaining about Jennifer Brunner, just remember he is mad because he and his cronies can't continue their past "Block The Vote" activities.

George W. Bush and the Republicans

When the historians sit down to analyze the administration headed by George W. Bush, the bad outcomes will outweigh the good: a suffocating national debt, an inability to get Osama in Afghanistan, diversion of troops and resources to Iraq to fulfill Bush's personal vengeance against Saddam Hussein, the miserable failure of NCLB (No Child Left Behind), the poor response by the federal government to Hurricane Katrina, the mess in the Medicare Prescription Drug program, the loss of efforts in foreign diplomacy, the loss of personal freedom, federal snooping without warrants, astronomical gas prices coupled with obscene profits by oil producers, etc., etc., etc.

What has the current Bush administration given to Ohio? Senator Hillary Clinton summed up the toll as reported in The Toledo Blade:
"More than 200,000 manufacturing jobs have been lost since George Bush has been President," she said. "We have more than 1 million Ohioans without health insurance. We have 90,000, 95,000 homes in foreclosure right now, and more than 150,000 [if you] take all of last year."

She is absolutely correct. Ohio has had an unfair burden with Bush in the White House. However the most heartbreaking part is that we've had 165 Ohioans killed in Iraq ( http://icasualties.org/oif/USMap.aspx ) and a total of 3970 American military casualties.

However, the Republicans and especially the Ohio GOP want us to forget about that. They want us to keep our troops in Iraq f-o-r-e-v-e-r, rebuild Iraq with our tax money, continue to reward the obscene profit margins of drug companies and petroleum corporations, and stay on Bush's plan for total collapse of our financial markets. Do the Republicans have amnesia? Their elected officials kept this war going by giving this administration a blank check. Why would Americans want to continue this disaster for the future?

It is time for Americans to stand up and say to the Republicans, "We've had enough of your b.s."

By the way, according to the New York Times, the Bush presidential library will be housed at Southern Methodist University. It will tell the story of his "accomplishments." In my opinion, that would make the library the size of a cereal box.

News Roundup

> Former Republican Congressman Bob Ney is out of prison and has taken up residence at a halfway house in Cincinnati, according to the Associated Press. It seems he didn't serve much time of his 2 1/2 year sentence.

> Democratic Congressman Zach Space (OH-18) is having quite a lot of success raising campaign money. The Dispatch is reporting that Space has raised more than $1.1 million.

> President Bush is behaving like a spoiled child. He refuses to compromise and he wants immunity for telecoms.
Raw Story has more.

> According to Iraq Coalition Casualties, 3969 Americans have been killed in Iraq.

Problems

>>> All done! The federal government says they've finished the nuclear clean up at Battelle's old nuclear place in West Jefferson. However, the Ohio EPA is worried that there will be leaks and other problems once the federal government leaves.
The Columbus Dispatch:

....The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency sent the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission a letter yesterday requesting that more work be performed at Battelle's 1,200-acre research site near West Jefferson.

Workers demolished six buildings there and carted away nearly 1.4 million cubic feet of radioactive waste and materials. EPA officials said NRC tests still detected levels of strontium 90 in a small bog on the property that exceed state health limits for drinking water.....

....But tests of the bog, located near Battelle Lake on the property, show levels of strontium 90 that exceed drinking-water standards set by the state and federal EPAs.

Joe Jacobsen, Battelle's radiation safety officer, said the bog is separated from drinking water aquifers by a thick layer of clay, and that there is no way for radiation to leak into the lake, nearby Big Darby Creek or drinking-water wells.....

I wonder if the Battelle radiation safety officer and members of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission bring in their own bottled water from home or drink from the faucets inside the old Battelle facility.

>>> The Ohio Inspector General is scrutinizing contracts done by the Ohio Department of Transportation under the administration of former Governor Bob Taft, a Republican. Check out the list of current probes at the Ohio Inspector General's investigation list. Two managers in the real estate section of ODOT (both are left over from the Taft administration) are under investigation.

Here is an excerpt from the most recent investigation:

.....The mere fact that the same SW Region problems have been repeatedly reported to Central
Office since 1999, yet have persisted, is evidence of a historical void in accountability.....
We make three recommendations and ask ODOT to respond to this office within the next 60
days with a plan outlining how they will be implemented.....

Husted Not Helping Vets

* Why does Republican Speaker of the Ohio House, Jon Husted, hate veterans?
According to Business First, Husted has the chance to help move legislation for a special veterans' bonus that has been approved by the Ohio Senate. Unfortunately, the Ohio House may not act on it because Husted doesn't like the way it is funded. However, State Treasurer, Richard Cordray, favors the veterans' bonus that would be funded by bonds. Why does Husted always play politics with people's lives? There are many veterans who could use that money, but Husted wants to delay any action. It might be a good idea for Ohio military veterans and veterans organizations to contact Husted's office and tell him to get moving on the veterans bonuses.

Contact Jon Husted-----Telephone: (614) 644-6008

Fax : (614) 719-3591

Email Address: district37@ohr.state.oh.us

The Real GOP

* Frank Rich talks about the politics of the Grand Old White Party in yesterday's New York Times.

* The Republican Party in Ohio is not even close to being multicultural.
Ohio.com:
More than 15 years have passed since the Ohio Republican Party boldly announced it would open its big tent to African-American voters and begin to run candidates of color.
The Ohio GOP's track record on this matter is unremarkable.......
.....The 99-member Ohio House of Representatives, the people's house as it is called, has no black Republicans and neither does the 33-member Ohio Senate.

Twelve of the 46 Democrats, about 26 percent, in the Ohio House are black. Five of the 12 Democrats, about 42 percent, in the Ohio Senate are black.....

When you see the members of the Ohio GOP, just think of the nearly all white political party.

* I was flipping through the cable channels when I came across some national political pundit who said he thought that Ohio Republican John Kasich would make an excellent Vice President for John McCain. I almost fell out of my chair laughing. Kasich, a former member of Congress, is an author and talk show host on Fox News. The Fox News ties should disqualify him immediately.

Money in Ohio Politics

How did I miss this??????
The Ohio Daily Blog had the scoop about Steve Austria, Republican candidate for congress:

Retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. John Mitchel (R-Beavercreek), now running for the seat of retiring Rep. Dave Hobson (R-Springfield) and a veteran of past campaigns for Governor and Congress, charges that opponent State Sen. Steve Austria (R-Beavercreek) and his spouse Eileen are co-conspirators in a scheme to steer no-bid contracts to campaign contributors of Hobson, who supports Steve Austria in the race and has paid Eileen Austria large consulting fees. Mitchel compares the scheme to the steering of federal contracts by Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-CA) that resulted in his resignation from Congress in November 2005 and guilty plea to federal conspiracy charges. Cunningham is serving an eight year prison sentence......
.....On the telephone yesterday, Mitchel further explained his accusation. Steve and Eileen Austria sit on the referenced advisory committee along with Sam Greenwood of the Greentree Group. They were instrumental in causing money transferred by Greene County to the Dayton Development Corporation to be used to award a large no-bid contract to Greentree Group, purportedly to assist in an effort to keep Wright Patterson Air Force Base open during the BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) process. Mitchel contends, however, that the base was in no real danger of closing, so the transactions in reality amounted to no more than an enormous transfer of public wealth to private hands, and in any event the purpose of the contract was lobbying and that is not the business of Greentree, an IT firm. Greentree in turn awarded a $660,000 contract to PMA, which is in fact a lobbying firm. During the period for performance under these contracts, principals or employees of Greentree and PMA gave $50,000 in campaign contributions to Hobson. Eileen Austria was a district director for Hobson, and while so employed Hobson paid her $50,000 as a political consultant.....

Ouch! We'll see what happens.

Of course, these Republicans help each other all the time. Republican candidate for Ohio's 15th district, Steve Stivers, is married to Karen Stivers. Mrs. Stivers is employed as the spokesperson for Republican Speaker of the Ohio House, Jon Husted.

According to the Federal Elections Commission, Stivers has $403,122 of cash on hand for his upcoming campaign (as of 12/31/07). Only 45.7% of his contributions have come from individuals (54.29% from PACs). The FEC reports that Democratic candidate for Ohio's 15th, Mary Jo Kilroy, has $638,087 for the same time period. Of those campaign contributions for Kilroy, 66.8% has come from individuals (28.75% from PACs).
PACs don't vote, people do.

Ohio's Primary

Everyone is getting ready for the Ohio primary.
CentralOhio.com:
Congressional candidates are jockeying for position in March 4 primary contests lively, sleepy and brutal as Ohio's once mighty Republicans seek to retain their power in Washington while Democrats try hard to erode it.

Republicans hold an 11-7 edge in the Ohio delegation they have controlled for 14 years. But three seasoned Republicans - Reps. Ralph Regula, David Hobson and Deborah Pryce - aren't running for re-election, and the bellwether state's politics waxed Democratic in 2006, when voters delivered the then-powerless party a near sweep of statewide offices.

The fight for control takes shape on primary day. Of eight Democratic primaries, six are considered competitive. Of 10 Republican primaries, five will be meaningful - with two of the Republican winners slated to face a popular, well-funded Democratic incumbent in the fall....

Republicans are nervous in Ohio. They no longer are held in high regard by Ohioans. The Republican scandals are still fresh and the leading Republican presidential candidate, John McCain, is anxious to keep fighting the Iraq war forever.

Pryce Part of GOP Walkout

I think it is amazing that Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) has been missing many, many votes (according to Washington Post: 161 votes since Jan. 2007). Pryce, who is doing a great job avoiding work, had the nerve to be part of the Republican walkout today.

Washington Post :

2/14/08

Vote 60: H RES 982: Providing for the Adoption of H. Res. 979 and H. Res. 980, Contempt of Congress Resolutions.

Not Voting

Updates from Buckeye Country

>Keeping with her tradition of not working too hard during her last year of her congressional term, Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) continues to miss votes in the House of Representatives. According to the Washington Post, Pryce has missed 156 votes during the current Congress (since January 2007). Pryce has missed the following votes this week (Washington Post):
February 12th: Votes 43, 44, 45; February 13th: Votes 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52.

>With the presidential primary just a few weeks away, we've seen lots of television ads for both Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama.

>Senator Hillary Clinton will be speaking at The Ohio State University today. Check here for information.

Taking A Look

> Keeping with her established work habits, Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15), continued to skip votes on Tuesday. Pryce missed Roll Call Votes 43, 44, 45 on February 12th (Link).

> Have you noticed the rallies of the presidential candidates? The Republican presidential candidates seem to have most old white men at their speeches. There is a real lack of enthusiasm at the GOP rallies. However, the crowds at Clinton and Obama rallies are loud, multi-cultural, young/old, and men and women. It seems that the Democratic rallies represent the faces of the real America.

> Why should we be concerned about Sol Trujillo and his pals George W. Bush and John McCain? Read the article from the Sydney Morning Herald.

Their Strategy

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that the local newspaper and the Ohio Republicans are pushing their candidate for Congress. Since Republican State Sen. Steve Stivers announced his intention to run for Congress (after previously turning down the offer), he has sponsored new legislation in the Ohio Senate nearly every week. It appears that this strategy is being promoted by the Ohio GOP, the Republicans in the state senate, and the Columbus Dispatch. If some legislation is planning to be introduced, the Republican controlled state legislature is apparently allowing Stivers to be the sponsor. In this way, he appears to be actively participating in creating new laws and his name keeps appearing in the Republican-leaning Dispatch. By all accounts, Stivers, who previously was a no-name in the state senate, recently has had his name in the newspaper at least once per week.

Why has the newspaper suddenly become so important to the Republicans? It is free publicity! The Ohio Republican Party and the National Republican Party have had difficulty getting contributions. Their campaign war chests are a little empty compared to previous years. Therefore, they will maneuver the GOP's candidates' names in the newspaper through stories, announcements, and in Stivers' case, sponsoring legislation.

People have to realize that if they elect people like Stivers to the House of Representatives, nothing will get done. Stivers and the Republicans will continue to be pro-business, and let the rights of the consumers be trampled upon as they've done in the past. (Example: Stivers was against putting a top on the percentage rate that could be charged to customers at payday loan outlets.)

Legislation from Steve Stivers in 2003

The News Bank has this article from the Dayton Daily News (originally published June 22, 2003):

Gov. Bob Taft and state Sen. Steve Stivers, R-Columbus, chose May 1 to unveil legislation that would radically change Ohio's system of civil justice and dictate how law is practiced in this state.
The first day of May had been set aside years before by President Dwight Eisenhower as "Law Day" - a time to celebrate the country's judicial institutions and equal justice under the law. But Gov. Taft and Sen. Stivers had other ideas on how to observe the day. They announced their legislative proposal - Senate Bill 80 - benignly describing it as a series of balanced reforms that would make Ohio more attractive to new and existing businesses. In fact, they launched a one-sided, cynical assault on the independence of the state's courts and the integrity of its legal profession - one that puts profit ahead of consumer protections and judicial independence....
....Sen. Stivers, the bill's sponsor, has no formal legal training and was a high-powered lobbyist for a bank. He's been an Ohio senator only since December, when he received one crucial vote - that of his pal, Senate President Doug White, who picked him to fill a vacancy created by a retiring senator.....

Known as Senate Bill 80, the bill tried to protect businesses and industry from lawsuits even if they had been negligent. Check out the entire article to see what Taft and Stivers had planned for the legal system in Ohio.

According to a website called thislawhurts.com Stivers' legislation was considered very controversial and dangerous to consumers. The original bill is posted here.

Is this bill an indication of the type of legislation that Republican Steve Stivers would vote for in the U.S. House of Representatives? Is Stivers more interested in protecting businesses and corporations instead of the consumer? Would Stivers sponsor a bill like this today? Is his recent rejection of a cap on interest rates on payday loans a predictor of his pro-business stance?

Campaign Money Will Boost Candidates in Ohio

Western-Star:
.....Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern predicted that at least $50 million will be spent on the Democratic side alone....
.....When asked about vice presidential candidates, Redfern said he thinks the dream ticket for the Democrats would be Clinton-Obama or Obama-Clinton....
.....When asked which congressional races in Ohio are truly competitive, Redfern said he thinks his party will capture two of four seats that are currently held by Republicans Ralph Regula, Jean Schmidt, Deborah Pryce and Steve Chabot.....

Besides well-qualified candidates, the Democratic Party has something else that Republicans are lacking------ campaign money. Citizens are not sending much money to the GOP campaigns. After the last seven years of an unpopular president, failing economic policies, failures in foreign policy, the unfunded federal mandates like the No Child Left Behind Act, Americans are running away from the losing Republican policies.

**** I've seen a few commercials for Steve Austria, a Republican running for Ohio's 7th congressional district (replacing Hobson). Austria, according to Project Vote Smart, is against a woman's right to choose and got a 66% rating on environmental issues from the Ohio League of Conservation Voters. Some news reporter needs to ask Austria how long he'd like to keep American troops in Iraq.

Update!

Since the last time I wrote about Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce's (OH-15) voting record, she had missed additional roll call votes. According to the Washington Post, Pryce has missed a total of 146 votes since January 2007, including Vote 32, Vote 33, Vote 34, Vote 35, all on February 7, 2008 (see Washington Post for details).

Here are some Vote Smart notes about Steve Stivers, Republican candidate for Ohio's 15th congressional district:
*Senator Stivers supported the interests of the NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio 0 percent in 2004.

*Environmental Issues: In 2003 Ohio League of Conservation Voters gave Senator Stivers a rating of 0.

Want to Help?

Dependable Renegade suggested that those interested in helping storm victims should visit the Monkeyfister. Monkeyfister lists the following local charities to assist people:

American Red Cross
Mid-South Chapter
1400 Central Avenue
Memphis, TN 38104
901-726-1690

And:
United Way of the Mid-South phone in a donation at (901) 433-4300.

They take DIRECT donations, so you can skip all the National-level waste and delay, AND they
serve nearly every community in the effected radius.

We know that this administration really doesn't care about regular people. (Think of how they helped after Hurricane Katrina.) Donate a few bucks to help.

Is this what we want?

> In keeping with her hardly working campaign, Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce is skipping those votes again. According to the Washington Post, Pryce has missed more votes in the House of Representatives:

2/6/08: Vote 31-Not voting

2/6/08: Vote 30-Not voting

2/6/08: Vote 29-Not voting

1/29/08: Vote 28-Not voting

1/29/08: Vote 27-Not voting

Deborah Pryce has missed 142 votes during the current Congress.

That is 142 missed votes since January 2007. Pryce must now be working just to increase the size of her congressional retirement check. No one is docking her pay for not showing up to vote. I'd like to see one of us try that. At this point, Pryce is a member of Congress in name only.


> Sen. George Voinovich (OH-R) had some critical things to say about President Bush's gazillion dollar budget for 2009. Here is part of an article from the Dispatch:

....critics included GOP Sen. George V. Voinovich of Ohio, who called the budget fiscally irresponsible, and a spokesman for Ohio hospitals, who said Bush's bid to curtail Medicare and Medicaid would gut the institutions' finances.
Bush was the first president to issue a $2 trillion budget, in 2002, and now becomes the first to propose a $3 trillion budget....

I find it incredible that Voinovich has just come to his senses. After spending the last seven years providing the Bush administration with blank checks, Voinovich finally raises his voice in opposition to the Bush budget. Is Voinovich looking at his re-election and just following the fad of criticizing an unpopular President or does he really care?

These Ohio Republicans have allowed this current administration to have free reign over everything. Part of the reason our country is in such a mess is that these GOPers put their loyalty for their party and their President above that of their country. It is time for change.

Ohio GOP

> Here is an update--- According to the FEC's disclosure report, zero individuals have contributed to the Stivers for Congress Committee. Looks like Republican Stivers is really not popular among voters in Ohio's 15th congressional district.

> Why haven't the Republicans in the Ohio House moved on House Bill 333, which would put a cap on interest rates charged by pay day lenders?

Contact Jon Husted's office and demand action on HB 333:
Telephone: (614) 644-6008
Fax : (614) 719-3591
Email Address: district37@ohr.state.oh.us

It is time for Husted and the Republican controlled legislature to get to work on important business.

Ohio's GOP-----Doing Nothing

* Do you remember the initiative to have paid sick days for workers in Ohio? Did you ever wonder what happened to the bill? Now we know: (Lancaster Eagle Gazette)

....Senate President Bill Harris said top lawmakers hadn’t discussed the proposal, which was submitted to the Legislature about a month ago after receiving the necessary number of signatures to put it before lawmakers.
Frustrated supporters of the policy — which would require businesses with 25 or more employees to provide them with at least seven paid sick days a year — vowed they would gather enough valid signatures to place the proposal on the November ballot if the Republican-controlled Legislature doesn’t act.....
....Harris, an Ashland Republican, said there had been no discussion of taking up the initiative, while Republican House Speaker Jon Husted of Kettering has not yet decided whether to address it, said spokeswoman Karen Stivers.
The initiative has not been assigned a bill number, and lawmakers have a full plate of complex issues to deal with in an election year, including a comprehensive energy bill and proposed changes to Ohio’s voting systems.....

I guess that Husted just doesn't think it is that important. I hope that Jon Husted and the rest of the Ohio GOP don't get involved in anything that involves actual work. It would interfere with all those fundraising parties.

UPDATE: Forbes has picked up the same AP article mentioned above. ^^^^

> Democrats only need 4 more seats to gain control of the Ohio House. However, Republican hatchet man, Kevin DeWine, says it won't happen (Western Star):
...Ohio Republican Party Deputy Chairman Kevin DeWine said if the Democrats couldn't take the House in 2006, they won't pull it off in 2008.

"In no way do I think 2008 will be a repeat of 2006. 2006 was the low point for the Republican party in the state of Ohio," said DeWine, who is also a House member....

DeWine certainly is arrogant. Wouldn't you like to prove DeWine wrong?

How to Make a Postive Change in Ohio

I read an article from the Marysville Journal Tribune that let readers know that some Republicans had endorsed another Republican, Dave Burke, in his campaign for Ohio's 83rd General Assembly District. In his comments about the endorsements, Burke said the following:

Those endorsing him "....know I have the leadership skills and legislative experience necessary to make positive change in our state house. I welcome their support in my campaign and more importantly look forward to working with them to get Ohio back on track.”

The only way to "make a positive change in our state house" is to throw the Husteds and the rest of the do-nothing Republicans out of office. While the Republicans have controlled the agenda for the state legislature over the past years, nothing has gotten done. When Ohioans demanded that the legislature work on fixing school funding, Republicans decided to work on the 'Defense of Marriage Act' or some other totally worthless right wing item. While Ohioans looked for jobs, the Republicans worked on returning favors for their campaign contributors in the form of plush jobs or special projects or new highways in their district. (Coingate and the missing millions from the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation all happened while the Republicans controlled the governor's office and the state legislature.) Republicans looked the other way while money floated out of state agencies. Even now the Republicans are stalling the work in the legislature as they seek to embarrass Gov. Ted Strickland and win back the governor's office.

Ohioans need change. If the same Republicans are returned to office, nothing will be different or improved.

Money, Money, Money

* The Lancaster Eagle Gazette has an article about the fundraising being done for Ohio's 15th congressional district:

.....Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy, a Franklin County commissioner who narrowly lost to incumbent U.S. Rep. Deborah Pryce in 2006, will report $356,400 in new contributions this quarter, for a total of $828,361 this election cycle, her campaign said.

Republican state Rep. Steve Stivers has raised $404,703 in just seven weeks since he formalized his candidacy, his campaign said.....

It looks like it will be an expensive election.

* Looks like there will be some cuts coming to the state government.
Canton Repository:

Three positions here, 815 positions there. Gov. Ted Strickland wants to cut 2,700 state jobs as a way to trim $733 million from the two-year budget as national economic conditions saddle Ohio with a financial disaster.....

.....J. Pari Sabety, Strickland's budget director, said a significant amount of the savings will come from cuts and changes in central office operations in state agencies......

Of course, Republican Jon Husted had to chime in------

.....Earlier in the week, House Speaker Jon Husted, R-Kettering, told reporters if cuts could be made to state government, he wondered why they weren't made before Strickland proposed and the Legislature approved his two year budget last spring.....

Hmmmmm. I wonder how much money the state of Ohio would have saved if that unnecessary highway interchange in Husted's home district had not been constructed with the help of Husted's political campaign contributor. I bet you wonder too.

Absentee Voting Rush

> Many, many voters are getting absentee ballots. Here is a story from the Dispatch:
Half of all Franklin County voters could cast their ballots before the first poll opens on Ohio's primary election day.....

"It's very possible that we will hit 100,000 absentee votes, a record for a primary," said Matthew Damschroder, director of the Franklin County Board of Elections....

......Franklin County has 780,000 registered voters, though most don't show up for primaries. But Damschroder figures that, given the high-profile local and presidential races, well more than the usual 200,000 might vote in the March 4 primary.....

It should be interesting.

> Karen Gillmor has gotten an endorsement. According to the Dispatch, Karen Gillmor got the Republican endorsement to run for the Ohio Senate's 26th District. Did anyone bother to ask if she lives in the district? Does she still live in Dublin? Does anyone care?

> Popular Blue Jacket, Jody Shelley, has been traded (Star Telegram). He will be missed.

Good Stuff

> Do you remember Ohio State quarterback Joe Germaine? Here is some good news from the Salt Lake Tribune:

It appears that Joe Germaine will be the Utah Blaze's starting quarterback for a long, long time.
Germaine, the former Ohio State quarterback, has agreed to a four-year contract extension that will keep him in a Utah uniform through the 2012 season....
......His 5,005 passing yards broke the AFL record of 4,841 set by San Jose's Mark Grieb in 2007.......

> An interesting poll at 10tv.com asks viewers to grade President Bush's State of the Union speech. Of those responding, 49% did not watch it, 16% gave it an F.

....the likely Speaker of the House....

Ohio Republicans are so sure that they'll retain control of the Ohio legislature that they make decisions based on this assumption. Here is an example from the Newark Advocate:

.... (Rep. Jay) Hottinger has been a member of the House Finance and Appropriations committee since early 2007.

The outgoing chairman, Matt Dolan, R-Cleveland, son of Cleveland Indians owner Larry Dolan, is the likely Speaker of the House in 2009. He resigned Wednesday to prepare to become speaker....

Did you see that------ ...Dolan is the likely Speaker of the House in 2009...? Amazing. Why does Dolan need eleven months to prepare to become Speaker of the Ohio House? What if Dolan loses? What if the Republicans are swept out of office? It could happen.

When Nancy Pelosi became Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, she did not need 11 months to train. Something tells me that Pelosi's job is far more complicated than being Speaker of the Ohio House.

Right Wing Blogger Wrong

This blog's content has been attacked by some right wing GOP apologist who hates unions but loves the politics of Bob Taft, Tom Noe, and Bob Ney. Here is what the Ohio Red November had to say about my previous post about Steve Stivers friendship with banks: (I have not corrected his/her spelling errors!)

...Well my friends, here is another fine example here where the lefty blog tries to make a claim about State Senator Steve Stivers, canidate for Congress in OH-15, is “buddies” with the banking community, making a not so veiled attempt to say there is something “smarmy” going on....

1. Fact: Mr. Stivers was a lobbyist for Bank One before he joined the the state legislature. He has met with OBL (the Ohio Bankers League -See post below.) Mr. Stivers has received campaign contributions from PAC committees that are associated with banks, health insurance companies, tobacco, insurance companies (LINK) like American Bankers Assoc., National City, Huntington, Keycorp, Motorists, RJ Reynolds, Medco, Cardinal Health, etc. (Check the FEC.)
2. I never used the word smarmy.
3. My facts have links.
4. The right wing blog writer uses the Editorials of the right leaning Columbus Dispatch newspaper and a letter to the editor to support his/her case. The editorials and the letter are based on opinions.


More from the Righties--
....Now, word around the town is that this story may only be beginning and that there may be more decisions made in teh near future that will give this “Pay-to-Play” scheme with Mary Jo Kilroy and the Unions even more scrutiny.....

What word around the town?

> Here is another tidbit-----
On January 17, 2007, that same blogger calls members of unions thugs. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Why does the right wing blog writer hate unions? I know many union members and they are not thugs.

Stivers and Banks

** Even as recent as last year, Republican candidate for Congress, Steve Stivers, has continued to court and support his friends at the Ohio Bankers League.

Ohio Bankers League (motto as posted= "Working for Banks and Bankers"):
(4/26/2007)

Foreclosures topped the agenda as more than 60 Ohio bankers descended on Columbus for the annual OBL Day at the Capitol on Tuesday.
OBL Chairman and President & CEO of American Savings Bank, Bob Smith (pictured, center with Representative Chris Widener and OBL VP of State Government Relations Mike Adelman) commented, "With foreclosure rates front and center, this year's Day at the Capitol was more important than ever. The bankers who attended in Columbus yesterday did a great job of educating legislators that banks are not the cause of this problem and that we, as an industry, want to work with elected officials to develop a solution that is good public policy."

Representative Chris Widener (R-Springfield), chairman of the Ohio House Financial Institutions, Real Estate and Securities Committee and Senator Steve Stivers (R-Columbus) briefed bankers on recent developments from the Governor's Foreclosure Prevention Task Force as well as other pressing legislative issues. Armed with this information, the bankers went to the Statehouse for meetings with their state representatives and senators....

If Stivers were elected as a member of Congress for Ohio's 15th district, would he help and protect citizens or banks? Someone needs to ask which he considers more important.

> In 2006, Stivers participated in OBL Day at the Capitol in Columbus.

It seems to me that Steve Stivers just can't shake off those good buddies in the banking industry.

DeWine in a McCain Administration?

* Ohio Republicans are dusting off their resumes in hopes of landing a job with a John McCain administration. First in line is former Republican Sen. Mike DeWine. The Dispatch article said that DeWine could be the Attorney General in a McCain presidency.

* A new study reveals that members of the Bush administration lied in the buildup before the Iraq War. (I think a majority of Americans already knew that information.)
Raw Story:
A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks...
...The study was posted Tuesday on the Web site of the Center for Public Integrity, which worked with the Fund for Independence in Journalism....
...The study counted 935 false statements in the two-year period. It found that in speeches, briefings, interviews and other venues, Bush and administration officials stated unequivocally on at least 532 occasions that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction or was trying to produce or obtain them or had links to al-Qaida or both....

I'm surprised that they found only 935 false statements from the Bush Republican administration.

*** There is some good news out of Missouri! MSNBC:
Gov. Matt Blunt abruptly announced Tuesday that he will not seek a second term, leaving Republicans without a candidate in a race for which the incumbent had stockpiled millions of dollars.

The 37-year-old said he had decided not to seek a second term in November because he had accomplished virtually everything he set out to do when he ran for governor four years ago. Blunt has trailed in the polls, however, behind Democratic Attorney General Jay Nixon, who has been campaigning against him for several years......

Are the citizens of Missouri tired of the Blunt administration, Republicans in general, or both?

Fred and Food

>>> Zzzzzzzzz! Fred Thompson has withdrawn from the presidential race, according to the Toledo Blade. It just seemed that Thompson was not willing to work hard enough to get the nomination. There will be some Ohio GOPers who are going to be very disappointed.

>>> Whole Foods will ban plastic bags, according to Business First. I think it is a great idea. I carry my own canvas bags when I go shopping. It would be great if Kroger would encourage re-usable bags also.

>>> New York has an interesting proposal. Reuters:
New York again sought to force fast food chains to display calorie counts on their menu boards on Tuesday after a federal judge quashed a similar proposal last year.

The rule affects restaurants with 15 or more locations nationwide such as fast-food chains Burger King, McDonald's and Wendy's but also casual dining chains such as Ruby Tuesday and IHOP Corp's Applebee's.....

Fabulous. I'd also like to see restaurants post their grade from their last health inspection.

>>>> Speaking of food......
Republican Mike Huckabee said that he used to cook fried squirrel in his popcorn popper while he was in college. The New York Times has a recipe for fried squirrel if you're interested in following Huckabee's gourmet leanings.

Of Note

* Fun fact--(U.S. Treasury Direct)
On 1/14/2000, the total public debt outstanding was $5,719,849,572,269.03.
On 1/17/2008, the total public debt outstanding was $9,187,584,466,089.71.

* There are more Republican disputes. Oh, goody. CQ Politics:

The winter meeting held by Republican National Committee (RNC) and concluded this weekend did not even seek to compete for attention with the presidential nominating events on Saturday in Nevada and South Carolina. But they did, in a low-profile manner, revive a debate over whether and how to fix a presidential nominating process that many participants and observers view as broken.

The GOP officials meeting in Washington, D.C., did not miss the fact that the Nevada caucuses and South Carolina primary were already the fifth and sixth Republican voting events in the 2008 campaign — by Jan. 19 — with their multicandidate field hurtling toward a historic traffic jam of 21 Republican nominating events scheduled for Feb. 5......

Are the Republicans blaming their system for their failure to get voter interest for their loser candidates?

* The NY Times is reporting that stocks are falling in Asia and Europe due to fears about the U.S. economy. NY Times:

Global stock markets plunged on Monday as fears spread that the turmoil in United States mortgage markets is spreading. Indexes in Europe fell as much as 7 percent after a huge selloff in Asia.....

What a mess!

Special Attention in the 15th

*** The DCCC's "Red to Blue" campaign will send extra money and support to the Democratic candidate for Ohio's 15th congressional district, Mary Jo Kilroy.

CQ Politics:
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), the campaign arm of the Democratic Party majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, has announced its initial roster of candidates in a program that will provide them with enhanced fundraising and strategic assistance — most of them for efforts to take over Republican-held seats in this year’s elections.....

Mary Jo Kilroy, Ohio’s 15th (Western Columbus and suburbs). Kilroy, an elected commissioner in the county that includes Columbus, has a return engagement on the “Red to Blue” list: She nearly defeated Rep. Deborah Pryce in 2006. Several Republicans are running in the March 4 primary election, the best-known of whom is state Sen. Steve Stivers.

2004 vote for president: Bush 50 percent, Kerry 49 percent...

Sad but true----> Pryce did get some Democratic and Independent voters in the last election. Now that we've seen the disastrous results of the Bush administration and the rubber stamp support of his Republican lap dogs, the likelihood of crossover votes should be kept to a minimum.

Also, a large majority of the people in the 15th are very disgusted with Bush's war, the toll on our military men and women, the state of the economy, and our government's response to events/circumstances (Katrina, the inability of wounded war vets to get timely health care, the failure of Bush's No Child Left Behind Act, the lack of new jobs, etc.). People are looking for change and hope.

Speaking of our wounded vets--- Some wounded vets are being forced back into war after sustaining severe wounds, head trauma, concussions, and PTSD (see the Denver Post's article). Is this anyway to run a country? See Bush's sword dance.

Questions

** Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce voted against the passage of the S-Miner Act (HR 2768) in the House of Representatives yesterday, according to the Washington Post. The S-Miner Act is a bill to improve the safety of miners. Why would Pryce vote against the safety of miners? Would it be because of contributions received from people like Robert Murray, president of Murray Energy Company? According to Open Secrets, Robert Murray and his staff, have contributed over $127,000 to Pryce, George W. Bush, and other Republican members of Congress (see Open Secrets).

** Now we must deal with meat from cloned animals. Since the FDA has approved cloned meat for sale in our stores, will members of the FDA eat this cloned meat and serve it to their children?

Stivers Gets Cozy With Business Contributors

The Republican candidate for Ohio's 15th congressional district, Steve Stivers, has been courting the same PACs and business leaders that Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce had as contributors. According to a listing from the FEC (Federal Election Commission), the PACs are pouring in their money to help Stivers, a former bank lobbyist, and now member of the Ohio legislature. In a recent report from the FEC, Stivers received substantial campaign money from PACs which represent banks, insurance companies, health insurers, and large corporations. These PACs are hoping to get a business/corporation protectionist into the House of Representatives.

However, according to the FEC website (as of today), there have been no individual contributors. Regular citizens have not given campaign money to Stivers as yet.

Democratic candidate for Ohio's 15th, Mary Jo Kilroy, has PAC contributions too, according to the FEC. However, these contributions are from worker/employee/group PACs. The FEC lists many individual contributors for Kilroy for the 2006 race and for 2008 election.

Repeat That Again

>> John McCain is looking for voters. I didn't know he'd go this far.
Cumberlink:
John McCain, campaigning in a funeral home, hoped for a large turnout by the living Tuesday as Michigan voters judged the Republican presidential pack in a snowy primary.....

How many votes do you think he picked up in the funeral home?

>> Mike Huckabee wants to amend the Constitution.
MSNBC:
...These two topics usually feature prominently in Huckabee's stump speech, but last night he got specific, promising to build a border fence within 18 months if elected and elaborating on his belief that the constitution needs to be amended.

"[Some of my opponents] do not want to change the Constitution, but I believe it's a lot easier to change the constitution than it would be to change the word of the living God, and that's what we need to do is to amend the Constitution so it's in God's standards rather than try to change God's standards," Huckabee said, referring to the need for a constitutional human life amendment and an amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman.

Huckabee often refers to the need to amend the constitution on these grounds, but he has never so specifically called for the Constitution to be brought within "God's standards," which are themselves debated amongst religious scholars. As a closing statement he asked the room of nearly 500 supporters to "pray and then work hard, and in that order," to help him secure a victory in Tuesday's GOP primary....

Huckabee gives me the heebie-jeebies. I guess he'll be advocating a state religion soon.

>> Giuliani is not doing well in Florida. Even though Giuliani has campaigned almost exclusively in Florida, his poll numbers do not look good.

NY Daily News:

....A new Quinnipiac University poll Monday found Giuliani has lost his once-dominant lead in Florida, a must-win for the ex-mayor. He is locked in a virtual four-way tie for first place in the state's GOP primary with Sen. John McCain and ex-Govs. Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee.

At the same time, two new polls showed Giuliani - the Republican front-runner for virtually all of 2007 - sliding into third or fourth place nationally....

If Giuliani continues to spend his little remaining campaign cash in Florida, he'll have an empty campaign war chest for other states.

Kilroy vs. Same Old GOP Talking Points (Stivers)

Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy is running for Congress for Ohio's 15th Congressional District. Kilroy lost to Republican Deborah Pryce by only 1,000 votes. This election year should be different.

On the other side, the Ohio GOP has Steve Stivers as their mostly likely candidate for Ohio's 15th. Stivers is running on the usual Republican talking points (Stivers website):
--- economic development and job development (Pryce never helped us. Why would he?),
--- limited government (George W. Bush has actually expanded the federal government!),
--- lower taxes (Does he mean lower taxes for his buddies at corporations?), and
--- securing our borders (How does he intend to do this?).

Stivers served in the military. Does he support Bush's Iraq policies?

The Stivers website states that ".....Washington, D.C. is broken." Is it because of the failures of the Bush administration? I noticed in the photos on his website that all the people in the pictures are white. Does Stivers know that there are many different races and ethnic groups in the 15th district?

I'll be watching this race and I'll keep you informed.

Updates on Ohio Politics

> Ohio Republicans are in deep oatmeal hoping for a savior for their fractured, corrupt party. According to the Plain Dealer, the Ohio GOP had a straw poll in Northeastern Ohio. Giuliani came out a winner (41 out of 103 votes), and McCain close behind with 30 of the 103 votes. It appears that, as reported in the article, 20 percent of these Republican leaders are undecided.

> If you are interested in reading some works of fiction, you need to visit the Ohio GOP website. Some of their fictional stories include that President Bush's "surge" worked in Iraq (Why are our troops still there? Why is there violence? Why haven't the Iraqis taken over their own security?), the No Child Left Behind Act is a success (LOL!!!! They must not be talking to public school teachers! All those charter school owners are getting rich.), and that the Republican Party is good for woman (I guess that is why all their presidential candidates are white men.).

> It is official! We now have the candidates for the congressional primaries. According to the Dispatch, Mary Jo Kilroy will be the Democrat running for the 15th congressional district. Republican candidates include Steve Stivers and Robert Wagner. Should be interesting. I'm waiting for Stivers to claim that he represents change!!!

> It appears that Republican Speaker of the House, John Husted, is doing a good job trying to cater to the public utilities. Here is an excerpt from Ohio.com:
.....Husted's plan at this point offers just the right combination of hope and fear to all the stakeholders involved to keep them actively interested in the political process, which means retaining lobbyists and writing hefty campaign contribution checks....

Ohioans need to get the Republicans out of control of the state legislature so that real people, not lobbyists, get what they need.

Huckabee Not A Fave of Ohio GOP

According to a story in The Other Paper, Ohio Republicans are not in a lovefest with Republican presidential candidate, Mike Huckabee. Here are some excerpts from the article:

....Despite winning last Thursday’s Iowa caucuses and leading in national polls, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is getting little respect from the leadership of the Ohio GOP.

Last month, when Huckabee was on the cover of Newsweek as the biggest story in presidential politics, state Republican Chairman Bob Bennett downplayed his chances for the nomination, predicting the GOP race would come down to a fight between former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Yesterday, state Rep. Kevin DeWine, the party’s deputy chairman, was similarly dismissive of Huckabee.....

The article goes on saying that Huckabee reminds Ohio Republicans of their failed, right wing, religious extremist candidate for governor, Ken Blackwell.

Huckabee is very similar to Blackwell on many issues. Would Ohio Republicans just hold their noses and vote for Huckabee if he was their candidate? It makes you wonder.

An Open Letter to State Rep. Kevin Bacon

If you live in Ohio, you may have gotten a "newsletter" from your Ohio State Representative. I got mine today from State Rep. Kevin Bacon (District 21). Mr. Bacon asked what things that he and the rest of the ("do-nothing" Republican-controlled <--my words) state legislature should work on in the new year.

I'll make this short and sweet:

Fix the school funding problem in Ohio!

The Ohio Supreme Court found, in 1997, that the Ohio school funding was unconstitutional. However, the Ohio GOP would rather work on less important issues (like the defense of marriage act, building roads in their home districts, and so on...). (See Bricker & Eckler for a summary of the Ohio school funding litigation.)

Ohio Republicans Are Worried

*Ohio Republicans are worried that a strong Democratic presidential ticket could doom their party in the November elections. The Ohio GOP and Republicans across the country fear an Obama-Clinton or
a Clinton-Obama ticket. It would be historical and offer the country real change and leadership. (If you want to try my theory on a Republican friend, tell him that you heard that it will be a Clinton-Obama or Obama-Clinton ticket and watch the panic in his eyes.)

On the other side, the sad, all old white guy Republican presidential club has little to offer but the same old GOP mantra ==> more war, taxes, protect corporations and oil companies. Last night on The Daily Show, Jon Stewart showed a number of great clips. One video showed Giuliani and his ability to add "9/11" to every sentence. Amazing.

Not Everyone Represents Change

It seems that many candidates are claiming that they are agents of change. However, only certain individuals have the right to be using the word "change" to describe what their run for office means. The Dispatch has this:

The word is change, and the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates have fallen in love with it....

....The talk of change has even dripped down to central Ohio. Republican state Sen. Steve Stivers, who faces Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy for the congressional seat held by Republican Deborah Pryce, announced that "this election is about change."
The voters are left to sort out the word's meaning....

After reading the article, here are my rundowns on various people and if they can claim the mantle of an agent of change.

AGENTS OF CHANGE:

Hillary Clinton--- first woman to run for President. It would bring a different perspective to the office.

Barack Obama--- his views, background, and goals would provide a change of focus.

Bill Richardson--- his experience in foreign diplomacy, his background, and his experience in being a governor would provide a fresh approach.

NOT AGENTS OF CHANGE (REPRESENT THE SAME OLD SAME OLD):

Steve Stivers--- as a candidate for the House of Representatives and former bank lobbyist, Stivers would bring the same pandering that the current member of Congress, Deborah Pryce (OH-15), has done for businesses, financial and insurance groups, and pharmaceutical corporations. Stivers DOES NOT represent change.

John McCain--- he'd continue the war in Iraq (forever) and continue the policies of the current administration.

Mitt Romney--- supports a continuation of the war and Bush policies, but there is a chance of a flip-flop.

Mike Huckabee--- I think of Huckabee as being a more religious Bush. Huckabee has no experience in national decision-making.

Rudy Giuliani--- someone once described him as being like George W. Bush, but on steroids. Giuliani would bring us to a police state and a larger war in the Middle East.

Only the Democrats represent change. The rest are just adopting the rhetoric of the day.

Friday's Notes

> It appears that Republican Rep. Bob Latta (OH-5th) has some new challengers for his recently acquired seat in the House of Representatives. Toledo Blade:
Newly elected U.S. Rep. Bob Latta (R., Bowling Green) will face a challenge for the Republican nomination March 4 from an Iraq War veteran and West Point graduate who filed his candidacy papers yesterday. Scott Radcliffe, 28, avoided discussing Mr. Latta in his announcement yesterday in his hometown of Perrysburg, other than saying he was not pleased with the vitriolic primary battle Mr. Latta won.....

Don't you just love the fighting in the GOP???

> President George W. Bush apparently forgot about his "compassionate conservative" pledge.
San Francisco Sentinel:

The Bush administration is imposing restrictions on the ability of states to expand eligibility for Medicaid, in an effort to prevent them from offering coverage to families of modest incomes who, the administration argues, may have access to private health insurance.

The restrictions mirror those the administration placed on the State Children’s Health Insurance Program in August after states tried to broaden eligibility for it as well.

Until now, states had generally been free to set their own Medicaid eligibility criteria, and the Bush administration had not openly declared that it would apply the August directive to Medicaid. State officials in Louisiana, Ohio and Oklahoma said they had discovered the administration’s intent in negotiations with the federal government over the last few weeks....

Mr. Bush has no interest in the health of poor American children.

Another Snowy Day in Columbus

* We had some snow overnight in Columbus. As soon as there are two flakes of snow, some drivers forget how to drive!

* Ohioans have to work to take back the state legislature. The do-nothing Republican majority in the Ohio House and Ohio Senate have refused to work on the school funding issue. Jon Husted and his GOP cohorts would rather work on getting contracts for their big campaign contributors than help Ohio children get a decent education.

* A Taft holdover has been accused of a conflict of interest. Dispatch:

As a high-ranking lawyer for the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation for 17 years, Kevin R. Abrams had his fingerprints on many of the policies governing how injured workers should be paid.
Now, Abrams judges disputes arising from decisions made by his former employer. Some see a conflict between those two roles...
...At least some of Abrams' votes are tainted by his work at the bureau, alleges a complaint filed by Joseph C. Sommer, a bureau lawyer....

It might be time for Mr. Abrams to find another job outside of the state government.

* Shoppers in central Ohio are increasingly bringing their own bags for their grocery shopping trips.
Dispatch:
...Natural-food stores such as Whole Foods have encouraged shoppers to reuse bags for several years, and mainstream supermarkets such as Kroger and Giant Eagle are joining them....

BYOGB=Bring Your Own Grocery Bag!