Ohio Needs Help!

>Ohio is getting a lot of attention from Democrats and especially Dr. Howard Dean. From CQ Politics, Dean talked about Ohio: ...where Republicans are on the defensive amid questions about the ethical behavior of Gov. Bob Taft, Rep. Bob Ney and other members of the state GOP. Dean noted that Rep. Ted Strickland, the party’s pick for the open governor’s seat, and Rep. Sherrod Brown, who is challenging Republican Sen. Mike DeWine, face no serious opposition in the May 2 Democratic primary. Dean touted Franklin County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy, who is challenging Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce in the Columbus-area 15th District.

>It appears that there are two Mike DeWines, Republican U.S. Senator. One DeWine tries to stay away from Bush while the other DeWine takes National Republican money and raises money for Rick Santorum and Bob "sushi-holic" Ney. Will the real DeWine please step forward???

>The Republican scandals and massive job losses have many people from Ohio leaving the state for those areas of the country where there are jobs.

More illegal contributions to Republicans?

I know it is hard to believe, but some Ohio Republicans have received more illegal campaign contributions. The Cleveland Plain Dealer has the story. Here are some excerpts:

The home- loan giant Freddie Mac has agreed to pay a record $3.8 million fine to settle allegations it made illegal campaign contributions.

The fine announced Tuesday is by far the biggest ever levied by the Federal Election Commission...

...Freddie Mac had held more than 40 fund- raisers for House Financial Services Committee Chairman Michael Oxley, Republican of Findlay.

Other Ohio congressmen who benefited from the fund-raisers included Republicans Bob Ney of Licking County, Patrick Tiberi of Delaware County, Deborah Pryce of Columbus, Paul Gillmor of Old Fort, David Hobson of Springfield and House Majority Leader John Boehner of West Chester....

Will these people ever learn? You'd think that someone on their campaign staffs would notice these illegal contribution and return them. However, it appears the campaigns take the illegal contributions and hope they don't get caught. Shame. Shame.

Did you know...

Did you know...

Republicans in Ohio did not overhaul the school funding for the state, despite rulings by the Ohio Supreme Court. LINK

The Toledo Blade was nominated in the area of public service because of their investigative reporting on Ohio's coingate scandal and Tom Noe. LINK

Republican Rep. Bob Ney's association with indicted lobbyist, Jack Abramoff, is causing lots of confusion and questions for the citizens in Ney's 18th congressional district. Will Ney be indicted? LINK

The Republican control of the legislative branch has created a real mess. LINK

The U.S. death toll in Iraq is 2376. LINK

From Connecticut Blog: Senator Lieberman puts reporter to sleep. LINK

Senator Rick Santorum (PA-R) had his name mentioned on HBO's Sopranos. Tony Soprano referred to him as Senator Sanitarium. Meanwhile, Santorum is doing poorly in the polls. LINK

Dependable Renegade found an interesting picture of President Bush and Secretary of the Treasury Snow. What do you think their body language says about their relationship?

Zap's Smart Car has gotten lots of attention at the New York Auto Show.

Questions

Why doesn't Republican Rep. Paul Gillmor (OH-5th) tell the truth about Ohio's economy? Gillmor, who once lived in Old Fort, Ohio, but now lives in Dublin, Ohio, spoke recently at a Rotary meeting. (By the way, if Gillmor lives in Dublin, how can he use his son's address as his home address on his driver's license? Just asking.) According to the Delphos Herald, Gillmor said, “I would like to see President Bush’s 2003 Tax Relief package made permanent. Since the package was put in place, the economy has improved with five million new jobs..." Five million new jobs? Really? Gillmor must not have seen the report by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation that said that Ohio's economy is one of the worst in the country. Gillmor and the other Ohio Republicans have done nothing to increase jobs in Ohio. It is really pathetic that Gillmor and the rest of the Republicans continue to lie about Ohio's economy.

and....

Why would the Knox County Commissioners keep pushing for a bike path at the intersection of the 3rd most dangerous intersection in the state of Ohio? Why won't the commissioners listen to ODOT? Aren't they interested in the public's safety? Link

The good people of Knox County should call their county commissioners and ask them why they keep wasting government time and money on a project that would be dangerous to the health and well-being of its citizens. Let Tom McLarnan, Allen Stockberger, and Bob Wise know that they should stop endangering the lives of Knox County citizens while they promote a project that was deemed unsafe by the Ohio Department of Transportation.

and...
Did you get your invitation to the annual Ohio Republican Party golf outing? No? Can't afford to golf because the Ohio Republicans have lost jobs for Ohio? You might want to visit the golf outing with your signs and t-shirts and let them know that while they are playing golf with lobbyists and big contributors, you are feeling the results of their failures and corruption. Link

John Boehner--Never far from a golf course

Republican Rep. John Boehner, the perpetually tanned Ohio congressman, visited Hilton Head Island for a fundraiser. I wonder if a tobacco company flew Boehner down to Hilton Head on their private jet.

Apparently, someone has registered the domain name McCain-Pawlenty for use in the future. The story is here.

Ohio Politics

State Rep. Blasdel, a Republican, paid some back taxes. Here is an excerpt from the Akron Beacon Journal:

...State Rep. Chuck Blasdel, who is a financial adviser, said he paid $3,566 to release outstanding liens against two of his former businesses. He also said he plans to pay another $5,927 in franchise taxes and fees for one of the businesses, Executive Cigar in East Liverpool, a tobacco retail store he owned with three partners from 1997 to 1999.

The attorney general's office confirmed it released the 13 liens and received payment, but said Ohio law prohibits it from confirming the amount paid...

"It's very clear he needs to pay this money quickly. He owes about $50,000 to the state," Petro told the Vindicator editorial board earlier this week...

Possible Voting Problems Again????
According to the Post, the federal gov't has warned Ohio about its failure to comply with the Help America Vote Act. Hmmmm. I wonder who is in charge of counting the votes?!?! Oh, yes, Kenneth Blackwell! Will we continue to have voting irregularities in Ohio?

Ohio Republicans are STILL having problems with their association with Tom "Coingate" Noe. The Toledo Blade has the story.

Conservative Republican and anti-choice Senator John McCain says that Republicans are spending money like drunken sailors! Ha! The story can be found here.

Ohio's Economy: One of the Worst!

You've heard Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) and the rest of the Republicans say that the Ohio economy is good. Well, Pryce and the rest of the GOP are just talking baloney! The Toledo Blade has information from a study conducted by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC). Here are some of the highlights from the article and the study:

>Ohio's economy was one of the worst in the country in 2005's fourth quarter...

>Ohio's economy remains weak, with slow or uneven job growth spreading across both industrial sectors and geographic areas...

>Ohio's payrolls increased just 0.5 percent in the fourth quarter...

>Ohio's personal bankruptcy rate of 16.3 per 1,000 residents was significantly above the nation's rate of 8.8 ...

For the rest of the bad news, read the Toledo Blade article. If our current elected representatives are not helping us, it is time to vote them out of office.

Others Taking Notice of OH-15

Democrats have some strong candidates in races for the U.S. House of Representatives. The Christian Science Monitor has Stuart Rothenberg giving his assessment of various races, including OH-15:

..Rep. Deborah Pryce of Ohio faces Franklin County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy (D), the first time the Democrats have put Representative Pryce "in the cross hairs" since her election in 1992, says Rothenberg.

Even More Problems

The Huffington Post has a Washington Post story that shows that the Bush administration did lie us into war:

On May 29, 2003, 50 days after the fall of Baghdad, President Bush proclaimed a fresh victory for his administration in Iraq: Two small trailers captured by U.S. and Kurdish troops had turned out to be long-sought mobile "biological laboratories." He declared, "We have found the weapons of mass destruction."
...A secret fact-finding mission to Iraq -- not made public until now -- had already concluded that the trailers had nothing to do with biological weapons. Leaders of the Pentagon-sponsored mission transmitted their unanimous findings to Washington in a field report on May 27, 2003, two days before the president's statement....

Ohio Gov. Bob Taft could lose his law license, according to the Toledo Blade.

Doug Moorman has a new position. Moorman, a former aide to Gov. Bob Taft, paid a fine for an ethics violation. Now Moorman, according to the Charlotte Business Courier will become vice president of economic development on an interim basis, the chamber said Monday.

Taegan Goddard is reporting on another poll that has depressing numbers for Republicans: The approval rating for congressional Republicans is now just 38%.

Vice President Dick Cheney was booed at the Nationals opening day ceremony.

More Republican Crap

According to the Toledo Blade, Republican Senator John McCain will be in Cleveland to show his support for Republican candidate for governor, Kenneth Blackwell. McCain, who recently met with religious extremist Rev. Jerry Falwell, is trying to gain support from the religious right.

Ohio's current governor, Bob Taft, could use his law license, according to WCPO.

Also, the Toledo Blade is reporting the Republicans plan to attack Democrats over taxes. The Republicans have controlled Ohio politics for over ten years and the Ohio Republicans have given us CORRUPTION, NO SOLUTIONS FOR SCHOOL FUNDING, CORRUPTION, SCANDALS, CRONYISM, TOM NOE'S COINGATE, CORRUPTION, ATTACKS ON GAYS, CORRUPTION, LOSS OF JOBS AND INDUSTRIES, CORRUPTION, LOSS OF FUNDING FOR CHILDREN AND SENIORS, CORRUPTION, LOSS OF FUNDING FOR LIBRARIES, AND MORE CORRUPTION. How do the Republicans have the right to lecture Democrats on anything?????

Get It Straight

No matter what is said, just remember this----
DEBORAH PRYCE VOTED AGAINST INCREASED PORT SECURITY http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/roll056.xml .

According to the Republicans, we are now in a thriving economy! All you people in Ohio's 15th congressional district, if you believe that what you see here in central Ohio is a thriving economy, I'd like to sell you some swamp land.

If you are a senior citizen or a caretaker of a senior citizen, and need help with signing up for the medicare prescription drug plan, call Rep. Deborah Pryce's office for help at (614) 469-5614 or (202) 225-2015. If you have complaints about the medicare prescription drug plan or questions about the "donut hole" call (614) 469-5614 or (202) 225-2015 and I'm sure that Rep. Pryce and her staff would love to help you since they claim the results are "astronomical." More info on Pryce here.

Raw Story is reporting on an article by Seymour Hersh that will appear in the New Yorker: The U.S. Considers Nuking Iran. Read the article here.

Show Us The Numbers

Democrats and Republicans have different view about how the Medicare Drug Benefit program is going. The only people to ask would be those who have signed up for the plans. Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce has weighed in on how she thinks things are going. According to Kaiser Network: House Republican Conference Chair Deborah Pryce (R-Ohio), said, "The rates of success are astronomical."

Astronomical? Really? I'd like to see the numbers. We'd all like to see the numbers. I think that Pryce's use of the word 'astronomical' makes her look desperate because she has no real proof.

Check the AARP message board. People are unhappy and confused and that only includes those who were able to get to a computer. Seniors are just finding out about the "donut hole" and what that will mean to their coverage.

What about this---- NY Consumer Group Challenges Medicare Enrollment Numbers

...a seniors' group in Philadelphia has filed a class action lawsuit challenging the procedure by which Pennsylvania residents eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid were enrolled in Medicare HMOs.

As many as 19 million people around the country have yet to sign up for the drug benefit available through private drug plans, and at least 7.5 million of these older and disabled Americans have no drug coverage at all, the Medicare Rights Center said....

________
The Truth About New Jobs

The Bush Administration is saying that there are new jobs. I don't believe it. Where are these jobs? Wal-Mart? K-Mart? Flipping burgers? The next time you go to K-Mart, you might be surprised to find out that your cashier probably has a college degree. Why would a person with a college degree work at K-Mart or some other minimum wage job? Because they need to eat and there are no other jobs.

Here We Go Again

>>>>THIS JUST IN! Stubborn Liberal has the latest Bush approval poll numbers and they are very, very low.

**Recently, we learned that Republican candidate for governor, Kenneth Blackwell, who headed the Bush/Cheney campaign committee for Ohio, also owned stock in the Diebold vote counting machine company. Now, the Columbus Dispatch is revealing that Blackwell, although against gambling, owns stock in the slot machine company that could benefit if gambling at horse racing facilities is approved. Will Blackwell claim that he didn't know he didn't own this stock, like he did with Diebold? We will follow the story.

**Here is an interesting fact quoted in the Dayton Daily News: Since Taft took office in January 1999 through this March, Ohio has lost 83,900 jobs, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. During the same period, the state dropped 208,300 jobs in the manufacturing sector...

Wow! Taft and the Republicans have done a pretty bad job of keeping Ohioans unemployed and underemployed. Who was our member of the U.S. House of Representatives during this same time? Who keeps telling everyone that the Republican-controlled federal legislative and executive branches have done good things for Ohio? Who? Who? Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce has tried to tell us that things are good here in Ohio. We know better. Don't believe the Republican spin machine.

**This just in.... The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is reporting that 22 Chinese stowaways were found in a cargo container in the Port of Seattle. How were they discovered and captured? Two unarmed port guards and two mechanics helped round up the men and women who were attempting to come in the country illegally. Incredible. I guess we can thank Rep. Deborah Pryce, and Rep. Tiberi, for voting against increased port security. http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/roll056.xml

The Party is Over

The New York Times had an article yesterday that described how the Republican Party is divided now without the iron-fisted rule of disgraced Republican Rep. Tom DeLay. This is entirely possible. For a long time, DeLay and his lobbyist friends kept everyone happy and healthy. Republicans were receiving trips, sushi (like Bob Ney), gifts, free meals, and other favors with DeLay's assistance. Now the illegal fun stuff has all but disappeared and the party-master will return to private life and possible jail time. No, the Republicans are not divided . They are depressed because---The party is over and the in-fighting will begin!

Speaking of Tom DeLay.... Harry Shearer found chit chat between Tom DeLay and Chris Matthews before they went on the air. First, you must read Harry Shearer's post here. Secondly, I want to highlight what Tom DeLay said in that conversation about Senator Hillary Clinton:

DELAY: Nothing worse than a woman know-it-all

Would DeLay rather return to the days of women as second class citizens? Do other Republicans dislike outspoken and educated women? How does Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce feel now that she knows that the man she adored and followed blindly feels that there is nothing worse than a woman know it all?

Not Very Encouraging

According to the Columbus Dispatch, Ohio's economy is not doing well. Although it would not take a genius to figure it out (plant closings, bankruptcies above national average, no new jobs), some politicians may tell us that things are great here. Here is a quote from that Dispatch article: In fact, the state lost 9,200 jobs in January and February.

Things are definitely not very encouraging.

Just the Facts

This particular bit of information is old news, from October 21, 2005, but I think it is worth looking at again:

Congresswoman Deborah Pryce Has Given $1,000 to the Tom DeLay Legal Defense Fund

• $10,000 Bail amount paid by indicted Congressman Tom DeLay in Texas.
• $1,000 Money from Congresswoman Pryce to the DeLay legal defense fund.

And....
If you look at this summary on Labor, Pryce is rated poorly by labor groups.
Her ratings in supporting Education issues are below average.
Since Bush's war in Iraq started (2003), her support of Veterans' issues could be called extremely poor.
Pryce has not done much to support our Civil Liberties.
She supports Business interests over Consumer interests a majority of the time.

***The Plain Dealer has news about Ohio's favorite sushi fan, Republican Rep. Bob Ney (OH-18). Ney says he will not resign like Tom DeLay. Here is an excerpt:
"While I respect Tom DeLay's decision, I am not Tom DeLay," Ney said in a press statement. "I have absolutely no intention of retiring. My constituents will make that decision in the next election and I am grateful for the very strong support I receive when I travel around the district."

Depressing Numbers for Ohio Republicans :)

Found at Democratic Underground:
Zogby is reporting big problems for Ohio Republicans. Here is an excerpt from the article:

With Ohio Gov. Bob Taft’s job approval numbers continuing as the worst in the nation, and with just over one in four (28%) giving incumbent Republican Sen. Mike DeWine good marks for his work in Washington, one of the nation’s premiere swing states appears ready for a Democratic take-over, a new Wall Street Journal/Zogby Interactive poll shows.

Just 6% give Taft good marks for the job he is doing leading the state, the survey shows. In the Senate race, a head-to-head match-up against Democrat Sherrod Brown, the congressman from northeast Ohio who is giving up his seat to challenge Senator DeWine this year, Brown leads DeWine by a 46% to 37% margin.

Brown’s margin over DeWine closely mirrors the sentiments of voters statewide, who said that, by a 43% to 35% margin, Democratic Party leaders more reflect their values than Republican Party leaders. Asked whether Democratic or Republican members of the Ohio congressional delegation more shared their values, respondents favored Democrats by a 42% to 37% margin...

Of course, Democrats share the values of Ohio's citizens. Democrats continue to promote laws that help workers, families of all kinds, the elderly, the poor, the working poor, the disenfranchised, college students, and others. Republicans support businesses and corporations. All Ohioans are sick of the culture of corruption that surrounds the Republicans.

No Money for Franklin County

While we are paying more at the pump, Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) was receiving money from big oil/energy. Here is the information. Local affiliate, WCMH, refuses to air the ads, even though they ran the swift boat ads in the last general election. Contact them here.

Last week there was this big controversy over why central Ohio did not get re-imbursed by the federal government for the work done on the freeway shooter. Pryce said the application had be sent to the wrong address even though one of her staffers had seen it. Now, citizens will still not get money because, according to the Akron Beacon Journal, there is no money. Here is an excerpt from the article:

"We recognize that the prolonged and difficult investigation placed a financial strain" on the sheriff's office, Assistant Attorney General William Moschella told U.S. Rep. Deborah Pryce in a letter dated Friday. "However, there are no new funds available for the department to reimburse" the county.

Well, thank you very much! Guess our money went to fix something in Texas or to pay some inflated contract to Halliburton.

Pryce Caught Red Handed-Energy

There is an excellent ad about Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15), but you'll never see it on Channel 4 in Columbus, Ohio. They've refused to carry it. However, I haven't!
View the ad here: https://political.moveon.org/donate/redhandedP-QT.html

Post the address for the Pryce ad on you website, especially if you live in Ohio.

Here are the facts about Deborah Pryce, as reported by Move On:
According to PoliticalMoneyLine.com:

Over the course of her congressional career, Rep. Deborah Pryce (R-OH) has accepted $157,020 in campaign contributions from “Energy & Natural Resources” PACs....

Votes on Energy & Oil-Related Measures:

• Rep. Pryce voted against a measure that would have provided the U.S. Department of Justice with the authority to prosecute oil companies engaged in gas price gouging and impose fines of up to $100 million on corporations, as well as up to $1 million in fines or 10 years in prison or both for individuals.

• Rep. Pryce voted against an amendment to the 2005 GOP’s oil refinery bill that, among its provisions, would have allowed the president to declare an energy emergency and prohibit gasoline price gouging in times of such emergencies. It would have allowed the Federal Trade Commission to enforce the ban on price gouging and set penalty fines of up to three times the profits gained through price gouging, or up to $3 million.

• Rep. Pryce voted against an amendment to the 2005 GOP’s oil refinery bill that would have provided for stricter penalties dealing with gasoline price gouging, outlaw market manipulation and empower state attorneys' general to enforce the law.

• Rep. Pryce voted for the 2005 GOP’s oil refinery bill that, among its provisions, would require the president to designate federal sites for new oil refineries and allow the federal government (and by extension, taxpayers) to pay new refineries for the costs of significant delays due to lawsuits and government regulations.

• “Opponents said the bill would stifle legitimate lawsuits against refinery projects and in some cases override state or local objections if a refinery were located on federal land. A community or citizens group would have to pay an oil company's legal costs whether they won or lost a lawsuit challenging a refinery under one provision in the bill. Limiting the number of gasoline blends refiners would have to produce to six could hinder the ability of states and cities to meet federal air quality requirements, according to state and county clean air officials, who lobbied against the legislation. Others opposed to the bill were the National League of Cities, nine state attorneys general, and various environmental organizations.”

Pryce Supports Lobbyists' Identity Theft Bill

When a person has their identity stolen, along with credit card numbers, bank accounts, and other closely guarded accounts, that person wants to know immediately when there has been an intrusion into their privacy. However, Republican Reps. Deborah Pryce and Steven LaTourette support a bill put together by lobbyists. This in itself should tell us that it is a bad bill. Pryce and LaTourette are clearly favoring the wishes of their lobbyist friends instead of their constituents. Here are some excerpts from an article at TMC:

...Reps. Steven C. LaTourette, of Madison, and Deborah Pryce, of Upper Arlington, say legislation they helped draft that recently was approved by the House Financial Services Committee would aid consumers when companies such as data-collection giant ChoicePoint or DSW Shoe Warehouse lose or have stolen information about thousands of customers.

They're backed by industry lobbyists, who say a uniform national standard is needed to guide how businesses must notify consumers when such data breaches occur, but not one that assumes every incident means all those affected will then fall victim to identity theft...

... But consumer advocates say they prefer a bill passed last week by the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

That proposal puts the onus on companies to show why they shouldn't have to warn consumers about most data breaches, while the financial-services proposal gives businesses much more leeway to decide to withhold that information, advocates say....

..."I think it is important that we pass a federal law this year," Pryce said. "We need to look at both bills on notification. The notification trigger is lower (in the Energy and Commerce bill), but you also have to consider if you want people notified if they are not in particular risk."

Pryce clearly doesn't get it. Obviously, she has never had her identity stolen and she clearly has no compassion for someone who has. She supports a bill put together by lobbyists, which means she favors businesses over consumers. If a person has had the security of their accounts breached, he/she would want to be notified immediately. Call Deborah Pryce and Steven LaTourette and tell them they are wrong and they should support the House Energy and Commerce Committe identity theft bill.
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....AND.... According to U.S. Newswire: How Deborah Pryce favored oil companies over consumers---

The voting records of four Republican members of Congress in support of energy and big oil company profits come under fire this week when MoveOn.org Political Action unveils the first in a series of television ads that will run through June. MoveOn will spend about $1.3 million showing these Republicans caught "red handed."

MoveOn.org Political Action plans to hold a telepress conference on Monday, April 3 at 1 p.m. EST for national reporters to launch the ad campaign.

The inaugural ad campaign will target Representatives Chris Chocola (IN-2), Thelma Drake (VA-2), Nancy Johnson (CT-5) and Deborah Pryce (OH-15) for taking money from oil and energy companies and then supporting laws that give away billions to these companies while ordinary Americans pay more at the pump.

These Representatives voted in favor of the oil industry and against a measure that would have provided the U.S. Department of Justice authority to prosecute oil companies engaged in price gouging. The measure would have imposed fines of up to $100 million on those companies found guilty....

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Republican Rep. Bob Ney's campaign has clearly been hurt by his association with convicted lobbyist, Jack Abramoff. Ney (OH-18), who was known as a sushi-holic, is not even involved in a full-scale campaign for the primary. The Columbus Dispatch has the Ney story.