Coincidence?

Gov. Kasich was praising Marathon Oil today as he gave them some new tax breaks, according to an article in the Dispatch:


....Marathon Petroleum will get a 75 percent, 15-year job retention tax credit from the state to keep its 1,650 employees in Findlay and a 60 percent, 10-year job creation tax credit the company says will allow it to hire 100 new employees.

The company also will benefit from an interpretation of Ohio's commercial activity tax included in the state's transportation budget exempting exchanges or transfers of gasoline from the tax.

Unlike some similar, previous company announcements Kasich took part in -- as with American Greetings and Bob Evans -- Kasich did not insist Marathon Petroleum would've moved out of Findlay if not for the state's tax help......

How interesting!  Poligraft shows the following connection between Marathon Oil and the Kasich-Taylor campaign of 2010:

Aggregated Contributions

Represents total campaign contributions from an organization's employees and/or its PAC.

• Marathon Oil has aggregated $18,700 to KASICH, JOHN & TAYLOR, MARY

Hmmmm.  Do you get tax credits if you've contributed to the Kasich-Taylor campaign?  I'm just asking the question!

If you recall, American Greetings got a tax break (see American Greetings news release), and their employees contributed  to the Kasich campaign, according to Poligraft:

Aggregated Contributions

Represents total campaign contributions from an organization's employees and/or its PAC.

• American Greetings Corp has aggregated $2,000 to John R. Kasich

In the case of  Bob Evans, the Ohio Secretary of State campaign finance website reports that Daniel Evans gave $500 in July 2010 to Kasich for Ohio campaign. There might be more donations out there.  I'll let you know when I find them.

Only 2 Billion Dollars?

*  President Obama has suggested that certain tax breaks should end, like those that give tax breaks to private jet owners, oil companies, hedge fund managers, millionaires and billionaires.  Republican Leader Eric Cantor said by ending the tax cuts for private jet owners, there would only be a savings of $2-3 billion.  So what?  Saving $2-3 billion is a start!  If ending a tax cuts for wealthy private jet owners means grandma and grandpa keep their Medicare, do it.  Saving the elderly is much better than giving more money to some fat cat with his own jet.


PrioritiesUSA Action says it best:





*  Officer Mike Weinman, retired from the Columbus Department, now with the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police, was a guest on the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC this evening.  He spoke about how police officers and firefighters would not be able to bargain for safety equipment under the Republican SB 5.  The decision to buy safety equipment would be left to city councils across the state.  He said that usually police are conservatives but that they've been hurt by those they trusted that wrote and passed SB 5.

**** Congratulations to We Are Ohio for collecting over 1.2 million signatures to get the referendum on the ballot so we can repeal SB 5. We'll need everyone's vote because we'll be going up against the well-funded Koch Brothers, Kasich, and the Republican Party.

Whoa, baby!!!!!!

Incredible!

Dispatch:

The coalition leading the effort to repeal Senate Bill 5 delivered a record of nearly 1.3 million signatures to the secretary of state today to place Ohio's new collective bargaining law on the November ballot.

A parade of more than 6,000, led by a banner proclaiming the "million signature march," rumbled through Downtown this morning.

We Are Ohio, the group leading the referendum effort, organized the march up Broad Street to Fourth Street, where a 48 ft. semi-truck carrying the 1,298,301 signatures in 1,502 boxes collected will be unloaded. The parade also included retired fire trucks, a drum line, bagpipes and loud motorcycles. It took about 15 minutes to pass.....

We see evidence that the people of Ohio are sick of the antics of the Kasich administration and the Ohio Republicans who think he is their god.  While Kasich and the Ohio GOP hammer away at the rights of the working people in Ohio, citizens are demonstrating their disgust with the Republican agenda.

Soon, the buzzards and corporate money in the form of the Koch Brothers' astroturf group will descend on our state and tell us that we need SB 5. Face it.  We don't need SB 5, Kasich, the Republicans, and the Koch Brothers and their corporate money.  Ohioans don't want these attacks on working people to continue, money taken from public schools, or tax breaks given to Kasich's buddies.  We've had enough!

**************** 

Have I told you lately?   Republican Reps. Steve Stivers and Pat Tiberi voted for the Paul Ryan budget which destroys Medicare.

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

President Obama's press conference today noted that while he has been willing to talk about the budget, the House of Representatives is on vacation and won't return until July 7th.  Like spoiled little rich kids, the Republicans are refusing to give up tax breaks for oil companies and millionaires.  Let your member of Congress know that you won't have your grandmother's Medicare cut so that oil companies and wealthy fat cats can get their taxes cut.

Save Grandma's Medicare!

Raise taxes on Millionaires

& Oil Companies!

New Budget Will Create More Problems

The new Ohio budget will create more problems for school districts. Besides cutting funding for schools, the Republican/Kasich budget set up a complex method to evaluate teachers.

Dayton Daily News:

...The bill also requires Ohio’s roughly 120,000 K-12 teachers to receive annual performance evaluations to help determine who is promoted, retained and fired....

....The state Board of Education must come up with a framework by Dec. 31 that bases annual teacher and principal evaluations on at least two 30-minute observations and student academic growth. Teachers will be given written evaluations and opportunities for professional development.....

“If every single teacher has to be evaluated, we don’t have enough administrators in this district to carry that out in a fair and proper form,” he said. “Logistically, it’s going to be a problem.”

Great. Now principals will be less likely to be able to meet with parents, groups, and even students because they will spending a lot of time observing, writing up evaluations, setting up evaluation conferences with each teacher, and then researching the academic progress of every student and match them up with his/her teacher/teachers.  That should be time consuming!  

*** The Ohio Budget Watch has more details from the Kasich budget:

...the Ohio legislature and John Kasich are really doing a solid for all of their rich friends in this budget. I mean, teachers get screwed, firefighters get screwed, public employees get screwed, as do local governments and schools but the silver lining here is that rich people make out pretty well in this budget. It’s a shame we can’t all be rich.....

Invest Ohio - If you are like me you also probably have millions of dollars of tax liability each year right? Well my friend we are in luck thanks to John Kasich and his BFF Mark Kvamme,the brain trust behind this proposal. If they get their way Ohio will offer $100 million each year in tax credits to tax payers who invest in Ohio small businesses....

....Now, just ignore the fact right now that A)these provisions are not even in the same ballpark as to what Kasich described the program was going to be last week B) was stuck in the budget in the eleventh hour with out any hearings and C) we have seen exactly zero evidence on what the impact of this is going to be and if this even has a chance of creating a single job. Just ignore all that and put yourself in the shoes of a very wealth person. You are totally psyched for this because you were just handed an opportunity to not have to pay up to $1 million of income taxes for seven years.....

Kasich is definitely taking care of the rich.  The rest of us are just unimportant to Kasich and the GOP.

**** OMG!  The right wing Club for Growth is supporting Josh Mandel, right wing Republican, and recently elected Ohio Treasurer, according to the Hotlineoncall.  Mandel still hasn't officially declared his candidacy but he is raising funds.  Mandel has yet to state whether he supports SB 5.

Begging for More Money from Koch Group?????

ProgressOhio has a very interesting tidbit about Gov. John Kasich appealing to Koch's Americans for Prosperity group.

ProgressOhio:

Update: Apparently embarrassed after having this video of Governor John Kasich Thanking the Union Busting Koch Brother's front group Americans For Prosperity that they tried to keep secret exposed to the public the AFP has removed the video.  We'll be posting the back-up we made later today!

Update II: Thanks to Rachel Maddow for picking up this story

In an "unlisted video" which Gov. Kasich recorded using state resources, he tells the Koch Industries astroturf group Americans For Prosperity "... in the four months that I've been Governor, we've accomplished a lot in Ohio... in all of these efforts the strong support of Americans for Prosperity has made a really big difference. ...it's so important that Ohio's fighters for freedom, the grassroots leaders of Americans for Prosperity, continue to lend their support to the effort to get Ohio back on track."

Here is the video as linked by politicususa.com:

YouTube



Every single time you buy a product that is produced by Koch Industries, you enrich these right wing buffoons.  As someone who posted a comment said, people should boycott their products, including the following, as provided by Substancenews.net:

....There's also a Boycott and Defeat Koch Industries Facebook page that offers the same information and more. As of Monday afternoon, more than 10,000 people had "liked" the page. 

Here's the colossal list of products being boycotted: 

Angel Soft toilet paper

Brawny paper towels

Dixie plates, bowls, napkins and cups

Mardi Gras napkins and towels

Quilted Northern toilet paper

Soft 'n Gentle toilet paper

Sparkle napkins

Vanity fair napkins

Zee napkins

Georgia-Pacific paper products and envelopes

All Georgia-Pacific lumber and building products, including:

Dense Armor Drywall and Decking

ToughArmor Gypsum board

Georgia pacific Plytanium Plywood

Flexrock

Densglass sheathing

G/P Industrial plasters (some products used by a lot of

crafters)

FibreStrong Rim board

G/P Lam board

Blue Ribbon OSB Rated Sheathing

Blue Ribbon Sub-floor

DryGuard Enhanced OSB

Nautilus Wall Sheathing

Thermostat OSB Radiant Barrier Sheathing

Broadspan Engineered Wood Products 

XJ 85 I-Joists

FireDefender Banded Cores

FireDefender FS

FireDefender Mineral Core

Hardboard and Thin MDF including Auto Hardboard,

Perforated Hardboard and Thin MDF

Wood Fiberboard

Commercial Roof Fiberboard

Hushboard Sound Deadening Board

Regular Fiberboard Sheathing

Structural Fiberboard Sheathing

(INVISTA Products):

COMFORELr fiberfill

COOLMAXr fabric

CORDURAr fabric

DACRONr fiber

POLYSHIELDr resin

SOLARMAXr fabric

SOMERELLEr bedding products

STAINMASTERr carpet

SUPPLEXr fabric

TACTELr fiber

TACTESSEr carpet fiber

TERATEr polyols

TERATHANEr polyether glycol

THERMOLITEr fabric

PHENREZr resin

POLARGUARDr fiber and

LYCRAr fiber......

 Did Kasich use state facilities and employees to film him begging for money from Koch's Americans for Prosperity?  Where was it done?  

Known by the Company You Keep.....

Does anyone else find it curious that still undeclared candidate for U.S. Senate, Republican Josh Mandel, has received an endorsement and money from the most extreme right wing conservative tea party-lover in the Republican Party, Sen. Jim "Waterloo" DeMint?

Dispatch:

....In an email to supporters, DeMint said his organization - the Senate Conservatives Fund - hopes to raise $100,000 by the end of the week for Mandel. DeMint, a South Carolina Republican, urged his backers to contribute so Mandel can defeat Brown, an Ohio Democrat whom DeMint called "the most liberal politician in the Senate."

DeMint wrote that, if Mandel wins the Republican primary against state Sen. Kevin Coughlin, the November 2012 race "will pit a young conservative leader with the principles and determination to restore America's greatness against a liberal career politician who is responsible for near double-digit unemployment and over $14 trillion in debt."

Does anyone want to explain to DeMint that the debt was delivered to President Obama from the Bush administration? Obviously, DeMint must have been attracted to Mandel because of his racist propaganda he used against his Democratic opponent in the last general election. (Do you remember the Mandel campaign accusing Kevin Boyce of being a Muslim, when he is actually a Christian (WKRG)?) 

DeMint is clearly putting the blame in the wrong place when it comes to the debt.  Is it possible that DeMint hasn't seen this chart from Politisite?

 

Someone needs to tell DeMint that he cannot make up his own facts.

DailyKos:

• OH-Sen: That's odd. Jim DeMint, prince of the conservacrazies, is awarding his first endorsement of the cycle to… a dude who isn't actually even running yet, Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, who has only gone as far as forming an exploratory committee. Perhaps this is DeMint delivering an exploratory kick in the pants?

There is definitely something scary about someone like DeMint supporting any Ohioan.  By the way, has Josh Mandel explained his position on SB 5?  Does he support it?

Is Josh Mandel so anxious to become a Senator that he'll take money from someone who has made racist and bigoted statements? (see CrooksandLiars, ModerateVoice, etc.)

**********

Today's reminder:  On April 15, 2011, Republican Rep. Steve Stivers (OH-15) voted for Paul Ryan's budget plan which kills Medicare.  Why does Stivers want to throw your grandmother off Medicare coverage and at the mercy of corporate health insurers who are more interested in profit than care?

Now We Know What to Expect.....

Think Progress has the information that will give you a hint of how Gov. Kasich's agenda will not help Ohio.

ThinkProgress:

...Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) is an ardent follower of this Cut-Grow cult, as are a number of high profile governors. For instance, Gov. John Kasich (R-OH) declared, “We’re going to have to reduce spending…to create a platform for economic growth.” When Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) delivered his budget to the state Legislature he argued, “We must continue to cut government spending” to create jobs and prosperity for New Jersey families. Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) vowed his budget “lays [the] foundation to create jobs.” 

...Steep state spending cuts have gone hand-in-hand with rising unemployment rates, falling private-sector payroll employment, and lower growth in state’s gross domestic product, or GDP — the sum of all goods and services produced by labor and equipment in each state, less imports.....


Those cuts, especially in education, will alter the future of our children.  That part doesn't matter to the Ohio Republicans and the Kasich administration.  They're more interested in helping their rich buddies/contributors get the tax breaks they don't really need.

***  There is more news on the Ohio budget.
Dispatch:

...Under changes today, every district by the start of the 2013-14 school year must adopt a new teacher-evaluation system that conforms to a framework the state Department of Education is to develop this year. That framework will require that 50 percent of an evaluation must be tied to student academic performance, a provision that follows a key element of the federal Race to the Top program. More than half of Ohio districts are participating in that program, sharing in about $400 million in funding.

However, only schools participating in the Race to the Top program would be required to pay teachers according to a performance-based system, based on the evaluation ratings, level of license and whether the teacher is "highly qualified" under federal law....

....The budget bill also would prohibit all districts from using seniority as the preference when determining the order of layoffs....

Wouldn't you like to know why the Kasich budget wants to punish teachers so much? 

The Kasich Tour

Gov. John Kasich spent part of the day visiting a chili place in Cincinnati. 

WLWT:

Ohio's governor visited Price Hill Chili as part of a statewide tour to meet with business owners.

Gov. John Kasich spoke to reporters Monday about replacing or improving the Brent Spence Bridge, among other issues.....

"The state of Ohio may be saved if that budget can be balanced, and I do know, the Constitution of Ohio says you've got to be balanced by June 30," said Stan Aaronoff, former Ohio Senate president.....

 

Is Kasich only visiting the businesses owned by Republican contributors?  Hey, I'm just wondering.  According to Follow the Money and and Transparencydata.com, the owner of Sam Beltsos has contributed financially to the Shannon Jones campaign.  Is Kasich afraid to rub elbows with regular people who don't support his voodoo economics? Does Kasich only care about visiting firefighters and police officers when he campaigns?  Doesn't he want to hear what they have to say?  Shouldn't he be visiting all those nurses and school teachers that will lose their jobs because of his proposals?

What about that Ohio budget that needs to be balanced by June 30th?  Although Kasich continues to claim that there is an $8 billion deficit in Ohio, Innovation Ohio explains that the deficit is really $5.1 billion.

 

InnovationOhio:

In April 2009, then-Auditor of State (now Lt. Governor) Mary Taylor and her Senior Policy Advisor (now OBM Director) Tim Keen called a news conference to grimly warn Ohioans that an historic $8 billion dollar deficit loomed in the FY2012-13 budget. Thanks to constant repetition in the Capitol Square echo chamber, the $8 billion deficit figure has now, two years later, become conventional wisdom throughout the state.

The need to close this alleged $8 billion deficit was used by newly-inaugurated Governor John Kasich to justify his proposed two-year budget (HB 153) containing unprecedented and draconian cuts to Ohio’s schools and local governments.....

 

...Read the analysis.

What if Kasich cut too much from education?

What if the Kasich administration's push to dump seniors out of nursing homes is unnecessary?

What if Kasich and the GOP cooked up the $8 billion deficit as a smokescreen to destroy public education? 

*  The U.S. House of Representatives, whose calendar has been set by Republicans, is on a recess for a couple of weeks.  They better watch out or they'll work as little as the Republicans in the Ohio General Assembly.

Their Agenda

With Ohio Gov. John Kasich set to sign expansion of the concealed weapon carry law, there are people who are still worried about the implications of the law.  The assistant editor of the Record Herald newspaper, voices the opinions of several people who are worried about the possible problems for citizens and law enforcement.

Recordherald:

...Fayette County Sheriff Vernon Stanforth said he doesn't see the law having a huge impact on local crime....

....Washington C.H. Police Chief Brian Hottinger does not agree with the new concealed carry law.

"I don't like it," he said. "I find it rather ridiculous to think that someone carrying a firearm into an establishment where alcohol is served is anywhere near a good concept. Even if the person carrying the gun is completely sober, someone who is drinking could always take that gun away and people could then be in jeopardy."

You wonder if Gov. Kasich is just trying to appease those people who've never supported him in the past.  As recently as the last election, Kasich was not endorsed by every pro-gun group because of his voting record as a member of the House of Representatives.  Kasich is trying to look "tough" in the area of gun rights.


Unfortunately, as a human being and citizen of Ohio, I see nothing good coming out of this bill.  The right wing of the Ohio GOP pushes forward this legislation even when there are other  kinds of bills that could be jettisoned to the front of the line.  Where are the job creation bills?  When will we see something other than bills that give tax breaks to rich Republican contributors?  Where are the bills to encourage job growth?  This kind of legislation only helps a special interest group that Kasich and the GOP are interested in wooing.  It will not create jobs or increase the revenue at bars and restaurants.  

********* Today's reminder:

Republican Representatives Steve Stivers (OH-15) and Pat Tiberi (OH-12) voted to support Rep. Paul Ryan's budget plan that kills Medicare.  The Alliance for Retired Americans:

Last Thursday, the Ohio Alliance (OARA) spearheaded a “Don’t Make Us Work ‘Til We Die” demonstration and news conference targeting Reps. Patrick Tiberi (R-OH) and Steve Stivers (R-OH) for their votes supporting the Paul Ryan Budget plan. USW retiree and OARA activist Bruce Bostick pointed out the irony that Tiberi and Stivers voted to decimate Medicare while preserving tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and largest multinational corporations. OARA President David Friesner said, "Who can afford an individual private plan now with pre-existing conditions? Our children and grandchildren certainly will not have the savings to cover the ever-rising premiums the House budget proposes.”  More here: http://bit.ly/lcLT3d and at http://bit.ly/lVCgAv.

Stivers and Tiberi keep talking about more tax cuts for their wealthy bank buddies and corporate cronies.  If tax cuts for the wealthy would have worked, the Bush tax cuts would have created millions of jobs instead of causing a massive recession, millions of layoffs, and billions of dollars of debt.  The only people that the tax cuts help are the wealthy, because they get wealthier.  The working people and those seeking employment have received no benefits.  

A Friendly Reminder

This blog was originally conceived with the intention of discussing politics in Ohio's 15th congressional district.  I do, however, discuss other topics that pertain to central Ohio and the nation.

I do want to remind you of a simple fact: 

Republican Rep. Steve Stivers (OH-15th) voted for the Paul Ryan budget plan, which privatizes Medicare.  

If re-elected, Stivers and his Republican buddies will work even harder to reach their goal of privatizing Medicare.  (During the 2010 campaign, Steve Stivers refused to sign the pledge to protect Social Security.  See ProgressOhio.)  If you need to know which members of the House voted for the Ryan budget, which includes killing Medicare, here is an article and graphic from the NY Times:

House Vote 277 - Passes Ryan Budget Bill

Result:	Passed by a margin of 20 votes
Date of Vote:	April 15, 2011
Roll Call Number:	277

Related Story: House Passes G.O.P. Budget Plan With No Democratic Votes

Yes Votes (235)

Member	Party	Dist.
Sandra Adams	R	FL-24
Robert B. Aderholt	R	AL-4
Todd Akin	R	MO-2
Rodney Alexander	R	LA-5
Justin Amash	R	MI-3
Steve Austria	R	OH-7
Michele Bachmann	R	MN-6
Spencer Bachus	R	AL-6
Lou Barletta	R	PA-11
Roscoe G. Bartlett	R	MD-6
Joe L. Barton	R	TX-6
Charles F. Bass	R	NH-2
Dan Benishek	R	MI-1
Rick Berg	R	ND-1
Judy Biggert	R	IL-13
Brian P. Bilbray	R	CA-50
Gus Bilirakis	R	FL-9
Rob Bishop	R	UT-1
Diane Black	R	TN-6
Marsha Blackburn	R	TN-7
Jo Bonner	R	AL-1
Mary Bono Mack	R	CA-45
Charles Boustany Jr.	R	LA-7
Kevin Brady	R	TX-8
Mo Brooks	R	AL-5
Paul Broun	R	GA-10
Vern Buchanan	R	FL-13
Larry Bucshon	R	IN-8
Ann Marie Buerkle	R	NY-25
Michael C. Burgess	R	TX-26
Dan Burton	R	IN-5
Ken Calvert	R	CA-44
Dave Camp	R	MI-4
John Campbell	R	CA-48
Francisco Canseco	R	TX-23
Eric Cantor	R	VA-7
Shelley Moore Capito	R	WV-2
John Carter	R	TX-31
Bill Cassidy	R	LA-6
Steven J. Chabot	R	OH-1
Jason Chaffetz	R	UT-3
Howard Coble	R	NC-6
Mike Coffman	R	CO-6
Tom Cole	R	OK-4
K. Michael Conaway	R	TX-11
Chip Cravaack	R	MN-8
Rick Crawford	R	AR-1
Ander Crenshaw	R	FL-4
John Culberson	R	TX-7
Geoff Davis	R	KY-4
Jeffrey Denham	R	CA-19
Charlie Dent	R	PA-15
Scott DesJarlais	R	TN-4
Mario Diaz-Balart	R	FL-21
Robert Dold	R	IL-10
David Dreier	R	CA-26
Sean Duffy	R	WI-7
Jeffrey Duncan	R	SC-3
John J. Duncan Jr.	R	TN-2
Renee Ellmers	R	NC-2
Jo Ann Emerson	R	MO-8
Blake Farenthold	R	TX-27
Stephen Fincher	R	TN-8
Michael G. Fitzpatrick	R	PA-8
Jeff Flake	R	AZ-6
Chuck Fleischmann	R	TN-3
John Fleming	R	LA-4
Bill Flores	R	TX-17
J. Randy Forbes	R	VA-4
Jeff Fortenberry	R	NE-1
Virginia Foxx	R	NC-5
Trent Franks	R	AZ-2
Rodney Frelinghuysen	R	NJ-11
Elton Gallegly	R	CA-24
Cory Gardner	R	CO-4
Scott Garrett	R	NJ-5
Jim Gerlach	R	PA-6
Bob Gibbs	R	OH-18
Chris Gibson	R	NY-20
Phil Gingrey	R	GA-11
Louie Gohmert	R	TX-1
Robert W. Goodlatte	R	VA-6
Paul Gosar	R	AZ-1
Trey Gowdy	R	SC-4
Kay Granger	R	TX-12
Sam Graves	R	MO-6
Tom Graves	R	GA-9
Tim Griffin	R	AR-2
Morgan Griffith	R	VA-9
Mike Grimm	R	NY-13
Frank Guinta	R	NH-1
Brett Guthrie	R	KY-2
Ralph M. Hall	R	TX-4
Richard Hanna	R	NY-24
Gregg Harper	R	MS-3
Andy Harris	R	MD-1
Vicky Hartzler	R	MO-4
Doc Hastings	R	WA-4
Nan Hayworth	R	NY-19
Joe Heck	R	NV-3
Dean Heller	R	NV-2
Jeb Hensarling	R	TX-5
Wally Herger	R	CA-2
Jaime Herrera Beutler	R	WA-3
Tim Huelskamp	R	KS-1
Bill Huizenga	R	MI-2
Randy Hultgren	R	IL-14
Duncan D. Hunter	R	CA-52
Robert Hurt	R	VA-5
Darrell Issa	R	CA-49
Lynn Jenkins	R	KS-2
Bill Johnson	R	OH-6
Sam Johnson	R	TX-3
Timothy V. Johnson	R	IL-15
Jim Jordan	R	OH-4
Mike Kelly	R	PA-3
Peter T. King	R	NY-3
Steve King	R	IA-5
Jack Kingston	R	GA-1
Adam Kinzinger	R	IL-11
John Kline	R	MN-2
Steven C. LaTourette	R	OH-14
Raul Labrador	R	ID-1
Doug Lamborn	R	CO-5
Leonard Lance	R	NJ-7
Jeff Landry	R	LA-3
James Lankford	R	OK-5
Tom Latham	R	IA-4
Robert E. Latta	R	OH-5
Jerry Lewis	R	CA-41
Frank A. LoBiondo	R	NJ-2
Billy Long	R	MO-7
Frank D. Lucas	R	OK-3
Blaine Luetkemeyer	R	MO-9
Cynthia M. Lummis	R	WY-1
Dan Lungren	R	CA-3
Connie Mack	R	FL-14
Donald Manzullo	R	IL-16
Kenny Marchant	R	TX-24
Tom Marino	R	PA-10
Kevin McCarthy	R	CA-22
Michael McCaul	R	TX-10
Tom McClintock	R	CA-4
Thaddeus McCotter	R	MI-11
Patrick T. McHenry	R	NC-10
Howard P. McKeon	R	CA-25
Cathy McMorris Rodgers	R	WA-5
Pat Meehan	R	PA-7
John L. Mica	R	FL-7
Candice S. Miller	R	MI-10
Gary G. Miller	R	CA-42
Jeff Miller	R	FL-1
Mick Mulvaney	R	SC-5
Tim Murphy	R	PA-18
Sue Myrick	R	NC-9
Randy Neugebauer	R	TX-19
Kristi Noem	R	SD-1
Richard Nugent	R	FL-5
Devin Nunes	R	CA-21
Alan Nunnelee	R	MS-1
Pete Olson	R	TX-22
Steven Palazzo	R	MS-4
Erik Paulsen	R	MN-3
Steve Pearce	R	NM-2
Mike Pence	R	IN-6
Tom Petri	R	WI-6
Joe Pitts	R	PA-16
Todd R. Platts	R	PA-19
Ted Poe	R	TX-2
Mike Pompeo	R	KS-4
Bill Posey	R	FL-15
Tom Price	R	GA-6
Ben Quayle	R	AZ-3
Tom Reed	R	NY-29
Jim Renacci	R	OH-16
Reid Ribble	R	WI-8
Scott Rigell	R	VA-2
David Rivera	R	FL-25
Martha Roby	R	AL-2
Phil Roe	R	TN-1
Harold Rogers	R	KY-5
Mike Rogers	R	MI-8
Mike D. Rogers	R	AL-3
Dana Rohrabacher	R	CA-46
Todd Rokita	R	IN-4
Tom Rooney	R	FL-16
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen	R	FL-18
Peter Roskam	R	IL-6
Dennis Ross	R	FL-12
Ed Royce	R	CA-40
Jon Runyan	R	NJ-3
Paul D. Ryan	R	WI-1
Steve Scalise	R	LA-1
Bobby Schilling	R	IL-17
Jean Schmidt	R	OH-2
Aaron Schock	R	IL-18
David Schweikert	R	AZ-5
Austin Scott	R	GA-8
Tim Scott	R	SC-1
F. James Sensenbrenner	R	WI-5
Pete Sessions	R	TX-32
John Shimkus	R	IL-19
Bill Shuster	R	PA-9
Mike Simpson	R	ID-2
Adrian Smith	R	NE-3
Christopher H. Smith	R	NJ-4
Lamar Smith	R	TX-21
Steve Southerland	R	FL-2
Cliff Stearns	R	FL-6
Steve Stivers	R	OH-15
Marlin Stutzman	R	IN-3
John Sullivan	R	OK-1
Lee Terry	R	NE-2
Glenn Thompson	R	PA-5
William M. Thornberry	R	TX-13
Pat Tiberi	R	OH-12
Scott Tipton	R	CO-3
Michael R. Turner	R	OH-3
Fred Upton	R	MI-6
Tim Walberg	R	MI-7
Greg Walden	R	OR-2
Joe Walsh	R	IL-8
Daniel Webster	R	FL-8
Allen West	R	FL-22
Lynn Westmoreland	R	GA-3
Edward Whitfield	R	KY-1
Joe Wilson	R	SC-2
Robert J. Wittman	R	VA-1
Frank R. Wolf	R	VA-10
Steve Womack	R	AR-3
Rob Woodall	R	GA-7
Kevin Yoder	R	KS-3
C. W. Bill Young	R	FL-10
Don Young	R	AK-1
Todd Young	R	IN-9

Kasich's Road to More Job Losses?

Ohio Gov. John Kasich is moving forward, even though everything he is doing will cost thousands of Ohio jobs. 


Bloomberg:

Ohio Governor John Kasich proposed a $55.5 billion biennial spending plan that calls for selling five prisons and issuing bonds for economic development backed by liquor-distribution profits in what he called “the jobs budget.” 

....The Ohio Civil Service Employees Association, which represents 10,000 prison employees, opposes the sales. Union leaders say running safe, secure prisons is a responsibility for government, not profit-driven companies.....

......Kasich said in briefing documents that state funding for education would increase under his budget. That doesn’t count the federal stimulus dollars that schools get in the current budget, so actual funding would decrease $395 million in 2012 and $305 million in 2013, according to an Innovation Ohio analysis. That would cost 7,000 teachers their jobs, the group said....

With just this information, we can see that the Kasich road to recovery will sell off state assets, force 17,000 people to lose their jobs, put our communities at risk with privately run prisons with companies more interested in profits than safety, and hurt school children by increasing class sizes.  I guess as long as Kasich's buddies are getting richer, and the rich get tax cuts, it doesn't matter that Ohio's middle class jobs will disappear.

Denial?

The first rule is (1) Deny it.

The Dayton Daily News has an update on SB 5:

A spokesman for Gov. John Kasich today denied published reports that his office was considering asking the Ohio Ballot Board to divide into mulitple ballot issues a proposed referendum repealing the controversial Senate Bill 5 . Kasich concurs with Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted that the law does not permit it, said Rob Nichols, spokesman for Kasich.

He said no one in senior staff or in a position to be “impactful” on such a decision had discussed asking the board to divide up the repeal referendum, which is on track to appear on the November ballot.....

.....Any effort to split the referendum into multiple questions would be “an attempt to circumvent the will of the people,” said Melissa Fazekas, spokeswoman for the We Are Ohio Campaign, which is leading the repeal effort. She called for the ballot board to reject any effort to modify the referendum. June 30 is the deadline for petitions, which need 231,000 valid signatures to appear on the ballot.....

Just because a spokesman for Kasich denied it, doesn't mean it wasn't discussed by someone in the administration.

Messing With the Voters

*  TPMDC has a graph that will show you the sinking popularity of Republican governors (graph originally published at Bill Schneider's Inside Politics).

*  Gov. John Kasich is like the kid that can't win fairly, and then changes the rules so that he will win.   If you had one ounce of respect left for Kasich before, it will be gone after you read this:

Dispatch:

....Three sources told The Dispatch yesterday that Kasich administration officials and other Republicans who support Senate Bill 5 are talking to the Ohio Ballot Board about presenting the issue to voters so that they would cast votes on its many provisions, instead of a simple up or down vote on the law....

"I think that's an issue the ballot board will look at," said one source with knowledge of the discussions. "(The) ballot board has to figure (out) a lot of things - how many issues, language, and issue numbers. (Dividing the bill) is something being discussed."

...Although risky, polling shows that Kasich could hold on to at least a portion of the collective-bargaining changes he signed into law if the issue were divided on the ballot....

These latest moves by the Kasich administration and the Ohio Republicans makes me feel even more nauseous than I was when SB 5 passed.

 Do you feel disgusted now that you know that the Kasich administration wants to trick you into supporting certain aspects of SB 5?

If Jon Husted, and the board that set the language for ballot issues, break up to SB 5 to confuse voters, how would you feel if they won on each issue?

Knowing what you know now about Kasich and the Ohio GOP, would you ever vote for a member of the Republican Party again?
 
The backroom meetings going on with Ohio Republicans and this administration clearly demonstrates that they have no respect for voters, and that they will do anything to win. 


(pic: Cleveland Leader)


John Kasich and the Ohio Republicans do not represent middle class Ohioans, and they have no interest in improving our lives.  They desire to improve the lives and fatten the wallets of their wealthy contributors.

Wednesday.....

*  Has Republican Josh Mandel explained if he is for or against SB 5? Why is he waiting to explain his stance on collective bargaining?

*Despite the fact that the state of Ohio has a budget deficit and has no money, Gov. Kasich wants to spend more money.  Cuts to schools, universities, programs that help the poor and elderly, libraries, cities/villages, all have been talked about repeatedly as being on the chopping block.  However, Kasich now wants metal detectors at the Statehouse that could cost close to $700,000, according to Plunderbund.

*  Gov. John Kasich and Ohio Republicans continue to push teacher merit pay.  Although they appear to want to evaluate a teacher's effectiveness just based on test scores, they are completely wrong in trying to do it this way.  A test score is based on one moment in time and is only a snapshot of a student's progress. 


Teacher pay is based on the teaching experience, certifications, licensing, and level of education.  If I've taught school for 25 years, have a masters degree, reading certifications, a state license, my level of expertise and training would put me at a higher pay rate than someone just coming out of college.  An experienced teacher, not only has classroom teaching skills, but also has worked with students with various learning styles, and knows how to handle most any situation. 

The Republicans and the governor are trying to diminish the experience, knowledge, and education of teachers in public schools, and remove their influence.  Kasich and the GOP are attempting to control teachers, micromanage schools, and take away the power of parents and local school boards.  The Ohio Republicans are trying to stick their noses into an area that they know nothing about in any form.  By stacking the deck (the state school board) with pro-charter school, hand-picked, conservative Republican supporters, this administration is trying to move the entire state toward their philosophy of giving power, influence, and your tax money to their pals that own charter schools.  Why should we give money to charter schools when a majority of them are failing to educate their students?

Women Voters Profoundly Dislike Bullies

* There is another poll,  and more bad news for a Republican governor. Mother Jones has the details:

...A new poll by Quinnipiac University shows that Christie's approval rating is at its lowest ever among his state's citizens, with 44 percent supporting him and 47 percent disapproving. But the biggest loss for Christie came among women respondents, who have turned against governor: 54 percent disapprove of him, while 36 percent approve. This likely reflects his contentious education reform agenda, which involves weakening teachers' unions, cutting public school funding, and creating more charter schools.... 

....Christie's sinking approval ratings mirror those of fellow first-term GOP governors, including Florida's Rick Scott, Michigan's Rick Snyder, Wisconsin's Scott Walker, and Ohio's John Kasich.....

Why have women voters displayed such disdain for Christie, Kasich, and other Republican governors?  Besides this poll, the May 25th, 2011, Public Policy Poll shows only 25% of women approve of Kasich's job (see pdf).

As a woman, I know exactly why women voters have not embraced these right wing buffoons. Women hate bullies, people who pick on school children, the elderly, and those who seek to punish those that have fallen on hard times.  Christie, Kasich, and the rest of the GOP governors have shown that their bullheadedness, crass attitude, flippant remarks, wise-ass, pro-business, anti-working people, and anti-public school children agendas make women absolutely sick.  SICK!

Added to all of these behaviors on the part of GOP governors, the Kasich administration has purposely bypassed adding women to various executive positions within the state government. Women in Ohio feel that this Republican administration has disregarded the education, experience, and contributions women have made and continue to make to the world as a whole.  Kasich and the Ohio GOP simply don't care.


Women voters in Ohio and across the country must vote for candidates that care about our issues.  This Republican pro-business crap is not helping families, the elderly, the disenfranchised, middle class workers, and public school children.  When families are strong and healthy, our state and our country have a sound foundation for growth. The Kasich administration, with the help of Ohio Republicans, has chipped away at that foundation in order to enrich businesses and special interests.

Oh, really?

In an article at Bloomberg, readers are updated on recall votes and referendums in various states.  WeareOhio's campaign to repeal the Kasich/Republican SB 5 that restricts collective bargaining is mentioned in the article, as well as some quotes by Paul Beck, Ohio State political science professor.

Bloomberg:

....In Ohio, Democrats and labor activists have collected more than 714,000 signatures toward a November referendum on the law limiting public employees to bargaining for wages and working conditions only, said Melissa Fazekas, a spokeswoman for We Are Ohio, an umbrella opposition group. They needed just 231,000 by June 30...

....Stakes are high, said Beck of Ohio State. 

“If it’s defeated, he is greatly wounded as governor,” Beck said. “If it wins, he has generated support that I think will buoy him into the remaining years of his governorship.”

Very interesting.

Keeping Track....

One of Gov. Kasich's best pals has had to withdraw..........

Dispatch:

Gov. John Kasich's education adviser has withdrawn his bid to become the next state schools superintendent.

Robert D. Sommers said he has been advised by counsel that Ohio's ethics laws essentially prevent him from doing the job.....

....The other two finalists for the job are Stephen D. Dackin, superintendent of Reynoldsburg schools, and Robert E. Schiller, a Florida education consultant and a former state superintendent in Illinois and Michigan.....

What? No female candidates? 

****   Ohio has become a dumping ground because it is now getting shipments 6 days per week of toxic wastewater from the Pennsylvania drilling sites. 

Dispatch:

Millions of barrels of salty, toxic wastewater from natural-gas wells in Pennsylvania are coming into Ohio despite efforts to keep it at bay.....

....From January through March, nearly half the brine that went into disposal wells in Ohio came from Pennsylvania and other states, said Tom Tomastik, chief of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources' disposal-well program.

That's 1.18 million barrels of brine....

...Trent Dougherty, staff attorney with the Ohio Environmental Council, said the state should examine what's in the brine before it is pumped underground.....

Ohio doesn't test or check the brine before it is dumped in our state?  OMG!  Is this what Kasich meant when he said Ohio was open for business?  Why are we getting all this toxic brine?  What does Gov. Kasich plan to do with the brine produced when fracking starts in Ohio?

 Check out the photos of how the fracking water is loaded onto trucks: http://www.marcellus-shale.us/Frac-Truck-photos.htm

This Just In.....

News from the golf summit......

Seattlepi:

President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner put partisanship aside, at least on the golf course, and paired up for a victory in a high-stakes match against the vice president and the governor of Ohio...

...Obama and Boehner edged Vice President Joe Biden and Republican Gov. John Kasich on the 18th hole of the match at a military base outside the capital.

The president and the speaker each pocketed a $2 prize.....


***  Even more signatures today!

WKBN:
 
The anti-Senate Bill 5 Movement says it has more than enough signatures to get on the November ballot.

However, that didn't stop them from collecting even more petitions in Boardman on Saturday morning.

So far, "We are Ohio" has collected more than 700,000 signatures.  That's 400,000 more than they originally needed.  State Senator Joe Schiavoni says now that they have enough support, it's about educating the voters before they hit the polls in November.....

Keep it going!

On the way to repeal?

> Additional updates about SB 5 referendum---Some say the signature gathered could approach 1 million. We've got to repeal SB 5!


The Chronicle of Higher Education has this about the petition drive to put a referendum on the ballot to repeal SB 5:

A coalition of union supporters called We Are Ohio says it has gathered more than three times the number of signatures needed to get placed on the November ballot a referendum to repeal a recently passed state law denying collective-bargaining rights to most public-college professors, The Columbus Dispatch reports. The law the campaign seeks to repeal scales back the collective-bargaining rights of all state employees and effectively prevents many faculty members from engaging in collective bargaining at all, by classifying them as managers, exempt from union representation, if they engage in any of several activities traditionally associated with their jobs. The law will go into effect if the repeal campaign fails.


DailyKos:

....Earlier today, We are Ohio announced on their Facebook page that they had collected 714,137 signatures, way above the 231,000 required. Even at a 60% validation rate for the signatures, which is the worst case scenario for the campaign, it now appears certain that enough signatures will be gathered by the June 30 deadline. In fact, it now appears certain double the required number of signatures will be deemed valid.

...This signature gathering campaign does not just force a November referendum on the bill. It actually prevents the bill from going into law until the results of the referendum are certified. As such, if the repeal wins in November, which seems likely, then SB 5 will never become law.....

This is an excellent start.

To those volunteers who worked on gathering the signatures for this campaign, I offer my sincerest appreciation for a job well done. 

WAIT!!!!!!

There is more info from Plunderbund about the American Policy Roundtable/Ohio Roundtable:

....Kasich’s casino deal is so blatantly unconstitutional that APR’s CEO, David Zanotti, says everyone in Kasich’s office “seems to have forgotten not only law school 101 … but pre-law school.” “This is stuff you can read on the internet,” he says. (We assume he was talking about Plunderbund, since we mentioned this back in December when Kasich first proposed it.)

According to Zanotti, APR is absolutely going to sue the Kasich Administration “and so are a bunch of other people.” John Kasich’s casino deal is “opening a Pandora’s box of lawsuits that is going to go on, and on, and on.”

According to APR’s press release: “Governor Kasich’s actions are unprecedented in Ohio history. No Governor has ever attempted to redefine the Constitution, the Ohio Revised Code, and tax policy based on a handshake with those who stand to profit the most. Such actions threaten the very core of representative government.” 

Go to Plunderbund and read the 7 reason of "How the Casino Deal Breaks the Law" asap.

Could we retire Steve Stivers?

With the passage yesterday of the appropriations bill to fund the U.S. Department of Agriculture, we see that some elected officials in the House of Representatives are definitely for denying money to the WIC program (nutrition program for Women, Infants, and Children), and cutting funding for meat inspectors. 


Which members of Congress voted for these cuts?
Clerk of U.S. House- Roll Call Vote 459
H R 2112      YEA-AND-NAY      16-Jun-2011      2:01 PM
      QUESTION:  On Passage
      BILL TITLE: Making appropriations for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2012, and for other purposes.

---- YEAS    217 ---

Adams Aderholt Akin Alexander Austria Bachus Barletta Bartlett Bass (NH) Benishek Berg Biggert Bilbray Bilirakis Bishop (UT) Black Blackburn Bonner Bono Mack Boustany Brady (TX) Brooks Buchanan Bucshon Buerkle Burton (IN) Calvert Camp Canseco Cantor Capito Carter Cassidy Chabot Chaffetz Coble Coffman (CO) Cole Conaway Cravaack Crawford Crenshaw Culberson Davis (KY) Denham Dent DesJarlais Diaz-Balart Dold Dreier Duffy Duncan (SC) Ellmers Emerson Farenthold Fitzpatrick Fleischmann Fleming Flores Forbes Fortenberry Foxx Frelinghuysen Gallegly Gardner Garrett Gerlach Gibbs Gibson Gingrey (GA) Gohmert Goodlatte Gosar

Gowdy Granger Graves (GA) Graves (MO) Griffin (AR) Grimm Guinta Guthrie Hall Hanna Harper Harris Hartzler Hastings (WA) Hayworth Heck Hensarling Herger Herrera Beutler Huelskamp Huizenga (MI) Hultgren Hunter Hurt Issa Jenkins Johnson (IL) Johnson (OH) Johnson, Sam Jordan Kelly King (NY) Kingston Kinzinger (IL) Kline Labrador Lamborn Lance Landry Lankford Latham LaTourette Latta Lewis (CA) LoBiondo Long Lucas Luetkemeyer Lummis Lungren, Daniel E. Mack Manzullo Marchant Marino McCarthy (CA) McCaul McHenry McKeon McKinley McMorris Rodgers Meehan Mica Miller (MI) Miller, Gary Mulvaney Murphy (PA) Myrick Neugebauer Nugent Nunes Nunnelee Olson Palazzo

Paulsen Pearce Pence Petri Pitts Platts Poe (TX) Pompeo Posey Price (GA) Quayle Reed Rehberg Reichert Renacci Ribble Rigell Rivera Roby Roe (TN) Rogers (AL) Rogers (KY) Rogers (MI) Rooney Ros-Lehtinen Roskam Ross (FL) Royce Runyan Ryan (WI) Scalise Schilling Schmidt Schock Scott (SC) Scott, Austin Sensenbrenner Sessions Shimkus Shuster Simpson Smith (NE) Smith (NJ) Smith (TX) Southerland Stearns Stutzman Sullivan Terry Thompson (PA) Thornberry Tiberi Tipton Turner Upton Walberg Walden Walsh (IL) Webster West Westmoreland Whitfield Wilson (SC) Wittman Wolf Womack Woodall Yoder Young (AK) Young (FL) Young (IN)

(Note: Stivers was absent during the vote.)

There is more on this.  KFGO reported on some of the comments made by committee members at a recent appropriations meeting:

....The committee also engaged in a long discussion of whether more money is needed for the WIC program to assure that all women and infants who qualify for the program get served, and what percentage of the program's budget is used for administrative expenses.

Kingston said the bill had provisions to make sure everyone gets served, but also said he is concerned that people are eligible for too many nutrition programs, and that the programs should be combined.

DeLauro presented a letter from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack saying that hundreds of thousands of women and infants could be denied coverage, but the committee did not change the funding allocation.....

Mr. Kingston's statement that "....he is concerned that people are eligible for too many nutrition programs...."  is shameful.  It just might be that people aren't getting the amount of food that they need.

****** Daily Kos has an interesting take on redistricting in the state of Ohio, including a suggested map. Here is just one some tidbit from DailyKos:

....15th District
Incumbent in Residence
none
Changes
Devoid of incumbents, the new 15th is definitely a swing district with a slight Democratic lean. Under these new lines, the district shrinks and becomes more compact, taking in the three-fourths of Franklin County that is excluded from the new 12th, as well as western and southern Columbus. It also takes in just parts of Union and Madison Counties, versus the entire counties under the current lines. Can Mary Jo Kilroy mount a comeback bid under these new lines? Or perhaps ex-AG and Treasurer Richard Cordray of Grove City?
Statistics
VAP:    White (74.4%); Black (16.1%); Hispanic (3.8%); Asian (3.8%); Other (1.8%)
2008 Pres:    Obama (54.2%) - McCain (44.3%)
Avg Votes:    DEM (53.6%) - GOP (46.4%)
Probable Status
Leans D....

Is it possible that we could retire Steve Stivers? He clearly is not voting our values.

Tax Breaks?

OMG!  Kasich wants more tax breaks????  Tax breaks are useless in creating jobs.

Dispatch:

....it's unclear whether low state taxes lead to economic prosperity. Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey are among the states with both higher tax burdens than Florida and lower unemployment rates.....

....There seems to be no clear link between low state taxes and a thriving state economy. Although Florida has the fifth-best tax climate in the latest Tax Foundation survey, its 10.8 percent unemployment rate is well above the national average.

New York has the nation's most-burdensome tax climate, according to the Tax Foundation, yet its 7.9percent unemployment rate is below the national average....

Of course, Ohio's Gov. John Kasich, a disciple of totally flawed Reaganomics and "trickle down economics" philosophy, doesn't seem to get it that Ohioans are not in the mood for more tax breaks for Kasich's corporate cronies and his rich pals.

Dispatch:

Gov. John Kasich has proposed an income tax break for anyone who invests in Ohio companies that could become law July 1....

....At a Statehouse press conference called by the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association, state Sen. Michael Skindell, D-Lakewood, called the lottery privatization plan "another example of putting special corporate interests in front of what is right for the citizens of the state of Ohio."
Skindell also said privatization could be unconstitutional since the Ohio Constitution calls for the lottery to be run by "an agency of the state."

Do you think Kasich was aware of that stipulation about the Ohio Lottery in the Ohio Constitution?

There is even more controversy about the recent "deal" that Kasich got with some casino owners.  Dale Butland of Innovation Ohio told the Examiner that Ohio lost some tax money in the Kasich "deal."

The Examiner:


....Butland called specific attention to an often repeated statement by Kasich that the 33 percent tax rate on casino revenue passed by voters in 2009 was a 'bad deal' for Ohio. "Why did he extend the same 'bad deal' to VLT operators? Why is a 33 percent tax rate on profits from slot machines located in casinos a 'bad deal,' but a 33 percent tax rate on profits from slot machines located at race tracks an acceptable deal?" Butland opined.

IO said it appears that in return for the $110 million in voluntary casino fees Ohio will receive over the next 10 years, Gov. Kasich has given up significantly more than that in casino and VLT tax revenue and upfront fees. "Specifically, over $1 billion in annual VLT revenue was originally to be taxed at a 50 percent rate, with each track paying $65 million in upfront licensing fees," Butland bemused, adding that Kasich's deal reduced the tax rate to 33.5 percent and the licensing fees to $50 million, sums in addition to lost revenue from the Commercial Activities Tax. "Can he explain how his 'deal' isn't a net loss for Ohio?" Butland asked.

Furthermore, IO's curiosity was peeked by the topic of the consultancy firm Gov. Kasich hired -Moelis & Co.-  and whether it will receive a percentage of whatever additional revenue it can get casinos to pay. "How much will Moelis receive from the deal struck with ROC? How much additional money will they receive if the same or a substantially similar deal is struck with Penn National?" Butland added.

Kasich certainly does not  have the golden touch.  It seems that everything that Kasich touches or tries to "reform," hurts regular, average, working Ohioans, the poor, the elderly, and public school children.  

 

Do you need some examples???? Here are just a few:

 

• Kasich's school "reform" to add more charter schools has resulted in drastic cuts in state money for public schools, colleges, and universities.  However, Kasich's "reforms" will help big time Republican contributor, David Brennan, get richer.

• Kasich's plan to "reform" the state Department of Development has resulted in a privately administered "JobsOhio" program with bonuses for some, will slash job training programs and centers to help the unemployed.

• Kasich and the Republicans hatched the SB 5 legislation to "reform" collective bargaining, but it will take away job protections and workers' rights. 

• Kasich's plan to "reform" Medicaid and cut programs for the sick and elderly will reduce services for those in nursing homes and force others to live in their children's basements/spare rooms/on the streets.

• The Kasich "reform" plan to privatize various parts of the Ohio government (like snow removal, etc.) will help generate business for his cronies and eliminate thousands of jobs in the state.

• The Kasich "reform" plan to privatize prisons and the turnpike could endanger the lives of our citizens. 

• The "reform" plan created by Kasich for the Ohio Department of Education has placed pro-charter school supporters in control of the curriculum, testing, teacher certification, and other aspects of education.  Does he want our public school children to perform just as poorly as those at charter schools?

Be careful and worry about the next time Kasich opens his mouth and mentions the word "reform."