GUEST COLUMN: "CAP & TRADE: A National Energy Tax" by Rep. Jeean Schmidt

By Rep. Jean Schmidt (R, OH-02)

Last week the House of Representatives voted to pass what was titled the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. You probably know it as the Cap and Trade Bill. The bill deals with how we balance our need for things like electricity with our stewardship of the environment. The centerpiece of this bill is a cap and trade system designed to limit green house gas emissions, particularly carbon dioxide which is an inevitable byproduct of fossil fuel combustion. The bill tries to regulate and tax the emission of carbon dioxide and thus make energy more expensive.

While the bill’s supporters claim that they are simply making polluters pay, the actual victims paying the cost are Ohio families and businesses, to whom the costs of this scheme will be passed. The end result is a devastating tax on carbon dioxide emissions that will lead to increased energy prices and significant job losses, particularly in Ohio, where we rely on coal for 86% of our electricity.

Under the cap and trade system outlined in the bill, the Federal government will set a cap on carbon emissions for electric utilities, oil refiners and natural gas producers who, combined, account for the generation of approximately 85% of all the energy in the United States. Entities that exceed this cap will be required to purchase “credits” – the right to emit more carbon than allowed – on the open market. As utility companies, oil refiners and natural gas producers are forced to purchase credits, their production costs will increase. These cost increases will be passed on to consumers. It has been estimated that the cost of electricity will rise by 90%, gasoline by 58% and natural gas by 55% between 2012, when cap and trade begins to take effect and 2035, when it is completely phased in.

These higher energy costs will cause pain for Ohio families that are, frankly, feeling plenty of pain already. But, cap and trade will also have a devastating ripple effect. Because almost all companies use electricity, the costs of producing goods will increase and those costs will be passed on to consumers. Farming is a petroleum-intensive business. As the costs of gasoline and other petroleum products rise, so, too, will the farmers’ production costs. And, who will pay for these increased costs? Consumers.

The ripple effect will not just stop there. Ohio factories already hanging on by a thread will be placed at a severe competitive disadvantage in the global marketplace. The cost of their products will rise while the costs of competitors in China and India, where the governments have indicated they have no interest in similarly impeding economic growth, remain the same. Many companies will be forced to close while others will move jobs overseas, probably to India or China, to reduce production costs. It has been estimated that the imposition of cap and trade will lead to the loss of millions of American jobs – millions more than the number of so-called “green jobs” that the bill’s supporters project will be created.

We have all just witnessed the demise of the American Auto Industry. It makes absolutely no sense to raise production costs on American jobs to make them even less competitive with China.

I opposed the creation of this new national energy tax because I believe we can do better for the American people. We need a national energy plan that encourages an “all-of-the-above” approach. We should be working to increase U.S. energy production, encouraging the development of alternative and renewable energy sources and promoting greater fuel efficiency.
I truly believe we all want to live on a cleaner planet. But, the American Clean Energy and Security Act simply goes too far. The bill’s real purpose is to increase electricity rates to make wind and solar power more competitive while ignoring the damage this will cause to our families, workers, and economy. It sacrifices economic growth and opportunity for dubious claims of a cleaner global environment. The American people deserve better.

Kasich Statement on Guns, Second Amendment

A number of the WMD audience -- including myself -- has been wanting to hear this from Mr. Kasich himself, so here it is...

Kasich Statement

And I would like to thank Team Kasich for linking to WMD for State. Rep. Maag's piece.

GUEST COLUMN: "Constitutional Amendment to “Preserve Capitalism”" by Rep. Mike Turner

By Rep. Mike Turner (R, OH-03)

I voted against both the $700 billion in TARP funding last October and the $800 billion economic stimulus in February. I opposed both because I felt they were poorly considered, did nothing to help those who lost their homes and jobs, and lacked specifics to show how these huge taxpayer investments would be spent. The nation is now racking up an enormous budget deficit and adding trillions to the national debt as a result of these hastily-passed spending plans.

As the Administration continues its investment in banks and major corporations under the guise of mitigating risk to the economy, there appears to be no mechanism in place to hold the government accountable or slow its advance into private enterprise. The government has already gone beyond the original intent of Congress’s authorization of funds for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) last October. Instead of using the funds to purchase so-called toxic assets from financial institutions, the government has plunged headlong into buying preferred stock in hundreds of banks and has even become the majority shareholder of one of the country’s largest automakers.

That is why last week I introduced legislation in the U.S. House calling for a constitutional amendment to prohibit the government from buying stock or equity in corporations. This action is necessary to address the federal government’s deepening involvement in the nation’s private industry and financial sector and its failure to present an exit strategy.

While the government should have a role in regulating business to ensure fair practices and consumer protection, government ownership of business, even with good intentions, crosses the line. Despite the Administration’s statements that it would not seek to exercise undue influence over the operations of the companies in which it has invested, the government has set compensation levels for employees and fired CEOs.

The American public and many in Congress are becoming more concerned about the long-term potential of government control of our private sector businesses. I believe that the most effective method to prevent government intrusion and manipulation of the private sector is through a constitutional amendment.

Joined by 102 original congressional cosponsors, last week, I introduced, H.J. Res 57, the “Preserving Capitalism in America Amendment.” The proposed amendment would prohibit federal government acquisition of any stock or equity interests in corporations. It preserves the government’s right to provide loans to, or acquire equity interests in, any public authority corporation, public use corporation, or investments by any government pension fund.

This legislation, which seeks to focus a spotlight on the federal government’s overreaching into the private sector, comes just days after the Administration announced a sweeping overhaul of the financial industry. In addition to adding further layers of government control over the financial industry, the new government plan would also expand the Federal Reserve’s ability to control financial institutions that it deems pose a risk to the market. Again, the government would continue to pick winners and losers with no indication of any end to this process.

It’s ironic that government overreaching in the name of saving our economy could ultimately undermine the strength of our private enterprise system. The Preserving Capitalism in America Amendment is needed to provide constitutional protection to American free enterprise.

WMD Blast

LINKS:

Politico: "Vulnerable House Dems in GOP sights" -- Boccieri (Not from OH-16) and Space (OH-18) are mentioned.

Energy Tomorrow: "Energy IQ Survey" -- Learn what you don't know about America's energy issues.

Intelligencer: "Space Failed East Ohioans"

OhioPoliticsOnline: "Gambling Semantics or Principles" -- Kevin is absolutely correct about this: This is politics.

New Philadelphia Times-Reporter: "Climate legislation would harm Ohio" -- Space and Boccieri slapped around by yet another paper...

RightWingNews: "Rightosphere Temperature Check For June" -- I am a participant in this poll...

MORE TO COME...

More on The Billion Dollar Savings Bill

I have two documents attached to the end of this post that will further illustrate and support the point I was making earlier about how this bill could save the taxpayers about a billion dollars while our Democratic friends fight about the budget.

The first one, Consolidation Estimates, walks through savings of $858M to state payroll, due to the reducing the number of state employees by around 11,000 or 21.3%.

The second one, LSC-Agency Expenditures, also shows that in FY’08, the last full year of info we have that state agencies spent $1,440,138,517 on supplies and maintenance and $164,774,862 on equipment. If these amounts were reduced by the small amount that payroll was, 21.3%, you would see the following savings:

Supplies and Maintenance: $1,440,138,517 * .213 = $306,749,504

Equipment: $164,774,862 * .213 = $35,097,046

These figures total well over $1 billion dollars. Even if you take the payroll savings and just reduce supplies/maintenance ($144M) and equipment($16M) by 10% you are still over $1 billion.

Isn't it interesting that the Democrats who control the Ohio House have failed to even schedule a hearing to talk about this idea? This is, quite literally, a BILLION DOLLAR IDEA and Ohio Democrats don't even want to chat about saving this kind of money. I guess they would rather cut the library budgets and rely on Slot Machines to get this done.

Granted, this bill alone won't get the job done...but I have heard of two other bills that -- in addition to this one -- brings us a whole lot closer than what the Democrats have been proposing.

Someone ought to ask Chris Redfern, Speaker Bundish, and Governor Strickland about this... If only the 527 Media in this state weren't in the tank for these liberals...

Consolidation Estimates

LSC-AgencyExpenditures

Want to Save a Billion Dollars? Try HB 25

As our friends in Columbus do what amounts to a "continuing resolution" on Ohio's budget, it is rather curious that we are not hearing about the bill that would save Ohio about a billion dollars. HB 25 would re-organize the executive branch of Ohio's government streamlining our state government down to about ten agencies and saving the taxpayer a ton of moola.

MORE ON THIS LATER...

UPDATE: Another idea to save Ohio's budget? Take a look at eliminating some of the items in the Piglet Book.

TIB All Stars -- 06279 -- Live Blog

The TIB All-Stars are on the Air at 6PM Eastern..... Click the link to listen; participate in the live blog...





Listen Now!

Click the "Listen Now!" text above to listen to TIB RADIO.

Space and Driehaus Betrays Constituents by Voting for Increasing Energy Prices

Zack Space and Steve Driehaus sent a loud and clear signal to the people of Ohio about where his priorities lie today by siding with their Democrat leaders and voting for their disastrous National Energy Tax. With the outcome of the vote in question until the last minute, their support was crucial to passing the latest installment in the Democrats’ ongoing crusade against economic recovery.

The National Energy Tax will have a devastating effect on the economy:

• It’s a massive energy tax
• It will not make a substantive impact on the environment
• It will kill jobs
• It will cause electricity bills and gas prices to sharply increase
• It will outsource manufacturing jobs and hurt free trade
• It will make you choose among energy, groceries, clothing, and haircuts
• It will be highly susceptible to fraud and corruption
• It will hurt senior citizens, the poor, and the unemployed the worst

SOURCE: (“The Cost of Cap and Trade: Why the EPA and CBO Are Wrong,” Heritage Foundation, 6/24/09)

Of Driehaus' vote, Hamilton County GOP Chairman Alex Alex M. Triantafilou says:

"This vote for "cap and trade" by Rep. Driehaus is further proof that he has forgotten his west-side roots and is now part of the big spending and big taxing Democratic majority in Washington. After his election in November, it was my hope that he would follow a more centrist course in Washington like some of his Democratic predecessors in the 1st Congressional district. He has done the opposite."

"Rep. Driehaus has demonstrated a history of voting just as the Democratic majority in Washington wants him to vote. He supported Nancy Pelosi as the Speaker of the House of Representatives. He voted for the nearly $800 billion stimulus package that will burden our great-grandchildren with debt and has yet to stimulate anything. Now, he has voted for a massive tax on energy at a time when our nation can least afford it."

"Mr. Driehaus' party-line voting history is a far departure from the independent voice of Steve Chabot. Mr. Driehaus has failed to put a CAP on frivolous spending and higher taxes in Washington so the voters should TRADE him for Steve Chabot in 2010."

NRCC Communications Driector Ken Spain:

“Zack Space's vote to kill jobs in his district and hand his constituents higher costs during these difficult times is nothing short of insulting.”

“The people of Ohio sent Zack Space to Washington to represent their values and restore prosperity, and he has returned the favor by once again bowing to his party bosses at the expense of middle class families. Unfortunately for Space, he will have to answer to Ohio voters rather than Nancy Pelosi when Election Day rolls around.”

GUEST COLUMN: "Where Are the Jobs?" by Rep. John Boehner

By Rep. John Boehner

If there’s one thing the American people should demand of their elected representatives, it’s that’s we should know what’s in bills before we vote on them. In February, the U.S. House passed a 1,100-page “stimulus” bill that was supposed to create 3.5 million jobs and keep unemployment no higher than 8 percent. Since that bill was signed into law, we’ve lost 1.6 million jobs and unemployment nationwide is now 9.4 percent. The so-called stimulus has been a disaster in Ohio where our unemployment is a record-breaking 10.8 percent.

The House late on Friday, June 26, passed Speaker Pelosi’s national energy tax – a more than 1,500 page bill that included 300 pages added to it fewer than 24 hours before the final vote. No one – not one single lawmaker – had read that entire bill before voting on it. So I did something unprecedented. I read portions of those 300 pages to the American people. By tradition, the Speaker of the House, the Majority Leader and the Minority Leader have the right to talk for as long as they like on the Floor. I used my prerogative as the Minority Leader to read to the American people parts of a bill that will raise their taxes, send American jobs overseas and punish hard-working, middle-class families with higher energy costs.

I had hoped that lawmakers would understand that this new national energy tax on middle class families would further punish people who are struggling to make ends meet. But in the end, political pressure from Speaker Pelosi and former Vice President Al Gore proved to be too much.

What’s missing from this bill is what America needs right now: jobs. Of the six counties that make up the 8th Congressional District, not one has an unemployment rate lower than 9 percent; in fact, four have double-digital unemployment. Preble County sits at a staggering 12.3 percent unemployment, double what it was this time last year.

So where are the jobs? Because at the moment, they’re not in Ohio. The city of Dayton, which has a 12.6 percent unemployment rate, just lost its last Fortune 500 company when NCR decided to relocate the bulk of its operations to Georgia.

But where are the jobs? Our economy is hemorrhaging jobs at a frightening pace and middle class Americans are suffering. Legislation like Speaker Pelosi’s massive national energy tax that she rammed through the U.S. House will only punish hard-working families even more. Every family who has the audacity to turn on their TV, flip on a light-switch and put gas in their car will pay more for it. Family farmers, whose energy costs account for 60 percent of their spending, are going to see their fuel costs, especially diesel, skyrockets while their incomes plummet.

Speaker Pelosi’s national energy tax is a job-killer. It will punish responsible American families with crushing taxes that will suffocate our economy. It creates a slew of new government programs to take and redistribute trillions of dollars away from our families overseen by a tangled web of government agencies that will ultimately answer to the Environmental Protection Agency.

While government bureaucrats squabble over how best to regulate our lives, other countries are moving ahead with innovations and technologies that are propelling their economies in front of ours’. And while American manufacturing companies and energy-intensive industries shutter their doors, foreign nations that don’t impose punitive taxes will roll out the welcome mat. The next time you wonder where the jobs are, take a look at China, India and other countries that refuse failed policies like the cap-and-trade scheme that makes up Speaker Pelosi’s national energy tax – that’s where our jobs have gone.

GUEST COLUMN: "John Kasich Supports 2nd Amendment Rights" by State Rep. Ron Maag

By State Rep. Ron Maag

In 2008, we as gun advocates were sold a false bill of goods, as Governor Ted Strickland campaigned for then candidate Barack Obama in Ohio. Strickland made a promise to all gun owners in Ohio that they could be assured that Obama would be strong on gun rights if elected President. “If you are a hunter or a gun owner, you have nothing to fear from Barack Obama,” said Strickland (Columbus Dispatch, 10/10/2008). “You spread the word – Ted Strickland said so,” he added.

In 2010, we have a duty as defenders of the second amendment to hold Strickland accountable for his promise, and for his role in helping to elect a President who does not share our values on gun rights.

The real Obama record on guns:

Obama: “…assault weapons have only one purpose, to kill people. I think it is a scandal that this president did not authorize a renewal of the assault weapons ban.”

Obama: “I am consistently on record and will continue to be on record as opposing concealed carry.”

In 2000, Senator Obama cosponsored a bill to limit handgun purchases to one per month.

He voted against letting people violate local weapons bans in cases of self-defense.

While we can hope that the President never acts according to his true colors on gun rights, we must remember that promises were made by our current governor – promises that now look like the standard political pandering that we have come to expect from him, and from countless politicians who, at election time, give lip service to gun rights in search of our support.

Governor Strickland is the embodiment of this type of opportunistic political posturing, as evidenced by this 2006 Dayton Daily News editorial column:

All of which is little bit funny to somebody who remembers how Strickland's strict anti-control position emerged. By Strickland's own account, it emerged in some measure in a meeting with this newspaper's editorial board. It was 1992. Strickland, having failed to get elected to Congress in three tries, the most recent being 1980, was running in a newly created district. In the campaign, gun control inevitably came up, and Strickland said that, while he didn't personally have any problem with gun control, he felt that his would-be constituents in rural Ohio did. And he thought he should honor their views. This wasn't the first time he had expressed himself on gun control. The Republicans eventually surfaced a Strickland quote from 1976: "I personally do not like guns and I do not own a gun." [Editorial by Martin Gottlieb, Dayton Daily News, 5/17/06]

I am a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association, an NRA certified pistol instructor and a concealed carry instructor. I am also a State Representative in the Ohio General Assembly, serving the 35th House District, comprised of parts of Warren and Hamilton counties. Accordingly, I can recognize better than most when a candidate for elected office is playing politics with the gun issue, and when they are a friend to our cause.

John Kasich is such a friend.

John is a gun owner and strong supporter of the Second Amendment. He understands the concerns of Americans who own a gun for self-defense, as well as the issues impacting hunters and sportsmen. During his time in Congress, he was regularly endorsed and financially supported by the NRA, and has stated publicly that he has “probably agreed more with the NRA than my wife has agreed with me.”

John understands that people have a right to defend themselves, their families, and their property, whether it’s concealed carry or the home Castle Doctrine. Most importantly, his record on guns should be judged on the totality of his career – not simply by his vote on the 1994 crime bill.

He recognizes that the assault weapon ban was bad policy and has stated so publicly. As a guest host on The O’Reilly Factor in 2005, John said, “I actually voted to limit some guns. I voted to ban the assault weapons. You know what I've concluded after that? Banning all these guns and passing all these laws isn't going to fix it.” While addressing a gang concern during that same show, John added, “…don’t blame the gun, blame the problem.”

While it remains a while off, the 2010 election will be critical to Ohio second amendment supporters, and all of us recognize that at any moment and with a simple stroke of the pen, the White House could significantly impede our ability to bear arms. As Ted Strickland was complicit in electing a President who threatens our values and our rights, we therefore owe it to ourselves and our cause to give John Kasich a serious look for governor.


State Representative Ron Maag, House District 35

WMD Blast

LINKS:

Carnival of Ohio Politics: #171 -- Check it out!

Dayton Daily News: "" -- I like the part where the last budget is described as being the most conservative budget passed in a LONG time, but had been cut several times since then. It's a huggable moment, if you know what I mean.

CAP AND TAX:

This vote is supposed to go down TODAY.

Here is the list of Democrats who need your phone call. -- Wilson (OH-06) and Space (OH-18) are on this list.

Here is the list of Republicans who need to hear from you.

Call your Congrerssman TODAY and tell them to vote NO! on Cap and Tax.

COMING UP:

GUEST COLUMN by State Rep. Ron Maag on John Kasich and the 2nd Amendment.

MID-MORNING UPDATE:

OhioPoliticsOnline: "Strickland wrong about Obama; rights of gun owners"

MORE TO COME...

ORP Chairman DeWine on Shaq, Ted, and Cleveland

Statement:

"At least Shaq's not going to Cincinnati, where he'd be emptying his wallet to fund David Pepper's infamous jock tax. Of course, with Pepper campaigning to be Ted Strickland's lapdog in the auditor's office, it's probably just a matter of time before he's pushing a statewide jock tax as Ohio's next big money maker.

Maybe the governor can welcome Shaq to Cleveland by cleaning up the public corruption that's giving the city a black eye. It's ridiculous that Gov. Strickland has time to send out a press release welcoming a basketball player, but he has nothing to say about the growing scandal involving prominent members of his own party. At least the people of Cleveland have a basketball team they can be proud of. Their politicians are an embarrassment."

I have to admit, I kind of like this one...

25 on the 25th

Today is the day.

Go here and donate at least $25 to the Kasich campaign. And remember to sign up here to register your 25 on the 25th donation!

It's a new day. It's a new way.



Please pitch in if you can!

UPDATE: Yes, I did my part...have you?

"The Great Illusionist" by Wes Retherford

This is the introductory post for a new WMD Blogger, Wes Retherford.

“THE GREAT ILLUSIONIST” starring Barack Obama as David Copperfield

What do illusionists and David Copperfield and Barack Obama all have in common? They use sleight of hand to make a living and to keep their fans. Why do I say this?
CAP AND TRADE!

How many of you have heard that the US House of Representatives are voting on Cap and Trade Legislation this Friday? If you watch any news network except FOX, then you probably haven’t. Why is that? Is it liberal bias in the media? Maybe a little bit, but it is more so the magnificent sleight of hand that Barack Obama is able to pull off.

I am writing this as I am watching his bogus, bi-partisan, questions from all walks of life (and I use bi-partisan and all walks of life very, very loosely) town hall meeting as part of ABC’s infomercial for Government controlled healthcare and it finally hit me.

Did any one watch his mid-day press conference yesterday? I couldn’t watch but I did listen and if I remember correctly I do not remember hearing him utter ONE single word about the hemisphere or Global Warming or Climate Change or whatever term the liberals are using for it now, or even about Cap and Trade legislation. If I am wrong, please correct me, but I’m positive I didn’t hear it. He did cover the topics of Iran, North Korea and Healthcare and even told a few jokes, which I wouldn’t be surprised if there was one of those applause signs blinking the word laugh just out of view of the camera. Now he is doing this dog and pony show about healthcare “reform” and supposedly getting America involved. Why? Shouldn’t he be worried about garnering support for his radical anti-business green house gas legislation? I mean, they are our representatives and they vote how a majority of their constituents want them to, just like how they shot down the ARRA of 2009 act because people were against it 2 to 1 right?

No! He knows that if the people get involved in Fridays legislative vote, then there would be a huge public out cry against it. After all, most Americans are intelligent enough to know that these “fees” (fees= plural of fee, a noun: definition: Liberal term that is used in place of “new taxes”) will be passed onto the consumer. President Obama does know that we are not going to buy “the corporations and companies will be the only ones paying” B.S. line. After all, it was then-candidate Obama who said, “My plan will almost certainly raise the price of electricity drastically” when asked about his statements about carbon pollution from coal-burning power plants.

So, instead of going out there, telling the American people what he trying to get done right now, make all his talking points, and tip-toe around real answers to questions like I’ve been watching him do on ABC for roughly 50 minutes now, he is distracting us with his left (forgot he is a southpaw) right hand, while his left hand is getting the actual work done. So while he is successfully getting the debate going about what we should do with the problems in Iran, North Korea and with healthcare, he is slipping CAP AND TRADE into the federal law books. Thus, taking another step towards restricting free-markets, and losing American manufacturing jobs to over seas companies who will not enforce this ludicrous plan. As of the start of this message, I have personally called and emailed Congressman Driehaus (D-OH1) and Senators Brown (D-OH) and Voinovich (R-OH) and voiced my stance against CAP and TRADE. I have also written emails and made complaint line phone calls to WKRC, WCPO, WLWT and local FOX19, voicing my displeasure about them not informing the greater Cincinnati area about CAP and TRADE. I encourage you to do the same. Say it loudly and say it often, in a time of economic crisis, we should not be passing job-killing legislation just to satisfy the minority who believes in a theory that has been disproven multiple times, but multiple experts.

To find out who your congressman/woman is and to email them with your concern, go to this web site www.house.gov and for your senators go to www.senate.gov or you can call your local Representative’s Washington office at (202) 224-3121 or your senator’s Washington Office at the same number. This is the capital switchboard and will transfer you to the correct office. Get on your laptops, desktops, landlines, cell phones and whatever else you have, tell your friends and family to call. We need to stand up to this job killer with a loud voice of opposition.

Its time American stood up and asked, “Barack Obama and Congress, isn’t 2.1 million jobs lost since you took office enough already?”

Thank you and GOD Bless the United States of America.

WMD Blast

LINKS:

Athens Runaway: "Mark Sanford is Fail" -- not too shabby for his second post. This is a brand new Ohio blog that we'll be keeping an eye on...

Chabot Blog: "Congress Spends More Money on Itself" -- Hard to believe that Congress would do this sort of thing while asking regular Americans like you and me to tighten our belts...

Dayton Daily News: "Editorial: Husted holds his grudge too long" -- One can imagine this happening with NCR folks too...

MORE TO COME...

Buckeye Inst: "High-Speed Rail a Waste of Money"

Release:

COLUMBUS - The Obama Administration's proposed high-speed rail plan will cost $1,000 for every federal income taxpayer, yet the average American will ride high-speed trains less than 60 miles a year, says a new report from the Buckeye Institute. The report estimates that the average Ohio resident will take a round trip on high-speed trains only once every 19 years. The report can be found at http://www.buckeyeinstitute.org/highspeedrail.pdf.

On Wednesday, June 17, the Federal Railroad Administration released criteria for state applications for high-speed rail projects. The new report warns that the cost of these projects could grow to be hundreds of billions of dollars with very little public or environmental benefit.

The federal government is proposing to build true high-speed rail lines - with trains going faster than 120 miles per hour - only in California and Florida. In Ohio and most of the rest of the country, it is merely proposing to upgrade existing freight tracks to boost top Amtrak speeds from 79 to 110 mph.

Trains with a top speed of 110 mph will have average speeds of just 55 to 75 mph. Not only will that attract few people out of their cars, says the report, such trains will actually be less energy efficient and more polluting than driving.

"High-speed rail is an idea whose time has gone," says Randal O'Toole, a Cato Institute senior fellow and the report's author. "It is bad for taxpayers and bad for the environment."

Premium fares and a downtown orientation means that the main people riding these trains will be bankers, lawyers, government officials, and other high-income people who hardly need subsidized transportation. Not only will each federal income taxpayer pay $1,000 for someone else to ride the train, that passenger probably earns more than the average taxpayer.

The administration has compared its high-speed rail plan with President Eisenhower's Interstate Highway System. But interstates were paid for entirely out of gas taxes and other user fees, not general taxes, and the average American travels on interstates 4,000 miles per year. By comparison, general taxpayers will pay for the cost of building and much of the costs of operating high-speed trains that will be used mainly by a wealthy elite.

The report urges Ohio to use its share of federal high-speed rail stimulus money for safety improvements such as grade crossings and signaling systems, but not for new trains that will obligate taxpayers to pay millions of dollars in annual subsidies.

The Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions is a nonpartisan research and educational institute devoted to individual liberty, economic freedom, personal responsibility and limited government in Ohio.

Space on National Energy Tax

Rep. Zack Space (OH-18) continues to snub the press and his constituents on his support for the Pelosi National Energy Tax. Now we hear news of a backroom deal among Democrats in Washington that does little to change the devastating impact this bill would have on families.

Consider the following:

Space Has Refused Repeated Requests To Comment On His Support For The National Energy Tax:

SATURDAY, JUNE 20TH: “It is unknown how U.S. Rep. Zack Space, D-Ohio, will vote on the legislation. However, Space, a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce - from which the act originated - voted in favor of the bill in committee during a roll call vote May 21, during which the act was approved by a final vote of 33 to 25. Space could not be reached for comment.” (Ian Hicks, “Wilson Will Not Vote For Energy Bill,” Wheeling Intelligencer, 06/20/09)

TUESDAY, JUNE 23RD: “But U.S. Reps. Alan Mollohan and Nick Rahall, both D-W.Va., and U.S. Rep. Zack Space, D-Ohio, haven't said whether they will vote for the bill. Messages left with the offices of each congressman were not immediately answered Monday.” (Joselyn King, “Mollohan, Rahall and Space Still Mulling ‘Cap and Trade,’” Wheeling Intelligencer, 06/23/09)

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24TH: “Messages left both Monday and Tuesday with the office of U.S. Rep. Zack Space, D-Ohio, seeking his stance on the measure have not been answered.” (Joselyn King, “Members of Congress Waiting On Final Version of Energy Bill,” Wheeling Intelligencer, 06/24/09)

Space Was “Lobbied” By Special Interest Groups To Support The Legislation:

“Also stepping up their lobbying are interest groups supporting the legislation, such as the Blue-Green Alliance, which represents labor and environmental organizations including the Sierra Club, the United Steelworkers, the Communications Workers of America, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Laborers’ International Union of North America and the Service Employees International Union……In advance of the vote to report the bill out of the Energy and Commerce Committee, members of the alliance lobbied Bart Stupak of Michigan, Zack Space of Ohio and other industrial-state Democrats on the panel. They are now focusing their attention on undecided Democrats. Lee Guisse, a Steelworkers member employed at a plant in Ohio, said she had come to Washington to meet with her own congressman, Democrat John Boccieri. She planned to present him with a packet of 350 signatures from fellow steelworkers supporting the bill, wrapped with a bow made of a hay-like twine, a nod to Boccieri’s position on the Agriculture Committee. ‘He’s having a hard time with it, just as Zack was,’ Guisse said.” (Coral Davenport, “Obama Lauds Energy Bill Before It Reaches House Floor,” CQ Politics, 06/24/09)

HYPOCRISY ALERT – Space Railed Against “Corporate Interests” During His 2006 Campaign For Congress:

“Our government in Washington, DC is broken. Politicians and their lobbyist friends are looking out for themselves at the expense of Ohio families. As your Congressman, Zack Space will accept no gifts, trips, or meals from lobbyists and will never put corporate interests ahead of working families.” (Space for Congress Website, 2006)

Paul Lindsay, NRCC spokesman: “It seems that the only people who are able to get an answer from Zack Space these days are the special interest lobbyists who bought his vote for this job-killing tax increase. It’s bad enough that Space is doing nothing to stop his party leaders from forcing this devastating bill through Congress at the expense of Ohio families, but it’s even worse when he openly ignores repeated requests to provide them with an explanation.”

Is this the hope and change that you voted for?

Rick Brown for Judge (Franklin County)

I've been trying to put some focus on a number of more local races and candidates so here is one that I think is worth taking a look at: Rick Brown for Judge.

Fifteen years as a trial lawyer in Ohio courtrooms has made Rick Brown an experienced and respected attorney. Raising five children, building homes for the poor, coaching sports and teaching Sunday school have taught him patience, perseverance and perspective. These essential attributes form the bedrock of judicial qualifications and make Rick Brown the best choice to serve on the Municipal Court bench. On November 3, give Franklin County a great judge--vote for Rick Brown.

If you live in Franklin County, please check out Rick's website and Facebook group.

Hold Your Nose for Husted?

I've been having a discussion with one of my blogger friends in email about Jon Husted. Said blogger is of the opinion that Husted is the only Republican who can win in the general, but I remain unconvinced. Having said that, I hear this a lot from establishment Republican types but for the life of me I can not figure out what they base this theory on...

Sandy O'Brien may have lost the general, but she won the primary in a statewide contest last time out. Jon Husted has never had to face voters outside of his little sliver of Greater Dayton.

Sure Jon Husted can raise a ton of dough, but he'll save it for his Governor's run and will not spend it on a run for Secretary of State. Besides, money alone is not a reason to vote for somebody let alone support him.

Establishment Republicans like to think that the problems with the brand here in Ohio is solely the concern of former Governor Bob Taft but I think it goes beyond just that. Ohioans are fed up with the business-as-usual attitude that the Taft era politicans gave us and Jon Husted was a member of leadership at that time, so he is just as guilty as anybody. Does anybody really think that Chris Redfern and the Democrats won't use Taft's Speaker Husted as a prop for saying that the Ohio GOP hasn't changed? I can see that ad already...and the Facebook, Yahoo, and Google splashes too...

What does Jon Husted offer besides more headaches? This is a legitimate question I am asking here...

Waxman-Markey Bill is Bad for America

The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to take up the Waxman-Markey bill on Friday and then schedule a vote for either Friday or Saturday. Although the goal of the legislation is well-intentioned, I believe that this bill poorly serves the goal of protecting the environment and could cause great harm to the economy. According to the Heritage Foundation, this legislation could cause gas prices to jump 74% by 2035. That means, at today’s prices, gasoline could cost well over $4 per gallon.

American Petroleum Institute President Jack Gerard:

“As independent analysis suggests, this legislation will drive up consumer prices for gasoline and other fuels. At today’s prices, it would mean gasoline at more than $4 a gallon. It also will create huge disincentives for the production of America’s abundant natural gas resources, and force jobs and productive capacity overseas,” Gerard said.

“API supports legislation to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases in lieu of ill-suited federal and state regulatory programs,” Gerard said. “The oil and natural gas industry is responsible for 44% of the $133 billion in total public and private sector investments in low-carbon energy technology since 2000. Unfortunately, the approach taken by the Waxman-Markey bill is so fundamentally flawed that the House should reject it. Simply stated, the bill will cost Americans billions of dollars in higher costs, kill jobs and will not deliver the environmental benefits promised.”

This cap and trade tax bill has corporate welfare in it and will do serious damage to our economy all for very little benefit in our fight against global warming climate change the Sun.

But let's get real for a minute and ask one vital question: If this bill is going to wreck our already depressed economy, why are Democrats so insistent on doing it? The answer is that they really don't care about global warming climate change the Sun what they want to be able to do is exercise that much more control over our daily lives. They want to make us PAY. If this bill passes, Americans are going to feel it.

Is that the hope and change you voted for?

UPDATE: Rep. Bob Latta (R, OH-05) brings this whole thing home:

“If the Obama administration truly wants to protect and create jobs, the President and Congressional Democrats must stop their consideration of the Cap and Trade legislation that will result in a massive national energy tax on American businesses and families.

Under The Heritage Foundation’s Manufacturing Vulnerability Index, Ohio’s Fifth District is the third most vulnerable district in the nation under Cap and Tax because of Ohio’s reliance on coal generated power. President Obama stated in an interview that electric rates will “necessarily skyrocket” under this proposal. As power suppliers will be taxed on their emissions, those suppliers will then pass that cost directly along to consumers. Manufacturers who consume large amounts of power for production will be forced to make tough decisions on whether or not to take their jobs overseas when they are forced to pay more to simply turn on the lights. The Brookings Institution estimates that within ten years there will be a .5 percent job loss across the United States and the Heritage Foundation estimates that Cap and Tax will result in the loss of 2.47 million American jobs by 2035.

Congressional Republicans want an “all of the above” energy strategy to get this nation moving. We are promoting alternatives such as solar, wind, ethanol, bio-mass, and hydrogen. We must also continue to develop nuclear, clean coal, oil, natural gas, and geothermal. America can no longer rely on foreign oil, specifically from the Middle East, as they continue to artificially dictate prices. The United States has an abundance of oil and natural gas that we can tap into that will immediately lower energy prices and reduce our dependency on foreign sources of energy.”

Somebody ought to ask Governor Strickland what he thinks of this idea...

Boehner on Biden's Ohio Visit While Congressional Dems Push for Energy Tax

Statement:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) issued the following statement today regarding Vice President Biden’s visit to the economically hard-hit Toledo during the same week in which congressional Democrats plan to bring a devastating national energy tax for a vote in the U.S. House that could destroy American manufacturing jobs:

“Vice President Biden’s trip to an area of Ohio that’s been devastated by job losses the same week that congressional Democrats plan to bring a national energy tax up for a vote proves that the Administration and Speaker Pelosi’s House are both sadly out of touch with the American people. The new energy tax is a massive job-killer that will hit Ohio during one of its worst times. With unemployment at a record-breaking 10.8 percent and the state hemorrhaging jobs, the Vice President should tell Ohioans how the Administration plans to stimulate the private sector to create jobs instead of making the federal government bigger and more intrusive.”

NOTE: Vice President Biden is traveling to Toledo for a meeting of the White House Task Force on Middle Class Families. The theme of the meeting is “Promoting American Manufacturing in the 21st Century.” An analysis by the National Black Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) shows that Democrats’ new national energy tax will cost 2.5 million jobs and force consumers, small businesses and other employers to pay higher energy costs. An analysis by U.S. House Agriculture Committee Republicans indicates that ratepayers in the 92 rural electric co-ops in Ohio will pay $37 million more for electricity during the first year of Democrats’ national energy tax; ratepayers in the four rural electric co-ops in Ohio’s 8th Congressional District will pay $2.3 million more in that first year.

Wenstrup Says Over-The-Rhine Ranking Cannot Be Ignored

Statement:

(CINCINNATI, OH) Cincinnati's #1 ranking in WalletPop.com's "25 Most Dangerous Neighborhoods" is unacceptable according to Cincinnati Mayoral candidate Brad Wenstrup. Wenstrup pointed out that the area in question was a crime hot spot since before the last mayoral election and the current administration has seemingly not addressed the issue.

"The days of trying to put a happy face on Cincinnati's problems cannot continue," Wenstrup said. "The good people that are trying to live in this area deserve better. Their neighborhood has been allowed to get out of control. The underlying causes are many, and readily addressable. We cannot just 'bury our heads in the sand' or pretend that this is not happening."

WalletPop.com selected Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine as "the most dangerous neighborhood", based on the crime data collected by over 17,000 local law enforcement agencies. According to WalletPop.com, the crimes included in the analysis are "murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, armed robbery, and aggravated assault."

"The fact that the Mayor, nor anyone in his office, could be immediately reached to comment on this situation is unfortunate. As Cincinnati's Mayor, I will be accountable to the citizens of the city, accessible to the media, and I will never run away from answering the tough questions," Wenstrup added.

Coughlin Blasts Strickland and Kasich on Gambling

Statement:

State Senator Kevin Coughlin (R-Cuyahoga Falls) issued the following statement in opposition to Governor Ted Strickland's plan to allow over 15,000 slot machines in Ohio:

"The General Assembly should reject Governor Ted Strickland's proposal to allow over 15,000 video slot machines in Ohio. Ohio's voters have spoken loudly in four statewide elections to reject the expansion of gambling.

"I have no objection to allowing Ohio's voters to decide the fate issues via ballot initiative. But Governor Strickland's proposal is an end run around voters. The General Assembly is being asked to rush through a massive expansion of gambling without public testimony, proper hearings, substantive debate or a vote of the people. That's downright sneaky and Ohioans should be outraged.

"Equally troubling is the deafening silence from John Kasich. Ohio voters who oppose casino-type gambling have a right to know where John Kasich stands on this important issue.

"The fact is that John Kasich's top two campaign advisors are registered lobbyists for the gambling industry. Douglas Preisse and his partner Robert Klaffky are not only coordinators of the Kasich campaign, they are paid lobbyists for the Ohio Legacy Fund, a racetrack/gaming coalition that has spent millions to promote slot machines in our state.

"So it's clear that when it comes to standing for principles and against casino-type gambling, Ted Strickland and John Kasich are two of a kind.

"Ohioans are already paying too much for everything. The last thing they need is the government rummaging through their pockets for more money. Slot machines are just another means of sucking cash from the people who can least afford it. I will oppose the conference committee report on the state budget if this reckless plan is included and I urge my colleagues to do the same."

VIDEO: Ohio House Weekly Update - June 18, 2009

State Rep. Todd Snitchler discusses his proposal to offer a tax credit to businesses who hire unemployed Ohioans.

More Bad News for Obama

The American people are starting to realize that the president ought to accept some blame for the state of the economy. Rasmussen reports that the number of Americans who blame Obama's policies is up to 39%. While a majority still blame Bush, the trend there is falling and those folks are starting to blame Obama for the what the Demcoratic Congress had been doing during the last months of the Bush administration.

But here is the one that will hurt Obama: 60% of the American people trust their own economic judgement over Obama's. There goes the argument that obama has a mandate for statism...

And this bit is very telling:

Younger voters are more likely than their elders to blame the current economic situation on the recession that began under Bush. The majority of middle income voters place more of the blame on Obama’s policies.

Kids, pay attention: Statist policies are not good for the economy. It didn't work for Bush and it won't work for Obama.

At some point, the PR genius who has so far managed to craft Obama's image so well is going to run out of magic dust and when that happens, watch the floor drop on all kinds of approval numbers...

Good News for John Kasich

This Public Policy Polling survey (PDF) shows some pretty good news for John Kasich as Governor Strickland appears to be well on his way to retiring to Florida to open his T-Shirt shop.

Let's start with the numbers:

43% of Ohio voters approve of how Strickland is doing his job as Governor, while 42% disapprove. A January PPP survey found the numbers at 48/35.

Strickland’s approval among Democrats has dropped from 70% to 62%, an unusually low level of support for a Governor within his own party. He’s also seen an increasing level of dissatisfaction with him from Republican voters, 72% of whom now say they disapprove of what he’s doing after just 59% did earlier this year.

Matched up against likely GOP candidate John Kasich, Strickland leads 44-42. He had a slightly wider 45-39 advantage in January. Strickland is mostly hurt by a 54-33 deficit to Kasich among independent voters, even though those same voters prefer a Democrat for the Senate in numbers that PPP will release on Tuesday.

Strickland is bleeding off Democrats, Republicans, and Independents...and there is still plenty of time on the clock!

Here is an interesting piece of analysis:

“Midwestern states have been hit harder by the downtown in the economy than most places and their Governors are paying a price for it,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “We are seeing pretty low approval ratings for chief executives across most of the region as voters wait to see what they will do to turn things around.”

I have always said that the whole "Turnaround Ohio" thing was going to bite the governor back pretty hard and it appears to be happening right now. When you campaign on the idea that you have a secret plan to solve the economic woes of a state, you had better deliver on those promises and not put up any excuses. Strickland has failed on many fronts, but this issue is the one that will do him the most harm.

Earlier, I mentioned that there was still plenty of time on the clock and that is good because as Strickland loses support, John Kasich still has to raise his profile statewide:

A plurality of voters in the state don’t know enough about Kasich to have formed an opinion of him. Among those who have 31% view him favorably and 30% see him unfavorably.

The race to define John Kasich is going to be an important one and here is where I fear that the Democrats online advantage may do us some damage. It is totally bogus, but the Ohio Democrats push to tie Kasich to the recession through his employment at Lehman Brothers is everywhere. I've seen ads on Facebook, Google, Yahoo and even National Review.

All in all, at this point in the campaign, John Kasich has to be feeling pretty good about his chances. I know I do...

UPDATE: Kevin Holtsberry has more here.

UPDATE 2: Third Base Politics takes a closer look at the numbers here.

UPDATE 3: I was just reminded that now is a good time to send in a donation to John Kasich...



Pitch in if you can!

Obama Goes Negative (Approval That Is)

Check out this great news from Rasmussen:

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Sunday shows that 32% of the nation's voters now Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Thirty-four percent (34%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -2. That’s the President’s lowest rating to date and the first time the Presidential Approval Index has fallen below zero for Obama.

Interesting that Rasmussen STILL leads with the positive even though the real story is a shift in the American public's mood towards our president has gone negative.



Could it be that folks are starting to realize that this guy is not the answer to all of their problems? Could it be that the American people are sick of this president blaming the last for everything while offering no real solutions that actually work? Could it be the weakness that this president has shown towards North Korea and Iran? Could it be that the American people realize that socialism and/or statism is the slippery slope to Hell on Earth? Could it be all of these things???

Driehaus and Space Cast Deciding Votes on Bringing Terrorists to US

In an astonishing move on the House floor this week, Reps. Steve Driehaus (D-OH-01) and Zack Space (D-OH-05), sided with Speaker Nancy Pelosi in casting the deciding votes against preventing the use of taxpayer funds to implement President Obama’s highly-controversial decision to close the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (House Roll Call 361), thus potentially allowing dangerous terrorists to be imported onto U.S. soil.

They have disregarded the dangerous implications of this critical national security measure at the expense of the safety of families in their districts and across this nation.

By casting these votes, Driehaus and Space are not only paving the way for dangerous terrorists to be allowed into America’s backyards, but they have also shown us that their true allegiance lies with Nancy Pelosi and her dangerous political agenda.

The Associated Press describes the situation this way:

“…the chamber also rejected an amendment by Rep. Jerry Lewis, a Republican, that strengthened the prohibition by stopping in its tracks funding for any government activity related to closing the facility. The amendment first went down on a 216-212 vote. After Republicans demanded a recount, it was defeated again, 213-212.” (Jim Abrams, Associated Press, “House Rejects Measure on Guantanamo Closing, June 18, 2009)

If Steve Driehaus and Zack Space are interested in keeping Americans safe, they should start by standing up to their party leaders in Washington and siding with the families in their districts who oppose closing Gitmo.

“By more than 2-1, those surveyed say Guantanamo shouldn't be closed. By more than 3-1, they oppose moving some of the accused terrorists housed there to prisons in their own states….
“In the survey, Americans were inclined to accept the argument…that the detention center had made the United States safer. By 40%-18%, they said the prison had strengthened national security rather than weakened it….

“A 54% majority of those polled say the prison shouldn't be closed, and that they'll be upset if the administration moves forward to close it.

“Last month, Senate Democrats stripped $80 million to close Gitmo from a spending bill and blocked transfer of detainees to U.S. soil, at least for now.” (Susan Page, “Poll: Most Oppose Closing Gitmo,” USA Today, June 1, 2009)

UPDATE: You can add Ohio's own Marcy Kaptur (D), Tim Ryan (D), Betty Sutton (D), Charlie Wilson (D), and Dennis Kucinich (D) to the list of those who want to bring terrorists in to our back yards.

Votes yet to be tracked down: Austria (R), Boccieri (D), Fudge (D), and Kilroy(D).

VIDEO: "Terrorists Don't Deserve the Same Rights As Americans"

Former FBI agent Rep. Mike Rogers (MI-8) discusses the dangerous decision by the Obama Justice Department to read Miranda rights to suspected terrorists. Text of Rep. Rogers video can be read below:

Hello, Im representative Mike Rogers of Michigan. After Islamic radicals killed nearly 3,000 American on September 11th, our nation had an important decision to make: Do we treat this horrendous attack as a crime or an act of war?

The collective decision by lawmakers was that this was an act of war. Thankfully, President Obama agrees.

Or does he? I recently learned that the Obama Justice Department is reading Miranda rights to foreign terror suspects as a part of their Global Justice Initiative.

As a former FBI agent I want to tell you that this is nuts. By granting foreign fighters protections normally reserved for US citizens, we are faced with the possibility that they will game the American legal system and return to the battlefield.

The threat of terrorism is an issue of our national security, not law enforcement.

GUEST COLUMN: "Holding Congress Accountable for Spending Your Money" by John Boehner

By Congressman John Boehner

Recently in the U.S. House of Representatives, the will of the American people was trampled. It was trampled by a majority party that can’t spend your tax dollars fast enough and doesn’t like being questioned about its big-spending ways.

We’ve begun what’s known as the appropriations process, during which lawmakers debate and vote on the spending bills that fund federal departments and agencies. The first of these bills the House took up was for the departments of Commerce and Justice through fiscal year 2010. Lawmakers from both parties had a lot of amendments designed to change this bill. On the Republican side, most of our amendments were designed to reduce spending, because we believe that’s what the American people want Congress to do. We know government has grown too large and too expensive. Some of it happened on the Republican Party’s watch in recent years. But we learned from those mistakes, and it’s time for the current majority to learn from them, too, by working with us to rein in spending.

Unfortunately Speaker Pelosi decided Republicans shouldn’t be able to offer our anti-spending amendments. Just 30 minutes into the debate with more than 100 amendments to get through, debate was suddenly closed down and Democrats announced new rules. They decided they didn’t want to debate our proposals to cut spending, and to avoid them, they changed the rules in the middle of the game.

Let me tell you about a few of the amendments the majority didn’t want considered. One of them is a bill I’ve cosponsored that would limit the amount of tax dollars going to groups that engage in voter fraud like ACORN. Another would have stopped politicians from using your tax dollars to pay for projects named after themselves. And another would have allowed Americans to scrutinize every pet project that lawmakers put into the bill so that you know exactly how your tax dollars are being spent.

Speaker Pelosi and our Democratic colleagues decided we didn’t have time for any of these common-sense proposals to be considered.

We’ve seen this before. Earlier this year, the American people were denied the chance to read the 1,000-page so-called stimulus bill that was rammed through Congress. We all know how that turned out. Taxpayers ended up paying for huge bonuses for AIG executives, an “airport for no one” in rural Pennsylvania, and a bridge in Wisconsin that reportedly carries fewer than 300 cars a day – many to a place called Rusty’s Backwater Tavern.

American families are struggling in today’s economy. At a time when every dollar in the family budget counts, Washington needs more debate over how the government spends taxpayer’s money – not less. Americans were promised jobs by the current majority in Washington. Instead all they’ve seen so far is more government and more spending. Where are the jobs?

House Republicans have put Speaker Pelosi and her Democratic colleagues on notice: we aren’t going to let the concerns of the American people be ignored. We forced a record-breaking number of votes on our amendments that were designed to reign in the Democrats’ out of control spending. Approximately every five minutes over eight hours on Thursday, June 18, lawmakers were called to vote – and sometimes revote – on the amendments that Speaker Pelosi decided she didn’t have time for.

My Republican colleagues and I are going to demand accountability, on and off the House floor, and do everything we can to bring proper scrutiny to the majority’s budget-busting, free-spending plans. Our children and grandchildren deserve nothing less.

A semi-responsible attempt at filling Ohio's budget hole

Sorry for the length of this post, but we didn't know how to make it any shorter. If you like the content (but not the length), I hope you'll check out other posts at:

http://www.kylesisk.typepad.com/

I solemnly swear to screw as many Ohio taxpayers as possible...

I promise I was only lying this much...

Earlier this week I was asked this question by one of our smartest commenters after he read this post and it is an excellent question: What is the responsible thing to do?

http://kylesisk.typepad.com/sisker/2009/06/sorry-i-disappeared.html

After the fear mongering story by the Dispatch I figured it was about time someone actually put out some…gasp…concrete ideas to either get laughed at, shot down, cried over or implemented.

As a disclaimer on the front end of this blog post: I was in politics for 11.5 yrs NOT policy so please keep that in mind as you read the post. We don’t have anyone involved with last names like Keen, Hershey, Perera, etc so don’t expect anything earth-shattering. That said, now that I think about it a little bit more screw that disclaimer. Please don't pay attention to that disclaimer. If some other guy can go from being a community organizer to a State Senator for 4 years to being a US Senator for just 2 years and then his ideas (which are mostly worse than mine) actually get implemented and made into law then I must in good conscience retract the aforementioned disclaimer ;-)

PREFACE: On a national level Obama is using this economic crisis to take bold initiatives forward. On a state level NONE of our leaders are thinking BIG in realistic terms (i.e. sure Ted came up with a fairy tale State of the State Speech 142 days ago about some education blah blah blah that would be really cool in 2018, but it wasn't based in reality...it was fantasyland stuff) for now and the future.

I 100% realize that some of these ideas will not help fill the $3.2 billion budget right now, but they will help for the future. Just as Obama, Pelosi & Reid are using this economic crisis as an excuse to tackle all kinds of issues I think Ohio needs to do the same (i.e. not only tackle the $3.2 billion hole right now, but also use this crisis as an excuse to tackle some other issues/problems that have been around for awhile that need fixing).

$3.2 billion

*As much as it might suck for the funding of your campaigns in 2010 I think this crisis has finally given all three of you the excuse to take a whack at the nursing homes portion of the budget. Politically/financially for your campaigns this is not something you want to EVER have to do again so rip the band-aid off fast and hard and really grab a big chunk of change. The fallout will be that the industry will hate you for a couple of years, but here are the facts of the situation on the back end:

Bergdoll and co. are very smart and they know that, at the end of the day, they need the Legislature more than the Legislature needs them. Budish & Harris should both tell Todd & co. that this is a one-time thing as long as the Nursing Home operators behave and don't do anything rash.

Todd will begrudgingly accept the hit knowing that his operators won't have to face this kind of thing again in the future and Armond & Bill (along with Ted) will have to figure out how to fill the campaign funding hole for 2010.

Amount this creates now: $100-500 million Amount created later: $0

*Bridget & company wont like this, but the hospitals should feel a little bit of pain along with everyone else:

The budget increases inpatient and outpatient hospital payment rates by 5% beginning July 1, 2009. It also

establishes a new hospital assessment at 1.61% of total facility costs for FY 2010 and at 1.61% for FY 2011.

State-share revenue generated from the assessment is estimated at $357.0 million for FY 2010 and

$354.0 million for FY 2011. These funds will be used to support hospitals. " LSC figures

We advocate for keeping a portion of this money

Amount this creates now: $100-700 million Amount created later: $0

*Medicaid/Counties. My huge apologies to Larry, Cheryl & Cheryl (I know there is only one Cheryl…she is one of a kind & I love the woman, but it was more fun to repeat her name a la which sitcom from way back when???) , but we could require all local levy dollars for human services i.e. MRDD, drug and alcohol, certain children levies, and mental health to be pooled at the state level.... this is politically tough for many reasons, but would free up state GRF currently being used for State Medicaid Match and potentially draw down more federal dollars. Conservatively would free up $200 mil or more in state GRF and draw down additional Medicaid.

Amount this creates now: $200 million Amount created later: $0

*State facilities i.e. Mental Health hospitals (hospital operating expenses about $60m), developmental centers ($200m)......... Either close them or turn them over to private management. You will automatically save 20% percent conservatively because the private sector is just that much cheaper... i.e. salary, benefits, efficiencies, etc. .

Amount this creates now: $50 million Amount created later: $0

*Corrections: Medical costs for inmates are nearly $200m to 300m annually, managed care can save or should save 10% of that. Add a 10% staff reduction in non-guard administrative types at DRC... that's likely 700+ bureaucrats.

Amount this creates now: $30 million Amount created later: $0

*Higher education... Of this like $3.2 to $3.5 billion or so of the budget is in State Share of Instruction. Don’t cut scholarships at all and just lop off 7-10% of this State Share of Instruction and that gets us somewhere in the $225 mil to $350 mil range. Split the difference for argument’s sake and call it $288 million.

Amount this creates now: $288 million out of SSI Amount created later: $0

*Batchelder & co. suggested to the PD on 1/27 that Strickland’s 24 cabinet-level agencies blend into just 10 and the staffs of hundreds of state boards, commissions and councils be consolidated. By their calculation, Ohio could eliminate 11,000 of its 60,000 employees through attrition over the next two to four years and eventually save $1 billion a year. Bravo to Batch (with a nod to Jim Petro who first proposed the idea during his ill-fated gubernatorial campaign)! We like this idea a lot wish it created more dollars right now, but it gets us moving in the right direction. Hard for Ted to argue this one since his Cabinet has been operating from the shallow end of the gene pool over the last couple of years.

Amount this creates now: $Not a lot right now$ Amount created later: $350-700 million

*Auditor of State Mary Taylor (not always a big fan of her campaigning efforts, but when it comes to good ideas and smart government she usually hits triples and home runs) has some very good ideas on the Medicaid front.

http://www.auditor.state.oh.us/Issues/MedicaidReform.htm

Place dual eligibles (folks on Medicaid and Medicare) among the other 500,000 Medicaid recipients currently exempt from Medicaid managed care and you easily get to $400mil or more. Politically many advocacy groups are opposed to this, like Bergdoll, but again…if you are going to pull the band-aid off ONLY ONCE and you are believable the Nursing Homes will cry bloody murder, but it is not like they are going to take their ball and run home.

Think about it. They have to be scared to death of a Kasich (devil you know vs the devil you don’t know), they know Budish will do right by them if given the chance in the future {right now there is about a 4% chance Budish loses the majority in 2010 so if he is going to go it a cycle without the Nursing Home $$$ (other than what he has hauled in thus far) this is the cycle to do it in, Harris & the Senate have no fears of losing the majority to the Cheerleader the only thing the Senate majority should be worried about in 2010 are John Kasich, Mary Taylor and Jon Husted…I hope they all get that…any Senator (or State Rep who is going to be a Senator) who is going to be in the Senate come 2016 better do everything in their power to make sure the Apportionment Board is GOP controlled when the dust settles or they are going to find out the hard way how much better technology has gotten since the last census when it comes to computer generated map analysis}. If ever you are going to take a ONE TIME ONLY bite out of the Nursing Homes it is in THIS budget. You will have ZERO need to take any bites out of any of your friends in the next budget because EVERYONE on the planet knows the NEXT budget will be the TAX INCREASE budget. I hope everyone is paying attention…fill the budget with targeted cuts this time and do a TAX INCREASE next go-around. Doing a tax increase both cycles would be just about the dumbest thing imaginable.

Amount this creates now: $400 million Amount created later: $___ million

*Three of our Guest Columnists and I have some changes in mind and we think this would be a good time to use this crisis to make some needed changes:

Reinventing Ohio’s Local Governments:

• When I think reinventing government, I don’t mean Al Gore inventing the internet sort of thing. I mean its time for the Governor and Legislature to use the intellectual capital and anti-government sentiment to get serious about regionalization and elimination of duplication by all the taxing political subdivisions in Ohio.
• We have 88 counties, about 48 too many. We have 612 school districts about 300 too many, (120 have less than 1,000 students). We have 1,308 townships, about 1,000 too many (seriously there should not be one township within any of the Three Cs city limits). With those government subdivisions, we have a number of officeholders, police and fire, water and sewer, etc., and all their collective bureaucratic functions, assets, buildings and lots and lots of duplicity and extra taxes. We need to reform for the future versus living in 1985 when computers were the size of my first house. If we don’t do this, Ohio will never, I repeat NEVER be tax competitive again.

Amount these moves will create now: $Very little$

Amount created later: $ BILLIONS in LOWER TAXES

To the Governor:

Serious Civil Service Reform! First, kudos to Strickland for cutting 3,000 state worker positions. I will be more impressed if he can cut another 3,000, but he did about 3,000 better than Taft and Voinovich.

Really I have no issue with our state workers, 90 percent of them do a great job and deserve their hard earned pay. It’s the 10 percent that the unions protect that pisses me off. You know the ones I am talking about that don’t answer the phone, talk back to supervisors, have sex in the stairways of the Rhodes, and generally have an attitude. Anyhow note to the Governor, stop worrying about the base or paying back the unions for their help in electing you. As a democrat, you have the best ability to rein in the states civil service unions. It can’t be done without you.

Go back to the first reported collective bargaining plan leaked to the media in early March that reduced their salary and benefits to look more like the private sectors. And DON’T give them a guaranteed raise in 2012. Who gets guaranteed raises in a recession? While you’re at it give your Cabinet Directors and Agency Heads 30 days once a year to fire any documented deadwood without repercussion, appeals, etc. from the union. And finally, eliminate state worker positions where the private sector is cheaper and more efficient i.e. health care staff or running workers compensation. ..at least make them compete or bid on some contracts.

Amount this creates now: $200 million would be generated by concessions alone

Amount created later: $?

K-12 Education:

• Casinos, but with REAL licensing fees upfront. Seriously. This crap about only charging $200 million in licensing fees is ludicrous. Wake up people!!! Make no mistake about this...are you paying attention...please hear me on this: Multiply that licensing fee by a multiple of FIVE. You read that right. Make the licensing fees bring in $1 billion instead of $200 million. Think I'm crazy? If you do then you don't know much about the industry or gambling in general. Sure the Casinos will bitch up a storm that the fee is outrageous, but if Ted, Armond & Bill do not blink and they let the Casino interests know that this is a one-time offer that will never come again I guarantee that greed will win out and they will pony up.
• Casinos For Education. I know Ohioans have NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) issues with casinos but other states are laughing all the way to the bank as we send them millions of what could be Ohios education dollars. Cincinnati, Cleveland and Toledo should get Ohios only 3 casino locations. The Governor and the Department of Development should award the strongest casino projects that include an adjacent convention center and or a stadium/arena. Why Toledo and why not Columbus? Columbus doesnt need one. Its the most economically thriving city in the state, it has The Ohio State University, state government, and a young population... Toledo? Like Cincinnati its a border city near gambling locations that pretty much suck. If you do it right in Toledo, Michigan will come, as there is no reason to go to the terrible casinos in Detroit. And what about the racetracksscrew the racetracks. After three to five terribly run ballot campaigns and legislative attempts at a money grab, track owners and their consultants havent proved they could do anything right.

Amount this creates now: $1 billion

Amount this creates later: $Hundreds of millions

Higher Education:

• Finding a Niche. Senator Eric Fingerhut, turned Chancellor, began much needed higher ed reform when the Governor made him a member of his Cabinet and granted him authority to better regulate public universities. The Chancellor has since organized the colleges and universities under a University System structure. Now comes the tough part, political courage. The Chancellor should narrow college and university curriculums based on...gasp...what they were actually good at. The university system in PA for example went from a shotgun approach to a laser approach. If a college was good at business, but not engineering, then the engineering curriculum was dropped and more resources were allocated to the business school. It’s time to take names and eliminate some programs, you know like Farm Sciences at Cleveland State.
• University Administrative/Bureaucratic costs. In addition to making public universities more outcome-based for education purposes, the Chancellor should be given authority to set caps and funding incentives to eliminate wasteful spending on university administration. Love Gordon Gee, but his salary alone could pay for about 200 kids to attend OSU. If you are ever out of town and you run into OSU faculty where do you see them? You don't see them at the Days Inn and Olive Garden. You see them arrive in a very nice Hertz or Avis rental car at some of the nicest hotels and restaurants in the city. Want to run into OSU faculty in Columbus during the week? Try Lindey's or Rigsby's. I guarantee those folks are not paying those tabs out of their own pocket. Ever been inside ANY building at OSU? Everything is new. It is time for higher ed to quit feeding at the trough and live the way everyday Ohioans live. We stay at the Red Roof. We rent the compact car from Thrifty. We eat at Olive Garden. Higher ed better make these changes internally or my guess/hope is that the Legislature makes these changes for them.
• Capital Costs. The Chancellor should be given more control over the construction of new buildings on public university campuses (Have you seen Ohio State’s new castle, I mean student union?). I am all for renovation but new construction on our public campuses is out of control. Place a five-year moratorium on public funding of new campus buildings. If they need something bad enough, get private funding. This would save millions of bond dollars for other publicly funded projects. All projects should be Single Prime instead of the current Multiple Prime contracting that exists today. I would absolutely LOVE to see a study that factually lists the HUNDREDS of MILLIONS of dollars this state has wasted on Multiple Prime contracting alone.

Amount created now: $??? million

Amount created later: $ Not quite sure, but a minimum of $50 mil annually in GRF debt service payments for general obligation bond debt

More on Corrections:

• Administrative Costs. Ohio’s Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections consumes about $2 billion annually. DRC houses about 51k offenders and the Department of Youth Services another 2k. There are 13,500 staff positions at DRC, about 7,000 prison guards. I would say nearly 7,000 bureaucrats to watch 7,000 prison guards who watch 51,000 offenders equals too many bureaucrats. Seriously think about it; the ratio of bureaucrats to prison guards is nearly1:1, the ratio of prison guards to prisoners is 7:1?
• Just Say No. Release all non-violent drug offenders, legalize marijuana for adults 21 and over & TAX the hell out of it. The economies of scale and distribution will probably create a handful of big players who are able to make a hefty profit even with the gigantic tax due to the fact they have a high quality product being made readily available at Speedway, Krogers, Wal-Mart, etc. Legalize it and tax it!!!
• Life vs. Death. I’m a pro-capital punishment kind of guy, an eye for an eye. Actually firing squads and torture for rapists and murderers after trial, some onsite when it’s obvious they’re guilty. But recent studies show capital punishment has become more expensive than sentencing someone to life in prison. The costs of housing an offender on death row in order to eventually execute them costs about $2m to $3.2m until their dead according to a United Church of Christ Study. A California study states it’s about $90k a year to house an offender on death row (or about $3.6m over 40 years). This calculation takes into account exhausting appeals, public defenders, prosecution, court costs, transportation and the electricity (hey electricity is high, just ask PD Reporter Tom Suddes whom is fixated on writing about Ohio’s powerful utilities). The same Church of Christ study says housing an offender for life, lets again say 40 years, cost on average $600-$700k. Don’t trust the parishioner’s numbers, okay. An offender not on death row in Ohio costs approximately $25k a year, or about $1m for 40 years. There are about 175 of Ohio death row inmates. We can spend $175m keeping them alive or $350m to $500m frying them. I realize there’s more to offing people for their bad deeds than costs, but maybe it’s something to consider.

• Healthcare/Aging Prisoners. The Department of Corrections and Department of Youth Services should contract with a health insurance corporation to place Ohios 53k inmates on managed care; require generics versus brand-name drugs for prisoners; and release aging prisoners or turn them over to a private nursing home.

Amount created now: $ ??? Amount created later: $100-250 mil annually

Medicaid/Healthcare

• Mandatory physical education (yes gym class!) participation for all students in schools and colleges not participating in a sport. Don’t like it, tough! Ohio will spend close to $14 billion in Medicaid next year. If you receive any state aid for anything, your fat ass is getting in shape. Not enough teachers or funds to teach phys ed? Temporarily extend TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) benefits for adults on public assistance who volunteer their time to schools or use college credits and grants to incentivize athletic students to volunteer their time in getting Ohio healthy.
• Prohibit vending machines in our schools that sell soda, coffee, caffeine beverages, candy bars, etc. In addition to their Statehouse visit, require all 4^th graders to visit a farm and learn how to make a frigging salad.
• Urban Farming Initiatives Statewide. If Will Allen ("feeds the masses cheaply" one not "the football" one

  http://www.onmilwaukee.com/visitors/articles/growingpowerchicago.html?18994

  ) can do what he is doing in Chicago and Milwaukee then why can't we be doing the same types of things in Cleveland, Lorain, Youngstown, Toledo, Akron, Canton, Dayton, Columbus, Cincinnati & Lima???
• Information Technology. Provide financial incentives for physicians and other medical providers to convert to electronic health records and E-prescribing. This would reduce duplication, errors and fraud in the Medicaid system. It also would allow the state to pay claims electronically and manage a decision support system to better understand the Medicaid population’s health.

Amount created now: $??? Amount created later: $???

Sin Taxes and Gas:

Make Ohio a destination state by allowing border counties to have lower sin taxes on beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes and other tobacco products. Reduce the states portion of the gas tax as well. This would be a bit complicated constitutionally but it’s possible. Ohio is surrounded by other states and is home to some of the country’s most traveled highways. It would be a boon for Ohio’s border counties and for the state’s tax revenues, particularly on the sales tax when West Virginias buy the extra bag of Doritos and Mountain Dew.

Amount created now: $lose some$ Amount created later: $make some back on gas & other items due to increased traffic from lower sin taxes on sins

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*Do all of these things while not raising some of the taxes that have been bandied about lately and without making cuts to R & D, economic development and innovation.

*And, as promised in the blog post from yesterday, a little morsel for the Columbus Dispatch for Page B5 of the Metro & State page: Ohio Taxpayers (not Strickland’s campaign…Ohio Taxpayers) have picked up the tab for what amounts to over $100,000 and growing for what you ask??? …drumroll please… the cost of overtime, travel, accommodations & meals for the Ohio Highway Patrol that accompanies Ted Strickland when he travels out of the state of Ohio to FUNDRAISE for his re-election campaign vs John Kasich. This is a bunch of barnacles and needs to stop immediately. Cut that line item out of the frigging budget. If Ted wants to go on fundraising jaunts out of state I am all for it more power to him, but the taxpayers of Ohio should not be floating the bill for it. This expense should be paid for out of his campaign fund. There you go, Ben. You and I both know that should be in the paper. Your move.

Those are our concrete ideas to help fill the $3.2 billion budget hole. Would love to hear what some of you think are ways to help fill the hole without raising taxes. Thanks!