Butler County Auditor Releases Triennial Values for 2011

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HAMILTON, OHIO – Butler County Auditor Roger Reynolds announced today the results of the recent triennial property value update.

Homeowners will be most interested in how residential property values
faired. Countywide, home values declined an average of 4.3 percent.

In addition to the decline in residential values, commercial and industrial also fell. However, agricultural values bucked the trend and moved higher in value. If not for the state’s recent increase in agricultural values, the overall total taxable property value decline in the county would have been greater.
Soon, property owners will see a mailer from the Auditor’s Office that includes their 2011 valuation.

This triennial update, conducted by the Auditor’s Office and mandated by the State of Ohio, was based on a sales/market analysis of valid sales in conjunction with a similar study by the state. The revaluation does not include foreclosure, sheriff or bank sales.

“In 2009 we opted to reduce residential property values even though it was not a mandated revaluation year. It was an unprecedented move which turned out to significantly soften the blow on the 2011 trienniel reductions,” Reynolds said.

“Without the reductions in 2009 we would be facing double digit
declines this year.”

While some home owners will see their property taxes drop as a result of lower values, others will not because of newly voted levies. In areas where new levies were passed, such as the Fairfield City School District’s 6.5 mill school levy, taxes will most likely increase even though values declined.

An analysis of the auditor’s appraised residential values versus actual valid, arms-length sales the past three years shows that the office is being conservative. The average sale price of these 9,020 properties was $136,620 and the average appraised price by the Auditor’s Office was $133,606.

The entities that saw the largest residential decline in value include Middletown (8.0%), Hamilton (6.9%), and St. Clair Township (5.9%).

The decline in values will save most property owners a few dollars off their next tax bills. The decline will also impact local government funds. When base values are lower, the inside millage (10 mills can be collected as a levy without being voted on by the people in the taxing district) is lower, thus the general funds of the government will be lower. However, the impact will be less dramatic than in many
Ohio counties, and could have been much more severe. Reynolds’ decision to implement the 2009 property revaluation created a gradual adjustment instead of a one-time shock to local government.

As always, the County Auditor acknowledges that the revaluation is open for property owners to challenge with evidence of real discrepancies. “There is a county Board of Revision for home owners who may not agree with their appraisal, and we encourage them to have their property value reviewed if this is the case. They have until April 2 to apply for revision, and can do so by calling our office or visiting our website.” Reynolds said.

Reynolds acknowledged the challenges in conducting the 2011 triennial brought on by the tumultuous real estate market. “The decline in real estate values over the past four years has everyone frazzled. The record-numbers of distressed properties in the urban areas are clearly driving the market. As such, we have retooled our appraisal processes in order to properly value these neighborhoods,” Reynolds said.
“Overall, we were fair, accurate and diligent to reflect the true property values in Butler County. It was an arduous task, but worth the effort to bring values in line with market conditions and protect county taxpayers,” Reynolds said.

Residential Values
11TY
10TY
Middletown
% Change
432,077,810
469,671,850
-8.0043%
Sharonville
34,386,520
37,030,210
-7.1393%
Hamilton
608,755,500
653,755,290
-6.8833%
St Clair Twp
50,631,440
53,818,490
-5.9218%
Lemon Twp
13,171,720
13,893,680
-5.1963%
Fairfield Twp
381,071,380
400,667,020
-4.8908%
Oxford Twp
45,598,210
47,925,360
-4.8558%
West Chester Twp
1,194,440,030
1,254,775,380
-4.8085%
Seven Mile
10,472,960
10,991,150
-4.7146%
Milford Twp
56,595,750
59,262,780
-4.5003%
Liberty Twp
692,756,670
721,586,340
-3.9953%
Hanover Twp
141,117,950
146,884,220
-3.9257%
New Miami
18,078,860
18,809,150
-3.8826%
Wayne Twp
66,166,170
68,560,730
-3.4926%
Ross Twp
150,863,000
155,458,030
-2.9558%
Fairfield Corp
580,660,850
598,328,270
-2.9528%
Trenton
144,395,760
148,647,750
-2.8604%
Jacksonburg
750,110
770,360
-2.6286%
Madison Twp
130,795,030
133,403,190
-1.9551%
College Corner Corp
1,516,610
1,544,780
-1.8236%
Somerville
2,789,370
2,836,530
-1.6626%
Millville
10,164,710
10,255,060
-0.8810%
Monroe
194,272,710
195,277,310
-0.5144%
Reily Twp
48,583,190
48,773,840
-0.3909%
Morgan Twp
111,191,460
111,596,620
-0.3631%
Oxford Corp
192,882,010
191,570,490
0.6846%
County Value (Res Only)
5,314,185,780
5,556,093,880
-4.3539%
Overall Value
11TY
10TY
% Change
Middletown
629,063,320
690,790,990
-8.9358%
Hamilton
828,698,560
895,754,320
-7.4860%
Sharonville
43,299,200
46,478,210
-6.8398%
West Chester Twp
1,784,700,760
1,890,480,730
-5.5954%
Fairfield Corp
954,532,440
1,005,752,750
-5.0927%
Seven Mile
11,656,490
12,256,520
-4.8956%
New Miami
20,912,270
21,781,790
-3.9920%
Lemon Twp
29,644,870
30,786,950
-3.7096%
Fairfield Twp
418,946,220
434,826,150
-3.6520%
Liberty Twp
774,245,730
803,357,650
-3.6238%
St Clair Twp
126,052,070
130,606,330
-3.4870%
Trenton
171,652,080
177,143,210
-3.0998%
Hanover Twp
217,914,080
224,458,830
-2.9158%
Monroe
299,496,430
307,881,670
-2.7235%
Jacksonburg
776,530
796,300
-2.4827%
Ross Twp
184,339,060
188,422,510
-2.1672%
Somerville
3,054,340
3,105,920
-1.6607%
College Corner Corp
2,333,590
2,357,620
-1.0192%
Oxford Corp
294,859,530
296,364,250
-0.5077%
Madison Twp
218,286,490
219,294,290
-0.4596%
Milford Twp
77,659,520
77,807,220
-0.1898%
Oxford Twp
64,384,720
64,386,830
-0.0033%
Morgan Twp
173,152,430
172,884,990
0.1547%
Wayne Twp
89,333,340
88,991,610
0.3840%
Millville
11,859,070
11,807,470
0.4370%
Reily Twp
70,464,270
67,292,570
4.7133%
County Value (inc *PUPP)
7,501,317,410
7,865,867,680
-4.6346%
* PUPP = Public Utility Personal Property

Kasich: Year in Review

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When Governor John R. Kasich and Lieutenant Governor Mary Taylor took office one year ago, Ohio faced historic challenges. Over 400,000 jobs were lost in the previous four years, unemployment peaked and remained at 10.6 percent between August 2009 and February 2010, and the state faced an $8 billion budget shortfall going into Fiscal Year 2012. For Gov. Kasich, job creation has been priority number one from day one. With his vision, Ohio has begun making the necessary government reforms to cultivate a jobs-friendly environment so Ohioans can get back to work, and our state can start moving in the right direction.

PUTTING OHIO’S FISCAL HOUSE IN ORDER

· Commonsense Budgeting: The centerpiece of Gov. Kasich’s agenda has been the state’s FY2012-13 budget. Based on the twin priorities of fiscal stability and job creation, the budget helped get Ohio’s fiscal health in order and achieved major, needed policy changes, including:

o Closing an $8 billion shortfall without raising taxes while preserving the $400 million annual income tax cut and cutting taxes $300 million by eliminating the Estate Tax;

o Reforming Ohio’s Medicaid program—the largest expense in the state budget;

o Accomplishing one of the most comprehensive education reform agendas in the country;

o Providing training vouchers for incumbent workers to help prevent them from becoming unemployed;

o Providing important new tools for schools and local governments to share services and reduce costs;

o Reforming construction rules and the prevailing wage law;

o Providing for the sale of up to five prisons (one was ultimately sold for $72 million, two were converted to private management, and one privately-managed prison was converted to state management);

o Creating InvestOhio to help Ohio’s small businesses to retain and create jobs, and;

o Creating a process for studying ways to possibly use Ohio’s Turnpike to help meet future highway funding needs.

· Restoring the Rainy Day Fund: When Gov. Kasich took office in January, Ohio’s Rainy Day Fund – Ohio’s savings account for tough times – had dwindled to just 89 cents. Even with the need to close an $8 billion dollar gap, Gov. Kasich and the General Assembly were able to deposit nearly $250 million in the fund for the next rainy day.

· Upgrading Ohio’s Credit Outlook: In July, Standard & Poor’s upgraded Ohio’s AA-plus credit-rating outlook from “negative” to “stable.”

CREATING A JOBS-FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT TO GET OHIOANS BACK TO WORK

· A New Way of Doing Business: Gov. Kasich made job creation his top priority when he came into office. By establishing JobsOhio, the Common Sense Initiative, cutting taxes, and other reforms that made state government more efficient and business friendly, he is helping to create a better environment for job growth.

· Producing Results: In 2011, the Kasich Administration and JobsOhio worked with businesses of all sizes to secure 251 new investments, expansions, and relocations to create 21,099 new jobs and keep 61,686 existing ones. Overall, that means nearly $4.8 billion in new or saved payroll for Ohio. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Ohio is 8th in the nation in job creation and tops in the Midwest [Jan. – Oct. 2011].

· A Return on Investment in Economic Growth Incentives: For the first time, Ohio is measuring the return on investment (ROI) for each and every jobs project that receives taxpayer-based incentives. This year, approximately 91 percent of state-approved projects began earning a return on taxpayers’ funds in just the first or second year.

· Encouraging Entrepreneurs: Historically, small businesses have created two out of every three new jobs, so Ohio created a program that would spur economic development by directly helping these entrepreneurs. InvestOhio is designed to encourage risk taking by making investments of up to $10 million eligible for an income tax credit worth 10 percent of the total investment. In just two weeks, InvestOhio has received 1,119 applications committing more than $246 million in investments.

BRINGING COMMON SENSE TO GOVERNMENT

· Common Sense Initiative (CSI): Ohio has too many duplicative and overly burdensome regulations. On his first day in office, Gov. Kasich signed his first Executive Order creating the “Common Sense Initiative” (CSI) and putting Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor in charge of leading the effort to bring common sense to Ohio’s regulations and reduce burdens on business.

· Eliminating Barriers to Efficiency—Highlights:

o The Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) and representatives from the auto dealers associations worked together to improve the auto dealers licensing procedure. As a result, the Dealers Licensing section of the BMV will reduce the processing time to obtain a first time dealer’s license by as much as 83 percent. Since dealers are ready to begin operations when they apply for a license, this will result in their ability to begin selling cars sooner and therefore increase their bottom line.

o The Ohio Department of Agriculture recently completed a consolidation project which reduced the number of private license categories for pesticide and fertilizer applicators from 13 to seven. This will cut down the number of exams required of the applicators, saving small businesses time and money while maintaining the same standards for certification.

o Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is emphasizing the need to create innovative common sense permitting solutions that streamline the process while protecting Ohio’s natural resources. Since many business operations are similar, Ohio EPA’s general permit provides consistent standards and a “speed-of-business” approach to permitting. Business should be able to get this permit in as little as two weeks.

· Reducing Violence in Prisons: Since 2010, a violent incident involving four or more inmates occurred every seven days in Ohio’s prisons; a 400 percent increase since 2007. To address this disturbing trend, the Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections has implemented a multi-layered violence reduction strategy, and since June, inmate-on-inmate assaults are down by 54 percent and inmate-on-staff assaults are down by 52 percent.

· Construction Reform: For over 100 years, Ohio law required public institutions to adhere to antiquated policies that led to increased construction costs for government projects. Included in the FY2012-13 budget were reforms to give public authorities more flexibility and cost savings.

· Prevailing Wage Reform: Over the years, prevailing wage rules have driven up taxpayers’ costs without guaranteeing a better product, and have made it difficult for small contractors to win government bids. The FY2012-13 budget increased the threshold of public projects impacted by prevailing wage, saving school districts money by prohibiting prevailing wage requirements from applying to them, and ensuring that taxpayers are getting their money’s worth by increasing competition in the bid process. Importantly, prevailing wage rules are eliminated for many new private-sector construction projects supported by state economic development programs, thus making Ohio more job friendly to businesses seeking to expand or relocate to the state.

· Shared Services: The FY2012-13 budget tears down barriers which have prevented local governments from working together and creates initiatives aimed at reducing costs and expediting the implementation of shared services. It is now easier for schools or governments to share staff, equipment or facilities through simple agreements, as well as work together to purchase supplies without unnecessary hurdles.

· Harmonizing Ohio’s Gaming Policies: In the past, Ohio’s approach to gaming had been disjointed and driven by political expediency. Gov. Kasich initiated a comprehensive review of all gaming in Ohio to ensure that the state’s laws for horse racing, the Ohio Lottery and casino gaming are consistent and uniform, and provide the maximum benefit to Ohioans. The result is an agreement between the Office of the Governor, Rock Ohio Caesars, LLC (ROC), and Penn National Gaming that will provide $220 million in additional funds for Ohioans, and increased certainty for the industry.

IMPROVING CARE FOR OHIO’S MOST VULNERABLE

· Re-Tooling the Medicaid System: In Ohio, four percent of Medicaid patients account for 51 percent of the cost of the program. In the budget, Gov. Kasich introduced proposals to re-tool the Medicaid system by prioritizing the types of services that people prefer, requiring the system to better coordinate the care it provides to individuals and paying for quality rather than volume. These changes put the needs of taxpayers and Medicaid beneficiaries first and will challenge providers and administrators to make more efficient use of valuable resources. Medicaid modernization proposals included in the budget will save the state $1.5 billion and lead to better health, better care and cost savings through improvement.

· Treating the Whole Person by Integrating Physical and Behavioral Health Services: Adults with serious mental illness represent about 10 percent of Ohio‘s Medicaid population, yet they account for 26 percent of total Ohio Medicaid expenditures. The lack of coordination between service providers often fails these individuals. New reforms place an emphasis on treating the whole person.

· Empowering Seniors and People with Disabilities, Increasing Value for Taxpayers: An additional 12,890 Ohioans will receive Medicaid home- and community-based services instead of having to go into an institution. The budget makes a significant investment in home- and community-based services for seniors and people with physical disabilities (PASSPORT/Choices, Assisted Living, Home Care and Aging Transitions waivers) and people with a developmental disability (Level One, Individual Options, DD Transitions and the new SELF waivers). The FY2012-13 budget provides $532 million more for waivers for home- and community-based services over the biennium (above SFY 2011 levels), including $55.6 million more for PASSPORT.

FIGHTING DRUG ADDICTION AND DRIVING PREVENTION

· Shutting Down “Pill Mills”: In 2010, 9.7 million doses of prescription painkillers were dispensed in Scioto County Ohio alone. This equates to 123 doses for every man, woman and child in a county with a population of 79,000. To address this scourge, Gov. Kasich created a new Cabinet-level Opiate Task Force and signed legislation to strengthen the state’s ability to shut down “pill mill” operations led by corrupt doctors who dispense lethal doses of pain medications to anyone with a few hundred dollars. Gov. Kasich also signed an Executive Order authorizing the State Medical Board of Ohio to establish standards and procedures for pain management clinics in Ohio in order to help fight prescription drug abuse by preventing clinics from operating as “pill mills.” On December 14, 2011, Ohio achieved a key victory when the State Medical Board permanently revoked the license of Dr. James Lundeen, a pill mill doctor who was known to treat 90 patients in one day, on average. In addition, joint efforts by various state agencies and the Ohio Attorney General resulted in the closing of 12 illicit pain clinics, and overall drug seizures are up 500 percent from 2010 levels.

· Improving Treatment for Injured Workers: In September, the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) established its first-ever formulary of medications for the treatment of injured workers. This will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of treatment, limit the inappropriate use of medications, and lower BWC’s prescription costs by an estimated $15 million in its first 18 months. Additionally, BWC will only cover drugs related to the specific injury and now prohibits decertified providers from prescribing drugs for injured workers.

EDUCATION AND JOB TRAINING: A COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY TO PREPARE OHIOANS

· Giving Parents a Choice: When it comes to their child’s education, parents deserve a choice. By incorporating increased competition into the system, schools are incentivized to enhance the quality of education in order to attract students. To help make this a reality, EdChoice scholarships have been quadrupled, the cap on community schools has been removed, and Ohio has implemented enhanced community school access to facilities.

· Ranking Schools, Informing Parents: Since 2003, Ohio schools have received a Performance Index (PI) score. The index, validated by school districts across the state since its inception, places a priority on student achievement. For the first time, PI scores are being compared statewide and shared publicly to better inform parents of where their school stands relative to the rest of the state. By providing increased transparency, Ohio is giving parents the information they need as they prepare their child for success.

· A Fair and Functional Teacher Evaluation Process: Thanks in part to the input of over 1,400 teachers, the Ohio Department of Education approved a new teacher evaluation system that provides the flexibility and accountability our teachers and students deserve. The implementation of this system will help create the climate, conditions and incentives that promote alignment toward a common goal – improving student achievement.

· Improving College Graduation Rates at a Lower Cost: Ohio’s universities are taking too long to graduate students, if they graduate at all. By encouraging the development of three-year baccalaureate degrees at Ohio’s public universities, students will have the opportunity to save money and enter Ohio’s workforce ahead of schedule.

· Creating a Demand-Driven Workforce Development Model: Ohio currently has 77 workforce development programs scattered across 13 different agencies, many of which operate largely independent from one another. Making matters worse, the current model is supply driven and trains workers for jobs that may not exist. In September, Gov. Kasich assigned a member of his staff to focus completely on workforce development, and Ohio is now working to implement significant reforms that will ensure our workforce development programs are working in concert with one another and are training workers based on the jobs that need filled by employers in our state.

ODOT Reminds Motorists to Designate a Sober Driver

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COLUMBUS (Friday, December 30, 2011) – As Ohioans ring in the New Year this weekend, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) reminds motorists to drive sober, don’t rush, and avoid distractions.

“The New Year’s Holiday has the most alcohol-related crashes of the six major travel holidays,” said ODOT Director Jerry Wray. “Of all the crash types, alcohol use is the most preventable.”

More than 1,700 crashes occurred on Ohio highways over the three-day New Year’s Holiday last year resulting in 602 injuries and 8 fatalities; 75 percent of the New Year’s fatalities were alcohol-related.

ODOT safety experts also recommend these tips to help prevent crashes:

· Don’t Rush – Leave plenty of time to arrive at your destination as well as space between your car and the one in front of you. Motorists should leave one car length between their car and the car in front of them for every 10 mph of speed. Trucks should allow even more space.

· Avoid Distractions – Be mindful of construction zones, snowplow trucks, and pedestrians. Be aware of your surroundings and avoid distractions, such as cell phones.

During the winter, conditions on the road can change mile by mile, minute by minute. Being a careful, informed, and sober driver is the best way motorists can travel safely. ODOT’s traffic website www.BuckeyeTraffic.org offers up-to-the-minute highway information on weather and road conditions, road closures, accident updates and traffic congestion alerts.

Here’s a comprehensive list of major highway construction projects around the state:

CENTRAL OHIO

Interstate 270, Franklin County

Major reconstruction is underway on the southwest side of Columbus. Three lanes will be maintained in each direction between Roberts Rd. and Broad St. One of the three southbound lanes will be a contraflow lane. This means the left lane of southbound traffic will cross over to the northbound side of the road. Motorists travelling southbound who wish to exit at I-70 or Broad St. should stay in the right two lanes of I-270 south. The contraflow lane can be used as an express lane for those who do not wish to exit at I-70 or Broad St. Two lanes will be maintained in each direction between Broad St. and U.S. 62. All ramps will remain open. The speed limit through the work zone will be reduced to 55 mph so drivers should allow for extra time for their trip and remain alert since this is a seven mile construction zone.

Interstates 670/71, Franklin County

Major construction is underway on Interstates 670 and 71 just north of downtown Columbus. The speed limit has been reduced to 45 mph through the zone. A number of exits to downtown are closed, but there are still two lanes open in each direction on I-670 and I-71. Detours are less than three miles and detour and re-routes are signed both on the interstates and city streets. Visit www.odot71670.org for more information.

WESTERN OHIO

Interstate 75, West Carrollton, Montgomery County

I-75 in the area of the East Central Ave. and Dixie Dr. Interchange is under renovation. Motorists will encounter a construction zone in both directions on I-75. Three lanes of traffic will remain open to motorists in each direction during holiday travel.



Interstate 70, Clark County

I-70 between SR 72 and U.S. 40 is undergoing a lane addition. Motorists will encounter construction zones in both directions on I-70. Two lanes of traffic will remain open to motorists in each direction during holiday travel.

Interstate 75, Dayton, Montgomery County

I-75 from Main St. to Stanley Ave. and from Edwin C. Moses Blvd. to Fifth St. has construction zones due to the modernization of the interstate through the city of Dayton. Two lanes of traffic will remain open to motorists in each direction during holiday travel.



NORTHEASTERN OHIO

Interstate 90, Lake County

Traffic on I-90 between Paine Rd. and the Ashtabula County line is shifted utilizing temporary crossovers. One lane of I-90 eastbound traffic will be using I-90 westbound.



State Route 2, Lake County

Several projects along SR 2 are currently underway. SR 2 between Newell St. and the Grand River is restricted to one lane in each direction.



Interstate 90, Cuyahoga County

The I-90 Innerbelt Bridge through downtown Cleveland remains open; however, multiple ramps along the downtown corridor are closed or restricted as crews work to construct a new westbound I-90 Innerbelt Bridge. Visit www.Innerbelt.org for more information.



NORTHWESTERN OHIO

Interstate 475, Lucas County

Expect lane restrictions in both directions on I-475, from I-75 to Monroe St. for reconstruction. Various ramps are closed within the project. Detours are posted.

U.S. Route 24, Lucas and Henry counties

U.S. Route 24, from I-475 to Dutch Rd. is reduced to one lane in each direction. Various roads are closed in Lucas and Henry counties along the new alignment. Detours are posted.

SOUTHERN OHIO

U.S. Route 52, Scioto County

U.S. 52 is reduced to one lane in each direction from Portsmouth/New Boston to S.R. 522 at Wheelersburg, as well as between the S.R. 253/Greenup Dam exit and the Lawrence County line for a series of four-lane resurfacing projects. Traffic is being maintained in a minimum of one, 11-foot lane in each direction.

SOUTHWESTERN OHIO

Interstate 74, Hamilton County

Replace and widen I-74 structure over SR 128. While three lanes of traffic are open in each direction, two lanes of westbound I-74 are switched to the eastbound side of the work zone with one lane remaining on the westbound shoulder. While the permanent work zone restrictions remain in place, work is suspended over the holiday and there will be no additional lane closures.

Schmidt Nominates Students for Military Academies

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Congresswoman Jean Schmidt has nominated 33 residents of Ohio’s Second Congressional District for acceptance by four of our nation’s military academies.

At least one nominee could be accepted by each institution: U.S. Military Academy (Army) at West Point, N.Y.; U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.; U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.; and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y.
All members of Congress may nominate up to 10 candidates per opening. Academies usually make appointments by March 31.

“They are looking for individuals who are well-rounded – academically, physically, and socially – who have demonstrated leadership qualities, community service, and a strong desire to serve in the military as an officer,” Congresswoman Schmidt said.

A record number applied this year to be nominated by Congresswoman Schmidt. They were interviewed by two Naval Academy and two Air Force Academy graduates at Congresswoman Schmidt’s Cincinnati office. Her nominations were based on the panel’s recommendations. Congresswoman Schmidt held a reception Thursday (Dec. 29) at her Cincinnati office to recognize the nominees and their families:

U.S. Military Academy at West Point (Army)

Clermont County: Christopher Lau of Pierce Township, a student at Miami University.

Hamilton County: Bradley Sweeney of Sycamore Township, a student at Sycamore High School; Eliseo Vizcaino of Sycamore Township, a student at Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy; Jack Gustafson of Symmes Township, a student at Xavier University; Branden Bodnar of Anderson Township, a student at Turpin High School.

Pike County: Mark Clark of Waverly, a student at Waverly High School.

Warren County: Louis Kappner of Maineville, a student at Kings High School; Gabriella Stroplos of Lebanon, a student at Lebanon High School; William Ulrich of Oregonia, a student at Fishburne Military School in Waynesboro, Va.; Nicholas Taylor of Maineville, a student at Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy.

U.S. Air Force Academy

Clermont County: John Braden Miller of Miami Township, a student at St. Xavier High School; Nicholas Twine of Stonelick Township, a student at Clermont Northeastern High School.

Hamilton County: David Berno of Cincinnati, a student at St. Xavier High School; John Dumas IV of Cincinnati, a student at St. Xavier High School; Matthew Krott of Symmes Township, a student at Indian Hill High School; Devon Burris of Cincinnati, a student at Sycamore High School; Reece Martinez of Cincinnati, a student at Loveland High School.

Warren County: Alexander Moushey of Mason, a student at Mason High School; Jacob Gill of Mason, a student at Moeller High School; Edward Kathman of Mason, a student at Summit Country Day School.

U.S. Naval Academy

Clermont County: William Hamiter of Union Township, a student at Moeller High School; Edward Hoffmann of Stonelick Township, who is home schooled; Henry Jentz II of Union Township, who is home schooled; Erik Shinkle of Tate Township, a student at Bethel-Tate High School; Zachary Sullivan of Miami Township, a student at Milford High School.

Hamilton County: Karah Brown of Cincinnati, a student at Walnut Hills High School; David Groh of Cincinnati, a student at St. Xavier High School; Kathleen Heinbach of Cincinnati, a student at Indian Hill High School; Tanner Huskey of Blue Ash, a student at St. Xavier High School; Thomas Wassel of Loveland, a student at Loveland High School.

U.S. Merchant Marine Academy

Brown County: Holly Van Keuran of Georgetown, a student at Georgetown High School.

Clermont County: Kayla Bomske of Union Township, a student at Amelia High School; Nathaniel Adams of Milford, a student at Cincinnati Country Day School.

Brown County Republican Central Committee Names Michele Harris as the Next Clerk of Courts

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Georgetown, Ohio – Last evening the Brown County Republican Central Committee appointed Brown County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Michele Harris to the vacant Clerk of Courts position due to the recent resignation of former Clerk of Courts Tina Meranda. Michele Harris will assume the position of Brown County Clerk of Courts on January 3, 2012.

“I want to personally thank the Brown County Republican Central Committee and specifically Chairman Paul Hall for selecting and putting their trust in me as the next Clerk of Courts. Former Clerk of Courts Tina Meranda served our county with excellence and distinction. My husband, Brett and I pray each evening for Tina’s full and speedy recovery.” stated Michele Harris.

“I have the upmost respect for the Clerk of Courts position and will work a full time schedule to ensure the citizens of Brown County have a professional office they can be proud of during this period of transition. A well functioning Clerk of Courts office is vital to the future success of our great county and I will work tirelessly so that our residents have accessibility to the services they require.” stated Michele Harris.

Biographical Excerpt of Michele Harris:

Since 2007, Michele Harris has been a Brown County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, with separate stints in both the Brown County Common Pleas and Municipal Courts. During her tenure as an assistant prosecutor, Mrs. Harris has represented Brown County in thousands of felony and misdemeanor criminal cases. As an assistant prosecutor Michele Harris has specifically focused her energies on domestic violence convictions and victim’s rights awareness. Additionally, Michele Harris has prior working experience in the Clermont and Butler Counties Prosecuting Attorney’s offices. Michele Harris began her service to the public as a Deputy Clerk at the Clermont County Clerk of Court’s office while completing her undergraduate education.

Michele Harris received her law degree from Northern Kentucky University Salmon P. Chase College of Law and is a licensed attorney in both Ohio and South Carolina. Michele Harris received a Bachelors of Arts and Sciences from Miami University in Oxford and is a graduate of Bethel-Tate High School. Michele Harris and her husband Brett, a high school teacher, reside in the Village of Georgetown

Dr. Wenstrup, Mr. "ProLife Strong Conservative", Frames Questions to Avoid Issues

Brad Wenstrup learned a valuable lesson in our brief encounter in Brown County. He learned even more how to obfuscate. What am I talking about now? From confidential but factual sources:

Cincinnati Board of Health
Board of Health Meeting
November 15 2011

B. Victoria Wells Wulsin, M.D., Ph.D. —Contract Amendment
Up to $198,000 July 1, 2011 – June 30, 2012
Proposed Motion: At the request of the Health Commissioner,
“That the Board approve the agreement between the Cincinnati Health Department and Victoria Wells Wulsin as Program Director for the Reproductive Health Improvement Collaborative for $198,000 effective July 1, 2011 to on or before June 30, 2012.”
Second: Dr. Shambley-Ebron
Discussion: Dr. Wenstrup asked for clarification that this program has no relationship or affiliation with Planned Parenthood and there would be no funding for abortions; the grant addresses reproductive health and the health of the mother and the child. Dr. Wulsin stated that the grant will be used only for the health of women, children and men. This is not a partnership with Planned Parenthood and none of the funds will be used for abortions. Dr. Holditch concurred.
Vote/Action: unanimously passed and approved

No word on if Slick Vic wanted to give the kids malaria as a contraceptive, the way she wanted to give it to AIDs Patients.


Do we notice how Wenstrup was very careful not to ask if this program was going to fund contraceptives for children as young as 11 years old without parental consent. He knew the issue with this program was contraceptives for girls as young as 11 years old without parental consent. He was very careful so as to not get an answer he didn't want to see in print.

But, again, any money that isn't going to nonabortion activities gives them more money for abortion activities....but wait, there is more....

Check out this link:
http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/health/downloads/health_pdf44763.pdf

Some interesting things here to take away:
Check out the STD/HIV grant presentation on page 5. It looks like this group lost their grant funding from the State of Ohio because of poor performance and miscalculations. Remember the other group, Stop AIDS, that lost their funding for the same reasons. This is taxpayer money they are playing with.

Dr. Brad is playing fast and loose with taxpayer money, and giving it to a woman who wanted to inject AIDS patients with malaria. Also, he doesn't research or vette his sources very well. He is NOT what we need in Congress. He is nothing more than a fast talking, good time johnny, tea party bandwagon jumper. That is it. Don't believe this clown.

Josh Mandel Opposes New EPA Utility MACT Decision, Calls on Sherrod Brown to Join Him in Bipartisan Effort to Stand Up to This Job-Killing Regulation

Release:

COLUMBUS, OHIO – Yesterday afternoon the federal Environmental Protection Agency announced a new job-killing rule known as Utility MACT (Maximum Achievable Control Technology) that is expected to cost Ohioans thousands of jobs, close energy production plants and increase energy rates for Ohioans.

The Ohio Manufacturers Association anticipates 53,500 Ohio jobs will be lost and electricity rates will increase 13% as a result of the Utility MACT rule. Moreover, according to the EPA’s own numbers, Utility MACT will impose an estimated $11 billion each year in new costs for our already struggling economy. Several Ohio power producers representing thousands of Ohio jobs, such as American Electric Power, Duke Energy, and FirstEnergy have announced plant closures and layoffs as a result of this most recent overreach by the EPA.

The Utility MACT regulation has been at the center of intense scrutiny as a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators, including Democrats Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), and Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE), have called for a delay in its implementation so that its negative economic impact may be fully studied and to allow companies to adjust. The EPA has acknowledged that Utility MACT may be the most expensive rule ever issued for power plants. Ohio will suffer more than most states due to Ohio’s reliance on coal-fired power generation.

This new job-killing regulation bombards Ohio businesses in the wake of yesterday's report by The Columbus Dispatch that, according to population estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau, Ohio ranks 48th in growth.

“Republican, Democratic and Independent civic leaders and elected officials have joined together to voice their concerns over this irrational, unnecessary and job-killing EPA rule,” said Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel. “Why is Sherrod Brown standing idly by and doing nothing while Washington bureaucrats issue job-killing regulations for Ohio?” Mandel asked.

Mandel added, "We've already drawn a line in the sand on oil and gas exploration with Sherrod Brown choosing fringe extremists and Washington bureaucrats over jobs for Ohio families. Now we are drawing another line in the sand where Sherrod Brown can either stand with us on jobs for Ohio, or once again stand with fringe extremists and bureaucrats in Washington. This out-of-touch Washington regulation will hit especially hard on Ohioans who work in manufacturing jobs throughout the state and in energy jobs in Appalachia. With families struggling throughout Ohio, the timing could not be any worse."

Sen. Sherrod Brown has refused to speak out against this economically destructive regulation that disproportionately targets thousands of Ohio jobs and will cause energy costs to rise on Ohio's families, senior citizens and small businesses. Brown remains indecisive despite the fact that he stated just last month that he would not be afraid to take a stand on this crucial issue for Ohio's economy and jobs -- he stated , “That’s what my job is, to make decisions.”

“It’s time for Sherrod Brown to do his job, make a decision and tell Ohioans where he stands,” said Mandel spokesman Joe Aquilino. “In Ohio, Sherrod Brown runs around claiming he is fighting for Ohio jobs, but while back in Washington D.C. he is undermining the very economic fabric that sustains Ohio businesses, manufacturing and industry. Where is Sherrod Brown when Ohioans need a voice for jobs in the United States Senate?” Aquilino continued.

“During Sherrod Brown's past decade in Washington, Ohio has lost 600,000 jobs and 3,500 factories. Yesterday, Washington bureaucrats launched a vicious assault on Ohio’s staggering economy and all Sherrod Brown can offer is silence. Sherrod Brown has once again put Washington bureaucrats and fringe extremists ahead of jobs for Ohioans,” Aquilino concluded.

BACKGROUND

"New federal pollution rules will cost Ohio power companies billions", Akron Beacon Journal, 12/22/11

"EPA toughens clear air rules", The Columbus Dispatch, 12/22/11

"U.S. EPA issues tough mercury and other toxic emission standards; some coal-burning power plants may close", The Plain Dealer, 12/22/11

New EPA Regulation Ignores Industry Concerns and Calls for Improvement: Utility MACT, Section 112 of the Clean Air Act, was signed by the Environmental Agency on December 16, 2011 and was published on December 21, 2011. Industry calls for the “EPA to give companies an additional year to comply” were ignored. (“EPA Final Rule for Coal Plants Deemed “Unfortunate” by Industry,” Bloomberg, December 19, 2011 )

New EPA Regulation Kills Ohio Jobs and Increases Energy Costs: The Ohio Manufacturers Association, citing a National Economic Research Associates study, anticipates that 53,500 Ohio jobs will be lost and electricity rates will increase 13% as a result of the Utility MACT rule. (“Impact of regulations is costly,” The Columbus Dispatch, 10/20/11)

New EPA Regulation Will Force the Closing of Power Plants and Job Loss: American Electric Power, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, announced in June that the Utility MACT rule would force it to close parts or all of 11 power plants and eliminate 600 jobs. The Wheeling News-Register reports that American Electric Power’s Muskingum, Ohio Power Plant will close as a result of the Utility MACT rule. Duke Energy says compliance costs with the new Utility MACT rule will force it to shutter six coal-fired generation units at the 60-year-old Beckjord station. (“EPA’s War on Coal Deadlines Irrational,” The Wheeling News-Register, 11/16/11; “Duke Energy Anticipates Ohio Coal Plant Retirement,” Duke Energy, 7/15/11)

New EPA Regulation Will Create “Rate-Shock” for Ohio Ratepayers: The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio's comments submitted to the EPA stated, "The current and foreseeable economic environment indicates that Ohio's ratepayers will be hard-pressed to absorb rate-shock due to the implementation schedule advanced in the proposed rule.” (Public Utilities Commission of Ohio's Comments submitted 10/1/10)

New EPA Regulation Most Expensive Ever: EPA Has Acknowledged that Utility MACT would be the most expensive direct rule in the agency’s history. (“ERCC Comments on Utility MACT,” Electric Reliability Coordinating Council, 8/4/11)

Bipartisan Group of Senators Seek to Delay Implementation: The Fair Compliance Act of 2011, (Senate Bill 1833), would provide additional time for compliance with the new Utility MACT rule and help preserve jobs and protect consumers from increased utility bills. The bipartisan bill, introduced on November 8th, is co-sponsored by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Sen. Daniel Coats (R-IN), Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS), Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE), Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS), and Sen. John Thune, (R-SD).

Sherrod Brown Refuses to Take a Stand Despite Exclaiming “That’s what my job is, to make decisions”: According to a recent Bloomberg interview, Brown is “in a bind” and is “facing demands from two of his key supporters, labor unions and environmentalists.” The article details that Brown is “waiting for the Environmental Protection Agency to issue its final rules…before taking a position.” (“Obama’s $11 billion rule roils Democrats who see lost jobs,” Bloomberg, 11/9/11)

Sherrod Brown Has Previously Voted Against An Amendment Which Would Have Blocked The EPA From Regulating Carbon Dioxide And Other Greenhouse Gasses: “McConnell, R-Ky., amendment no. 183 that would block the EPA from regulating carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.” (S. 493, CQ Vote #54: Rejected 50-50: R 46-1; D 4-47; I 0-2, 4/6/11, Brown Voted Nay)

Sherrod Brown's Dismal Jobs Record: During Sherrod Brown's past decade in Washington, Ohio has lost 600,000 jobs (The Plain Dealer, 9/5/11) and 3,500 factories (Dayton Daily News, 10/22/11).

66th Ohio House: Owens Names Brown County Native Hanna Faulkner as Campaign Manager

Release:

Batavia Township – Today, Nick Owens candidate for the Republican primary election for the 66th District of the Ohio House of Representatives named Sardinia, Ohio native Ms. Hanna Faulkner as his campaign manager. Currently, Hanna Faulkner is the President of the Northern Kentucky University College Republicans, a position she has held since 2009. Under Ms. Faulkner’s leadership the NKU College Republicans have helped successfully elect Republican candidates for Federal, State, and local offices. Additionally, Hanna Faulkner has interned for United States Representative Jean Schmidt in her Cincinnati District Office. Ms. Faulkner is also a member of the Brown County Republican Club. Hanna Faulkner will graduate this spring with Honors from NKU with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science. Ms. Faulkner is a graduate of Eastern Brown High School and currently resides in New Richmond, Ohio.

“I am excited to be a part of Nick’s campaign because he is going to bring new ideas and a fresh perspective for us in Brown and Clermont counties. We need his leadership in the state Capitol if we are going to bring new jobs and economic growth to the 66th Ohio House District. His extensive legislative experience and education makes him the most qualified candidate to be our next state representative in Columbus. Nick Owens will get the job done from day one. We can trust Nick Owens to bring our conservative values to the statehouse and fight tirelessly on our behalf.” stated newly named Campaign Manager Hanna Faulkner.

“I am very privileged and lucky to have such a rising star in Republican politics like Hanna Faulkner join my team as campaign manager. Hanna Faulkner’s knowledge, experience, and passion for politics will be invaluable for my campaign as we race towards the primary election on March 6th. Ms. Faulkner shares my perspective that Brown and Clermont counties deserve a representative to the Ohio Legislature that will work tirelessly for jobs for Southern Ohio while at the same time fighting for less spending, lower taxes, and more fiscal responsibility in our state government.” stated Nick Owens

Speaker Batchelder Announces Appointments to Constitutional Modernization Commission

Release:

COLUMBUS—Speaker of the Ohio House William G. Batchelder (R-Medina) has appointed State Representatives Matt Huffman (R-Lima) and Lynn Slaby (R-Copley) to serve on the Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission, a bipartisan committee that will be responsible for examining Ohio’s Constitution and making recommendations for modernization to the Ohio Legislature. Additionally, the speaker himself will serve on the commission with Representatives Huffman and Slaby.

“I have full faith that my esteemed colleagues Representatives Huffman and Slaby will serve the people of Ohio well in this additional capacity,” Batchelder said. “Both of them bring a unique breadth of experiences and perspectives to the table that, I believe, will make discussions on Ohio’s Constitution very productive and engaging. I look forward to serving with them on the commission and ensuring that the Ohio Constitution best serves the citizens of our great state.”

The commission is charged with studying the Constitution of Ohio, promoting an exchange of experiences and suggestions respecting desired changes in the Constitution, considering the problems pertaining to the amendment of the Constitution, and making recommendations to the General Assembly from time to time for the amendment of the Constitution.

In total, the commission will be composed of 32 members, 12 of which will be appointed from the General Assembly—three appointed by the Senate president, three by the Senate minority leader, three by the House speaker, and three by the House minority leader. The 20 additional members are appointed by a majority vote and are selected from outside of the General Assembly

GUEST COLUMN: "Respecting the Fallen"

By State Senator Frank LaRose

My first year serving our community in the Ohio Senate has taught me much, but perhaps the most important lesson was that many of the best ideas for Ohio’s future come from people like you. From suggestions on tax reform and job creation to common sense ideas for sparking our economy, the opinions that you share with me continue to shape the work I do for you in Columbus.

An example of this came several months ago when a man from Ellet, in training to become a police officer, shared a thought on my Facebook page. Tim Sayre expressed his desire to better protect dash camera videos of officers who are killed while on duty. The idea is to prevent families from having to repeatedly bear witness to a loved one's final moments. Clearly, documents of this nature are sensitive and personal to those involved - basic decency and respect demands that they be treated with added care.

Mr. Sayre’s idea is what led me to introduce Senate Bill 226. Legislation of this kind will better protect the families of slain officers from the unnecessary emotional strain that could stem from the repeated airings of videos capturing the deaths of peace officers. Through my proposal, I hope to limit the exploitation and overexposure that could occur once dash cam footage of an officer’s death is released.

In these types of cases, Ohio Law currently requires that the videotape or visual media be released to any person who has requested it. Senate Bill 226 proposes a minor modification to current law that will provide greater respect for the final moments of an officer’s life. While crafting this bill, I met with members of the press and groups concerned with protecting public access to government records. In response to their concerns, we stipulated in the bill that the public, including the press, could continue to access the videos, just not take a copy home with them. Upon enactment, such videos would remain public documents and continue to be made available to everyone, but would only be accessible by visiting a local law enforcement office. In this way reporters could view the tape, write their story and keep the public informed. What they cannot do is take the footage for broadcast, sensationalizing the personal tragedy of our bravest men and women.

An informed citizenry is the cornerstone of any democracy, and we can all agree that legislation like this must preserve the people’s right to access government records. Public access to documents and information is crucial for Ohioans to hold their government accountable for its actions. This is far too important to ever be treated trivially. But, Ohioans are also sensitive to the notion that human life is precious and believe in respecting the families of our fallen officers. I’m confident that my bill achieves this important balance.

Senate Bill 226 is a sound measure rooted in common sense and compassion. Its passage would reinforce the respect we all hold for our peace officers and their families.

Hey Jon Husted, Most People Say Voter ID is Needed....

Hey Mr. Secretary of State, you who changed and flip flopped on voter ID, guess what? Once again, you are on the wrong side of an issue. From Rasmussen

Attorney General Eric Holder signaled last week that the Justice Department will be closely examining new state laws that require showing a photo ID before voting for potential racial bias, but voters nationwide overwhelmingly favor such a requirement and reject the idea that it is discriminatory.

Seventy percent (70%) of Likely U.S. Voters believe voters should be required to show photo identification such as a driver’s license before being allowed to cast their ballot. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 22% oppose this kind of requirement.

Wow, Mr. Tea Party Values, you are on the same side as Eric Holder, the guy in charge of a department that let guns go across the border which have killed hundreds of civilians and at least two federal agents...how does that make you feel?

We need voter ID. Nuff said.

Maddy Albright Heartbroken, Lil Kim Is Dead...Dead...Dead...

But Don't fret, Maddy...you still have memories like this:


You remember, when you and Bubba sold us out to North Korea, giving them our nuclear technology and other computer secrets, right? Well, Maddy, just for you, we are going to present some of Kim Jong Il's greatest hits:

Attention! Explicit Lyrics in Vid Clips Below!

First, his one true nugget of wisdom, regarding that blowhard hypocritical deadbeat dad, Alec Baldwin:


And then, the song he sang before he met you, Maddy....


Seriously, Kim Jong Il was the son of a dirtbag who leaves a dirtbag behind to rule and suck out the marrow of North Korea. And don't buy all the public crying. The media morons in this country do, but seriously....these people had to cry on cue or be shot. Don't believe the hype.

The media calls him mercurial and other sobriquets, but the man was evil. Read this article to see what all he did, and how the people suffered. Frontpage mag also details the dirty deeds of this degenerate that Maddy Albright loved so much:

Conservative estimates place the number of North Korean citizens killed by starvation in the past decade at 2-3 million. That is 10% or greater of the population. Apply that ratio to the US or European population base and the real horror sinks in. Paradoxically, this mass starvation occurred during a period when the North Korean regime of Kim Jong Il was the largest recipient of American food aid of any other country. But Kim and his communist party minions spread food aid where it would do their regime the most good: to prop up the military and to sell on the black market to line corrupt bureaucratic pockets. His people, the Dear Leader, arrogantly said, could 'eat bark.'

The expression that "one human death is a tragedy; a million, a statistic," has been variously attributed to Stalin, Adolph Eichmann, and others of their ilk. Regardless of who said it, they all agreed with the core principle: the world will let a dictator get away with mass murderer. Kim Il Sung, the self-styled Great Leader and original dictator of North Korea, behaved accordingly. So does his son and successor, Kim Jong Il. The two imposed a grotesque personality cult upon the people of North Korea of such pervasiveness that even Josef Stalin and Mao Zedong would be envious. They emulated those mentors by constructing a gulag of political prison camps of the most awful sort throughout the remote areas of North Korea. The camps are a death machine into which alleged “enemies of the state,” criminals, and the “politically unreliable,” especially Christians, are condemned. Along with these “undesirables” typically go their families, often down to three generations because of the regime’s stated policy to “root out the poisonous ideologies.” Concentration camp inmates work under brutal conditions usually to their deaths, are kept barely alive by meager rations, denied medical attention, and routinely tortured and executed. Estimates are that 200,000-300,000 people at any given time are locked into these terrible prisons.

I know wherever Lil Kim is, it is very warm, and not very comfortable.

You Probably Missed It: More See Big Government as Threat than Big Business"

You probably didn't read about that in your papers or on news blogs or see it on nightly news. However, it is true. More people fear big government than big business, and it isn't even close, folks. From cnsnews.com referencing Gallup:

While President Barack Obama has focused his rhetoric in recent weeks on depicting a reckless Wall Street and insufficiently taxed "millionaires and billionaires" as threats to the American middle class, a newly released Gallup poll indicates that Americans apparently have been coming to a different conclusion during Obama's presidency, with fewer people now seeing big business as the "biggest threat" to the country in the future and more seeing big government as the "biggest threat."

Over the last forty-five years, Gallup has periodically asked this question: "In your opinion, which of the following will be the biggest threat to the country in the future--big business, big labor, or big government?"

When Gallup asked the question in a survey conducted Dec. 4-7, 2008, a month after President Obama was elected but before he was inaugurated, 53 percent said big government was the biggest threat, 31 percent said big business was the biggest threat, and 11 percent said big labor.

Three months later, in a survey conducted March 27-29, 2009, 55 percent said big government was the biggest threat, 32 percent said big business, and 10 percent said big labor.

When Gallup asked the question again two weeks ago--in a survey conducted from Nov. 28-Dec. 1--the percentage saying big government would be the biggest threat to the country in the future had grown to 64 percent--an increase of 11 percentage points from December 2008.

At the same time, the percentage saying that big business would be the biggest threat had dropped to 26 percent--a decline of 5 percentage points from December 2008 and 6 percentage points from March 2009.

Wow, why isn't that being reported? Because the media loves them some statist, government power expanding Demosocialistcrats like Obama. But, how do these poll results rate historically? Glad you asked:

The belief that big government is a bigger threat to the country than big business or big labor hit an all-time high of 65 percent in Gallup polling in 1999 and 2000, in the seventh and eighth years of the Clinton administration. After three years of the Obama administration, at 64 percent, it has now almost reached that high again.

Interestingly, according to Gallup, fear of big business has been declining during the Obama years even among Democrats, while fear of big government has been climbing.

In 2009, according to Gallup, 52 percent of Democrats said big business would be the greatest threat to the future of the country. In 2011, only 44 percent of Democrats still say that,

In 2009, only 32 percent of Democrats said big government would be the greatest threat to the future of the country. Now, in 2011, 48 percent of Democrats say big government is the greatest threat to the future of the country.

In 2009, 80 percent of Republicans and 59 percent of Independents said they thought big government was the biggest threat to the future of the country. Now, in 2011, 82 percent of Republicans say that and 64 percent of Independents.

Even some dems know that Obama and his designs on dictatorship are just not good for the country. Government is doing and ruling too much. We need to breathe. But Obama and his prompter are sucking up all the oxygen. Time to change out.

Chris Christie on Newt Gingrich: Pot talks about Kettle.

You know, at one time, I kind of liked Chris Christie. He helped fix New Jersey, took on the teacher unions, and seemed to be an average guy. Well, he has shown now he is more of a political hack and squish. First, there was the love affair Ann Coulter had for him, and his yes I'm in, no I'm out crap every other week. Now, he is talking about Newt Gingrich like Newt is....Chris Christie. What I mean is, an attention seeking, self promoting blowhard. Today on Scarborough:

The guest panelist here was TIME Magazine senior political analyst Mark Halperin, and he said to Governor Christie, "What have you heard from your fellow Republican governors and other leading Republicans at what would happen if Newt Gingrich were at the top of the ticket?"

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

CHRISTIE: I think that the problem for us if Speaker Gingrich were at the top is that the election would be about Speaker Gingrich and not about the president. And I think as Republicans, this election has to be first and foremost about the president. And I think this Speaker just can't help himself but to make himself the center of attention all the time with the comments that he makes. And as a result, even though while some of his ideas I think are fine, I think some of them aren't, and in the end, he's gonna carry so much of that into election that, you know, the election's gonna be about Newt Gingrich and I don't think that's a good thing for our party.

Chris Christie thinks, like most moderates and blue blood Republicans, that if we elect a bland empty suit, then no one will talk bad about him. How is that working for President McCain or former President Dole, eh? Not so good, huh? Moderates just don't get it. You could nominate Mother Teresa as a candidate, and the media and the left would disparage her.

And for Chris Christie to disparage someone on the basis of seeking attention? You sanctimonious hypocrite, look in the mirror! And, STFU! Stay out of it, clown! You didn't have the stones in the end to run for the big job, so STFU!

It will not matter who the candidate is. The media and the left will try to make it not about Obama and more about the GOP candidate. That is what they always do. Look at 1980 and every election since. They stop talking about, when a dem is the incumbent, how sucky the economy is as soon as the GOP contender is chosen. They did it in 1980, and they are going to do it for Carter 2.0, aka Obama. Doltish, idiotic, squish blue blood elitist gopers.

By the way, the supposed conservative Christie has endorsed the godfather of obamacare, Mitt Romney, to be the GOP nominee.

This Just In..Boehner Right to Thwart Obama/McConnell Deal on Payroll Tax

John Boehner has earned my scorn quite a bit lately. I haven't cared for his defeatist "we control 1/2 of 1/3rd" meme. Uh, John, it is the part that has the purse. Think about that, ok?

However, John the Cryer is right this time. The Obama/Reid/McConnell deal for a 2 month payroll tax freeze and extending unemployment just does not work. And this time, it is Jake Tapper telling us:

Officials from the policy-neutral National Payroll Reporting Consortium, Inc. have expressed concern to members of Congress that the two-month payroll tax holiday passed by the Senate and supported by President Obama cannot be implemented properly.

Pete Isberg, president of the NPRC today wrote to the key leaders of the relevant committees of the House and Senate, telling them that “insufficient lead time” to implement the complicated change mandated by the legislation means the two-month payroll tax holiday “could create substantial problems, confusion and costs affecting a significant percentage of U.S. employers and employees.”

ABC News obtained a copy of the letter, which can be read HERE. Isberg agreed that it would be fair to characterize his letter as saying that the two-month payroll tax holiday cannot be implemented properly.

The NPRC is a non-profit trade association that does not take positions on policy. The group represents organizations that provide payroll processing and services to more than 1.5 million employers, impacting one third of the private sector.

“We’re neutral and we’d be happy to do the work,” Isberg told ABC News.

“The concern is really for those who don’t use a payroll service provider,” he said. Americans will have different outcomes, he said, causing confusion “because they’ll have different outcomes. Some will have it done on time, some won’t, some will have adjustment notices later in the year.”

The two-month payroll tax holiday, which the president has said should be extended throughout 2012, will mean that wages would face a Social Security tax of 4.2 percent during January and February, but it would increase to 6.2 percent in March.

Isberg wrote that “many payroll systems are not likely to be able to make such a substantial programming change before January or even February. The systems affected tend to be highly complex, normally requiring at least ninety days for a change of this magnitude for software testing alone; not to mention analysis, design, coding and implementation.”

So, once again, Senate dolt Republicans fell for a crap deal again. Luckily, the House is not biting. At least not yet. Hold that line.

Obama's Election Strategy: Class, Race Warfare is Good for Me

Barack Obama wants this country to bleed in all ways possible from class struggle and race struggle. He is a modern Leninite who wants to hype class struggle to get a dictatorship of the liberal elite in order. In fact, even people across the pond realize Obama is going to shatter and tear this nation asunder just to keep his job:

President Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign will be the first in modern political history to abandon white working-class voters, strategists claim.

For decades, Democrats have been losing more and more blue collar whites. Their alienation helped lead to the massive Republican wave in 2010, when the GOP wooed 30 percent more of them than the Democrats could.

Democratic strategists say President Obama is focusing his attention, instead, on poor black and Hispanic voters and educated white professionals.

In other words, Obama is focusing on the Occupytards who think they are better than you because they went to college and studied art therapy and you didn't; as well as those who are addicted to the government drug of entitlements and set asides.

Thomas Edsall wrote the same thing in the NY Times a few weeks back:

'All pretense of trying to win a majority of the white working class has been effectively jettisoned in favor of cementing a center-left coalition made up, on the one hand, of voters who have gotten ahead on the basis of educational attainment... and a second, substantial constituency of lower-income voters who are disproportionately African-American and Hispanic,' longtime political reporter Thomas B. Edsall wrote in an opinion piece in the New York Times.

'The 2012 approach treats white voters without college degrees as an unattainable cohort,' he writes later.

So, white union workers, screw you! sez Obama. He is going after people who are taking your jobs. This guy wants to balkanize us so he can divide us, then we can't stand together to stop him from destroying our country.

Whoever Wrote Jeb Bush's Editorial is Right, He is Not

Jeb Bush, much like the Bush family, is a bunch of tools. Yes, I know, GHWBush served his country in WWII as well as the Presidency, and W43 was a President I voted twice for. However, let's face it...these clowns are the Republican version of the Kennedys. And they never know when to go away. Jeb Bush is listening to all those squish moderates out there and all the disaffected conservatives who say, if only we had someone else....and he is dipping his toe in the water....Tom Blumer, my good friend and fellow blogger, fell for it hook, line, and sinker on the following editorial, which I believe was excellently written by someone...just not Jeb Bush. Or, if it was, he doesn't mean it:

Congressman Paul Ryan recently coined a smart phrase to describe the core concept of economic freedom: "The right to rise."

Think about it. We talk about the right to free speech, the right to bear arms, the right to assembly. The right to rise doesn't seem like something we should have to protect.

But we do. We have to make it easier for people to do the things that allow them to rise. We have to let them compete. We need to let people fight for business. We need to let people take risks. We need to let people fail. We need to let people suffer the consequences of bad decisions. And we need to let people enjoy the fruits of good decisions, even good luck.

That is what economic freedom looks like. Freedom to succeed as well as to fail, freedom to do something or nothing. People understand this. Freedom of speech, for example, means that we put up with a lot of verbal and visual garbage in order to make sure that individuals have the right to say what needs to be said, even when it is inconvenient or unpopular. We forgive the sacrifices of free speech because we value its blessings.

But when it comes to economic freedom, we are less forgiving of the cycles of growth and loss, of trial and error, and of failure and success that are part of the realities of the marketplace and life itself.

Increasingly, we have let our elected officials abridge our own economic freedoms through the annual passage of thousands of laws and their associated regulations. We see human tragedy and we demand a regulation to prevent it. We see a criminal fraud and we demand more laws. We see an industry dying and we demand it be saved. Each time, we demand "Do something . . . anything."

Have we lost faith in the free-market system of entrepreneurial capitalism? Are we no longer willing to place our trust in the creative chaos unleashed by millions of people pursuing their own best economic interests?

The right to rise does not require a libertarian utopia to exist. Rather, it requires fewer, simpler and more outcome-oriented rules. Rules for which an honest cost-benefit analysis is done before their imposition. Rules that sunset so they can be eliminated or adjusted as conditions change. Rules that have disputes resolved faster and less expensively through arbitration than litigation.

In Washington, D.C., rules are going in the opposite direction. They are exploding in reach and complexity. They are created under a cloud of uncertainty, and years after their passage nobody really knows how they will work.

We either can go down the road we are on, a road where the individual is allowed to succeed only so much before being punished with ruinous taxation, where commerce ignores government action at its own peril, and where the state decides how a massive share of the economy's resources should be spent.

Or we can return to the road we once knew and which has served us well: a road where individuals acting freely and with little restraint are able to pursue fortune and prosperity as they see fit, a road where the government's role is not to shape the marketplace but to help prepare its citizens to prosper from it.

In short, we must choose between the straight line promised by the statists and the jagged line of economic freedom. The straight line of gradual and controlled growth is what the statists promise but can never deliver. The jagged line offers no guarantees but has a powerful record of delivering the most prosperity and the most opportunity to the most people. We cannot possibly know in advance what freedom promises for 312 million individuals. But unless we are willing to explore the jagged line of freedom, we will be stuck with the straight line. And the straight line, it turns out, is a flat line.

Sorry, I have read too much about the Bushes and their beliefs in statist tendencies to believe Jeb espouses this. And Jeb acts like he and Paul Ryan are hitting on a new theme. Yeah, the guys like Newt and others who said "the era of Reagan is over" and "quit romanticizing for the past" are using things said and articulated by Ronald Reagan, and for the last two and a half decades, by Rush Limbaugh.

Why do I think Jeb Bush didn't write this stuff, or if he did, he is only feeding red meat and not a true believer? Look what he said in May 2009 in the Washington Times:

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said Saturday that it's time for the Republican Party to give up its "nostalgia" for the heyday of the Reagan era and look forward, even if it means stealing the winning strategy deployed by Democrats in the 2008 election.

"You can't beat something with nothing, and the other side has something. I don't like it, but they have it, and we have to be respectful and mindful of that," Mr. Bush said.

The former president's brother, often mentioned as a potential candidate in 2012, said President Obama's message of hope and change during the 2008 campaign clearly resonated with Americans.

"So our ideas need to be forward looking and relevant. I felt like there was a lot of nostalgia and the good old days in the [Republican] messaging. I mean, it's great, but it doesn't draw people toward your cause," Mr. Bush said. "From the conservative side, it's time for us to listen first, to learn a little bit, to upgrade our message a little bit, to not be nostalgic about the past because, you know, things do ebb and flow."

The Florida governor joined former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and House Republican Whip Eric Cantor on Saturday at a small pizza parlor in Arlington for the inaugural event of the National Council for a New America (NCNA).

Mr. Cantor said meeting with ordinary folks is the key way "to begin a conversation with the American people" and explain Republican principles to anyone who will listen.

This is why Mitt, Jeb, and Eric Cantor are not conservatives. Conservatism is not a flash in the pan, good time johnny come lately bunch of stuff that changes. Conservatism is timeless. It is a way of life. You don't change it or anything. It changes you. It changes the world and has changed the world.

It shows they fundamentally lack the full understanding of conservatism to waffle in such a way. Conservatism may compromise at times, but overall you don't throw it out and then bring it back and recycle. It is a set of guide post principles, not temporary markers. The problem is that these clowns can't articulate it themselves or don't fully live it. So, they try to say, Reagan is over, but all it shows is their lack of understanding again.

These clowns just are egomaniacs. They want it all about them, and now they know that anti-Reagan/Reagan is passe talk is a nonstarter. So now Jeb goes out and has someone write him a piece Reagan himself could have written. This is why we are in the mess we are in.

The editorial is right. Jeb Bush, the alleged author, is most assuredly not.

BUTLER COUNTY: Auditor’s Website Will Now Display Store Verification Results

Release:

(Hamilton, OH) Many consumers have experienced that moment when they know they were charged more at the register for a product than what was advertised in the aisle.

By Ohio Statute, it is the duty of the Butler County Auditor’s Office to perform price verification inspections on area businesses to ensure consumers are paying the advertised and labeled prices for products. And now, consumers are just a couple of mouse clicks away from finding out which stores are complying with county price verification inspections and which are not.

“Butler County is an excellent place to shop for goods and services. Most stores consistently pass the verification check.” says Roger Reynolds, Butler County Auditor.

“However, our office has noticed a substantial increase in failed pricing tests this year.”

“By putting the pass/fail verification list on-line, consumers will have a better idea of which stores are consistently updating their pricing systems.” says Reynolds. “I guess you could say it is a naughty and nice list of area businesses regarding price tests.”

Residents can go to the Auditor’s Website at www.butlercountyauditor.org and will see the icon on the home page marked “Store Price Check Results”, where the user can click on either the ‘pass’ page or the ‘fail’ page.

“In 2010, the percentage of stores failing our scanning inspection stood at 10.9 percent. This year, it has increased to 20.1 percent.” notes Tom Kamphaus, Consumer Services Director for the Butler County Auditor’s Office. “Stores don’t usually mislabel prices on purpose. Staffing cutbacks and constant pricing changes have played a huge part. But the rules still apply, and the consumer must be protected. Our website will be an extra tool for shoppers.”

The Auditor’s Consumer Division runs verification tests on every store that uses an electronic scanning system. The store is given three attempts to comply, so failed results usually means that there is a pricing problem.

The program also recognizes the businesses that achieve a high standard of correct pricing. “Businesses that maintain error-free pricing for three consecutive years will receive a “Certificate of Accuracy.” Auditor Reynolds announced. “They can display these certificates in their stores, and we will also recognize these businesses on our website. We are pleased that the majority of retailers maintain good business practices in Butler County.”

“Putting the price verification results on-line and recognizing the stores that are successful in accuracy provides a win-win for consumer and business.” Reynolds said.

In Memoriam: Joe Simon

I know we at WMD often deal with serious issues, but I wanted to take the time to honor an American icon who created another icon. Joe Simon, along with Jack Kirby, created Captain America. Joe passed away last week at the age of 98.


Joe Simon, icon and legend of comics, passed away last week at the age of 98. Truly, it can be said the golden age of comics and comic creators is at an end. When others were consumed with creating the latest strange visitor from another planet, Joe Simon, often with greatest comic artist ever Jack "King" Kirby created heroes who were men, albeit with special gifts. Joe and Jack's greatest creation is Captain America, which finally achieved box office success as a movie this year. Joe was finally able to see a big budget film for his creation. Joe also was part of creating the Sandman, the Newsboy Legion along with the Guardian, and Manhunter. He was one of the most prolific writers of his time, and will forever be associated with his patriotic creation of Steve Rogers, the everyman who became an icon for a country. Joe Simon stood up for Captain America, chastising the idiots at Marvel when they decided to kill him off a couple of years ago, saying, "this is the time when we need Cap the most." What follows is an obituary written that encapsulates his career and his greatness:

Before Captain America was the star of last summer’s blockbuster movie, he was a comic book superhero. The man who co-created the character over 70 years ago, comic book writer and artist Joe Simon, passed away this past Wednesday in New York.
Two months earlier, Simon spoke at New York Comic Con, a convention for fans of comic books and popular culture. It was three days after Simon’s 98th birthday, and as he entered the meeting room at the Javits Center, the enthusiastic crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to the comic hero creator.
The cover of the first issue of Captain America shows the character and his side-kick Bucky fighting Nazis, with the Captain himself socking Adolf Hitler on the jaw. Looking at the illustration now, it’s easy to write it off as typical American wartime propaganda.


But look closely at the issue date. Newsstand comics were routinely dated two or three months later than their actual publication date (so issues that lingered on the shelves unsold wouldn’t appear to be outdated). With a cover date of March 1941, that first issue of Captain America was likely created in late 1940 or early 1941.
The U.S. entry into the Second World War was nearly a year in the future.
When Simon and partner Jack Kirby were looking for a villain for their new comic book, they didn’t have to venture into the realm of fantasy – there was horror enough arising in Europe. Concluding that the best comics were the ones with the best villains, Simon thought, “Let’s get a real live villain.” Hitler was the obvious choice. As Simon wrote in his autobiography, Joe Simon: My Life in Comics, “We knew what was happening in Europe, and were outraged by the Nazis – totally outraged. We thought it was a good time for a patriotic hero.” And thus Captain America was created to go up against the rising Nazi threat.
Simon and Kirby did give Captain America a fantastical opponent — the Red Skull, the idea for which came to Simon as he watched hot fudge dripping down the ice cream on a sundae. Simon was struck by how the pattern of the fudge looked like arms and legs, and he began to imagine a new villain – one who oozed all over the place and could be called Hot Fudge. He quickly rejected that idea. He then realized the cherry on top of the sundae resembled a skull and thought, “Red Skull … that sounds good.” And Captain America’s arch-villain was born.
In creating Captain America, Simon sought to devise something different from the spate of superhero characters that appeared following the success of Superman in 1938. “Comics used to be right out of a mold,” he told the audience at New York Comic Con. At industry leader DC Comics, Simon said, “You put all the ingredients in a cake, shake it, twist it around — and out would come a DC comic…. We came out with something different. Jack Kirby’s great artwork was totally different from anything that DC was putting out.”
Simon went on to create other remarkable heroes and villains, many in conjunction with Kirby. The team developed the Sandman, the Blue Bolt, the Newsboy Legion, the Boy Commandos, Manhunter and many others. The pair also worked in a wide range of genres beyond superheroes, including titles focused on crime, war, romance, western adventure, horror and humor.

Throughout his long career, Simon worked with many of the major figures in the industry. Stan Lee, the longtime Marvel Comics writer and editor – and one of the best known and most influential people in the industry – began his career working with Simon as, in Simon’s words, his “assistant and gopher.” Speaking at New York Comic Con, Simon said, “[Stan Lee] is a good guy. I like Stan.” He then jokingly added, “I made him what he is today.”
Simon was one of a number of early comic book creators who later fought for the rights to their earlier work. As Captain America continued to generate revenue through comic books and other forms of popular entertainment, Simon sought to reclaim the copyright to the character. His legal battle with Marvel over Captain America was eventually settled out of court.
Throughout his career Simon seemed intrigued by what makes someone a hero. It was a fascination that began early in his life.
At New York Comic Con, Simon relayed the story of an old veteran from the Civil War who visited his school when he was eight or nine years old. The man proudly held an old 35-star U.S. flag and burst into song, “Ah, the old flag never touched the ground, boys. The dear old flag was never down….” He shook the hand of each student declaring, “Shake the hand that shook the hand of Abraham Lincoln!”
A key moment in the tale was Simon’s account of the difference in the reaction of the teacher and the students to the old soldier. As the man rambled on, at one point the teacher, standing behind him, twirled her finger around while pointing at her head. In her view, the old man was a bit loony. Simon and the young students, however, saw something different. “None of us agreed with her,” Simon told the Comic Con audience. “We thought this guy was a great, great American hero.”
It was clearly a story that made an impact on Simon. It serves as the preface to his autobiography published in 2011, in which Simon wrote, “I would always remember the odd little fighting man as I continued in my life-long quest for the great American Hero. Eventually I would find him … and more.”
The version of the story Simon spun at New York Comic Con was long and rambling, often skipping around from point to point. But, even if his narrative did meander, his memory of the event — after close to a century — was clear and sharp. To the admiring audience, he must have seemed much like the character in his own story: aged — even a bit doddering – yet still an icon of an earlier era of heroism.

Joe Simon gave us a hero who just wanted to fight bullies and represent his country. He gave us a hero who could be us all and who represents the best of what America was, is and will be. I hope, in the future, that others will carry Captain America as that great American hero. His cocreator, in his own way, was just as much of a hero who defined what he himself was. Just like his hero, Joe lived through some amazing times that defined him, but that he helped define as well. Godspeed, Joe Simon. Tell Jack we said hi, and I know you guys are creating some awesome comics in heaven.

51st OH: Retherford on Jolivette Withdrawal

Statement:

Today, my Republican opponent withdrew his petitions for the 51st State House District Primary election. I was truly sorry to hear this and wish him all the best. I was truly looking forward to a spirited debate over the course of the Republican Primary.

I was also pleased with the Board of Elections vote to certify my name to the ballot. I still plan on working as hard as I was when I had an opponent in the primary. I will still get out there and work for the people and look forward to a spirited and open debate with my opponent in the General Election.

I look forward to the upcoming campaign and to speaking with all the voters of this district. Thank You.

BUTLER COUNTY: Jolly Withdraws

Now hearing that Greg Jolivette has withdrawn from the primary for State Representative (new 51st District). This development leaves Wes Retherford unopposed in the primary setting up a contest with Democrat Mark Hardig, a lawyer, in the general.

What's next for Jolly?

UPDATE: About that last question... The Enquirer coverage suggests that Jolly may try a run as an independent.

That would be...uhh...interesting.

Rep. Schmidt to Introduce Bill on American Centrifuge Project

Release:

WASHINGTON – In an effort to help private industry create nearly 4,000 jobs in Southern Ohio, Congresswoman Jean Schmidt announced Saturday (Dec. 17) that she is drafting legislation that would allow the U.S. Department of Energy to move forward on its request for a demonstration of the American Centrifuge project.

“This technology is important to the economy of Ohio, our national security, and nonproliferation efforts,” said Congresswoman Schmidt, a Clermont County Republican. “House Speaker John Boehner and I – along with our colleagues from Ohio – are committed to passing this legislation as soon as possible.”

The bill will conform with all House rules, Congresswoman Schmidt said.

The Department of Energy has proposed a $300 million research, development, and demonstration program that could lead to a loan guarantee for the American Centrifuge project.

Terhar Announces ODOT Funding for North Bend Road Project

Release:

COLUMBUS—State Representative Lou Terhar (R-Green Township) today announced that Ohio Department of Transportation will release $500,000 to help fund the widening of North Bend Road in Green Township, which will accommodate the opening of Mercy Hospital.

Construction of the hospital, which is set to open in 2013, will bring approximately 2,000 jobs to Green Township. The hospital will be approximately 550,000 square feet with 250 beds, and it will include new services for—among other things— heart surgery, cancer treatment and maternity care.

“I want to express my gratitude for the $500,000 in ODOT assistance to ensure a safe and efficient traffic situation on North Bend Road in Green Township,” Representative Terhar said. “The addition of Mercy Hospital West and its creation of 2,000 high-end jobs will be greatly facilitated by the North Bend Road improvements. Additional medical related jobs will follow because the traffic issues will be alleviated by the road improvements that this money will enable.”

JMA Engineering has been working on the project for the past several months, with Green Township already committing $5 million to the project.

Speaker John Boehner on Release of Latest Ohio Jobs Numbers

Release:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) today issued the following statement on the release of the latest jobs numbers in Ohio:

"While the jobs situation in Ohio and across our nation remains unacceptable, there are clear signs of progress being made in the Buckeye State under the leadership of Governor Kasich. The governor's pro-growth policies are helping Ohio turn things around even in the face of the challenges being thrown in states' path from Washington, where the Democratic Party still controls all but one-half of one-third of the federal government. By successfully closing Ohio's $8 billion budget gap without a tax increase -- and instead cutting taxes -- Governor Kasich has given private-sector job creators increased certainty and confidence in our state. It's an approach that contrasts sharply with the failed jobs policies of the Obama Administration in Washington, and mirrors our Plan for America's Job Creators. We have a long way to go in Ohio, but the governor's policies are taking our state in the right direction."

Kasich Applauds Plunge in Ohio's Unemployment Rate

Release:

COLUMBUS – Gov. John R. Kasich issued the following statement in response to the announcement today that Ohio’s unemployment rate in November dropped from 9.0 percent to 8.5 percent, the largest one-month drop in almost three decades and the lowest rate in three years:

“It is so encouraging to see Ohioans getting back to work. We’ve struggled for far too long but things are beginning to get back on track. Ohio employers have added more than 45,000 jobs so far this year, but too many Ohioans are still out of work and we have a lot of progress yet to make. It’s encouraging however, to see Ohio regaining the capacity for an improvement like this, and it should drive us to redouble our efforts to create the jobs-friendly environment we need.”



FACTS

· Ohio's unemployment rate was 8.5 percent in November 2011; down from 9.0 percent in October and 9.6 in November, 2010. The U.S. unemployment rate for November was 8.6 percent, down from 9.0 percent in October.

o This is Ohio’s lowest unemployment rate for three years. In December, 2008, Ohio’s rate was 8.1 percent.

o This is the largest drop in Ohio’s unemployment rate in almost 30 years. The last time the rate decreased by .5 or more was June to July, 1983, when the rate decreased from 13.1 to 11.4.

· Ohio’s nonfarm wage and salary employment increased 6,000 over the month, from 5,107,500 in October, to 5,113,500 in November.

· The number of workers unemployed in Ohio in November was 496,000, down from 526,000 in October.

· The number of unemployed has decreased by 69,000 in the past 12 months from 565,000.

Niehaus Punts on Heartbeat Bill

Release:

(Columbus) - Ohio Senate President Tom Niehaus issued the following statement today regarding House Bill 125, also known as the Heartbeat Bill:

"Supporters of the bill delivered more than 20 amendments on Wednesday, asking us to make changes after months of deliberation in both the House and Senate. These eleventh hour revisions only serve to create more uncertainty about a very contentious issue. We've now heard hours of testimony that indicate a sharp disagreement within the pro-life community over the direction of this bill, and I believe our members need additional time to weigh the arguments. Therefore, I have asked the committee chairman to suspend hearings on the bill so we can consider the new amendments and determine the best course of action.

Let me be clear that our majority caucus is staunchly pro-life, and we will take every responsible step to advance the protection of unborn children. We've already accomplished more this year in defense of life than any previous General Assembly in the history of the state. But we cannot move forward on a bill that has so far created more confusion than consensus.

It's my hope that the interested parties can use this time to resolve their differences and produce a reasonable compromise."