Weapons of Mass Discussion

TIB All Stars -- Show Notes and Live Blog

2012-01-27T16:45:00.000-05:00

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TIBAS-012712

Ohio House 66th District-Owens Gets FOP Lodge 112 Endorsement

2012-01-26T20:35:00.002-05:00

Nick Owens, one of four Republicans running for the Ohio General Assembly House district 66 seat, received an important endorsement. From the release:

January 26, 2012

Batavia Township – Last evening, the Fraternal Order of Police Ohio Valley Lodge 112 held a special meeting of their general membership to vote on political endorsements for the upcoming March 6th primary election. The Ohio Valley Lodge 112 endorsed candidate Nick Owens for the 66th district of the Ohio House of Representatives. Nick Owens was the only candidate the Ohio Valley Lodge 112 chose to endorse for the Republican primary election for the 66th district of the Ohio House of Representatives.

“I am honored and humbled to receive the Fraternal Order of Police Ohio Valley Lodge 112 endorsement in my race for the Ohio House of Representatives. It is essential the Ohio General Assembly have members that respect the voice of our Nation’s sworn law enforcement officers,” stated Republican candidate Nick Owens.

“Everyday our personal liberties and freedoms are protected by the selfless actions of law enforcement officers who preserve the rule of law in our local communities, state, and Nation. If elected as a member of the Ohio Legislature, I will always fight to protect the due process and equal protection rights of our sworn law enforcement officers,” concluded Nick Owens in his FOP endorsement announcement.

The Fraternal Order of Police is the world’s largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers, with more than 325,000 members in more than 2,100 lodges. The Fraternal Order of Police Ohio Valley Lodge 112 serves eastern Hamilton County, all of Clermont County, and western Brown County.

Rep. Schmidt on State of the Union

2012-01-26T19:37:00.002-05:00

Release:

The president’s State of the Union address on January 24 gave me an opportunity to remind him of the plight of the people of Pike County, which has the highest unemployment rate in Ohio at 14.3 percent. The national unemployment rate is 8.5 percent.

As he passed me on his way to the podium in the House Chamber, I urged the president to please keep working to help private industry create jobs through the American Centrifuge project.

“You know we will,” he said.

The project would support creating nearly 4,000 jobs in Ohio.

Jobs are one of my top priorities, but this project is also important to our national defense. The American Centrifuge Plant in Piketon would provide the uranium needed to supply tritium, which is a key component of the U.S. nuclear arsenal and must be replenished regularly.

The project is also extremely important to U.S. efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons. If we are to persuade other nations to not enrich uranium, we must be able to provide it in a way limited to peaceful purposes.

The American Centrifuge project would utilize the only U.S.-developed and owned uranium enrichment technology. As a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I cringe at the notion that we might end up dependent on some other country to supply us. It could handcuff our foreign policy, weaken our military posture, and put at risk American business interests worldwide.

The U.S. Department of Energy has proposed a $300 million research, development, and demonstration program that could lead to a loan guarantee needed to bring this technology to fruition.

Right now, the entire country is worried about jobs and the economy. Everyone, it seems, knows someone who has been laid off, had work hours cut, lost their home, or is thinking about filing for bankruptcy.

This reminds me of the state that our Union was in 32 years ago, when Ronald Reagan was running for the presidency. At that time, our economy was in the tank from high unemployment, runaway inflation, and interest rates that nobody could afford.

People back then wondered whether the country was in a recession or had slipped into a depression. Reagan crystallized an answer in just a handful of words: “A recession is when your neighbor loses his job. A depression is when you lose yours.”

As President Obama was leaving after his speech, he passed by me again.

Don’t forget about those jobs in Southern Ohio, I said.

“I haven’t,” he said.

And neither will I.

Sen. Portman On Obama Administration’s Delayed Budget

2012-01-23T15:57:00.003-05:00

Release:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio), a member of the Senate Budget Committee and former Director of the Office of Management and Budget, today issued the following response to news that President Obama will delay the release of his FY ’13 budget proposal:

“It has now been 999 days since Senate Democrats have passed a budget, and in that time, Washington's debt has increased by a whopping $4 trillion. A budget is desperately needed to get America's fiscal house in order. Last year, President Obama's budget was so fiscally irresponsible that even he disavowed it. He actually asked for a mulligan, but even on his second try he failed to provide a detailed path forward to address America's pending fiscal crisis.

“I'm incredibly concerned that, with a record national debt now equal to 100% of our GDP, the President is unable to put forward a plan to address Washington's out of control debt and deficits. If I were advising President Obama, I'd recommend less time campaigning and more time spent addressing the impending fiscal crisis. We need a budget with a responsible spending restraint and pro-growth reforms and we need it now.”

GUEST COLUMN: "Changes to BWC Will Benefit Ohio’s Workers"

2012-01-23T13:38:00.000-05:00

St. Rep. Louis Terhar

By State Rep. Louis Terhar

In our effort to reduce the costs of running the government and spending tax dollars more wisely, the Ohio House has devoted a lot of its time working with the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. This collaboration has resulted in many positive changes to the bureau, which will lighten the burden on taxpayers, while still providing the vital services that it has been committed to during its 100 years of operation.

One priority of the BWC was to find ways to lower its cost. Facing difficult economic times for the past few years, all state agencies have had to do the same—they do not have much of a choice. However, a serious effort must be made to cut spending without gutting the services that people depend on. By lowering the average base rates by merely four percent, the BWC will save Ohio’s private employers $65 million in premiums. Also, by reducing public employer rates by five percent, local governments will save about $22 million per year.

It is important to understand that lowering costs for local governments also benefits private citizens and taxpayers. Greater economic freedom for local municipalities translates into added economic freedom for the individuals funding such programs, giving them more opportunity to support community businesses and spend money as they prefer. This is true of all public spending, and the progress made by the BWC in the past year should be a role model for all other state agencies.

Another valuable initiative is the implementation of the Destination: Excellence program. The goal of this measure is to improve return-to-work rates—that is, to help workers get back on the job more quickly. Employers will be rewarded for constructing risk management plans focusing on safety and prevention. This will clearly benefit workers as well because it places more emphasis on the safety and well being of employees.

Similarly, the Wellness Grant Program awards companies as much as $15,000 to initiate policies focused on maintaining employee health. This includes helping employers deal with health problems such as obesity and other chronic diseases, all of which can contribute to work-related injuries and slow recovery times.

The focus of the Ohio House of Representatives over the past year has been to make government more accountable to taxpayers, and that effort will only intensify in the coming year. It is easy to talk about cutting spending and increasing efficiency, but the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation provides real examples of how these ideas are being put into practice. These changes do not simply provide relief to local governments’ budgets, but also help to improve the health and safety of Ohio’s workforce.

Owens Requests ODOT Director Wray To Visit US 68 and SR 32 Interchange

2012-01-23T09:05:00.003-05:00

Release:

Batavia Township – Today, Nick Owens sent a letter to Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) Director Jerry Wray requesting that he visit with local leaders to learn about the failing highway interchange of United States Route 68 and State Route 32 located in the Village of Mt. Orab, Brown County.

“I am fully aware of the difficulties Ohio faces in funding transportation infrastructure projects throughout the state. Additionally, I am realistic that these vital improvements to U.S. 68 and S.R. 32 interchange cannot be funded and completed overnight, but as a state we must respond proactively instead of reactively. Unfortunately, many times government improvements to infrastructure do not come until lives are lost,” Nick Owens wrote in his letter to ODOT Director Wray.

“The highway interchange of U.S. 68 and S.R. 32 is at the crossroads of economic growth for the Village of Mt. Orab, Brown County and all of Southwest Ohio. We must make the modernization of this interchange a top priority for our government leaders in Columbus,” stated Nick Owens in his press release announcing his invitation to ODOT Director Wray.

“It is my hope through a visit by ODOT Director Wray we can begin to accelerate the conversation on fixing this vital interchange so that further business expansion in the Mt. Orab area is not stifled due to lack of roadway capacity,” further stated Nick Owens.

Nick Owens is one of the Republican Candidates for the 66th House District, along with Brown County Treasurer Doug Green and Bethel resident Rick Herron.

Schmidt MEA CULPA

2012-01-20T21:48:00.002-05:00

When WMD makes an error, we admit it. In posting two stories, both regarding Jean Schmidt, WE AT WMD erronously reported that these were endorsements. This is not accurate. As soon as they were published, we noticed the error and corrected it. The Americans for Prosperity and the Campaign for Working Families posts were in fact score cards, not endorsements. We apologize for any confusion.....

Schmidt Earns 100% rating from Americans For Prosperity

2012-01-20T21:17:00.004-05:00

Brad Wenstrup uses George Soros backed organizations to vet candidates....I use actual conservative groups. Jean Schmidt scores a 100% rating from Americans for Prosperity....

Americans for Prosperity, the premier free market grassroots organization committed to smaller government and free enterprise, just released its congressional key vote scorecard summarizing how Members of Congress voted on the most important economic issues in the first session of the 112th Congress.

The scorecard included critical votes on such issues as the repeal of President Obama’s new health care law, preempting EPA’s purported authority to regulate greenhouse gases, the Ryan budget framework, ending ethanol subsidies, several Congressional Review Act resolutions of disapproval to overturn new regulations and the fiscal year 2012 appropriations bills.

For a complete list of votes that were scored in the first session and how each Member of Congress performed on each vote, visit: www.AmericansforProsperity.org/Scorecard.

Members of Congress with A+ Grade (100%) for the First Session of the 112th Congress

U.S. Senators (5)

Tom Coburn, Mike Crapo, Orrin Hatch, Marco Rubio, Ron Johnson

U.S. Representatives (39)

Todd Akin, Justin Amash, Mo Brooks, Ann Marie Buerkle, Dan Burton, Steve Chabot,

Tom Graves, Andy Harris, Wally Herger, Tim Huelskamp, Bill Huizenga, Jim Jordan,

Kenny Marchant. Mick Mulvaney, Randy Neugebauer, Mike Pence, Benjamin Quayle,

Reid Ribble, Jason Chaffetz, Raul Labrador, Jean Schmidt, Mike Coffman, Jeff Flake,

John Fleming, Trent Franks, Scott Garrett, Trey Gowdy, Doug Lamborn, Jeff Landry,

Cynthia Lummis, Tom McClintock, Patrick McHenry, Donald Manzullo, Dave Schweikert,

Steve Southerland, Marlin Stutzman, Tim Walberg, Joe Walsh, Joe Wilson

So, again, I ask: how will Wenstrup better this score if elected? The only thing I see him doing is mismanaging Board of health so bad the state removes a 30 year old grant...and giving taxpayer dollars to Planned Parenthood...Doesn't sound more conservative to me.....

Note: This is NOT an endorsement, but a score card rating....

Jean Schmidt Earns 100% Rating from the Campaign for Working Families

2012-01-20T21:14:00.003-05:00

From the release:

Rep. Jean Schmidt represents the interests and

values of America’s traditional families

Campaign for Working Families -- 2011 Congressional Scorecard

"Campaign for Working Families is a non-partisan political action committee (PAC) dedicated to electing pro-family, pro-life and pro-free enterprise candidates to public offices. Gary Bauer formed CWF in 1996 to represent the interests and values of America's traditional families in the political arena."

Campaign for Working Families takes the guesswork out of identifying the “true conservatives” from the pretenders.

Federal Pro-Family Votes for Congress - 112th Congress, Combined Sessions

Rep. Jean Schmidt Vote Score: 100%

YES: Repealing ObamaCare

YES: Reducing Spending to 2008 Levels

YES: Cut Funding for National Endowment for the Arts

YES: Defund Obama’s Policy Czars

YES: Defund National Public Radio

YES: Block EPA Global Warming Regulations

YES: Defund ObamaCare

YES: Defund Planned Parenthood

YES: Ryan Budget

YES: No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act

YES: Reversing President Obama’s Offshore Drilling Ban

YES: Try Foreign Terrorists in Military Tribunals

YES: Defending Traditional Marriage

YES: Cut, Cap and Balance Act

YES: North American-Made Energy Security Act

YES: Disapproval of Obama’s Increasing The Debt Limit

YES: Protecting Jobs From Government Interference Act

Exit question: How will supposed "solid pro life Conservative (who gave tax dollars to Planned Parenthood)"Brad Wenstrup better this score?

OH-02: Jean Schmidt Endorsed by Cincinnati Right to LIfe PAC

2012-01-20T21:09:00.003-05:00

Hmmmm.....COAST used to agree with Cincinnati Right to Life opposing funding to Planned Parenthood in the amount of $26,000...before their boy Brad Wenstrup "supposed pro life solid conservative" voted to give Planned Parenthood $80,000+. Unlike COAST, Cinnnati Right to Life PAC stayed true to its Pro Life values, choosing principle over convenience:

Congresswoman Jean Schmidt has been endorsed in the March 6 Republican primary election by the Cincinnati Right to Life Political Action Committee, which is dedicated to ending abortion and preventing euthanasia.

The endorsement "is a vote of confidence in your commitment to protect innocent human beings from conception to natural death through legislation and personal action," Jack Hart, president of the organization, wrote in a Jan. 18 letter to Congresswoman Schmidt. "We wish you success in this election so that together we can ensure the right to life for the vulnerable at every age and every stage."

Congresswoman Schmidt, a Clermont County Republican who represents Ohio's Second District, said she was grateful to be recognized for her leadership on pro-life issues and legislation. "I will continue the legislative fight to protect the lives of both unborn babies and the elderly," said Congresswoman Schmidt, who is chairwoman of the Congressional Pro-Life Women's Caucus.

During the last session of the U.S. House, Congresswoman Schmidt co-sponsored a bill to repeal Obamacare. The president's health-care measure could open the door for taxpayer money to go to abortion providers, and Obamacare also could reduce medical treatment options for seniors. Congresswoman Schmidt and other Republicans in the House voted to repeal Obamacare, but the legislation remains stranded in the Democrat-controlled Senate.

Congresswoman Schmidt also co-sponsored and voted for the Protect Life Act, which recently passed in the House. It would amend Obamacare to prevent federal funds from supporting health-care plans that include abortion coverage. In addition, Congresswoman Schmidt recently co-sponsored and voted for the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, which was approved by the House and is awaiting action in the Senate.

Congresswoman Schmidt previously served four years as a lawmaker in the Ohio General Assembly, where she was instrumental in ensuring that Planned Parenthood didn't receive funding from the state. "I oppose local, state, or federal taxpayer dollars going to Planned Parenthood for any reason - because such money frees up resources that can be used to promote and perform abortions," Congresswoman Schmidt said.

Congresswoman Schmidt was president of Right to Life of Greater Cincinnati in 2005, when she became the first woman elected to represent Southern Ohio in Congress. She has been married for 35 years to the same man, Peter Schmidt, and is a loving mother and grandmother.

But, Brad Wenstrup's the real pro life conservative, right? Even though he voted to give money to Planned Parenthood....Um...NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TIB All Stars -- Show Notes and Live Blog

2012-01-20T17:24:00.001-05:00

The TIB All-Stars Show is LIVE and DIRECT at 6PM-ish Eastern...

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TIBAS-012012

GUEST COLUMN: "Don’t Know Much About History?"

2012-01-20T15:20:00.001-05:00

John Stufflebeem

Why the Next Generation Carrier Fleet Requires 5th Generation Aircraft
By John Stufflebeem

In the White House complex today there are eight-hundred pound bronze lanterns in the four corners of the ornate Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, the offices of the White House staff. Inscribed on the "War and Peace" lantern is the Latin adage "Si vis pacem, para bellum"—or, "If you wish for peace, prepare for war"—admonishing the then-Secretary of the Navy and all subsequent presidents of their responsibilities in this historical imperative. Preparing for the future including deterring and, when necessary, fighting and winning inevitable war is a core responsibility of our National Command Authorities as executed through our nation's military services.

At the highest level, the Commander in Chief must have at his, or her, disposal decisive military power to implement foreign policy that ensures our national interests remain secure. Naval officers, sailors, and aviators of the U.S. Navy are tasked to deploy that power that comes with extremely difficult duties. We can all be proud of the uniformity of purpose with which they tackle these demands in executing their missions. As a country and service—and as commanding officers—we must make sure that the men and women who serve have adequate tools they need to complete their missions and get home safely.

For much of the 20th century, the United States naval strategy has revolved around projecting U.S. power through the forward presence of our Naval Fleet and specifically aircraft carriers. U.S. carrier dominance is largely responsible for our control of the seas and hence creating and maintaining our geopolitical leadership. But this position cannot be taken for granted, by lawmakers or naval officers. As the next generation Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier comes online mid-decade, we must be conscious of the fact that an aircraft carrier, however advanced, is only as potent as its weapon system.

A modern U.S. nuclear powered aircraft carrier (CVN) with a life expectancy of at least fifty years is only as good as the power it projects whether in combat or deterrence through its weapon system—the carrier Airwing and the men, women and aircraft that make it up. However, the Airwing of the future is under attack witness - the current call in some quarters to scrap the F-35C Lightning II Carrier Variant (CV). This type of clarion call is traditional following periods of war such as World War I and II, Korea, Vietnam and again as we are witnessing today. But it also follows a flawed and shortsighted strategy to achieve short-term economic gains or cater to parochial interests that, based on history, will have to be made up later at higher costs and possibly lives while depriving our Navy men and women of the best military technology available.

As China and Russia continue to evolve their next generation capable aircraft, we need to evolve our carrier-based aircraft. The F-35C is the only realistic choice to populate the decks of our carriers to maintain control of the seas, the commons, and the global hot spots as well as establish a realistic deterrence of our potential adversaries. It is not going too far to say that the bulk of the U.S. Navy’s future strategic and operational plans would fall apart without full deployment of the F-35C.

While the world is becoming more interdependent or globalized, potential adversaries are developing their capabilities to deny access to all others for their hegemonic agendas. Having the capability to assure access helps the globalized world advance and ensure peace. Our nation has the technological edge, the economic means, and the leadership will to develop and deploy this 5th generation fighter for years to come for just this rationale—but it is threatened from within much to the hope of our competitors.

The F-35C is envisioned by Navy leaders to complement the other aircraft in the Airwing, to include the F/A-18 E/F. But many fail to realize that the F-35C, with its data exchange and interoperability capabilities, will make the entire Carrier Strike Group (CSG) more capable, effective and lethal. Using similar methods in exercises like Red Flag, the F-22 Raptor made both air and ground units more effective by providing enhanced situational awareness of the battlespace; so will the F-35 provide better maritime awareness to the CSG including both Airwing assets as well as surface forces. The F-35C will make the CSG a better, more capable fighting centerpiece of American military power and force for good around the globe.

For those who ignore the rising capabilities of our competitors and potential adversaries, they condemn our fighting men and women to longer, more difficult missions by being less effective and less survivable. If we deploy without 5th generation fighters on our carriers, we will simply make the CSG, CVNs and Airwings irrelevant, throwing our operational plans into chaos and putting aviators and aircraft in situations where they could be outmatched sometime in the future.

With the rise of China, a newly assertive Russia, rogue states from Iran to North Korea and unconventional battlespaces growing in prevalence, the U.S. Navy must have the capabilities to meet and match a multiplicity of diverse commitments. This can only be accomplished if our carrier fleet is equipped with a 5th generation carrier-based fighter: the F-35C.

Those Who Ignore History—Old Lessons for a New Generation

There are few historical examples as profound as the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 to demonstrate how failure to grasp movements in military technologies can play a decisive role in world-historical events. While tactically successful, Japan’s naval assault was a strategically limited victory. By focusing on the destruction of what they felt was the heart of the United States’ Pacific Fleet—the eight battleships at Pearl Harbor— and luck having it, by conducting the attack while the fleet’s three aircraft carriers were absent, the Japanese made a strategic miscalculation.

Their strategic objective was simple, if difficult: cripple the U.S. Navy in the Pacific sufficiently to delay its being decisively brought to bear before the Japanese could achieve victory. To do so, they sought to disable and destroy the United States’ battleships: the most potent vessel of the immediately previous naval epoch. In making this choice, the Japanese assured that they would not achieve their overarching strategic goal.

The Japanese, like those promoting the continued use of older technologies in our current carrier fleet, did not recognize that important changes had occurred in naval technology. Like many at the time, the Imperial Japanese Navy’s leadership was passionately devoted to Alfred Thayer Mahan and The Influence of Seapower Upon History, 1660 – 1783. With its focus on decisive battles between fleets of heavily armed and armored battleships, Mahan’s signature treatise proved to be a poor strategic guide for the Japanese to pursue in the 20th Century.

Aircraft technology came of age in the 20th Century. Carrier-based aircraft were poised to transform naval strategy from a focus on heavily armed battleships to more lightly armed, but more versatile, aircraft carriers: a new generation of naval technology. Because carrier-based aircraft can strike the enemy hundreds of miles from their carrier base—and with lower probability of warning—aircraft carriers would become the most potent vessels of the War in the Pacific. The three aircraft carriers that survived the Pearl Harbor attack would become the critical element of the U.S. Pacific Fleet and would play perhaps the most prominent role in Imperial Japan’s ultimate defeat.

The Japanese were not wrong to focus on battleships—they simply failed to appreciate the importance of the aircraft carrier in a war they started that would eventually be conducted against them across the great expanse of the Pacific Ocean. For hundreds of years, the battleship and its predecessor vessels played a central role for the navies of nations and empires, with the late-nineteenth century British Royal Navy as exemplar of this model. At the same time, the Japanese valued carriers, but saw their role as limited to just the kind of surprise attack they undertook at Pearl Harbor. Eventually, the Imperial Japanese Navy would come to embrace the power of the aircraft carrier, as demonstrated by their carrier-focused strategy at the Battle of Midway. But not before it was too late.

Of course, history abounds with other such examples. The French were decimated by the English longbow in the 100 Years War, especially at Agincourt, and the stirrup followed in a long line of equine military advancements—the chariot, the saddle—that gave armies massive advantages over their foes in their day. None of these equestrian advancements were of much use when traditional horse cavalry came up against mechanized cavalry during World War I. Less than three decades later, far superior German tanks made quick work of the more numerous, but not nearly as technologically advanced, French tanks. The U.S. faced a similar situation in the air during the Korean War—when the North Koreans introduced the MiG-15, it easily overpowered U.S. propeller planes, forcing us to develop and deploy our own jet, the F-80. Clinging to past technology simply because it is fully matured is a guaranteed path to operational irrelevance just as preparing to fight the last war is folly to prevail in future ones. We should not and cannot repeat these kinds of mistakes today. In an increasingly complicated and interconnected world, the consequences of doing so could be disastrous.

The F-35C and the Future of Naval Aviation

The three variants of the F-35—Conventional Take Off & Landing (CTOL), Short Take Off/Vertical Landing (STOVL), and Carrier Variant (CV)—will provide the US Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy and our allied partners the broadest spectrum of warfighting capabilities, addressing both land-based and maritime applications. The F-35 delivers the latest multi-role fighter technology bringing unprecedented levels of low observability, net-centric capability and integrated sensor fusion combined with enhanced sustainment logistics to both US and allied warfighters. F-35 will represent a generational advance to the US Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps replacing 25-30 year old F-16, F-18, A-10, F-117, and AV-8 fighter aircraft currently flying at significantly higher than forecast utilization rates due to operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Internationally, F-35 will constitute the backbone of NATO, ASEAN, and several non-aligned coalition armed forces for the next 35-40 years.

The inherent capabilities and open architecture system of the F-35 will allow it to expand beyond the traditional roles of carrier fighter aircraft. Older generation fighters are essentially consumers of information from intelligence assets whereas the F-35 will be a critical provider of information in the network centric environment. It will be able to go where other aircraft cannot, and due to its inherent joint and coalition interoperability, the F-35 will be an invaluable Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform. F-35 pilots operating together will have shared/common situational awareness, vastly improving interoperability between our US services as well as with our international partners.

These capabilities will allow the CSG to maintain the freedom to operate in blue water and systematically approach the littorals while countering threat anti-access capabilities in 2020 and beyond. It greatly enhances CSG situational awareness by conducting stand-in ISR and will provides robust stand-in electronic attack.

In order to take full advantage these new capabilities, the DoN needs to remain on course with an investment strategy that integrates the F-35 into the fleet in sufficient numbers as quickly as possible. Other fleet assets such as the E-2D, Aegis, Super Hornet and BAMS should be carefully integrated with the F-35 up front.

The Future
As historian and statesman, Winston Churchill, advised us then and now—"those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it." In the not too distant future, the U. S. Navy will face significant challenges by China and other emerging regional powers. The CSG will be forced to operate further away from operational objectives due to robust threat anti-access and area denial capabilities. Sufficient numbers of the F-35 with its 5th generation capabilities should be integrated into the carrier air wings as quickly as possible. The F-35 will provide a significant contribution to restoring the CSG’s ability to operate effectively in the presents of advance threats. The CSG will remain at the forefront of protecting U.S. interests in contested regions and preserving the access to the littorals and global maritime commons. This will ensure that the relevancy of the carrier will be preserved and maintained for decades to come.

John Stufflebeem is a retired Navy fighter pilot who commanded at every tactical and operational level in combat including U.S. 6th Fleet. He is now an independent consultant in crisis communications in Alexandria, Virginia.

Chairman Kevin DeWine's Statement on Ohio's Unemployment Numbers

2012-01-20T12:54:00.002-05:00

Release:

COLUMBUS - Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine release the following statement regarding the announcement of Ohio's new unemployment numbers:

"Today's jobs announcement further indicates the steady economic progress our state is making under the leadership of Governor John Kasich and our Republican-led General Assembly," Chairman DeWine stated.

"The pro-growth initiatives spearheaded by JobsOhio and our Republican leadership continue to bear results which outpace national averages, and stand in stark contrast to the deficit-spending, high-tax policies championed by Barack Obama. While there remains plenty of work to be done, it is clear that Governor Kasich's determination and laser-focus on creating jobs is moving our state in the right direction."

Speaker Batchelder Releases Statement Regarding Ohio’s Unemployment

2012-01-20T11:09:00.002-05:00

Release:

COLUMBUS—Speaker of the Ohio House William G. Batchelder (R-Medina) today released the following statement regarding the announcement of the drop in Ohio’s unemployment to 8.1 percent:

“Eighteen months ago, Ohio was at a crossroads, facing over 10 percent unemployment for more than a full year, some of the highest Ohio had seen in decades. Today, it was announced that our state’s unemployment rate continued to drop and is now at 8.1 percent.

“As I have said before, House Republicans have been working every single day to ensure Ohio’s economy gets back on the right track and we are starting to show real, tangible signs of improvement. Job creation has always been our number-one priority and our work from this session is truly bearing fruit.

“Governor Kasich has shown a great willingness to think outside the box—starting with JobsOhio—and make the difficult but necessary decisions in order to ensure the long-term financial stability of our state. I applaud Governor Kasich for his leadership and for never losing sight of his vision of a new day for Ohio.”

Congressman Bob Gibbs Proud to Announce Service Academy Nominations

2012-01-19T16:33:00.000-05:00

Release:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bob Gibbs (OH-18) has announced the 11 students from the 18th District of Ohio received his nomination for appointments to the U.S. Service Academies:

“The U.S. Service Academies provide our country’s students with the opportunity to serve our nation and be schooled in the leadership and responsibility required to shine in the American military,” Congressman Gibbs said. “The privilege of recommending some of the best and brightest among Ohio’s youth for admission to the U.S. Service Academies is one of my most rewarding responsibilities. I am proud to nominate them and wish them all the best in the years ahead.”

Nominees were selected after a rigorous application process where factors such as academic achievements, extra-curricular activities, leadership skills, physical aptitude, character and motivation were taken into consideration. Congressman Gibbs was aided in the process by his non-partisan Academy Advisory Board made up of distinguished Ohioans who have graduated from the service academies or have years of military experience and leadership.

Congressman Gibbs’ nomination does not guarantee admission to a service academy as the academies’ respective admissions boards decide who is offered appointment, and ultimately admitted. Several individuals have been nominated to multiple academies; if they receive appointment offers from more than one academy, the student will decide which to attend.

The following is a list of nominees and their high schools:

· Colin Harding of Byesville attends Meadowbrook High School and has been nominated to the U.S. Naval Academy.

· Brendan Walburn of Hebron attends Lakewood High School and has been nominated to the U.S. Military Academy (West Point).

· Guy Staley of Cadiz attends Harrison Central and has been nominated to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.

· Bradley Suciu of Zanesville attends Zanesville High School and has been nominated to the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Military Academy (West Point), the U.S. Air Force Academy, and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.

· Jeffrey Suciu of Zanesville attends Zanesville High School and has been nominated to the U.S. Naval Academy and the U.S. Military Academy (West Point).

· William Teater of Mt. Vernon attends Mt. Vernon High School has been nominated to the U.S. Military Academy (West Point).

· Dominic Sicilian of Hebron attends Granville High School has been nominated to the U.S. Naval Academy.

· Samuel Miller of Mt. Vernon attends Mt. Vernon High School has been nominated to the U.S. Naval Academy and the U.S. Military Academy (West Point).

· Samuel Hiltner of Newark (Home Schooled) has been nominated to the U.S. Naval Academy.

· Rebecca Chamberlin of Millersburg attends West Holmes has been nominated to the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Military Academy (West Point), the U.S. Air Force Academy, and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.

· Chad Walker of Dennison attends Claymont High School has been nominated to the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Speaker Batchelder Releases Statement about 87th, 98th District Appointments

2012-01-19T16:25:00.000-05:00

Release:

COLUMBUS—Speaker of the Ohio House William G. Batchelder (R-Medina) today released the following statement regarding the currently vacant 87th and 98th House district seats, formerly held by Republican Representatives John Carey and Richard Hollington:

“As the Speaker of the House, it is of the utmost importance to me that each House district has appropriate representation and that every Ohioan has a means to make his or her voice heard in Columbus. However, we are also in a situation that gives Ohioans themselves the opportunity to help us choose the appointees to succeed Representatives Carey and Hollington in the Ohio House during this General Assembly.

“Given the fact that multiple Republican candidates have filed for these offices prior to the March primary, voting for which begins in less than two weeks, we feel it would be most prudent given this timeline for the residents of the 87th and 98th districts to decide for themselves who their representatives will be. The Republican Caucus has decided to honor the outcome of the March primary for these two districts and ultimately appoint the winner of each race. We believe waiting until the results of the primary election will give the people of the 87th and 98th districts the most influence over their representation and ensure that their voices are being heard.

However, I also believe it is of the utmost importance that the constituents of these two House districts have a voice during the next few months of what promises to be a busy legislative session before the March primary. Therefore, I have been in contact with local officials in these individual House districts about the possibility of appointing someone to fill these seats until mid-March, so the voices of the constituents in the 87th and 98th House Districts can continue to be uninterrupted.”

Speaker Batchelder intends to make an announcement as details become available in the coming days about any potential appointments to the vacated seats.

GUEST COLUMN: "New Year Brings a New Approach to Business in Ohio"

2012-01-19T10:52:00.002-05:00

By State Senator Frank LaRose

With 2012 underway, lawmakers have returned to Columbus committed to building on the recovery and reform measures of 2011. Last year saw new, innovative approaches to job creation and a renewed effort to put the ‘Open for Business’ sign back on Ohio 's front door. While Ohio has embarked on a road to recovery, many challenges remain. I embrace the hard work that is needed as we all strive together, to rebuild our great state.

Ohio’s small business people and entrepreneurs know all too well that bureaucratic red tape and over-regulation have been main culprits in driving jobs away from the Buckeye State in recent years. Far too many of our communities have taken the hit as families have moved away in order to find work and gain greater financial security. Clearly, something needed to be done.

To return prosperity to Ohio we must get control over run-away government regulations, but this does not mean that a laissez-faire regulatory system is what Ohio needs. History has taught us the import role government must play to protect working people, minority groups, our natural environment and the other interests of a civil society. We all recognize that there must be rules of the road to protect against those unscrupulous operators who would allow self interest to trump civic virtue. But what we can’t allow is cumbersome, unnecessary and overly complex regulations to continue to make Ohio a place unfriendly to business growth.

What we need is balance. We need a thoughtful approach to government regulation which considers a cost-benefit analysis before acting. Last year we took action passing Senate Bill 2 with broad bi-partisan support.

With the passage of Senate Bill 2, we empowered the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR) with new authority to shut down bureaucratic overreach and stand up for common sense. I was recently given the responsibility of leading this critical committee as its new chairman. In this capacity, I will work with my fellow committee members and a very capable team of analysts to review every rule proposed by Ohio 's various state agencies.

As an oversight authority created decades ago, JCARR's charge has long been to evaluate the impact of any proposed regulations and to ensure that they do not go beyond an agency's intended authority. However, due to its limited scope and authority, JCARR has sometimes been powerless to prevent the implementation of burdensome regulations that have contributed to jobs and capital exiting the state. All that changed recently.

The recent legislative action provided our committee with a "fifth prong" that will allow us to recommend the invalidation of any rules deemed as negatively affecting business in the State of Ohio . Under the change, agencies now must file a "business impact analysis" for any proposed regulation that will affect Ohio ’s job creators. The newly-established Common Sense Initiative Office (CSIO) will assist in evaluating the roughly 9,000 rules that come before JCARR on an annual basis.

Though the rule review process often proves too technical and dry to garner much attention, the purpose of this recent change is simple in that it will allow Ohio to grow jobs, expand sustainable industries, and prosper through the elimination of unnecessary and nonsensical government regulations.

As Chairman, I am working with my fellow committee members to put Ohio back to work by restoring commonsense to government rules and regulations.

Quality, well-paying jobs empower working Ohioans and allow families to live the American dream. This is the notion that inspired me to run for office in the first place. The solution to Ohio 's problems is better, smarter government, and in some cases, less government. That is what this new approach does. Ohio has always been a great place to live and raise a family. We can once again make it a great place to work and start a business!

Butler County Prosecutor WRONG on Castle Doctrine

2012-01-19T06:26:00.001-05:00

If this is what the Republican Party of Butler County thinks is an okay position for the Prosecutor to have, then maybe it is a good thing I got out. This is NOT okay:

“While your home is and should be respected as your castle, the use of deadly force must actually be used in self-defense and not just because someone has unlawfully entered your castle.”

Uh, Mike, that's kind of the WHOLE POINT of the Castle Doctrine law. If someone illegally enters your home and threatens you, you have the right to shoot them. Just being there is a threat.

Kasich to Give State of the State Speech Feb. 7

2012-01-18T16:00:00.002-05:00

Release:

COLUMBUS – Today Ohio Gov. John R. Kasich announced that he will deliver the annual State of the State address on Feb. 7 at Wells Academy in Steubenville.

Wells Academy is the highest-ranking public elementary school in Ohio, measured by test results, and part of Steubenville City Schools. It is consistently viewed as one of the best, most innovative elementary schools in Ohio.

Ohio governors deliver the annual State of the State address to a joint session of the General Assembly; therefore the General Assembly will pass a Joint Resolution enabling it to convene for the day at Wells Academy, which shares its building and auditorium with Steubenville High School.

Ted Strickland's Solyndra...And Biden Visited This Plant, too!

2012-01-18T15:32:00.003-05:00

How about that Green Revolution, eh? How about the greatest Governor since ...well, anyone, Ted Strickland?

Seems Teddy didn't know much about choosing winners and losers, either. From the Toledo Blade:

Willard & Kelsey Solar Group LLC laid off about 40 people indefinitely at the beginning of January until changes to its production line are completed, a company official said Monday.

Michael Cicak, the company's chief executive officer and chairman of the board, would not say when the changes would be completed or when the laid-off employees could return to work.

"We have some technical people in here improving the efficiency of the assembly line," Mr. Cicak said, adding that the Perrysburg-based facility still has about 30 employees.

He said Willard & Kelsey has a little more than 80 employees when it's fully functional.

The start-up company has been plagued by a series of production and staffing delays since it was formed in 2008. It has received millions of dollars in government loans and tax breaks and has been toured by high-profile officials such as Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, and former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland.

Mr. Cicak said last week that the facility was to reopen Monday after a period of adjusting its inventory. A voice mail message on the company's main phone line said the same thing.

Only 15 cars were in the parking lot at 1:30 p.m. Monday. The office was devoid of activity, and the rows of desks were empty.

A tour of the production line and the changes being made to it were not made available to The Blade. As of early 2011, the company had received a $5 million research and development loan from the Ohio Department of Development, a $10 million loan from the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority, a $3.3 million job creation tax credit, and a $701,000 grant to provide training for 50 current and 250 new workers.

Attempts to reach state officials were unsuccessful because Monday was Martin Luther King, Jr., Day.

Mr. Cicak previously has made sweeping claims for how many people the 262,000-square-foot plant along State Rt. 25 could employ. In February, 2011, the company said it planned to have 250 employees by the end of 2011. At the same time, Mr. Cicak said the company could produce 600 to 700 jobs in the next to two years and up to 4,000 in five or six years.

That was yesterday. Today, state officials are looking over what has to be labelled as another one of Strickland's Follies:

State officials said Tuesday they will visit Willard & Kelsey Solar Group next month to check on the status of the Perrysburg company, which recently laid off about half its work force.

The company, which is partially funded by millions of dollars in state loans and grants, has reduced its payments on two loans provided by the state.

The start-up company has failed to live up to the production and staffing goals that its executive leadership set when it was formed in 2008. It laid off 40 employees this month.

In addition to the state loans, the company was conditionally approved for more than $3 million in state tax breaks, but it has not generated enough jobs to become eligible for those breaks, said Daryl Hennessy, assistant chief of the business services division at the state Department of Development.

“They created some jobs in their annual report but not at the level they said they were going to,” Mr. Hennessy said.

The company employs a little more than 80 people when it’s fully operational, said Michael Cicak, chief executive officer and chairman of the board. The company is privately held and does not release its financial information.

Mr. Cicak said Willard & Kelsey laid off employees because the company’s only assembly line is undergoing changes to produce more efficient solar panels.

Funding for that assembly line initially came from a $5 million loan from the state Office of Air Quality Development Authority. Officials from that department are arranging an inspection of the assembly line in February to ensure that money was well spent, said Todd Nein, interim executive director of the Office of Air Quality Development Authority.
The $5 million is part of a $10 million loan that was partially disbursed in July, 2010. The rest of that money is set aside for the construction of a second assembly line, Mr. Nein said.

The first part of the loan has a two-year repayment plan, and Willard & Kelsey has been making payments on it, Mr. Nein said. Those payments recently were reduced and the state is working with the company to defer payments or create a longer payment schedule, he added.

Mr. Nein said the state has confidence in the company because its executives have experience with First Solar, one of the largest solar companies in the country.

The company also has reduced its payments on a $5 million loan from the Ohio Department of Development. It is paying about $7,800 a month on the interest of the loan, Mr. Hennessy said. That loan has a five-year timetable for repayment.

Mr. Cicak said he’s looking into various financial options to fund the company’s operations.

“No, I’m not closing,” he said Tuesday. “I’m going to try and work my way out of it.”

The company also received a rapid outreach grant for $500,000 from the Department of Development in 2008. That money was slated for job creation and retention, Mr. Hennessy said.

So, Ted Strickland bought into the Green Revolution lie. He gave loans to this fly by night startup that has yet to bear any real fruit, and appears to be taking a Solyndra type nosedive. But, Ted Strickland was a great governor, right? Maybe, if Tom Blumer gets on the case, we could call him, like Newt Calls Obama's presidency, the best food stamp governor ever.....

Congressman Latta Statement on SOPA and PIPA

2012-01-18T13:50:00.002-05:00

Release:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) issued the following statement regarding Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA):

“SOPA and Protect IP Act are well-intentioned proposals that attempt to address online piracy concerns; however, in their current form the legislation goes too far. The proposals can present damaging ramifications to free speech, global cybersecurity and Internet functionality. At this time, I do not support SOPA and Protect IP Act in their current form, and I hope further committee hearing will be held to resolve these concerns.

COAST Chooses Hypocrisy over Values in Helping Wenstrup Raise Cash

2012-01-17T20:09:00.002-05:00

COASTers host fundraiser to help Dr. Brad Wenstrup's congressional campaign

###

When so-called “liberal” democrats voted to approve funding of Planned Parenthood to the tune of $26,000, COAST said it was a “misuse of tax funds”. But when Brad Wenstrup voted to give Planned Parenthood $85,000 of tax funds, you didn’t hear a peep out of Chris Finney’s group COAST. Instead they turned a blind eye to the misuse of taxpayer funds. The COAST motto seems to be: Do as we say, not as we do.

Despite a claimed fiscal crisis, on Monday of this week liberal democrats Todd Portune and David Pepper voted to approve funding of Planned Parenthood to the tune of $26,255. COAST joined Cincinnati Right to Life and Citizens for Community Values in e-mailing their members against this misuse of tax funds. An outcry from more than 1,500 residents nearly closed down business in the County administrative offices with calls and e-mails.

Posted by COAST at 10/24/2008 07:01:00 AM

###

The Cincinnati Board of Health voted unanimously to give a sub-grant of up to $85,000 to the Planned Parenthood abortion business in the area, Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio. This is the same abortion business that was caught covering up a case of sexual abuse of a minor. The members of the Board of Health present at the time of the meeting approving the funding were Joyce Kinley, Dr. Jeff Lange, Dr. Wael Safi, Dr. Richard Schwen, Dr. Donna Shambley-Ebron and Dr. Brad Wenstrup.

So, COAST is supporting the guy who gave money to Planned Parenthood on the Board of Health, even though they called the allocation a waste of taxpayer dollars? They are supporting and raising money for the guy who so mismanaged the board of health a gratn in place for 30 years was removed?

Funny, I thought COAST was about conservative values and fiscal responsibility. It seems in OH-2 it is all about hating Jean Schmidt....Is it because she is successful? Is it because she is a woman? Or both? Or is it just because they beat COAST favorite Tom Brinkman and it is vendetta time?

Whichever way, don't support their spending candidate. Whichever way, how can you believe they stand for what they claim to, when they support a candidate who was such a poor steward of tax dollars?

Ohio Lawmakers Introduce Legislation to Encourage Growth of Agricultural Businesse

2012-01-17T16:19:00.000-05:00

Release:

COLUMBUS—State Representatives Robert Sprague (R-Findlay) and Brian Hill (R-Zanesville) recently introduced legislation to modify the Agricultural Linked Deposit Program, which supports Ohio’s agricultural community by permitting the Ohio Treasurer of State to invest in eligible lending institutions that then lend money to an eligible agricultural business at a reduced interest rate.

Specifically, House Bill 415 will increase the maximum amount that the treasurer may invest in agricultural linked deposits from $125 million to $165 million. It also would increase the maximum amount that can be loaned from $100,000 per application to $150,000 per application.

These increased amounts are recommended by the Treasurer of State due to the growth of the state’s investment portfolio and will serve to boost Ohio’s agricultural community.

"The Treasurer of State's Ag-Link Deposit Program enables our state to provide low-interest working capital loans that help farmers and the agricultural community,” said Representative Sprague. “This bill will update the program to keep up with the rising cost of farm inputs, and the new limits will ensure the program is relevant in future years."

“This pro-jobs legislation is needed to help address the needs of the agriculture industry, a crucial component of Ohio’s economy,” Representative Hill said. “By increasing the maximum low-interest loan amount to $150,000 per applicant, farmers will be able to increase investment in their businesses. This translates to more jobs for Ohioans and will grow the economy.”

Reps. Sprague and Hill unveiled the legislation at a press conference with State Senator Bill Beagle (R-Tipp City)—who sponsored the companion legislation, Senate Bill 281—and representatives from the Ohio Treasurer of State’s office and the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation.

“With this legislation, the State of Ohio can continue to build upon the already 40,000 farmers that this program has helped over the past 25 years,” said Senator Beagle. “The dollars that are loaned through the Agricultural Linked Deposit Program become direct investment in communities across Ohio through purchasing of equipment, feed, supplies, and seeds.”

“Ag-LINK seasonal startup loans can help farmers invest in much needed supplies like feed, seed, fertilizer and fuel that are crucial to a successful business. Ohio farmers deal with enough red tape, and that's why we have streamlined and improved the program over the years,” said Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, whose office administers the Ag-LINK program. “This legislation will help codify some of these important changes going forward, which should make it easier for more Ohio farmers to take advantage of Ag-LINK.”

"Expansion of the Ag-LINK program has long been supported by the Ohio Farm Bureau and our farmer members,” said Beth Vanderkooi, Director of State Policy for the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation. “We appreciate the leadership of Representatives Sprague and Hill, Senator Beagle and Treasurer Mandel in helping to make the program more accessible to Ohio's farmers. We look forward to working with legislative leadership and stand with our colleagues in agriculture in urging swift passage of H.B. 415 and S.B. 281."

Ohio House Republicans Outline Priorities, Initiatives for 2012

2012-01-17T16:17:00.002-05:00

Release:

COLUMBUS—On the heels of a successful first half of the General Assembly that saw the passage of more than 90 bills that address issues from regulatory reform and the creation of JobsOhio to prescription drug abuse, Speaker of the Ohio House William G. Batchelder (R-Medina) and members of the House Republican Caucus today unveiled their legislative priorities for 2012 at a press conference at the Ohio Statehouse.

“It was not too long ago that this state faced an $8 billion budget hole that was created when the former administration wrote short-term checks with disappearing ink,” said Speaker Batchelder. “In 2011, this caucus faced one of the greatest challenges ever put onto the plate of a legislature—deciding whether to fill an enormous deficit by either reducing state spending or by raising taxes on every family in Ohio. We defied the skeptics; we filled this deficit without raising taxes, we kept vital services intact and protected our state’s most vulnerable. The second half of the General Assembly will be focused on building upon this strong foundation that we have worked so hard for and bringing about a brighter, more prosperous Ohio in a number of ways.”

The priorities outlined by House Republicans include a close analysis, fact finding, and making recommendations for revising Ohio’s school funding formula, which in 1997 was deemed unconstitutional by the Ohio Supreme Court. Despite the court ruling, Ohio’s school funding system has not undergone any transformative changes that have wholly fixed the root of the problem. To address this issue, House Republicans announced that they will initiate comprehensive, bipartisan hearings on both the funding formula and student achievement, which will be led by Representative Ron Amstutz (R-Wooster) throughout the duration of 2012.

“The goal of these discussions will be to figure out how we can make our schools and students more successful in a cost-efficient manner for Ohio’s taxpayers,” said Rep. Amstutz. “We want to create a new model of achievement and accountability that will benefit all of Ohio’s students and give those from disadvantaged geographic regions an equal chance to succeed. We will work diligently on legislation to incorporate the findings into practice and place Ohio’s schools back on track with an equitable and fair funding formula. The goal of any legislation implemented is to create an equitable funding formula and to develop a more accurate measure of success and achievement for our students.”

The House Republican Caucus also laid out a proposal to implement the recommendations of the JobsOhio report through the creation of the Development Services Agency. The proposal will complete the transition to a lean, streamlined public/private partnership free of the cumbersome bureaucracy that characterized Ohio’s economic efforts in the past. Additionally, the caucus discussed strategies for implementing the findings of the Ohio Workforce Development Study Committee, specifically focusing on helping career tech schools and community colleges to prepare a ready workforce, as well as training Ohioans for imminent shale and energy jobs.

“We continue to strive to get unemployment down, help Ohioans find work, and create new opportunities for Ohio well into the future,” said Speaker Batchelder. “We have maintained a focus on jobs throughout 2011—from passing several tax credits to encourage economic investment and job retention, to exploring our energy potential that could create hundreds of thousands of jobs— and Ohioans can expect that we will continue this focus into 2012 and beyond.”

The caucus has also revealed plans to reform the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, building upon existing reforms to go further in assisting injured workers while identifying other cost-saving possibilities.

Other legislative items that the House Republican Caucus intends to address include:

The Great Lakes Compact
Casino and gaming laws
Healthcare exchange
Laws pertaining to exotic animals

“We have tackled the issues that are most important to the people of this state, and we will continue to do so for as long as we have the privilege of leading this House,” said Speaker Batchelder. “There is much time and energy that we must be prepared to invest in order to revive the state of Ohio, and we are ready to do the work necessary in order to breathe new life into this state and be able to compete nationally. We’ve come a long way, but we have much, much farther to go—we are just getting started.”

Duvelius Endorsed by Sheriff Sims and Most County Officials

2012-01-17T11:16:00.000-05:00

Release:

The elected officials of Warren County have spoken, and spoken loudly, to endorse the candidacy of Chief Magistrate Carolyn Duvelius for Common Pleas Judge. The vast majority of County-wide elected officials, and a large number of local officials, are endorsing Duvelius. Endorsements include County Sheriff Larry Sims, County Commissioners Pat South and Tom Ariss, County Auditor Nick Nelson, County Treasurer Jim Aumann, County Recorder Beth Deckard, County Coroner Russell Uptegrove, County Engineer Neil Tunison and State Representative Ron Maag.

“The outpouring of support is humbling,” Chief Magistrate Duvelius told friends and supporters at a recent event. “To have the conservative leaders of Warren County unite to support my candidacy is an honor. I will continue to work hard to earn their confidence and make them proud.”

In addition to the support of the County wide officials, Duvelius has received the endorsements of local officials across the County. Lebanon Mayor Amy Brewer and former Mason Mayor Don Prince are just a few of the growing list of public figures to come out in support of Duvelius.

“This is not about politics; this is about what is best for keeping the people of Warren County safe. Carolyn Duvelius is the best choice,” said Warren County Sheriff Larry Sims.

“I worked in Law Enforcement for over 50 years and know the importance of our Judges. We need Carolyn Duvelius,” said former Sheriff and current County Commissioner Tom Ariss.

ORP Civil War Heats Up Again

2012-01-16T14:56:00.000-05:00

The Cincinnati Enquirer has a long piece about the Ohio Republican Party Civil War that is worth a read if you have some time. You can catch that here.

A few take-a-ways...

The list of Team Kasich possible replacements: Bouncin' Bob McEwen, Doug Priesse, and Rex Elsass.

There is a three-way race for the 7th District. Team Kasich has a candidate (Rebecca Heimlich), DeWine has a candidate (Jean Raga), and the Tea Party has a candidate (Maggi Cook)

What doesn't make sense is the challenge in the 4th District where incumbents Tim Evans and Bea Lyons are solid conservatives being challenged by Team Kasich's Anderson Family (Richard and Patricia).

Honestly, when it comes to chairman, I have no preference. With the names mentioned above as my choice, I'd just as soon stick with the devil we know: Kevin DeWine.

As for the Central Committee races, the 7th could go any way in a free-for-all; and the 4th already has two very good people representing Butler County Republicans.

All of this has the potential for weakening Governor Kasich at a time when he dare not show weakness.

But shame on the chairman for airing the dirty laundry in public when the focus should be on Obama and Brown. If he were to stay on message and do his job professionally, he wouldn't have to worry about the jesters in the courtyard.

Schmidt Endorsed by Buckeye Firearms

2012-01-16T14:30:00.002-05:00

From the Release:

Congresswoman Jean Schmidt has been endorsed for re-election by the Buckeye Firearms Association, which describes itself as a grassroots political action committee dedicated to defending and advancing the right of Ohio citizens to own and use firearms for all legal activities, including self-defense and hunting.
Congresswoman Schmidt, a Clermont County resident who is running in the March 6 Republican primary election to retain her seat in Ohio’s Second District, said she was grateful to be recognized for her leadership on gun issues.
“I grew up on a farm and learned to shoot a gun at an early age,” Congresswoman Schmidt said. “In addition to being licensed in Ohio to carry a concealed handgun, I’ve participated in a tactical-defense training class.”
Joseph L. Eaton, Southwest Ohio region leader of the Buckeye Firearms Association, commended Congresswoman Schmidt for her longtime support of the right to keep and bear arms as guaranteed under the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
“For many years, you have been a good friend of Ohio’s gun owners,” Eaton wrote in an endorsement letter recently received by Congresswoman Schmidt. “Having completed formal training, qualified for and obtained your Ohio concealed handgun license, we know that you personally understand the challenges all gun owners face.”
Before becoming the first woman elected to represent Southern Ohio in the U.S. House, Congresswoman Schmidt was a lawmaker in the Ohio General Assembly. There, she fought for passage of legislation to allow Ohioans the right to carry concealed weapons.
“Each year since your election to the United States Congress (in 2005), your unwavering support of the Second Amendment has continued,” Eaton noted. The “Buckeye Firearms Association has kept careful track of your firearm-related votes and of your record of co-sponsoring pro-gun owner bills, and we continue to be impressed.
“Due to your past accomplishments and your continued passionate support of our Second Amendment rights, we are pleased to extend to you the endorsement of the Buckeye Firearms Association"

Is The Dream Dead? MLK, Sistah Souljah, and Our Future

2012-01-16T10:15:00.000-05:00

Martin Luther King, Jr., has always been a heavy influence in my life. This may shock the liberal establishment and liberal bloggers. From a young age, I was exposed to the words of Dr. King and I took them to heart. Despite being from rural SW Ohio, where indeed sometimes there are racial jokes, I was an outsider. I believed in the dream Dr. King articulated so well and so beautifully:

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

I looked at people for the content of their character. I didn't worry about skin color. One of my first friends in kindergarten was a boy named Chris, who was the only black kid in our class. I didn't care what color he was.

As Dr. King spoke those words, his dream was already in motion. More and more schools were giving up on the segregationist myth and coming together, black and white. People were going to similar businesses. It was slow, but it was happening. The economic status of the African American was getting better. As more African Americans moved to the industrial upper North, things continued to get better. Far from perfect, but it was getting better. A generation had seen African Americans and White Americans play sports together in baseball, basketball, and football. The dream was becoming more and more a reality. The black family was a bedrock of stability and social instruction. Things were progressing.

I always believed in content of character over color. Always. And where is the status of Dr. King's dream today? Sadly, with what I see in our culture today, the Dream is dying on the vine. Color and ethnicity are being trumped over character and shared values. Color and tribe are being used to divide us, especially at a time in our nation when we should and need to be together.

The Sistah Souljah garbage at Cincinnati Public Library is just a small part of the problem. There has been a huge shift in our culture and in the dynamic of the black community. Where once we were about coming together and being color blind, now we seem to be overly color sensitive. And it is spawning a backlash. Don't get me wrong. Martin's dream was not about giving up identity or being proud of one's race or background. Rather, it was about respecting that; but at the same time, looking past the paradigms of color and getting to the essence of each other. We don't seem to do that much anymore. Let me give you some examples, both political and personal.

Steve Cohen was a Jewish liberal Democrat from Tennessee. When I mean liberal, I mean flaming liberal. When he went to Congress, he was the sole primary sponsor of a Congressional apology to black America, pledging the House to rectify the "lingering misdeeds committed against African Americans under slavery and Jim Crow." He promised his mostly black constituents that he would seek membership in the Black Congressional Caucus. What happened to his membership?

Nothing. He got slapped in the face. And, no other white congressman representing minority districts have ever been invited to join. All who dared to apply, like Pete Stark of CA, were rejected. Tell me, how does this get to the essence of judging based on content of character? Leaders said it is "critical" that the Black Caucus remain "exclusively African-American." 6o years ago George Wallace was saying something similar about schools in his state staying exclusively white. And, to really bring something to light, this caucus, with its racial profiling and discrimination, conducts its business on federal offices on government grounds where there is supposed to be no discrimination based on race.

It seems, sadly, that those who cried out 50 years ago for judgment based on character now want to turn back the clock and engage in segregation that THEY control. This flies in the very face of what Dr. King was preaching to us from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

Even in the press and media, we have an ethnic Balkanization. Look at the Democratic primary in 2008. Even though Barack Obama is black (though some in the black community said he was not authentic, like Al Sharpton and writers at the LA Times coining the phrase Barack the Magic Negro), how else beside tribal politics do you explain how blacks came out 9:1 for Obama vs. the wife of the man Toni Morrison called our "first black President?" BET announced it would carry Obama's acceptance speech at the convention, but didn't carry the GOP acceptance speech or convention. Isn't that a bit discriminatory? What happened to judging on ideas vs. color? Then we have UNITY.

UNITY: Journalists of Color, is an organization of journalists who say the media needs more people of color. I would say media needs more journalists instead of partisans, regardless of color. In 2004, W was booed soundly at their convention. In 2004, Kerry receieved a standing ovation. In 2008, McCain didn't show and what happened when Obama came to speak, as the featured speaker no less, at the last day of the convention? The roof was blown off. UNITY is composed of four groups--an Asian group, a Hispanic group, a Native American group, and a black group. They aim to get more minorities in top media management. This is a worthy goal...but what about qualifications over color? Not so much. They have a goal called Ten by 2010. This goal is a demand that US news organizations elevate to senior management positions in the newsroom at least one journalist of color and "provide customized training to help prepare them." The chosen journalist may be Asian, African American, Native American, or Histpanic. However, to echo the past, no Irish need apply. Or Polish. Or Italian. Or German. Or Jewish. Or English. What about their qualifications? Nowhere do they talk about the person being qualified to run the newsroom or be in management. Just that they be of color. IS this MLK's dream in action? Where is content of character?

President Obama rewarded his ovation by UNITY with the appointment of a diversity czar Mark Lloyd, who praised the repressive Hugo Chavez regime with what he was doing with his media in Venezuela. He also said that white journalists had to step down to open up positions for people of color:

There is nothing more difficult than this because we have really truly, good white people in important positions, and...there are a limited number of those positions. And unless we are conscious of the need to have more people of color, gays, other people in those positions, we will not change the problem. But we;re in a position where you have to say who is going to step down so someone else can have power."

Half a century ago, Martin Luther King envisioned a day when his children would be judged "not by the color of their skin but the content of their character." And not just in journalism, but in important public sector jobs like police and fire, people are demanding the hiring and promotion of people based on the color of their skin. Jim Crow is back. Only the color of the beneficiaries and the color of the victims have been reversed. Call it James White.

In my own experience, some friends and I decided to try a new eatery in Fairfield, Ohio. Previously it had been a pizzeria and now was under new ownership and had been remodeled with a new name and such. Since it had a convenient location, we decided to drop in. It reminded me of the scene in Animal House where the Delta Tau Chi boys stop in the bar to see Otis Day and the Knights...We were about the only "white folk" at the place. And everyone was staring.....like, "why are you here, don't you have Olive Garden to go to?" We waited for 15 minutes. No one came to seat us or talked to us, even as the hostess stared from the doorway to the kitchen. Is this any different than a diner having a "whites only" sign?

Remember our liberal friend Congressman Cohen? In 2008, he faced an African American primary challenger in Nikki Tinker. Tinker featured the uber-liberal Cohen in an ad next to a hooded Klansman. Given what we discussed before, this seems strange. What had Cohen done? He refused the removing of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest's gravesite and statue from a Memphis park. Forrest had at one time been a founder of the KKK but later repudiated the Klan:

Forrest dissolved the first incarnation of the Ku Klux Klan in 1869, although many local groups continued their activities for several years.[47]

Forrest testified before the Congressional investigation on Klan activities on June 27, 1871. Forrest denied membership, but his individual role in the KKK was beyond the scope of the investigating committee which wrote:

When it is considered that the origin, designs, mysteries, and ritual of the order are made secrets; that the assumption of its regalia or the revelation of any of its secrets, even by an expelled member, or of its purposes by a member, will be visited by ‘the extreme penalty of the law,’ the difficulty of procuring testimony upon this point may be appreciated, and the denials of the purposes, of membership in, and even the existence of the order, should all be considered in the light of these provisions. This contrast might be pursued further, but our design is not to connect General Forrest with this order, (the reader may form his own conclusion upon this question,) but to trace its development, and from its acts and consequences gather the designs which are locked up under such penalties.”[48]

The committee also noted, "The natural tendency of all such organizations is to violence and crime; hence it was that General Forrest and other men of influence in the state, by the exercise of their moral power, induced them to disband.”[49]

In 1875, Forrest demonstrated that his personal sentiments on the issue of race now differed from that of the Klan, when he was invited to give a speech before an organization of black Southerners advocating racial reconciliation, called the Independent Order of Pole-Bearers Association. At this, his last public appearance, he made what the New York Times described as a "friendly speech"[9] during which, when offered a bouquet of flowers by a black woman, he accepted them as a token of reconciliation between the races and espoused a radically progressive (for the time) agenda of equality and harmony between black and white Americans.[50]

Anyhow, he was attacked and jeered. Anti Semitic fliers came out asking why does Steve Cohen and Jews hate Jesus. Cohen won the primary and won election, but it wasn't over. In 2009, Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton decided to take on Cohen, and it became very dirty. Cohen was besmirched as not thinking much of blacks,a nd playing the "black community. Herenton's campaign manager, one Sidney Chism said, "this seat was set aside for people who look like me (Chism is black)...It wasn't set aside for a Jew or a Christian. It was set aside so that blacks could have representation." They did have representation, from a very liberal democrat. It became so ugly that Obama himself had to step in and endorse Cohen, who then cruised to victory. Then there is the tale of Chris Bell....

Chris Bell's congressional district was remade into a mostly African American district. Bell's democratic colleagues in the Black Caucus contributed to his African American primary opponent.

What many forget is that in the original civil rights movement that Martin Luther Kind championed, whites and blacks, Christians and Jews, stood together. Well, once it became an industry, whites and Jews were shown the door.

However, blacks and Jews had an alliance and fought together at one time. From the book Broken Alliance:

Blacks and Jews were brought together by intersecting agendas. Jews, emerging from the catastrophe of the Second World War, their recent past shaped by their experience of anti-Semitism in the United States and the legacy of Eastern European socialism, latched onto a political agenda which, they believed, would ensure their success in America: Society should not make distinctions based on race or religion. That was good for blacks -- but it was good for Jews, too. Blacks, readying in the 1950's for yet another assault on segregation, emboldened by the Supreme Court's decision in Brown vs. Board of Education abolishing segregated schools, were willing to reach out and work with white allies. They accepted the help of Jews as people who could make a difference. There was genuine love and cooperation in the civil rights movement, but for some blacks and Jews, the main motivation was not an alliance but success. The alliance was a means to an end, not an end in itself. (p. 268) At a time when the cause of black rights was far from popular, Jewish givers gave tens of thousands of dollars to keep the NAACP on its feet. In 1930, the onset of the Depression threatened the NAACP's future. William Rosenwald, son of Julius Rosenwald, the founder of Sears, Roebuck, offered to donate $1,000 annually for three years if four others agreed to match the gift. Four did, three of them Jews -- Herbert Lehman and Felix Warburg, financiers, and Harold Guinzburg, head of the Viking Press -- and one non-Jew, Edsel Ford. (pp. 30-31)

In the summer of 1964, over half the white students heading south to engage in "civil rights" work were Jewish (p. 19). Kaufman adds:

Jews wrote most of the checks that bankrolled the fights of Martin Luther King and his Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC); of SNCC, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee; and the Freedom Rides of James Farmer and CORE (the Congress of Racial Equality). Ever since the early years of the NAACP more than fifty years before, with a Jewish president and, a few years later, a black national organizer, leading Jews on the board of directors, and a vocal black membership, blacks and Jews were linked in the fight to end racial discrimination. (p. 19)

An examination of the top leadership of the civil rights organizations in the 1960's shows that where there was a black-white alliance for civil rights, it was often a black-Jewish alliance. In addition to Jack Greenberg, director of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, who is profiled in the book, Kaufman points out that:

[Martin Luther] King's top white adviser was Stanley Levison, a Jewish lawyer whom the FBI believed was a communist agent but whom King relied on to handle his finances, edit his books, and give counsel during some of the crucial crises facing the movement The president of the NAACP and one of King's top contributors was Kivie Kaplan, a retired Boston businessman who -- personally and through friends -- gave hundreds of thousands of dollars, often after a hurried phone call from King or one of his lieutenants. Over at CORE, James Farmer's top fund-raiser and a key speech writer was Marvin Rich, later succeeded by another Jewish civil rights advocate, Alan Gartner. Jews made up more than half the white lawyers who went south to defend the civil rights protesters. They made up half to three-quarter of the contributors to civil rights organizations, even to the more radical organizations, like SNCC. (pp. 85-86)

However, no one acknowledges these contributions much today. In fact, the modern NAACP tried to cover it up:

It is a sad state of affairs that Henry Moskowitz, Ph.D., one of the original co-founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), has been excluded from the list of prominent "People" under the History heading of the new NAACP Website. Of all the founders of the NAACP, it is only Dr. Moskowitz (1879-1936) which is missing, leaving a gaping hole in the history of the organization.

Dr. Henry Moskowitz was a Romanian-born Jew that was involved with social work in New York City during the early 20th century. He was active in city politics under the administration of New York City Mayor John Purroy Mitchel; and he was the Associate Leader of the New York Society for Ethical Culture which often looked out for the rights of new immigrants on New York City's Lower East Side. He is credited as being one of the original founders of the NAACP which was created in a tiny New York apartment on February 12, 1909.

While Dr. Moskowitz' name is fleetingly mentioned in small print on a non-primary page of the NAACP Website, it is a sad commentary that the organization has not added him, his background information, his photo, and his name to the list of prominent people in their encyclopedic alphabetical index, which includes past and present NAACP leaders. Of all the NAACP founders, only Dr. Moskowitz, one of the original eight, has been marginalized from the history portion of the official NAACP Website.

Further, and even more interesting to note, is that other early NAACP supporters and founders included: Lillian Wald, Rabbi Emil G. Hirsh, and Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, all of them are missing from the NAACP Website where past leaders and prominent persons are listed. Who is listed? People such as such as Harry Belafonte, Rodney King, Oprah Winfrey and President Obama are included.

Does this sound like the future where blacks and whites could hold hands and sing together, where color doesn't matter but character does? We are turning our children and our institutions into the very thing Dr. King fought against: purveyors and continuators of racial stereotyping and division.

As we have seen liberals eat their own when color is factored in. The late Geraldine Ferraro was practically excommunicated for saying race played a role in Obama beating Hillary. Bill Clinton was maligned even, "the first black President" said that Obama was inconsistent and that winning SC was no big deal since Jesse Jackson had won it twice. Hillary was dubbed racist for her now infamous 3am phone call ad. Yet all these things were relevant, but sloughed off with charges of racism.

However, even so-called conservatives have given prey to racial identity politics. Colin Powell turned his back on his friend and fellow veteran John McCain and endorsed Obama. Powell never even denied that race played a big factor in his decision. I mean, what else was there about this freshman senator with ZERO legislative accomplishments to transform America--other than he would be black?

While in part a testament to Dr. King's dream that would show that one day a black man could indeed be president; Obama is not a really a testament to Dr. King's dream of unity and character over race. Rather it is a repudiation of that dream for a dream of Race as an industry, race as the unifier, rather than character and shared values.

Even though affirmative action and the Great Society were meant to help equalize the situation between races, it has only served to sever ties in the black community. Unwed births are up. Abortions are up. Education achievement is down. The soft bigotry of low expectation (you can't do it alone, let the government lift you up) has replaced the "just give me the opportunity and I will run with it" attitude of Jackie Robinson, Maya Rudolph, the Tuskegee Airmen, and so many others. That generation, which did the most to set the stage for a "post racial America" would probably be shocked at how today, the roles have reversed. The programs with "good intentions" have led to generations of learned helplessness and poverty. Instead of we can do it...it has become "give it to us."

At the turn of the last century, Branch Rickey was a baseball coach for a college. One of his players, a black man, was refused lodging at the team hotel. The young man went to his room (once the team left the hotel and went to another)and Rickey found him clawing at his skin, saying, "if only I were white" and crying. Rickey, of course, helped with the integration of baseball with Jackie Robinson. Today, Larry King is talking about how his kid wishes he were black. White is out, black is in. Why can't we just be who we are and let good character be in? Why does it have to continue to predicate on race when most Americans indeed have a nonracial mindset? Because those who benefit from the race industry don't want it to end...and I think Dr. King would find this sad.

Yes, I know, Martin was for Affirmative action, even if his Dream didn't say so...but would he be pleased at what it and the Great Society have wrought? Would he be pleased with Sistah Souljah? I would like to think not. I would like to think he would have seen what is going on and would say, "this is not right."

Yes, Dr. King wasn't perfect. His words at the Lincoln Memorial did not always match what he said elsewhere. But, like Jefferson's words in the Declaration of Independence, the words indeed of a slaveowner, those words had beneficial consequences of inspiring people the world over to freedom and respect for fellow man. Whether he truly meant those words on the Memorial of hand in handedness, those words have inspired some, and whether he intended it or not, have many of us working for a truly color blind society. That society, that place in the Shining City on the Hill where black and white and yellow and brown sing together, will not be brought to reality with laws seeking to balance the scales for past injustice. The past is the past. Let us move forward in the spirit of those words on the Lincoln Memorial that day. We can do nothing to fix the sins of the past. All we can do is repent and move on. Just as our generation on the white side has no idea about being slaveowners or segregation experienced, in many cases, neither do those in African American circles, unless by choice. Trying to balance the scales of justice due to past wrongs only offsets the present and future into a different kind of injustice. Instead, let us say, never again, embrace each other, and celebrate our unity in equality, rather than continue to seek out new ways to divide and stratify. All should have equity of opportunity, without regard to race, but never equity of outcome. If one man a slave or discriminated, we all are.

So, in conclusion, Is the Dream dead? No, the Dream doesn't die. Yet. Its stewards have been irresponsible, and bad decisions meant to help have yet to be fixed. The soft bigotry of those decisions still is not addressed. The Dream isn't dead, but neither is it as advanced as it should be.

WMD Program -- Show Notes and Live Blog

2012-01-13T17:05:00.001-05:00

The TIB All-Stars Show is LIVE and DIRECT at 6PM-ish Eastern...

Click the link to listen; participate in the live blog...

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WMDP-011312

Sherrod Brown's Priorities

2012-01-12T15:22:00.001-05:00

So Sherrod Brown will fight the football Blackout Rule but he can't be found with a search warrant on the Utility MACT, the EPA or for payroll tax cuts? His priorities are out of whack, I guess....

Fear Not, Gentle Readers....I Will Respond...

2012-01-11T15:08:00.003-05:00

Bill Sloat, Tom Blumer, and Matt Hurley have all weighed in on the Cincinnati Library, Sistah Souljah, and MLK's legacy. I am formulating a response to that issue and the larger question of MLK's legacy..."how stands the dream?"

Coming soon....

GUEST COLUMN: "Understanding the Importance of our Founding Documents"

2012-01-11T14:54:00.000-05:00

St. Rep. John Adams

By. St. Rep. John Adams

Many of you probably remember the response given three years ago by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi when asked by a reporter, “Where specifically does the Constitution grant Congress the authority to enact an individual health insurance mandate?”

She responded, “Are you serious?”

Her obvious disregard for the importance of our nation’s premier founding document should disturb every American. Regardless of your opinion on the health insurance mandate, hearing a high-ranking public official intentionally sidestep such an important question should prompt all of us to reevaluate the respect that is given to our Constitution.

This education should begin in our schools. It is critically important that our youth grow up with the understanding that the U.S. Constitution actually grants the federal government very limited powers, as opposed to giving wide-ranging control to the hands of politicians in Washington.

That is why I authored a bill that requires the State Board of Education to incorporate the teaching of important founding documents in the state’s school system. Under the Senate vehicle, Senate Bill 165, social studies standards for grades 4 through 12 would feature academic content regarding the original texts of the U.S. Constitution, as well as the Declaration of Independence, Northwest Ordinance and Ohio Constitution. The new standards would also include an end-of-course American history and government examination as a component of graduation tests.

The bill also requires the State Board of Education to remodel the state’s curriculum and assessments (during the existing ongoing assessment revamp process so that no extra money is required) to include these new social studies guidelines. Finally, it allows teachers with valid educator licenses in social studies to continue teaching these subjects without acquiring further licensing. The bill is not focused on placing burdens on teaching positions, but rather on placing more emphasis on ensuring that our country’s future gain a comprehensive understanding of our history.

Implementing this curriculum would not add unmanageable burdens on schools because, frankly, these texts should be taught anyway. While emphasizing math and science in public education is important, we should not overlook the value of learning about our nation and state’s founding documents. As Mrs. Powell asked Benjamin Franklin as he left the Constitutional Convention, “What have you given us?”, Mr. Franklin replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.” Unless our school children understand the basics of the founding of our country, we will not be able to keep the republic that Benjamin Franklin and the other Framers of our Constitution fought and died for.

This bill passed through the House with bipartisan support, which indicates that this is not an issue that divides Republicans and Democrats. Rather, we can all agree on the importance of learning about the documents that have shaped and guided our nation.

St. Rep. Dovilla to Host Jobs Summit

2012-01-11T14:51:00.002-05:00

Release:

STRONGSVILLE - State Representative Mike Dovilla (R–Berea) today announced he will be hosting the 18th District Jobs Summit in Strongsville on Thursday, January 26, 2012. Invited participants include small business owners, public employee union representatives, members of the construction and building trades, local elected officials, and other interested stakeholders.

“My top priority in the Ohio legislature is creating an environment that will allow businesses to flourish and create jobs,” said Dovilla. “To see our economy become strong once again, we must ensure the more than 3,000 small businesses throughout the 18th District have the tools they need to engage in the robust economic development that will return Ohio to prosperity. Our Jobs Summit will identify actions we can pursue to make Ohio more competitive and place the state back on a path to prosperity.”

Since January 2011, the Ohio legislature has enacted numerous measures to reduce taxes and regulations, eliminate an $8 billion deficit, hold state government accountable, and strengthen public education. These actions have already resulted in the creation or retention of more than 82,000 jobs, compared to 400,000 lost jobs over the previous four year period.

“I believe Ohioans are tired of partisan bickering and the ‘blame game’ that pits citizens and sectors of our economy against one another,” stated Dovilla. “Good public policy is produced by elected officials who are fully accountable to their constituents. We must engage in common sense initiatives, working in concert with one another to develop real world solutions to real world problems. As a solution-oriented listener, I am committed to working with everyone who wishes to have a productive, results-driven conversation about how we can all work together to create jobs and build a bright future for Ohio.”

In the first year of his term, Representative Dovilla has introduced ten bills that focus on his policy priorities of creating jobs, strengthening public education, protecting senior citizens, and advocating for veterans. His legislation includes House Bill 144, which simplifies the process for small businesses to incorporate and locate important information on Ohio’s online small business portal; House Bill 258, which provides a tax credit for individuals obtaining a bachelor’s degree or attaining journeyman status in the construction and building trades; and House Bill 331, which creates the Cybersecurity, Education, and Economic Development Council to attract and retain jobs in the technology sector.

MLK's Dream Didn't Include Racists of Any Color

2012-01-10T15:31:00.000-05:00

Perhaps Mark will weigh in here or elsewhere, but I can't help but put up a short post about a brewing controversy involving the Cincinnati Public Library and their Martin Luther King Reading List. Bill Sloat got the ball rolling here and Tom Blumer of BizzyBlog added his two cents here.

Anybody who says -- and I quote: "I mean, if black people kill black people every day, why not have a week and kill white people?" -- doesn't deserve having her name spoken in the same sentence as Dr. King let alone having her "work" be celebrated in his name. I might feel differently about this if she had recanted and her books actually promoted the non-violent approach that King advocated, but she hasn't and they don't.

Shame on the Cincinnati Public Library for promoting this trash and denigrating MLK's memory and Dream with this awful garbage.

CSI Ohio Marks First Year of Common Sense Regulations

2012-01-10T15:11:00.002-05:00

Release:

Columbus – Lt. Governor Mary Taylor today remarked on the first year of CSI Ohio: The Common Sense Initiative. The initiative was created by executive order on January 10, 2011 – the first day of the Kasich-Taylor Administration – to help establish a more jobs-friendly regulatory climate in Ohio. Taylor was placed in charge of the project by Governor John Kasich.

“CSI Ohio is about restoring balance to business regulations, making it easier to do business and create jobs in Ohio,” Taylor said. “We know we still have a lot of work to do, but I’m very excited about what we’ve been able to accomplish in our first year.”

CSI Ohio was established to create a regulatory framework that promotes economic development, is transparent and responsive to regulated businesses, makes compliance as easy as possible, and provides predictability for businesses. In its first year, CSI Ohio:

· Streamlined a number of obstacles to job creation in Ohio: It changed a law that required food manufacturers to purchase alcohol for their recipes at retail prices and in retail containers; it helped enact a law – Buckeyes Forever – to allow Ohio high school graduates who leave the state to return and pay in-state tuition for college and graduate school; and it eliminated duplication that required owners of inflatable bounce houses (amusement attractions) to be inspected by – and pay fees to – two different state agencies.

· Developed and advocated for legislation codifying the Common Sense Initiative in Ohio statute and creating a new level of accountability in the administrative rulemaking process. As of January 1, 2012, every administrative rule that affects businesses must undergo a CSI Business Impact Analysis, and is subject to new scrutiny by the General Assembly.

· Created a Small Business Advisory Council, consisting of nine small business leaders from throughout the state. The Council advises Lt. Governor Taylor and the CSI Office, and helps ensure that the business community is a partner in reforming Ohio’s regulations.

· Established a number of ways for business owners and other Ohioans to contribute their ideas for eliminating specific regulatory obstacles that impact business. Stakeholders can contact CSI via Email at CSIOhio@governor.ohio.gov, by calling 614.466.3555, or by visiting http://www.governor.ohio.gov/PrioritiesandInitiatives/CommonSenseInitiative.aspx. Beginning in 2012, the Office will utilize social media to enhance its real-time communication efforts.

Congressman Latta Announces New Law that Allows Schools to Donate Leftover Food to Charities and Pantries

2012-01-10T11:47:00.000-05:00

Release:

BOWLING GREEN – Congressman Latta (R-Bowling Green) announces that a new provision in the Department of Agriculture’s annual spending bill will allow public schools to donate excess food to charities and pantries. The new provision by Representative Frank Wolf (R-VA) now ensures schools are covered under the Good Samaritan Act, which protects donors who give to food banks in good faith from all liability. Previously, many school districts didn’t donate food out of concern that they weren’t covered under the Good Samaritan Act.

“As a result of this clarification, each school and local educational agency participating in the school lunch program may donate any food not consumed under the school lunch program to eligible local food banks or charitable organizations,” said Rep. Latta. “This long overdue, common-sense change will allow schools to boost the inventory of food pantries at a time when donations are greatly needed,” added Latta.

Congressman Latta has sent school principals and food bank directors across the Fifth Congressional District a letter informing them of the new change. A copy of the letter can be found here.

Today in the Ohio Senate

2012-01-10T11:18:00.001-05:00

Email:

At today’s session (1:30 pm), the Senate will consider the following bills for concurrence:

Historical Documents: Senate Bill 165, sponsored by Senator Larry Obhof (R- Montville Township), includes content on specified historical documents in the state academic standards, as well as high school American history and government curriculum.

The Senate will also consider the following legislation:

Commercial Drivers License: House Bill 337, sponsored by Representative Cliff Rosenberger (R- Clarksville), allows for the phase-in of new requirements for Commercial Drivers License (CDL) holders based on recent changes made to federal law. Changes are to begin taking effect on January 30, 2012.

Uniform Traffic Manual Updates: Sponsored by Representative Ross McGregor (R- Springfield), House Bill 349 modifies certain highway-related definitions and provisions in order to conform to changes made to the “Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.”

Ohio’s Business Opportunity Plan Law: Senate Bill 196, sponsored by Senator Mark Wagoner (R – Ottawa Hills), makes certain changes to provisions related to the Ohio Business Opportunity Plan Law. The measure is explicit in declaring the Ohio Business Opportunity Plan Law as a fundamental public policy for our state.

Intrastate Mutual Aid Compact: Senate Bill 243, sponsored by Senator Jim Hughes (R- Columbus), makes new specifications regarding the purpose of the Intrastate Mutual Aid Compact (IMAC), as well as expands the requirements for participation in the compact.

Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Day: Sponsored by Senator Troy Balderson (R-Zanesville), Senate Bill 247 designates July 9 of each year as Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Day in the State of Ohio.

Schmidt Recognized as Taxpayer Hero

2012-01-09T20:10:00.002-05:00

While primary challenger Brad Wenstrup is out being a poor steward of public dollars, so bad the state had to revoke a grant that Cincinnati had received uninterrupted for 30 years under his watch; Jean Schmidt is being recognized for serving taxpayers.

From the release:

WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Jean Schmidt has been recognized as a ‘Taxpayer Hero’ by the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste.

Schmidt’s voting record for the second session of the recent 111th Congress is “a true testament to your willingness to stand up for American taxpayers,” said Erica L. Gordon, director of policy & government affairs for the council.

“I look forward to continuing to work with you to increase transparency, minimize waste, permanently eliminate earmarks, and reduce the ever-growing national debt,” Gordon said in congratulating Schmidt.

The council “examined roll call votes to help identify which members of Congress stand up for the taxpayers’ interests and which fail to deliver on campaign promises of fiscal responsibility.”

Schmidt received a rating of 93 percent, which was higher than most other members of the House of Representatives, according to the council.

Maybe Dr. Wenstrup Should Have Asked Rick Santorum About CREW Before Using Them...

2012-01-09T20:04:00.003-05:00

So-called "solid conservative" Dr. Brad Wenstrup has shown he is not conservative. He has shown little in the way of due diligence as either a member of the Cincinnati Board of Health (a grant the city had received for 30 years from the state has been revoked under his watch, and all he does is cower behind Roxy Qualls) and he didn't take 30 seconds to google CREW, the George Soros funded group he cites calling Jean Schmidt corrupt. Well, I guess, Brad, Rick Santorum is corrupt, too, because CREW said he was. You should have asked Santorum about CREW. He joked about them in a recent debate:

To the corruption charge, Santorum ridiculed the accusation: “The group that called me corrupt was a group called [Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington]. If you haven’t been sued by CREW, you’re not a conservative.”

So, Brad, I guess Jean should thank you in a way. By citing CREW as your source, you are really saying she IS A CONSERVATIVE. Yeah, Chris Finney, you too. I know you have used CREW's garbage to smear Jean, so really, I guess you know she is a conservative, according to Rick Santorum, or is he suddenly now not a conservative? Clowns both, Finney and Brad.

Brad Wenstrup...not good with our money...not solid on the facts. Not good for OH-2!

Kasich Administration Launches Initiative on Health Care Payment Reform

2012-01-09T12:53:00.000-05:00

Release:

COLUMBUS – Governor John Kasich's Administration today launched a formal initiative to partner with health care stakeholders to begin to change Ohio’s public and private health care business models from one that is based on volume to one based on value and performance.

The Office of Ohio Health Plans (Ohio Medicaid), under the leadership of Director John McCarthy, has begun to work with Catalyst for Payment Reform (CPR), making Ohio Medicaid the first state Medicaid program to participate in the organization’s efforts. CPR is an independent, national non-profit organization that leverages the collective strength of private- and public-sector health-care purchasers to achieve better value and quality in health care.

“In Ohio and across the country, we must do a better job of meeting the health needs of individuals and creating a healthy and productive workforce at a price that is affordable for businesses, governments, individuals and other payers,” said Director of the Governor’s Office of Health Transformation Greg Moody. “In partnership with CPR, we are setting clear expectations for providers and health plans in Ohio and developing tools to give Ohioans more bang for their health-care buck.”

CPR’s participating purchasers include some of the nation’s largest corporations and public purchasers—including the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS)—that share the belief that payment reforms should promote health by rewarding the delivery of quality, cost-effective and affordable care that is patient-centered. Participants work to tailor payment strategies to improve the performance of the health-care system. In particular, CPR purchasers agree to use CPR’s model health-plan contract language on payment reform to drive quality outcomes for consumers.

“No single employer or health-care purchaser has enough leverage on its own to change the way we pay for health care in the United States,” said CPR Executive Director Suzanne F. Delbanco, Ph.D. “By coming together with other large health-care purchasers around a shared agenda, Ohio’s Medicaid program will enhance its leverage and work toward a payment system that generates better value for each health-care dollar. We are thrilled that Ohio Medicaid is going to be participating in our cutting-edge efforts, and we applaud Governor Kasich for participating with CPR as part of his approach to health transformation.”

“The state of Ohio spends more than $17 billion per year to provide health care for more than 2.7 million people, with Medicaid covering 2.1 million beneficiaries and $14 billion of the total cost,” said Director McCarthy. “CPR allows us to combine our considerable purchasing power with that of some of the nation’s largest corporations and public purchasers, such as OPERS, FedEx, eBay, Inc., Xerox Corporation, 3M and GE, to drive reforms in the health-care system. I am excited about the opportunity that this partnership provides for the individuals we serve and for the taxpayers of Ohio.”

The Kasich Administration will also be ramping up discussions with public- and private-sector partners within Ohio—including insurers, health systems, employers, providers, and advocate groups—to align priorities and work on payment reform.

“If payers start lining up their expectations, it becomes a powerful tool to change the delivery of health care,” said Director Moody. “We are going to be working with all stakeholders to develop expectations that put individuals and taxpayers first, and then make sure how we pay is aligned with those expectations.”

ODOT to Accept Applications for Safe Routes to School Projects

2012-01-09T11:42:00.002-05:00

Release:

COLUMBUS (Monday, January 9, 2012) – The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) is currently accepting applications for Safe Routes to School (SRTS) projects across Ohio.

The program provides federal funding for projects that will make it safer and more appealing for children in kindergarten through eighth grade to walk or ride their bikes to school.

“The goal of Safe Routes to School is to combine health and fitness with safety,” said ODOT Director Jerry Wray. “It’s an opportunity to work closely with schools and communities to create a healthy lifestyle for our children.”

The program has funded approximately $31 million in 400 projects since it began in 2004. Projects have included education, planning, sidewalks, pedestrian and bike paths, crosswalks, traffic calming, and bike racks.

SRTS is federally funded through the Federal Highway Administration, which means state and local applicants are not required to match funds.

A minimum of 10 percent and a maximum of 30 percent of Ohio’s allocation must be used for education, enforcement and encouragement. This year, ODOT rolled out its “Every Move You Make, Keep It Safe” educational campaign. The campaign’s purpose is to educate Ohio’s 1.2 million, their families, teachers, and school officials about appropriate safety practices for walking and bicycling to school.

Ohio’s First Lady, Karen Waldbillig Kasich, who serves as ambassador for Ohio’s SRTS program, and the “All-Ohio Safe Routes to School Show Choir” produced a music video titled “Be Safe Out the Door” to promote the benefits of walking and biking to school. The video can be viewed at: www.dot.state.oh.us/saferoutes

“I believe that active kids are healthy kids,” said Waldbillig Kasich. “Biking and walking are activities that children can do that not only provides them health and fitness benefits but it has also been shown that physical activity before and after school improves their academic performance.”

Likely applicants will be state, local and regional agencies including nonprofit organizations.

Brad Wenstrup--Poor Steward of Public Money--Grant Revoked

2012-01-06T20:48:00.004-05:00

The Foot doctor who saved the world claims he can do better managing public funds than Jean Schmidt. He claims he is a true fiscal conservative. However, as we have documented, he has given money as a member of the Cincinnati Board of Health to planned parenthood and giving money to Vic Wulsin to give contraception to young kids. I have said this is mismanagement. Well, it appears I am not alone. The state has revoked a grant from the city and board of health that they had been receiving for 30 YEARS. The cause? Poor management and stewardship and oversight.

Let's get this straight. Last year, foot doctor Brad Wenstrup decided it would be a good idea for the Cincinnati Health Board to use taxpayer money to fund the nation's largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood. So, as a member of the city board, he votes to give $85,000 in taxpayer money to help keep Planned Parenthood's lights on (http://massdiscussion.blogspot.com/2011/11/dr-wenstrup-has-funny-way-of-being-pro.html).

He followed that up by seconding a motion on a Cincinnati Health Board proposal to spend nearly $800,000 in taxpayer money annually – for up to five years – on free birth control for children (http://massdiscussion.blogspot.com/2011/11/supposed-pro-life-conservative-brad.html).

Would you consider this a misuse of taxpayer funds?

Apparently, the state of Ohio has concerns about some of the things going on with the board, which Brad joined in 2010.

"State yanks STD grant, says city 'poor' steward"

State officials said the city was such a “poor” steward of the funds "there is not a way I could justify using taxpayer dollars to put money back in to the hands of the Cincinnati Health Department to do these programs," said William McHugh, the Ohio Department of Health's division of prevention chief.

"It's gotten so bad in the last few years we had no choice but to find a new partner to address the problem," McHugh said." (http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20120105/NEWS010801/301050185/State-yanks-STD-grant-says-city-poor-steward?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CNews).

For 30 years, Cincinnati has received this grant for hundreds of thousands of dollars, but under Brad's watch over the last couple years, the state of Ohio felt the need to step in and cut off funding – to protect Ohio 's taxpayers.

Say, Brad, isn't that … your job?

Apparently, Brad is too busy running for other offices to get his stories or his stewardship straight. The guy is full of obfuscation and misdirection.

Next time you have a city Board of Health meeting, you might want to check those alleged "conservative credentials" at the door.

Mismanagement and lack of oversight are nothing new to Brad. He didn't check his source calling Schmidt a corrupt member of Congress. It was a George Soros front group. My google search took 30 seconds. 30 seconds. He also LIED about discussing his pro life issues with me over the phone. It never took place. He said he was going to call me back because I was busy when he called but HE NEVER DID. The man can't keep his stories straight. His timeline regarding his excuses for funding planned parenthood just don't pan out either. And yet he claims he would be a voice of integrity and a solid conservative. Don't buy it.

Note: Blogger was being difficult with letting me embed links, so they are presented in total. Feel free to cut and paste, or check out the wenstrup tab here at WMD.

TIB All Stars -- Show Notes and Live Blog

2012-01-06T17:36:00.000-05:00

The TIB All-Stars Show is LIVE and DIRECT at 6PM-ish Eastern...

Click the link to listen; participate in the live blog...

Listen Now!

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

NOTE: In case the JavaPlayer doesn't work, try this one.

TIBAS-010612

Coming Soon...."Solid Conservative" Dr. Wenstrup Fails to be A Good Steward...Again...

2012-01-06T15:27:00.002-05:00

Looks like even more people are realizing that the "good" doctor, Brad Wesntrup, is not a good judge of where funds should go. Looks like it is costing grant money. Coming soon to WMD, we look at how Dr. Mad Brad just makes mistake after mistake....and to think he believes he could be a good steward of taxpayer resources. After our report, you will say, No no no.....Coming soon.

Josh Mandel on Fox and Friends: Where's Sherrod Brown?

2012-01-06T15:24:00.002-05:00

One of the best quotes: "Obama is like fingernails on a chalkboard." Check out the interview from 1/5/2012:

GUEST COLUMN: "A sweet girl asks for help to find a cure for a deadly disease"

2012-01-06T11:26:00.000-05:00

Rep. Jean Schmidt

By Rep. Jean Schmidt

Avery Addington walked into my office in Washington, D.C., and made herself at home on a couch.

The 5-year-old from Springboro was nursing a cold that day in March, so I handed her a tissue. Despite having the sniffles, Avery was a good girl while the grown-ups talked.

But her mom, Hallie, was mortified when Avery put her feet on the couch. Avery scooted over to get a better view of photos I had displayed of my daughter’s two young sons.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “I’ve got grandchildren. And you're a taxpayer. You paid for that couch. It’s yours!”

Our conversation was light, but the purpose was serious. Avery has juvenile diabetes, and the illness doesn’t go away in a couple of weeks like a cold. Her family had traveled from their Warren County home to the nation’s capital to ask for help in finding a cure.

I found Avery to be a remarkably sweet girl – with light brown curls, bright blue eyes, and a dazzling smile. It’s a combination that could melt your heart.

And yet, this pretty little girl has an ugly disease.

Juvenile diabetes, also called Type 1, strikes suddenly. It can lead to kidney failure, seizures, blindness, amputations, and death.

There’s a misconception that Type 1 diabetes can be caused by poor diet or a lack of exercise (Avery stays busy with gymnastics and cheerleading). It’s actually a disorder of the body’s immune system.

Avery will not outgrow it, and she must take insulin to stay alive.

At the moment, the best medical minds in our country are trying to develop a device to make managing the disease a little easier for Avery and her family.

I wish it was a cure, but it’s not. At best, it’s a work-around, a gadget – two gadgets, really. One would monitor Avery’s blood-sugar levels, and another would calculate and automatically dispense the correct dose of her required insulin. The device, dubbed an “artificial pancreas,” is being tested now. Volunteer test subjects will wear it.

Avery, a pupil at the Walter Shade Early Childhood Center in West Carrollton, is not alone in this battle. Nearly 26 million people in America have diabetes, and one out of every three babies born in this country will develop the disease.

This is costly. Medicare spends a third of its payments on diabetes, and the overall drain on the U.S. economy is $174 billion annually for medical care and lost productivity.

Avery and her mom visited Washington to ask me to sign a letter to the commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, urging the agency to move in a timely way to approve the artificial pancreas for use in managing diabetes. I gladly did so, along with some of my colleagues in the House.

We sent the letter in April. Last month, the FDA issued what’s called draft guidance to help manufacturers as they try to develop and seek approval for artificial pancreas devices to treat diabetes. It’s a step in the right direction.

This week, Avery visited me again. She had a smile on her face when she and her mom stopped by my Cincinnati office. They thanked me for signing the letter to the FDA and for having co-sponsored legislation in the House to fund research on how to find a cure for diabetes.

Avery was accompanied by three other children, who lead active lives despite having diabetes: Nora Loving, 11, of Batavia, a fifth-grader at Immaculate Heart of Mary in Anderson Township; Sam Spears, 11, of Madeira, a fifth-grader at St. Gertrude; and Finn Roach, 15, of Deerfield Township, a freshman at Mason High School.

There were a few teary eyes among the dozen adults in the room when talk turned to the physical, emotional, and financial toll diabetes can inflict on families.

But I wish you could have seen the smiles and heard the laughter of these children – and parents – as the talk turned to things such as gymnastics, running cross country, playing football, and wrestling.

Despite all the effort and money put into battling diabetes, the disease isn’t retreating. We still don’t know exactly what causes it. We don’t know how to make it go away.

But because of kids like Avery, Nora, Sam, and Finn, I will not give up the fight.

Chairman DeWine on Obama’s Misguided EPA Regulations Place Ohio’s Economic Recovery at Risk

2012-01-06T10:35:00.002-05:00

Statement: <blockquote>

COLUMBUS – Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine released the following statement on the December jobs announcement from the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

“While today’s national jobs numbers are certainly welcome, Barack Obama’s job-killing regulations continue to place economic recovery at risk for Ohio families, businesses and energy consumers. Instead of restoring confidence in our economy for job creators, Barack Obama and Sherrod Brown have made it worse by supporting onerous mandates and a massive regulatory burden on the backs of Ohio-based energy producers,” said Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine.

“While the national economy added 200,000 jobs in December, Barack Obama’s EPA has placed more than a quarter of those jobs at risk in Ohio alone. Sherrod Brown should join with his Republican and Democratic colleagues in the Senate to support the Fair Compliance Act (S. 1833) that would delay this job-killing regulation from taking effect,” Chairman DeWine concluded.

</blockquote>

Owens Statement on Receiving the Ohio Right to Life PAC Endorsement

2012-01-06T10:33:00.002-05:00

Statement: <blockquote>

Batavia Township – On Wednesday, January 4, 2012, the Ohio Right to Life Political Action Committee issued endorsements for the primary election for the General Assembly to be held on March 6, 2012. Nick Owens, Republican candidate for the Ohio House of Representatives for the 66^th District was one of those to receive an endorsement by this well known Pro Life and anti-abortion group.

“I am honored and humbled to receive the endorsement of the Ohio Right to Life PAC. It is easy for candidates and politicians to say they are Pro Life. Unfortunately, at times this empty rhetoric to simply get elected. This is not the case for me. I am Pro Life because it is the fabric of my being,” stated Republican candidate Nick Owens.

“I believe my personal story would give the Right to Life community a very persuasive voice for the sanctity of life in the Ohio House of Representatives. My mother chose life when she was just seventeen years old. I am thankful everyday for my mother’s decision to give me the gift of life. My mother delivering me at such a young age has given me the perspective of what it means to be Pro Life in Ohio and the United States. With every abortion is another lost gift and miracle to our communities, Nation, and World,” stated Owens.

</blockquote>

Boehner Statement on December Unemployment Report

2012-01-06T09:13:00.002-05:00

Release: <blockquote>WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) released the following statement regarding the Department of Labor’s latest unemployment report:

          “It’s good news that more Americans found work last month despite a sluggish economy, but both parties must come together and do more to address the ongoing uncertainty that small businesses face. Today marks the 35th consecutive month of unemployment above eight percent, and too many Americans continue to struggle to find their next job. In order to achieve sustained, robust job growth, both parties must work together on common-sense solutions to help small businesses create jobs.

          “It’s unfortunate the White House and Senate last month created even more uncertainty for small businesses by declining to enact a full-year extension of the payroll tax credit and failing to enact the business expensing tax relief that the president himself proposed. House Republicans have already passed a bill that does both and I’m hopeful Senate Democrats will finally work with us to complete work on this measure in a timely manner and send it to the president’s desk.

          “The House has passed nearly 30 jobs bills that remain stuck in the Democratic-controlled Senate. These bills, which passed the House with bipartisan support, would end some of the uncertainty facing small businesses and help create an environment where robust private-sector job growth is once again the norm. President Obama owes it to every small business, and to the millions of Americans still looking for work, to urge Senate Democrats to take action on these common-sense jobs bills as soon as possible.”
</blockquote>

Complete List of Ohio Right to Life State Endorsements

2012-01-06T05:28:00.003-05:00

Ohio Senate Endorsements

Republican State Representative Randy Gardner - Senate District 2
Republican State Senator Peggy Lehner (Honor Roll Status) - Senate District 6
Republican State Representative Joe Uecker (Honor Roll Status) - Senate District 14
Republican Candidate Paul Hall - Senate District 14
Republican State Senator Jim Hughes - Senate District 16
Republican State Senator Tom Patton - Senate District 24

Ohio House of Representatives Endorsements

Republican State Representative Peter Stautberg - House District 27
Republican Candidate Mike Wilson - House District 28
Republican Candidate Lou Blessing, III - House District 29
Democratic Candidate Terry Tranter - House District 31
Democratic Candidate Daniel Troy - House District 60
Republican Candidate Randy Law - House District 64
Republican Candidate John Becker - House District 65
Republican Candidate Doug Green - House District 66
Republican Candidate Rick Herron- House District 66
Republican Candidate Nick Owens - House District 66
Republican State Representative Andrew Brenner - House District 67
Republican State Representative Margaret Ruhl - House District 68
Republican Candidate Rick Perales - House District 73
Republican Candidate Ron Hood - House District 78
Republican Candidate Monty Lobb - House District 78
Republican State Representative John Adams - House District 85
Republican State Representative Jeffrey McClain - House District 87

GUEST COLUMN: "Washington Doesn’t Like Me Much: Volume 3"

2012-01-05T15:46:00.001-05:00

Rep. Bob Gibbs

By Rep. Bob Gibbs

It has now been one year since I was sent to Washington to fix a broken process and get our economy moving again. But one year later, I am still as frustrated as ever with the way Washington manages to get in the way of our economy. As two bills I passed with bipartisan support join 28 other jobs-bills sitting forgotten on the US Senate’s doorstep for months, I can’t help but realize that I should add the US Senate to the list of “Washington Insiders” who don’t like me very much.

While Republicans and Democrats may disagree over how to best jump-start the economy and boost employment, my bill, The Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2011, has enjoyed broad bipartisan support. It is a common-sense initiative that would ensure that business owners are not subject to two separate federal regulations where one would suffice. It frees up capital to be spent on job-creating investments instead of dealing with redundant requirements that provide no additional health or environmental benefits.

But despite passing the House with a bipartisan super-majority, my bill isn't even considered “active” in the Senate. It’s not only my bills, however. The vast majority of our jobs bills aren’t listed as active legislation as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid refuses to bring them to the floor for a vote. I have repeatedly called the Senate to act on this legislation because it is unacceptable that business owners, farmers and local governments across the country will soon be tied up in yet another layer of red-tape because of Washington gridlock.

As Americans suffer through the Obama economy, it is a disgrace that 28 House-passed jobs bills are collecting dust on Harry Reid’s doorstep awaiting action of the Democrat-controlled Senate. The Senate has the right to either vote on these bills as they are currently written, rework them, or scrap them completely and present their own proposals. What the Senate should not do is dodge the process and obstruct any chance at progress. Furthermore, the Senate has not even passed a budget in over 1000 days.

I join the majority of Ohioans and Americans who are frustrated with the Senate’s "Washington Games" and ask you to join me and share your concerns with your US Senators. Let them know we are tired of Washington’s “business as usual” attitude and we cannot get people back to work if the Senate continues to stall jobs-bills for political gain.

It is long past the time to stop the partisanship and political gamesmanship in Washington and come together to do what is right for the American people. Washington may not like my approach, but I will continue to fight for the people of Ohio and support policies that stop deficit spending, reign in an out of control bureaucracy with commonsense regulatory reforms, reform the tax code to increase our global competitiveness, and pursue an energy policy that responsibly develops both our natural and renewable sources.

Ohio Right to Life Endorsements in SW OH

2012-01-05T14:39:00.003-05:00

In the release Matt cited a few days ago, there were some names left off the list. Paul Hall, candidate for Ohio Senate (replacing the outgoing Tom Niehaus)along with his primary opponent Joe Uecker, were both endorsed. Nick Owens, Rick Herron, and Doug Green were all endorsed by Ohio Right to Life in the race for the 66th house district.

In a delicious note, COASTIE culter Tom Brinkman did not get the endorsement. His oppoenent and incumbent did--Conservative Tom Brinkman did not get an endorsement from the Ohio Right to Life Society in what is expected to be a brutal campaign to regain his legislative seat. Instead, his opponent, state Rep. Peter Stautberg, R-Anderson Twp., received the endorsement from the group’s political action committee, which announced its picks for contested seats in the March primary today.

Sen. Portman on President Obama’s Decision to Appoint Director of Unaccountable New Agency

2012-01-04T16:15:00.000-05:00

Release:

Washington, D.C. - U.S Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) today issued the following statement on President Obama's recess appointment of Rich Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB):

"Despite promising to change the tone in Washington, President Obama has again opted for a dramatic partisan overreach, instead of working together to make this powerful new regulator more accountable to the American people. The President responded to legitimate concerns about potential abuse of this new regulator’s powers by abusing his own appointment power in an unprecedented fashion. This appears to be the first time in history that any president -- Democrat or Republican -- has installed the head of a major federal agency using a recess appointment over just a three-day adjournment.

"The irony is that while this recess appointment may advance the White House’s political goals, it does nothing to advance the work of the CFPB. The statute creating the CFPB makes clear that only Senate confirmation of a Director – not a recess appointment – can activate the new powers of this agency to regulate consumer transactions with Main Street businesses.

"As I have said many times, this is not about Rich Cordray, who I believe is a good public servant. Long before he was nominated to be CFPB Director, I expressed my strong concerns about the impact this new regulator would have on all of us as consumers, on job creation, and on our economy, and recommended some commonsense reforms. No other federal regulator has so much authority over personal economic decisions, with so little responsibility to answer to the American people and their elected representatives. These concerns -- voiced by 44 Senators -- cannot be addressed if the White House continues to refuse to work together despite my and others' efforts to reach out to them to find a way forward."

Boehner: President Obama’s Unprecedented Power Grab is Bad for Jobs

2012-01-04T11:30:00.000-05:00

Release:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) issued the following statement after President Obama made an unprecedented recess appointment without Senate consent and without Congress being adjourned.

“This is an extraordinary and entirely unprecedented power grab by President Obama that defies centuries of practice and the legal advice of his own Justice Department. The precedent that would be set by this cavalier action would have a devastating effect on the checks and balances that are enshrined in our constitution.

“This position had not been filled for one reason: the agency it heads is bad for jobs and bad for the economy. It’s clear the President would rather trample our system of separation of powers than work with Republicans to move the country forward. This action goes beyond the President’s authority, and I expect the courts will find the appointment to be illegitimate.”

NOTE: The U.S. Constitution stipulates that the House and Senate cannot adjourn for longer than three days without the consent of the other body – agreed to by a concurrent adjournment resolution. Neither chamber has passed an adjournment resolution, and instead have both been holding pro-forma sessions every three days. The House and Democratic-controlled Senate were in session yesterday, and will be again on Friday. In line with decades of congressional practices, the Department of Justice has found that Congress must be in recess more than three days before a President can make an intra-session recess appointment.

Ohio Right to Life PAC Endorses State Candidates

2012-01-04T10:46:00.002-05:00

Release:

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) - The Ohio Right to Life Society PAC today announced its endorsements of Ohio's state legislative candidates in contested races for the March 6th primary election.

"Elections have consequences. In 2011, Ohio witnessed historic gains with the enactment of numerous life saving measures. This election cycle will dictate whether Ohio will continue to protect mothers and their babies through our legislative initiatives. We are urging pro-life Ohioans to support these endorsed incumbents and candidates seeking public office," said Mike Gonidakis on behalf of the Ohio Right to Life PAC.

Currently, a pro-life super majority exists within the Ohio Senate with all 23 members of the Republican caucus supporting Ohio Right to Life's legislative agenda. The Ohio House of Representatives boasts strong bi-partisan support for the pro-life agenda as well.

"The Ohio Right to Life PAC is proud to issue these primary endorsements. These incumbents and candidates demonstrate a strong commitment to life, professionalism and the best opportunity to retain a pro-life voice within the Ohio General Assembly," said Marshal Pitchford, Chairman of the Ohio Right to Life Political Action Committee. "These candidates will serve both Ohio and the pro-life cause well. We are fortunate to have them pursuing public office and we are confident that these candidates will serve with the utmost passion for life," said Pitchford.

These outstanding candidates received the support of the Ohio Right to Life PAC because they clearly represent the pro-life movement within Ohio and the PAC is proud to endorse them.

The candidates endorsed by Ohio Right to Life PAC are a diverse group of men and women including Democrats and Republicans. A complete list of all candidates endorsed by the Ohio Right to Life PAC can be found at the bottom of this press release. Notable endorsed candidates include:

Republican State Senator Peggy Lehner (Honor Roll Status) - Senate District 6
Republican State Senator Tom Patton - Senate District 24
Republican State Senator Jim Hughes - Senate District 16
Republican State Representative Peter Stautberg - House District 27
Republican Candidate Mike Wilson - House District 28
Democratic Candidate Daniel Troy - House District 60
Democratic Candidate Terry Tranter - House District 31

Endorsements in federal races, including Congressional and U.S. Senate Candidates, will follow at a later date.

Butler County Auditor Releases Triennial Values for 2011

2011-12-30T16:41:00.000-05:00

Release:

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

2011-12-30T14:49:00.002-05:00

Email:

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

2011-12-30T10:55:00.000-05:00

Release:

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

2011-12-29T14:56:00.000-05:00

Release:

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

2011-12-23T11:22:00.000-05:00

Release:

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

2011-12-22T14:56:00.003-05:00

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

2011-12-22T11:24:00.001-05:00

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

2011-12-22T09:07:00.000-05:00

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

2011-12-21T14:35:00.002-05:00

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"

2011-12-21T09:50:00.000-05:00

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....

2011-12-20T15:40:00.003-05:00

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...

2011-12-20T15:25:00.005-05:00

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"

2011-12-20T15:20:00.002-05:00

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.

2011-12-20T15:06:00.005-05:00

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

2011-12-20T14:58:00.003-05:00

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

2011-12-20T14:53:00.002-05:00

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

2011-12-20T14:33:00.004-05:00

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

2011-12-20T11:40:00.000-05:00

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

2011-12-19T19:15:00.004-05:00

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

2011-12-19T18:52:00.002-05:00

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

2011-12-19T11:08:00.001-05:00

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

2011-12-17T12:21:00.002-05:00

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

2011-12-16T14:32:00.000-05:00

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

2011-12-16T10:34:00.002-05:00

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

2011-12-16T10:33:00.002-05:00

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

2011-12-14T14:37:00.002-05:00

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."

Middle Class Tax Cut Doomsday Clock

2011-12-14T10:51:00.000-05:00

BUTLER COUNTY: Carpenter Crap and Jolly's Follies

2011-12-14T06:59:00.000-05:00

Two stories worth mentioning this morning.

The first is that as reported here yesterday, it does indeed appear that Greg Jolivette has some problem with his petitions. That hearing will be today, so we should know more about that situation as it develops.

And now on to the Main event...

Cindy Carpenter is, in my opinion, a dangerous and vindictive manipulator. I've tried to give her second and third chances, but she can't seem to stay off my radar. Stories like this one isn't improving her image:

The employee agreed to make controlled, recorded calls to Carpenter as part of the investigation.

During the first phone call, the woman told Carpenter she was in kind of a “pickle” because she told a coworker “about what you said that night over at the IHOP,” according to the investigation report.

When Carpenter asked, “What thing?” the woman answered, “About when you were suggesting that I just screw up the files and stuff.”

Carpenter replied, “Uh-huh and reiterated ‘that I suggested to you that you screw up the files?’”

The woman said, “Yea, because I had some problems actually that same week with the files and they were questioning me what was going on.”

Carpenter, who was not interviewed separately by BCI agents, answered, “So you didn’t say you did it on purpose.”

The woman replied, “No, I was trying to cover, didn’t want them mad at me ... I was trying to get myself out of a situation.”

The woman agreed to a follow-up controlled telephone call. In the conversation, the woman told Carpenter she was concerned the restaurant conversation would come back to her since there was an investigation.

According to the documents, Carpenter said, “Since that was a table full of 18 people, goofing off and joking, that’s not a conspiracy by any stretch of the imagination.”

way to go, Butler County! You managed to elect yet another corrupt lunatic!

St. Rep. John Adams: Teaching Historical Documents Will Improve Our Children’s Education

2011-12-13T15:31:00.000-05:00

St. Rep. John Adams

Release:

COLUMBUS—Following the passage of Senate Bill 165 from the Ohio House of Representatives, State Representative John Adams (R-Sidney) released the following statement:

“I am glad to see that the House passed this legislation today with bipartisan support. This is a concept that will help tomorrow’s leaders have a better insight into how these documents led to the system of government that we have today. By giving our children a more comprehensive understanding of our heritage, we are better preparing them to be productive Americans and Ohioans who realize the value of hard work, dedication and liberty.”

S.B. 165 requires the State Board of Education to incorporate into the state social standards, for grades 4 to 12, academic content regarding the original texts of the Declaration of Independence, Northwest Ordinance, U.S. Constitution, and Ohio Constitution by July 1, 2014.

Additonally, it requires the State Board to revise the state model curricula and achievement assessments in social studies to include the new academic content. It also specifies that a valid educator license in social studies is sufficient to teach the additional American history and American government content required by the bill.

S.B. 165 will now be sent back to the Ohio Senate for concurrence.

Ohio House Passes Bill to Redefine Agriculture to Include Algae Production and Anaerobic Digesters

2011-12-13T15:26:00.002-05:00

Release:

COLUMBUS—State Representatives Jim Buchy (R-Greenville) and Lou Gentile (D-Steubenville) today announced the unanimous passage of House Bill 276 from the Ohio House of Representatives.

House Bill 276, which Buchy and Gentile jointly sponsored, clarifies the definition of agriculture as it pertains to Ohio zoning laws, a change that will enable farmers to use farm byproducts for bio-energy production without cumbersome regulations that currently deter this environmentally friendly activity. The bill also adds algaculture to the definition of agriculture, clarifying the farming of algae as an agricultural process under Ohio law.

“By including algaculture under Ohio agricultural law, we are promoting Ohio as a state committed to new forms of agriculture,” said Buchy. “Potential expansion of the industry in Ohio is expected and jobs will be available as the industry expands.”

House Bill 276 defines the production of bio-energy from anaerobic digesters as agriculture in nature if at least 50 percent of the feedstock that was used to produce the fuel was derived from land under common ownership. This advancement will allow farmers to use anaerobic digesters as a part of a nutrient management plan or to consume any other agricultural organic byproduct.

“This bill is about being green,” Gentile said. “By using more of our agricultural products available on the farm, we are keeping the excess nutrients from polluting our environment. As energy sources become scarce, Ohio agriculture can be the source of renewable product replacements.”

House Bill 276 also defines algaculture—the farming of algae—in the Ohio Revised Code as agriculture. Algae can be harvested from controlled water sources and turned into fuels, plastics, pharmaceuticals and many other products. The vote today was the first step in Ohio’s potential move to be the first state in the country to recognize algaculture as an agricultural process.

"This bill encourages economic growth and seeks to protect our environment by using agricultural products in new ways,” said Gentile. “Algaculture has the potential to remove phosphorous from water before it reaches larger bodies of water and affects recreation and natural habitats.”

In House Bill 276, algaculture is defined throughout the Ohio Revised Code to be treated as an agricultural commodity. Algae thrive off nutrients commonly known to pollute rural waterways. The advancements of algaculture and anaerobic digesters are expected to aid in the cleanup of Ohio water by aiding in the removal of phosphorous and other nutrients.

“In western Ohio we are taking water quality seriously,” Buchy said. “The farming of non-toxic algae in a controlled environment and the use of anaerobic digesters will aid in keeping phosphorous out of our rivers and streams. For farmers in Mercer, Darke, Shelby, and Auglaize counties, digesters and algae ponds will go hand-in-hand to keep nutrients out of Grand Lake St. Marys and keep algae from growing in places that we don’t want it.”

House Bill 276 will now be sent to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.

Ohio House Passes Legislation to Better Safeguard Residents of Nursing Homes Against Sex Offenders

2011-12-13T15:24:00.000-05:00

St. Rep. Combs speaking on the House floor in support of H.B. 24

Release:

COLUMBUS—In an effort to protect many of Ohio’s most vulnerable citizens, the Ohio House of Representatives today passed House Bill 24, which would require long-term care facilities to notify residents and resident sponsors when a convicted sex offender is being admitted to the facility.

The legislation addresses a loophole in which the residents of a neighborhood where a long-term care facility is located are required to be notified by a sex offender residing there, but the residents living within the facility are not required to be notified by the managers of the facility.

“This is a common-sense piece of legislation that will have a tremendous impact on our most vulnerable population—those living in nursing homes,” said State Representative Courtney Combs, who sponsored House Bill 24. “It will give peace of mind not only to those who reside in these facilities but to their families as well. I am very pleased to see House Bill 24 pass on the House floor with unanimous support because it will help keep our communities and our loved ones safe.”

When enacted, House Bill 24 will require a manager of a long-term care facility to notify all residents of the facility, as well as the sponsor of each resident, when a specified type of tier III sex offender/child-victim offender has moved in to the facility.

It will also direct the Ohio Department of Health to compile, maintain and update twice per year a list that contains the name of each long-term care facility, the county in which it is located, and its address and telephone number. The Department of Health must provide the list, upon request, to the sheriff who is required to provide community notification.

House Bill 24 will now be sent to the Ohio Senate, where it will receive further consideration.

BUTLER COUNTY: Ohio House - 54th District (51st Under Redistricting)

2011-12-12T21:50:00.001-05:00

RUMOR -- I am hearing that the petition filed by Greg Jolivette for this Ohio House race has been disqualified by the Boar of Elections. My sources have not provided a reason for the disqualification, but if this is true then Wes Retherford would be the only name to appear on the primary ballot.

The 54th / 51st District covers Hamilton, Fairfield, and Ross Township and is currently represented by Courtney Combs.

UPDATE: I am reminded that the Board of Elections will be meeting to certify results on Wednesday, so we'll know for sure what the story is then.

More Distractions of Kasich v. DeWine

2011-12-12T11:18:00.000-05:00

The latest development in the title match between Governor Kasich and Chairman DeWine affords the Republican Party an opportunity to piss off social conservatives, fiscal conservates, and the Tea Party.

Bill Sloat (thanks for the #3 ranking!) reports that pro-Kasich forces have enlisted Rebecca Simpson-Heimlich to enter the race for state central committee in district 8. That race was already going to be interesting because social conservative darling Lori Viars was being challenged by Tea Party up-and-comer Maggi Cook.

This one is going to get U-G-L-Y...and Warren County is not one of those areas where Democrats really have much hope oftaking advantage otherwise, so the fraticide here could potentially make for an opportunity for Democrats if it gets as out of hand as I think it will. Other races will be effectd by a split of this magnitude.

Here's some food for thought: If the Chairman believes that this fight will allow Obama and/or Brown to win their respective races here in Ohio, why doesn't he step down to prevent this from happening?

Brown County Update : Candidates File for March Primary

2011-12-12T10:15:00.009-05:00

Here is a list found at newsdemocrat.com of the current folks who have pulled petitions to run in the March 2012 primary. Incumbents are marked with an X. Also note independent candidates will have until the day before the March primary to return petitions since they do not participate in primary elections.

Commissioner (For term beginning Jan. 3, 2013)

Daryll Gray (R)

William Geschwind (D)X

Tim McKeown (D)

Geschwind is the dem incumbent in this race. Both Daryll Gray and Mr. McKeown are well known members of the Brown County community. This will be a tough race for the GOP, but it is winnable.

Commissioner(For term beginning Jan. 2, 2013)

Ralph Jennings (D)X

Barry Woodruff (R)

Charles Krainz Jr. (I)

Again, the incumbent is a dem who is pretty popular. Mr. Woodruff has the fire and the spark to go. He has a great personality. Krainz is a member of an optician's association, and frequent letter writer to local newspapers. A hard race, but also winnable for the GOP.

Prosecutor

Jessica Little (R)X

Dennis Varnau (I, Kook, Menace, Sore Loser)

Thomas Grennan (D)

I see Jessica has incurred the wrath of menace, sore loser, and guy who feels he should be given the office over will of the people, Dennis the Menace Varnau. This guy is so power hungry he has pulled petitions in the prosecutor AND sheriff's race. Guess he fancies himself as a one stop shop of justice. What next, judge too? The guy is a kook and has a cult following among some of the weaker minded in Brown County. Grennan is the former prosecutor who left office and is associated with mismanagement, longer waiting time for cases, and general good ol boyness.

Clerk of Courts

Dale Anderson (D)

Clark Gray (R)

Marilyn Cluxton (R)

Sandra McKinney (R)

Jeff Frye (R)

Alesha Crawford (R)

Big race. Great chance for a Dem pickup. Tina Meranda is leaving office effective 12/16 due to health reasons. Tonight, the BCGOP is to pick the person to fill the office for the rest of the term. Out of the GOP field, only Gray and Cluxton received recommendations by the central committee. Anderson is a current Scott Twp trustee. Look for a serious fight to keep this one in the GOP column.

Sheriff

Dwayne Wenninger (R) X

Todd Bumbalough (D)

John M. Black (D)

Dennis Varnau (I, Kook, Menace, Sore Loser)

Incumbent Wenninger again faces off against a Dem opponent and apparently the guy who thinks he should have all the power in law enforcement, famed litigationist Dennis the Sore Loser Varnau. This guy can't take a hint. He is a sore loser who wants offices given to him, even when he wasn't a candidate on the ballot. Bumbalough is the current mayor of Sardinia and former police chief and officer. Black is a police officer in the Mt. Orab Department. Varnau is a walking joke, but Black will be a challenger to long time incumbent Wenninger.

Engineer

Todd Cluxton (D) X

I guess Republicans don't study engineering or something. Cluxton's mom is a lifelong Republican who is running for Clerk of Courts and has been recommended by the county GOP central committee.

Recorder

Amy Jo DeClaire (R) X

Kelly Moran (D)

Amy Jo has a done a good job in her time as recorder. She is a hard worker and dedicated to her craft. Still doing background on opponent. I think this is a definite keeper for the GOP.

Treasurer

Connie Patrick (R) X

Connie has done a fantastic job! So much so that she has no opponent in the general (unless an independent wants to run...they get until the day before the primary to submit petitions). A definite keeper for the GOP.

State Senate 14th district
Paul Hall (R)
Joe Uecker (R)
Steve Purtell (R)
Charles W. Carlier (D)
Tony Adkins (D or R)

This is basically the race to replace Tom"I retroactively raised your taxes and think citizens talking to me at a church social are no different than lobbyists" Niehaus, who thankfully is term limited. Paul Hall has been endorsed by the county gop central committee. Joe Uecker is a state rep from Clermont County who is looking to move up the political ladder. Joe was endorsed by the Clermont County Central Committee. I have no idea who Charles Carlier is, and one list has Adkins as a R and the other has him as a D, so I don't know who is confused. I think this race will be the GOP candidate's to lose, and it is possible to lose.

Ohio State Rep 66th District
Doug Green (R)
Nick Owens (R)
Rick Herron (R)
Leo Lopez (R)
Ken McNeely(D)

Doug Green was endorsed by the Brown County GOP, with Herron was qualified by the Clermont County GOP Central Committee. Herron did not receive a single vote in Brown County. Nick Owens is a young man who has worked in the prosecutor's office as well as for Congresswoman Jean Schmidt. Doug Green is the current Brown County Auditor and has 26 years of experience in the county. I have no idea who Lopez is, or McNeely for that matter. I think that Green or Owens would make great representatives to the General Assembly. I think this is another hold for the GOP, barring any silliness.

US Congress, 2nd District

Jean Schmidt (R)X
Brad"Pro Life means giving to Planned Parenthood, and conservative means using Soros groups to attack opponents" Wenstrup (R)
David "Crazy nutjob who is a volatile loose cannon and a joke" Krikorian (D, looney)
Joe"No not the Pittsburgh guy" Green (R)
Brad Kundrata (R)
William R. Smith (D)

Wenstrup is untruthful, a flip flopper, and doesn't vet his information, apparently. Krikorian has proven time and again to be nothing more than a nutjob. Remember, he once tried to run as a republican. Failing, he switched to Democrat. Aside from his pet issue of turkey and armenia, what does he stand for? What values does he have? None. I don't know William Smith. Kundrata and Green didn't have the courage to show to the endorsement meetings that I know of.

Jean Schmidt has served this district faithfully. While not perfect, she has been rated the 6th most conservative in Congress. She has visited her district and been part of events and efforts at improvement in Brown and Clermont Counties tirelessly and frequently. Why some people hold such animosity is beyond me. Is she a 100% tea party small government type? Not totally, but she is highly rated by conservative experts and I would rather have her than any of the other clowns in this field. She is a survivor and a very hard worker. She works hard for constituents. Why the cult of Thea Shumake and Ted Stevenot did not fully endorse her is simply a matter of jealousy and stupidity. She was endorsed handily by the Brown County Central Committee.

Brown County Endorsement Correction

2011-12-12T10:10:00.003-05:00

In my notes, with all the contested races and candidates, I neglected an unopposed but fantastic incumbent who has done a great job and who also received recommendation from the party, that being our awesome County Treasurer, Connie Patrick! She will be, to my knowledge, running unopposed even in the general election! That speaks a lot to her fantastic work!

HR 475: Is Obamacare Unconstitutional?

2011-12-09T15:45:00.001-05:00

H.RES. 475

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee (for himself, Mr. CONAWAY, Mr. GINGREY of Georgia, Mr. DUNCAN of Tennessee, Mr. PALAZZO, Mr. BUCSHON, Mr. BARLETTA, Mr. BONNER, Mr. HARPER, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. WOODALL, Mr. CRAWFORD, Mr. GOHMERT, Mr. BURGESS, Mr. ALEXANDER, Mr. MCCLINTOCK, and Mrs. MILLER of Michigan) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Education and the Workforce, the Judiciary, Natural Resources, House Administration, Rules, and Appropriations, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

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RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional.

Whereas section 5000A(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, added by section 1501 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and commonly referred to as the `individual mandate', and the penalty provision in section 5000A(b) of such Code that enforces it, are unconstitutional because they were not an exercise of Congress's power to tax, and they are beyond Congress's power under the Commerce Clause and the Necessary and Proper Clause; and

Whereas the individual mandate and the penalty provision that enforces it are not severable from the remainder of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148): Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that--

(1) the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional in its entirety; and

(2) section 7421 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, commonly referred to as the `Anti-Injunction Act', applies neither to the individual mandate nor to the penalty provision that enforces it, and therefore does not preclude the Federal courts from finding that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional in its entirety.

ORC 124.57: Prohibition Against Partisan Political Activity

2011-12-08T11:27:00.000-05:00

Quote:

(A) No officer or employee in the classified service of the state, the several counties, cities, and city school districts of the state, or the civil service townships of the state shall directly or indirectly, orally or by letter, solicit or receive, or be in any manner concerned in soliciting or receiving, any assessment, subscription, or contribution for any political party or for any candidate for public office; nor shall any person solicit directly or indirectly, orally or by letter, or be in any manner concerned in soliciting, any such assessment, contribution, or payment from any officer or employee in the classified service of the state , the several counties, cities, or city school districts of the state, or the civil service townships of the state; nor shall any officer or employee in the classified service of the state, the several counties, cities, and city school districts of the state, or the civil service townships of the state be an officer in any political organization or take part in politics other than to vote as the officer or employee pleases and to express freely political opinions.

(B)(1) Nothing in division (A) of this section prohibits an officer or employee described in that division from serving as a precinct election official under section 3501.22 of the Revised Code.

(2) Nothing in division (A) of this section prohibits an employee of the Ohio cooperative extension service whose position is transferred from the unclassified civil service to the classified civil service and who also holds the office of president of a city legislative authority from completing the existing term of office as president.

Effective Date: 09-16-1998; 05-07-2004

Tony DeVitis Selected as State Representative of the 43rd District

2011-12-08T11:14:00.000-05:00

Release:

COLUMBUS—Speaker of the Ohio House William G. Batchelder (R-Medina) has announced that the House Republican Caucus selected Tony DeVitis of Green to serve as state representative of the 43rd Ohio House District. He will be sworn in during a House session on Wednesday, December 14th.

“Representative DeVitis is an experienced and accomplished public servant who will serve the House well,” said Speaker Batchelder. “His extensive background in business and economics will add a valuable voice to the legislature in our mission to bring jobs to the State of Ohio.”

An 18-year resident of Green, DeVitis is the owner and vice president of the family-owned DeVitis & Sons, Inc., an Italian specialty food store in North Hill. He is currently serving his first four-year term as Councilman for Ward 3, where he serves as the Chair of the Rules and Personnel Committee, Vice Chair of the Public Safety Committee, a member of the Finance Committee and is the Council President Pro Tem.

DeVitis and his wife, Kathleen, have two children, Evelyn and Clark.

GUEST COLUMN: "Creating Economic Opportunity in Ohio"

2011-12-08T09:23:00.000-05:00

St. Rep. Louis Terhar

By State Rep. Louis Terhar

The 129th General Assembly has been in session for almost a year now and, throughout that time, we have focused on job creation. When I was sworn in as your state representative in September, I was eager to add my background in business to this effort. It is truly amazing how much has been accomplished in only 12 months, and I am confident that we will make great strides in the second half of this legislative session as well.

Much of my work since joining the Ohio House has been in the Economic and Small Business Development Committee. The mission of this committee has been to introduce legislation that proposes creative ways to strengthen the state’s economy. We are currently working on a couple of bills which work towards these ends.

Many of our jobs bills work through the non-profit entity passed earlier in the year, called JobsOhio. The JobsOhio Network program will work with six partners in different areas of Ohio, each of which will establish regional-specific development plans. The regional partners will also promote Ohio in the global market by encouraging new product formation and economic innovation.

Sometimes in politics, we have a habit of devoting most of our attention to short-term fixes—temporary bills that may make an impact initially, but do little to tackle long-term problems. However, to make Ohio economically competitive for generations to come, we have also passed legislation that is more oriented toward the future.

In August, Ohio Third Frontier, a technology-based economic development initiative, awarded funds to each of the six regional programs. This money will help to stimulate new business growth and jumpstart job creating efforts across Ohio. However, these programs are not just about making employment opportunities, but also bringing permanent wealth-creating jobs and businesses to Ohio that will produce new goods and services that people need. Ohio has made the commitment to support entrepreneurial efforts and open innovation, and we are making good on our promises.

We are currently working on developing a program that will secure a stronger partnership between state institutions and private entities. The program is based very closely off of the Research Triangle Park developed in North Carolina in the 1950s, which was instrumental in attracting research-oriented companies to the state and, thus, expanding the economy. By strengthening the bond between these companies and the universities throughout the state, more local college graduates were able to pursue interests in those related fields and then stay in the state following graduation.

Developing a similar program here in Ohio could go a long way toward solving the problem of seeing young individuals graduate from college and then moving to another state to pursue their careers.

It is important for our state government to focus not only on short-term interests, but also to work towards a better long-term future for our children and grandchildren. If you have any ideas that you feel will benefit Ohio, please feel free to contact my office at any time. Ensuring a strong future for our state is a joint effort, and I would love to hear your input as we move into the new year.

Brown County GOP Endorsements Wrap Up..Wenstrup Bends Truth Again...

2011-12-06T18:09:00.000-05:00

Thursday, Dec. 1, the Brown County GOP Central Committee met to make endorsements regarding the upcoming 2012 primaries. Presidential candidates are not considered per our standing rules. There were a few changes to the endorsement procedures. For example, in county races, one would not get a full endorsement but a recommendation if one attained a 50% count of the votes of CC members. This was done at a previous meeting I was unable to attend. At first, I must admit I did not like the change, but it kind of grew on me a little.

First big news was the resignation of Paul Hall from the Brown County board of elections. This was due to his running for Ohio Senate, which would create a problem. Mariah Votel was appointed to take his seat on the board.

There were a number of unopposed races, all of which gained recommendation. They were:
Sheriff Dwayne Wenninger, Prosecutor Jessica Little, Commission Candidate Daryl Gray, Recorder Amy Jo Declaire, Supreme Court Judge Sharon Kennedy, and court of appeals judge Stephen Powell. Jeff Hardin was also unopposed but needed 60% vote for endorsement. He received it based on his excellent record on the state board of education and his fantastic presentation.

In county contested races, more than one candidate could be recommended, as each candidate was voted on separately by the committee. If they garnered 50% of the vote, they are considered recommended. No endorsements were issued. In the contested race for a commission seat, one of the people was a registered democrat and did not show up. The other, Barry Woodruff, gave a great presentation about his story of starting as an orderly and working his way up in a major health care concern. He received a recommendation.

There were two candidates for clerk of courts who met the deadline for requesting endorsement. However, the CC voted to suspend the rules to allow the other three candidates seeking endorsement to not only speak, but be voted upon. Jeff Frye, Sandy McKinney, and Alicia Crawford all got a chance to speak. Jeff Frye's background is in real estate titles. He is active in the community and his wife is a radio personality on a local station. He made a good point of bringing up need to digitize all records to avoid getting lost/stolen. Sandy McKinney brought a wealth of private and public sector experience, as a business owner and as a worker in the Clerk's office and manager of the local airport. Alicia Crawford already works in the clerk's office and is basically acting on behalf of Clerk of Court's Tina Meranda, doing most of her duties with Tina being in poor health (your prayers appreciated. Crawford cited her experience working for Tina but then talked about all the work being too much and how she had to leave some duties to others. None of these folks were recommended, but they all seemed like good candidates. The two who were recommended were Clark Gray and Marilyn Cluxton. Clark Gray had a good sense of humor, wants to be only Clerk of Courts, and wants to extend office hours. Marilyn Cluxton, whose son is Democrat county engineer Todd Cluxton, is a lifelong republican who works in the clerk's office as well. Both made great presentations and were recommended by at least a 50% vote for each person.

In the race for state central committee person, one guy didn't show up and John Becker withdrew his request for endorsement. Greg Simpson won the endorsement with a powerful presentation on his ideas and how he would look at candidates. Not just saying conservative, but what are your ideas? Sounds like a good approach.

For State Representative, Rick Herron of Bethel led off. He is one of the founders of the Bethel Tea Party and active in that movement. He spoke a lot of red meat and talked about reducing size and scope of government and getting rid of regulations and taxes. However, not a lot of ideas. Nick Owens went next. Nick is a young man who worked for Jean Schmidt and helped with some cases in the Brown County prosecutors office. He is finishing his law degree from U of Dayton. He gave a nice presentation where he talked about being faithful and following both the US Constitution as well as Ohio's and knowing how to work within each. He cited his experience working with bureaucrats in getting things done and talked about ideas and how we needed someone who was active and had fire in the belly. He gave a great talk about fixing the 32/68 interchange in Mt. Orab and the need to have someone who could articulate what the district was about and present its best face to interested parties. Last was County Auditor Doug Green. Doug brings a lifetime of service and experience to Brown County, having grown up in the County. He has been 26 years of leadership and is recognized around the state. He talked about his desire to serve. In this race, the CC went with the hometown guy, Doug Green, and endorsed him. Nick Owens came in 2nd, and Rick Herron did not receive a single vote to my knowledge. Either Owens ore Green are great candidates, and I hope both run a clean race, as both are stand up guys who want to serve. I hope they both get their message out and let the best person win.

State Senate was next. Rep. Joe Uecker of Clermont County, Steve Purtell, a lawyer in the prosecutor's office, and Chairman of the CC Paul Hall of Brown County are in the running. Joe Uecker talked a lot of boilerplate GOP talk and how he had experience. Not a whole lot of ideas there. Steve Purtell gave a nice talk but his lack of political experience showed, and it was not totally organized or laid out. Paul Hall gave a fantastic speech, talking about how we needed non-politicians in the race and how even though other people (namely Mr. Uecker) had said how can he run his businesses and be rep, Paul said he would make the changes and would be a voice for our values. I was impressed, as this Paul Hall was much better prepared and articulated a vision much more than the Paul Hall who ran against Danny Bubp. He talked about actually eliminating and privatizing things that were not efficient. Paul Hall won endorsement.

In the biggest race of the night, for US Congress, 2nd district, there was incumbent Jean Schmidt vs. Dr. Brad Wenstrup, of Clermont County. WMD has covered the many mistruths and foul play of Dr. Wenstrup. Dr. Wenstrup began, I believe. He talked about how conservative he was, about how he sought to defend the nation, enlisting at 39 in the Guard and being deployed to Iraq. Very admirable, and I salute and honor his service. He then went into boilerplate tea party mode without really saying why he needed to be there instead of Jean Schmidt. During the Q and A, I asked him about his abortion issues as well as using a Soros group to attack Jean. The answers were shocking. First, he claimed that we had discussed his abortion issues over the phone. FALSE! While Dr. Wenstrup did attempt to talk to me, I talked to him for a little over 2 minutes, asking him to call me back as I was busy when he wanted to talk. AT NO TIME did we discuss his hypocrisy in the pro life area. His answer was more of the same: Planned Parenthood promised this, I am the most pro life member of the Board of Health, etc. He accused me of spinning his votes. I merely stated in the question that he had voted for and seconded motions that gave PP money and that this money flowing in one pocket would allow them to spend money from another pocket on pro abort causes. WE didn't even get into his false defense that PP was the only organization doing AIDS testing and support, when even WCPO had a story on Caracole, another organization that could have taken on AIDs testing. Then, on the issue of the Soros group CREW, he said I must have done some "serious" digging to find out they were backed by Soros. Not true again. It took all of 30 seconds googling to find what CREW was all about. He then said, 'well, they rated 10 republicans and 4 democrats most corrupt, so that sounds nonpartisan to me.' Which brings me to this point:

Do we want someone in Congress who doesn't take a few minutes to check the facts and orientation of a group they are going to cite in an official document? I say no. Also, do you want someone who is going to attack someone for voting in a way that could possibly lead to funds for something unsavory, even as they voted twice officially to give money to the provider of the unsavory service? Sounds a little hypocritical to me.

Dr. Wenstrup was still visibly shaken by my questions as he answered other questions.

Jean Schmidt came up next and thanked us all for supporting her in the past, and asked for our support and our votes. Bill Herdmann expressed his thanks to Jean and her husband Peter for coming out to events and supporting the Brown County GOP as well as providing fantastic service to Brown County and making great inroads in communication and service. Others echoed the sentiment. Jean talked about how we needed to fight Obamacare and also make sure Obama is a one term president.

Jean Schmidt received the endorsement with over 66% of the vote.

Tom Blumer at Bizzyblog offers more insight and cites us here at WMD regarding the OH-2 primary race.

All in all, a good night, with some great candidates, and one or two who were definitely not.

Ohio House Passes Legislation to Penalize Campaign Finance Violations

2011-12-06T16:34:00.000-05:00

Release:

COLUMBUS—In an effort to institute greater accountability in campaign finance, the Ohio House of Representatives today voted to pass House Bill 326, which imposes a criminal penalty on public officials who knowingly use public funds for political purposes.

This legislation—which was jointly sponsored by State Representatives Jeff McClain (R-Upper Sandusky) and Brian Hill (R-Zanesville)—institutes a penalty of a first-degree misdemeanor, similar to the penalty for other campaign finance law violations. Currently, the Ohio Revised Code specifies that it is illegal to use tax dollars for political purposes but does not include a criminal penalty.

“This bill is very straightforward,” McClain said. “It simply protects taxpayer dollars and I am pleased with the strong bipartisan support it received.”

“Today, taxpayers are one step closer to ensuring public officials are held accountable in the court of law for the misuse of our tax money to fund campaigns,” Hill said. “An open, honest, transparent and fiscally-responsible government is what our communities demand and is what I will continue to fight for.”

The need for House Bill 326 came to light after a recent audit of the Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority (TARTA) revealed that in 2007 and 2008, TARTA illegally loaned nearly $67,000 to Citizens for TARTA, the political action committee that gathers resources to fund TARTA levy campaigns.

House Bill 326 passed by a vote of 90-2 and will now be sent to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.

Thank God Issue 2 Failed #7865307248567 (Update)

2011-12-06T15:36:00.006-05:00

How Can People Who Educate Our Children and Defend Us be So Dumb and Buy Union B.S.?

Or...where is your buddy the unions now that you are RIF'ed?

I told many of my teacher friends and fellow educators at the learning center that they didn't understand what they were doing when they voted against issue 2. They said I was just buying the propaganda of the right, that I was jaded by my own experiences. Well, gee, guess who bought a pile of b.s.? From Big Government:

One month ago Ohio voted with its heart against reforms portrayed as an attack on public workers. Ohio, DC, and New York union bosses spent more than $30 million drenching the airwaves in images of sad firefighters, sad police officers, and evil Republicans, convincing voters to overlook a broken status quo.

A month later, how are local governments celebrating the union victory on Issue 2?
, despite the city’s police and fire budgets both increasing by nearly 1/3 in the past decade. In Hamilton, a $5.9 million death tax haul will delay the inevitable:

Inflation coupled with new technology costs and the significant rises in health care costs have contributed to the rise in safety services budgets [...]

The Hamilton fire union contract contains a minimum staffing clause, which means overtime if people are out sick or on vacation. When staffing dipped to 106 between 2008 and 2010, overtime was a significant factor in the fire budget increase, city officials have said.

Emphasis mine. Cleveland City School District is eliminating preschool, high school busing, and 75 security positions:

With labor costs making up the majority of school budgets, the district has sought to make up much of that ground through negotiations with unions representing Cleveland school employees. Negotiations with the teachers union have continued since March, with the district seeking significant pay concessions.

Westerville City School District is firing 62 support staff, cutting busing, and eliminating all sports:

Officials from the teachers union have said the plan also would cut about 175 teaching positions.

The proposed cuts follow a Nov. 8 levy defeat in which 61 percent of voters rejected a combined income-tax and property-tax request.

In Lancaster, where income- and property-tax issues also failed:

One of Lancaster’s three city firehouses was closed last month after the mayor laid off 13 firefighters to help balance the budget. The 68 firefighters remaining have predicted response times will increase in the city of about 37,000, but they could not say by how much.

In Trumbull County:

The state Controlling Board has approved an advance payment of more than $1.9 million to help the Liberty Township school district pay its bills.

The reforms in Issue 2 would’ve helped localities control health & pension costs, ended last-in-first-out layoffs, instituted merit pay, and equipped elected leaders with some flexibility at the expense of union bosses. Good thing we avoided that miserable fate!

The unions made this bed, and Ohio voters were gullible enough to climb into it. Or, as Obama confidante and millionaire AFL-CIO kingpin Richard Trumka boasted after the election:

Go in and make war on your employees rather than make jobs with your employees, and you do so at your own peril.

True to form, Trumka insists the problem is Governor Kasich’s refusal to embrace failed “stimulus” spending. Pay no attention to the dishonest class-warriors siphoning millions from government workers behind the curtain.

The sun will keep rising in the east, and union apologists will continue blaming local budget troubles on reduced state spending. It’s true that Governor Kasich cut spending to cover a deficit estimated at $8 billion when Governor Strickland left office. It’s also true that the Progressive solution is Obamanomics at the state level: out-of-control unions, bigger government, and higher taxes to pay for both.

Which has worked brilliantly to date.

Check out the original article for the links. I told my friends. All they told me was that we didn't support those who serve us. I said b.s. I said in the long run SB5/Issue 2 would save and create jobs and getting rid of it would cost jobs. Well, guess who is being proven right and who is out joining me in the former public school teacher category: many of the people who believed union dogma over common sense.

Thank God Issue 2 Failed #7865307248566

2011-12-05T14:16:00.003-05:00

This.

Somebody foretold stuff like this. That guy, whoever he is/was, is/was a genius...

Oh, yeah, that's right: I am that guy.......

Mark's Remarks

For those of you liberal morons out there, including certain English teacher at my h.s. alma mater, that was Matt's attempt at snark.....

Notice, day after issue 2 fails, many, many departments start talking cuts and layoffs. Hmmm...wonder why? Union bosses will try to spin, but fact remains, you cut out your own legs.....

Kasich Wants DeWine Out at ORP

2011-12-05T08:46:00.000-05:00

Now that this story has broken in the 527 media, I can say that I have been hearing for awhile now that Team Kasich has been making calls looking for a way to get Kevin DeWine out.

Much of the story, as reported by Joe Hallet, is accurate and a fair representation of the grievances. Kasich did ask DeWine to resign after he won the governorship and the deal was struck that Kevin would hang on while the senior staffers at ORP would take the fall. Apparently, Team Kasich is still not satisfied with the direction that ORP has taken since.

For the most part, I've been pretty pleased with the new crew. I thought that they were a little slow getting in to the Mecklenborg situation, but that had more to do with Kevin in my opinion. Ohio is a difficult state to handle, but I believe the new guys have learned pretty quickly which buttons not to push.

Generally speaking, I prefer the devil I know...if Team Kasich cares to put up a name for consideration, let's hear it. It is no secret that I have not been overly pleased with the lack of support the Chairman has given to the agenda, but I don't think it is right to play games without putting all your cards on the table.

We can't afford this nonsense right now. We need to defeat Obama and Sherrod Brown. That is what we should be focused on right now. But if we must, let's get on with it and get it over with quickly so we can get our eyes back on the prize.

BUTLER COUNTY: 2012 Dog Tags Now Available

2011-12-05T08:18:00.002-05:00

Release:

HAMILTON, Ohio – Butler County Auditor Roger Reynolds announced that dog tags for 2012 are on sale now, from Dec.1 until Jan. 31, 2012. Tags are $14 per dog and are valid for all of 2012. After Jan. 31, 2012, there is a late penalty to buy tags.

Renewal applications are now in the mail for previously tagged dogs. The Auditor’s Office has also sent out a mass e-mail reminder to many current registered dog owners – those who previously purchased tags online. Renewal forms postmarked by Jan. 31, 2012, will not be considered late. Those persons receiving a renewal notice who no longer own a dog may disregard the form.

Dog tags can be purchased online at www.butlercountyauditor.org. The site accepts MasterCard and Visa. Tags are also available in the Auditor’s office in downtown Hamilton and at over 50 other locations throughout the county. The list of businesses that sell licenses is also available on the Auditor’s website.

“It is important that dog owners purchase a license,” says Auditor Reynolds. “If a dog escapes or gets lost, the license is a means of identity. A license may be the only way of retrieving a lost pet. Also, licensing a dog is an issue of public safety.”

“It may be a bit of an inconvenience, but the fact is that just a few dollars and a limited investment of time will license and protect a dog. And, of course, licensing our dogs is the law.”

There were 38,032 licenses sold in 2011, an increase over the 37,683 tags sold in 2010.