Perrysburg Police Arrest Four with Stolen Romney Signs

Release:

Columbus, Ohio - The Ohio Liberty Coalition today released a police report from the arrest at 1:00 AM Friday morning by the Perrysburg Police Department of four males, driving in a Ford F-150 Pickup that was filled with stolen Romney campaign signs. The truck’s owner is the Sheet Metal Workers International, Union Local 33 in Parma, OH. Many of the stolen signs were believed to have been put up by members of the Northwest Ohio Conservative Coalition according to John McAvoy the President of the Group.

McAvoy described the situation as it was reported to him "This morning 4 men driving a pickup truck registered to the Sheet Metal Union, Local 33 were arrested and charged with receiving stolen property - in the form of a bed full of Romney/Ryan yard signs, some measuring as large as 4'x8'. Also in the truck were tools such as drills, which were possibly used to take the large signs down. The signs were allegedly removed from several private property and business locations across Lucas and Wood County."

He continued by adding "We find it unfortunate that the Sheet Metal Union is involved in such low behavior and actively suppressing freedom of speech during such an important election. We hope the news media will investigate. Wide reports of Romney signs being stolen have been an issue for many weeks, but this is the first we've heard of anyone being caught."

Tom Zawistowski, President of the Ohio Liberty Coalition, added "This has been a serious issue all election season all over Ohio. What we have seen is not random theft of a few signs here and there, but instead a literal clensing of entire areas of signs. That has to be planned and executed by someone who has no respect for the law or for free speech." Zawistowski concluded by saying "In Portage County, we had gotten advance notice that lots of signs were going to be taken last night and sure enough entire streets of signs were missing this morning. Most of which were on private property and many that were not near the road. It will be interesting to learn from the investigation if those caught in Perrysburg were being paid by the Union while they were taking the signs. Our member groups will not hesitate to prosecute individuals who are caught taking signs and we encourage anyone that has a sign stolen to file a police report."

The Ohio Liberty Coalition is a coalition of Ohio Liberty Groups whose purpose is to unite conservative grassroots organizations for greater effectiveness in the state and nation, and to provide resources for member organizations to strengthen their groups. The OLC currently has over 75 liberty-minded groups across Ohio who are members of its coalition.

It's Not All About the Children: Failing Teachers Leave Illiterate Kids in Lurch in Chicago

To hear the teachers on strike tell it in Chicago, this strike is all about protecting our children. It is all about wanting children to have competent teachers in the classroom. Well, the kids now have no competent teachers and aren't in the classrooms. Teachers in Chicago are walking out and going on strike, despite their very generous pension plans. They want more. And no, it is not about competency nor your children. They want to protect their incompetent brethren, which there appears to be a lot of in the Language Arts and Reading areas from this story:

Seventy-nine percent of the 8th graders in the Chicago Public Schools are not grade-level proficient in reading, according to the U.S. Department of Education, and 80 percent are not grade-level proficient in math.

Chicago public school teachers went on strike on Monday and one of the major issues behind the strike is a new system Chicago plans to use for evaluating public school teachers in which student improvement on standardized tests will count for 40 percent of a teacher’s evaluation. Until now, the evaluations of Chicago public school teachers have been based on what a Chicago Sun Times editorial called a “meaningless checklist.”

What, holding teachers accountable for improvement? We can't have that! I know. I am a teacher on the outside looking in trying to get work, and the teachers unions are working on keeping me out because due to my lack of tenure, they won't be able to take as high amounts of money from me as they do my more experienced people, some of whom are just going through the motions. So, they protect the unmotivated. Even the Uber Liberal Sun Times called the former eval instrument a meaningless checklist. Read further for how these selfish teachers haven't been doing their jobs:

Nationally, public school 8th graders scored an average of 264 on the NAEP reading test. Statewide in Illinois, the 8th graders did a little better, scoring an average of 266. But in the Chicago Public Schools, 8th graders scored an average of only 253 in reading. That was lower even than the nationwide average of 255 among 8th graders in “large city” public schools.

With these NAEP test results, only 19 percent of Chicago public school 8th graders rated proficient in reading while another 2 percent rated advanced—for a total of 21 percent who rated proficient or better.

79 percent of Chicago public school 8th graders were not grade-level proficient in reading. According to the U.S. Department of Education, this included 43 percent who rated “basic” and 36 percent who rated “below basic.”

In the 8th grade math test, Chicago public school 8th graders scored an average of 270 out of 500, compared to an average of 274 for 8th graders in “large city” public schools, and 283 for 8th graders nationally as well as statewide in Illinois.

With these NAEP test results, only 17 percent of Chicago public school 8th graders rated proficient in math while another 3 percent rated advanced—for a total of 20 percent who rated proficient or better.

Thus, 80 percent of Chicago public school 8th graders were not grade-level proficient in math. According to the U.S. Department of Education, this included 40 percent who rated “basic” in math and 40 percent who rated “below basic.”

So, Chicago 8th graders, 70-80% of whom can't do grade level math, are somehow being benefitted by missing more days of school. And paying teachers more and giving them less stringent standards is supposed to make the kids' lives and education better. Seriously?

And if some of you out there buy the lame excuse it is about helping get better teachers and it is about the kids, check this out:

Maldonado blamed the union as he walked into the briefing room with his 7-year-old son, Roberto II, carrying a backpack.

“This is the effect of the union right now,” Maldonado, whose wife had the couple’s two other children Monday.

“We’re lucky enough that is not that much of a hardship on us, But it’s a hardship on the kids.”

“The reason that they decided to go on strike is a stretch,” he continued. “If there are no challenges in terms of the financial aspects of the negotiations and the only hang-up is the thing about imposing upon principals to hire laid-off teachers — I mean if I’m going to hold accountable my principal at the school where my kids go for the education of my kids...I need to give (the principal) the flexibility to hire who they perceive to be the best teachers. That’s just logical.”

Those sticking points, though, caused teachers to show up in large numbers early Monday morning, picketing at local schools. “We do not intend to sign an agreement until all matters of our contract are addressed,” Lewis said. “We are committed to staying at the table.”

The school board’s last offer included a 3 percent raise the first year and 2 percent raises the next three years — a slight increase from an earlier offer of two percent raises in each of the next four years.

The package, which would cost $400 million, keeps increases for experience and credentials with some modifications.

Vitale said the contract amounted to a 16 percent raise over four years for the average teacher when factoring other increases. And the raises could not be rescinded for lack of funds — which is what happened this past school year, angering teachers and helping to set the stage for Monday’s strike.

“This is not a small commitment we’re making at a time when your fiscal situation is really challenged,” Vitale said. A $1 billion deficit awaits the system at the end of this school year, officials have estimated. And the district drained its reserve funds to plug this year’s budget.

Do you get a 16% raise over four years? Why should failing teachers?

L.A. Teachers Get Free Insurance...Not One Dime do They Pay...

And some people wonder how California can be so miserably broke. Here's how :http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

LOS ANGELES – Union-funded hacks like those at the Economic Policy Institute tell us public employees have it rough. Their pay is so low they resort to eating dog food at night. Their pensions are terrible and no one – and we mean no one – should be subjected to such poor health care coverage.

It baffles the mind, then, to look at the honest numbers. Because when one does, it shows that the people at EPI are little more than union shills spewing cooked up numbers to satisfy the paymaster.

In the latest in a series of reports issued by EAGnews.org focused on labor spending in metropolitan school districts across the country, it’s revealed that members of United Teachers Los Angeles (the local teachers union) didn’t pay one thin dime toward health insurance premiums in 2010-11. That cost fell to taxpayers, who parted with a whopping $416 million.
The school district’s budget deficit entering the 2010-11 fiscal year was $640 million. Employees were laid off by the thousands and five instructional days were cancelled, yet union employees were allowed to maintain their free and very costly health coverage.

And the problem in Los Angeles persists. According to media reports, teachers are still not required to contribute toward health insurance premiums.

Just imagine if members of the UTLA were required to pay 20 percent toward insurance, which would still be well below the national private sector average. Schools could reap the savings and put them toward their mission: educating children.

That would equal $83.2 million that could go toward recalling laid off teachers and restoring instructional days to the school calendar. According to media reports, the Los Angeles district has eliminated 18 days of instruction over the past four years due to budget constraints.

Instead, unions and their apologists insist that schools are desperate for cash and taxes must be raised.

They don't give a damn about the children, just themselves....and we wonder why we continue to fall further behind. Between dumbing down the curriculum, producing poorer teachers, allowing ineffective teachers to continue, as well as throwing money down the insurance glory hole, our schools are a joke....but don't tell that to the unions...you simply aren't paying enough for them. You should pay more so they can get FREE HEALTHCARE, so they can have FREE pensions. So much for skin in the game and fair share....

Wisconsin Recall Aftermath:This is What Democrats Look Like

The level of insanity in the wake of grassroots citizens vs union thugs is a teachable moment. There have been death threats against Scott Walker all over social media. Democrats are saying Walker should be indicted, or that democracy is dead. Notice, even as state law enforcement investigates and catalogues the death threats, the justice dept and Obama are silent. Over at twitchy they have a listing of tweets and such. Warning: the language is awful. However, it does show you how infantile and immature the left is in its petulance. If tea party peeps or gopers did this, we would be hearing about how violent we are. But, liberals say disturbing and hateful things and no one asks for calm. This fits in also with their needy selfishness-everyone else must pay fair shares, but not Josef union guy....he is entitled. Pathetic.

Biggest Mooch of Tax Dollars? Public Sector Unions

From Pj media:

Here’s a simple piece of arithmetic to keep in mind after Wisconsin voters overwhelmingly supported Gov. Scott Walker and California voters backed pension cuts for retired municipal workers. I reviewed some of these numbers last October in this space, and add some state-level detail below. Back on Jan. 24 I insisted that “Obama is toast” because of the rotten economy. It’s sure starting to look that way.

State and local property tax collections (blue line in the graph below) have risen by 10%, from $400 billion to $440 billion, since 2008, even though the price of homes in most American markets (red line)  has fallen by 30% since 2008. Your house is worth less and your property taxes have gone up. Most of the $440 billion in property taxes is paid by homeowners. That compares with the $380 billion a year or so that homeowners pay on the $10 trillion in outstanding home mortgage debt. Homeowners now pay roughly as much in property taxes as in mortgages interest. It used to be a quarter to a third as much. No wonder home prices remain depressed.

Things are even worse in Wisconsin than in most American states. As shown in the chart below, property tax collections have risen by nearly $25 billion, or almost 20% in Gov. Walker’s state, compared to a 10% increase nationally. No wonder Wisconsin voters backed Walker by a margin of nearly 3:2. There are a lot more people paying property taxes to pay the salaries and benefits of government workers than there are government workers.



California is the worst of all: Despite one of the weakest housing markets in the country, property tax collections in California spiked by nearly 50% since 2008.



State and local government spending doubled since the property boom began in 1998:



The federal government’s spending rose even faster, but it is borrowing $1 out of every $3 it spends, but state and local governments can’t do that by law. So they have pushed up tax collections even while federal tax collections have fallen.

See, folks? This is why people came out for Walker. More people are learning that they are paying a few people more and more to support a minority of people who scream about everyone else paying fair shares but themselves. Hardly anyone gets all health or pensions paid for anymore, if they are even offered. Why should everyone else pay more and more while these do not. And right now it is especially wrong because property values are going down. So, even as you the taxpayer are ruined, you have to pay higher taxes for something going down in value, and the unions still say you aren't doing enough. Shameful. Hopefully more and more Americans will wake up and see that this is one group of people who need entitlement reform, not enrichment.

Stalag High School: Liberal Teachers Keep Jobs, Conservatives Can't Get a Foot in the Door

This really hacks me off. As a teacher myself, much less one trained in the area of Social Studies, I find the behavior of this teacher offensive. When I taught, I allowed for classroom debate. I even played devil's advocate for both sides so as not to bias the debates. I tried, even when pressed, to keep my personal politics out of teaching history and the government. How was I rewarded? Due to the fact that I was politically active as a conservative, despite my positive yearly assessments, I was shown the door after two years of instruction. Since then, I have substituted, put in applications, had interviews. Have not been able to get my foot in the door again. I have even subbed in social studies classes where the students say I know more and am a better teacher than their regular one. But still, I can't get in because I am not a kool aid drinker. Well, here is what our educational system has come to when we don't allow for diversity of opinion and we just let liberal ideology decide who should have a job:



This type of ignorance and blind hatred are what causes our society to crumble. It further illustrates that liberals are the intolerant ones. When I had debates, I listened to the points, and then argued my position. I didn't scream down students or show my own lack of knowledge about my subject by saying things like people were arrested for talking about this President or that one. That hasn't happened since John Adams. Sad and pathetic, but this is the type of stalag/gulag we are putting our kids in, because the establishment of education is liberal indoctrinators who are trying to turn our children into quiet little robots, and not truly free thinkers. The local media is picking up the story in NC:

The teacher at the center of a controversy over a classroom video has now been suspended with pay, according to the Rowan Salisbury School System.

Tonya Dixon-Neely teaches Social Studies at North Rowan High. She is heard on the video telling a student that he could get arrested for being critical of President Obama, and that people were arrested for being critical of President Bush.

"Effective today, Tanya Dixon-Neely has been suspended with pay while a thorough investigation is being conducted," school officials told WBTV when asked about Dixon-Neely's status.

The link to the video first showed up at WBTV on Tuesday of last week.

It came from a man who said he was a former teacher in the Rowan Salisbury School System. He claimed that a student inside a classroom at North Rowan High School was being verbally abused in a debate over President Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney.

"This video is circulating the internet. It is about a North Rowan High School social studies teacher that is verbally abusing a student regarding a question about the President and Mitt Romney," he told WBTV in his email.

"Please watch and listen to the actions of the teacher in this video and bring this type of bullying of students by the staff of RSS to light. As a former social studies teacher in the RSS system, I can tell you that this type of behavior is commonplace," his email continued. "This should not be allowed to be covered up by RSS, as they nearly always do."

The video was shot on the student's cell phone as it sits on a desk, staring up at the fluorescent light on the ceiling, capturing the often out of control conversation between the teacher and several students.

When one student begins criticizing President Obama, the teacher seems to go on the defensive, telling the student at one point that he can be arrested for being critical of the President.

WBTV contacted the Rowan Salisbury School System last week about the video.

Public Information Officer Rita Foil said she was not aware of it and WBTV forwarded the video to her.



On Thursday, the video was discussed on WSTP Radio, generating several angry calls over the teacher's handling of the situation.

The Rowan-Salisbury School System expects all students and employees to be respectful in the school environment and for all teachers to maintain their professionalism in the classroom," a statement from the school system stated on Friday. "This incident should serve as an education for all teachers to stop and reflect on their interaction with students. Due to personnel and student confidentiality, we cannot discuss the matter publicly."

I can tell you that this is commonplace among students. Obama stickers by teachers are ok, but if a student wears something political they are told to turn it inside out or to get rid of it. I have witnessed it. Also, many social studies teachers engage in this type of indoctrination and then get quiet when students show they have been paying attention to the lessons on rights and responsibilities. Listen to what this school board member says:

School board member Kay Wright Norman calls the incident "unfortunate." She says that educators have an obligation to speak fact. Norman feels the teacher was baited from the beginning but said a teacher can't let let personal interest interfere with classroom discussions.

No, the student tried telling his parents about the situation, tried telling others. They didn't believe him. So he did this to prove his point. Baiting? Give me a break. If a teacher can be so easily baited by a student, they are in the wrong business.

Completely pathetic that this indoctrinator still is getting paid.

Teachers who actually teach and not indoctrinate (like me) are left out in the cold because we engage in our freedom of expression. However, that expression is unacceptable if it is not liberal. This teacher got schooled by the student. The student should be teaching the class. And the teacher needs to put the kool aid, bong, or dirty pictures of Obama down and get a clue.

Thank God Issue 2 Failed #7865307248567 (Update)

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.

Traitor Niehaus on Right To Work Proposed Amendment

Release:

(Columbus) - Ohio Senate President Tom Niehaus issued the following statement today regarding a proposed Right to Work constitutional amendment:

“We just finished a very divisive and contentious election, and Ohioans made it clear they want us to be more deliberate in our approach to major reform. We need to work to build consensus on the direction we take from here.

Job creation remains our number one priority. Too many Ohioans are out of work, and we need do to everything possible to make our state more competitive. We have made incredible progress this year in eliminating an $8 billion budget shortfall without raising taxes. Ohio has saved or created more than 40,000 jobs, and we now rank fifth in the nation in job creation. I look forward to working together with my legislative colleagues to keep that momentum going.”

Sounds to me as if he is saying "Ah...thanks, but no thanks." This tool needs to retire sooner rather than later...

Lt. Governor Mary Taylor on Issue 2

From Lt. Governor Mary Taylor:

In days, we will decide the future of our state.

I hope you can take a minute to read this excellent summary of Issue 2 by Kevin O'Brien, a columnist at The Plain Dealer in Cleveland.

Here's a quick preview:

"Issue 2 opponents have worked hard to make this election about emotion. They have also ignored the inconvenient certainty that the financial situations of localities across Ohio will necessitate layoffs, whether or not Issue 2 passes. They are quite prepared, though of course they will not say so, to resort to the time-honored union practice of "eating their young" when layoff time comes, so as to protect union leaders and other senior employees. That's why any talk of merit is anathema to them.

If they win Tuesday, it will be because a majority of Ohioans do not understand the seriousness of an impending fiscal crisis at all levels of government."

Let's make sure that doesn't happen. We've made so much progress this year, from eliminating an $8 billion budget shortfall without raising taxes to saving or creating 35,000 jobs. We can't afford to turn back now.

Please share this email with your Ohio friends and family, and encourage them to get out and vote YES on Issue 2 now by early ballot or in-person at Tuesday's election.

Together, we can build a better Ohio for this generation and the next.

Sincerely,



Mary Taylor
Ohio's Lieutenant Governor


P.S. Have you seen the long list of organizations that have endorsed a YES on Issue 2? Check it out here.

Honest Police Officer Tells Truth (not Union Propaganda) on Issue 2

From Chief Deputy Sean Donovan:

If I thought for a second that the reasonable reforms of Issue 2 would put you or my fellow officers at risk, I wouldn't be anywhere near it. Frankly, I'm supporting a YES vote on Issue 2 because I know that your safety is threatened WITHOUT these reforms.

What opponents won't tell you is that the current, unsustainable system is forcing us to lay off good police officers and firefighters because our communities are struggling to balance their budgets. The reforms of Issue 2 will help them save public safety jobs and keep safety services without raising the tax burden on hardworking families.

Don't believe the scare tactics being used by people who want to defend an unsustainable system that puts union contracts ahead of taxpayers. Let's make sure we can protect the public by voting YES on Issue 2.

Sincerely,

Sean Donovan
Chief Deputy Sheriff
Hamilton County

There is also a video message from Chief Deputy Donovan


What he is saying is the truth....the facts...as opposed to propaganda and lies from the We Are (not)Ohio Liars club.......

Budish Joins We Are Ohio in Issue 2 Liars Club

State House minority leader Budish is no stranger to obfuscation and lying. His turn as majority leader of the Ohio House showed that often. Now, he is really going into propaganda mode. From the Intelligencer:

During the Belmont County Democratic Party's annual summer gathering Sunday, Ohio House of Representatives Minority Leader Armond Budish attacked SB 5. Budish, D-Beachwood, said the law "contains horrible cuts to education, local governments and law enforcement, and leaves our communities less safe."

No, it does not. Though state legislators are considering budget measures that reduce support of public schools and local governments, they are not included in SB 5. The law says nothing about how much money Columbus will dole out for education or local governments. Nothing.

SB 5 relates only to collective bargaining by public employees, along with how their pay and benefits are handled. Budish knows that, yet chose - as have many critics of the law - to misrepresent the situation.

"We're seeing an unprecedented attack on the middle class coming from Columbus," Budish continued.

Again, no. Unless Budish believes public employee union members are the only members of the middle class in Ohio, he's not being candid. In fact, public employees are a tiny fraction of the Buckeye State's middle class.

As far as collective bargaining limits in SB 5, there are some. But the new law does permit public employee unions to continue negotiating their members' pay, the most important item in most contracts.

Among other provisions of the law are one requiring public employees to pay at least 15 percent of the cost of their health insurance, another outlawing strikes by public employees, and a third requiring teachers' pay raises be awarded on merit, not seniority.

Far from attacking the middle class, SB 5 gives their elected representatives on school boards and other local entities the ability to curb the ever-increasing cost of government. That will help, not hurt, the overwhelming majority of middle-class Ohioans.

Again, Budish knows all this. His philosophy and that of public employee union leaders is simple: Misleading Ohioans worked well in the past, so why shouldn't it now?

But there is a difference this year: Buckeye State residents have seen the harm done by liberal, special interest politics in the past. They're not going to fall for it again.

Let us hope that the people of the Buckeye State look to the truth and not blatant lies from desperate unions and their desperate beneficiaries.

A Teacher Stands up for Issue 2/SB5

This guy better change is name and address. He is in deep trouble. However, he has chosen to speak up. I know quite a few teachers that privately will tell me they are in favor of and see the logic in Issue2/sb5, but don't speak up due to fear of union reprisals. That should show you who is the more virtuous. Those holding court with fear or those speaking real truth to power. But, here is what this retired teacher says, and I think we all should listen:

I taught in a district that had 85 percent reduced-price lunches. We were one of the poorest districts in the state, which means that for every dollar I was paid as a teacher, the state of Ohio paid 85 percent and the local residents paid 15 percent.

But herein lies the problem.

We had an administrator who retired at $80,000 a year, was rehired at the same salary he had just left behind, and then got another $40,000 a year from the State Teachers Retirement System, making him $120,000 a year.

So, when he was rehired, 85 percent of his $80,000 was paid by the taxpayers of Ohio. In this one simple action by the local school board, every taxpayer in our state was held liable for his salary.

A new principal was denied a chance to become an educational leader, new educational ideas were lost and the school system became an example of cronyism. And the state once more was scheduled to pay 85 percent of a salary that could have been a lot less if a new and younger person full of creative ideas had been hired.

We shouldn't be so willing to spend the public money of hard-working Ohioans.

Members of the public should have some say in the matter, since it's their money.

I believe Ohio Senate Bill 5 would put the power of spending their hard-earned dollars back in the hands of the taxpayers, just where it should be.

DAVID A. KUNKLER

Rushville

We Are Ohio=Liars Club on Issue 2

The We Are Ohio Gang are full of misrepresentations and obfuscations. Here are some of the latest examples. First we have even the Cleveland Plain Dealer calling Shenanigans:

Rather than talking about what the law actually does, like a broken record We Are Ohio continues to rely on exaggerations, distortions and class warfare.


From the ad, you’d think Ohio’s elected leaders made sure they didn’t have the same health care and pension contribution requirements as they ask of everyone else.

Except Politifact states:

As for benefits, state lawmakers already pay health insurance costs and contribute toward their pension in line with SB 5’s provisions. Medical coverage rates and required pension fund contributions for lawmakers mirror those of unionized state workers. Therefore, they typically pay at least 15 percent of their medical insurance premiums and, if enrolled, must contribute 10 percent of their salary to the retirement system.


Don’t let We Are Ohio win just because they yell the loudest.

And then, we have also heard the talk about how nurses are going to be cut and "not be able to negotiate for more"...Child please. Again, from politifact Ohio, not exactly right leaning:

The commercial, which began airing on Sept. 27, raises questions about how SB 5 impacts nurses – a group of workers less commonly associated with SB 5 than others, such as police officers and teachers. PolitiFact Ohio decided to check the ad’s claim.

We started by checking how many nurses belong to public unions and, therefore, will be affected by SB 5.

There are about 160,000 registered nurses in the state and between 6,000 and 10,000 of those are public employees, according to the Ohio Nurses Association. That means SB 5 would affect between 4 percent and 6.25 percent of Ohio nurses.

The Ohio Nurses Association represents about 3,000 public-sector nurses, chief executive officer Gingy Harshey-Meade said. The Ohio Civil Service Employees Association and the Service Employees International Union also represent Ohio nurses. These nurses work at places such as prisons, city or county hospitals and public health departments.

When the nurse in the commercial says the new law will make it harder for nurses to provide care, the following text appears on the screen: "Source: Senate Bill 5; p229, Section 4117.08 (B)."

That section of the law specifies a handful of subjects that cannot be collectively bargained. Among those topics is "the number of employees required to be on duty or employed in any department."

In an email, We Are Ohio spokeswoman Melissa Fazekas said the restriction on bargaining staffing relates to patient care because "it is more difficult for a nurse to provide quality care when he/she is working short-staffed."

Jason Mauk, spokesman for the pro-SB 5 group Building a Better Ohio, sought to minimize the idea that SB 5 bans workers from negotiating staffing. He said management can discuss the issue if it chooses. As evidence, he has pointed to a different provision in SB 5 that lists "the number of persons required to be employed or laid off" under topics that can be negotiated at management’s discretion.

It is unclear how this provision would mesh with the ban cited in We Are Ohio’s commercials about nurses and firefighters. Certainly, however, management has no obligation to discuss staffing and unions do not have the right to collectively bargain the issue.

The current collective bargaining agreement that covers Turner, the nurse featured in the commercial, gives some insight into how SB 5 would affect nurses working conditions.

Turner, who works at the Ohio State University Ross Heart Hospital, is represented by the Ohio Nurses Association. The union’s contract with the university contains a clause that gives management the right to set staffing levels.

ONA’s contract with OSU says management has the right "to determine staffing and staffing patterns including, but not limited to the assignment of nurses as to the numbers employed, duties to be performed, qualifications required, and areas worked."

That sounds a lot like the rule that SB 5 would impose.
there are some critical facts on which the ad is silent.

First, it is impossible to say whether public employers will cut nursing staffs. The ad assumes that with staffing non-negotiable, management will cut staffs or not provide adequate staffing to a point that it will have an impact on the quality of care.

That’s where this claim differs from the claim in the previous ad involving firefighters, which specifically focused on the inability to bargain over staffing. This claim goes one step further, saying it will make patient care harder to provide.

Even more significantly, though, the commercial makes no distinction between nurses who are public employees and those who are non-public employees, and as such implies all nurses will suffer if Issue 2 passes. But only a tiny fraction of Ohio nurses are public employees - just four to six of every 100.

A listener knowing those critical facts would have a different impression of the claim.

On the Truth-O-Meter, the claim rates Mostly False.

Let's discuss more about the nursing thing. From the Toledo Blade:

Opponents to Issue 2 claim that SB5, which would be repealed if Issue 2 fails, will cause harm to nurses. Quoting from the We are Ohio website, http://action.weareohio.com/page/s/issue2primer:

“Issue 2 will make our nursing shortage worse. It makes it illegal for nurses, hospital and clinic workers to demand reasonable and safe staffing levels—so nurses will juggle more patients while their salaries and benefits are cut.”

This claim is also made in a We are Ohio television ad.

The Ohio Nurses Association (ONA) summarizes their position against Issue 2 as follows:

(SB5) . . . would strip public workers of their rights to collectively bargain for fair and equitable workplace conditions. For nurses, it’s a matter of life or death (emphasis theirs) Collective bargaining allows us to advocate for protections that directly affect patient safety and care. This includes making sure nurses aren’t assigned to too many patients at once or forced to work long, overtime hours that lead to burnt (sic) out and injury, and make them unable to effectively care for patients (from http://www.nfn.org/archives/1559).

Like We are Ohio’s site, both this ONA site and the one detailing ONA’s arguments (see http://www.nursesrepealsb5.org/know-the-facts.html) are rich in talking points but devoid of supporting evidence. Given the total failure of the opposition to back up their claims with citations from SB5, we can only search the text of the law and guess at what the opponents are referring to.

After ruling out any other rational possibilities from the results of my search of the text, what apparently has the opponents exercised is Sec. 339.07 (B). This section states that the administrators of county hospitals “shall ensure that the hospital has such physicians, nurses, and other employees as are necessary for the proper care, control, and management of the county hospital and its patients.” This is repeated in Sec. 749.083 (B) in the context of non-profit hospitals.

Based on this evidence from SB5 itself, the arguments made by We are Ohio and the ONA are illogical and flawed. They claim that SB5 will result in unsafe and unreasonable staffing levels in hospitals. But the language of the bill flatly contradicts this claim, unless one is willing to believe that hospital administrators are inherently so incompetent that they are incapable of fulfilling the law’s requirement to provide proper staffing.

Moreover, this argument is also based on deceit. As noted in the Columbus Dispatch’s Campaign Ad Watch analysis of the aforementioned TV ad, nurses do not have the right to negotiate staffing levels. The Dispatch notes that, under current law, nurses’ committees can suggest staffing levels to hospitals, but the levels are not subject to collective bargaining. SB5 not only does not mandate staffing levels for nurses, as opponents suggest; it also does not change current law regarding negotiation of staffing levels. (Neither does SB5 cut salaries and benefits, nor does it restrict or ban collective bargaining; but those are broader topics for later discussions.)

The intent of this argument against SB5 is not to inform, but to induce panic among the uninformed. Please, do not take the opponents at their word. Neither do I want you to take me at mine. Do what I did: Study the bill for yourself and see what it says. SB5′s text is at http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/BillText129/129_SB_5_EN_N.pdf, and it’s fully searchable.

I am Ohio, and so is every Ohioan who favors Issue 2.

So, as we can see, We Are Ohio is lying again. But wait, they even go after the Governor, John Kasich. However, Tom Blumer of Bizzyblog is there to prove they are perverting the truth, again! Here are some excerpts:

Here is the relevant text from the source identified in the ad:

Ohio’s unemployment rate was 9.1 percent in August, up slightly from 9.0 percent in July, according to data released this morning by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS). Ohio’s nonfarm wage and salary employment decreased 700 over the month, from the revised 5,117,200 in July to 5,116,500 in August.


In fact, Ohio’s economy added seasonally adjusted jobs in January, and continued to add jobs each and every month through July, until losing a “whopping” 700 in August. So far this year, the state’s economy has added 82,300 jobs, the sixth-best performance in the entire nation in terms of percentage of workforce growth. That’s in stark contrast to the 425,000 jobs Ohio’s economy lost during 2007-2009, and the paltry 31,000 it picked up during 2010.

There is no record of “continued job losses” since John Kasich took office. The above statement in the linked anti-Issue 2 ad is a lie.

Sadly, this is one of many self-evident lies, misleading statements and deceptions in the ad, as seen in the follow analysis of its script (referencing screen graphics where necessary):

John Kasich promised to make Ohio great again. [1] But he gave over $100 million of our tax dollars to big corporations. [2] Meanwhile, Ohio continues to lose jobs. [3]

Now Kasich is using Senate Bill 5 to destroy collective-bargaining rights [4] for Ohio workers. [5] (with an on-screen reference to SB5, page 229, 4117.08)

Kasich and other politicians took over $3 million in campaign contributions from corporate special interests [6] who could profit from Senate Bill 5. (on-screen graphic reads “profit from Senate Bill 5″) [7]

It doesn’t have to be this way. We can stop Senate Bill 5 by voting “No” on Issue 2.

Notes:

[1] — Well, over 80,000 jobs added is a start towards “making Ohio great again.” What we’ve seen through August of this year beats the heck out of any full year Ohio has seen since 1999.
[2] — Show me the checks, guys. If you want to argue that Kasich and the state agreed to $100 million in tax breaks, fine. But that’s not what the ad says. It says he GAVE them $100 million in the recent past. It hasn’t happened as described. Therefore, this statement in the ad is a lie.
[3] — This statement has already been shown to be a lie.
[4] — SB5 does not (as implied) “destroy (all) collective-bargaining rights.” Specifically, “All matters pertaining to wages, hours, and terms and conditions of employment are subject to collective bargaining between the public employer and the exclusive representative, except as otherwise specified …” After that, numerous items are listed as exceptions, but there are still items subject to collective bargaining. Thus, this portion of the statement is extremely misleading.
[5] — Then there is the reference to “Ohio workers.” The implication is that SB5 affects all Ohio workers. It doesn’t. It only affects unionized Ohio state, county, municipal, and school-district public-sector employees. It does not affect private-sector workers. This portion of the statement is also extremely misleading.
[6] — “And other politicians”? What other politicians? Lefties? Righties? Indies? This is a deliberately inflammatory non-statement which communicates absolutely nothing of substance.
[7] — “Could profit”? Could? Wow, that’s powerful (/sarc). It’s closer to the truth to assert that the vast majority of Ohioans will probably be better off if Senate Bill 5 stays in place, because taxes won’t have to go up, more resources can be dedicated to Ohio’s classrooms, and government entities will have the flexibility to do what they must to keep their costs under control. Note that the gutless graphic omits the word “could,” presumably in the hope that viewers won’t realize how deliberately misleading this statement is.

The ad demonstrates that the WeAreOhio.org folks believe that they can’t win without lying to, misleading and deceiving Ohioans at every step of the way.

Why would such an organization work so much in lies? Well, considering they just give general references to some page in SB5, hoping you don't read it, we see one explanation. They think you are stupid. But, let's follow the money and see who is funding this misrepresentation. From Third Base Politics, we see that union bosses in Washington DC are the lead funders of We Are Ohio, as well as the Union Heads of Ohio unions. Gee, could we be desperate that another Wisconsin could be in the making? So desperate we are going to lie to the people of Ohio? You betcha. Check out the blog post with videos from 3BP.

Quit lying to protect your own skins, people. I thought it was about serving and protecting and educating, not lying to save yourselves.

It's Really All About the Kids, Right? Update: Teachers Defy Court Order, Kids Suffer

From KIRO 7 in Washington:

The Tacoma School District has canceled school today because teachers have returned to the picket line, defying a judge's order that they return to class.

Yep, the unions really care about educating the kids, don't they? Not so much. And, they are violating a judge's court order. Great example!

"The Tools They Need" To Save Jobs. Vote Yes on Issue 2

From the Better Ohio campaign in favor of Issue 2:


Matt Hurley had this to say:

Now here is a (former) firefighter who gets it and speaks the truth. The truth is something that the firefighter in the anti-2 ad has a problem with...

Investigative Report: WI Labor Reform Does Save Money and Will Continue to Do So

More proof that what is needed to get financial stability and sanity restored is common sense reform like Ohio's SB5/Issue 2. From Fox11 in Wisconsin:


Regarding WEA Trust: Those folks are full of it. They had a virtual monopoly under the old system. Now, there is actually competition. And guess what? It has made WEA trust get their stuff together and now have more competitive rates and allowing more people into the game.

SB5/Issue 2 Update: Toledo Mayor Supports Issue 2/SB5

More and more city officials are understanding the tough decisions that have to be made. Some have the courage to come out and stand for something. Former fire chief turned Mayor Mike Bell has come out and taken a stand. From the Toledo Blade:

Facing fierce resistance from organized labor as he wrestles to bring Toledo's budget under control, Mayor Mike Bell on Wednesday became Ohio's first major city mayor to officially voice support for a state law limiting the bargaining rights of public employees.

Mayor Bell, a former Ohio fire marshal and Toledo fire chief, made the announcement during a meeting with The Blade's editorial board in which he discussed frustration with the recent reaction of some city employees to a proposed wage freeze and benefit cuts.

"We followed the process, and by following the process we got a protest," Mayor Bell said. "I'm the administrator of a city that is financially-strapped and I need to be able to have the tools in the box [to balance the budget]."

It should be noted Mayor Bell ran as an independent. He is facing harsh criticism in Toledo, but he understands the sad reality. We cannot afford these things anymore. We have to be able to work the budget, not have it held hostage. SB5/Issue 2 will not take away your insurance. It will not do many of the charges from teachers' unions and other public employees. It is common sense reform that can be amended if people will come to the table. But, rather than negotiate, the left engages in vilification and falsehood.

Hat tip to Justin from No Muzzle Politics

ODP = Unions

Just another brick in the wall... More part of the problem, less of a solution from Ohio Democrats. Nothing to see here, move along. Move along.

WI and OH: Stay on Target

This win in Wisconsin is a signal that things may not be as bad for SB5 / Issue 2 supporters here in Ohio. Remember, the unions spent a boatload of money on that recall and lost it all. That same strategy will be employed here and in order to achieve the same result, we'll need to stay focused and on message.

SB5 is good for Ohio. Wisconsin has shown the way.

Unions lose again!

SB5 OH vs. Wisconsin: Wisconsin's Budget Working, so Can Ours...

And guess who is winning alot by not being held hostage by the unions? The schools! Check out this report from Gov. Scott Walker:

One month after the 2011-13 state budget was signed into law, tangible results from the reforms put in place by Governor Walker and the Legislature are being realized. According to media reports, local units of government and school districts have already saved more than $220 million, with millions more in potential savings not yet reported.

The state is also adding jobs. Between December 2007 and December 2010, Wisconsin lost over 153,600 private sector jobs. The state has netted over 39,000 new private sector jobs since the Governor called a special session to open Wisconsin for business. The state has seen 14,100 manufacturing jobs created since January. In June Wisconsin had a net job creation of 9,500 new jobs, including nearly 13,000 private sector jobs. Only four states created more private sector jobs than Wisconsin did in the last month.

Below is a sampling of local units of governments being able to balance their budget and improve services due to the reforms contained in the 2011-13 state budget and the budget repair bill:

Ashland School District

A health insurance provider switch saved Ashland School District nearly $378,000.

Reference: http://www.ashlandwi.com/articles/2011/07/18/news/doc4e24f08b80b26580859031.txt

Kimberly School District

The district saved $821,000 by dropping WEA Trust.

Reference: http://maciverinstitute.com/2011/07/wisconsin-school-districts-are-switching-health-care-providersplans-to-create-savings-in-2011/

Edgerton School District

The district will drop the union's current health insurance carrier, the WEA Trust. The district is gathering bids to change to a different health insurance provider, which Pauli said could save at least $500,000 over the next year.

Reference:

http://gazettextra.com/news/2011/mar/15/edgerton-reaches-teacher-contract/

Baraboo School District

The Baraboo School Board expects to save about $660,000 next year after deciding to change insurance providers Monday evening.

Reference: https://app.e2ma.net/app/view:CampaignPublic/id:24830.9327959424/rid:4f6670a3bc5ed1258448c884029069d8

Dodgeland School District

The Dodgeland School Board made the decision to change insurance companies.

Administrator Annette Thompson said the change will help the board deal with the expected $640,000 budget deficit from reduced state aid and expiration of some federal and AARA funds. The change in providers is expected to save the district $260,000 next year.

Reference: http://www.wiscnews.com/bdc/news/local/article_a5dddeb8-b412-11e0-949a-001cc4c03286.html

Elmbrook School District

The district originally had planned for $780,000 in savings through the health-care changes, but Brightman said the actual savings are estimated at $878,000. He said some of that money likely will be needed to pay for staffing - probably a half-time equivalent clerical position - to administer the new plan.

Reference: http://www.brookfieldnow.com/news/125863413.html

Mequon-Thiensville School District

Delta Dental's quotes also came in lower than those provided by WEA Trust. Beaudry said the district will save $49,000 in the 2011-12 budget cycle by switching to Delta Dental.

Reference: http://www.mequonnow.com/news/125861078.html

Marshfield School District

Marshfield will balance its budget despite the cuts. "Given the cost savings with health insurance and the turnover with staff and new hires, we will be able to preserve our programs and come up with a balanced budget," said Peg Geegan, the district's director of instruction who will assume the superintendent's position Aug. 1. The district will save $850,000 by switching health insurance carriers…

Reference: http://www.marshfieldnewsherald.com/article/20110706/MNH0101/107060599/State-aid-Marshfield-schools-down-2-4-million?odyssey=tab|topnews|img|FRONTPAGE

Fond du Lac School District

District leaders believe when school starts in the fall they'll be operating with a balanced budget. They say the savings under the bill will offset their 4.4 million dollar budget shortfall. Class sizes and programs will also remain in tact.

References:

http://www.nbc26.com/news/local/126364503.html and http://www.fdlreporter.com/article/20110728/FON0101/110727143/FdL-School-District-expects-balanced-budget

City of Sheboygan and Sheboygan County

City of Sheboygan Mayor Bob Ryan and Sheboygan County Administrator Adam Payne said the collective bargaining reforms will provide enough savings to make up for the reductions in state aid. "We were able to lock in savings and certainty due to the discussions going on in Madison," Payne said.

Reference: http://www.sheboyganpress.com/article/20110629/SHE0101/306290007/Special-Report-s-new-world-public-employee-pay?odyssey=tab|topnews|img|SHE-News

Wauwatosa School District

The tax levy is projected to decrease, no programs will be cut, and class sizes won’t increase by any significant measure. School board member Phil Kroner: "When students come to school in the fall, they're going to see the same things, have the same teachers, and they're going to see new things as well.

Reference: http://wauwatosa.patch.com/articles/school-board-quietly-passes-budget-based-on-sacrifice

Manitowoc

Laid-off city workers may get their jobs back after the city moves forward with the wage and benefit reforms contained in the budget. And Overtime rules have changed saving the county $100,000.

References: http://www.htrnews.com/article/20110706/MAN0101/107060474/Some-laid-off-city-workers-rehired-month?odyssey=tab|topnews|img|FRONTPAGE and http://www.htrnews.com/article/20110720/MAN0101/107200527/Overtime-rules-changed-Manitowoc-County-employees?odyssey=tab|topnews|img|FRONTPAGE

Pittsville

They will see up to a 9% decrease in the school portion of their property tax levy. "It will be wonderful for our taxpayers, who have been extremely committed to our schools," School Board President Julie Strenn said, noting three years ago, voters approved a three-year revenue cap override that cost taxpayers an additional $175,000 each year… "This is the first year we have not needed to short-term borrow.”

Reference: http://www.wisconsinrapidstribune.com/article/20110615/WRT0101/106150626/Pittsville-Schools-OK-preliminary-budget?odyssey=tab|topnews|img|FRONTPAGE

Neenah

Paul Hauffe, director of business services said, “administrators are poised to introduce a balanced budget in mid-July… We're very close right now, there's nothing monumental that we have to overcome."

Reference: http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20110706/APC0902/107060619/Neenah-settles-teachers-amid-collective-bargaining-changes

Appleton Area School District

They will save $3.1 million just in health insurance costs alone due to competition among health insurance providers. Financial advisors for the school district said:

· Discussions at the state level over collective bargaining and budgeting issues have been beneficial to school districts from the rate perspective.

· It forced a lot of competition. I do think the landscape in the school marketplace has changed significantly over the last year that's put significant pressure on WEA Trust. Previously to this year, they didn't have a lot of competition. Historically, it's very difficult for other carriers to match them.

· The $3.1 million in savings for next school year is just in health insurance premium costs.

Reference: http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20110622/APC0101/106220521/Appleton-schools-retains-WEA-Trust-insurance?odyssey=tab|topnews|img|APC-News

So, school districts are saving money. Employees are getting better deals for their dollars...and it sounds like some teachers may keep their jobs and some may get rehired. Gee, doesn't that sound wonderful? It could happen here in Ohio, too, if people would stop believing the OEA/NEA hype and just sprinkle in some common sense.