Saturday, May 29, 2010

Special Interests

The Kasich blog : John Kasich takes a moment to discuss how as a Member of Congress, he used that platform to fight for his constituents and not the special interests which seem to dominate Washington, DC.....

Really? Is this another one of those tall tales Kasich likes to tell? Kasich never talks about how he wanted to give tax cuts to the rich, while trying to cut Medicare, Medicaid, heating programs for the poor, college loans, school lunch programs, etc., etc. Nice guy? NOT!

Open Secrets definitely has information that shows where Kasich got a lot of his campaign funds:

For the 1998 congressional campaign, Kasich got lots of campaign contributions from the following industries (OpenSecrets)-- Real Estate, Commercial Banks, Securities & Investment, Misc. Manufacturing and Distributing, Insurance, General Contractors, Health Professionals, Misc. Finance,......... Oil & Gas...

I'd call those types of groups "special interests" because they geared their contributions to protect their industries.

Even today, Kasich continues to get money from special interests. Here is a partial list compiled by Plunderbund:

....BRENNAN,ANN & BRENNAN,DAVID – $11,395.00 each WHITE HAT MANAGEMENT LLC/CHAIRMAN- Ohio for-profit charter schools company....

.....NATIONWIDE MUTUAL INSURANCE CO. PAC $10,000.00...

.....OHIO OIL AND GAS PRODUCERS FUND $5,000.00....

Kasich is a little too, too cozy with those charter school people, and insurance, oil, Murray Energy (yes, those people who have had the collapsed mine), etc., etc., etc. He may brag that he cares about regular people, but his record doesn't prove it.


Friday, May 28, 2010

Late Evening....

* Thank goodness that John McCain is NOT the President of the United States. McCain has become even more of a cranky old man.

* Swing State Project has an update on the latest polls for Ohio Governor:

OH-Sen, OH-Gov (pdf): The Ohio Poll, conducted by the University of Cincinnati, is out today with pleasant results for Democrats (perhaps doubly so, considering they have a reputation for producing GOP-leaning results). They find Dem Lee Fisher with a one-point lead over GOPer Rob Portman in the Senate race, 47-46. They also find incumbent Dem Ted Strickland looking OK in the gubernatorial race, leading John Kasich 49-44 (and sporting a surprisingly high 55/35 approval, suggesting that whatever he's been doing lately has been working)....

>>> Remember Steve Stivers and his proposal to repeal the 17th Amendment? Here is an analysis of FiveThirtyEight.com appropriately titled "Department of Colossally Stupid Ideas: Repeal 17th Amendment"----

....What I want to point out is how patently stupid repealing the 17th Amendment would be for Republicans and conservatives--and yes, tea partiers--based on a simple fact: Democrats have long dominated the control of state legislatures. And they currently enjoy a level of dominance unlike they've experienced since the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Following the 2008 elections, according to National Conference of State Legislative data,# Democrats control both chambers in 27 legislatures, to eight for the Republicans, with 14 states split. (Nebraska is unicameral and non-partisan.) Oh, and two decades ago the Democratic dominance of state legislatures included a lot more southern states, which I suppose could have produced some conservative Democrats or even a few Republicans as senators; today, that's far less likely to happen because the set of Democratically-controlled state legislature is more non-south. In ideological terms, then, the current Democratic majorities may be closer to the post-war high-water marks in the mid-1970s...

Do Stivers/Teabaggers/Far Righties still think it is a good idea?





On Real Time with Bill Maher, guest Jonathan Alter said that the "...hypocrisy highway is crowded with Republicans..." Republicans voted against the stimulus, but then begged for money for their district.

Let BP Hear You!

I'm sure by now you've heard about various discussions on the web and in news reports about proposals to boycott BP. It might be time to get a little more serious about a boycott because it will get the attention of the BP executives and stockholders. Despite this oil disaster, BP continues to make billions and billions of dollars. We need to let them know that we want them to work faster in their repairs, and clean up the mess they've made.

* Does this convince you that we need to find another way to get our nation's energy? Here is what Vote Vets has to say about the oil spill (You Tube):




With all that we've witnessed, we should be encouraged to move toward more energy independence.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

People Are Talking

* Brush Wellman has successfully expanded their company with the help of U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (OH- 9th- Democrat). In a recent story at the Sandusky Register, Rep. Kaptur and executives from Brush Wellman, celebrated the new facility at Elmore, Ohio.

Also, in the crowd was Republican Rep. Bob Latta. He had not helped with this new construction or job creation, but Latta was there for the photo-op. Is he trying to take credit for something he didn't do?


** ABC News:
The Senate Armed Services Committee has voted 16-12 to repeal the controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy toward gays in the military.

The committee vote now opens the way for the Senate to vote on whether to repeal the policy after the completion of a Pentagon Working Group study due Dec. 1, 2010. The almost year-long Pentagon review would detail how the repeal would be implemented and how it would affect service members....

This definitely a move in the right direction!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

No Prison Time?

I'm very disappointed that James O'Keefe didn't get sent to prison.

The Hill:

Conservative filmmaker James O’Keefe was sentenced to three years of probation, 100 hours of community service and a $1,500 fine after he pleaded guilty on Wednesday to misdemeanor charges stemming from his involvement in a break-in at Sen. Mary Landrieu’s (D-La.) office.

In January, O’Keefe and three others were arrested by federal authorities at Landrieu’s office on allegations of phone-tampering....

...O’Keefe got the toughest sentence. His co-defendants, Stan Dai, Joseph Basel and Robert Flanagan, each got two years of probation, 75 hours of community service and the same fine as O’Keefe...


Oh, my.

"Too Much Government?"

Extreme Libertarian/Tea Party follower, Rand Paul, candidate for U.S. Senate, has really showed us some of his views about what he thinks is "too much government." Rand Paul is against laws that are already in force. He is against the American with Disabilities Act and the Civil Rights Laws. Rand Paul believes that business owners should have the right to do what they please as far as which customers they serve, and that the government should not prevent a business owner to discriminate. He also believes that the laws regarding disabilities put too much strain on businesses.

I just have one question to ask of Rand Paul----

Is he out of his freaking mind?

Do you think that we should give up all our rights and privileges because some spoiled kid from Tennessee thinks that there is too much government? Give up civil rights? No way! Repeal the Disability Act? Never!

Rand Paul must live in some little storybook world where everything is hunky dory and he has never faced discrimination or roadblocks. Rand Paul is clearly dangerous, selfish, and completely uneducated about the lives of real people.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Corker

Do you ever get the impression that some people are just plain pond scum? I have always had that feeling about Sen. Bob Corker. There is just something about his mannerisms, and the way he raises his eyebrows when he speaks. When I read about a "dust up" with the President and the Senate Republicans, I immediately sensed that slimy Corker was somehow involved.

TPM LiveWire:

Senate Republicans used a lot of words to describe their meeting with President Obama today: "audacity," "nerve," "frayed," "testy" ... you get the picture.

Obama and the GOP Senate caucus, meeting together for the first time in a year, discussed bipartisanship as well as some of the more pressing issues of the day. According to the AP, the "eruption" began when the President promised to meet the GOP halfway on a number of issues.

"I told him I thought there was a degree of audacity in him even showing up today after what happened with financial regulation," Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) told the AP. "I asked him how he was able to reconcile that duplicity, coming in today to see us."

I think Bob Corker has a lot of audacity talking to President Obama like that. Who does Corker think he is addressing? Why would the President be reluctant to speak to anyone, let alone someone like Corker? How does Corker think the President should act?


*** Just when you thought the elected member of the Ohio General Assembly couldn't waste any additional time on worthless legislation, they surprise you again! Of course, Tim Grendell is involved!!!

10TV.com:

A debate was starting on Tuesday over whether the road signs advertising projects funded by federal stimulus money are your tax dollars at work or a waste of money.

Some state lawmakers want to do away with those signs at construction sites around Ohio that advertise projects paid for with federal money, 10TV's Andy Hirsch reported....

....ODOT argues the signs represent transparency and accountability in government spending and oppose the legislation...

One of the reasons that some people don't like these signs is that they want to cover up the fact that jobs are being created and that the stimulus worked.

Here is the bill: http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=128_SB_179

The list of sponsors of the bill include Tim Grendell who conducted the recent witch hunt about the canceled sting at the Governor's Mansion. This is the same Tim Grendell that had tried in the past to remove the stimulus signs, even though he has sponsored 74 previous roadside signs (see Cleveland.com for the facts). The same Grendell that was censured by his county Republican Party (see the News-Herald).

Monday, May 24, 2010

Consider the Source

A recent TV ad being shown here in Ohio and sponsored by the Republican Governors Association had me questioning their competency. Which governors make up the membership of the RGA?

Here are the suspects:

Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina -
Although he lied to his wife, family, and the citizens of his state, Sanford remains in office. (He should have been thrown out of office!) After disappearing for days while claiming he was hiking on the Appalachian Trail, Sanford actually went to visit his mistress in South America. Sanford, who obviously is not trustworthy, is not someone I'd seek any political advice.


Gov. Haley Barbour of Mississippi -
> Barbour's claim that slavery had nothing to do with the Civil War showed his ignorance and racism.
> Barbour is one of the more corrupt Republican Governors, as evidenced by Think Progress:
...Family members and lobbyists profited from Katrina tragedy...
...Owned controlling interest in 2002 New Hampshire phone jamming company...
...As a lobbyist, he represented firm indicted in Tom DeLay’s money laundering scandal...
...A former tobacco lobbyist, he killed Mississippi’s successful anti-smoking program...
...Directed large amounts of reconstruction funds to wealthy homeowners...


Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota -
Pawlenty is a devotee of the Grover Nordquist cult. Some of Pawlenty's cuts have been taken to court and ruled unconstitutional by the Minnesota State Supreme Court, including cuts to a food program for the poor and elderly.
> Here are some excerpts from Minnesota Public Radio:
...Minnesota has 10 jobseekers for every job opening. That ratio just got worse. Cutting jobs is the last thing one should do in tough times, but that is what Pawlenty insisted on -- again. Minnesota has fewer jobs today than when Pawlenty became governor.

Pawlenty behaves as though the solution to a bad economy is fewer police officers, teachers and university professors. In the last two years, the University of Minnesota has had to cut 1,200 positions. Pawlenty has instituted a state-sponsored brain drain....

....Rather than removing the income tax cuts at the top that after 10 years still have produced no jobs, he slashed the renter's credit. The $350 million in cuts to local government aid means property tax increases -- again....


Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California
- Only one word comes to mind regarding his performance: "INEPT".


Of course, we cannot forget the other Republican governors who are losers, incompetent, and ill-informed, including Gov. Rick "secede" Perry of Texas, Gov. Bob "what slavery?" McDonnell of Virginia, exorcist fan/Mr. Rogers clone-- Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Gov. Chris "cuts" Christie of New Jersey, Karl Rove's pal Gov. Bob Riley of Alabama, etc., etc. I'm not sure if Half-governor Sarah Palin is included in this list of Republican losers since she is officially out of office, but she belongs with these right wing, conservative, morons.


If you need to look to this list of Republican governors for advice on which candidate is worth voting for in Ohio, you need more help than I can provide. See a doctor immediately.


Saturday, May 22, 2010

Home Again!!!

It is good to be home again!

>>>> WKYC has some good news for Ohio:

The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Ohio's addition of 37,300 jobs in April is the most compared to other states for the month.

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland siad, "This news, coming on the heels of the recent passage of Ohio Third Frontier and the ongoing research being generated by our great universities, should give us all hope that Ohio is well-positioned for recovery."

It is a start!

*** If I lived in Texas, I would home school my children. With the recent move by the Texas Board of Education to re-write history to fit their own right wing agenda, students, parents, and future generations of Texans will lose.

The Dallas Morning News has some of the details which include the bolstering of the biography of Ronald Reagan, the questioning of the separation of church and state, the minimizing of prominent Democratic Presidents, the elimination of certain historical names and events, and a re-writing of what really happened.

Personally, I think that the Texas Board of Education will provide embarrassing situations for students who move out of their state. Can you imagine a Texas high school student taking college entrance exams and failing those sections pertaining to social studies because they were taught slanted and inaccurate information? Other situations could present uncomfortable positions for any Texas student who moves out of their state and has to present some historical information.

The Texas Board of Education has re-written the curriculum similar to the way that the Chinese, former Communist Eastern Europe, and the former Soviet Russia wrote their books for students. They left out those items they disagreed with and promoted their own agenda and beliefs. The Texas Board of Education looks like a bunch of right wing idiots.


**** A recent accident involving students from Hilliard City Schools might have some parents wondering why a certain transportation company was picked for a field trip for band members. Urban Express, which had an accident while transporting students, has an "F" rating from the
Better Business Bureau.


Why didn't the Hilliard Board of Education provide school bus transportation for this trip?

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Husted Non-Partisan? NO WAY!

Slick, non-resident of Kettering, Jon Husted, Republican candidate for Ohio Secretary of State, wants you to believe that he is non-partisan. Wow. If you believe that, perhaps I can interest you in some valuable swamp land.

Husted avoided talking about his real residency because he was Jon Husted, and he thought he was king. When Husted was in the Ohio House and Bob Taft was governor, Husted was able to get everything he wanted. Husted went directly to the various departments in the state and yelled and screamed until he got what he wanted ---- including an interchange that was not necessary or even a priority. However, Husted demanded and got that interchange, and his friend, who just happened to be the owner of a construction company, got the job.

Do you recall Husted's response after Gov. Strickland gave his "State of the State" speech. Husted ridiculed the Governor. Is that being non-partisan?

How many times did Husted go to court to fight against Jennifer Brunner? Every person in Ohio knows that Husted doesn't live in that teeny little house in Kettering. When Husted was challenged, he attacked Brunner, and then got what he wanted from the Republican-controlled Ohio Supreme Court. Is that an example of being non-partisan?

Check out Husted's campaign website. Does he say anything about protecting the rights of minorities to vote? What voting issues does he talk about other than himself?

Husted could send us back to the awful voting days of Kenneth Blackwell---long lines, the challenging of minority voters, broken voting machines in Democratic wards, and the secret backroom counting of votes like we had in the past.

Ohio doesn't need an egotistical, self-serving, slick, pompous, hot head like Husted running our state's elections.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Those Republicans

With all the details coming out about the bankers and the Republicans trying to work together to fight offt regulations, I wonder how Republican candidate for Congress, Steve Stivers, a former bank lobbyist, feels about all this. Is he still against regulations? Does he still believe that payday lenders have the right to charge whatever they want?

It has been well-documented that Stivers has a small business that does consulting and that the business, at last reports, had no clients/business. Is he using the consulting business as a cover for his campaign? Is he so sure of his own election that he knows that he will never have to get clients but it just looks good to have a job?

**** A few weeks ago, someone who has worked with Jon Husted said that Husted is "....the most dangerous man in the state...." Why would this person say that?

Husted is very pro-Republican and has demanded that his friends and supporters be given state construction jobs. While openly and brazenly living in Upper Arlington, he has managed to keep his job as the state senator for Kettering, despite all the evidence that he DOESN'T LIVE IN HIS HOUSE IN KETTERING. (Do you remember what happened to Rick Santorum and his claim that his large family actually lived in a two bedroom home outside of Pittsburgh? Actually, his family lived in a large home in Virginia.) Why do we continue to put up with these liars?

I think that the various Ohio newspapers should start interviewing people in all the state agencies that have worked with Husted. They'll find out what kind of a person he really is.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Oh, my!

Note: We will be on the road the next few days. I'll be posting as much as I can.

* Wow! Sarah Palin, the half governor of Alaska, will be writing another book. I wonder if she will be buying some of these books too. All of her sheeple will be buying her book. Luckily, it will not be written above their reading level.

* Why are the Republicans putting up such a stink about the latest woman to be nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court? Do Republicans hate women in power that much that they have to bad mouth females every chance they get?

Monday, May 10, 2010

Portman

Have you seen the latest ad by the Ohio Democrats? The Dems have an answer to the NRSC's most recent ad:



The last person we need representing Ohioans in the U.S. Senate is Republican
Rob "Bush Guy" Portman. While we still have the right to vote for our Senators (until Steve Stivers tries to repeal the 17th Amendment), we need to take the opportunity to stop a rerun of the Bush years.

Why are Republican Senators so rude?

* President Obama is expected to nominate Ellen Kagan for the U.S. Supreme Court. Everyone seems to have an opinion. The New York Times has some background. Will the Republicans in the Senate continue to act like cranky, old white men and create some ugly scenes? Why is it that the Republican Senators seem to be on their worst, rudest behavior when the nominees are women?

* Betty White on Saturday Night Live was terrific! Loved it and the appearances of former cast members.

* With Russell Crowe's new movie about Robin Hood being released this week, USA Today has an article about the previous actors who played Robin Hood in movies and TV. When we were kids, my little brother and I watched Richard Greene's Robin Hood in those old b&w episodes. We loved the series!

* I had a phenomenal Mother's Day. We had a fabulous dinner at a restaurant with authentic Italian food, Vittoria Ristorante. The food was wonderful and the service was excellent!

Friday, May 07, 2010

Sleazy Republicans With Nothing to Offer

Do you remember the Republican health care plan?
.....It didn't exist.

Do you remember how many Republicans voted for the stimulus plan?
.....Zero.

Can you recall the number of job creation bills the Republicans proposed?
.....There were none.

Do you know how many current, vital nominations that the Senate Republicans have blocked?
.....According to the Washington Post, almost 100.


Consider yourself lucky if you've missed the sleazy, scummy ad put up by the Republicans against Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, Lee Fisher. Since the Republicans and Rob "Bush Guy" Portman have nothing to offer except the same old, right wing, "trickle down" economic policies, they have to sponsor ads that do nothing to add to the conversation. With no new ideas or solutions, the "Party of NO!" is rapidly becoming irrelevant, out of touch, and completely inept.



Note: I just saw an ad for Republican Rep. Pat Tiberi. Tiberi is just a seat warmer that follows the orders of John Boehner. I have heard time and time again that Tiberi has done little to help his district. Tiberi voted against the stimulus plan but then wrote a letter to beg for money for his district. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.

Thursday, May 06, 2010

Kasich: Inadequate Information

The Toledo Blade:

...Mr. Kasich - a former congressman, Fox News pundit, and executive of the bankrupt Lehman Brothers investment firm - still resists full disclosure of his income and investments. His Democratic opponent, incumbent Ted Strickland, has released about a decade's worth of his federal tax returns. By contrast, Mr. Kasich gave reporters a half-hour to review part of a single tax return from 2008 that could not be copied.

No state law requires gubernatorial candidates to release their full tax returns, but they usually have done so. A spokesman for Mr. Kasich says the nominee and his wife "have already released more than is required under Ohio law." But voters ultimately must be satisfied with what Mr. Kasich has disclosed about his business dealings and bonuses from Lehman Brothers. So far, that disclosure is inadequate.


Inadequate. Unfortunately, Kasich has not provided an adequate explanation of exactly what cuts he'd make if elected. Kasich is a proponent of cutting budgets with a chainsaw. How much of our state's education budget will be cut? Kasich's explanation has been inadequate.

*** Statehouserock has noticed some Republican hypocrisy:

Ohio: Overlooked in the election results from Tuesday’s primaries was the surprisingly easy passage of State Issue 1 on the Buckeye State ballot. Belying the narrative that Americans are fed up with big government and stimulus spending, 60% of Ohio voters approved authorizing the state to issue $700 million in general-obligation bonds to keep the job-creating, high-tech Third Frontier investment program alive for three more years. Even GOP guber wannabe John Kasich had indicated he supported the program.

Huh? Hasn’t the GOP been telling us all along that government doesn’t create jobs?

Ha!



Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Portman's Albatross: He is a "Bush Guy"

* The election this November is about Wall Street vs. Main Street. Do we reward the lobbyists, investment bankers, and Bush budget directors for the crappy economy and financial risks they took by electing them to higher office?

* Nationwide Insurance will be doing some big time hiring.
Dispatch:

With fresh signs of an economic recovery, Nationwide has decided to fill 600 Ohio job openings.

The move is part of a plan to fill 1,400 openings companywide, the company said today as its issued results for the first quarter. This is the apparent end of a period when the Columbus-based company was cutting jobs and leaving positions vacant....

Visit the Nationwide Insurance career page for current and future openings.


* The prospect of construction jobs have a lot of people excited. Now that the vote to put the Hollywood Casino on the west side of Columbus was approved, construction will start soon. Later, casino employees will be hired. The Hollywood Casino has information about the types of jobs that they will be filling at their new facility. Visit the Hollywood Casino Columbus career site for more information.

___________________

* I'm sure you are wondering about Republican candidate Rob Portman's views on women's reproductive freedom. Portman is to the right of Attilla the Hun.

* Moderate Left has these notes on Portman from when he was considered as a running mate with cranky John McCain:

Rob Portman used to be the Director of the Office of Management and Budget under George W. Bush. OMB is, of course, the office through which the executive branch interfaces with federal agencies, and is tasked with drafting and supporting the president’s budget. So if you think George W. Bush has done a great job with our nation’s policy, you’ll love Rob Portman. If you’re sane, not so much....

Get it? Portman wrote and supported the incredibly horrible Bush economic policy. That should give you little confidence in his ability.

---Even NPR had this to say about Portman during the 2008 campaign:

An expert on budgetary issues -- McCain's weak spot -- Portman would bring economic heft to the ticket. He's young, attractive and smart. And he's from a key swing state. But he is closely associated with the Bush administration and its economic policies, a clear albatross.


Rob Portman, the Architect of the Bush Economy website
has these tidbits:

....Portman’s dedication to the Bush Administration has been widely recognized within the Washington community. Portman proudly earned a reputation as “one of the president's closest Republican friends in Congress” and was acknowledged for “frequently [being] called upon to shepherd Bush-backed legislation through the House” (The Associated Press, 3/29/03).

In 2005, President Bush appointed Portman as U.S. Trade Representative. During his tenure, one of Portman’s biggest accomplishments was persuading Congress to pass the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). Although the U.S. Business and Industry Council warned that CAFTA would solely benefit corporations while gutting the American manufacturing base, Portman aggressively moved forward with this job-killing trade agreement. He described CAFTA as “even better than NAFTA”, promising that the United States would “have a trade surplus as a result.”

As Trade Representative, Portman was extremely successful at allowing America’s trade deficit with China to increase by billions of dollars. Under his watch, the U.S. trade deficit increased by $41 billion to $202 billion in 2005....


Why would any hardworking Ohioan vote for Portman?



Tuesday, May 04, 2010

More Tweets Than Legislation

I just noticed that Republican Rep. Bob Latta (OH-5th) has another Twitter account. How is Latta able to maintain two Twitter accounts, one for his campaign and one for his constituents/supporters? Seriously. Why does this guy have so much time to "tweet" on two accounts? Shouldn't Latta be reading and writing legislation instead of quoting stories from the Wall Street Journal? Is Latta so sure of his own re-election that he spends little time doing actual legislative work?

Monday, May 03, 2010

Latta Tweets Instead of Getting You Back to Work

> I've read that Republican Rep. Bob Latta (OH-5) is a big fan of Twitter. It might be better for Latta to write some legislation to create jobs instead of dabbling in gossip and political attacks. What was he sent to Congress to do---- play with Twitter???? According to Latta's Twitter account, he has had
1,275 Tweets. Latta Tweets 10 times per day or more. Why isn't he actually working?


> Last evening I was in my car playing roulette with the radio and I heard Bill Cunningham and Kenneth Blackwell on some nutty, crazy rampage against President Obama. What is it with these righties? They were trying to blame the entire Gulf Coast oil mess on President Obama! Why does Cincinnati have so many right wingers? Is there something in the water?


> Has John Kasich released any additional of his tax returns from his days at the now bankrupt Lehman Brothers? I'm just asking because I'm curious to find out how big his bonuses were when Lehman was really making big, big money.

> The Washington Times is for sale, according to NewsandTech.com. IF I had money to purchase the newspaper, I would

a) fire everyone
b) hire people to clean and scrub every inch of their buildings to wipe out any residue of their far out, right wing propaganda
c) hire good writers and reporters willing to report the truth.

Since I don't have the millions it would take to purchase the Washington Times, I can dream....