Thursday's Notes

* Jose Antonio Vargas, a Pulitzer Prize winning writer, revealed a deep secret recently.
DefineAmerican has the story of his life as an undocumented immigrant.

*  An interesting headline by BusinessInsider shows how some people may view the new legislation passed by the Ohio legislature:

JAILBREAK: Ohio Passes Prison Reform Bill That Lets Inmates Out Early

Despite all the assurances by Gov. Kasich, he cannot guarantee the safety of citizens.  Kasich now wants to sell off Ohio's prisons.  Are these measures risking our lives?

* Ohio now has the most restrictive abortion bill in the country and it does not allow exceptions for victims of rape or incest.  Ohio's GOP members of the Ohio General Assembly, seem more interested in stopping women from making their own decisions about their bodies instead of creating jobs.  Why do Republicans view women as incompetent and unable to make their own decisions?

Special Groundbreaking

A building to help homeless vets rebuild their lives had groundbreaking today.

National Church Residence released this information:


....The east Columbus site is located at 3341 E. Livingston Avenue (43227), between Zettler and Barnett Roads, behind Heritage Day Health Center.  The Commons at Livingston is National Church Residences’ fourth permanent supportive housing facility, and the organization’s first supportive housing facility exclusively for veterans.  Services at the Commons at Livingston will mirror those provided at The Commons at Grant, National Church Residences’ existing downtown permanent supportive housing facility at the intersection of Grant Avenue and Fulton Street, which opened in 2003.  The Veterans Administration will provide supportive services and case management at the facility.  Military and Humvee support at the ceremony will be provided by soldiers from the Ohio National Guard, who will also raise the American and POW flags.  Additional support will be provided by American Legion Post 283.

The three-story building will consist of 50 one-bedroom apartment units; 25 units will be available to single, low-income veterans with annual earnings at or below 60% of the area median income (approximately $28,860, per 2010 income limits).  The remaining 25 units will offer permanent, supportive housing for formerly homeless veterans who are candidates of the Community Shelter Board’s “Rebuilding Lives” initiative.  The objective of the initiative is to help end the cycle of homelessness by creating permanent, supportive housing. Supportive housing is a strategic means of linking residents to those services, such as social, educational, therapeutic, vocational, and health care support programs necessary to stabilize and maintain housing and affect lifestyle change.  The Commons at Livingston will include a community room; computer resource room; 24-hour staffed entry; meeting room for resident services; and interior and exterior security cameras.  On-site supportive services will be available to all 50 residents of The Commons at Livingston.   All units will receive rent subsidies via the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority project-based housing choice vouchers.....


.....According to National Church Residences President & CEO Thomas W. Slemmer,  “National Church Residences has received phenomenal cooperation on The Commons at Livingston from Mayor Coleman, Columbus City Council, the Franklin County Commissioners, the Community Shelter Board, and, most notably, from the Veterans Administration.....

 According to NCR, among the departments/agencies that provided funding for the facility were the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Community Shelter Board, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.  Republican Rep. Steve Stivers said (see link) that he wanted to eliminate the Department of Housing and Urban Development, one of the departments that provided funding for this project for veterans.

I wonder why Republican Rep. Pat Tiberi was invited to speak.  He clearly did not contribute to this new building.  As a matter of fact, Tiberi and his buddy, Stivers, voted for the Paul Ryan budget which kills Medicare.  Many of the veterans in this special apartment building probably are receiving some Medicare benefits.

Is She Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?

I'd like to suggest that Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann become a contestant on the game show that puts adults up against fifth graders.  Is Bachmann smarter than a fifth grader?  I seriously doubt it.  Bachmann continues to demonstrate her lack of knowledge about American history.  Now comes word that Bachmann wants to lower the minimum wage, if elected President. Heaven forbid!

Bloomberg:

Representative Michele Bachmann, a Minnesota Republican planning to seek the party’s presidential nomination, said she would stoke U.S. economic growth by cutting taxes on corporate income and capital gains and considering elimination of the minimum wage. 

Corporate tax rates should be significantly reduced from a maximum 35 percent and capital gains taxes should be eliminated, Bachmann said in an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation” today. Congress should also reevaluate the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, she said. 

“Whatever it takes, that’s what we need to do for job creation,” said Bachmann. She said President Barack Obama “doesn’t seem to have an understanding of how to do the job.” 

Really?  Bachmann thinks she knows how to do the job of President???? Ha!

Bachmann must live in the clouds.  There are people in this country who have to survive on $7.25/hour, pay rent, gas up the car, clothe the family, pay utilities, go to the doctor, and eat.  If the minimum wage was lowered to allow bosses to pay whatever they wish, there would be more people homeless, begging for food.   Bachmann just doesn't seem to care.

Still More.....

Salon has provided some guidelines so that Republican presidential candidate, Michele Bachmann, can see the glaring differences between movie star, John Wayne, and murderer, John Wayne Gacy.  Bachmann stated that John Wayne was born in Waterloo, Iowa, when in fact it was John Wayne Gacy.

Salon:

....Some helpful advice for Bachmann:

• John Wayne wore a cowboy hat. John Wayne Gacy killed dozens of teenagers and young men.
• John Wayne was in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" with Jimmy Stewart. John Wayne Gacy hid the bodies of most of his victims in his home's crawlspace
• John Wayne supported Richard Nixon. John Wayne Gacy once made a painting of the Chicago Cubs playing against Disney's seven dwarfs....

MSNBC.com has this about Bachmann:

....Bachmann repeated that idea to NBC News in an interview. "I'm not pining for nostalgia back in the 50s and 60s, that isn't it," she told NBC's Kelly O'Donnell. "But that sensibility about how we were grounded here is so important. For instance, another American that was born in Waterloo was John Wayne. We were a very patriotic 'yay rah rah America' city and nation and I think that's what America's looking for again."

The problem: While actor John Wayne – the gravelly-voiced Western film star known for his characteristic walk and his conservative values– was in fact from Iowa (and, Bachmann’s campaign later pointed out, his parents briefly lived in Waterloo), he was born in Winterset, about 150 miles away.

The famous similarly-named guy who did make his home in Waterloo: John Wayne Gacy -- the serial killer known for dressing as “Pogo the Clown” who buried over two dozen of his young male victims in the crawlspace of his Illinois home.....

Bachmann reminds me of one of those people that fail to read the whole book but have an opinion, a wrong opinion, about the conclusion of the book.  Bachmann continues to have her chiefs of staff resign practically every month.  She must be an awful boss.

Oh boy!

Rep. Michele Bachmann, Republican, Tea Party, right wing bizarro, has announced she is running for President.

( Some other words I'd use to describe Bachmann, include the following:
loco, 미친, pazzo,發瘋,sira, and just plain nuts.)

Call the Caterer!

It happened!  The state of New York has passed a bill that permits marriage equality.

NYTimes:


Lawmakers voted late Friday to legalize same-sex marriage, making New York the largest state where gay and lesbian couples will be able to wed and giving the national gay-rights movement new momentum from the state where it was born. 

The bill was approved on a 33-to-29 vote as 4 Republican state senators joined 29 Democrats in voting for it....


....Mr. Cuomo signed the measure late Friday, and the law will go into effect in 30 days, meaning that same-sex couples could begin marrying in New York by midsummer. “I am very proud of New York and the statement we made to the nation today,” Mr. Cuomo said....

Mazel Tov!

Would you contribute $50,000 to a candidate's campaign committee?

Republican Leader Eric Cantor walked out of budget talks yesterday and voters are aghast that he would simply give up on the progress that was being made.  When Cantor couldn't get his way, like a spoiled child, he stormed out of the budget meeting.  Cantor, who like Boehner, seems to be working to protect the wealth of his big time contributors.  They contribute campaign money to encourage Cantor to work for them.

A quick examination of records at the FEC, shows that Cantor's contributors (for the Cantor Victory Fund C00420174) come from managers/partners/employees of investment firms, large property management companies, oil companies, and basically incredibly wealthy people.  The contributions are large, at amounts like $10,000, $15,000, $25,000, $40,000, to as high as $50,800!!! Are you kidding me?  $50,800??????  Is this the kind of constituent Cantor represents?  Those people who have enough money to invest this type of money in the campaign committee of a candidate should pay more in taxes. 

Contact Eric Cantor's office and tell him to stop acting like a spoiled child.  Tell him it is time to raise taxes on the wealthy, and keep his hands off of your Medicare and Social Security:    (202) 225-4000 or (202) 225-2815 or (804) 747-4073.

Out of Touch

From the LATimes:

Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), the House majority leader, said Thursday he was pulling out of deficit reduction talks, throwing into jeopardy the ability of the White House-led negotiations to strike a budget deal with congressional leaders by this summer's deadline.

Cantor cited an impasse over the tax issue, and pressed President Obama to more forcefully lead the negotiations to a conclusion.

"Democrats continue to insist that any deal must include tax increases," Cantor said in a statement. "There is not support in the House for a tax increase, and I don't believe now is the time to raise taxes in light of our current economic situation.....


Why do the Republicans insist on protecting the wealthy?  Anyone with an ounce of common sense would realize that if you don't have enough money that you have to find a way to get more money.  The only way to raise money is to increase the taxes on the wealthy.  Is Cantor so blindly following his pro-business ideology that he has lost all common sense?

Ed Schultz has been talking about the following MotherJones graph this week:








While the rich have gotten richer, American productivity has increased, but wages have remained stagnant.   While Eric Cantor says that the House will not vote for tax increases, you have to wonder why he just doesn't care about Middle Class, working Americans.  The rich and corporate executives might be supplying his campaign cash, but he is supposed to represent real voters.   He just doesn't care. Eric Cantor's constituency appears to be the wealthy, who despite massive tax cuts in the past, still haven't created any jobs.
 

Romney and His Wallet

Do you have a few one dollar bills in your wallet or purse?  Most of us do---- except for Mitt Romney.

Washington Post:

....As he worked the tables at Brewery Bar, a Mexican joint in an Aurora strip mall, Romney was loose and appeared at ease, posing for pictures, signing baseball hats and dipping into a bowl of guacamole.

At one table, a boy offered Romney a $1 bill that he had folded origami-style for good luck. The candidate happily accepted it, but then rifled through his wallet looking for money to give the boy in return. Romney had a $100 bill, but evidently did not want to give that away. An aide handed him a $1 bill, but Romney said that wasn’t enough.

Then, deep inside his leather billfold, Romney found a $5 bill. “We’ll give you an Abraham Lincoln back,” he said, handing it to the boy.... 

Wasn't it just a few days ago that Romney was joking that he too was unemployed?  How many unemployed people you know have hundred dollar bills in their wallets?

More Greed?

*  Is it possible that Republican Rep. Paul Ryan, author of the bill to kill Medicare, seems to be able to benefit from some recent legislation he sponsored.

TheDailyBeast has this about the tax breaks that Paul Ryan has proposed:

...The financial disclosure report Ryan filed with Congress last month and made public this week shows he and his wife, Janna, own stakes in four family companies that lease land in Texas and Oklahoma to the very energy companies that benefit from the tax subsidies in Ryan's budget plan.

Ryan's father-in-law, Daniel Little, who runs the companies, told Newsweek and The Daily Beast that the family companies are currently leasing the land for mining and drilling to energy giants such as Chesapeake Energy, Devon, and XTO Energy, a recently acquired subsidiary of ExxonMobil.

Some of these firms would be eligible for portions of the $45 billion in energy tax breaks and subsidies over 10 years protected in the Wisconsin lawmaker’s proposed budget. “Those [energy developing companies] benefit a lot from these subsidies,” explained Russ Harding, an energy policy analyst with the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, when presented with the situation, without reference to Ryan. “Without those, they’re going to be less profitable.”

Is Paul Ryan looking our for his and his family's investments?  Don't you just hate greed?


***  Have you heard about the job bills Republican Rep. Jim Renacci (OH-16th) has written?  Neither have I.  However, Renacci has decided that he has to go after NBC for their golf coverage and the way they edited a segment on the Pledge of Allegiance (see Cleveland.com).  Renacci's concern about how something was edited won't produce any jobs, help the hungry, or end any wars.

Monday Evening

>   Too bad that the Walmart suit failed.  It is a shame that women employees had to bring a case involving discrimination all the way to the Supreme Court, but I find it incredible that the court sided with Walmart.   I still won't shop there. 

>   It appears that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has a problem and the NYTimes has the information about the ties between Thomas and Harlan Crow:

....The two men met in the mid-1990s, a few years after Justice Thomas joined the court. Since then, Mr. Crow has done many favors for the justice and his wife, Virginia, helping finance a Savannah library project dedicated to Justice Thomas, presenting him with a Bible that belonged to Frederick Douglass and reportedly providing $500,000 for Ms. Thomas to start a Tea Party-related group. They have also spent time together at gatherings of prominent Republicans and businesspeople at Mr. Crow’s Adirondacks estate and his camp in East Texas. 

In several instances, news reports of Mr. Crow’s largess provoked controversy and questions, adding fuel to a rising debate about Supreme Court ethics. But Mr. Crow’s financing of the museum, his largest such act of generosity, previously unreported, raises the sharpest questions yet — both about Justice Thomas’s extrajudicial activities and about the extent to which the justices should remain exempt from the code of conduct for federal judges....


***  If Anthony Weiner resigned, how is it that Republican David Vitter is still in the U.S. Senate?  In case you've forgotten about Republican Vitter's scandal, let me refresh your memory with these key words: prostitute, diaper, madam, etc.  If you still cannot recall the Vitter scandal, just Google Vitter scandal. 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  Createrealdemocracy blog has a great post about the new word "publicopoly" which was created by ALEC to describe the Kasich and Republican plan to sell off parts of Ohio.  ALEC has their solutions to fix Ohio.

Jobs?

Do you think that Ohio Gov. John Kasich will refuse this federal government help?

Crain's Cleveland Business:

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown today will announce a $5.7 million award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that he says will create up to 1,210 new jobs by enabling Northeast Ohio farmers to grow a clean energy biomass known as “miscanthus giganteus.”


Farmers in Ashtabula, Lake, Geauga and Trumbull counties — as well as in several neighboring counties in Pennsylvania — will be eligible to receive the funds to grow miscanthus, a type of grass, which will be converted into biofuels at an Aloterra Energy plant in Conneaut......

.....Sen. Brown said farmers in the four counties will be able to enter into contracts with Aloterra to plant the miscanthus. Aloterra then would buy the miscanthus, convert it to energy and get it to market. Farmers would have three streams of income, according to Sen. Brown: tonnage payments, carbon credits and profit sharing from the conversion facility.....



Do you know what kind of legislation Republican Rep. Pat Tiberi (OH-12) is pushing?
     A new job creation bill?  No
     A bill to train more people for technology jobs? No
     A bill to provide food for the homeless and unemployed?  No

According to The Hill, Tiberi is among a group of Republicans trying to overturn a tax on tanning bed businesses. Open Secrets reports that Rep. Pat Tiberi received $1,000 contribution from the Indoor Tanning Association (PAC) for the 2010 election cycle. 

*****  Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann is certainly a person that has not demonstrated knowledge of American history.  BusinessInsider has a list of "The 9 Craziest Things Michele Bachmann Has Ever Said" and it is interesting. Here is a sample:

"What I love about New Hampshire and what we have in common is our extreme love of liberty...You're the state where the shot heard round the world in Lexington and Concord."
~ March 12, 2011 speech to the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire.

Note: The 1776 Battles of Lexington and Concord took place in Massachusetts.
Source: RealClearPolitics

No Joke

*  Why does it seem that Republican candidates are so out of touch with the real lives of Americans?  Republican, Mitt Romney, demonstrated that he just doesn't get it.

CNN:

After listening to a group of unemployed Floridians discuss the challenges they face in the job market, presidential hopeful -and multi-millionaire– Mitt Romney cheekily divulged, "I am also unemployed."

Romney, according to a 2007 CNN Money report, is a multi-millionaire:

Romney should not be joking around when people's lives are hanging in the balance.

Future Campaign Slogan for Obama?

In an article posted at Roll Call, Stuart Rothenberg discusses whether the new Republican Governors (like Kasich, Scott, Corbett, Walker, etc.) could have some influence on how voters will react to presidential candidates.  Various pundits have offered their opinions and Rothenberg offers them at Roll Call. :


...On May 25, Democratic pollsters Tom Jensen and Dean Debnam of Public Policy Polling released results of an Ohio survey and asserted that President Barack Obama would be helped next year in the state, and in other states, because of unpopular Republican governors....

....The national GOP brand in the fall of 2012 is more likely to be defined by the party’s presidential nominee (or even the Congressional party over the next 17 months), not individual governors or state issues. We will all be focused on the primaries, the presidential hopefuls, the national economy and Obama, not on Scott, Kasich or Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker — none of whom will be on the ballot next year.

I do not dismiss out of hand Ornstein’s argument to me that if he were the president, “I would go into Ohio and campaign on this theme: If you like John Kasich’s economic policies, you are going to LOVE [fill in the name of the Republican nominee].” But that will be merely one of Obama’s messages....

Hmmmm. I think that for those of us in Ohio  and other states might just feel differently about Republican candidates.  After suffering through six long months with Kasich as governor, I believe that Ornstein's suggestion for President Obama's campaign theme is perfect, but I'd re-write it this way:

"If you like John Kasich's agenda that destroys the middle class, de-funds public schools, allows drilling and polluting in our state parks, gives tax breaks to rich cronies, privatizes government services, you'll adore GOP presidential candidate ____."

> Choose from below:

a. Romney        f. Bachmann

b. Gingrich       g. Santorum

c. Pawlenty       h. Palin

d. Paul              i. Perry

e. Pawlenty

Haven't we suffered enough with Kasich?  Do we really want a Republican president that pushes the same far right ideological agenda, and then destroys Medicare?

They Don't Speak for Me

It appears that the Republican leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives, John Boehner and Eric Cantor, don't share your pain.  With the release of the financial disclosure for the members of Congress, Boehner and Cantor are crying all the way to the bank, and their investments. 


Washington Post:

....House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) and House Majority Eric I. Cantor (R-Va.) , the GOP leaders who rode to power on the grassroots wave of tea-party activists, are multi-millionaires with financial investments in some of the nation’s largest corporations.

Boehner had minimum financial holdings of $2 million at the end of 2010, while his top deputy was worth at least $3.4 million, according to financial disclosure forms that were released Wednesday. Their true net worth is likely to be far greater because lawmakers are only required to reveal a broad range of their financial holdings and the value of their primary residences is not mandatory in the disclosures. And, as is the case with Cantor’s wife, Diana, spouses are required to reveal the stocks and other assets they hold at the end of the year, not their annual income from the jobs they hold.....

.....The largest investments for Boehner, a former plastics executive from southwestern Ohio, come from mutual funds and a collection of individual retirement accounts. The speaker’s IRA is invested in a who’s who of Fortune 500 companies, ranging from WalMart (at least $15,000); Xerox ($15,000); Pfizer ($15,000); Goldman Sachs ($15,000), according to his forms....

It is no wonder that Boehner and Cantor want to protect the wealthy so much----they themselves are wealthy.   Boehner and Cantor are preserving their own personal wealth and their investments, while they systematically try to get more tax cuts for themselves and their cronies.  They are not doing anything to help the Middle Class.  Where are the jobs that Boehner and Cantor promised?  Their arrogance and greed make me sick.

The American Worker Has A Message

Here is a message to those Republican governors trying to take rights away from American workers----

YouTube

Danger Ahead?

Over at Firedoglake, a diary informs us of some of the problems associated with private prisons.  With Gov. Kasich's desire to sell off Ohio's prisons to private companies, the public should be very afraid of the consequences of having outsiders managing inmates with an effort to "...make cuts to increase profits..."

Firedoglake:

...Judge Greg Mathis recently made that point in an article discussing a suit against GEO Group – brought by dozens of family members of inmates at the Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility in Jackson, Miss.  The families contend that the corporation forces the prisoners – two thirds of whom are non-violent offenders – to live “in sub-standard conditions, where they are subject to excessive force from staff and are sexually preyed upon by other inmates and staff.”  As Judge Mathis notes, one young man, 21-year old Mike McIntosh II, was so brutally injured in one incident that he now suffers from short-term memory loss and has lost the function of his right arm and right leg.

Moreover, the politicians pushing privatization are not honest with citizens.  They make false claims about savings. In Ohio, Gov. John Kasich proposed selling five of the state’s prison properties, claiming the sale would bring in revenue of $200 million, with no facts or guarantees offered to the taxpayers.

In fact, the real money was made by Kasich cronies who worked in cahoots with the prison privateers.  As columnist Joe Hallet noted in the Columbus Dispatch last month:  “Well before Kasich’s budget proposed privatizing five state prisons, his best friend, newly minted lobbyist Donald G. Thibaut, and two of the governor’s closest policy advisers, lobbying partners Robert F. Klaffky and Douglas J. Preisse, had signed up the nation’s two largest private prison operators as clients.”

If the budget crunch is not as bad as the Kasich administration first announced, there is no need to sell off state assets.  Is Kasich just doing it to help out his friends?

Reform?

Voters in Ohio have learned that every single time that Gov. John Kasich mentions the word "reform" in a speech or interview, it means that the hard working people in the middle class, the elderly, public school children, the poor, and the disenfranchised will get screwed. 

Kasich and the Republicans have pushed for SB 5 in an effort to "reform" collective bargaining.  People in the know are aware that the bill is an attempt to give more power to owners/managers and remove workers' rights. 

Kasich and his Republican legislators want to "reform" education by expanding the failing charter schools.  By encouraging the growth of charter schools, Kasich hopes to strip public schools of money, teachers, and local control of schools.  By taking away the money and strength and foundation from public schools, Kasich and the GOP provide more power and money to David Brennan and his White Hat Management charter school organization. Of course, Mr. Brennan and those associated with him, are major contributors to Ohio's Republican candidates and party.  He gives the Republicans money, and they reward him with more money, freedom to open more charter schools, and less regulations.

However, those governors who've tried to "reform" education do so at their own risk.  These governors are losing the approval of the public.

Education Week:


A number of newly elected Republican governors in political battleground states who have pushed sweeping, controversial changes in education policy into law have seen their approval ratings slide since taking office....

....Kasich: Just 33 percent approve of his performance, while 56 percent disapprove, according to Public Policy Polling. The poll also found that 55 percent of those polled said they favored doing away with Senate Bill 5, approved by Kasich and the GOP-controlled legislature this spring....

....But the policies of Walker, Kasich, and Scott appear to have galvanized teachers' unions. And the Obama administration may have helped its standing with organized labor by coming out against Wisconsin's collective bargaining law and policies like it, and urging public officials to forge deals cooperatively with unions....

 By allowing charter schools to grow, Kasich allows the poor proficiency scores and the less than stellar education found at charter schools to be accepted.  Public schools are being penalized because Kasich favors charter schools and their political contributors. The more Kasich pushes his "reforms," the more voters, parents, college students, and even school children, will turn their back on him.

Can we stop the drilling in Ohio's parks?

Could there be a little snag in Gov. Kasich's plan to allow drilling in Ohio's parks?   Kasich and his Republican sheeple are ready to throw wildlife, plant life, water, and the total natural environment of state parks down the toilet by inviting drilling companies to take up residence in Ohio's parks.

Istockanalyst:
....Specifically, H.B. 133 would allow leasing state land -- parks and such -- for oil and gas exploration and drilling. Among other things, it would establish an oil and gas leasing commission -- to be appointed by the pro-drill governor, of course -- and would require state lands be classified into four categories with an eye making more available for drilling.....


....Language added to the bill in the House would require state agencies to take steps to reclassify lands to make it easier for the commission to lease them. What the drill-baby-drill Kasich administration wants is to have as much as possible of the 170,000 acres of land that the state wildlife division manages to be declared as having no federal interests and encumbrances. 

But wildlife lands currently are classified as having some federal interest because they are, at least in part, managed through federal Pittman-Robertson [P-R] or Dingell-Johnson/Wallop-Breaux [D-J] funds.

Can you imagine the damage that will be done to habitats and the environment in our parks?  Of course, Kasich and the Republicans just don't care because money and greed are more important than protecting the environment and animal life.

********  A new website, Beernotfear.com is devoted to stopping the latest Ohio Republican stupid idea--- allowing guns in bars.

Right Winger Mandel

Here is some scary news----PlainDealer:

....Citizens United, it turns out, is supporting Mandel already.


So far, it is doing so the old-fashioned way: with contributions to Mandel's own campaign. Although Mandel won't have to disclose the contributions he has received until after the end of this quarter, political action committees file financial reports to the Federal Election Commission on a different schedule. A recent filing discovered by The Plain Dealer in a review of PAC records shows that Citizens United's own PAC -- the Citizens United Political Victory Fund -- donated $10,000 to Mandel on April 5. Half the donation is for the primary and half for the general election.....

.....Citizens United's contribution was among the first of any to Mandel's Senate campaign (by law, it had to be). It's far from the last. Mandel will be in Washington next Monday for a fund-raising reception hosted by a dozen lobbyists, lawyers and consultants.


Josh Mandel has still not answered whether he supports SB 5.


>According to some tweets by Republican right winger, SB 5 author (really?), Shannon Jones, Josh Mandel is giving a political speech today.  Is he doing it on his lunch hour or is he doing political stuff on state time?

http://twitter.com/#!/sjones524

sjones524 Shannon Jones

Treasurer of State Josh Mandel is speaking to Center Right meeting.

3 hours ago

»

sjones524 Shannon Jones

Off to Center Right meeting in Hamilton Co. Grover Norquist to speak.

5 hours ago


> A lot of people are looking at how Josh Mandel conducts business.  Here is a tidbit from from the DSCC:



Now, Mr. Mandel is caught in an ethics storm for using taxpayer resources to promote his fledging U.S. Senate campaign. And in response, Mandel is stonewalling, refusing to answer questions about the allegations that he used tax-payer resources for his fledgling U.S. Senate campaign.

BASICS:  Two days ago, a state ethics complaint was filed against Mandel, alleging he illegally published online content created with tax-payer funds to his new federal campaign site, a clear violation of election law. Take a look here and here.  Look similar to you?

...."Mandel’s office did not respond to calls..." [Dayton Daily News, 6/7/11]

How can we forget how the Mandel camp smeared Kevin Boyce with lies and innuendos in the last election?

The Republican Healthcare Haiku

Tonight on the Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert provided the "Republican Healthcare Haiku." Colbert's haiku succinctly describes what the Republican plan to kill Medicare will do:

Blood in the urine

A tingling down the left arm

Walk it off, Grandma.

Doesn't that say it all?  Republicans just don't care about Grandma, Grandpa, or anyone but their rich friends.

Speaking of Tax Cuts.....

Republican candidate for President, Tim Pawlenty, is a disciple of Grover Norquist. That in itself should scare the  *%#@ out of you.  However, Tim Pawlenty's ideas about taxes will scare you even more.

ThinkProgress:


....as a new analysis from Citizens for Tax Justice shows, in addition to being outrageously expensive, Pawlenty’s tax plan is based on the Republican brand of class warfare — giving millionaires huge tax breaks:

– Taxpayers with incomes in excess of $1 million would enjoy an average cut in personal income taxes of $288,822, a 41.4 percent cut.
– Taxpayers with incomes in excess of $10 million would enjoy an average cut in personal income taxes of $2.4 million, a 46.3 percent cut.
– The cost of the personal income tax cuts just for taxpayers with incomes in excess of $1 million would be $141.8 billion.

And that’s just for Pawlenty’s income tax plan. He has also proposed eliminating the capital gains and estate taxes entirely, two moves which would overwhelmingly benefit the very richest Americans.....

OMG!  What kind of a plan is that?  Why would anyone in his/her right mind want to give more tax cuts to millionaires?  Why? Why?  Why?

Millionaires who have the power and ability to start hiring people have been pocketing the extra money they're making instead of creating new jobs.  The rich are getting richer, and the poor and middle class are getting poorer.  Pawlenty's ideas are just plain obscene.

 _____________

>>>>>>  As the proud owner of two dogs, I would never do anything to harm them.  They are a part of our family.  However, as I will remind you again, not all Republican presidential candidates feel that way about their family pets.

Newser (June 2007):

White House hopeful Mitt Romney once kept his Irish Setter in a dog carrier strapped to the roof rack of the family car during a 12-hour road trip in a stunt that's come back to haunt his campaign 24 years later, Time reports. The incident came to light as an anecdote about Romney in a newspaper profile. 

 Now questions are being raised about the Massachusetts governor's  judgment, his parenting, and  even his support for "enhanced interrogation" techniques used on suspected terrorists. A PETA spokesman said the dog, Seamus, was "basically being tortured" in the possibly illegal incident , and the family vacation was a "lesson in cruelty" for the Romney children.

Join DogsAgainstRomney.

Should The Rich Pay Higher Taxes?

The two U.S. Senators from Ohio disagree on how to fix things regarding finances for the government. WKBN:

....In his weekly conference call with reporters, Republican Rob Portman said he's opposed to raising taxes to generate more revenue, thinking that will only hurt small businesses and slow down an already fragile economy.

As an alternative, Portman said lawmakers need to reduce spending in the short term while tackling significant reforms of the tax code. He said eliminating certain existing loopholes and changing regulations will boost revenues without raising taxes.

Last week, Democrat Sherrod Brown said tax increases are needed to help cut the deficit.

The Republicans have one purpose, and that is to cut taxes further.  Despite their continued calls for more tax cuts,we can clearly see that the 10 year old Bush tax cuts didn't help us over the last decade.  Instead, the Bush tax cuts only put us further in the hole.

Sen. Brown is right.  The taxes should be raised on the wealthy.

Tuesday

* Here is an excerpt from Eugene Robinson's column in the Washington Post:


...Palin is certain about everything and knows about nothing. The only true facts are those she recognizes; other facts, when cited to contradict her private truth, are deemed politically motivated. History books are nothing more than weapons used by her enemies in their incessant attacks, their pitiful attempts to play “gotcha.”

....Anyone who believes that Revere rang bells and fired warning shots simply isn’t going to know — until after the fact — about the encounter with the British soldiers. And in any event, Revere didn’t set out “to warn the British” — he was warning colonists about the British. And he wasn’t making some kind of Second Amendment statement about “American arms” because there was no Second Amendment. And . . .

 

Yes, I’m belaboring the obvious. But I’m doing so because the incident says so much about Palin’s arrogant disregard for objective fact. It’s never about the truth. It’s always about Sarah....

It is worth the read.


* * * Something interesting happened in Iowa.  This might also be another example of why Republicans just don't seem to be able to attract hardworking, young, motivated, voters and volunteers.  The message from Republicans is "Go Back Home."

NorthIowaJournal:

After students representing each of Iowa’s state Universities testified before the Senate Education Appropriation Committee today to oppose severe budget cuts for higher education, Senator Shawn Hamerlinck of Dixon, ranking Republican on the committee, responded to the students’ testimony by telling them to “Go back home.”

Hamerlinck stated, “I do not like it when students actually come here and lobby me for funds.  That’s just my opinion. I want to wish you guys the best.  I want you to go home and graduate.  But this political fear, leave the circus to us OK?  Go home and enjoy yourselves.  I want to thank you for joining us and though I have to concede, your time speaking before us is kind of a tad intense.   It’s probably a pretty new experience.  You probably prepared for it for days and you sat there in front of us trying to make sure your remarks were just right, and that’s a good thing.  But actually spending your time worrying about what we’re doing up here, I don’t want you to do that.  Go back home.  Thanks guys.”

The students were invited to the Capitol as part of “Open Budget Hearings.” The goal of the hearings was to hear feedback from Iowans impacted by the proposed budget cuts, including the effects of what some have described as the Republican’s “two-year starvation diet for Iowa schools.”

Can you imagine how these young people felt when Hamerlinck said those words?  Even though the students were invited, it is clear that the Iowa Republicans just don't care.  I'd suggest that those young people call, email, and run over to the nearest Democratic headquarters and talk to people who care about what you think.  I'll even provide you with a place to start:  Iowa Democratic Headquarters-- info@iowademocrats.org

Rewriting History

When I heard Sarah Palin's account of Paul Revere's ride, I knew that once again we had evidence of her idiocy.  Apparently, the people (or sheeple) who follow Palin have tried to alter the historical account of Revere's ride to be more of a reflection of Palin's view of the event.

Computerworld:

...Late last week, the former Alaskan governor was visiting Boston when she now famously talked about Paul Revere's midnight ride. Instead of mentioning "one if by land or two if by sea" or Revere's ride to warn the colonists that the British were coming, Palin instead said that Revere rode to warn off the British.....

.....Now, some of her supporters want to rewrite history to make it reflect Palin's unique version of events. And they have been trying for days to get their changes onto the Paul Revere page on Wikipedia.

Jay Walsh, a spokesman for the Wikimedia Foundation, told Computerworld that people have tried to add ( ) has been considered erroneous information to the Paul Revere page about 15 times in the past 24 to 48 hours. All of those changes have been taken out....

This is just the way that Republicans have rewritten the history of Ronald Reagan.  They've made him into some superstar, when in reality, he saddled our country with huge debts.

Sarah Palin and her supporters need to actually read some books and information about history.  If they are still confused about Paul Revere, they should visit the PaulRevereHouse website for real facts, and pay special attention to the section on the Midnight Ride.  (Hint:  The real story has nothing in common with Sarah Palin's fable.)

Ayn Rand's Disciple- Rep. Paul Rand

Republican Rep. Paul Ryan has made it quite clear that he is a follower of Ayn Rand.  He has passed out her books to staff members and boasts of his admiration for the now deceased author.  However, some people wonder if Paul Ryan's pro-individualism ideas, as reflected in his plan to kill Medicare, are really in line with his Catholic faith.

In an opinion piece in today's USA Today, Stephen Prothero, takes issue with Ryan's professed belief in the philosophy of Ayn Rand:

....In Rand's Manichaean world, it is not God vs. Satan, but individualism vs. collectivism. While Jesus says, "Blessed are the poor," she sings Hosannas to the rich. The heroes of Atlas Shrugged (which, alas, is only slightly shorter than the Bible) are captains of industry such as John Galt. The villains are the "looters" and "moochers" — people who by hook (guilt) or by crook (government coercion) steal from the hard-won earnings of others.....

.....Over the last few weeks, various Christian groups have criticized Republican leaders for proposing a 2012 budget that in their view is both un-Christian and anti-life. First, dozens of professors, priests and nuns at various Catholic universities criticized House Speaker John Boehner for a legislative record on the poor that was, in their estimation, "among the worst in Congress." "Mr. Speaker, your voting record is at variance from one of the Church's most ancient moral teachings," they wrote. "From the apostles to the present, the Magisterium of the Church has insisted that those in power are morally obliged to preference the needs of the poor."

....In short, these Christians are telling the GOP that there is too much Rand in their budget, and too little Jesus.....

The Republicans who have embraced Ayn Rand are clearly into selfishness by trying to keep everything for themselves.  As the author of the article said in this piece, "...Rand's trinity is "I me mine." Christianity's is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. So take your pick....."

 As Paul Ryan and the Republicans seek to obliterate Medicare, we need to know how they can reconcile adding $5-7 trillion to the national debt with their voucher plan and why they wish to punish old, sick, people.

The GOP Kill Medicare Bill Would Hurt Today's Seniors Too!

Here is something that will make you distrust Republicans forever.  According to an excerpt from the National Journal, and excerpted at Daily Kos, the Republican "kill Medicare plan" would hurt today's seniors too:

...The policies in the House GOP budget, if enacted, would begin affecting millions of seniors almost immediately by increasing their costs for prescription drugs and probably long-term care. Further, Medicare costs could rise over time if healthier seniors choose to abandon the traditional benefit program....

...Some 9 million seniors qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid benefits, and about two-thirds of all nursing-home residents are covered by Medicaid. The GOP budget proposes cutting some $744 billion from Medicaid over 10 years by turning the system into block grants that limit federal contributions and give states more choice in structuring benefits. No one knows exactly which Medicaid services states would choose to cut back, but senior citizens account for a disproportionate share of Medicaid outlays and would almost certainly bear some of the burden....

So if you want to live in you son or daughter's basement when there is no Medicare, you'd better not vote for anyone who supported the Paul Ryan kill Medicare plan.  However, if your elderly parents are in a nursing home now, an immediate destruction of Medicare will put an unfair burden on you as you struggle to have a job and take care of your parents, grandparents, or elderly aunt/uncle just as they're thrown into the streets by the Republicans.


Is this our future with the Republican plan to kill Medicare?
(pic from RevRuth/myfairladyb)

Same Old Same Old is a Failure

The Republican mantra of cutting taxes, closing loopholes, and helping the wealthy has not worked.  Even though the tax cuts have been in force, the private sector is not creating jobs. All that the owners of these companies are doing is keeping their money for themselves.  How much more money does John Boehner want to give for the wealthy?  It hasn't worked and yet the country has lost taxes for the federal treasury.  While Boehner and the right wing ideological Republicans promised to create jobs, they've done nothing except push forward their right wing agenda (cut access for women to health care, attacked NPR, tried to end the President's health care plan, pushed for vouchers for schools, tried to end environmental protection, attacked Elizabeth Warren), pushed for more tax cuts for the wealthy, and voted to end Medicare.

Where is the job creation legislation, Mr. Boehner????

It is time for the big shot owners of corporations to get off their behinds and put their patriotism and money to work to create jobs.  We're tired of the greed.  Do something!

Thought for the Day

The Democratic plan for elderly health care is called  Medicare.
                                           


The Republican voucher plan for elderly health care is called ........

"The Republican Plan to End Medicare."

Your vote in any upcoming election will determine which plan wins.  It is also important to note that the Republican plan adds $5 to $6 trillion dollars to the national debt.  

From YouTube (by Buddy Meyers):

Is this what Paul Ryan wants as the future for our elderly, poor, disabled, and blind? 

Obama's Success

President Barack Obama will be visiting Ohio this week to show how his loans to automakers have successfully created jobs.

Toledo Blade:

....On Friday, President Obama will tour the Chrysler’s Toledo Assembly complex where the company make Jeep Wranglers. He will speak with plant workers, a White House official said. The complex also include a factory which makes Jeep Liberty and Dodge Nitro vehicles.

According to the White House, the President will also hear firsthand from local business owners and residents about “the importance of the auto industry resurgence to the community as a whole and the economic devastation it would have faced had Chrysler been allowed to fail.”

......According to the report, since GM and Chrysler emerged from bankruptcy, the auto industry has created 115,000 jobs, its strongest period of job growth since the late 1990s. GM, Ford, and Chrysler have all returned to profitability, and in 2010, the Detroit Three gained market share for the first time since 1995, according to the White House report.....


Thank you, President Obama!

However, if the country would have listened to people like Ohio's John Kasich, John Boehner, and Rob Portman and not helped the American car makers, none of this job creation would have happened.  You almost wonder if some of these Republicans want to completely destroy the government like Grover Norquist said, "My goal is to cut government in half in 25 years to get it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub."  (Note:  Tim Pawlenty, Kasich, and Paul Ryan are all followers of the Norquist philosophy.)

It might also be the intent of the Republicans to return to the days of peasants and the landowners.  With what I've read of plans by Ohio's GOPers to cut the minimum wage (see Plunderbund), you start to wonder if Republicans want to improve their own lives, rather than those of every citizen. 

_________ 

 

Republicanos han privado del derecho de votación millones de inmigrantes con anti leyes inmigratoria en Arizona, en Tejas, y en otros estados. ¿Cómo reaccionarán contra los votantes de América este tratamiento horrible?  

Puede ayudar a reelegir Presidente a Obama: LatinosforObama.