Mandel: Not Ready For Prime Time

* Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, an extreme right wing Republican, has all but announced his intention to run for U.S. Senate against U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown.  Mandel, who still hasn't learned about this present job, is already gathering boatloads of money from far right Tea Party Republicans.  Mandel appears to be a puppet of those who wish to end Social Security and Medicare.  In a piece in the Plain Dealer, Mandel expressed his opinion that the debt deal should not have happened.  He seemed unable to understand why raising the debt ceiling was necessary.  If the deal had not been worked out, those people receiving Social Security and Medicare would not have received their checks, and our troops would not have received their paychecks.  Somehow, I don't think Mandel quite "gets it."  

****  Oh, goody!  (Not.) Gov. John Kasich is looking to pay some big money to some consultants to help him get rid of the Ohio Turnpike.  Gee.  I wonder which politically connected "consultants" will get the job????  The last time Kasich hired consultants they got $15 million.


OhioBudgetWatch:

....Casinos the voters already approved and that were all set to begin construction until the Governor opened his mouth and started questioning whether we could get more money from them.


The consultant fees — a percentage of the state’s revenues from casinos — of up to $15 million are to come from the Lottery Commission’s budget. The Lottery, whose profits are constitutionally required to be spent on education. It’s funny, because I had been wondering why the amount of profits the Lottery promises to deliver to the state are projected to decline in the next budget, after year upon year of increasing profits. They claimed in their budget testimony it was because of competition from casinos. But, now, according to the Dispatch story, it looks more like it’s due to payments to casino consultants.

Proceeds from the sale of lottery games are supposed to go to education. The Lottery can deduct its own expenses they incur from the sale of Lottery tickets, but I fail to see how spending money on consultants to tell the Governor how to raise more tax money from casinos is remotely allowable. Not sure? Here’s what the Ohio Constitution has to say (§ 15.06(A).....

Read the rest of the article at OhioBudgetWatch.