Just Saying......

Ohio Gov. John Kasich took his state of the state speech last year to Steubenville, Ohio. Steubenville is located in Jefferson County which, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, has a white race population of 92.1%. This year, Kasich plans to take his speech to Lima, Ohio, in Allen County, with a white population (U.S. Census Bureau) at 84.4%.

The state capital is located in Columbus, Ohio, in Franklin County. What is the white population of Franklin County Ohio? The U.S. Census Bureau has it at 71.2%.

Is Gov. John Kasich purposely taking his state of the state speech to primarily to counties with a larger percentage of white people? Just saying.....  Kasich is preaching to his base.

Get Ready for Kasich's Attack on Public Schools

•••  Teachers and parents should study any education "reform" that comes from Gov. John Kasich and the Ohio Republicans. If you believe that private corporations should make a profit on the education of our children, you'll like what Kasich has in store. However, if you are like a majority of Ohioans that support public schools, you'll hate the push for more failing charter schools.  WKYC has some hints of what is ahead.

 

If you need some background on Kasich's newest education reformer, Marguerite Roza, you need to read, and email the article about the biased and unscientific research that Roza has based her program:

School Finance through Roza-Tinted Glasses: 5 School-Funding Myths from a 

Single Misguided Source. 

 

*******

•  Last week, Republican Rep. Paul Broun made some completely ignorant statements.

TheHill:

...."I think my role is to uphold support and defend our Constitution," Broun said Tuesday according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "The constitution I uphold and defend is the one I carry in my pocket all the time, the U.S. Constitution. I don’t know what constitution that other members of Congress uphold, but it’s not this one. I think the only constitution that Barack Obama upholds is the Soviet Constitution, not this one. He has no concept of this one, though he claimed to be a constitutional lawyer."

Obama taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago prior to becoming a U.S. senator.

The Journal-Constitution also noted that the last time a constitution was ratified for the defunct United Soviet Socialist Republic was 1977... 

It might not matter to the people in Georgia's 10th congressional district, but the USSR that Rep. Paul Broun is referring to no longer exists because it dissolved in 1991. You'd think Broun would know that since he is an elected member of the House of Representatives and a physician. Paul Broun's lack of knowledge about this historical fact is shameful. In case you haven't guessed, Broun's comment about President Obama is wrong too.

•••••••••••••••••

 

>>>  The re-designed Columbus Dispatch was released today.  Although it may look different, it is still the same right wing rag it has always been.  They are still cheering for Gov. John Kasich like they work for him.

Terhar Hears From Other Board Members

The Columbus Dispatch has an update on the Debe Terhar, President of the State Board of Education.

Dispatch:

Several members of the Ohio Board of Education today requested a special meeting to discuss the controversy surrounding Board President Debe Terhar and her Facebook post about Adolf Hitler and gun control.

“The reason for this special meeting will be for the members of the state board to have the opportunity to discuss together the situation regarding your posting on Facebook and how this is reflecting on board leadership,” board members Deborah Cain, Ann Jacobs, Jeffrey Mims and Mary Rose Oakar wrote in an e-mail to Terhar....

...“We’ve gotten 60,000 e-mails. It’s becoming such a huge deal and apparently it’s now getting a lot of attention nationally from Jewish leaders,” Jacobs said.....

Only 60,000 emails??????   I'm sure we can continue to send those emails to:
J.C. Benton, Director, Office of Board Relations at:

j.c.benton@education.ohio.gov

Debe Terhar, Gov. John Kasich, the State School Board members, and all Ohio must be told that we are offended and disgusted by Mrs. Terhar's posting remarks about President Obama.  It is shameful.

>>>  The ToledoBlade has an editorial that says "Ms. Terhar Must Go":

State Board of Education President Debe Terhar apparently doesn’t have the decency or good sense to resign. So it falls to Gov. John Kasich to make that happen.

Nothing Ms. Terhar could do to improve the education of Ohio’s children as president, or even a member, of the state board can offset or undo the damage she has done by setting an appalling example of intolerance and ignorance....

....For the good of the state, Ms. Terhar must step down. If she does not do so voluntarily, Mr. Kasich should make it happen. Her litany of excuses only confirms that she is ill-equipped to lead Ohio’s efforts to educate its children.

Time to go, Ms Terhar!

Kasich's State School Board President

Another one of Gov. John Kasich's appointees has gotten into trouble.

ColumbusDispatch:

State Board of Education President Debe Terhar said she was not comparing President Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler when she posted a photograph of the Nazi leader on her Facebook page with a message critical of the administration’s new gun-control efforts.

But she does say we “need to step back and think about it and look at history” to see that tyrants have disarmed their citizens.

Terhar, a Cincinnati Republican elected last week by the 19-member school board to a second term as its president, recently posted the picture with this commentary: “Never forget what this tyrant said: ‘To conquer a nation, first disarm its citizens.’ — Adolf Hitler.”  

Gov. John Kasich certainly has a knack for picking far right Republicans for his political appointments. As the good people at Plunderbund have pointed out, Debe Terhar is not the first Kasich favorite to have problems.

Plunderbund:

....You do indeed reap what you sow and John Kasich has sown everything from the questionable, the unqualified, to the outright extremists in his appointments.

His PUCO chief is a climate change denier
He appoints unqualified right-to-life activists to the State Medical Board
His head of corrections worked for a private prison company
Kasich’s Ohio Department of Natural Resources run by former lobbyist and VP for American Electric Power
Kasich’s EPA Chief is a former environmental manager for Perdue mega-farmer in Indiana...


Kasich might shrug off this controversy, but it will only be more evidence of his extremist agenda that a majority of Ohioans dislike. If Kasich admires people like Debe Terhar, that says a lot about him and makes a lot of us very uncomfortable with these continuing far right, unhinged appointees.

Ooooooops!

>>>  The big Republican "retreat" going on right now has had a few problems. Republicans have been unable to gain the support of women voters in past elections, and yet they continue to "not get it" when it comes to being able to listen to women.

Hunter at DailyKos  has a little snippet about a planned seminar at the Republican meetings "....on how to talk to women and minorities without pissing them off. The panel, entitled Discussion on Successful Communication with Minorities and Women....:


Fair enough, but having a panel on minorities and women that seemed to be well-stocked with white guys proved perhaps even more awkward:

  ....But then why, a final reporter prodded, did this panel on communicating with women  and minorities include three white men: Representatives Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Scott Rigell and Frank R. Wolf, both of Virginia? 

Mr. Walden, who was not responsible for putting together the event, pointed out that the panel also included several women: “a woman from CNN” (Ana Navarro) and “Sean Duffy’s wife” (Rachel Campos-Duffy). Mr. Duffy is a congressman from Wisconsin; his wife is a television personality....

In case you are interested, Ana Navarro, is a Republican strategist, who contributes to CNN, according to CNN.

Republicans Oppose Everything!

Do you ever think that if President Obama made a public statement that the sky is blue, that the Republicans would disagree with him? 

The ATF has been without a director for six years.  With an increase in gun crimes, it does seem reasonable that elected official would want to make sure that a director should be approved.  However, the Republican Obstruction Party has plans to block President Obama's nominee.

NY Times:

President Obama indicated on Wednesday that along with asking members of Congress to pass measures like an assault weapons ban, he would be ratcheting up pressure on lawmakers to do something they have refused to do for the past six years: confirm a permanent director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.....

....Mr. Jones, 55, a former Marine who is also the United States attorney in Minnesota, has led the beleaguered agency since August 2011, when he was appointed by the administration to take over in the wake of the scandal surrounding the bungled gun trafficking investigation known as Operation Fast and Furious....

....One of the more vocal critics of the Justice Department and the firearms bureau, Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, said on Wednesday that he agreed with the president that it was time for the Senate to confirm a permanent head of the agency, but he raised questions about Mr. Jones’s credibility....

It seems that no matter which person is nominated by President Obama, the Republican Obstruction Party, finds some reason to object.

>>> Notre Dame linebacker, Manti Te'o, is the talk of the internet.
USA Today:

There are dozens of crazy things associated with the Manti Te'o "hoax story," first reported by Timothy Burke and Jack Dickey of Deadspin.com. The first, of course, is the hoax itself: Contrary to national reports, Te'o's girlfriend, Lennay Kekua, not only didn't die in September, she never existed at all.....

....1. Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, who Deadspin alleged created the Kekua persona, was friends with Te'o. Deadspin suggests in its piece (citing tweets by Tuiasosopo) that Te'o and Tuiasosopo met and spent time together during Notre Dame's trip to play USC in early December.

2. A friend of Tuiasosopo's told Deadspin that he was "80 percent sure" that Te'o was "in on it."

3. ..........

Then, there is this from  Buzzfeed----

This afternoon, ESPN aired an interview between Manti Te'o and journalist Gene Wojciechowski from October 2 regarding Teo's deceased girlfriend, Lennay Kekua. Wojciechowski then discussed today's revelation that she does not exist.

Here's the full story of Manti Te'o and his fake girlfriend, which he's calling a hoax he fell victim to....

So if Manti Te'o was a "victim" of a hoax, did his parents meet her, as he said? Wow!

Time for Common Sense

As a nation, we must do something to stop this gun violence. Unfortunately, some people believe that their rights to guns trumps your rights to life, safety, and having your children protected from violence.  We've all seen what happened at Sandy Hook, Columbine, Rep. Gabby Gifford and the victims in her district, at movie theaters, in neighborhoods, and numerous schools.  Americans must stand up and say to gun manufacturers, the NRA, and people that love their guns more than human beings and say,

 "Enough!" 

We can work together on common sense laws/rules:

1. You can have your hunting guns, but make sure that they are secure in your home. 

2. If someone is mentally ill in your home, perhaps having weapons in your home is not a good idea. Take a second look and examine what threat those weapons might pose to your own family and friends. Can you get mental health assistance for those in your family that you believe need help?

3. People who hunt do not need guns that have magazines with the rapid firing of multiple bullets in seconds.

4. Why should an unelected group of special interests, like the NRA, be able to dictate what type of weapons can be carried in our public areas, churches, schools, and other places?

5. The NRA's latest ad about the President's children, is a sick, twisted organization. Shame on the NRA. 

6. Background checks on gun purchasers are important and necessary to protect our children.

7. Get on board: Call and email President Obama, your representative, your senators, the media, and the NRA and tell them to work for a ban on assault weapons and large capacity bullet magazine clips.

Consider the Source, His Record & Contributors

Republican Rep. Steve Stockman (TX-36) made an outrageous statement.

WashingtonPost:

Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Tex.) says he’s willing to initiate impeachment proceedings against President Obama should the White House implement new gun regulations through executive action.

“The White House’s recent announcement they will use executive orders and executive actions to infringe on our constitutionally-protected right to keep and bear arms is an unconstitutional and unconscionable attack on the very founding principles of this republic,” Stockman said in a statement. “I will seek to thwart this action by any means necessary, including but not limited to eliminating funding for implementation, defunding the White House, and even filing articles of impeachment.”



Obama is currently reviewing options laid out by Vice President Biden’s task force on gun violence and will announce his plans this week....

Rep. Steve Stockman's campaign finance information is very interesting.
According to Open Secrets, gun rights PACs donated $19,449 to his campaign committee.  Stockman also is know to have engaged in mud-slinging during his campaign (See Washington Post and the Houston Chronicle).

Money

>  President Obama had a press conference today and talked extensively about the debt limit. You can see the press conference at the WashingtonPost. The Republicans are talking about shutting down government, which would mean that Social Security recipients, our military, federal employees, government contractors, our veterans, etc., would not receive checks.  The Republicans like to play with people's lives, and yet refuse to acknowledge that the debt went up during the last Bush administration with the tax cuts and wars that were not fully paid for by that administration.


> Since Ohio Gov. John Kasich cut funding to all levels of education, it is no surprise that student tuition and fees are increasing. New buildings and a sophomore on campus living requirement, will costs students more money at the Ohio State University.

DaytonDailyNews:

Ohio State University is set to become the largest college in the country to require sophomores to live on campus — a rule aimed at improving retention and graduation rates but one that will likely add to the financial burden faced by students.

OSU trustees in August approved $396 million to design and construct new dorms and a recreation center, adding 3,200 beds. The 56,000-student university — the nation’s third largest — said keeping 5,200 sophomores in OSU housing will encourage them to stay involved in university activities and give the campus a smaller feel. The requirement is planned to take effect in fall 2016......

.....Ohio State plans to issue bonds, take out an internal loan and spend cash to finance the project. Room rates will go up as much as 6 percent per year; meal and recreation fee increases won’t be capped but aren’t expected to jump as much as room rates.....

And so it goes.....

Ohio Politics

> Gov. John Kasich will be giving his State of the State speech in the coming weeks.  According to an article at Cincinnati.com, Kasich might give the speech in primetime to have it reach more citizens. Really? I know we certainly would not watch that!

> Which Ohio politician has gotten lots of campaign money from the NRA?   The ClevelandPlainDealer has the names:

...It turns out that a northeast Ohioan, U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci, was tied for first place in receipts from the nation's leading gun lobby, the National Rifle Association, in the November election cycle.

Renacci, a Republican from Wadsworth, got $9,900 from the NRA Political Victory Fund for his successful reelection effort. That tied him with Steve Fincher, a Tennessee Republican in the U.S. House who also got $9,900.

Coming in next nationally: Josh Mandel, the Ohio treasurer who ran unsuccessfully against Senate Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown. Mandel, a Republican, got $9,450 from the NRA. Brown got nothing....

Now you know which candidates carry the water for the NRA.

New Poll

There is a new poll out today from the Washington Post-ABC.
WashingtonPost:

..Q: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama handled budget negotiations to avoid the 'fiscal cliff'

Detailed View

Approve 52%

Disapprove 37%

No opinion

Q: Do you approve or disapprove of the way House Speaker John Boehner handled budget negotiations to avoid the 'fiscal cliff'

Detailed View

Approve 31%

Disapprove  51%

No opinion

John Boehner's ratings continue to suffer.

Problems in Ohio Prisons?

* Here in Columbus, Ohio, we've lost WVKO as a liberal talk radio station and Current TV broadcast of both the Bill Press, and Stephanie Miller programs. We're forced to listen to both radio programs on our computers.

* What is going on in Ohio's prisons?

Dispatch:

....testing done annually in October by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction found 3.32 percent of inmates tested positive for drugs. The vast majority used marijuana, but there were positives for opiates, cocaine and alcohol as well.

It was the highest rate found by what is known as “saturation” drug testing in state prisons in more than a decade. A total of 6,828 inmates in 28 prisons in the state system were tested, with 227 positive for drug use. If the 3.32 percent positive rate was expanded to cover the entire prison population of 49,783, that would mean about 1,650 inmates were on drugs at any point in time.....

Even though Dept. of Rehab and Corrections Director Mohr indicated that not all tests were done on random inmates, it shows that this Kasich administration is not doing well in this area.  You just wonder which prisons had higher rates.

>>>>>  Anyone that advocates guns for classroom teachers is an idiot.  Do they think students would not try to take them away from teachers?  Those people that think that teachers should be armed, should leave their guns at home and volunteer at their local schools. The gun-loving individuals would see what it is like in schools, especially at lunch, recess, class changes, and in classrooms. Besides, volunteers are always needed, as long as individuals can pass a background check.

Facts Are Real

> The next time any Republican mentions that President Obama spends too much time on vacation, remind that person that President George W. Bush spent one third of his presidency on vacation, including 5 weeks on vacation in 2001.  President Obama has a lot of catching up to do to get anywhere close to the record-breaking vacation time of George W. Bush.

Mark Knoller of CBS News is the numbers guy for Presidents and their travel habits. The DailyBeast:

...When President George W. Bush left office, CBS' numbers guru Mark Knoller calculated that Bush spent 487 days at Camp David and 490 at his ranch in Crawford, Texas...

President Obama's vacation time has been quite short.

_________

 >>> There is plenty of good news in Congress----

 • Rep. Alan Grayson is back in office.
 • Tammy Duckworth is now Sen. Tammy Duckworth.
 • There are more women in Congress, mostly Democrats.

 • Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, now out of office, won't be followed around by her "purse boy" as she walks through the halls of the Senate (NY Times).

 • Republican Allen West is out of office along with his insane talking points!!!!! :)

How interesting!

>>> Here is something to talk about around the water cooler at work-----

Salon:

Conservative mouthpiece Sean Hannity lost about half of his TV audience in the weeks after the election while his colleague Bill O’Reily’s viewership only dropped by about a third, the Daily News reported.....

...Hannity performed even worse in the “money-demo” of viewers aged 25-54. More than half of them deserted his show.

This is just wonderful news. I guess people are just tired of the lies, and right wing propaganda.