News to Use

According to the New York Times, this year's Black Friday shopping extravaganza was down. Were retailers greedy? Yes! Retailers and Wall Street worshippers always want bigger and better profits. This year it just didn't happen.

With so much attention given to expanded shopping hours, stores remaining open through the holiday, and employees forced to give up family time to work, the end result is shoppers just didn't respond to the retail kidnapping of the holiday. 

>  A Republican staffer that made critical remarks about the Obama daughters is resigning today.

USAToday:

Republican party staffer Elizabeth Lauten told NBC News she is "resigning today" after making controversial comments about Sasha and Malia Obama, according to NBC News.....

Wow. What took Ms. Lauten so long to resign?

>>>The Toledo Blade article suggesting Gov. Kasich as a presidential candidate made me want to puke.  Kasich, the notorious anti-teacher, anti-police & firefighter, anti-public school, anti-women's rights, does not belong in the presidential arena. His enormous ego and corporate-loving giveaways are just too much to bear.

Stand firm!

>  The U.S. Senate did not approve the bill allowing for the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline. The measure failed by one vote. Americans should realize that the information about massive job creation from the pipeline construction is nothing more than propaganda.

The construction of the pipeline would only create 50 permanent jobs and 9,000 temporary jobs. The oil from the pipeline would flow to Texas where it would then be exported to other countries. The owners of the pipeline have waged a large campaign that is being handled by a public relations firm.

Opposition to the pipeline has come from Native Americans, farmers, environmentalists, and others. One of the more vocal groups has been Canadians http://tinyurl.com/ld62tlu.  

We should not rest until we have completely stopped this pipeline. Those behind the pipeline have not given up their fight (http://tinyurl.com/oukuph8) and neither should we.

If you need a reminder of what an oil spill can do to a community, let me refresh your memory about the tragedy in Kalamazoo (http://archive.freep.com/article/20130623/NEWS06/306230059/Kalamazoo-River-oil-spill).

> The layoffs in Ohio continue, even though Gov. John Kasich claims that there has been an 'Ohio miracle' here. 

> We've had snow here in Ohio, but not as bad as what they've experienced in New York, according to an ABC News report.

Vote!

I have one word for you:

Vote!

Bring your friends and relatives to vote. If you know of someone that needs a ride to the polls, offer them a ride. Encourage co-workers to get out there and exercise their right to vote!

Vote!

Did you know that Ohio Gov. John Kasich was in New York City with other Republican presidential candidates? Kasich appeared in NY at a fundraiser with Chris Christie, Rand Paul, Kelly Ayotte, Marco Rubio, and Mitt Romney. Politicalpartytime has the invitation for the October 6th event that had a price tag of $32,400 per person!!!! And you thought Kasich really cared about average Ohioans???

Some people even believe that Kasich is starting to give speeches that indicate his leanings toward a presidential run (Cincinnati Enquirer). Wow! It looks like Kasich's ego has just reached even larger proportions!

Don't forget to vote for Democrats! Stars are reminding you to vote.

> There is a very frightening story that will give you chills------ Mitt Romney might run for President again. The man that brought us 'binders full of women' and 'the 47%' is considering another campaign.

> Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel's ads are coming under scrutiny mainly because they're just not true. Even 10tv had a news story concerning the lack of truth in the ads.

Refusal to debate?

Plunderbund has news on the Kasich refusal to debate Ed Fitzgerald:

News broke this morning that the campaign team for Kasich, comfortably ahead in the polls, can’t agree on whether to tempt fate by putting their candidate on stage next to his opponent for a debate, risking a verbal encounter that could help FitzGerald and hurt Kasich.  The failure to reach an internal consensus in camp Kasich to even be seen on stage with Ed FitzGerald, Kasich’s Democratic challenger whose name he has yet to actually say in public, tells voters all they need to know about the Wizard of Westerville’s supersized ego and arrogance....


...John Kasich is the consummate performance politician. He really doesn’t like the press—because some of us can ask questions that make his head explode—and if he actually spoke truthfully, he doesn’t like the legislature either, because it’s just a big group of people who can say no to him, and if there’s one thing Mr. Kasich dislikes above all else, it’s not being able to act like a CEO of a private corporation who can do what he wants, when he wants. One can only wonder if he has a picture of Vladimir Putin on a wall somewhere.

Kasich needs to win by a large margin to get the mandate he so desperately needs to flesh out the false narrative that he’s a comeback governor.  But FitzGerald, an attorney, could skewer Kasich big time in a live matchup. From history we know that John Kasich is extremely prone to political foot-in-mouth disease. Even the Cleveland Plain Dealer, which is certain to endorse him again this year, said in their 2010 editorial endorsement of him, that he could “talk himself off a cliff.” The PD and other newspapers, especially the Columbus Dispatch, were for him in 2010 because they swallowed his talk of razzle dazzle in government hook, line and sinker. They slow but steady recovery under Strickland, following a tidal wave of job losses brought on by the Great Recession, not Strickland policies as Kasich would have you believe, was too boring for newspaper editorial boards who became mesmerized by the fast but erratic rabbit over the steady plodding tortoise....


Those of us that are familiar with John Kasich, Governor of Ohio, know that he is a pompous, self-centered person. Now that he has refused to debate Democratic candidate, Ed Fitzgerald, more people might realize it. After the Kasich campaign announced that they would not participate in any debates, the Fitzgerald campaign released some info.

MSNBC:

...On Tuesday,  Kasich’s campaign announced it was walking away from debate negotiations with Democratic challenger Ed FitzGerald....
  
“He’s not accepting the challenge because his handlers know that when the Governor is forced to speak on his feet he reveals his disdain for working Ohioans and he is unable to defend his record of helping his wealthy friends at the expense of Ohio’s middle class,” says Laura Hitt, FitzGerald’s campaign spokesperson.  

But Kasich isn’t the only Ohio Republican ditching debates this year.  Attorney General Mike DeWine, Secretary of State Jon Husted, and State Treasurer Josh Mandel have all declined to participate in the City Club of Cleveland’s debate series....


This should make every voter in Ohio very suspicious of what the Republican Party has in their plans that they are unwilling to share with the people. Are the Republicans are so certain of their re-elections that they are afraid to be exposed to questions submitted by the press and the people?

Vote against the hubris of the Republicans. Vote for Democrats.

Ohio

What numbers are being used to Ohio Gov. John Kasich on job growth in the state? Here is something that will knock your socks off immediately!

Scroll down to see where Ohio ranks in job growth.

WPCarey:

Total Nonfarm 1 month change: July 2014 over June 2014

State	Rank	% Change	Job Growth	# of Jobs
Alabama		39.00	13.00	1,919.80
Alaska		49.00	44.00	333.00
Arizona		12.00	3.00	2,572.50
Arkansas		30.00	22.00	1,188.90
California		9.00	23.00	15,492.50
Colorado		6.00	21.00	2,452.20
Connecticut		45.00	28.00	1,670.30
Delaware		8.00	16.00	439.50
Florida		4.00	41.00	7,795.90
Georgia		14.00	20.00	4,108.40
Hawaii		31.00	29.00	623.90
Idaho		38.00	11.00	647.70
Illinois		46.00	24.00	5,824.50
Indiana		16.00	40.00	2,991.30
Iowa		23.00	37.00	1,550.20
Kansas		28.00	26.00	1,387.10
Kentucky		44.00	4.00	1,863.70
Louisiana		36.00	10.00	1,981.30
Maine		27.00	45.00	610.10
Maryland		42.00	49.00	2,610.20
Massachusetts		21.00	8.00	3,422.10
Michigan		40.00	7.00	4,161.50
Minnesota		18.00	46.00	2,814.60
Mississippi		35.00	31.00	1,121.30
Missouri		20.00	5.00	2,781.60
Montana		24.00	1.00	457.90
Nebraska		33.00	42.00	981.90
Nevada		2.00	39.00	1,217.40
New Hampshire		26.00	33.00	646.90
New Jersey		47.00	27.00	3,950.60
New Mexico		50.00	2.00	812.00
New York		25.00	25.00	9,042.20
North Carolina		15.00	12.00	4,139.80
North Dakota		1.00	35.00	465.30
• Ohio		34.00	47.00	5,288.90
Oklahoma		17.00	43.00	1,663.70
Oregon		7.00	36.00	1,717.60
Pennsylvania		41.00	38.00	5,793.00
Rhode Island		22.00	18.00	477.80
South Carolina		11.00	48.00	1,928.40
South Dakota		37.00	17.00	421.60
Tennessee		13.00	30.00	2,800.70
Texas		3.00	9.00	11,607.80
United States		0.15	209.00	139,004.00
Utah		5.00	6.00	1,338.30
Vermont		43.00	14.00	307.60
Virginia		48.00	15.00	3,788.20
Washington		10.00	19.00	3,062.10
West Virginia		32.00	50.00	771.70
Wisconsin		19.00	32.00	2,859.90
Wyoming		29.00	34.00	292.90

Failure!

People across Ohio are in shock about Ohio's latest job numbers. Ohio is ranked number 40 in job creation.
W.P. Carey Job Growth USA:

Ohio 40 

Gov. John Kasich has failed in job creation and Ohio's middle class suffers.

Check out the entire job growth chart at http://legacy.wpcarey.asu.edu/bluechip/jobgrowth/secure_states.cfm

In the news....

Another tragedy in Ohio--------

WDTN:

The Beavercreek Police Department confirms that an officer shot and killed a rifle-waving suspect at the Walmart store.

Officers say they responded to the Walmart on Pentagon Boulevard at 8:21 p.m. on reports that a man was waving a rifle type weapon at customers....

...The second victim in this event apparently died from some sort of medical collapse.  She is identified as Angela Williams, 37, of Fairborn.  The coroner’s office says she was running away from the incident when she collapsed.  She died at Soin Medical Center.  An autopsy will be completed today, but results are not expected for several weeks....

It is so hard to understand why some people feel the need to terrorize others with guns.


>>>  Toledo citizens might be able to drink tap water now, but the future could see more water emergencies with the increase in factory farms and climate change.

PublicNews "...Massive runoff pollution from farm fields in the Maumee River basin causes toxic algae blooms in Lake Erie..."

Massive runoff pollution from farm fields in the Maumee River basin causes toxic algae blooms in Lake Erie, which can create oxygen-deprived "dead zones" that can kill fish and sicken humans. Moazed said leaders need to take action to reduce the waste flowing into the state's rivers and lakes, including tougher regulations for farm runoff. At the National Center for Water Quality Research, scientist Laura Johnson said algae blooms tend to widen and spread out, meaning this one could migrate to another part of Lake Erie. Without action, she warned, the problems are likely to worsen. - See more at: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/2014-08-06/water/toledo-water-crisis-over-conservationists-say-not-really/a40961-1#sthash.GaSGgS9R.dpuf

Massive runoff pollution from farm fields in the Maumee River basin causes toxic algae blooms in Lake Erie, which can create oxygen-deprived "dead zones" that can kill fish and sicken humans. Moazed said leaders need to take action to reduce the waste flowing into the state's rivers and lakes, including tougher regulations for farm runoff. At the National Center for Water Quality Research, scientist Laura Johnson said algae blooms tend to widen and spread out, meaning this one could migrate to another part of Lake Erie. Without action, she warned, the problems are likely to worsen. - See more at: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/2014-08-06/water/toledo-water-crisis-over-conservationists-say-not-really/a40961-1#sthash.GaSGgS9R.dpuf

Massive runoff pollution from farm fields in the Maumee River basin causes toxic algae blooms in Lake Erie, which can create oxygen-deprived "dead zones" that can kill fish and sicken humans. Moazed said leaders need to take action to reduce the waste flowing into the state's rivers and lakes, including tougher regulations for farm runoff. At the National Center for Water Quality Research, scientist Laura Johnson said algae blooms tend to widen and spread out, meaning this one could migrate to another part of Lake Erie. Without action, she warned, the problems are likely to worsen. - See more at: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/2014-08-06/water/toledo-water-crisis-over-conservationists-say-not-really/a40961-1#sthash.GaSGgS9R.dpuf

We must demand that our drinking water be protected, no matter what influence political contributors try to exert on public officials. Clean drinking water is essential to our survival!

The Dirty Details

There have been numerous reports of problems with the food service in Ohio's prisons. Plunderbund has more details:

...when reports of maggots in prison food, on kitchen equipment and in serving lines made headlines, the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association, the union representing the majority of Department Rehabilitation and Correction employees, said the maggots “are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of contract infractions being committed by Aramark.”

Christopher Mabe, OCSEA President, offered testimony at a Statehouse hearing that shined a light on unsafe working conditions that have developed since food-service contractor giant “Aramark” started delivering prison food. OCSEA’s leader also said that because of the Philadelphia-based company’s contract infractions so far, DR&C has to add resources to supplement the contract.

Testifying before the Correctional Institution Inspection Committee in downtown Columbus, Mabe said nearly 100 Aramark employees have been banned from ever entering a DR&C prison, more than 100 instances of food shortages and issues ranging from increased contraband, to low staffing levels, to inappropriate relationships, a combination of factors that lead to the inescapable conclusion that Aramark never had control of the contract....

For even more unsavory morsels, read the entire post at Plunderbund.

Ohio: Number 33 in Job Growth!

Democratic candidate for Ohio governor, Ed FitzGerald, wants current Gov. John Kasich, to end the disaster of Ohio's charter schools: http://tinyurl.com/msdcngo

In the Chronicle-Telegram, Ed FitzGerald says average Ohioans are in a bind under Kasich:

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ed FitzGerald on Sunday accused Republican Gov. John Kasich of balancing the budget on the backs of local governments.
 

Analyzing state statistics, One Ohio Now, a liberal policy group, estimates local governments and schools have lost $1.86 billion in state taxpayer aid between the 2010-11 fiscal year and 2014-15. That works out to $1.5 billion to cities and counties and $349 million to schools. Lorain County lost $48.4 million — $33.8 million to local governments and $14.6 million to schools, the policy group said....

...FitzGerald cited Kasich’s income tax cuts and sales tax increases. Analyzing state statistics, Policy Matters Ohio, a liberal group affiliated with One Ohio Now, said the wealthiest 1 percent of Ohioans, who earned at least $335,000 annually in 2012, received about a $6,000 annual tax cut in the first Kasich budget. Those earning between $33,000 and $50,000 annually received a $5 annual tax cut, while those earning less than $33,000 earned a $24 tax cut, Policy Matters Ohio said....

The middle class is losing in Ohio!

* The Review looks at  job loss in Ohio:

....Overall government employment fell from January 2011 to June, led by nearly 25,000 jobs lost in local government. Median incomes in Ohio have fallen about $7,000 over the past decade....

According to WP Carey at Arizona State, Ohio is 33rd in job growth for June 2014.

Rank
2014

Ohio 33......

No way to run a state!

Things have gotten pretty bad with the food service in Ohio facilities:


10TV.com:

10TV has obtained more than 160 reports from the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction showing infractions against Aramark, the company that provides food service.

Aramark is receiving $110 million over two years to provide food to inmates. 116 documented incidents show the company has fallen short by running out of food or providing unapproved substitutes.....

....Another report showed the milk provided was spoiled on June 4, 2014.

Five days later, they ran out of eggs. On July 14, 2014, the entree, pizza, ran out with 544 inmates left to eat....

Previously, 10TV had reported the problem of maggots in prison food......

10TV:

The Ohio Department of Corrections will send inspectors to every state prison after multiple reports of maggots found in food. 

Over the last few weeks, maggots have been reported at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville and the Trumbull Correctional Institution in Leavittsburg....

.....Aramark, the company contracted to provide meals for Ohio's 26 prisons, says it's investigating claims of maggots like in prison kitchens....


Of course, the Kasich administration is doing this all in our names. It is time to end the contract with this company.

Promises

* Wages are flat in Ohio. It appears the only people making money are those friends of Kasich's that are getting millions of dollars from JobsOhio.

Plunderbund notes that Kasich & Co. are intermixing job commitments with real new job numbers:

...Job commitments are not Jobs.  Job announcements are not Jobs.
Jobs are jobs.
Right now Ohio ranks 38th in job growth nationally and we’ve had 19 straight months of job growth below the national average.  The jobs we have recovered pay less than the ones we lost.  And we found out this morning that unemployment claims in Ohio jumped last week, despite a decrease nationally.  For the week ending July 5th, Ohio ranked third in the nation for new initial unemployment claims....

Promises are made to be broken and those job 'promises' have not all produced real jobs.

* Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine appears to have established a 'pay to play' program that benefits his friends and contributors. Plunderbund has written a number of posts covering the scandals surround DeWine's office.

Plunderbund:

....DeWine’s political allies also get special treatment.    Ohio Right to Life President Mike Gonadakis received  special access to DeWine after Gonadakis used his organization to promote DeWine during the 2010 election.   Gonadakis was later invited for personal meetings with DeWine to discuss securities contracts.  Gonadakis’s lobbying business grew nearly 10 fold after DeWine took office.

Phil Burress, the anti-gay activist who heads up Citizens for Community Values (CCV), also helped DeWine woo social conservatives in the last election.  Burress’s daughter, a lawyer who also donated to DeWine’s campaign, later received lucrative special counsel contracts from DeWine’s office....

...This week we found out that lawyers, lobbyists and firms seeking work from DeWine have another avenue for funneling boatloads of cash to him: through his favorite charity.  Hands Together Inc. operates a school in Haiti named after DeWine’s deceased daughter.     The AP reports that donations raised by DeWine for the group have doubled since he took office.  “The donations show how companies or attorneys who seek to influence DeWine can find creative ways to do so,” writes the AP....

Tell your friends and family about this disgusting activity going on in DeWine's office.

Excuse Me?

Ohio Republicans continue to make incredibly disturbing laws aimed at controlling women's health care. None of this legislation is based on scientific medical research, but on the extreme right wing ideology of the Ohio GOP's moronic beliefs.

Plunderbund:

As has been much discussed, the Ohio House held a hearing last week on HB 351, which does two main things:

• bans insurance coverage for hormonal birth control
• forces women to bear the cost of life-saving abortion care...

...Gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, sepsis, cancer? Sorry, your insurance won’t cover that, nor will any indigent care funds. Hope you have a few thousand dollars available!...



If you need to be on birth control pills because of break through bleeding, irregular periods, or to control hormonal levels in your body, the Republicans want to end insurance coverage for those cases.

Here are the names of the Ohio House members that you need to call to register your complaint about this horrendous legislation:

Sponsor:  John Becker  Twitter: @BeckerGOP

Representative John Becker
District 65

77 S. High St
12th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
Phone (614) 466-8134
Fax      (614) 719-3966
Email Representative Becker

Co-Sponsors:

John Hood

Representative Ron Hood
District 78

77 S. High St
12th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
Phone (614) 466-1464
Fax      (614) 719-3961
Email Representative Hood

John Adams

Representative John Adams
District 85

77 S. High St
14th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
Phone (614) 466-1507
Fax      (614) 719-3978
Email Representative Adams 

Ron Young  Twitter: @RepRonYoung

Representative Ron Young
District 61

77 S. High St
11th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
Phone (614) 644-6074
Fax      (614) 719-3963
Email Representative Young 

Jim Buchy    Twitter: @JimBuchy

Representative Jim Buchy
District 84

77 S. High St
14th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
Phone (614) 466-6344
Fax      (614) 719-3977
Email Representative Buchy

  

Your Money

You might find this interesting..... 

Anchor Hocking, which recently closed one of the plants in Ohio, was the recipient of development money from Gov. Kasich's JobsOhio. Anchor Hocking received $3,000,000, according to a database posted at the Toledo Blade.


* Why did Gov. John Kasich stop the renewable energy directives in Ohio? Was Kasich's relationship with the Koch Brothers a major influence? Democratic candidate for Ohio Governor, Ed Fitzgerald suggests it played a part in Kasich's decision.

BusinessInsider:

Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ed FitzGerald thinks the infamous Koch brothers are making a mess in his state.

The Ohio Legislature and Gov. John Kasich drew national headlines last week when they moved to halt their state's renewable energy mandates — the first such renewable energy roll-back nationally, according to the New York Times. Now, FitzGerald, Kasich's Democratic opponent, is coming out swinging.....

"Look, he's not going to say why he's for it," said FitzGerald, arguing the two-year freeze was on the path to becoming a permanent blow against wind and solar energy in his state. "Why do I think he's for it? It doesn't make any sense ... unless you factor in money."


Is Kasich's blow to renewable energy a step to impress the Kochs??? It certainly does not win him the support of those of us in Ohio that support renewable energy, clean air, and clean water.

Calling Dr. Rove!

Karl Rove suggested that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had "brain damage' when she was hospitalized in 2012!!!!

HuffingtonPost:

...According to the New York Post's Page Six, Republican strategist Karl Rove suggested last week that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton may have sustained brain damage after suffering a blood clot in her skull.

Clinton was admitted to the hospital in late December 2012, where doctors discovered a blood clot related to a concussion she had suffered earlier in the month. She was released from the hospital several days later....

...Clinton's doctors, however, debunked Rove's theory long ago. Prior to her release from the hospital in January 2013, Clinton's physicians at a New York hospital said the clot did not cause Clinton to suffer a stroke, and did not result in any neurological damage....


Rove, called "turd blossom" by former President George W. Bush, is not a graduate of any medical school or even a college.  Rove is known for his campaign smear tactics, as noted in the HuffPost article. His attacks on Hillary Clinton should be viewed as an example of his desperation.

Time for progress!

Women have been fighting for equality and respect throughout the ages, but apparently the people at Fox News want to preserve the caveman mentality of their TV personalities and viewers.

RawStory:

Fox News host Clayton Morris argued over the weekend that women “breadwinners” could be emasculating men by violating their “innate” biology. 

On the Sunday edition of Fox & Friends, Morris asked several guests if there was a “problem” after a Pew Research Center study released earlier this month found that about 25 percent of women made more than their husbands....


As a woman, I'm just tired of these small-minded, right wing, Neanderthal men that continue to be paraded before the public. Women deserve equal pay for equal work. Period.

*** Republican Rep. Darrell Issa wants more hearings on Benghazi. This time, Issa wants to bring in Secretary of State John Kerry in front of the committee.

HuffingtonPost:

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) on Friday subpoenaed Secretary of State John Kerry to testify on the 2012 attack on the American diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya.....
 
...The top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), slammed Issa's move as a continuation of an increasingly partisan pattern of behavior....

....He also noted that Issa opposed subpoenaing then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in 2007 in the years-long investigation of phony Iraq War evidence, during which Issa then decried "the inappropriateness of hauling the secretary of state … out of the performance of her job.”


During the eight years of President George W. Bush, most of the world was neglected because of the Bush administration's focus on an unnecessary war in Iraq. Now, President Obama has had to spend years cleaning up the mess left behind by his predecessor.

Issa has spent millions of dollars investigating the IRS and Benghazi for his own political gain.

It is time for Issa and the prehistoric folks at Fox News to move forward. We need progress.

Kasich's War on Minimum Wage Workers

If you live in Ohio, you are well aware of Gov. John Kasich's attempt to block the rights of workers with his push for SB5. Unfortunately, that was not Kasich's only move to go after the hardworking people in Ohio.

RawStory:

Republicans in the Ohio State Senate are pushing to weaken a minimum wage law that was enshrined in the state’s Constitution in 2006.

A provision in the Ohio Senate GOP’s omnibus budget measure aims to raise the eligibility requirements for beneficiaries of the constitutional amendment establishing the state’s minimum wage at $6.85 per hour, slated to rise annually alongside inflation. The state’s minimum wage has since been higher than the federal minimum wage.....

...By narrowing the parameters of the constitutional amendment, Ohio’s Legislative Service Commission concludes that the bill “[m]ay result in fewer individuals subject to the minimum wage.”

And then there is this 2010 item from the DaytonDailyNews:

Republican John Kasich said Friday that he would rescind two executive orders signed by Gov. Ted Strickland that authorized home- health care and day-care workers to unionize.

“I don’t like that provision. That executive order is probably toast. We will reverse that,” Kasich said...

John Kasich just doesn't give a damn for hardworking Ohioans.

---------

****  Republican Rep. Paul Ryan's attempts to demonize the poor and those living in inner cities continues.....

ProgressOhio:

On Wednesday, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) will hold a hearing on poverty called “A Progress Report on the War on Poverty: Lessons from the Frontlines.” While it will feature three experts, none of them are actually low-income Americans who struggle to get by.

But that’s not for lack of trying from some poor people themselves. Witnesses to Hunger, an advocacy project that shares the stories of low-income Americans, has tried and failed twice to have some of their members who live in poverty speak at Ryan’s poverty hearings. “When Ryan had his first hearing last July,” Director Mariana Chilton told ThinkProgress, “we wrote to his office to see if we could testify, but they weren’t interested.” While Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) tried to get one of their low-income members to speak, it was too late. They were asked to submit written testimony instead....

Paul Ryan and his Ayn Rand philosophy continues to get in the way of all Americans struggling to support their families. (This reminds me of another goofy House Republican hearing when the topic was women's health care, but there were no women on the panel of witnesses.)

No miracle

According to a post at DailyKos, NBC News has been trying to figure out why no one is watching Meet The Press with David Gregory. I'm not a psychologist or a media specialist but I can explain the demise of Meet the Press with these simple letters:

T M O W R M  =  Too Many Old White Republican Men

Nothing says your program is irrelevant if the same old John McCain, Lindsey Graham, etc. are guests every single Sunday. Watching soft ball questions, and hearing the same old talking points does nothing to increase our knowledge. No one cares what these out of touch, wealthy, aged men think.

It has been several years since I watched Meet the Press. The last time I watched Meet the Press Rachel Maddow was a guest panelist. Needless to say, Maddow did a remarkable job explaining the truth to the conservatives.

** Poverty is growing.  Even though Republican Rep. Paul Ryan still believes that the wealthy need more tax breaks, the information about the country's poor is the reality. Check out the Poverty Map and you can discover the percentage of poor people in each county.  Only 9 of Ohio's 88 counties  have poverty levels below 10% (click on Percentage Below Poverty Line at Poverty Map). The rest of Ohio has poverty levels between 10.2 % to 33.3%

Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, claims that there is an "Ohio miracle" of economic growth and jobs. There is NO "Ohio miracle" with this display of facts provided by the Poverty Map.

Ohio's Latest News

A new poll from PPP shows that the races for Ohio governor and state secretary of state are tightening.  Democrat Ed Fitzgerald is tied with current Gov. Kasich, while Democrat Nina Turner leads Jon Husted by one point in the latest PPP poll.

There could be various reason why so many people are turning against Ohio Republicans. Kasich has signed restrictive laws on women's rights, school funding, access to voting, and stands in opposition to marriage equality.

Republican Jon Husted continues to go out of his way to cut voting days and hours, and make it as inconvenient as possible for people to vote.

Ohio voters are becoming more aware of the results of budget cuts that Kasich has made to counties/cities, and schools districts. Communities have had to lay off firefighters and police officers. Counties have had budget cuts that make it nearly impossible to fund road repairs. School districts have had to make cuts in teacher personnel and school programs. The only entities making out under Kasich are the CEO's that own charter schools.

>>> Plunderbund has a very interesting post on how Kasich could be misleading citizens on donations to his campaign.

For the past few months, John Kasich’s campaign has been running deceitful ads trying to convince his supporters that a donation to John Kasich in 2014 can be used for a tax credit on 2013 tax filings.

This is a lie....

....Ohio law clearly states that only money donated in 2013 can be used for a deduction in 2014.   But that hasn’t stopped Kasich from running the ads suggesting otherwise.....


If you really want to be in the know on Ohio politics, you must read Plunderbund.

Pay Attention!

* The Columbus Dispatch has the news on Gov. John Kasich's view on marriage equality.

ColumbusDispatch:

Gov. John Kasich said he will support Attorney General Mike DeWine's appeal of an upcoming ruling by a federal judge that will require the state of Ohio to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.
“He is gonna appeal it, he should,” Kasich said today in his first comments since U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Black announced his intentions Friday.....

...David Pepper, DeWine’s electoral opponent, said he would not appeal Black’s decision because opposing same-sex marriage is indefensible.....

If you really believe in America, this type of prejudice and bias from Kasich and Mike DeWine is wrong. They continue to push their far right, prehistoric thinking.  Republicans are just unable to understand the equality and justice.

When education funding is cut.....

Pennsylvania Gov. Corbett has slashed funding for education in his state. Here is a sample of how he made those cuts----

Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia:

A new analysis by the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia shows that lower income students and minority races are affected in significantly greater amounts compared to other students by the Corbett Administration cuts.


In 2011 Governor Tom Corbett cut $1 billion in public school funding.  As a result of these cuts 70 percent of school districts have increased class sizes, 44 percent slashed extracurricular activities and 35 percent eliminated tutoring programs. He has maintained this cut for the past two budgets and now proposes to increase public school funding by a mere $90 million. This still leaves a massive funding gap that 75 percent of public schools must account for by continuing to lay off teachers and staff this coming year. Because of this gap, Philadelphia school district is $300 million short of the budget needed to maintain its current minimal programs, forcing it to lay off 3,800 persons and strip its schools of all except mandated teachers and a principal; allowing no counselors, aides, or even a secretary to answer the phone....

Philadelphia's public schools are in terrible shape. With the reduction of teachers and support staff, larger class sizes and safety problems have created chaos.

Here is a recent article about Philadelphia's Bertram High School, as reported by Philly.com:


When Alphonso Stevenson was knocked unconscious by a student at Bartram High recently, staffers were shocked by the assault on the tall, genial man whose job was to keep the school calm. But many were not surprised.

The school, by many accounts, can be a frightening place, where fights and drug use are common and large groups of students often roam the hallways....

....this year, the Philadelphia School District's budget crisis has hit hard - Bartram absorbed 100 students from a school that closed, yet still has fewer staffers. Over the last few years, it has lost assistant principals, a disciplinarian, librarian, counselors, and others....


I suggest that if you care about public education, that you read the entire article at the link.

This is what happens when a governor cuts funding to schools to appease his right wing, pro-charter school contributors. Public schools deserve adequate funding. Students deserve a safe school with proper materials and qualified teachers. Those who refuse to adequate fund public education are not thinking about our children and their futures.

My Advice

A small group of upcoming graduates at the Ohio State University have spoken up in opposition to the pick of Chris Matthews as the spring commencement speaker. According to the Dispatch, some students are upset that no one asked them to pick a speaker.

After four years of college, haven't these students met anyone with opposing views? Do they think that everyone they will meet in life will think that same as they do?

In the past, Ohio State has had a wide variety of speakers from every political persuasion. Graduates should just try to be polite and enjoy the day.  My advice to these whining students is this, "Grow up!"

'Tax-Shifter'

You really have to give to the Republicans for the lies they continue to spew!

>>> Reince Priebus, the GOP chair, said the following:

TalkingPointsMemo:

....Priebus told MSNBC's Chuck Todd that voters thought Mitt Romney had the better presidential chops.
"I mean, the fact of the matter is Mitt Romney won on the message," Priebus said. "He won on jobs, he won on the economy, he won on the question of, 'Who do you actually think would make a better president?' But where he lost was on the question of, 'Who cares about you?'"
Exit poll data throws doubt on those claims. Voters were pretty much evenly divided on the question of who would handle the economy better, with Romney edging President Obama by 1 percent....


I guess Mr. Priebus has forgotten that President Obama won re-election by a significant number, and that is all that matters. It doesn't really matter what Priebus says because the Republican Party continues to be wrong on issues involving women's rights, supporting public schools, feeding poor children, immigration, and taking care of our elderly.


>>>> Ohio Gov. John Kasich seems to go out of his way to insult teachers, police officers, fire fighters, nurses, and now guidance counselors.  Joe Vardon of the Columbus Dispatch has been following Kasich around the state and he caught this gem and posted it on Twitter:

Joe Vardon ‏@joevardon 5h

Kasich: "We need to make sure these guidance counselors aren’t just in there monitoring the lunch room"

Now all those school counselors in Ohio know what Gov. Kasich thinks of your work with children. As one person noted, do you think Kasich would say that to the guidance counselors at Chardon High School?

*** Where are the jobs in Ohio? Gov. Kasich continues to brag about job numbers but there are still over 400,000 people out of work in Ohio and the layoffs continue (see ODJFS). Since the beginning of 2014, twenty companies have announced layoffs (Warn Notices).

Crain's has an editorial in which Gov. Kasich is called a "tax shifter" ---

Gov. John Kasich likes to portray himself as a tax-cutting crusader. It is a misleading representation. He is more an illusionist, a master of taxation sleight of hand. 

The reality is, the governor is a tax shifter. He is adept at transferring the burden of taxation from one party to another while giving the appearance of reducing taxes. Shifting the load is how he can balance a state budget that grows year after year even as he beats the drum for lower individual income tax rates.....

....And what of the local governments and schools that felt the budget pain that the state passed down to them? The loss of state support has meant fewer police officers and teachers, less general fund money to fix potholes, and cuts to academic programs and extracurricular activities.....

While the rich get more tax cuts, and corporations get massive financial incentives, parents and homeowners are facing more school levies and local tax increases to pay for education and fire/police services. This is no way to run a state!

>>>  Did you know that in the state of Ohio a rapist can sue his victim for parental rights if she gives birth? Huffington Post covered this. The law to change this idiocy has been stalled in the Ohio legislature. It is time for the Republican-controlled Senate and House to pass the legislation to prevent further attacks on a rape victim.

>>>> Did you know that Republican Greg Abbott of Texas is against equal pay for women in his state?  Although we are aware that Gov. Kasich pays his female staff members less that their male counterparts, it would be great if a media person to get the governor's views on equal pay for women.

*** Why does Sen. John McCain want another war? Haven't we had enough? Most Americans don't care what McCain thinks.  We are still involved in Afghanistan, and helping our wounded vets. We do not need another invasion.

'altered sworn statements'

What the heck is going on in the Ohio Department of Natural Resources? Read this article and note the words 'altered sworn statements'.

There is too much secrecy and backroom deals going on in the administration of Gov. John Kasich. We can't see the information about JobsOhio. Some of the records involving drilling in the state have been held back. Kasich has flip flopped on fracking in state parks, even though the Ohio Dept. of Transportation, ODNR, and the Dept. of Administrative Services have been working on getting state owned property fracked since Kasich took office. Women's rights over the own bodies have been changed. The GOP and Kasich are involved in voter suppression. Ohio's public schools are being robbed of funding so that poorly performing charter schools can continue, and their owners can get richer.....

It is time to let Kasich retire from office.  A vote for Ed FitzGerald is a vote to end this corruption in Ohio.

They Are Still After You

The conservatives at CPAC are renewing their goal to go after labor unions. Those CPAC Republicans are still congratulating themselves over their success at stopping the UAW in Tennessee.

HuffingtonPost:

....The panelists agreed that after seeing Michigan, the cradle of the U.S. auto industry, go right-to-work in 2012, almost anything seemed possible.

"The good news is you have 24 states today with a Republican governor and both houses of the legislature who are Republican," Scanlon said. "You have a shot at right-to-work in any of these states. ... It can be done. It takes time, and you have to set the mechanism up even if you don't have a majority of Republicans."

...."We're looking at Ohio. We're looking at Missouri. We're looking at Kentucky," Vernuccio said. "The fire of worker freedom is shining brightly, and it is spreading."

If you are a member of a labor union, it might be time to get organized to elect Democrats instead of the right-to-work pushing Republicans and conservatives.

Again!

If you have no agenda, and just want to waste time until the next election, what do you do? Here is a hint.......

DailyKos:

House Republicans haven't really gotten the hang of that whole making health care law thing, but they sure have perfected the voting to tear it down bit.

House Republicans are poised to reach a new milestone as they gear up for their 50th vote to repeal or dismantle Obamacare. "You know what they say: 50th time is the charm," mocked President Barack Obama.
The House is set to vote Wednesday on a bill by Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) to effectively delay the individual mandate for one year by reducing the penalty in 2014 for not buying insurance from $95 to $0. (Inclement weather in Washington could conceivably delay the bill further.)

Awful. The Republicans are a bunch of clueless idiots who are unable and unwilling to consider the lives of millions of Americans.  The GOP has no agenda except to oppose President Obama and the middle class.

You cannot eat what Kasich is selling!

In his last state of the state speech, Ohio Gov. John Kasich said he wanted a "more hopeful" Ohio (ToledoBlade).  Kasich is trying to sell hope, but 'hope' doesn't pay your mortgage, put food on the table, or clothe the children. It is just a bunch of nothingness coming out of his mouth because he cannot deliver the jobs he promised. 

Democratic candidate for Ohio governor, Ed FitzGerald, explains how those at the top are reaping the rewards of Kasich's tax cuts.

Chronicle-Telegram:

...You have a group at the top that is doing very, very well and keeps doing better and better and better, and you have a whole lot of people that are stuck at the bottom,” FitzGerald told an audience of about 80 people. “I’m not suggesting that Gov. Kasich created that situation, but what I am saying is that he’s aggravating the situation.”

FitzGerald cited income tax cuts championed by Kasich and approved by the Republican-majority Legislature. The wealthiest 1 percent of Ohioans, earning at least $335,000 annually in 2012, received about a $6,000 annual tax cut, according to Policy Matters Ohio, a liberal think tank. Those earning between $33,000 and $51,000 received a $5 annual tax cut, while those earning less than $33,000 received a $24 tax cut....

Would an extra $5 (42 cents/mo.) or $24 ($2/mo.) make a difference? This explains how the income gap in Ohio has only widened under Kasich.

Bachmann is wrong!

Do you agree or disagree with a comment by Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann?

HuffingtonPost:

...In an interview last week in her Capitol Hill office, Bachmann told syndicated columnist Cal Thomas people “aren’t ready” for a female president. 

“I think there was a cachet about having an African-American president because of guilt," she said. “People don’t hold guilt for a woman."

She added that while voters elect women for virtually every other office, she doesn't think there is "a pent-up desire” for a woman president....

Isn't it weird that Bachmann thought she was ready to be President when she was a Republican candidate? Now with the possibility of a Democratic female President, Bachmann believes the country isn't ready!!!!i


As a woman, I totally disagree with Michele Bachmann on this comment and most of what she says about everything else. Women are ready to lead this country as the President. Personally, I would support Hillary Clinton for President. The country is ready, even if Bachmann and the Neanderthal Republicans are not.

Frack the Parks???

This is just what a lot of people thought would happen--- fracking in the parks.

EcoWatch:

As reported Sunday, new evidence was released today showing Ohio Gov. Kasich’s involvement in the communications plan that detailed how the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) would “marginalize” opponents of fracking by teaming up with “allied” corporations—including Halliburton, business groups and media outlets—to promote this controversial drilling technique in state parks.

Wayne Struble, Gov. Kasich’s director of policy, sent out an invitation on Aug. 20, 2012 to eight of Kasich’s most senior staffers with the subject line: “State-Land Leasing—Strategy and Communications.” The subject line is nearly identical to the title of the original memo, Oil & Gas State Lands Leasing: Draft Outline for Communication Plan (8/20/12), created by the ODNR. The only other invited guests were top officials from the ODNR.

 

Among the Kasich staff invited to the meeting were: Gov. Kasich Communication Director Scott Milburn, Chief of Staff Beth Hansen, Senior Advisor Jai Chabria, former Director of Legislative Affairs Matt Carle (now Gov. Kasich’s campaign manager) and former Policy Advisor Craig Butler (now Kasich’s Ohio Environmental Protection Agency director)....

It is even more astonishing that the Kasich administration had a list of opponents (AKA an 'enemies list').  To see the people and organizations on the list visit this link.

   Here is a reaction from Brian Rothenberg.
 Ideastream:

...Brian Rothenberg, from the liberal think tank Progress Ohio, says the plan lays out a public relations hit list. 

“It, in a very Nixonian way, shows that the Kasich administration through their department of Natural Resources had an enemies list over drilling in public parks,” Rothenberg said, “and a public relations program that they put together in an effort to discredit or neutralize those groups that they thought would be opposed to drilling in public parks.”

Webwire has more:

In an attempt to bury a story about a planned administration spanning conspiracy to promote fracking in public parks, a secret communications plan was leaked by Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s administration to reporters late Friday afternoon.

The 2012 document [PDF] contains a Nixon-style enemies list. It includes detailed plans for various agencies spanning Kasich’s administration to “marginalize” opponents by teaming up with “allied” corporations, including Halliburton, business groups and media outlets.

Now more records have been released and they show Kasich may very well be caught up in a cover-up....

Wow! This is just one more reason why Ohio cannot handle another four years of John Kasich as Governor.