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.

We are a nation of immigrants!

* Our country is indeed a nation of immigrants (except Native Americans). My grandparents came to this country at the end of the 19th century along with the millions of people that arrived on our shores from other places. Today, we know that many others have arrived looking for the opportunity to become Americans.


The Republicans are refusing to work on any legislation that would fix immigration. As they continue to obstruct, hide their heads in the sand, and ignore solutions, people are starting to come to one conclusion---- Only the Democratic Party will work for fair immigration laws and create a way forward for undocumented immigrants.

With that in mind, we see that some Hispanic Republican politicians are leaving the GOP and declaring themselves as Democrats.  DailyKos has the names of some recent politicians who've abandoned the GOP. Adding to the GOP's far right views on immigrants, Florida Gov. Rick Scott has moved to adopt some of the laws used in Arizona against people he views as different. You can read the post here.


>  Do you need another example of the bizarre world of Republican anti-immigrant beliefs and actions?
Raw Story:

An Arizona state House committee on Wednesday will hold a hearing on a bill that could jail undocumented immigrants if they use public restrooms or other public resources like schools or roads.

The Committee on Federal and State Affairs will consider Republican state Rep. Carl Seel’s (R) House Bill 2192 that would require people who use public resources to provide proof that they are in the U.S. legally or provide proof of citizenship....


There are several words I can use to describe Arizona State Rep. Carl Seel, but the cleanest words I can use are idiotic bigot. Will Seel be hanging out in restrooms to check everyone's documentation? 

>> Is Gov. John Kasich of Ohio preparing for a run for President? He is writing a new book and he is going to speak before a group associated with Sheldon Adelson.

Cleveland:

Another day, another story that fans speculation about Gov. John Kasich’s intentions for 2016. This time it’s word from the Washington Examiner's Rebecca Berg, who reports that Kasich will be in Las Vegas next month to speak to the Republican Jewish Coalition.

The group’s leader is Sheldon Adelson, an influential Republican donor who, as Berg notes, shelled out big bucks for Newt Gingrich and later Mitt Romney in the 2012 cycle.

A Kasich spokesman confirmed to the Northeast Ohio Media Group that the trip is scheduled. It won’t be his first meeting with Adelson. Kasich visited in December 2012, while attending a Republican Governors Association conference in Las Vegas....

It looks like Kasich is ready to abandon Ohio for the national stage.

SB5 Again?

>>> Today, Ohio Gov. John Kasich made it clear that he had something on his mind.

Dispatch:

 Gov. John Kasich said today there is a “need to bring about some deregulation” to Ohio schools, perhaps providing the strongest hint yet as to how he might achieve his goal of getting the business community more involved with educating children....

....Kasich could propose a host of ways to deregulate schools, according to education insiders, such as removing state rules for class sizes and personnel and leaving those to the discretion of local boards. Kasich could propose easing licensing requirements for teachers to make it easier for business professionals to come into classrooms and teach, or establish some sort of formal tie between the state Board of Education and the business community so that business leaders could have a more direct influence on curriculum.
John Charlton, a spokesman for Ross, said “those are the kinds of things that may come up” in discussions between Kasich and Ross, but “they have not specifically spelled out everything.” 

Right. This is another attack on public education. How much more money will Kasich give to charter schools? Charter schools, especially those owned by corporations, are primarily interested in making profits--- not in educating children. Look at how many stories we've heard where charter schools close up, children are locked out, and the owners are gone with the money. It has become an epidemic in Ohio. Our tax dollars have been used to boost up charter school owners, who then in turn contribute large sums of money to Republican candidates. Children lose out.

A paper on deregulating education was published by Policy Matters Ohio (Link).  It would take away public input and allow corporations to control access to education. Once again we see Kasich and his contributors pushing for changes that will hurt our state, communities, children, and teachers.

ALEC, Americans for (their own) Prosperity, and the Koch Brothers have had deregulating education on their agenda for several years. The only way to stop the takeover of education in Ohio is to deny John Kasich a second term. Support and vote for Democrat Ed FitzGerald to guarantee your child's right to a public education controlled by and supported by parents and communities--- not corporations.

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* At various times in our lives my husband and I have worked at jobs that paid us the minimum wage. It was impossible to survive on it then, and it is ridiculous to think that someone can survive making the minimum wage.  The minimum wage has not kept up with inflation and it is time to do something.

HuffingtonPost:

A new HuffPost/YouGov poll found that 62 percent of Americans support raising the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour, while 26 percent are opposed....

Most of the opposition on raising the minimum wage comes from Republicans and their puppetmasters (the Kochs, big business, Americans for (their own) Prosperity, and right wing think tanks/talking heads). 

This is America! We can and must do better. Raising the minimum wage to $10.10/hr is a first step!

Run!

With the announced retirement of Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman, people were concerned about candidates for his House seat. There might be some news about a possible candidate.

Time:

Women’s rights activist Sandra Fluke has taken another step toward running for Congress in California.

Fluke, who has made headlines through her advocacy for contraception coverage, has filed paperwork seeking the Democratic endorsement for the seat being left open by retiring Rep. Harry Waxman, the Washington Post reports. Fluke had previous said she is “strongly considering” a run, but filing for the endorsement is the first concrete step in that direction. She has yet to officially announce her campaign or file paperwork with the Federal Election Commission.....

THIS JUST IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RollCall:

Women’s rights activist Sandra Fluke has filed paperwork with the California Democratic Party to run for Congress in the open 33rd District.....

The only way for women to progress is to have more women involved in the running of our country!
Run, Sandra, Run!!!!

More Pay-to-Play in Ohio?

Ohio might have another scandal.

Cleveland:

Ohio Democratic candidate for Attorney General David Pepper said Monday that a pattern of contributions to Attorney General Mike DeWine's campaign shows the office is embroiled in a "pay-to-play" scheme that jeopardizes the integrity of the office.

Pepper said Monday, if elected, he would list all attorneys and firms doing contract work for the state on the attorney general's website to make the process of hiring outside counsel more transparent and easier to see whether firms are receiving work in exchange for campaign contributions.

"That's one of the key ways to root out pay-to-play -- we know who's doing the work," Pepper, a former Hamilton County commissioner and Cincinnati councilman, told reporters. "Right now that is a multi-month homework assignment to figure that out."


Plunderbund has more on this Mike DeWine story:

 Dayton Daily News reporters Laura Bischoff and Jackie Borchardt dropped a bombshell about a brewing pay-to-play scandal in Attorney General Mike DeWine’s office in yesterday’s paper....

...Meanwhile, law firms seeking work with the AG’s office have donated $1.3 million to DeWine, the ORP and Mike DeWine’s son, Hamilton County Appellate Court Judge Pat DeWine....

....In another case, lawyers from Keating Muething & Klekamp, a law firm both DeWine and his son had previously worked for,  gave $7,000 to DeWine a week after they submitted their application. These guys also got a contract with AG DeWine....
 

Sounds very interesting!  Will the U.S. Attorney investigate Mike DeWine?