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.

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.

- - - - -

* 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?

Wow!

* Beautiful art is being created at the Columbus College of Art and Design. Students have produced chalkboard art that is absolutely amazing. Clevescene has pics of the drawings online. Some of the art is available on Etsy (http://www.etsy.com/shop/dangerdust).

* Many school districts are closed today in Ohio because of record cold weather. School districts are scrambling with trying to come up with plans on how to make up the excessive snow days. Districts in the state have 5 calamity days, but many districts have already used all of them.

* Ashland Inc. has announced 1,000 layoffs, according to a Reuters item. There is no word if any of the layoffs will occur in Ohio.

* Americans see Republicans as more extreme, according to a new Pew Poll. The Washington Post has a few of the details:

Democrats hold a sizable advantage on Republicans on several key perceptions of the United States's two major political parties, according to a new poll.

The Pew Research Center poll show Americans perceive Democrats as more willing to work with the other party than Republicans, by a margin of 52 percent to 27 percent....

Republicans vs. Women

The Republicans cannot understand why they cannot attract women voters. Here are a few examples of what the Republicans are saying and doing:

*  In a new book, Republican Rep. Steve Pearce believes that "...the wife is to voluntarily submit..." to her husband, according to a story at HuffPost. Pearce, who represents New Mexico's 2nd congressional district, must be trapped in the Dark Ages.

*  Republican Rep. Vicky Hartzler of Missouri's 4th district, has a view that most women would find disgusting.

RawStory:

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) told conservative activists on Wednesday that women should be forced to carry their babies to term because abortion “robs men” of their right to be fathers....

In Rep. Hartzler's view, women should have no rights and be 'forced' to continue with a pregnancy, no matter what her circumstances.  Does Rep. Hartzler think pregnant women should be chained to their beds if they won't cooperate?

* Ohio Gov. John Kasich signed a bill restricting women's reproductive rights in the summer of 2013. He signed the bill into law while he was surrounded by all men. (See ThinkProgress for story and picture.)  Once again, Kasich and the Ohio Republicans blatantly push their agenda to disrespect and disregard the rights of women.

Of course, we can't forget that Kasich pays the women on his staff less than the men. There is no equal pay within Kasich's office. See Citybeat.

* Women voters are always concerned about safety, especially to protect our children.  Unfortunately, some people didn't get the message. 

NorthJersey:

Governor Christie declined to sign a bill that would have required public notification whenever sewer-outfall pipes dump raw sewage into local rivers and bays, legislation that had received overwhelming support by both parties in the state legislature.
The bill also would have required outfall pipes to be clearly marked with signs for swimmers, fishermen, kayakers and other who use the water.
- See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/news/Christie_declines_to_sign_bill_requiring_public_notice_of_raw_sewage_overflows.html?page=all#sthash.hBK3yzab.dpuf

Governor Christie declined to sign a bill that would have required public notification whenever sewer-outfall pipes dump raw sewage into local rivers and bays,.........

Governor Christie declined to sign a bill that would have required public notification whenever sewer-outfall pipes dump raw sewage into local rivers and bays, legislation that had received overwhelming support by both parties in the state legislature.
The bill also would have required outfall pipes to be clearly marked with signs for swimmers, fishermen, kayakers and other who use the water.
- See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/news/Christie_declines_to_sign_bill_requiring_public_notice_of_raw_sewage_overflows.html?page=all#sthash.hBK3yzab.dpuf

So the next time sewage overflows in NJ, the public won't be warned.

•••  Roll Call has this little tidbit about Republican Rep. Pat Tiberi's comments about his constituents:

Italian-American members of Congress broke bread with Claudio Bisogniero, Italy’s ambassador to the United States, on Thursday at a Capitol Visitor Center lunch.

"For those of you who haven’t met him, he speaks incredibly good English, better than many of my constituents and certainly better than Pascrell’s constituents,” said Rep. Pat Tiberi, R-Ohio, ribbing himself and Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-N.J....

So Pat Tiberi thinks that his constituents don't have a good command of the English language????

Governor Christie declined to sign a bill that would have required public notification whenever sewer-outfall pipes dump raw sewage into local rivers and bays, legislation that had received overwhelming support by both parties in the state legislature.
The bill also would have required outfall pipes to be clearly marked with signs for swimmers, fishermen, kayakers and other who use the water.
- See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/news/Christie_declines_to_sign_bill_requiring_public_notice_of_raw_sewage_overflows.html?page=all#sthash.hBK3yzab.dpuf

Today.........

Today we honor the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We need to dedicate ourselves to continue his campaign for freedom, civil rights, and social justice. For more information, the King Center has a beautiful and informative website about Dr. King.

•   •   •

Big news in Ohio----- Democratic candidate for Ohio Governor, Ed FitzGerald, has chosen his running mate.

Cleveland:

Democrat Ed FitzGerald reset his campaign for governor Friday, selecting Dayton-area attorney Sharen Neuhardt as his new running mate....

....FitzGerald's pick telegraphs the likelihood that women's reproductive issues, including abortion, will become a significant campaign issue. Women are another key voting bloc for Democrats. Neuhardt is a past board member of Planned Parenthood of the Greater Miami Valley. Last fall, she helped lead a Columbus protest against abortion restrictions that Kasich signed into law as part of the most recent state budget.

"Looking at what the last state budget did to women’s health care, the state legislature and Gov. Kasich ought to be ashamed of themselves," Neuhardt said.....

It would be great to have a Lt. Governor that would address the needs and concerns of Ohio women. Current Republican Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor is nothing more than a puppet of Gov. John Kasich, who is brought out of her cave only occasionally.

News

* More layoffs coming to Ohio?

WKSU:

...Avon Lake's Mayor: More layoffs than expected likely at Ford plant
Northeast Ohio’s auto industry is bracing for layoffs this summer, and more than expected. In late 2011, Ford announced it would invest $128 million to retool its Avon Lake plant to switch from making vans to manufacturing chassis for trucks and RVs. Those plans included the elimination of about 100 jobs. Avon Lake mayor Greg Zilka tells the Plain Dealer he’s now been told to brace for a greater number of layoffs after the plant temporarily shuts down this summer.
The plant currently employs 1,800 people.....

* An Ohio tea party group wants to have a primary challenger for Speaker of the House John Boehner. The Dispatch has details.

* Two Target stores are closing in Ohio. WCPO has the locations.

* Gov. Kasich was asked if he might run for President. Cincinnati.com has his answer. 

* How are Gov. Chris Christie and Gov. John Kasich alike? Besides bullying teachers, disrespecting police, and making drastic cuts to public education, they have something else in common---

  LimaOhio:


...Christie said he Kasich “get along very well because we have very similar approaches to governing.

“We’re both very direct, we say what we believe, and we do so enthusiastically,” Christie said.


>>>> You need to be watching the Rachel Maddow Show at 9pm on MSNBC. She is the smartest woman on television.  Maddow has been fantastic in her coverage of the Chris Christie bridge scandal.