Another Bad Idea

How would John Kasich help veterans? Vouchers!!! CNN had Kasich's response.  (Vouchers which seem to be his solution for everything, including schools.)

Vouchers would be a bad idea.  Vouchers would not cover all of the various conditions that veterans might have. Many of our veterans suffer from PTSD and most doctors don't have experience in dealing with it.

Kasich also suggested bringing in businesses to help solve problems. This is just another ploy to get his wealthy friends involved. When a business takes over an agency, profit $$$$$$  is their only motivation.

There are better ways to care for our veterans------

1.  Stop having unnecessary wars!

2.  Fully fund health care for veterans (Republican cuts to the program have destabilized the veteran health care programs.).


Kasich has suggested he wants more boots on the ground in those ongoing wars in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. Kasich's idea is part of the Republican strategy of unending, continuous war, and it would only make veteran health care worse.

Where is Ohio's Governor?

Gov. John Kasich isn't in Ohio.  Kasich is spending his time out of the state promoting his candidacy for President. Unfortunately, Kasich's talking points are based on fables, lies, and exaggerations.

>  There is no 'Ohio miracle' in this state. People are still unemployed and underemployed. Kasich's JobsOhio brought some jobs in, but many of them are low paying ones. Bringing in more Walmarts doesn't lift citizens out of poverty!  Many of those companies that have received money and/or tax credits from JobsOhio (aka 'RobsOhio), have not kept their promises about job creation. Kasich's cronies are laughing while they are making money from our tax dollars.

>  The charter school scandals just keep growing. While Kasich and Republicans promise to put in reforms and regulations, nothing has been done. If Kasich and the Republicans continue to get big money campaign donations from charter operators, they won't stop the money train.  Ohio's charter schools have failed our children and taxpayers. With the latest scandal of David Hansen's numbers manipulation of charter school results, Ohioans continue to lose trust in the Kasich administration. Below you will find just a few of the articles about how John Kasich is ruining public education in Ohio.

Links:
via Dispatch - north side charter school closes,
via Dispatch- from 2014- 17 charter school failures,
via Plunderbund - charter school owner's bonus check,
via Diane Ravitch - low performing charter school
via Cleveland - F grades from ECOT
via Innovation Ohio - Kasich's cuts to traditional schools 
via Washington Post - "...Ohio’s $1 billion charter school system was the butt of jokes at a conference for reporters on school choice in Denver..."  


>  Women's health in Ohio has come under attack from Kasich and the Republicans. Health clinics that provide gynecological exams have closed and women's lives are in danger. Planned Parenthood clinics have closed across the state because Republicans just want to get into the private lives of women and their decisions. 

>  Kasich's attacks on teachers and educators have been disrespectful and awful. Why does Kasich hate teachers so much? Is he jealous of their education, and influence, or is he just trying to control a profession made up primarily of women. Kasich's comments about banning teacher lounges shows you that he has no idea what teachers do.

I could go on and on, but time won't allow.  I suggest you visit Plunderbund to find out all the truth about John Kasich.

 

Disrespecting Your Service

I'm old enough to remember the war in Vietnam. I can recall many young people that returned from war injured or dead. Being in a war is something I personally have never experienced, but I know  relatives and friends that suffered through the physical and mental scars of war.

Republican candidate, Donald Trump, thinks he knows what it was like in a war.

Laura Clawson writes about it at DailyKos:

Just imagine the howls if a Democrat with this record made these statements:

Donald J. Trump, who received draft deferments through much of the Vietnam War, told the author of a forthcoming biography that he nevertheless “always felt that I was in the military” because of his education at a military-themed boarding school. Mr. Trump said that his experience at the New York Military Academy, an expensive prep school where his parents had sent him to correct poor behavior, gave him “more training militarily than a lot of the guys that go into the military.”

Hey, he wore a uniform and did marching drills—it's just like having been in Vietnam...


 If someone minimizes your war experience, they'd have no qualms about sending your sons and daughters to war. Don't trust anyone that has plans to put 'boots on the ground' in a war.  It appears that every Republican candidate, especially those that received deferments, are ready, willing, and able to start a war with your son or daughter in battle.

John Becker vs. Women's Rights

Ohio's Republicans are disrespectful to women. Women can make decisions about their own bodies, but not according to Ohio's Neanderthal Republicans, especially John Becker.

Plunderbund:

Ohio state Rep. John Becker has made a career attempting to pronounce what others may or may not do with their reproductive organs. Throughout he tenure in the state legislature, nothing has been top of the mind for John Becker quite like what people should and should not be doing with their genitalia.....

....Now Becker is peddling a proposal in the Ohio General Assembly to ban abortions in cases where the fetus is determined to have Down syndrome....

It puts one in mind of the old George Carlin joke about how much conservatives care about the unborn, “but once you’re born…”

Yes, ladies, John Becker wants to prevent you from having an abortion if there is something wrong with the fetus. Will women need to call John Becker from the gynecologist's office to get permission for an abortion?


You can see John Becker's contact information here:  http://www.ohiohouse.gov/john-becker 
or  http://www.beckergop.com/   or  John@BeckerGOP.com  or 

• Facebook

  http://facebook.com/BeckerGOP

  Send him your comments.

Good job, President Obama!

•  Some right wingers might be wetting their pants with this news from Forbes:

For the first time in more than 50 years of surveys, the CDC on Wednesday reported that more than 90% of Americans — 90.8% of us, to be specific — have health insurance.....

....Being insured even appears to cut down on your risk of death.....

Thank you, President Obama, for protecting the lives of Americans!

Advertising Dollars for Charter Schools

Ohio's charter schools are running many ads on local radio and TV stations. I've heard numerous ads for Performance Academy and they even got local radio personalities to visit in order to endorse their schools.  These charter schools exist on our tax dollars.  Shouldn't those tax dollars be used to educate their students and pay for teachers? Why are they spending thousands of dollars advertising?

Here are some results from the Ohio Department of Education:

 

Achievement
Performance Academy Eastland


At another Performance Academy, the grades are similar:

Columbus Performance Academy


 You can check out the grades from schools all across Ohio here.

An article from the Dayton Daily News (2012) shows that the only people profiting from charters are the people that own them! 

Unfortunately, Ohio's Republican controlled legislature refuses to reform the charter school disasters because charter owners continue to fund their campaigns. It is time for tax payers to stop this charter school mess and put funds back into traditional public schools operated by taxpayers, not corporations/private owners.

Destroying America

The Republican presidential candidates are trying to out conservative each other. They brag about their tax cuts, their 'family values' that have guided their lives, and their goal to 'take back' the country.

What are these Republicans candidates refusing to explain?

>  They are not providing the details about how their tax cuts have gone primarily to the wealthy, while schools and public services (fire/police), and communities, have had to deal with massive cuts.

> The Republican 'family values' claims of these candidates does not include their own transgressions (divorces, one candidate's ties to the DC Madam scandal, another candidate's participation in an exorcism, a GOPer's bribery scandal, budget problems, underfunding public education while rewarding failing corporate-owned charter schools, etc.).

> All of them say that they want to 'take back' the country, but they fail to provide details. They want to turn back the clock to the 19th century, when white men controlled everything.  There were no voting rights for women and minorities, and white men, especially those with lots of money, had authority over institutions.

Please. Don't let these right wing nut jobs win control over our lives. We need to move our country forward, and not backward.

Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July!

___________________

According to Brent Larkin at Cleveland.com, our governor could be viewed as a 'jerk' by some:

...Kasich is many things. Normal isn't one of them.

In fact, as Kasich prepares to run for president, expect more people to suggest in public what many who know him have been whispering in private for years.
Indelicate though it may be, it's a question worth asking:

Is John Kasich too big a jerk to be president?....

Those of us who have followed Kasich's political career already know the answer to that question---- yes.

Marriage Equality

Congratulations to those who've fought so hard for marriage equality. As President Obama said, "...We've made our union a little more perfect..."  and "...love is love..."

Political Craziness

*  Jeb Bush has announced that he is joining the Republican presidential clown car. Despite the fact that his designed logo doesn't mention his last name, we all know that he is the son of former Presidents George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush. That alone should disqualify him from ever holding office!

The idea of another Bush family member in the White House makes me physically ill.


*  Meanwhile, Ohio Gov. John Kasich is on his low key, undeclared campaign for President. He apparently wants to take his anti-women's rights, anti-union, anti-public school, pro-business agenda to Washington, DC. Although Kasich speaks of an 'Ohio miracle' as he tours, those of us here know that being 31st in job creation doesn't really win him any accolades.

* Scott Walker's record on women is very disgusting. You can read about it here at MSNBC, theProgressive, Truthout, Americablog.  Why would any woman support Scott Walker?

Can't decide?

I like both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders for the Democratic candidate for President. They are both well-qualified and in tune with what is needed for the future. I do like that Hillary pillow!

- - - - -

  Google has a Google Doodle on Sally Ride, the first woman in space. The Verge has more about the salute to Sally Ride.

Where have all the Republicans gone?

There is a great article in Politico that describes what the Republican Party is up against:

...There’s been much written about how millennials are becoming a reliable voting bloc for Democrats, but there’s been much less attention paid to one of the biggest get-out-the-vote challenges for the Republican Party heading into the next presidential election: Hundreds of thousands of their traditional core supporters won’t be able to turn out to vote at all.

The party’s core is dying off by the day.

Since the average Republican is significantly older than the average Democrat, far more Republicans than Democrats have died since the 2012 elections. To make matters worse, the GOP is attracting fewer first-time voters. Unless the party is able to make inroads with new voters, or discover a fountain of youth, the GOP’s slow demographic slide will continue election to election.....

Look at that one line....''the GOP is attracting fewer first-time voters.' Whatever the Republicans are selling, anti-immigrant, anti-equality, anti-women's rights, etc., the young people aren't buying. This is why the Republicans try to stop young people, minorities, and women from voting. The GOP cannot win if Democrats show up and vote. We cannot let the Republicans stop us!

Be Worried!

* Ohio Gov. John Kasich has spent the last few weeks touring the country giving speeches as an 'undeclared' candidate for President. The Dispatch reports that Kasich is going to California for some speeches and fundraising.  While Kasich is out of Ohio, the layoffs continue in the state.

Meanwhile, a firm that is associated with Republicans is in big trouble.

Dispatch:

The former president of a major Republican political advertising firm has been indicted in Franklin County on new charges of perjury and tampering with evidence.
Nicholas P. Everhart, one-time president of Strategy Group for Media, previously was charged in Delaware County for allegedly recruiting a then-employee to illegally search the firm’s computers shortly before and after he was fired....

...Its clients include major Republican officeholders such as Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and others.  

* ThisWeekNews (which is owned by the Dispatch) reports that the Gahanna-Jefferson School district is waiting for the governor's budget. All information provided to the district and districts across the state point to more Kasich cuts to public schools.

–––––

>>>>>  Do you have major concerns about Republican candidate Jeb Bush?
You should.

In some recent interviews, Jeb responded to a question and said that he too would have invaded Iraq. When people showed surprise about his statement, Jeb indicated that he 'misunderstood' the question.
Jeb has also said that his major foreign policy adviser is his brother, former President George W. Bush.  Oh, dear.

If you believe in equality for all, you should be concerned about Jeb's favorite author-----
Charles Murray. As TPM points out, Charles Murray's opinions are not supportive of equality.

The Republican Candidates

The Republican candidates for President are definitely crazy. Why would anyone vote for any of these people? They all appear to be anti-equality, anti-women's rights, anti-public school, anti-separation of church and state, and for continuous war.

The latest additions to the Republican clown car include Carly Fiorina, and Mike Huckabee (click on their names for info).  Just thinking about Ben Carson as the President elevates my blood pressure!

These people live in some bubble where they only watch Fox News and talk to people that think like them.

Unions Help People

We visited South Carolina last week. We were surprised by the billboard/ads that were anti-union on highways, newspapers, and TV.  Apparently, Boeing is trying to kill unions in the state. Employees at Boeing need to wake up and look at how unions can protect your health, your job, and provide benefits that the company doesn't want you to have. Union activists have been threatened, according to the news. 

Don't worry, South Carolina. Union organizers are not going to leave your state.

>  Ohio Gov. John Kasich is waiting for a message from God as to whether or not he should run for President (see Plunderbund). We might all want to send some texts/Facebook posts to Kasich, identify ourselves as God, and tell him to stay in Ohio and do his job. Apparently, Ohio still lags in job growth.

Thinking about going to college?

Many years ago, I was able to go to college by securing bank loans.  It took me 10 years, but I paid back every penny. I got two degrees from a land grant university, and I was able to use both of them for my career as a teacher.

Today prospective college students are looking at 'colleges' run by corporations that offer easy access, excessive fees, and overblown job prospects.  Unfortunately, many students are finding themselves in deep debt and without a job. Some of these 'colleges' have been put out of business by the government, or are being sued by former students.

Before you sign any forms or give any money to an 'admissions' officer, do your homework. Do a Google search with the name of the college and lawsuit. You'll be amazed at what you'll find.

If a college is more concerned with making a profit and increasing dividends to investors, stay away.

The Republicans!!!!

The stuff that comes from members of the Republican Party just is absolutely horrible.  Last week, Indiana passed a bill that allows people to refuse to serve or do business with anyone. Because the law that allows people to discriminate, Gov. Pence and the state of Indiana have seen evidence of boycotts and protest.

- Ohio's Republican Attorney General Mike DeWine has displayed his prejudice in his recent comments. RawStory has the latest from DeWine on his views on marriage equality. Mike DeWine has also been against women's reproductive freedom and access to gynecological care. DeWine, who has no uterus, wants to control those who have one!

- Gov. Kasich of Ohio needs to update his knowledge about current events.
Plunderbund:

John Kasich was in New Hampshire this weekend on his pre-presidential campaign tour and he landed himself a spot on a local political talk show where he was asked some softball questions about world events.  Kasich used the opportunity to show New Hampshire and the world just how unprepared he is for any serious discussion on foreign policy.

When asked about the threat from Russia, Kasich replied that the situation with “the Soviet Union and Putin” is “very concerning” and that we “have to convince our European friends like the Germans, the French… that we need tough sanctions.”

Yo, Kasich! The Soviet Union doesn't exist!!!!! Kasich is not ready for prime time!

Nuts!

>  Writer Charles M. Blow of the NY Times responded to some recent comments made by Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal:

...Last week on Fox News, he set about defending his statement that America “shouldn’t tolerate those who want to come and try to impose some variant, or some version, of Shariah law.” But he went so far as to say of prospective immigrants:

“In America we want people who want to be Americans. We want people who want to come here. We don’t say, ‘You have to adopt our creed, or any particular creed,’ but we do say, ‘If you come here, you need to believe in American exceptionalism.’ ”

What? Where is that written? I can’t find this “need to believe in American exceptionalism” anywhere in the Immigration and Nationality Act. Isn’t American exceptionalism itself a creed?

The smart-on-paper Jindal increasingly comes across as nuttier than a piece of praline...

Along with his continuously crazy remarks, Jindal is just not that prepared to be President. 

>>   Canadian Ted Cruz, U.S. Senator from Texas, has announced his intention to run for President. Cruz was born in Canada and many people believe that he is not eligible to be President for that reason alone. Other craziness from Cruz only adds to his lack of capacity to be the Chief Executive. (See the list put together by Raw Story.)

>>>   Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has a plan to force women to have babies.
RawStory:

...leave it to Sam Brownback, whose completely unjustified massive ego allows him to just speak off the cuff, to go ahead and come out with it by claiming that “economic growth” is “entwined” with a forced childbirth agenda....

Brownback apparently wants to stop all reproductive freedom for women, and tie them up until they can give birth.  Brownback believes in freedom, as long as you aren't a woman!


You can add Rand Paul, Chris Christie, Paul Ryan, Iowa's Steve King, John Kasich, Rubio, Santorum, Jeb, Rick Perry, etc., etc. to the list of nutty Republicans!

The 47

By now everyone has heard of the letter written to Iran by 47 Republican U.S. Senators.  Their plan, as crafted by Sen. Tom Cotton, was to undermine the nuclear talks between the United States and Iran. Their letter is viewed by some as a violation of the Logan Act. The 47 Republican Senators include Rob Portman of Ohio.

The Washington Post has this:

Here's who signed:
Signatories:

Richard Shelby (Ala.)
Jeff Sessions (Ala.)
Dan Sullivan (Alaska)
John McCain (Ariz.)
John Boozman (Ark.)
Tom Cotton (Ark.)
Cory Gardner (Colo.)
Marco Rubio (Fla.)
Johnny Isakson (Ga.)
David Perdue (Ga.)
Mike Crapo (Idaho)
Jim Risch (Idaho)
Mark Kirk (Ill.)
Chuck Grassley (Iowa)
Joni Ernst (Iowa)
Pat Roberts (Kansas)
Jerry Moran (Kansas)
Mitch McConnell (Ky.)
Rand Paul (Ky.)
David Vitter (La.)
Bill Cassidy (La.)
Roger Wicker (Miss.)
Roy Blunt (Mo.)
Steve Daines (Mont.)
Deb Fischer (Neb.)
Ben Sasse (Neb.)
Dean Heller (Nev.)
Kelly Ayotte (N.H.)
Richard Burr (N.C.)
Thom Tillis (N.C.)
John Hoeven (N.D.)
Rob Portman (Ohio)
Jim Inhofe (Okla.)
James Lankford (Okla.)
Pat Toomey (Pa.)
Lindsey Graham (S.C.)
Tim Scott (S.C.)
John Thune (S.D.)
Mike Rounds (S.D.)
John Cornyn (Texas)
Ted Cruz (Texas)
Orin Hatch (Utah)
Mike Lee (Utah)
Shelley Moore Capito (W.V.)
Ron Johnson (Wis.)
Mike Enzi (Wyo.)
John Barrasso (Wyo.)

Did not sign:

Lisa Murkowski (Alaska)
Jeff Flake (Ariz.)
Daniel Coats (Ind.)
Susan Collins (Maine)
Thad Cochran (Miss.)
Lamar Alexander (Tenn.)
Bob Corker (Tenn.)


Those that signed the letter should be admonished for their warmongering and attempt to sabotage agreements. Shame on them all!

How much?

Holy cow! They spent how much on advertising??????

Dispatch:

Ohio’s largest online charter school spent at least $2.27 million of state education tax dollars last school year on advertising to attract students, or about $155 for each student who enrolled that year....

“It seems shockingly high, and I cannot imagine there would be any good reason to spend that kind of tax dollars” on ads, state Rep. Teresa Fedor, a Democrat from Toledo, said of ECOT’s ad budget. She is calling for an overhaul of the state’s charter-school laws.....

....The Dispatch reported last week that ECOT had an average enrollment of 14,600 students last school year, but only because it enrolled thousands of students each month to replace the thousands who left after staying for only weeks or months. ECOT churned through almost 23,000 students over the course of calendar year 2014 to arrive at an enrollment of 14,600....

OMG! How in the world can Kasich promise even more money to charters? Our tax dollars are being wasted while charters fail and their owners get richer.