Ohio politics

You've got to feel a bit sorry for Governor Strickland--indeed, all governors--he's out beating the bushes for new jobs, industry and investment in his state. But what good is talking up the possibilities, lauding small business and pressing the flesh, while Obama is doing everything he can to bad mouth capitalism, demonize investors, suck up to foreign governments and shut down our economy through ineptitude or deliberately thwarting the clean up efforts in the Gulf? How many small businessmen say "I hope I never add staff or products," or "I hope I have to take a bailout from the feds, or survive on a state grant"? Business = capitalism = growth = jobs. After Obama kills the oil industry and the Gulf coast economy, coal will be next, and that's very bad for Ohioans. Fifty-four percent of Ohioans disapprove of both Obama's and Strickland's performance. Those numbers will go higher--I don't think either one can buy more popularity by throwing money our way before the election. The people are on to this scam. John Kasich has inched ahead of Strickland in the polls and 45% of Ohioans favor an Arizona type law compared to 35% who don't--and Strickland says he wouldn't sign it if the legislature passed it.

Ohio politics

What did Governor Strickland Know About Eric McFadden

So what ever happened to Eric McFadden, Governor Strickland's $75,000 a year head of "Faith based and Community Initiatives?" He was arrested and charged with 7 felonies involving prostitution in January 2009. The 46-year-old Dublin resident began serving a one-year prison sentence last August 25 at the Madison Correctional Institution for posting photos of a 17 year old girl on the internet and offering her for sex. He is slated to be freed August 8, 2010 according to the state department of corrections. Seems like an awfully light sentence, but then he does have good friends among the Democrats. In fact, not much was written about this so will anyone notice when he gets out and registers as a sex offender? Or will his Democrat cronies take care of him again? Looks like the Guv didn't do a very good background check.

As I was searching for information on the outcome, I came across a pro-life blogger, Carol McKinley, who says she had a lot of trouble with him and reported him to the Catholic group who employed him.

"For instance, starting somewhere in 2005, I endured an 18 month round. I employed various strategies on my own trying to get McFadden to stop. Somewhere in late 2006, McFadden started sending his kooky messages signing his name as "Eamon". Then, McFadden put up a blog named "Eamon". In my ignorance of who and what "Eamon" was, I did a google search using the name "Eamon". Eamon is a musician who speaks about women in sexually charged, violent vulgar and degrading lyrics - including, you guessed it, pimping women. I'll post a link to his lyrics with the caveat you read them at your own risk as the vulgarity and sexual nature is grotesque. [see her site for link] Since the lyrics were similar to McFadden's meme in leaving comments and sending emails, I naturally connected the dots and thought to myself, I best be escalating protecting myself and my family.

I subsequently called Alexia Kelley and Chris Korzen, who were at the time employing and empowering McFadden and notified them in writing of specific McFadden's activities and asking them to intercede. . . Alexia Kelley, Chris Korzen and their attorney responded by threatening me with a lawsuit. So much for Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good." McKinley's Blog

This was before Strickland was elected, and obviously Kelley and Korzen didn't mention those charges if they recommended him and he became one of the governor's appointees. Kelley co-founded Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good (CACG) in 2005 and co-authored with Chris Korzen, "A Nation for All: How the Catholic Vision of the Common Good Can Save America from the Politics of Division." She's been rewarded for her staunch support of Obama with a plum job in Washington. McFadden had been very active in Central Ohio Catholic Democrat party efforts like Catholics for Kerry and Catholics for Clinton in addition to the "Common Good" group. Seems we need to look a bit further than just peeking under the priests' robes for perverts. McKinley is continuing to look for the paper trail that led from McFadden's employers to Strickland's office.

Visit a Nursing Home Week in Ohio

It's official. Our governor wants us to visit a nursing home this week.

"The department [of aging] created "Visit a Nursing Home Week" to encourage people to look at nursing home residents not as patients with conditions that need care, but as individuals with thoughts and feelings, some of them isolated from the ones they love, who might appreciate some fellowship, particularly during the holidays. With the help of the Office of the State Long-term Care Ombudsman, the department also encourages facilities to design special events during the week to welcome visitors.

"Many nursing home residents have family and friends who visit them regularly," said Strickland. "Others seldom have visitors and some have no one to visit them. Visitors help residents stay connected to the world around them and give them a sense of friendship and belonging. And that's why this week is so important.""

In the 80s when I returned to Illinois to visit my parents, I'd usually drive to Oregon and visit my grandparents at the nursing home. Anyone would have taken in grandma (despite what you read, most frail elderly are cared for by relatives), but grandpa had dementia, and after 70 years of marriage, she thought it best to go with him.

I don't know any churches who don't have volunteers who regularly visit nursing home residents. All levels of government in developing their social programs take their ideas from the churches, whether it's the penitentiaries or the Peace Corps or universities and colleges. In fact, the volunteers are essential for keeping staff and management on their toes because they might notice things (sores, urinary tract infections, missing glasses, wrong dentures, etc.) that staff miss, although it is usually a family member who spots this first. One time when I was volunteering with Kay, a member of our church who'd had an aneurysm at 18, I heard something that sounded like a bird chirping in the next room. Thinking there might be a trapped animal, I went to investigate. It was an elderly woman left alone strangling in the restraints of her wheelchair. I desperately tried to free her, but couldn't lift her, so I ran to get help. The staff didn't seem any too concerned and just ambled down the hall.

But if you do visit, you need a special heart. Ignore the odors; ignore their desire that you be someone else, perhaps long deceased; ignore your own frailties. Also ignore their forgetfulness that makes them believe and say, "no one comes to visit." You probably passed their daughter or spouse or niece in the hall, and they've already forgotten. Twenty-five years ago, I never heard anyone crying out for "daddy," it was always "mommy." Maybe that will be different 20-30 years from now.

When I was in elementary school, one big event of the season was walking over to "the Brethren old folks home" (now Pinecrest, with apartments, duplexes, nursing care and dementia care) to sing Christmas carols. My friend Lynne includes that in her Christmas story at the class reunion blog.

How the polls look in Ohio

Not looking so good for Obama and Strickland. Rasmussen

Strongly or somewhat approve of Obama--48%; strongly or somewhat disapprove of Obama 50%; strongly or somewhat approve of Strickland--47%; strongly or somewhat disapprove of Strickland--50%.

Governor Strickland has had more time to mess up than Obama, so you could say his numbers are better. He's been plagued by criminal or crooked appointees and buddies and flip flopping on gambling and taxes. Sound familiar?

Right now I'm for John Kasich, although I think his web page could use a little work. I've never been impressed with Obama's oratory, but his PR/web/graphics guru Axelrod is top notch--especially with the Soviet realism stuff.

A tax increase on the vain and poor alike

In Ohio, vanity tags will go from $15 to $50, and 30 day tags from $8 to $18.50. Pity the poor working man--first the federal government decreases the supply of lesser value, inexpensive used cars by promoting a "cash for clunkers" program in which they are destroyed, thus raising the prices on used cars still in the market pipeline, then the state raises the price on everything concerning tags and licenses. I just renewed my driver's license two days ago, and noticed I was charged $1.00 for a "vision" test--that consisted of reading one line of numbers and waving my hand if I saw a flashing light. That 10 second test will now go up to $2.75, and the only reason it didn't go up in July with the other fees is they couldn't get the computers reprogrammed fast enough. Before he was elected, our Governor Strickland, a former Methodist pastor, insisted that raised fees were hidden taxes, and that he was against state sponsored gambling. Well, those morals went out the window. These d.l. and tag fees are supposed to raise an additional $55 million dollars. This is not supposed to overburden the BMV "customers," but will make up the funding gap in safety services.

Governor Strickland's illegal immigrant problem

Henry Guzman, Ohio's Safety Director, resigned in August. About a year late. From AP:

[His] Department of Public Safety delayed a proposed crackdown [on registrations and plates for illegals] for more than a year, a newspaper [Columbus Dispatch] reported Sunday.

Director Henry Guzman, whose last day is Friday, delayed the proposed crackdown after meeting with Latino business owners and those who profited by charging fees to falsify power-of-attorney forms to obtain registrations for illegal immigrants, The Columbus Dispatch reported. Guzman announced his resignation last Aug. 27 because of a feud with State Highway Patrol Superintendent Richard Collins, who also resigned.

Guzman did not know that so-called "runners" - Latinos with legal U.S. residency who collected fees of more than $100 each to get the registrations - were present at a July 31, 2008, meeting to discuss a crackdown on the policy scheduled to begin the next day, officials said. Car dealers, financing and insurance company officials were worried about their bottom lines and undocumented workers' ability to drive and support their families.

New restrictions didn't take effect until Aug. 24 of this year. The new policy requires a valid driver's license number or state ID number for the person receiving the registration when power-of-attorney forms are used. . .

Ohio House Minority Leader Bill Batchelder, a Medina Republican, said the new policy should have been in place to keep undocumented workers from getting registrations. Any problems could be worked out over time, he said.

"I'm absolutely baffled," Batchelder said. "They were intentionally permitting the law to be violated. It's unbelievable."

Records show that BMV investigators have considered Ohio to be a haven for the registration of vehicles by illegal immigrants - inside and outside the state - for at least four years.

Ohio only required a Social Security number for a person to register a vehicle on behalf of another with a power-of-attorney form. Federal law prohibited the state from checking the numbers to verify identities.

Read the blog of Kyle Sisk. He notes that our Republican governor was humiliated for far less.

Again, it looks like the Republicans and our ever vigilant "free press" were asleep at the switch. That automobile registration means they could register to vote--a fact I'm sure was not lost on ACORN. But not to worry. A runner could earn $8,000 a week getting license plates for illegals, and so it's sort of Guzman's stimulus plan.

Gambling in Ohio--Issue 3, guest blog

What can I say? Nothing good, and that's a fact. I hope the voters say no in November. Gambling is a tax on the poor; it makes former Methodist pastors who become governors greedy hypocrites; it brings with it a number of social and economic problems which kicks the cost problem down the road; and oddly enough, a major financial drain on casinos is the money spent on replacing the cushions on stools in front of slot machines--people won’t get up from machines even to go to the bathroom, so yes, it is indeed addictive. Former Governor George Voinovich says it's better to raise taxes than rely on gambling to pay the bills. Buckeye RINO has this to say on the topic.

"In theory, we can all govern ourselves, with no need for government structures beyond self. In reality, governing ourselves creates dilemmas for no one is an island unto themselves, and the free exercise of one's liberty will often interfere with the free exercise of another person's liberty, thus we create government structures beyond self.

In theory, the consequences of actions accrue to the individual that decided upon those actions. Reality is much messier. The decisions of individuals reap consequences that are far-reaching in scope.

As applied to gambling: In theory, there is no need for intervention. Individuals can govern themselves. If they ruin themselves by gambling, they have only themselves to blame. In reality, gambling is not a solitary pursuit. If one engages in gambling, others must be involved. Therefore, there is need for governing principles beyond self. Furthermore, when ruin results from gambling, the ruin is not confined to the persons who participated in gambling. The costs are socialized whether one wishes them to be, or not. Intervention is sought for these reasons.

Gambling is not an exchange in the sense of a stock trade. What instruments of value are being exchanged in gambling? The gambler is defrauded, and his wealth plundered. The gambler receives nothing of value, so there is no exchange. This is piracy.

There is a set admission price for entering Cedar Point. Consumers know in advance what they will be paying for the entertainment they receive. The transactions of an amusement park are open and transparent. Likewise for a video game arcade, there is advance knowledge of what one pays and what entertainment one will receive in exchange. Open and transparent. Gamblers have no idea how much "entertainment" they will receive for a set price. Conceivably one gambler can be entertained all day for $20, while another will lose that same $20 within seconds. Casinos are thieves that try to seize all that they can. Casinos are not open, not transparent, which is why they are the preferred venue for money laundering.

Somali pirates create jobs. Nigerian scammers create jobs. Of course casinos create jobs, but the jobs that are created are not the product of newly created wealth. They are parasitic jobs that feed off the plundered wealth that others created. Similarly, taxes, which are confiscated wealth that others created, also fund jobs. But just as we cannot tax our society into prosperity, we cannot gamble our society into prosperity. Producers are the wealth creators, and casinos aren't producers.

I believe that laws against scams, fraud, theft, and piracy are legitimate exercises of government power."

You can read his blog here.

Bad idea all the way around

Gov. Ted Strickland, who has been quite two faced about gambling (outlawed cash-paying video games in bars and taverns, opposes casinos, but calls Keno just part of the lottery), and the state legislature last week approved a plan to install up to 2,500 video slots at each of Ohio's seven tracks as a way to raise hundreds of millions of dollars for the state budget. So gambling’s OK as long as the state’s raking it in for social and education programs, but not if private parties get their cut by competing with the state. When Ohioans voted down casinos do you suppose that meant they wanted slots in their place?

No, Mr. Governor, Mr. former-preacher-man. It’s bad for people, bad for Ohio and bad for horses. State run gambling is a tax on poor people and stupid people and then we have to raise more taxes to help them out of the hole we helped them dig. Horses are thrown away like the racing greyhounds, over medicated, over raced. Who would adopt a has-been thoroughbred today? Good for dog food or to be shipped to Asia as steaks. There is just nothing good in this scenario.

Although it’s one of the few issues where I’d stand with the Council of Churches and the Methodists on their liberal social agenda. If the Lutherans have commented, I’ve missed it. The Methodists have got this one down cold. They put up a valiant fight against the state lottery--which was supposed to bring in all sorts of money for education, but it didn’t. Cleveland is probably lower now than it was then (just 28% of the class of 1998 earned a diploma; 23% of white students graduated -- far lower than any other district studied -- while 26% of Latinos and 29% of blacks graduated. Stats from Manhattan Institute

"Religious leaders vowed to fight Ohio's plan to install video slot machines at racetracks to help close a budget gap.

The Ohio Council of Churches and the United Methodist Church say they will ask the Ohio Supreme Court to declare the plan unconstitutional on multiple grounds. The churches say they will urge local leaders to delay installation of slots until the court completes its review or state leaders back down.

The churches say they will also mobilize their members to begin a grassroots campaign against the plan. The churches will hold a news conference on Wednesday to outline their opposition plan.

"For 19 years the Ohio Council of Churches, the United Methodist Church and tens of thousands of other in the faith community have successfully stopped predatory gambling from entering the state of Ohio with slot machines and casinos," the churches said in a joint statement. Cincinnati.com

Ohio's Democratic Governor wants to cut library funding

It's hard to even imagine what Ohio's librarians would be doing if Strickland were a Republican (librarians vote 223 to one for Democrats). I'm sure they'd have a lynch mob ready, maybe they'd organized something like a tea party. But as it is, library patrons are getting e-mails (UAPL sent one to me) since there was only about a week's notice that his was going to happen. Oh, and also some day care funding for poor kids will be cut.

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland has proposed cutting Ohio Public Library Fund by a jaw dropping $227,000,000 in his biennium budget. This could possibly cause the closure of many libraries relying solely on state support. Ohio is home to many of the nations highest ranked and rated public libraries. LISNews.

Remember, all you liberals, Obama's economic plan was only going to hurt the evil rich. He had to poke his long, sticky government fingers into our economic dyke that had a leak, but all he did was enlarge the holes and create a flood. Just because Obama's plan is destroying investment in business which brings in taxes which pays your salaries, or directly employs you, it's all going to be sooooo fair. This man never intended to save anything--only to destroy. Wake up! FDR managed to drag out the Great Depression for a decade; Obama could even beat his record.

Ohio's unemployment rate

is now over 9%. When the Democrats and Governor Strickland took over the state in the 2006 elections it was half that. They ran on an "ethics" platform--our former Republican governor hadn't reported some golf outings. This is the state that decided to investigate Joe the Plumber because of Obama clearly telling him he was going to redistribute the wealth. This is the state of Marc Dann and Eric McFadden, Strickland's sexually and ethically challenged appointees.

And what is the Democrats' solution for a recession? Let's spend our way to prosperity! How many of us would teach our own children that? Has it worked at your house? It won't work in the House of Representatives, either. It hasn't worked in past recessions, and it certainly didn't work during the 15 year Great Depression (1929-1945) when both Hoover and FDR violated all sorts of citizens' rights and stole money from our parents and grandparents with government take-overs. Our Governor was told this week by the state auditor that building Ohio's economy on one time stimulus money (pork) won't help--it will actually hurt us. He'll either have to have a massive tax increase, or decrease spending. Duh. He's a Democrat, so we sure know where this is going. The same direction as Kilroy and Pelosi, snug, secure and spending inside the beltway.

"In just 50 days, Congress has voted to spend about $1.2 trillion between the Stimulus and the Omnibus,” McConnell says. “To put that in perspective, that’s about $24 billion a day, or about $1 billion an hour—most of it borrowed. There’s simply no question: government spending has spun out of control." Mitch McConnell, R-Ky

Think of it. A billion an hour. Where are all those voices who were so worried about the cost of the war? They don't bat an eyelash at the thought of a trillion--most likely because they can't even imagine how much debt that is, or how our next challenge is not going to be unemployment, but inflation as our government will have to print more money to cover its debt.

I never wanted Obama as my president; but I truly never thought it would get so bad so fast. I thought we'd be full blown impoverished by his second term, not his second month.

Robert Eric McFadden, Scum Strickland Staffer

A former member of Governor Strickland’s staff, Robert McFadden, 46, Dublin, Ohio, who headed his Faith Based Initiatives program until October 2007 has been arrested as one of the main organizers of a Columbus area prostitution ring. A local TV station, NBC4 reports: “Police said McFadden was involved in Columbus prostitution for about six years and was also widely known in Democratic politics and Catholic politics as the leader of Central Ohio’s Catholics for Clinton during the last primary election.”

The Columbus Dispatch reports: “The charges include compelling prostitution involving a minor, promoting prostitution and pandering. He is being held in the Franklin County jail pending an appearance in Municipal Court this morning. Police said they have seized a computer and two vehicles. One was his wife's car, which detectives said was the setting for photos of the 17-year-old girl that McFadden then posted online.”

And the Dayton Daily News: "McFadden has been involved in Democratic politics, working for Catholics for Kerry in 2004, Catholic Alliance for the Common Good in 2006, and Sen. Hillary Clinton's primary bid last year. Strickland appointed him to head the Office on Faith-based Initiatives, a post McFadden held from February 2007 to October 2007. Dailey said, "He was not a good fit for the role... It was a mutually agreed to decision that the position wasn't working out for him."

Lots of churches and non-profits in Columbus do this faith based initiative grant stuff at the local and federal level to rehab houses, feed and serve the poor. Personally, I think it’s a bad idea. The government gets cheap labor, and the church folk get screwed. When there’s a change in administrations, the programs suffer plus the church has been taking handouts instead of tithes. It's a pact with the devil--don't preach the gospel and we'll give you money. Wonder how much he’s tainted these programs? Let's hope some observant Christians reported to Strickland--You don't become a crook over night. They leave crumbs to follow. What better place for the fox to hide than inside the hen house? After he left the governor’s staff he worked for the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. What a combination! Didn’t anyone catch on to this guy? Don't they need references?

Strickland is having problems vetting the morals of his staff and fellow Democrats. Marc Dann, Ohio’s attorney general, finally resigned after sexual harrassment and misuse of government funds were revealed. As one wag put it, they couldn’t get him on adultery, or they’d lose half the legislature. After the 2004 loss, Democrats looked around at what worked for Republicans and decided it was religion and family values. Governor Strickland, a former Methodist pastor, seemed a good bet, and he ran on a squeaky clean ethics platform because our former governor didn’t report a free golf game.

The Marc Dann stories in Dispatch, right up through this week.

Update: While checking this story later in google for updates, I see a rabid anti-Republican, anti-Bush web site (got BDS bad) in the original title referred to McFadden as a GOPer. After realizing he was a Democrat, the blogger (I think it was a Huff Puff post) changed GOPer to Pol, not Dem. However, the URL remained the same even though the title changed, so when you see it on Google, it looks like McFadden was a Republican. Porno-pimpers come in all colors and parties and I doubt that his party had a significant role in his scumminess. However, I think it's delightful that the blogger looked at his "faith-based" and assumed the worst, then found out he worked for Kerry, Clinton and Strickland, all loyal Democrats.

Looking for the vigilant liberals

especially librarians who were all over Bush's case for tracking down foreign terrorists by violating their privacy and freedom to bomb us. Both the state of Ohio and Ohio State have been unable to keep hackers out of our personal information (I think mine has been lost, strayed or stolen three times either on purpose or staff ineptitude--and those are the cases about which I was notified). But all that stuff about Joe the Plumber who questioned Obama's "spread the wealth" threats promises that mysteriously appeared in all the media the day after McCain mentioned him during a debate? You know, damaging information like his "real name." Well, that wasn't hacked, that was pulled by a hack and redistributed to the waiting media.

"Ohio's inspector general is investigating why a state agency director approved checking the state child-support computer system for information on "Joe the Plumber."

Helen Jones-Kelly, director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, confirmed today that she OK'd the check on Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher following the Oct. 15 presidential debate.

She said there were no political reasons for the check on the sudden presidential campaign fixture though the Support Enforcement Tracking System.

Amid questions from the media and others about "Joe the Plumber," Jones-Kelley said she approved a check to determine if he was current on any ordered child-support payments.

Such information was not and cannot be publicly shared, she said. It is unclear if Wurzelbacher is involved in a child-support case. Reports state that he lives alone with a 13-year-old son.

"Our practice is when someone is thrust quickly into the public spotlight, we often take a look" at them, Jones-Kelley said, citing a case where a lottery winner was found to owe past-due child support. "Our practice is to basically look at what is coming our way." " Columbus Dispatch

Now Governor Strickland, a Democrat and big time Obama supporter, yes that Ted who said he didn't give a damn about Obama's relationship with Ayers, says he is satisfied that there hasn't been any political mischief. Just like there wasn't any racism in the campaign to defeat his black Republican opponent two years ago. And there wasn't any malice intended by the 13 honor scholars from the east coast and abroad who came to Ohio to register Ohioans too dumb to figure it out by themselves. Democrats. They are so transparent it is pathetic. Was I that way when I was a Democrat all those years?

According to Open Secrets dot org, Jones-Kelley contributed $2,500 to Barack Obama in July 2008. Wow. What a surprise.

The ad that makes Ohio's Governor swear in public

But it's all true. It's not even a smear. All of it's out there in Ayers book, in books about the "revolution," in the archives of the Annenberg Collection and in newspapers. This ad hardly uses any adjectives or adverbs, it is so low-key. If you were living back then, it was indeed a "reign of terror." Ayers and his wife were on the Most Wanted List. The reason they aren't serving time is the government used some shady tactics, but they weren't any less guilty--they've even admitted it. It's a badge of pride. So why is our Governor losing his temper in public about robocalls? Obama couldn't be where he is today without some pretty shady, rich white guys helping him, and the money continues to pour in and the origins will never be investigated by a Democratic Congress. Ayers isn't just another aging bald white man in a Cuba shirt, he's an unrepentant, hate-America terrorist.

I don't give a damn

said Governor Strickland, our former Methodist pastor governor elected to clean up after Governor Taft's riotous golf game misbehavior. Put your hands over the kids' ears.

“I don’t give a damn about Bill Ayers but I do care about the people of Ohio and the people who need leadership that will be concerned about them and their problems,” Strickland said. Politickeroh.com

He's upset about robocalls, but not Obama's friendship with his mentor Bill Ayers. Doesn't this seem a bit skewed? Has anyone ever been killed with a robocall, or building blown up? The unrepentant, domestic terrorist, Bill Ayers, who hired Obama to help radicalize Chicago school children with bundles of money from the Annenberg Challenge, and then helped him launch his political campaign when Chicago schools remained mired in the muck. He, the terrorist, is no threat to the people of Ohio, but robocalls are?

Potty mouth.

What Governor Strickland needs to tell the Democratic National Convention about the economy

I've provided an outline for him in a letter. Excerpts:

1. I hope you’ll tell them about our schools in Franklin County and the rest of Ohio. What’s this latest push on “self-esteem?” How will that help a kid read his diploma?
   
2. And what about “retention” or “remediation” (i.e. flunking)? Which is more harmful to Ohio? Graduating stupid 18 year olds or having them repeat third grade at age 8 when there was hope?
   
3. And if you’re going to give these kids 2 meals and a snack each day during the school year, at least require daily PE. For that, you'd also need to reinstate the 9 period day.
   
4. You also need to review some of the cities’ renewal and rehab programs, which drove poor families from their neighborhoods (Columbus: German Village in the 60s, Victorian Village in the 70s, Short North in the 80s) because of lead paint or asbestos, or various beautification and preservation projects or just to make work for the architects and contractors under the guise of progress;
   
5. regulatory agencies decided that the automobiles of the poor (usually 2nd hand, used) weren’t safe or emitted too many toxic substances, so those were taken away;
   
6. and how many neighborhoods of the low income workers were displaced in the 1960s and 1970s by free-ways and interchanges--that they'd probably never drive on because you declared their cars weren't safe;
   
7. then you (not you personally but the social rocket-scientists of the late 20th century) decided the children needed to be bussed to meet some sort of social goals, and that included taking black teachers away from black children, their positive role models;
   
8. over the years, liberals and conservatives alike have closed orphanages and homes for the mentally ill and challenged (or whatever the current PC term is), moving them first to “group homes,“ and then to the street to fend for themselves;
   
9. you (again, not you personally, but liberals) decided that children didn’t really need fathers, so you continued to be foster-dad in absentia for generations of children, which drove their own fathers away to hang out with their buddies while making it virtually impossible for a single man to receive any government benefits or assistance, in turn making them dependent on girlfriends or grandmothers;
   
10. you listened to or dabbled in every social, labor, medical and economic theory that dribbled out of Ohio State University, Cleveland State, Yellow Springs or Dayton about mass transportation, the poverty gap, mixed use neighborhoods, drug use and jobs programs for the elderly.

Governor, you're a former pastor. Tell the Democrats the truth about the economy and poverty.

Strickland and Blackwell in 2006

Ted Strickland ran on a jobs creation platform and a "I'm not Bob Taft" plank. Our unemployment rate has soared since he took over, and he's also switched his ethics (a former Methodist pastor) to support additional gambling, which always hurts the poor more and hasn't done a thing to improve education. But I see he is going to speak on the economy at the Democratic convention. Our unemployment was extremely low (state-wide) in 2006, so I wasn't sure why that was such a big deal, but for Appalachian Ohio and inner city Cleveland I suppose it was higher (for those of you geographically-challenged, we don't have a lot of industry in Appalachia and NE Ohio now that liberals have killed coal and created rust belts) But they breathe clean air. And he couldn't really say, "don't vote for the black guy." Although someone in the MSM did refer to Kenneth Blackwell as "the Republican lawn jockey." Interesting that when Obama slips in the polls, it's racisim. When Strickland pulled ahead of Blackwell, it was just good grass roots organizing. And just who are the Democrats calling racist? Wouldn't it be their own party members, since Republicans hadn't planned to vote for Obama anyway? I'm just saying. . .

Keno

Just one more way to tax Ohio's poor Thanks, Gov.

It is never good public policy to advocate people throwing money away. The state lottery is a tax upon lower income Ohioans and is played and promoted in urban centers. This 'tax on the poor' is the wrong way for the state to raise money. Strickland's Shell game, Ohio Roundtable

How gambling ruins lives

Another Ohio Poverty Push

Dear Governor Strickland,

The Dispatch reports today you’re making a big issue of Ohioans living in poverty. When hasn’t it been the major issue? I moved here in 1967, and the first community event I went to was discussing a central Food Bank to eliminate hunger. What year hasn’t the Dispatch done a series on poverty? You’ve been meeting with the folks (100 groups?) who make their living pimping the poor (so why would they ever want it to end?). Well, good. I’ve been in 4 of the 5 quintiles myself, and in the 1980s I actually worked for the State of Ohio in a poverty program (JTPA older workers jobs program), so I have some experience with this topic.

Here’s the major problem as I see it. Our three jewels, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus, cities which are among the largest in the United States, have been in a Democrat party strangle hold along with organized labor for decades. Jobs were first sent south, then overseas, thanks to government programs and union greed. Cleveland in 2006 was the largest major city in the U.S. with the lowest median household income; Cincinnati, at No. 8 on the list, joined Cleveland among the poorest cities; Columbus saw its poverty rate increase almost 2 percentage points in 2005 from the previous year, according to the Columbus Dispatch obligatory poverty report which helped in your 2006 election.

Because you are a former Methodist pastor, you at least need to tell the truth about poverty. The claim is that the tipping point is an income of $21,200 for a family of four, but that figure leaves out SCHIP, WIC, Medicaid, earned income tax credit, school and summer lunch programs for the children, special housing allowances, to say nothing of the church run food pantries which provide 3 days of food each month, if the family wants it. I know a man who earns $10 an hour, is married with 3 children--he actually can't afford to move up--he'd miss out on too many benefits provided by the state and federal government. Not only that, but he feels he's "entitled," which may be one of the most damaging things you've done to him (next to letting him leave school at 16 in 9th grade because he hadn't learned anything)--you've destroyed his initiative.

I hope you’ll look at our schools in Franklin County and the rest of Ohio. What’s this latest push on “self-esteem?” How will that help a kid read his diploma? And what about “retention” or “remediation” (i.e. flunking)? Which is more harmful to Ohio. Graduating stupid 18 year olds or having them repeat third grade at age 8 when there was hope? And if you’re going to give these kids 2 meals and a snack each day during the school year, at least require that daily PE be required. For that, you'd also need to reinstate the 9 period day.

You also need to review some of the cities’ renewal and rehab programs, which drove poor families from their neighborhoods (Columbus: German Village in the 60s, Victorian Village in the 70s, Short North in the 80s) because of lead paint or asbestos, or various beautification and preservation projects or just to make work for the architects and contractors under the guise of progress;

regulatory agencies decided that the automobiles of the poor (usually 2nd hand, used) weren’t safe or emitted too many toxic substances, so those were taken away;

and how many neighborhoods of the low income workers were displaced in the 1960s and 1970s by free-ways and interchanges--that they'd probably never drive on because you declared their cars weren't safe;

then you (not you personally but the social rocket scientists of the late 20th century) decided the children needed to be bussed to meet some sort of social goals, and that included taking black teachers away from black children, their positive role models;

over the years, liberals and conservatives alike have closed orphanages and homes for the mentally ill and challenged (or whatever the current PC term is), moving them first to “group homes,“ and then to the street to fend for themselves;

you (again, not you personally, but liberals) decided that children didn’t really need fathers, so you continued to be foster-dad in absentia for generations of children, which drove their own fathers away to hang out with their buddies while making it virtually impossible for a single man to receive any government benefits or assistance, in turn making them dependent on girlfriends or grandmothers;

you listened to or dabbled in every social, labor, medical and economic theory that dribbled out of Ohio State University, Cleveland State, Yellow Springs or Dayton about mass transportation, the poverty gap, mixed use neighborhoods, drug use and jobs programs for the elderly.

Now you and the poverty groups of Ohio wonder why it isn't working. Go figure.

See also: The story of single moms Melanie (fast food employee) and Tanika (librarian) and how the poverty programs hurt them, with the best intentions, of course.

Ohio's Attorney General is

Disgusting! His behavior, his apology, and his refusal to resign! This guy is unbelievable--or worse--maybe he's too believable. He's a man of the day--the rules are for everyone else, but not him, especially politicians. Marc Dann, it's time to get out of Dodge and let our former-pastor-Governor who ran on Christian values 2006, appoint someone who knows what an oath and vow mean, to say nothing of the laws about sex with your staff.

Is it only the Republican gay public servants who are held accountable? This is a heck of a lot more serious than text messaging house pages or a wide stance in the men's rest room! His office is described as a regular "animal house" by state employees.

Dispatch editorial: Scram Dann