What is Congressman Zack Space thinking?

He actually voted for the job killing / tax increasing "cap and trade" bill in committee?

He represents the heart of Ohio coal country and he supports a bill like this?

Even our socialist Congressman Charlie Wilson (6th district) says he's against it....though he's so short sighted that one would think all Obama would have to do to change his mind would be to donate a couple of cans of sardines to a "food" bank in his district.

Jeanette Moll would be a much better Representative for the 18th district.

What I'd like to hear from John Kasich

"My vote for the 1994 so-called assault weapons bill was a mistake. I will not sign a bill or enforce a law that is against Ohio's Constitution."

I haven't heard that yet, have you?

Even Ted Strickland voted against that freedom killing bill.

If Kasich wins the GOP nomination for Governor, he will be hammered on this.

Who are Ohio's gun owners supposed to vote for?

A former congressman who has voted to take away their Constitutional rights? Or a Governor who as a Congressman, has always voted to uphold the 2nd amendment and as Governor has done nothing to limit gun rights? I'll guess the latter....with all his faults. Unless Kasich starts saying / doing something about this issue. He needs to do it NOW!

I'm betting there are a lot of NRA members that would love to be able to vote for him, they're just waiting to hear this themselves....from John.

Flip Flop Ted

He's against gambling, then he'd consider it, then he's against it (just 4 days ago) now he's going to increase it (without a vote) in Ohio by saying it's in his discretion to do so by calling it an expansion of the Lottery.

He must be under immense pressure from his union / liberal interest groups to not cut further spending that he'd do something that he knows is not healthy for a society. Increase gambling.

Ted apparently has strong convictions that he chooses not to follow. We need a leader that not only has strong convictions, but follows them.

"The proposal, officially an expansion of the Ohio Lottery, would not need a vote of the people, Strickland said.

The governor had said repeatedly that he opposed expanded gambling as a budget solution and didn't trust the revenue projections of gambling supporters. He also has noted that state voters have rejected gambling ballot issues four times since 1990, most recently in November.

"I think the people of our state have spoken on this issue clearly, multiple times, and until the people change their mind about the issue, then I am supporting what I believe to be the will of the people of Ohio," the governor told The Dispatch last month.

The governor said he wants to bypass a statewide vote because the state needs the revenue quickly."

Clearly Ohio needs a new Governor. Not a Bob Taft Republican, but a leader with convictions (yes, it's a pun). Ted needs to propose more spending cuts and forget more gambling, which will cost us more in the long run. He needs to tell his supporters NO. I don't think he can do it. One wonders if he's worried more about campaign contributions than he is for the cancer of gambling.

He's trying to lay a rotten egg in the Senate's lap by making them be (again) the adults and doing the hard work that needs to be done. That is, cutting additional spending.

A message to Bill Harris, you need to consider the will of the voters, who have time and time again voted down gambling schemes. Here is the Ohio GOP's chance to show a clear distinction between the two parties. The winning strategy would be to cut the necessary spending and leave the democrats on the record of supporting expanding gambling which the vast majority of Ohio's voters do not want.

Previous posts on gambling here, here, here, here and here.

What Governor Strickland has said about gambling in Ohio in the not so distant past.

Press release from the Ohio GOP:

Strickland Defies 'Will of the People'

"The people of Ohio have spoken with a clear voice on this issue time and time again. They do not want an expansion of gambling in their state."
- Ted Strickland, 10/25/07

(Columbus) - Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine accused Gov. Ted Strickland today of using the gambling issue as a political crutch to avoid making deeper cuts to Ohio's budget.

"This is another pathetic display of weak leadership by Gov. Strickland," said Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine. "The governor has already said gambling isn't the solution to Ohio's economic problems, and the lottery expansions he's already proposed have fallen dramatically short of projections. This so-called budget fix rings about as hollow as the elaborate economic development stunt he pulled in Piketon."

Strickland has called gambling "an insidious condition that can ruin lives" and a "false solution to Ohio's economic-development needs." Asked last month whether he would support an expansion of gambling as a solution to Ohio's budget crisis, Strickland said:

"I would tell (supporters) what I have told them several times in the past, that my position remains unchanged, and that I do not believe that this is the right way for Ohio to deal with our budget or to try to fund education," the governor said yesterday. "I think the people of our state have spoken on this issue clearly, multiple times, and until the people change their mind about the issue, then I am supporting what I believe to be the will of the people of Ohio." (The Columbus Dispatch, 6/19/09)

In March, Strickland told The Plain Dealer:

"I don't think it would be accurate to sell this as an answer to Ohio's economic challenges. ... I really don't envision anything that is likely to change my mind."

In October of 2007, Strickland expressed his opposition to gambling when he signed legislation banning casino-style "amusement" machines:

"The people of Ohio have spoken with a clear voice on this issue time and time again," Strickland said. "They do not want an expansion of gambling in their state." (Office of the Governor, 10/25/07)

Despite his public opposition to an expansion of gambling in Ohio, Strickland had no problem taking contributions from the industry's major players, although he publicly assured voters that those contributors "are likely to be terribly disappointed."

According to campaign-finance reports, Strickland has received more than $50,000 from individuals and companies associated with gambling, including MTR Gaming Group Inc., which owns Scioto Downs, a harness-racing track near Columbus. Strickland also held two campaign fund- raisers at West Virginia racetracks. (Columbus Dispatch, 5/13/06)

Strickland acknowledged that he has gotten money at two fundraisers at West Virginia racetracks that operate electronic slots and has taken campaign contributions from gambling interests. But he said he has "received financial support and resources from a lot of people who, if they're giving me those resources because they expect a certain public policy out of me, are likely to be terribly disappointed." (Columbus Dispatch, 4/13/06)

Strickland on Gambling . . .

• Democratic Congressman Ted Strickland, a psychologist, warns of the social costs that accompany gambling addiction, which he called "an insidious condition that can ruin lives." (Cleveland Plain Dealer, 3/24/06)

• Although the proposal includes money to treat gambling addictions, Strickland said its inclusion "points to my biggest concern as a psychologist: This is a difficult addiction to treat." (Cleveland Plain Dealer, 3/24/06)

• "Quite frankly, if I'd been in the legislature when the Ohio lottery passed, I would have opposed it," [Strickland] said. "It amounts to a regressive tax. The benefits of casino gambling in my judgment are significantly outweighed by the negative consequences." (Toledo Blade, 4/10/06)

Strickland, the Democratic frontrunner, told The Plain Dealer's editorial board earlier this week that he is not supportive of expanding legalized gambling in the state. While he didn't bring up religion, his denomination's Social Principles, which are its guideposts of faith, are clear. They denounce gambling as "a menace to society, deadly to the best interests of moral, social, economic, and spiritual life, and destructive of good government." (Cleveland Plain Dealer, 3/25/06)

"I don't think an answer to Ohio's economic future is expanded gambling," [Strickland] said." (Columbus Dispatch, 4/13/06)

Strickland said he always has regarded gambling as a false solution to Ohio's economic-development needs. (Columbus Dispatch, 5/13/06)

Strickland ... opposes expanded state-sponsored gambling in Ohio as well as three proposed ballot issues this fall to allow casinos or slot machines at racetracks. Strickland, a six-term congressman from Lisbon and a Methodist minister, said his opposition isn't based on moral issues but on a belief that gambling isn't good for the state. (Columbus Dispatch, 4/13/06)

Buying union votes with tax money

You wanted change, you got it!

GM plan really a UAW bailout

HR 1207, Audit the Federal Reserve

This has 224 co-sponsors as of today.



As far as I know, our Congressman Charlie Wilson has not signed on as a co-sponsor. This does not surprise me. I'm curious however, of how one can be against auditing the Federal Reserve. Probably the most important factor in our economy, and surely, with it's artificially low interest rates, the cause of our current recession.

Charlie Wilson is too busy using the Fed's funny money to buy votes than to actually support of an audit of the same.

Now he's even bragging about some sort of a new government ponzi scheme:

"Today the U.S. Treasury Department announced that $45,477,000 in bond authority will be immediately available for local governments in Ohio’s Sixth Congressional District under the Recovery Zone Bonds program. Recovery Zone Bonds, created under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, are targeted to areas particularly affected by significant job loss and will help county governments obtain capital for much needed economic development projects.

These bonds will help in so many ways. The program will make it easier for counties and private businesses to borrow money at a better rate. The counties and businesses that make up my district can then use that money to improve infrastructure, increase job training and help families struggling with this tough economy."

Does he not remember or is it that he doesn't care, that borrowing and increasing debt due to artificially low interest rates is what got us into this mess to begin with?

Charlie Wilson needs to sign as a co-sponsor of HR 1207. If the Fed has nothing to hide, great. However it's Charlie Wilson's job to ensure our money is sound* and the Federal Reserve has some oversight from the people.

Of course, our money will never be sound until it is based on something.

Dick Thomas will be missed

Thomas, a 1954 graduate of Belpre High School, died Monday at The Ohio State University Medical Center.

Bishop, Republicans roll out energy vision

Sounds good to me, other than the obvious wind and solar bologna.

The Salt Lake Tribune story

A couple of comments:

"House Republicans unveiled their vision for the nation's energy policy Wednesday calling for 100 new nuclear plants, the expansion of renewable energy sources and fast track mining of oil shale in places like Utah. "

Nuclear is safe and cheap. Even the French have the courage to use Nuclear energy on a massive scale. Obama recently said he thinks it's OK for Iran to use Nuclear reactors to produce energy, but he's against it in our own country. Is his sole desire to destroy our nation? No coal, no nuclear, no oil from shale....but we have wind on windy days we can use and sun on sunny days......!

"Republicans are vehemently opposed to the bill, calling it "a national energy tax" or as Bishop says "a cap-and- tax" system that he warns could cost jobs."

Yes it will be a massive job killing tax increase. Again, is obama's plan to destroy our nation?

"New Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, of Colorado, has been an outspoken critic of oil shale development, saying the technology is not advanced enough to economically turn the rock into a usable fuel."

Um, that's up to the markets, not a Washington Bureaucrat.

30% increase in gas prices since Obama took office

30% increase in gas prices since Obama took office. Where's the outrage? Where's the media with their "gouging" stories?

The media Obama lap dogs need to get their stories straight

In their haste to bow down to the Obama and worship, they are giving conflicting fawning stories about what his holiness is doing and saying.

On the one hand you have the newly fiscal conservative obama. He is now "concerned" about our deficit that he and Charlie Wilson forced on us. After raising deficit spending to record heights, now he's "concerned".

"President Barack Obama on Tuesday challenged Congress to pay for new increases in federal benefit programs as it goes rather than sink the nation deeper into a debt, calling it a matter of public responsibility. Republicans lashed back that Obama is no voice of fiscal restraint as the deficit soars.The president's plan would require Congress to pay for new entitlement spending, such as health care, by raising taxes or coming up with budget cuts — a "pay-as-you-go" system that would have the force of law"

Then on the same day he says it's OK to go deeper in debt, as long as he agrees with what the new deficit spending will go for. In other words, it's OK for him to spend like a drunken sailor for things he wants (to pay back his supporters), but the rest of us need to suck it up.

"President Barack Obama on Tuesday proposed budget rules that would allow Congress to borrow tens of billions of dollars and put the nation deeper in debt to jump-start the administration's emerging health care overhaul."

I'm beginning to like Eric Cantor more all the time:

"It's as if the administration and these Democrat leaders are living in an alternate universe," said House Republican Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia. "The quickest way to save money is to stop recklessly spending it."

""It seems a tad disingenuous for the president and Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi to talk about PAYGO rules after ramming trillions in spending through Congress proposing policies that create more debt in the first six months of this year than in the previous 220 years combined," said Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, the House Minority Whip."

Report: Charter schools perform better than some suggest

No wonder the democrats in the Ohio House want to cut their funding, it's a program that actually works.

Dispatch story here

George Orwell, alive and well

How can you have it both ways?

State that you are going to "create OR save jobs". How can you measure "saved" jobs? You can't.

But here you have Reuters bleating Obama's talking points instead of asking, just how do you measure "saved" jobs?

I guess I'm going to start stating that I "saved" 1,000,000 jobs. This would have just as much credibility as Obama's false promise and funny accounting of "saving" jobs.

Again, media silence.

Can someone make sense of these two sentences from this "story"?

• "Biden said on May 13 over 150,000 jobs had been saved or created in the act's first 77 days."
• "The U.S. economy has lost 6.0 million jobs, including 2.9 million this year, since the recession began in December 2007."

So which is it?

The truth is the unemployment rate is up to 9.4%, the highest in 25 years. All under the democrat party's watch. The unemployment rate continues to rise, no matter how many jobs Obama claims to have saved. If he's actually saving jobs, wouldn't the rate go down?

All Reuters can do is a puff piece on Obama supposedly "saving" jobs. George Orwell is alive and well!

This reminds me of the EnviroNazis' change in terminology from "global warming" to "climate change".... you know, so they can always guess right. Their "global warming" bologna quit working when the earth actually started cooling.

Two stories about stone age EnviroNazis trying to keep us unemployed

From the Pomeroy Daily Sentinel:
Thunder rolls at AMP meeting

AMP reacts to latest hearing

I still here AMP and UMW folks talking like if you just compromise a little, like talking about wind and solar, that the EnviroNazis will see that coal is not the only energy being used for electricity by AMP, then lighten up.

Well, how many times do we need to remind folks, the EnviroNazis don't care about clean coal, they want NO coal. They don't care about you being unemployed, they don't care that coal is cheap and makes inexpensive electricity.

These are National Socialists and want control. They don't care one bit about us locally. They want to stop progress, period. Then when energy has to be rationed (like they want to do with health care BTW), they will be the ones telling us who gets the energy and how to use it,...."responsibly" you know.

Obama, the great Muslim Imam

The United States is a Christian nation, no matter what our Muslim President says or wants to believe.

Here is an excellent site that gives (in pod casts) a history of the Byzantine Empire and how it saved Christianity from the Muslim Hordes, how it made the Muslim expansion go around it instead of through it, thereby keeping western Europe Christian.

Stuff you won't be taught in school. Very interesting.

Debbie Phillips under fire for supporting higher taxes

Dispatch story here.

"the Fund for Ohio's Future is firing away at Democrats for approving a version of the two-year budget that contained 150 fee hikes."

I love how when we take more money out of people's pockets, it's called a fee hike. I guess it's a way to campaign that you've never voted to increase "taxes", but you voted to take more money from taxpayers. Sounds like a tax increase to me.

".........Democratic-passed budget also cut charter-school funding."

This, of course, surprised no one. Charter schools are generally non-union and are not run by government employees. They are also successful. So, you can see why the democrats would oppose them.

"The ads equate the fees to tax increases by using a 2007 statement by Gov. Ted Strickland, who shortly after taking office said, "I think higher fees are higher taxes."

"These days, Strickland is no longer equating fee increases to tax hikes, and legislative Democrats say there is a distinction between raising fees for certain licenses and raising, say, the income tax rate.

"I know he rues the day he did that," Garland said of Strickland's fee statement.

"They're not a tax. They are applied to the people who are using that service, or it gives them the right to do whatever it is in the state.""

Ted Strickland was right when he (originally) said that fee increases are tax increases. If you increase money taken from tax payers, it's a tax increase, no matter how specific.

""I do believe the government is here as a safety net, and in these times you need that safety net more than ever before," she said."

Of course you do, more money for government, more money to dole out to your union supporters so they can give you more money to campaign with.

"This is not the time for partisan politics," Carney said. "We are supposed to be trying to resolve problems for the state of Ohio. I don't have time to run negative ad campaigns."

Hilarious! The dems are in constant campaign mode. But when a GOP leaning group campaigns it's, of course, outrageous. What's outrageous is the democrat's pension for raising taxes and punishing successful programs.

Great editorial exposing EnviroNazis

The Right Stuff: Sustaining jobs more important than sustaining planet

OU Post Columnist writes about EnviroNazis.