Ohio's Keynesian Revolution

Anti-Positivist: Ohio's Keynesian Revolution

Via the Anti-Positivist:

Bad ideas never die, they are simply recycled and repackaged.

Turning their backs on the supply-side economics of Reagan, the Ohio Republicans at the statehouse have embraced the ideals of the FDR Democrats; the Republicans are now trying to spend their way out of recession.

First off, these folks are spending our money on programs that benefit special interests. Not you or me, but those who lobby and contribute to campaigns. That's how government works.

To justify their largess, the Republicans claim that the extra $1.57 billion will create 57,000 jobs over the next five years. Now, it is possible that the spending scheme will create 57,000 jobs, but the Austrian School of economics has shown that at least 57,001 jobs will be lost over the very same period.

Government interventions in the market never create or improve, they simply switch, distort, and enervate.

Taxes exert a huge burden on a rustbelt state, discouraging firms from moving here. Yet, the boneheads at the state -- and in the Republican Party -- believe in taxing and spending.

Keep in mind that government interventions distort economies, always. When the state provides fund for certain programs, investment occurs within those areas. Once government funding stops, those very same areas suffer job loses. This is true because government never spends in areas that are productive. Why? If those areas had any chance of being productive, the areas would have attracted private investment. That's how markets work.

To believe otherwise is to believe that the folks at the statehouse can predict the markets better than the entrepreneur and invester; sort of like believing in the Chimera.

This is why programs, once started, tend to continue: Government fears the "recession" in the sectors distorted by previous government interventions. There is no other way to explain the amount of money wasted on "research" at OSU. The state fears having to lay-off all those researchers who produce nothing of any real value.

In the end, Republicans are now Democrats, taxing and spending. I must have missed the sign that said, "Entering the rabbit hole."

Comment: Jim’s comments certainly bespeak the poor leadership displayed by Rep. Jon Husted and Senator Bill Evans. It seems as if the only two words they understand are tax and spend.

Send the entire Ohio Republican Party a big message; tell them you are tired of the tax and spend black hole and want real economic change for Ohio. Tell them you will not give one red cent until republican norms return to Ohio!

Fascism, Tiberi style

Anti-Positivist: Fascism, Tiberi style

Via the Anti-Positivist:

US Rep Pat Tiberi is tauting a plan that would have put Mussolini to shame. According to Tiberi and his fellow Republicans in DC, the state and industry must conjoin in order to solve the supposed energy crisis.

This ambitious plan was brazenly lifted from Italy of the 1920's and 30's, with Tiberi functioning as Ohio's Giovanni Gentile.

When did the Republicans drop the individual for the collective?

To think, if it wasn't for the voices of those like US Sen Robert Taft -- aka Mr. Republican -- the US would have continued down FDR's fascist path in the 1930's and 40's -- the very same path that Tiberi believes will solve our economic woes and lead to Tiberian Utopia.

Hey, Tiberi, the problem is folks like you; those whose ambitions and plans exceed their abilities. Read Mises's Socialism or Omnipotent Government, or Hayek's Fatal Conceit.

Times change things. And now it's the Republicans with the big plans for big government.

From Tiberi's most-recent constituent email:

Dear Friend,

Today was the 15th consecutive day that the average price of gas per gallon set a record high. During the coming holiday weekend, I know many of you are changing your normal Memorial Day weekend plans, just like you’re changing your normal routines to pay for filling up the tank so you can drive to work or drop your children off at school.

When Democrat Nancy Pelosi was elected Speaker of the House gas was $2.33 and now nearly 16 months later, paying $4 for a gallon appears to be coming. While it may seem we’re playing the “blame game,” the truth is the rising price of gas is not a Republican issue it’s not a Democrat issue, it is an American issue because it’s affecting every single family across the country regardless of their political ideology. The thing is, in the House the Democrats are in the Majority and they control the bills that are brought to the Floor for a vote. As gas prices are causing rising prices at the grocery store and around every corner, the time for leadership is now.

I have voted in favor of increased gas mileage standards, I have voted for suspending deposits to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, I have voted for alternative energy incentives, I have voted to give the U.S. the ability to investigate OPEC nations for alleged price fixing, and I have voted for the federal gas tax holiday. But it will take more. We have a production deficit in this country. The bottom line is among many approaches like those above, we also need to increase the production of energy to see a real dollars and cents difference in gas prices. Below is a plan outlined by House Republicans this week to do just that and I’d like to share it with you.

This plan is not set in stone. We’ll all have to give a little – gas producers and conservationists, Republicans and Democrats – to get to a real solution. But I am committed to increasing energy production, whether that is the production of biofuels or gasoline, I know the status quo, is unacceptable. I hope as we move into the summer the Majority will allow us to debate elements of this plan so we can transition to a 21st century energy plan.

Sincerely,

Pat Tiberi
Ohio’s 12th Congressional District



Courtesy of the Republican Conference:

The Change America Deserves: Lower Energy Prices

When it comes to energy production, while our global competitors are pursuing 21st Century technologies, America is stuck in the 1970s. On electricity production alone, for example, just to keep up with new demand, by 2030, the United States must build 747 NEW coal plants, 52 NEW nuclear plants, 2,000 NEW hydroelectric generators, and add 13,000 NEW megawatts of renewable power. The dire need to increase domestic oil and gas production is no different. Yet, the Democratic Majority refuses to lead.

Republicans are committed to a comprehensive energy reform policy that will increase the supply of American-made energy, improve energy efficiency, and encourage investment in groundbreaking research in advanced alternative and renewable energy technologies. With 21st Century technologies and the strictest standards in the world, America can and must produce more of our own energy right here at home and protect our environment at the same time. That’s the change America deserves.

How Republican Solutions Will Fix It:

The Change America Deserves: Meeting Our Energy Needs with American Made Energy



The comprehensive House Republican plan will fund research and development of technologies and innovations which advance the use of renewable and domestically available energy sources, increase energy efficiency, and ease the environmental impacts of energy use.


1) Increasing the Production of American-Made Energy in an Environmentally-Safe Way
a. Support actions that reduce America’s dependence on energy from unstable foreign governments and dictatorships by increasing environmentally-safe production of oil and natural gas in areas such as the arctic coastal plain and in deep ocean energy resources; and
b. Promote unconventional fuels such as coal-to-liquids technology and recovering our vast oil shale reserves by:
Increasing access for environmentally responsible development of conventional and unconventional domestic oil and natural gas production;
Providing coal-to-liquids financing and tax incentives;
Advancing the commercialization of the nation's two trillion barrel shale oil resource, 80 percent of which occurs on government-owned land in the West. This is enough to supply America's energy needs for over two centuries.
2) Promoting New, Clean, and Reliable Sources of Energy

a. Encourage more production of environmentally-safe energy to increase the use of our vast domestic supply, reduce emissions, and keep coal-dependent communities strong; and
b. Expand emissions-free nuclear power, including long term nuclear waste storage solutions and recycling spent fuel by:
Providing production and investment tax credits for all new base-load electricity projects such as advanced nuclear power and clean coal; and
Providing production and investment tax credits for all new base-load electricity projects such as advanced nuclear power and clean coal; and
Allowing immediate expensing for new renewable or zero emission power.
3) Cutting Red Tape and Increase the Supply of American-Made Fuel and Energy

a. Expedite permitting for enhanced oil recovery projects, including CO2 delivery and injection, as well as permitting for new refining capacity;

b. Improve environmental review and permitting to encourage the deployment of technologies which increase the efficiency of existing power plants; and

c. End ill-advised policies that have led to the proliferation of unique gasoline and diesel fuel formulations known as “boutique fuels,” which have fragmented our motor fuels distribution system, choked off supply, and exacerbated the already-painful Pelosi Premium.

4) Encouraging Greater Energy Efficiency by Offering Conservation Tax Incentives

a. Support technologies to help increase energy efficiency in all sectors of the American economy, including removing bureaucratic regulatory barriers that prevent businesses from upgrading their facilities with newer, more efficient energy technologies, by:

Making home energy efficiency upgrades tax deductable;
Providing incentives for home builders and homeowners to make their homes more energy efficient;
Offering investment expensing for industrial and commercial building efficiency upgrades;
Extending the residential and business solar and fuel cell investment tax credits, with enhancements to the residential solar credit ($2,000 per ½ kw installed);
Extending the fiber-optic distributed sunlight investment tax credit; and
Increasing the energy efficiency of government-owned buildings.

Comment: Jim’s comments resonate across the entire GOP, “Times change things. And now it's the Republicans with the big plans for big government.” It seems as if this is the template they have chosen without much thought given to history, logic, or the consequences. And certainly Ohio stands to be one of the greatest failures of this GOP template considering we have been in a form of economic depression for over 15 years.

We’ll continue to beat the drum and beat it loudly: NOT ONE RED CENT until republican norms return to Ohio.

The Daily Bellwether: Ohio School Supt. Susan Tave Zelman: Schools 'Rudderless' In Voinovich Years

The Daily Bellwether: Ohio School Supt. Susan Tave Zelman: Schools 'Rudderless' In Voinovich Years

The Daily Bellwether:

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Ohio's superintendent of public instruction, Susan Tave Zelman, appears to place zero credibility in Republican U.S. Sen. George Voinovich's oft-repeated claim he was the "education governor." Voinovich served two terms as the state's chief executive before winning the Senate seat in 1998. Zelman took over as the state's top education official not long after Voinovich left Columbus for Washington, and said she found a school program that was adrift, or not following any clear course. Zelman's seems to be grading the Voinovich years with an an "F" -- for failure.

Read the post here.

Comment: If one politician strikes a greater sense of angst in grassroots republicans, it is Senator George Voinovich. No sitting republican politician has done more to harm Ohio, and now he spreads his foolishness throughout the United States and the world.

Ohio republicans want a change. We want politicians that are centered on limited government and free markets. But too many of our republicans politicians, such Sen. Voinovich, care nothing of these norms. The time has come to affect change in the ORP. We are asking you write your county Republican Party and let them know you will not give one red cent until republican ideals return to Ohio. Let them know you would like them to notify State Party Chairman Bob Bennett the same. Let him know that that the people casting the votes will not support this train wreck.

You can sit back and hope they’ll change or you can get onboard with us and take a position of opposition. You can sit back and hope these people become something they are in fact not, or we can stop supporting them and start supporting those that represent our ideals and norms; republican norms. But this can only come about when real party leadership changes take place. There is no other way!

Send us an email and let us know that you support this cause.

Anti-Positivist: Republican Hypocrisy

Anti-Positivist: Republican Hypocrisy

From the Anti-Positivist:

U.S. Congressman Pat Tiberi (R-OH) is now claiming to be a fiscal conservative. Funny, he continually votes for more government spending. In fact, he even uses his constituent email (latest one below) to congratulate himself on his contributions to bigger government and greater spending. Pure hypocrisy.

TIBERI MARKS TAX FREEDOM DAY, SUPPORTS MIDDLE CLASS TAX CUTS
Day Marks When Average American Works Off Their Tax Obligation

U.S. Congressman Pat Tiberi (R-OH) today recognized Tax Freedom Day, the day the average American pays off their tax obligation and begins to actually spend their salary rather than send it to the government.

“This year’s tax obligation represents a little more than 30 percent of our annual income. That’s actually a little less than last year, because of the Economic Stimulus Payment, many taxpayers will receive beginning next month,” said Congressman Tiberi, a member of the Ways and Means Committee that oversees tax policy. “It’s unconscionable to think that while Americans work more than a third of the year, just so they can pay taxes to the government, the Democrats are planning on imposing the largest tax hike in history, increasing tax bills by an average of two thousand dollars! I believe people know how to better spend their money than the federal government does, and I believe we should be returning more of it to taxpayers’ wallets.”

The Tax Foundation calculates Tax Freedom Day by dividing the government tally of taxes collected each year by the income earned each year. The Foundation then converts that percentage into days worked. For more information, go to The TaxFoundation.org.

Comment: Without much doubt Ohio republicans are in serious trouble. Most in fact do not have the virtues they espouse. Please join us and boycott the ORP. We say no donations until republican norms return to Ohio.

Unleash the RINO’s - The Enemy Within the GOP

Liberally Conservative: Unleash the RINO’s - The Enemy Within the GOP

From Liberally Conservative:

“Pat Toomey, President of ‘The Club for Growth‘ and former Republican congressman from Pennsylvania, has recently laid out the truth about ‘Liberal Republicans’ and some so-called ‘Conservative’ names are glaring.

“I am a member of ‘The Club for Growth’ and I’m sick and tired of the pundits claiming to be Conservative and the term ‘Neo-Conservative’ when most of these people are Liberals who have demonstrated their hypocrisy on a national level.

“These people in the media and government claim to be ‘Reagan Republicans’ and troopers against the war on Liberalism or as I call it, Socialism. The Club for Growth is based on real Conservative principles and its goals are simple.

“The GOP has lost seats from corruption but more importantly from acting like Liberals, and spending worse than the Democrats. Until they learn the lessons of being a minority party maybe the GOP will return to true Conservative principles and realize what President Reagan already knew.

“Getting rid of RINO’s would certainly be winning one for the Gipper and real Conservatives. Indeed!”

Read the whole article here:

Bold and italic fonts were used by this blogger.

Comment: For over fifteen years the Ohio Republican political template has been to appease voters no matter the expense nor ideology. Principally this has been through the expansion of government, wasteful spending, and entitlement programs. But now the rent is due and the Ohio Republican Party (ORP) has bankrupted Ohio. It has bankrupted the taxpayer, driven away businesses and our best workers to other states, expanded the size of our state government, caused Ohio to have one of the worst business climates in the US, raised taxes above most states in the country, and increased social entitlements to exponential proportions. Yet they want us to go along with this situation as if nothing has happened and everything is hunky dory.

Like our fellow conservative republican Liberally Conservative's advice, getting rid of the RINOs is the first step we need to take in Ohio to help the party, and first and foremost is getting rid of Bob Bennett. This man has single handedly killed the state party and cultivated the sorriest lot of politicians since the late 1960s and early 70s. If there is going to be any positive action to revitalize the ORP then it must begin with the removal of Bob Bennett, or else we are doomed to fail.

Ohio Republicans must understand one thing, we aren’t going to win many elections for the short term. For the last 10 years Ohio has moved decidedly to the left and turning that boat around is going to take longer than one decade. But what we can do now is to fight for free markets, limited government, and better leadership. We have to accentuate the republican norms and ideals espoused by Reagan, Kirk, and late great Senator Taft. But this is going to take metal and leadership, something Bob Bennett hasn't shown lately.

Rush is Right Yet Again

Weapons of Mass Discussion: Rush is Right Yet Again

Via WMD:

Today's Rush Limbaugh Pearl of Wisdom:

"The Republican Party does not have an attack machine. It doesn't even have a defense machine. The Republican Party is just sitting around twiddling its thumbs and hoping people continue to send it money. There is a conservative survival machine, and it exists entirely to tell the truth!"

That is absolutely correct.

So when I see the political machinations emanating from Columbus on Marc Dann, I know that if there is a strategy (and I have been assured that there is) chances are pretty good that the playbook is probably outdated. I know: I shouldn't be that rough on our friends from Columbus, but I'm looking for some sign of life up there and all I keep seeing is Speaker Husted embracing Governor Strickland...

To be perfectly honest, it's starting to feel a lot like the Blackwell-Raga campaign... I lost track of how many times I heard, "Oh...don't worry about that. We got a Plan!" Uh-huh...how's that working out for us now?

Rank and file Ohio Republicans need something to inspire them. It won't be John Sidney McCain. It sure isn't The Crying Man, our Senator RINOvich. The legislature is tripping over themselves to ingratiate themselves to a governor so bland that describing him as vanilla is an insult to vanilla. County parties have been a mess too...although, I suppose that out of 88 counties, more than a few are doing well enough. There just has to be something to unify us all...

I don't want to go all Newt Gingrich on y'all and predict doom and gloom while offering no solutions whatsoever, so I'll just go ahead and offer one: Let Kasich be Kasich...let's start the governor's race early. I am sure he isn't ready for that though... The Ohio GOP appears to be a ship without a rudder cast adrift in a very rough sea. We need direction that only an inspired leader can provide. Somebody needs to step up and deliver...and I'm sure so egotist will make the attempt...

[Banging my head against a wall...]

Comment: A ship without a rudder cast a drift is an understatement. No leadership, no direction, no republican ideals, and quite possibly, no chance of saving the state. While Mr. Kasich might increase interest in the party, without a leader who will develop a grassroots effort, winning at the polls will be daunting. And without any policy direction we’re back to the little boat being cast about the sea. You see leadership and direction are inseparable. It’s time Bob Bennett stepped down for the good of the party and the state. But until then, row, row your boat…

Are you really a Republican if you support tax funded universal health insurance?

Thurber’s Thoughts: Are you really a Republican if you support tax funded universal health insurance?

From Thurber’s Thoughts:

Last night, this resolution was passed unanimously at the Toledo City Council meeting:

RES. 256-08

Recognizing Cover The Uninsured Week 2008.

WHEREAS, Cover The Uninsured Week 2008 will be April 27- May 3, 2008; and

WHEREAS, 1.3 million Ohioans, including 43,700 adults and 6,200 children in Lucas County do not have health care coverage; and

WHEREAS, eight of 10 people who are uninsured are in working families and Ohio no longer offers medical assistance to low-income non-elderly adults without children at home, unless they are totally and severely disabled; and

WHEREAS, viable solutions to these problems are within our reach; and

WHEREAS, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program and Medicaid are successful programs that provide cost-effective coverage that saves both lives and taxpayer dollars through preventative care and early treatment; and

WHEREAS, insured children are twice as likely as uninsured children to get the medical care they need, when they need it; and

WHEREAS, as costs continue to rise, Ohio’s individuals, working families, and small businesses need help paying for coverage; and

WHEREAS, Ohio is poised to make historic progress in children’s health coverage through expansions passed in the FY2008-2009 budget; and

WHEREAS, Ohio’s leaders are on the verge of taking meaningful action to find common ground between providers, consumers, businesses, and insurers to create a sustainable plan that will assure affordable, accessible, high quality coverage to hundreds of thousands of Ohioans; NOW, THEREFORE,

Be it resolved by the Council of the City of Toledo:

SECTION 1. That Toledo City Council urges Governor Strickland and Ohio’s legislative and administrative leadership to take all necessary steps to reach affordable, accessible, and adequate health coverage for all Ohioans, and hereby declare April 27-May 3, 2008 as COVER THE UNINSURED WEEK in TOLEDO, OHIO.

SECTION 2. That this Resolution shall take effect and be in force from and after the earliest period allowed by law.

Such a resolution isn't unusual in the liberal/Democrat-dominated Toledo City Council, but what is unusual is that this resolution passed with the support of the three Republicans.

I have no idea why Republicans would vote to urge state government to provide health insurance, considering that a core Republican principle is LESS government involvement in our daily lives, not to mention the idea of LESS taxation...

What's more puzzling is the lack of discussion about this 'whereas': "...the State Children’s Health Insurance Program and Medicaid are successful programs that provide cost-effective coverage that saves both lives and taxpayer dollars..."

Taxpayers would save MORE if these programs didn't exist, but I guess that's beside the point.

And how anyone can claim that these bloated bureaucracies, which are about to go bankrupt, are 'successful programs' is just beyond my (apparently) limited understanding.

Perhaps our GOP representatives will say that they voted to name the week - a meaningless action in which all governmental bodies partake (and I've done so myself when a County Commissioner). But if they were just voting to name it "covered the uninsured week," they could have asked for the policy issues to be excluded from the resolution. That's what I've done.

As it stands now, George Sarantou, Betty Shultz, and Tom Waniewski are on the record as supporting state-provided (read taxpayer funded) universal health insurance coverage. It's no wonder many Republicans believe they have no representation on Toledo City Council.

Comment: It doesn’t matter if you’re in Toledo, Columbus, or Portsmouth; distinguishing Republicans from Democrats is hard to do. Not One Red Cent until republican norms return to Ohio.

Today in the mail I got a letter from the Ohio Republican Party

Keeler Political Report: Monday, May 05, 2008

From the Keeler Political Report:

Today in the mail I got a letter from the Ohio Republican Party. It said on the outside it was 2008 GOP Convention related, so I opened it up, figuring it could be related to how I was going to be a Mitt Romney delegate if he was the nominee.

Well, it was convention related. I was offered the "exclusive" chance to be an Honorary Delegate in Minneapolis - for $1,500 (hotel not included). According to the flyer, for that money you get:
-Guaranteed reservation for one room at Ohio's official delegation hotels
-Credential for admittance to all Ohio Delegation Events for the week of the Convention (not sure what this actually is, but it is for sure not the actual convention)
-Bus transportation to said events
-Exclusive, priority consideration for official Convention Session passes
-Invitation for you and a guest to a luncheon exclusively for major donors and sponsors to the Ohio Republican Party
-Listing in the official '08 Commemorative Delegation Program
-Commemorative '08 Delegation Credential

Seems like a real good deal.

I wonder how exclusive this opportunity really is.......is it for everyone on their mailing list, some people on the mailing list....? I'd be willing to bet quite a few people were actually offered this opportunity.

No thanks Bob Bennett.

Comments:

Large Bill said: Nope not all of us. I haven't given the Ohio Republican Party cash since they back liberal incumbents over conservatives in primaries.

Comment: It’s always the money with Bennett and crew…

Tobacco Settlement Was For Health-Related Expenses

Thurber’s Thoughts: UPDATED: Tobacco settlement was for health-related expenses

From Thurber’s Thoughts:

Well, I thought so!

Earlier I posted about the state's idea to take tobacco settlement money as part of the funding for a supposed 'economic stimulus' plan. And I questioned why we'd be taking money out of a fund that was supposed to pay for future medical-related expenses.

Today's Blade has an article about the tobacco companies making their yearly payment for the funds and it reiterates that these funds are for health-related expenses.

So if the state wins their lawsuit and raids these funds for a nebulous economic stimulus, where will they get the money to pay for all these health-related expenses that they sued over?

Inquiring minds....

Comment: More magnificent governance from the Republican led General Assembly!

Folks, is this the best we can get out Bob Bennett and his merry band at the ORP? We say no! Not One Red Cent until republican ideals return to Ohio.

Mocking Dann’s Substandard Behavior Won’t Fix the State

One Oar in the Water: Mocking Dann’s Substandard Behavior Won’t Fix the State

From One Oar in the Water:

"The right side blogoshpere in Ohio is hysterical about the “Marc Dann Affair,” and rightly so. This is the kind of stuff that fuels much of the blogging community. But when it comes to serious policy oriented sites, chances are slim that you’d find this sort of trashy stuff commented upon. So the question I have for the Ohio Republican Party (ORP) bloggers over at the State of the Union, why are you spending so much time reacting to Dann’s substandard behavior and making silly Photoshop lampoons when you should be discussing serious policy?

"Let’s set the record straight, Ohio’s economic tailspin was not caused by the Democrats nor Mark Dann. It was caused by over fifteen years of bad socialist policy developed by Republicans. So while Dann may be giving the blogoshpere fodder, the ORP should certainly steer clear of lampoons and parodies, much less self-righteous accusatory comments and analysis.

"And to Mr. DeWine, who is making an earnest attempt to ensure the Ohio Republican Party has a web presence, please look to the weblogs from the Heritage Foundation, The Cato Institute, Buckeye Institute, and The Acton Institute as a good reference for truly professional weblogs. We also have a number here in Ohio worth looking at too: BizzyBlog, Boring Made Dull, Eye Hacker Blog, Thurber's Thoughts, and Wizblog. While there are many more fine examples, these five certainly rank as the cream of the crop in Ohio.

"At the end of the month Dann will most likely resign and another drone socialist will be appointed, but Ohio will still be in this depression. Even with that, we still need the ORP, but what we really need is solid policy ideas that return to republican norms. And this policy must be articulated well and set apart from the socialism that has taken root in Ohio. Mr. DeWine, this is what needs to happen. Now get on the stick and crack that whip, and along the way fire your blogging staff and get some professionals. Get some folks that know how to write; not create silly pictures with Photoshop."

Comment: The one point that the blogger One Oar hit upon, and is our focus, is the need for serious policy discussions. The Ohio Republican Party (ORP) must have a firm idea where they want to take the State, then through mediums like their blog, convey it to the citizens of Ohio.

Yet it has been evident for quite some time that neither the ORP nor the Republican leadership in the General Assembly has any policy orientation. Quite frankly much of the policy orientation Mr. Husted (R-Kettering) has been championing is Democrat Governor Ted Strickland’s!

If the ORP is going to regain what has been lost by power politics and shortsighted socialist measures in the General Assembly, and the pure leadership incompetence by former Republican Governor Taft, then ORP must return to free market and limited government ideals, and champion these!

For example compare Mr. Husted's energy plan with the measure by “The Ohio 19” that would remove the state income tax. Mr. Husted’s plan will waste our wages on silly unproven energy ideas and technology, cause Ohio energy industry to go the way of our other industries (rust away), ultimately cause higher energy prices, and further, cause Ohioans to leave the state. Now compare this with the removal of the state income tax, which will make Ohio more attractive to businesses and workers. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize which is the better policy, and is republican!

Sound policy is what we need from Ohio’s Republicans, not silly parodies. But unless we actually have a policy orientation I guess all we are left with is pointing the finger at the moron Mark Dann.

Arshinkoff Wins; Ohio Republicans Lose

Weapons of Mass Discussion: Arshinkoff Wins; Ohio Republicans Lose

From Matt at WMD:

Ben Keeler has the details in a post over at The Point, but I wanted to address a few things here as well. Read Ben's stuff first...

Now, let's start with the statement from Carol Klinger:

"My thanks to all who have supported the effort to get our Republican Party winning again. While we would have preferred a different outcome at tonight's Central Committee meeting, we are generally pleased with our showing. A significant block of committee members are in place who want to take our party into the future with new leadership. We will build on this success as we continue our effort. This campaign to change the party leadership started with nothing. We enter the next round with much more.

There are things we wished would have been different about tonight's meeting. Free and open discussion on the proposed party rules was squashed. A straight matchup between myself and Alex Arshinkoff was denied. And Mr. Arshinkoff was elected Central Committee chairman, despite not being an elected member of the committee.

We will continue to press for needed reforms within the local party organization and make the case for fresh new leadership. We will also continue to support Republicans candidates running for office.

To all who have stepped up and given their voice to the cause, I say thank you and look forward to our continued efforts to make the Summit County Republican Party an organization in which we can all be proud."

The New Summit Republicans have shown poise and class throughout this whole ordeal. They just didn't have enough forces to close the deal, as Ben pointed out.

I think that the New Summit Republican model is the right way to go about effecting the kind of change we've been seeking in the Ohio Republican Party. I suspect that the New Summit Republican effort will grow in strength and influence assuming that they continue their efforts to expose the corruption and shady dealings going on up there.

Ben makes a point that I want to emphasize here:

[F]ar too many precinct captains were afraid to change the status quo of the party. They didn't want to lose their positions and/or connections, and I guess you can't really blame them for that.

This is the biggest challenge that any reform movement is going to face. And it will be a slow process convincing those who have been around awhile to accept change. The Republican Party has never been quick to embrace change and expecting to have that happen in a single cycle was probably a bigger mission than the NSR's were capable of taking on, but I salute them for trying. My hope is that the NSR's will carry on and attempt to recruit new candidates for Central Committee that are dedicated to the idea of reform while continuing to change the minds of those on the fence who went with the status quo simply because they feared change.

The forces of change do not run quick. The NSR's should feel proud of the accomplishments thus far and hold their heads high as they take on the challenges that now lie ahead of them. Arshinkoff was on the ropes, but he slipped away this time. With any luck whatsoever, he will have learned his lessons and will fly straight; but if not, the NSR's ought to unite the forces that they can and do whatever they can to bring the party back on the right track.

Ultimately, this is a story about vigilance and perseverance. Arshinkoff may have won this battle, but I suspect the outcome of the war is yet to be determined. And I'm not talking just about Summit County. The NSR's have represented what I believe to be a fledgling movement of conservative Republicans who are fed up with the nonsense in the Ohio Republican Party and aren't going to take it anymore. I've been covering troubles all over Ohio with county parties, including my own, and my hope is that there will be good Republicans ready to take on the status quo in those areas and demand change occur. Rank and file Republicans who are not a part of the party structure are becoming disenchanted with the way things are being run and they will either sit it out when we need them, vote with their feet, or vote Democrat to "teach a lesson." We must do something because the same old tricks are no longer working.

Comment: While the New Summit Republican (NSR) method is one tactic, it is not the only. Additionally, Mr. Hurley is mistaken to believe the NSR method is the “right way” to affect change within the various county republican parties or the ORP. Certainly it might be fine for some counties, but we think Summit County needs a much more “hard ball” approach as does the ORP, but with that said more ways need to be developed and shared with grassroots Republicans throughout the state to affect any significant change.

We need to be accepting of all models, not just one. We need to be united at a grassroots level because the party leadership is not concerned with us, but only with keeping power. Moreover we need to hit them where it hurts, in the pocket book. Maybe if the folks from WMD and NSR stopped donating money to “88 in 08” these rank and file spineless folks might realize there are folks out there that are unhappy and would have the guts to vote out an Arshinkoff. But what chance do you have at winning while mounting softball attacks from the inside and at the same time you are providing the enemy with ammunition?

We don’t claim to have all the answers, but we know one thing, continued support of the ORP is an insane proposition until leadership change occurs and republican norms return. Not One Red Cent folks, Not One Red Cent!

Lucas County GOP Troubles

Weapons of Mass Discussion: Lucas County GOP Troubles

From WMD:

There is a weird story in the Toledo Blade that I want to highlight because this seems, to me anyway, another instance where the "zero tolerance policy" ought to come in to play.

Lucas County Republican Party Executive Director Joanne Wack's conviction in a New York state court for grand larceny - which she denied and then was forced to admit on the witness stand Monday - is not her only brush with the law.

A search through local court records yesterday turned up 13 legal judgments and three criminal cases going back to 1992 and involving medical bills, the Girl Scouts of Maumee Valley, a car wreck, and passing bad checks.

But despite a record of having to be taken to court to pay her debts, and what one upset Republican says was a clear cut case of perjury, Wack continued to maintain the confidence of some local party leaders and elected Republicans yesterday.

Uhh...okay...Before we get to just what the heck this is all about, I need to introduce you to Jon Stainbrook...

A dispute between Mr. Stainbrook, a GOP activist who is mounting a challenge to the current party chairman, Bob Reichert, and local Republican leaders, spilled over into the courts Monday, where Wack was questioned about her felony conviction.

Mr. Stainbrook, who lives in South Toledo and is self-employed in public relations, has wrangled with Wack repeatedly over what he contends are her unethical attempts since January to block his candidates from being elected to the county Republican Party central committee.

Okay...on with the show...

He said yesterday that the series of petty civil and criminal cases, as well as the felony grand larceny case out of Westchester County, New York, compromise her ability to represent the party.

"Joanne Wack has a pattern of criminal and unethical misconduct and must be removed from party leadership. Obviously she cannot stay. Her taking money from the Girl Scouts - that's just unethical," Mr. Stainbrook said.

Let's get to the details:

One of the judgments against Ms. Wack was filed in Toledo Municipal Court by Maumee Valley Girl Scouts Inc. in November, 1999, for the sum of $1,092.

Judgment was rendered by the court on Jan. 21, 2000, in the amount of $1,152, with court costs.

A call to the Girl Scouts organization was not returned.

Records in Toledo, Sylvania, and Oregon Municipal Court reveal 13 civil cases against Wack involving a total of $16,977 since 1992. She was also charged with three criminal cases of passing bad checks or forgery.

In November, Wack was charged with forging a check for $790 at the Shop & Save, 653 Main St., but prosecutors dismissed the charges after restitution was made.

Two charges of passing bad checks were filed in 2006 by the Island Variety convenience store, one for $430 and a second for $200 in 2005.

The case was dismissed last October because restitution was made, according to the Toledo Municipal Court record.

A bad check charge filed on behalf of East Toledo Animal Clinic in Toledo Municipal Court for $36.50 was dismissed Oct. 26, 2007, when restitution was made.

Other plaintiffs included St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center, Armstrong Ob/Gyn Clinic Inc., American States Insurance, Alfred Hartkopf-DDS, Northcoast Financial Services, Toledo Hospital, Computer Discount of Maumee, Great Lakes Credit Union, Brown Imports, First American Cash Advance, East Toledo Family Center, and Toledo Clinic.

Municipal Judge Tim Kuhlman, who handled bad check charges, said they were typical.

If, by now, you aren't getting that slick Rawnica Dillingham-Wilson-Dillingham-Ruscigno-Dillingham vibe, you aren't reading the same story I am...

Anyway, all of this is background for the real story...which is this:

During a hearing in Lucas County Common Pleas Court Monday over the makeup of the party's central committee, Wack was on the stand when she was surprised by the question of whether she had ever been convicted of a felony in Ohio or any other state.

She answered no. When the court was shown evidence of a grand larceny conviction in Westchester County, New York, the hearing was recessed briefly.

When Wack retook the stand she admitted to having a felony conviction and to having been on probation.

John Weglian, a top assistant in the Lucas County Prosecutor's Office, said he did not plan to pursue an indictment for perjury because the testimony was corrected quickly and no one was deceived by the false testimony.

Donald Iiams, Jr., of Monclova Township, a failed candidate for Lucas County Republican Party Central committee, who has accused Wack of illegally endorsing his opponent in the central committee race, said he's not satisfied with the county prosecutor's refusal to prosecute.

"If he doesn't have the resources, does that mean everyone in Toledo can commit perjury because you don't have the resources? That's just telling you the sad state of affairs in Lucas County," Mr. Iiams said.

This ain't good.

Maybe I'm missing something here, but it seems to me that what we have here is another one of them cases where we ought to have been MUCH more careful about who we place in leadership roles. Election disputes are one thing...and I'm not going to get in to that because I have a feeling that I'm not getting the whole story from our friends at the Blade...but let's deal with the reality that Republican leadership needs to be ridding itself of folks like Ms. Wack. A position of leadership is not a place we should be putting people who have troubles with personal finances...there are just way too many "opportunities" in politics for really bad stuff to happen.

At any rate, Bob Bennett and Kevin DeWine ought to get out in front of this story too. Will they???

Comment: Matt’s correct “this ain’t good,” but again it does point to a pattern of unsavory politics within the ORP. Moreover don’t expect Bennett to do anything because this is the environment he created.

These people only know one thing and it's power; and the only way to remove them from office is to stop the money. We ask you to boycott the ORP and let them know you are not going to donate Not One Red Cent until republican norms return to Ohio.