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Need a door? Try Architectural Artifacts, in Toledo.
01/04/2012

Filed under: Business, History, Shopping, Toledo

Have you ever thought your house or apartment was a bit blah? Most people have. It doesn't have to be that way, though. You might try adding a piece of architectural salvage.

Every year, old buildings are torn down. A lot of them have beautiful woodwork, stained glass windows, stone carvings, or even just a nice brass doorknob. All that isn't usually hauled off to a dumpster. It's usually salvaged and made available for people who think their home needs that something extra.

Believe it or not, one of the USA's most well-known purveyor of items like these is located right in Downtown Toledo. It's called Architectural Artifacts and you'd be amazed by their store, at 20 South Ontario. It's packed. The first floor has the real gems. There's everything from wooden mantels to life-size marble statues. Upstairs, you'll find doors, stair rails, hardware, and everything you could possibly use to decorate a building. Other interesting antiques aren't neglected, either. Be sure to say hello to the two very friendly resident cats. If you're a cat person, I am, they might supervise your tour themselves.

Can't make it to Toledo? Try the website at the link below. Architectural Artifacts does a lot of e-business. One more thing. If you need something they don't have, which is hard to believe once you've seen the place, just let them know. You never know. It might just turn up the next day.

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An Ohioan pays it forward and ends up on Oprah
01/04/2012

Filed under: Business, News, Culture, Public figures, Columbus, Arts

Here's a local connection to Oprah Winfrey that's worth a blog. Not because it's Oprah, but because of the story. Sufiy Davis has been using the movie The Pursuit of Happyness to promote happiness. Actually, the real intention, I think, is to promote hope, possibility and drive in people who are homeless. Sufiy's been taking homeless men and women from Faith Mission operated by Lutheran Social Services in Columbus to the Drexel Theatre. And not just a couple of people, as many as she can afford to take. The Drexel has also helped offset the cost.

Sufiy let The Oprah Winfrey Show folks know what she was up to as a "Pay it Forward Challenge." Being that Oprah's show knows a photo op when they see one, Sufiy was hooked up as a guest. Her TV time on Oprah was on Friday, January 26. From what I heard, the crew went to the movies with Sufiy and the gang . Plus, interviews with residents and Sheila Gaston, the shelter manager were included in the broadcast. Here is the link to The Oprah Winfrey Show broadcast that highlights Sufiy's story with text and pictures.

I like this story for a couple of reasons. It's such a simple concept to take folks to the movies. One person had this idea, followed through with it, and it actually was recognized as being marvelous. There are folks all over Ohio who are making a difference. I can think of a couple of school classrooms for one. It's neat, though, that at least one Ohioan got a trip to see Oprah. To the rest of you out there, keep doing good. You know who you are.

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Wyland and the Whale Wall
01/04/2012

Filed under: City life, Tourism, Culture, Out and about, Public figures, Cleveland, Arts

Perhaps you too are a native Clevelander, and perhaps you too have frequently driven by the Cleveland Public Power building on Marginal Road, right in between the Shoreway and Lake Erie. If you have, you are guaranteed to have seen it: the Wall of Whales. Or, more colloquially, the whale building.

Well, it wasn't until this very evening (coincidentally enough) that I found out that the whale building was the work of a specific artist, Wyland, who specializes in environmentally conscious, marine life artwork. The Wall of Whales on the side of the Cleveland Public Power building features swimming whales, dolphins and scuba divers in an incredibly blue ocean. He's also done manatees, turtles, fish, rays, people (in the water) and lots of different kinds of whales.

Now, we could be cynical, and point out that there is just no way that you're going to get whales in Lake Erie (sigh), but what I find more odd is why Wyland paints whales! And other maritime fishes and mammals, of course. Well, for starters, it's Whale Wall #75 - Wyland is currently painting his 95th mural of whales. These murals are for one major purpose: to raise environmental awareness about the undersea world, through the work of the Wyland Foundation. (In fact, the 95th mural is in Key Largo, Florida, and will be dedicated on Feb. 12.) All of Wyland's murals are painted in life-size dimensions, and in a wide range of sizes and locations. Power generating stations, museums, boats, department stores and piers - nothing is too weird to show us what's under the sea. I think this is beautiful, and I'm proud that Cleveland and Ohio are part of a larger, environmentally loving tradition.

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Ohio legislature's War on Women produces mixed results today
01/03/2012

After wasting the days before holiday recess holding multiple hearings on abortion, the Ohio state senate passed the clearly unconstitutional while shelving the "Heartbeat" Bill (probably so they can waste more time in the next session holding more hearings while not doing anything about the real crises our state faces).

Kellie Copeland of NARAL Pro Choice Ohio writes:

This has been a dark year for the women of Ohio, with the introduction of ten separate bills to limit access to abortion and family planning services, and four of them passing the Ohio General Assembly. We are happy to see that H.B. 125, a ban on abortion before most women realize they are pregnant, has been shelved indefinitely by Senate President Niehaus, but we are disheartened that he continued the war on women by passing H.B. 79 this afternoon.”

By passing one bill after another to restrict the ability of Ohio women to make their own private, personal medical decisions, the Ohio Legislature is ignoring the will of their constituents. With the passage of H.B. 79 and the countless hours of testimony in committee over the last week on H.B. 125, the “heartbeat” abortion ban, the Ohio Senate is demonstrating their lack of concern about our broken economy and the millions of Ohioans out of work.”

H.B. 79 will outlaw non-therapeutic abortion coverage in the to-be-created health insurance exchanges as laid out in the Affordable Care Act. This will even apply to Ohioans who are paying for their health insurance with their own private dollars. By banning coverage for abortion, H.B. 79 is in direct conflict with the Ohio Constitution under the recently passed Issue 3, which states that the Ohio cannot prohibit the sale of health care or health insurance. The ACLU has announced that they will challenge H.B. 79 in court.

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Franklin County HB 319 repeal petition signing info
01/03/2012

Here is a list of times/locations that folks in Franklin County can sign the petition to repeal the reprehensible congressional map:

HB 319 Petition Signing Locations

Monday - Friday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Ohio Democratic Party Office
340 E. Fulton Street, Columbus, OH 43215

Wednesday, December 14
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Whetstone Public Library
3909 North High Street, Columbus, OH 43215

Thursday, December 15
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Whetstone Public Library
3909 North High Street, Columbus, OH 43215

Friday, December 16
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Whetstone Public Library
3909 North High Street, Columbus, OH 43215

2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Upper Arlington Public Library
2800 Tremont Road, Upper Arlington, OH 43221

Saturday, December 17
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Whetstone Public Library
3909 North High Street, Columbus, OH 43215

2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Upper Arlington Public Library
2800 Tremont Road, Upper Arlington, OH 43221

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HB 319 repeal signing tomorrow in Toledo for Northwest Ohio
01/03/2012

Tom Galloway will be at the University of Toledo Student Union tomorrow (Wednesday, December 14) with petitions for most of Northwest Ohio Counties. Stop by between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. to add your signature and help us repeal this reprehensible congressional map!

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State legislators continue to waste our time and tax dollars on abortion debate
01/03/2012

So the two weeks before Christmas in our statehouse, our legislature is devoting all day every day to one issue. Is it unemployment? Hunger? Foreclosure?

Nope — it's abortion. And as we've already mentioned, they are debating a stinky bouquet of bills that are most likely ALL unconstitutional, creating still another level of waste of our tax dollars when all are challenging in court.

This week, right now, hearings on going on over the atrocious "heartbeat" bill which would essentially ban all abortions — no exceptions — and make Ohio's the most extreme and backward law in the country. It is a grotesque abuse of government power and invasion of government into the most private decisions — by a group of legislators who laughably claim to be for smaller government. And a bill this extreme is almost certainly opposed by a comfortable majority of the state's citizens.

Hearing were still going on at 7:30 this evening, and pro-choice activists packed the statehouse. They'll continue tomorrow starting at noon, and you are invited to come if you support the right of women to make one of the most personal and life-changing decisions she will ever make.

If you cannot make it down, please please please call committee chairman Scott Oelslager at 877-810-9757 and tell him to stop House Bill 125. Tell him Ohioans do not want government making their medical choices and they DO want the legislature to create some jobs so parents can support BORN children.

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So the Republicans continue to block Rich Cordray
01/03/2012

refusing to confirm him to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — not because they don't like Cordray but because they don't like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

http://consumerist.com/2011/12/senate-blocks-vote-on-confirmation-of-ric...

In fact, they dislike the very idea of consumer protection, apparently feeling that continuing to ratchet up public district in the financial system is somehow good for the country and that blocking people from having the information they need to keep from getting ripped off is somehow fair.

If they believe this (and it's clear they do), then Rich Cordray is certainly their worst nightmare, given his track record as Ohio's attorney general fighting for citizens against the predations of large corporations and financial institutions. The New York Times spotlighted his victories in winning back millions for the state.

The LA Times points out in this editorial entitled "Consumers loses as GOP moves against nominee for new consumer bureau" who really loses in this GOP obstruction.
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/dec/09/business/la-fi-lazarus-20111209

http://articles.cnn.com/2011-12-10/opinion/opinion_martin-gop-block_1_

This CNN opinion piece says:

By forcing the Senate to meet the 60-vote threshold, the GOP effectively prevented Cordray from taking control of the office. By not having a full-time director, the bureau, already approved by Congress and signed into law by Obama, can only do a limited number of things.

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Democrats in legislature "compromise:' HB 319 repeal dead
01/03/2012

Well, I guess we must have been on track to get those signatures to repeal the congressional map aka HB 319. The Republicans in the legislature came back to the table today — mostly because they were trying to unite the two costly primaries their intransigence required.

But I am not happy about this. The new "tweaked" map at first glance doesn't appear to be much of an improvement on the previous one. And after the release on Monday of the Ohio Redistricting Transparency Report, spearheaded by the League of Women Voters of Ohio and Ohio Citizen Action, we had the momentum and the support and a big weapon to use as a club for some major concessions. No map derivative of the one the GOP created in secrecy, outside the prescribed legislative process, should have been allowed to stand. And we WERE on track to get the signatures as well.

People like me have spent the last month and a half — our pre-holiday time — diligently gathering signatures to repeal the GOP-created Congressional map that gives them a 12-4 advantage in a 50/50 state and creates no competitive districts. Now we find that our efforts have been thrown to the wind, without our getting very much in return.

Oh, but we are getting such a special Christmas gift in return! (You'll have to forgive my sarcasm here). The big box with the shiny ribbon contains a "task force" made up of legislators, half from each party, to study districting reform. Yeah, I'm so sure that will produce stellar results.

I mean, why would it? The Republicans got the lopsided map they wanted for the next decade. Why on earth would they want "reform"? At best, they'll probably propose what Secretary of State Jon Husted was talking about a month or two ago, doing "bipartisan" reform — in 2021. But why would they be sincere NOW?

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No honor among thieves
01/03/2012

So even while they are scheming and plotting to sabotage democracy and the electoral process in Ohio, the Republicans are kniving each other in the back.

http://thebellwetherdaily.blogspot.com/2011/12/heimlichs-wife-recuited-b...

While they plot behind closed doors to basically disenfranchise every Ohioan with their congressional map (because no vote will make any difference in these rigged districts), they are eating their own. Kasich in his power lust to call all the shots in the party and the state is alienating long-time activists, the people who make the calls and do the work on the ground and ... boy, this sounds familiar. Democrats doing that put Kasich into office to begin with — although I must say the bullying of the Kasich thugs makes the actions of Strickland's political operatives look benign by comparison (and I don't think I would accuse Strickland of Kasich-style power lust, just short-sightedness and perhaps a loyalty to the wrong people).

I also want to say that it is good to see out friend Bill Sloat in Cincinnati blogging regularly again at the Daily Bellwether after months of relative inactivity. Bookmark his site to keep up with what's going on in the southwestern sector of our state:
http://thebellwetherdaily.blogspot.com/

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From Every Side: Federal Assault on Voter Rights Too
01/03/2012

This kind of got put on the shelf with everything that has been going on in Ohio pertaining to the Republican attempts to both rig the election playing field and prevent people more likely to vote Democratic from voting. The Republicans who control the U.S. House want to abolish the Election Assistance Commission because we all know that helping to assure everyone has access to the ballot is irrelevant in our country, right? Apparently to Republicans it is.

I got this a week or two from my congresswoman Marcia Fudge. Read it and gnash your teeth, and then ponder what great lengths a party has to go to win elections when they are spewing ideas so radically unpopular that they could not get elected otherwise.

There's no doubt that a concerted voter suppression effort is underway in this nation. Abolishing the Election Assistance Commission, an agency charged with ensuring that the vote of every American counts, is just another step in the voter suppression effort and would completely remove oversight of the most important process in our democracy. Does it make sense to remove oversight at a time when Republican-led legislatures across this nation are passing laws to obstruct voting? No, it absolutely does not.
In the first three quarters of 2011, nineteen new state laws and two executive actions were enacted to limit the ability of American citizens to vote. They would make it significantly harder for more than five million eligible voters to cast ballots in 2012.
Many of the bills, including one signed into law in my home state-- Ohio-- include the most drastic voting restrictions since before the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Seniors will be denied their right to the franchise, and the disabled will find it more difficult to vote. Minorities and students will face more challenges than ever before. Soldiers honorably serving our country will be left with their absentee votes uncounted.

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Congressional candidate Angela Zimmann (Oh-05) parodies Rick Perry commercial
01/03/2012

Maybe Rick Perry is too dumb to realize yet that his infamous anti-gay "Strong" commercial wasn't a good idea. But given the spate of parodies, the Perry advisor who thought it was a terrible idea now looks like a genius. Ohio congressional candidate Angela Zimmann, who is running in the 5th district in northwestern Ohio against incumbent Republican congressman Bob "Special Interest Lackey" Latta is the latest to do a take on it.

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Oh lookee — actual jobs bills!
01/03/2012

http://sutton.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=24&sectiontree=23,24&itemid=...

"Rep. Sutton Introduces '?American Jobs First' Initiative"

Ohio's own Betty Sutton is actually proposing something constructive, just like she did with Cash for Clunkers. Unfortunately, these four bills are being proposed by a Democrat so of course, they won't get anywhere in the Republican House controlled by the likes of election rigger John Boehner and nasty little Eric Can'tor.

Sutton said

“The ‘American Jobs First’ initiative is a common-sense plan that will give American manufacturers the tools they need to put people back to work. At a time when Americans are looking to Congress to work together, the ‘American Jobs First’ initiative presents a real opportunity to set aside our differences and focus on real job creation in this country. I urge Speaker Boehner to bring these bills to the floor for a vote and show the American people that we can truly put American jobs first.

Oh Betty, you are such a jokester. Yes, Boehner is just been a job-creating dynamo! Maybe in some other universe.

Here are the common-sense, low-cost things she's proposing:

H.R. 1684: Keep American Jobs from Going Down the Drain Act (35 co-sponsors): Requires that any funds made available through the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Water Act spent on the construction, alteration, maintenance, or repair of a public water system are spent on American made materials.

H.R. 3645: American Jobs Preservation Act (12 co-sponsors): Requires the Secretary of Transportation to consider the impact on waiving ‘Buy America’ provisions on American manufacturers and jobs.

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"There Is Only One Issue in America"
01/03/2012

When I saw the title of this piece which appeared recently in Huffington Post and has been making the rounds, I didn't expect too much — more tired showboating about someone's pet beef. I only read it because it was penned by E Street Band guitarist Steve Van Zandt, someone who put himself on the line for peace and justice back when doing so was only an "image". move for his "Boss."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-van-zandt/democracy-in-america_b_11...

It turns out that Van Zandt's "only" issue is related my "only" issue: the corporate control of our government via the corruption of politics and elections by money — which as he points out is the raison d'etre for corporations.

He says,

Campaign finance doesn't need reform. It needs elimination.

To accomplish this we must overturn Buckley v. Valeo, one of the two or three worst decisions in the history of the Supreme Court.

The ruling makes the extraordinary decision that money is protected by the First Amendment.

He wants to come up with a pledge for people to sign supporting the elimination of private finance from the electoral system. That's fine. But I do disagree with the process he suggests to fix things: forming a third party. Unfortunately, forming a third party prior to eliminating money from the system is a way to ensure making the system worse. As long as the system depends on money and money flows into two major parties, a third party will only guarantee that the MOST money-driven, greedy and amoral candidates will win.

And his equating of the Occupy movement with the Tea Party shows he hasn't been paying attention to those movements and is accepting a lazy media frame. He is apparently unaware of the Tea Party's roots in secretive big money which crafted a message designed to suck in a certain type of disgruntled person and hid the source of the message in order to falsely make the Tea Party appear "grassroots."

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Love this — would explain a lot
01/03/2012

http://www.borowitzreport.com/2011/12/16/conspiracy-theorists-believe-ac...

"Conspiracy Theorists Believe Actual Republican Candidates Are Tied Up Somewhere: Obama a Prime Suspect"

There’s no way that these people are the actual candidates,” said Tracy Klugian, a leading conspiracy theorist who subscribes to the warehouse theory. “The American people need to stand up and demand the return of the real ones.”

“When the most sensible person onstage is Ron Paul,” he said, “you know that what you’re witnessing is an elaborate hoax.”

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A Take on Newt — from Alan Grayson
01/03/2012

I am so enjoying my emails from former Florida congressman Alan Grayson, who is running to get his old seat back. You may remember him as the guy who said that the Republican health care plan is "don't get sick and if you get sick die quickly." He was endlessly attacked – but it turned out that IS the Republican health care plan. (Remember "Repeal and replace"? Heard anything about "replace" lately?)

Grayson's emails are bold, humorous, entertaining, and on target. It's worth subscribing to his email list just to read them (Sure, he asks for money from time to time, but at least he gives you something worth reading.)

Go here to subscribe: http://congressmanwithguts.com/

I thought his email today, talking about soon-to-be-former front runner (like Cain and Bachmann and Perry before him, he's collapsing in the polls) Newt Gingrich was especially worth sharing:

Dear Anastasia,

As remarkable as it may seem, we can no longer exclude the possibility that the Republican Party will nominate Newt Gingrich for President. And it’s remarkable for this reason: that apart from Sarah Palin, there is no major public figure in America today with such an attenuated connection to reality.

Many people have flailed Newt for being a philanderer; a corporate shill; a crass greedhead; an egomaniac; and a cranky, crabby, crotchety, caustic, cantankerous, choleric cus. All of that may be true, but I think that it may miss the point. The point is that Newt is wrong, wrong, wrong. Consistently wrong. Shockingly wrong. Newt Gingrich is the Emily Litella of politics.

Not exactly what we are looking for in a President.

How can I put this politely? Newt is not astute. Newt’s grasp of things is minute. Newt’s credibility is in disrepute. What Newt says in not hard to refute. When it comes to understanding what goes on, Newt is not acute. When Newt is talking, the truth is often lost enroute.

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Redfern claims: "Another victory" on reapportionament
01/03/2012

Or "how to put lipstick on a pig."

I'm with Anastasia on this one!

The partisan split is the same 12- 4 divide as the GOP rammed through in the first place. The best thing about the final map is that Lucas county and Toledo are reduced from three districts to two (When they should be in one...). But now we have the terrifying prospect of Dennis the Menace to Society running in the "minority-majority" district and squeaking through because of the resulting three way split in votes. Frankly, even then, I hope he'll get clobbered. I see no way that he can win and might very well finish last. If he runs against Marcy, in the Ninth District, she will clean his clock.

This is a defeat for both democracy and Democrats. Giving these U.S. House seats to guaranteed GOP control for at least the next ten years is a setback for the whole country.

NONE of these districts in Ohio can be described as "competitive." This nonsense is a major underlying cause as to why Americans have come to hate government in general and Congress, specifically.

And as far as the "bipartisan" reapportionment commission goes, it has NO CHANCE of producing any meaningful change whatsoever. It is Ohio's version The Great Cat Food Commission. (National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform) It's strictly putting lipstick on a pig to make this abject defeat seem like some sort of compromise.

A special heaping of disgrace goes to those "Democrats" in the General Assembly who supported this abomination because they somehow think it's in their narrow self-interest. Their justifications are delusional.

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Congressman Steve "Who?" Austria to retire
01/03/2012

Steve "Who?" Austria (Oh-07) is one of Ohio's gang of faceless rubber-stamp Republican congressmen. And, realizing that there was no feasible way to shrink the number of Democratic districts to a mere three in redistricting other than moving a couple of hundred thousand Democrats to another state, the Republicans drawing the new map bowed to the inevitable and put two sitting Republicans in the same district: Austria and Mike "Who?" Turner in the new 10th district.

Austria has now dropped out, giving Turner a clear field in this overwhelmingly Republican district.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/david-catanese/2011/12/austria-to-retire-1...

I'm sure the GOP is lining up a cushy lobbying job as a little parting gift to Austria.

With Austria standing down, the withdrawal of Nina Turner from the 11th district primary (and yes, she did wisely withdraw) becomes even more significant. With Turner's challenge, it would have left the GOP with 12 clear primaries and the Democrats with battles in three of their four safe districts, something that would have eaten up resources — which we now know was part of the GOP calculation in cutting the map the way they did. Turner was playing into their hands, and apparently she must have realized this.

Democrats are still left with two primary battles not of their own making — the Marcy Kaptur-Dennis Kucinich primary in Oh-09 and the wide-open race for the new third district in Columbus. (You can't really fault anyone for going after a wide-open, newly created seat). After that, the competitive races will be few and far between. Time to change the congressional map-drawing system.

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What you won't want to do with that extra Christmas money
01/03/2012

I'm sure that you, like me, have been bombarded with the end-of-year fundraising emails from organizations and candidates breathlessly telling you how important it is that they have your $10 or $15 or $25 before midnight tomorrow. I think I deleted about 200 over the holidays.

Here's one plea you definitely will not want to respond to:

Anastasia,

It’s the end of the year and hopefully you had a safe and enjoyable holiday season.

Many of you have sent us emails asking how you can be helpful to our efforts to get the message out about Ohio’s 82,785 created or saved jobs since we took office this year. [That's an email I don't remember sending]

We wanted to make sure that you know about the dollar-for-dollar tax credit of up to $50 for an individual and up to $100 for married couples filing jointly for making a contribution to a candidate for state office. Learn more here. http://www.kasichforohio.com/site/c.hpIJKWOCJqG/b.7913785/k.84F5/Tax_Cre...

What does that mean? Basically, Ohio law says if you contribute $50 as an individual or $100 as a couple right now, you can use the credit on your 2011 State taxes. So, by making a $50 contribution right now, you can help support our costs to send these emails and get our message out.

Times are tough now. [Tougher thanks to you!] There’s no doubt about it. But Ohio is beginning to win and we need your help to fuel the momentum and send a strong message to the rest of the country that Ohio is coming back and we mean business!

Thanks for your support.[???]

John

John Kasich
Governor of Ohio

P.S. You can click here to watch my short video message about all that we've accomplished together in 2011. http://blog.kasichforohio.com/?p=4392&msource=JK122911EM1

[That must be one very brief video but I'm not going to click to find out].

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Really? These are your presidential candidates, GOP? Really?
01/03/2012

Before setting out for home Wednesday morning, I made myself a cup of tea and cracked open the Chicago Tribune (a paper my father refused to have in the house when I was a kid because he said it was too right-wing).

And I read this article about the Republican presidential primary in Iowa:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/la-pn-gingrich-fights-pos...

"I think Ron Paul's views are totally outside the mainstream of virtually every decent American," Gingrich said.

Well, that's nasty and negative, although many would agree.

But that quote was only a few paragraphs from another in which Gingrich said he pledged to run a "totally positive campaign."

And

"You can fight in a positive way. It's good for America to see someone fight in a positive way and not degenerate into the kind of junk you've seen on TV recently."

Wow. Talk about deluded!

But yesterday I saw another article revolving around the same quotes and Gingrich's "positive" campaign on Huffington Post that accepted at face value Gingrich's claim that he was running a positive campaign and speculated on whether he would be able to "remain" positive. Sometimes I feel like the mainstream media is viewing campaign through about 100 layers of gauze and is barely able to hear or see what is going on.

It's become clear even to hardcore Republican voters what a nasty, scary hypocrite Gingrich is. Almost as quickly as he leapt into poll leads, after being virtually ignored, they realized what a joke he was and his lead vanished. But the mainstream media is still playing little games with his image, allowing him to spin and airbrush, to make him seem like a credible presidential candidate. No doubt they'll continue this to the bitter end because there's nothing the mainstream media likes as much as a down-to-the-wire race.

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NIna Turner dropping primary challenge to Marcia Fudge?
01/03/2012

I got an email a little while ago from someone I trust saying that state Senator Nina Turner has ended her primary challenge to congresswoman Marcia Fudge in Ohio's 11th district.

If it's true — and I'm assuming it is — I am glad to hear it. This was the most positive course of action Turner could have taken. There's nothing wrong with being ambitious, and certainly the Ohio state senate isn't a happy or productive place to be right now. But nothing good could have come from this challenge — including a boost to Turner's career, even in the unlikely event that she won the primary.

It's still not clear to me what case she could have made for replacing Fudge, who has been a strong, outspoken progressive voice. If her district were more conservative, it's possible Turner could have made the case that she was too liberal and not willing to "compromise" enough. But given Turner's own progressive record — to say nothing of the fact that disgruntled Democrats are upset about too much compromising not too little — that would have been difficult. And the district is in fact one of the most Democratic in the country — a district that needs to elect a strong progressive to represent its views.

After draining resources from other races, like Sherrod Brown's, and causing division in the district (I heard from someone that a Turner supporter acknowledged to a local Democratic club that the primary campaign would get ugly, although Fudge promised that it wouldn't on her end), Turner would have been politically damaged. By withdrawing, she's not — and she can take her time and consider other options for her political future.

I'm glad she made this choice.

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Jim Renacci: ultra-wealthy and out of touch?
01/03/2012

Jim Renacci, the congressman from Ohio's 16th district, has drawn a formidable challenger: congresswoman Betty Sutton, currently serving the 13th district which no longer exists in the same form. (Well, actually few districts do, thanks to GOP trickery). The 16th is a Republican-favoring district, but if anyone can make a race of it, Betty Sutton can.

And here's something she can use, and most likely will: Renacci made the Top 10 list of "ultra-rich congresspeople who represent some of the most financially troubled districts."

http://www.truth-out.org/ten-ultra-rich-congresspeople-who-represent-som...

It probably won't surprise you that nine of the ten are Republicans. The tenth, Jay Rockefeller, is credited with working on progressive measures that would actually help the very poor residents of his West Virginia district.

Not Jim Renacci though!

According to this article,

With his average net worth of $42,060,709, [Renacci] became the 20th richest lawmaker. According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, his fortune comes from nursing homes, real estate investments, car and motorcycle dealerships, a bar and grill, an arena football team and a minor-league baseball team. The Plain Dealer also reported that he sold 40 cars worth $754,167 under the Cash for Clunkers [Sutton's idea] program, and that he had to pay $1.3 million in back taxes in 2006 to make up for misreporting on his 2000 form.

Meanwhile, in Renacci's district, unemployment is 11 percent, 83,518 people (or 13 percent) live in poverty, which includes 22 percent of the children and 39 percent of African Americans. Only 2.2 percent make over $200,000 a year, while 6.5 percent make less than $10,000 a year and the median household income is around $46,000.

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Gov. signs unconstitutional abortion bill
01/03/2012

Well, he's gone and done it. Of course. The gov, put his signature on H.B. 79, a bill that pretty much everyone knows is unconstitutional thanks to ballot Issue 3, passed in November by the very people who support H.B. 79! How despicable and dishonest is that?

H.B. 79 is the bill that would ban women from purchasing insurance with abortion coverage WiTH THEIR OWN MONEY in the new health care exchange created under the federal Affordable Care Act. Issue 3 banned the state from making any changes in health insurance regulations following the date of that act's passage so of course this cannot take effect. it's all theater.

The ACLU already has said they will challenge the H.B. 79 in court.

http://www.acluohio.org/issues/ReproductiveRights/default.asp

Yes, I'm on hiatus but I had to get this out. The gov. doesn't stop being dishonest and pandering to the far-right crazies just because it's the season of peace and good will.

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Vote! How was Governor Kasich's first year?
01/03/2012

In my last post, I mentioned that our gov. is sending out emails patting himself on the back for the great first year he had in office and asking you to send money to help him continue his outstanding work. Do you agree with his assessment of his accomplishments? The Ohio News Network gives you a chance to vote!

http://www.onntv.com/content/stories/2011/12/19/story-kasich-yearend-rev...

You can read more blah blah blah about what a fine job HE thinks he's doing, then vote whether YOU think he's done an "excellent," "good," "fair" or "poor" job. One choice is swamping the others right now. Hint: "excellent" and "good" combined barely crack single digits.

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Happy New Year everyone!
01/03/2012

So we didn't get a white Christmas. My sister from San Francisco was very disappointed that Chicago was apparently the only part of the region that didn't get even a dusting of snow over the holidays. (Just like surf in Cleveland, there's no snow in San Francisco).

But it looks like we have an "exciting" political year ahead — for better and worse. Please make plans to help out a worthy progressive candidate, especially if you are in a "swingy" state House district, because it sure would be nice to take back that state House and block some of the gov.'s most destructive initiatives. You know, things like wrecking Ohio's schools or turning women into brood mares (well, their own constitutional amendment may have taken care of that!) We plan to bring you information on as many Democratic candidates for the state legislature and for Congress as we can. Heck, we'll even bring you news of the Republicans if they do or say anything particularly egregious.

Meanwhile, have a fun and safe New Year's Eve and plan to be with us in 2012.

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