Good Christmas tidings from Bedford

A Christmas Victory

While we continue to see bad news coming out of DC due to a lack of people taking a principled stand, we want to highlight some good news about a local principled stand which resulted in a victory for Christmas!

Cowering to the threats of one resident and a national Anti-Christian group, Freedom From Religion Foundation, City Manager Hank Angelo & Mayor Dan Pocek of Bedford ordered the Nativity Scene at the Bedford City Hall to be taken down.

Upon learning of this, Co-Founder of the Cleveland Tea Party Patriots, Ralph King, a life-long City of Bedford resident, immediately contacted many of the council members in the effort to have the Nativity display put back up.

In these conversations with Council members, it was learned that they were not notified by City Manager Angelo or Mayor Pocek prior to the Nativity display being removed.

The council members, while agreeing the Nativity display should not have been removed and a principled stand "should" have been taken, they were resigned that since it has been taken down, and fearful of a lawsuit over Separation of Church & State and costly litigation, there was nothing they could do to reverse this decision made without their approval. In short - they were going to do nothing about it!

Though one councilman, Greg Pozar, a Tea Party supporter, agreed that a principled stand must be taken.

With the support of Councilman Greg Pozar to launch an effort to have the Nativity display put back up at Bedford City Hall, CTPP Co-Founder Ralph King contacted current and former City of Bedford residents and launched a phone call campaign to the Mayor's home and City Hall.

Packing a council meeting with outraged residents and Channel 3 News, the residents were ready to stand strong in defending their rights and fight this uphill battle. During the council meeting, the Law Director announced that because of the calls they received, the Nativity display would immediately be put back up!

With this announcement the council chambers erupted in Holiday cheer and Christmas was saved in Bedford!

Click here for the Channel 3 report.

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We wish everyone a Merry Christmas, and as Tiny Tim said,

"God Bless Us, Every One!"

Auto-Pilot Toward the Fiscal Cliff

Auto-Pilot Toward the Fiscal Cliff

With the failure of “Plan B” in the House last night, it appears very likely that the “fiscal cliff” is going to arrive. Of course, the mainstream media is blaming Tea Party-minded (read: principled) Congressmen for not supporting the plan.

This is outrageous, and an insult to the American people. Yes, principled Members of Congress held the line on tax hikes. Yes, Speaker Boehner has been awful in negotiating an alternative to the “fiscal cliff." But in the end, blame lies almost exclusively on the backs of two people: President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (R-NV).

Consider that even before details of “Plan B” had been released, President Obama and Senator Reid had already declared the legislation dead. The Senate departed Washington until after Christmas, and President Obama went on vacation, leaving the nation on auto-pilot as we speed toward the fiscal cliff. Apparently, kicking the proverbial can down the road is more important than actually doing the jobs for which both men were elected. Apparently, the ideology of raising taxes is more important than actually solving the spending problem that Washington has.

Because of their lack of leadership, America is likely to go over the fiscal cliff. Yet looking at the facts, it’s clear that raising taxes and not cutting spending really is the problem:

1. A major study has found that the combination of expiring tax cuts and the implementation of ObamaCare will cost the country 710,000 jobs.
2. Imposing a 100% tax on all households earning more than $250,000 – the “wealthy,” according to the President and Senator Reid – would keep Washington running for only 190 days according to Walter E. Williams.
3. The government currently spends about of $30.60 per hour on welfare compared to the median income of $25.03 per American worker according to a study by Congressional Research Service.
4. Cutting taxes in a time of economic stagnation would help boost the economy, boost employment, and increase revenue to the federal government to reduce the deficit.
5. Many in the media and Washington will try to accuse the Tea Party of causing the dive over the “fiscal cliff.” Yet, we have outlined over the last 12 days, 12 solutions that would be a positive step in the right direction. It is time for Washington to stop avoiding their responsibilities, as they seem to have done here by leaving the country speeding on auto-pilot toward the fiscal cliff.

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A few members of Congress voted against "Plan B"; here's part of the report from The American Spectator: 

Thursday night 13 conservative House Republicans defeated the Rule for the vote on Speaker Boehner’s highly controversial “Plan B.”

Those conservatives, by name (an asterisk denoting those who will not be returning to Congress next year) are:

Justin Amash of MI
Paul Broun of GA
Trent Franks of AZ
Louie Gohmert of TX
Tim Huelskamp of KS
Walter Jones of NC
Jim Jordan of OH
Andy Harris of MD
Jeff Landry of LA*
Thomas Massie of KY
Ron Paul of TX*
Jean Schmidt of OH*
Joe Walsh of IL*

Let’s not forget here that in terms of pressure, a great deal of it was coming from the GOP House Leadership. Congressmen Amash, Huelskamp, and Jones were removed from their committee assignments for not cooperating with the Leadership.

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Ohio Patriots may want to thank Reps. Jim Jordan and Jean Schmidt for standing strong.

Gov. Kasich's plan to issue Ohio Turnpike bonds

A better plan for the Ohio Turnpike: 

Gov. Kasich's proposal to issue bonds 

Over the past year there has been much speculation and hand-wringing over Governor Kasich’s eyeballing of the Ohio Turnpike and his possible desire to sell off and/or lease one of our state’s greatest assets as a way to raise revenue.

After commissioning a $3.4 million dollar study, it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that this study would have been another typical political ploy to justify Governor Kasich’s desire to sell or lease the turnpike just as other states have done.

This thought was reinforced with the routine dog & pony shows of public hearings for citizens to voice their concerns about the future of the Ohio Turnpike. The general consensus of citizens and businesses at these hearings were that the State of Ohio should NOT lease the Turnpike as a way to garner one-time funds for the state.

In a show of common sense using innovative solutions and listening to the voices and concerns of Ohio citizens and business owners, last week, much to everyone surprise, Governor Kasich announced he will not try to step over dollars to pick up one-time pennies for the state by leasing the turnpike.

With a decision that must be applauded, in Governor Kasich’s new proposal, the State of Ohio will NOT lease or sell the Ohio Turnpike, but instead will use one of our state’s greatest and strongest assets to leverage money for much needed infrastructure repairs.

By issuing low-interest bonds against future revenues, this plan will allow the Turnpike Commission to remain independent, save jobs, and raise an initial projected $1.5 billion -- and with available matching funds up to $3 billion. These funds will be used for road repairs and rehabilitation, which will in the long run end up also creating up to 65,000 jobs and increasing development.

Showing this is a win/win solution, many of the one-time detractors of Governor Kasich's plan to lease the turnpike are now singing praise.

The Ohio Legislature will need to approve this proposal which is expected to be included in Ohio Department of Transportation's funding request in early 2013.  

Sources and more info at the Columbus Dispatch here, and at the Ohio Department of Transportation website here.

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When is a Republican not a Republican?

When is a Republican not a Republican? When his name is John Boehner.

Tea Party Patriots, as well as other conservative organizations, have offered solution after solution for addressing the self-inflicted “fiscal cliff.” Click HERE to read the solutions offered to date.  

Even Dick Morris offered a solution that would still provide some leverage while negotiating for cuts in spending. Click HERE to read.     

Rather than push the President to address the spending issue, Speaker John “Caveman” Boehner’s latest plan would see the top income tax rates rise to 39.6 percent from 36 percent for those with net incomes above $1 million a year.

This tax increase would not affect any of us directly, but that’s not the point.

When has an increase in tax rates ever stimulated an economy?

Even if in some strange phenomenon, opposing all of history, this tax increase does increase revenue to the government, who believes it will be used to reduce the deficit?

More importantly, if revenue truly is the issue, which we know it is not, why isn’t Speaker Boehner insisting that President Obama issue the 15 permits sitting on his desk, that would allow for the export of our overly abundant supply of natural gas?

It is projected that the export of this God given natural resource would create a revenue stream similar to the oil boon, not to mention the jobs that would be created for the “middle class” that the President keeps insisting he is trying to help. Click HERE to read more.  

The answer is simple. The President would rather continue his class warfare rhetoric. He has no desire to help or lift the middle class, whose income has dropped an average of $3,700 per year during his presidency. His goal is to make them more dependent, while continuing to payback his supporters by investing our tax dollars in failing green industries.

Regarding “Caveman” Boehner, he has obviously lost his way regarding what it means to be a Republican, let alone a conservative. Republicans are supposed to stand for lower taxes, smaller government and free enterprise. If the Speaker agrees to increasing taxes, for anyone, and does not insist on real and clear cuts to spending, what is left for the Republican party?

Call Your Representatives

Call your representatives and insist that any “fiscal cliff” deal that involves raising taxes on anyone is unacceptable, then ask why he/she is not exposing President Obama for refusing to promote prosperity and success in our own country by issuing the permits sitting on his desk.

History has proven, repeatedly, that reducing taxes increases revenue to the government. If it is prosperity for all that is wanted, then unleash the free market.

For a list of your representatives contact information, click HERE. 

h/t Marianne G.

Agenda 21 and property rights

Phyllis Schlafly has an excellent summary of Agenda 21, the treaty strategy to implement in all of our backyards, and thoughts about how to prevent that. Read the rest of the article (today on Townhall website)  here.

From The U.N. Wants to Tax Us, Too

Agenda 21 is a document called the Declaration on Environment and Development and the Statement of Principles for the Sustainable Management of Forests, which was signed by 178 governments including President George H.W. Bush in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992. In 1995, President Bill Clinton followed up by an executive order that established a Presidential Council on Sustainable Development, giving globalist busybodies the excuse to work on it ever since.

Agenda 21's goal is to "save the planet" and "sustain" life on earth regardless of its adverse effect on human life and our standard of living. It is based on the very un-American notion that private property is "a social injustice since not everyone can build wealth from it."

We certainly hope our Congress will reject any U.N. proposal to tax Americans or control our property rights. Farsighted Republicans adopted a Party Platform in Tampa Bay this year stating, "We strongly reject the U.N. Agenda 21 as erosive of American sovereignty, and we oppose any form of U.N. global tax."

To understand the relationship of Agenda 21 to taxes and property rights, you have to learn a new vocabulary of words and expressions. A basic dictionary of about a hundred words and phrases has been assembled by a group called Democrats Against Agenda 21, and here are just a few of their favorite words: climate change, Common Core curriculum, environmental impact, New World Order, outcome-based education, public/private partnership, quality of life, smart growth, social justice, growth management, high speed rail, land use policies, multi-use dwellings, sustainable development and wildlands.

Agenda 21 lays down the rule that "Land ... cannot be treated as an ordinary asset, controlled by individuals and subject to the pressures and inefficiencies of the market." The U.N. hopes to require every decision about property use to be based on environmental impact, global land use and global population control and reduction, which means by the government, not by property owners.

The purpose of this U.N. attack on property rights is to reduce the U.S. standard of living to that of the rest of the world because the U.N. bureaucrats resent our prosperity using abundant energy. Agenda 21 was never approved by Congress or ratified as a treaty by the U.S. Senate, so Congress should have no trouble saying No to all U.N. tax or property restriction proposals.

Obamacare: Obamacreep 2012-13

Some updates as Obamacare begins to creep into our daily lives. First Michelle Malkin reports that

Buried in the trillion-dollar stimulus law of 2009 was an electronic medical records “incentive” program. Like most of President Obama’s health care rules, this top-down electronic record-sharing scheme is a big fat bust.

Oversight is lax. Cronyism is rife. The job-killing and privacy-undermining consequences have only just begun. . . .

As for the claim that the EMR conversion will reduce paperwork, many doctors say the reality is just the opposite. In Greensboro, N.C., Dr. Richard Aronson told local TV station FOX 8 that the mandate doubled the amount of paperwork in his private practice. Everyone from optometrists to general practitioners to chiropractors to podiatrists must divert precious time and resources to conforming with Washington health bureaucrats’ imposed vision. Some medical professionals are now warning that the dangerous phenomenon of “distracted doctoring” is on the rise as a result of data-driven imperatives that direct health care providers’ attention away from their patients and onto their screens and hand-held devices.

Then there’s the still-growing and untold number of doctors nationwide who are closing up shop or limiting their practices and converting to “concierge care” to escape this and myriad other Obamacare intrusions. My own primary care physician in Colorado Springs quit her regular practice and converted to “concierge care” because of the EMR imposition. Creve Coeur, Mo., doctor Shari Cohen made the same move.

“The demands of caring for my patients while navigating through the current health care delivery systems dictated that I take more and more time away from patient care and spend an increasing part of my day on the system itself,” she told the Creve Couer Patch. “Electronic Medical Records was the final shove for me. It added another whole layer in interference in the doctor-patient relationship and one I was not sure I wanted to take on.”

More paperwork. More waste. Less accountability. Less care. Government malpractice at work.

It's only going to get worse. Here's more from Mark Steyn at NRO:

Most towns in the North Country [in New Hampshire] now have fewer doctors than they did in the 19th century, and the smaller towns have none. The Yellow Pages lists more health insurers than physicians, which would not seem to be an obvious business model.  . . .

Obamacare governmentalizes one-sixth of the U.S. economy — or the equivalent of the entire French economy. No one has ever attempted that before, not even the French. In parts of rural America it will quickly achieve a Platonic perfection: There will be untold legions of regulators, administrators, and IRS collection agents, but not a doctor or nurse in sight.

Not just in New Hampshire. One healthcare center in Medina has NO primary care physician, so it jobs in out-of-town doctors once a week.

Ohio healthcare exchange issues

This from Marianne at the Mansfield Tea Party:

There has been a lot of confusion about the decision made by Governor Kasich regarding state run health care exchanges.

While the statement ”Governor Kasich confirms that creation of Ohio's Obamacare exchange will be left to the Feds” is technically correct, it is also a bit misleading.

Yes, the Governor has rejected the state run exchanges, but the Governor has agreed to enter into what the federal government is calling a “partnership” or “hybrid” agreement.

This means that the federal government will run the exchanges, but Ohio will, supposedly, maintain its right to regulate its health insurance industry.

The issue with this plan is that Ohio still needs to submit a “blueprint” to the feds, for approval. In Governor Kasich's own statement he says, ”I am confident Ohio will meet federal standards to maintain its control of these responsibilities.”

Based on that statement, and history, it appears that the federal government will still be determining acceptable plans, minimums, etc., therefore, in my opinion, eliminating the “control” that the Governor is seeking to maintain.

ObamaCare has always been about control; and now we learn that the President has decided to levy fines on states that choose, legally, not to set up their own exchanges. With each passing day, more rules and regulations come into play; we're still trying to aim at a moving target. 

OHIO WILL NOT RUN AN OBAMACARE HEALTH EXCHANGE

Today is the deadline for states to opt in or out of the Obamacare exchanges. From Governor John Kasich's website, posted today:

OHIO WILL NOT RUN AN OBAMACARE HEALTH EXCHANGE: On Nov. 16, 2012 Gov. John Kasich notified the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that Ohio will not run an Obamacare health exchange in Ohio, but will instead leave that to the federal government to do. This decision was made after thoroughly investigating all options available to Ohio under the law, including conducting separate studies by the respected health policy research specialists Milliman, Inc. and the global business and information technology consultancy KPMG.

ABC reports more states are opting out:

On Thursday, South Carolina governor and rising Republican star Nikki Haley sent a letter to Sebelius on Thursday saying that South Carolina “should not and will not set up a state-based health care exchange.”

Several other Republican governors, including Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, a GOP leader who is frequently cited as a potential candidate in 2016, and Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley announced that their states would also not set up an exchange.

. . .

Under the law, if a state falls behind or opts not to set up the exchange, the federal government, specifically the Department of Health and Human Services, steps in and sets up the exchange. That would not likely be well-received by Republican governors either, but the law forces each state’s executive to make a decision one way or the other. “If the state decides not to establish an exchange, then the federal government establishes the exchange for them. So it’s kind of a pick-your-poison scenario, if you will,” said Renee M. Landers, a professor of law at Suffolk University Law School in Boston.  . . .

More battles ahead. 

  

Our Fight Continues

PRESS RELEASE November 7, 2012 For Immediate Release Contact: Marianne Gasiecki State Co-coordinator (OH) Tea Party Patriots (419) 961-4439

Our Fight Continues Ohio - November 7, 2012 - The campaign for President of the United States, that seemed to go on forever, is finally over. Tea Party Patriots and its affiliated groups have been working for over 3 1/2 years educating the American people about this great country's founding principles of Limited Government, Fiscal Responsibility and Free Markets, and although we've made great strides, we obviously have a lot more work to do "We have been working tirelessly, for months, in Cuyahoga County and other critical areas of Ohio, coordinating with multiple organizations in educating people about this administration's war on coal and it's slap in the face to Ohioans who voted against a healthcare mandate. We may have lost this battle, but we will continue to fight for the principles that made this country great" said Ralph King, Founder of the Cleveland Tea Party and Co-coordinator for Tea Party Patriots Ohio. "The Liberal machine has been very successful in devaluing the principles that made this country better than any other - principles of family, faith, personal responsibility, liberty, free enterprise - and will continue to push for a society dependent upon government, with little moral fiber." stated Marianne Gasiecki, Founder of the Mansfield Tea Party and State Co-coordinator for Tea Party Patriots (OH). "We will continue to fight, and fight boldly, for the principles that made our country great, because we believe this country is still worth fighting for." Tea Party Patriots is non-profit, non-partisan organization who's core principles are Fiscal Responsibility, Constitutionally Limited Government, and Free Markets # # #

Your Vote Counts

Bill Whittle on third-party voting

If you are thinking of voting for a third party presidential candidate, whether Gary Johnson or Jill Stein or Virgil Goode, etc.,
here's a 7½ minute video by Bill Whittle of PJTV explaining how voting-your-values will affect the election:

FINAL WEEKEND PUSH! Count On Coal

Tea Party Patriots continue to pound the pavement for liberty in Ohio. On Friday (tomorrow) and Saturday, there will be two more opportunities to go door-to-door canvassing.

Our friends at Count on Coal will be coming up with a busload of volunteers to join us again this weekend. Our focus areas will be Berea, Middleburg Heights, Seven Hills and several east side communities. Please join us for the following efforts:

Date: Friday (tomorrow/today), November 2nd
Time: Meet at 10 AM and canvass until 6 PM.
Meet-up location: Panera Bread, 6700 Rockside Road, Independence, OH 44131

Date: Saturday, November 3rd
Time: Meet at 9 AM and canvass until 6 PM.
Meet-up location: The 60 Plus Association / Brecksville Office, 7630 Chippewa Road, Brecksville, Ohio, 44141. Office is located behind the Shopping Plaza at the southeast corner of Chippewa Road (Route 82) & Brecksville Road (Route 21)

Even if you can just help for a few hours, please join us! It you are unable to walk, there are plenty of phone calls that still need to be made.

Spencer's October Surprise! Here's one future voter already getting out the vote!

Cleveland Tea Party Patriots does not endorse candidates, but we encourage all patriots to take action in campaigns and GOTV efforts. Here's a 30-second video of a ten-year old boy who is doing his part (h/t Monique)

Barack Obama Brilliant Economist

What everyone was thinking during the second debate in the 2012 Presidential Election.

THE CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER GOES IN THE TANK FOR SHERROD BROWN

According to Politi-Fact Ohio Sherrod Brown is a itty bitty liar, but Josh Mandel is a super size liar. 

Not that this is a shock to anyone that lives in Ohio or in the real world for that matter. Breitbart.com's WILLIAM BIGELOW writes:

The Cleveland Plain Dealer, which employed Sherrod Brown’s wife Connie Schultz from 2007 until she was caught filming Josh Mandel in 2011 at a Tea Party rally and subsequently resigned from the paper, has, shockingly enough, endorsed Brown in his Senate race. Schultz was ostensibly at the 2011 rally to report on it, but strangely enough, failed to mention in her column that Mandel spoke. It looked as though she used her job to snoop for her husband. After she was caught, she resigned.

 He then goes on to charge the left leaning organization Politi-Fact Ohio of fudging some of their so-called facts. Politi-Fact Ohio employs 12 Democrats and only 3 Republicans. The 3 editors of Politi-Fact Ohio are all Democrats. Click here to read the entire article.

Occupy The Truth The Lost Tapes

After twisting arms, numerous phone calls, technical glitches and various delays, I give to you without further adieu, Ralph King and Jenny Beth Martin of Tea Party Patriots. They were speaking at the Occupy the Truth Rally in Cleveland, Ohio on 08-18-12.'

Ohio EPA running amok

Ohio EPA Director and Gov. Kasich need to hear from us

Governor Kasich's Ohio EPA Director is about to introduce new water regulations that are even more stringent than the Federal EPA's! This set of regulations would have a devastating effect on the coal industry, the fracking industry, municipalities and/or regional sewer districts with their own waste water treatment plants, infrastructure projects (road & sewer projects), development of any kind, etc.

The frustrating things is.... as we are out there talking about how President Obama & Senator Sherrod Brown's support of the EPA is causing our electric rates ad sewer bills to skyrocket because of over-restrictive EPA mandates ad regulation, Governor Kasich's Ohio EPA Director is trying to one-up them with stricter regulations.

Below are talking points and details about the new water regulation proposals as being discussed by the Ohio EPA. If you can take a few minutes and call Gov. Kasich's office, AND the Director of the Ohio EPA, Scott J. Nally, let them know that this rules package should be stopped in its tracks.

Scott J. Nally:

Phone: (614) 644-2782 ~ Fax: (614) 644-3184

Governor John Kasich

Phone: (614) 466-3555

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Water Quality Rules & Background Talking Points

Background:

·         Rule package has two sections, water quality standards and changes to 401 water quality certification program.

·         Water quality standards are regulations that set use designations and chemical standards for lakes, rivers, and streams. These rules contain use designations and the anti-degradation rule that set limits on certain types of discharges.

·         The 401 water quality certification program regulates filling of streams and wetlands with dredged or fill material

·         Both sets of rules have been proposed several times and discussed in depth for at least ten years

Basis for Rules:

·         Ohio EPA has never clearly stated why they are making significant changes to these administrative code sections:

·         Not mandated by US EPA

·         Not needed as part of the five year rule review

·         The proposed rules are significantly more stringent than US EPA requires under the Clean Water Act

Specific Concerns with Rules:

·         Rules propose a complicated tiered aquatic life use designation system that is overly complex, costly, and unnecessary

·         These rules unequivocally have more impact in certain parts of the state and will impact the coal industry heavily

·         Ohio EPA is grossly underestimating how many streams will be regulated as high quality waters under these rules, and consequently, Ohio EPA is significantly underestimating the impacts to Ohio's businesses

·         The testing required under rules is extremely costly and there are not sufficient numbers of qualified individuals in the State to conduct the sampling and analysis.

·         Rules add significant complexity, uncertainty and inconsistencies

·         This rule will eliminate jobs in Ohio and it will keep new investment from moving forward

·         Business Community Participation:

·         During Ohio EPA's work-group this summer, participation was very limited, and not all business groups had the opportunity to participate or have technical representatives at meetings of the work-group.

·         Ohio EPA did not consider information provided by the business community and in general summarily dismissed any input from the regulated community.

·         Ohio EPA refused to consider alternatives suggested by the business community

·         Ohio EPA assumes that it is the responsibility of the business community to prove the costs of a proposed rule.

·         Ohio EPA has not made a reasonable effort to determine the actual costs of the rules on the business community

Ohio does not need yet more government regulation.

Town Hall Meeting * Fight the War on Coal

Town Hall Meeting

War on Coal in Ohio

Are you tired of your electric & sewer Bill going up?

Please join the Cleveland Tea Party Patriots (www.clevelandteaparty.com) for a Town Hall Meeting on October 3, 2012 at 7:00pm at the Bedford Recreation Center located at 124 Ellenwood Ave. Bedford, OH. 44146

With Cuyahoga County already the 7th most financially distressed region in the United States, residents in this area are facing sky rocketing increases in their electric bills and an increase in sewer rates of over 300% because of unyielding EPA regulations and policies.

Because of these over bearing EPA regulations which are causing 4 coal-fired Power Plants in N/E OH to close in addition to 10 more across the state, and have mandated $3 Billion in sewer upgrades, your electric & sewer rates will be climbing even higher!

Join us to learn how burdensome and unyielding over regulation and, financially burdensome policies are hurting the businesses in this area hindering them from hiring more employees and how residents will be forced to choose between putting food on the table or keeping warm in the winter.

Location: Bedford Recreation Center

Address: 124 Ellenwood Ave.  Bedford, OH 44146

Date: Wednesday October 3, 2012

Time: 7pm – 8:30pm 

How Much MORE can You Afford?

We Built It Rally in Mansfield Saturday!

 From Marianne at the Mansfield Tea Party:

  

Just bumps in the road

(Image from Investors.com) Michael Ramirez knocks it out of the park. Note the details: Golf balls and clubs falling out of the cart, the empty chair knocked over, "The View" script ... all that is missing is the teleprompter! Pres. Obama's original remarks about the terrorist attacks in Libya and elsewhere here.  

View the cartoon as a larger image here. 

Oh, Whoa, Ohio

Steven Hayward at Power Line reports on Romney, Ohio, and the polls:

The media line right now is that Obama is pulling away from Romney in the all-important state of Ohio, which, as all political junkies know, is not just a swing state—it is the swing state, as no Republican has ever won the White House without winning Ohio.    (The Wall Street Journal‘s lead story today is “Electoral Drama Shifts to Ohio.”)  I spent Monday and Tuesday in Ohio, and most everyone I spoke with—admittedly a small and skewed sample mostly of the very good people of Ashland—says these poll numbers and media analyses just don’t feel right.  But what do we know, anyway? 

Everyone seems ready to hit the Panic Button like we’re under “launch on warning” conditions of the late Cold War—everyone’s worried about pushing it in a moment of panic, but it never really happens because. . . well, in a political campaign, the metaphor means what, exactly?  Bring in James Baker!  Never mind that he’s 145 years old by now, and isn’t even on Twitter. 

A few observations.  First, generally speaking nail-biting elections have become the new norm for Republicans for a while now.  I recall vividly early September back in 2000 when people were fretting that George W. Bush was faltering against Al Gore.  Something must be done!  Panic buttons must be pushed!  No, an old sage said to me; it’s up to Bush.  He has to do it.  No one can help him much from the outside.  The “experts” say debates don’t really change the course of elections, but I remain skeptical of this.  The Nixon-Kennedy debates surely made a difference; I think it made some difference in 1980, perhaps in 1976 (when Ford liberated Poland), and probably in 2000, when Gore’s erratic debate performances underscored doubts about the guy—well-founded doubts, as Gore’s subsequent madness has made clear.  George W. Bush’s faltering performance in the first debate against John Kerry in 2004 sliced into his steady lead at the time.  So let’s stay tuned; there’s a still a lot of time between now and November for things to change. 

Second, everyone should have a look at this post on BattlegoundWatch.com from “keithbacker” that weighs the situation in Ohio.  It notes that Romney suffers from the lack of a clear or forceful message, and that the auto bailout is popular in Ohio.  He leaves out one other factor: the natural gas boom, which is helping to revive Ohio’s economy, may be rescuing Obama here.  “keithbacker” notes that Governor Kasich is giving a mixed message, as his celebration of improving conditions in the Buckeye State help Obama there.  It would be the most bitter of ironies if hydrocarbon energy, which Obama hates and would like to kill, turns out to have been his lifeline. The mention of Kasich raises one other item—the large loss as the polls last fall of the referendum on public employee union reforms.   I listened to the radio spots last fall and thought the unions were going to win.  Kasich and the Ohio Republicans clearly overreached and didn’t bring the same calculating prudence that Scott Walker showed in Wisconsin.  This loss should have been a warning sign to the GOP that Ohio is tricky terrain.Third, “keithbacker” notes that the Romney campaign has a strong ground game in Ohio, and this might make the difference.  Back in 2004, while Democrats were publicly boasting about their ground game, the Bush campaign quietly went about building and executing a much better one, and it made a huge difference.  If there’s one thing I’d expect a Bain Capital-style presidential campaign to do well, it would be the election day get-out-the-vote ground game.

The Romney stops in Ohio must have been well-attended, since it was impossible to find a news story (here or here) that reported the size of the crowd. 

Update: Stop The War on Coal Act

Here's an update by Jazz Shaw at Hot Air on the administration's War On Coal and the HR 3409 (Stop The War on Coal Act):

In the ongoing effort to protect jobs and affordable energy, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R.3409, the Stop the War on Coal Act. The legislative package passed the full House with bipartisan support by a vote of 233 to 175. This important jobs and energy package, sponsored by Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH), includes key measures advanced by the Energy and Commerce Committee: the Energy Tax Prevention Act, the TRAIN Act, and the Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act. The legislation also includes important measures advanced by the Natural Resources Committee and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. 

“Today, the House took a stand for jobs, families, and affordable energy. On Tuesday this week, we learned of Alpha Natural Resources will be closing 8 mines and laying off 1200 workers. I met with the Alpha CEO shortly after the announcement, and he lamented the administration’s regulatory assault on coal. Sadly, the list of layoffs goes on because of the administration’s ‘all of the above, but nothing from below,’ energy policy,” said Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI). “Coal is the cornerstone of our economy – estimates suggest that every mining job creates an additional 3.5 jobs. We are electricity independent – and we want to stay that way.”.... 

The sad truth is that the Stop the War on Coal Act has no chance of getting through the Senate and the president would simply veto it anyway. (At least with the current occupants of the White House and the Senate leadership.) So the layoffs currently taking place at Alpha Natural Resources and their subsequent losses on the market will still take place. This pattern is being repeated across places like Ohio and Pennsylvania, but if there is help in sight, it’s not coming soon.

The roll call vote is here. Among the No votes: Fudge, Kaptur, Kucinich, and Sutton.

Happy Constitution Day

Well here we are on constitution day and I'm not sure whether to celebrate or write a eulogy. 
If you have been following along with the entire middle east burning thing, then you know the Obama administration is blaming it on a film that outraged Muslims. The media as usual lapped up the narrative and every time the word Islam is mentioned it is usually followed by, "protesting a anti-Islamic film". Of course this is a complete falsehood. The film has been out since July and this outrage just happened to spill over on the completely random date of 9-11. If you believe this please have your IQ checked because I think you may actually be too stupid to breathe. I know our patriots are smarter than this, but there are those people that buy into this lie. 

Speaking of people with low IQs, I think Hollywood may bring the entire national average down. There have been celebrities tweeting that the film's producer should at very least be jailed. In some instances they would like to see him killed. Those who would like to silence the terrible film makers right to the first amendment are none other than Bette Midler, Russell Simmons and Anthea Butler. Now, we get to the meat of the situation though. Not only do private citizens want to see this guy go down but so does your government. Huh? How can that be? The United States government wants to silence a citizen from speaking out? I'm afraid so. 

The government has actually used its immense resources to track down a guy who made a crappy YouTube video. The Pentagon actually asked the producer to pull this video and denounce it. Does this seem right to you? How many of you  remember when people were up in arms about the piss Christ? For those of you that don't remember, piss Christ was basically a crucifix in a jar of urine. It was art according to the artist, and guess what else? It was paid for by your tax dollars! The government labeled it free speech and said you must pay for it, offended or not. So how do we go from piss Christ to hunting down and trying to silence a guy that made a barely coherent video with his own money, that offends Muslims? I'm not sure, but I can tell you this. If you do anything to hurt this administration politically or if Barack Obama feels you have slighted him in some way, watch out, you may be next on his enemies list. We know how that worked out for some and it wasn't too pretty. Have a great Constitution Day folks. See the ridiculous video that Obama and the media said caused terrorist attacks in over 17 countries below. I'm not sure Saturday Night Live could have made a worse video.