More useless legislation

image credit: taxpolitix.com

One of the core Tea Party values is limited government, but Congress knows better. Don Surber's blog "House passes phony school safety bill" is spot on:

Two things tell you a piece of legislation is worthless.

First, it has a cute and clever acronym for its title. Second, it passes with overwhelming bipartisan support.

Wednesday, the House passed the STOP School Violence Act, 407-10.

. . .

STOP stands for (drumroll) Student, Teachers, and Officers Preventing School Violence Act of 2018.

The bill will prevent no violence. But it feels good. It will spend $200 million or so on "training to prevent student violence against others and self, including training for local law enforcement officers, school personnel, and students," ABC News reported.

The bill is another federal solution to a local problem. A federal program helped cause the Parkland high school shooting, as Obama paid the school and the sheriff not to suspend or arrest belligerent students.

But that is what Congress does: it spends money we do not have on things we do not need.

We need less federal aid, and more local control of the schools.

Yup. Surber’s blog is here.

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The Wall ~ progress report

Via Breitbart: Yesterday, President Trump inspected eight prototypes for The Wall at the Mexican border. He prefers ones with see-through capability at ground level as well as those with a rounded top to make it more difficult to use a rope or grappling hooks to get over.

The controversial Dangerous blogger/authorMilo also preferred the one Trump leaned toward. Milo had some fun comments on the various prototypes of an artistic nature; I had missed the aesthetics. His blog is here. 

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HB 512 sets off alarm bells at PJ Media

image credit: youtube.com

The other day, Paula Bolyard at PJ Media ran a report “Kasich Power Grab Could Give Unelected Bureaucrats Almost Unlimited Power Over Education.” Here’s the opening:

Ohio Governor John Kasich and the Ohio legislature are fast-tracking a bill that that would consolidate nearly all educational departments into one unelected executive agency controlled by the governor. It's a giant power grab by Kasich and Ohio Republicans, who have become frustrated by their inability to control the Ohio Department of Education and the elected members of the State Board of Education.

HB 512, currently under consideration by the Ohio House, seeks to combine the Ohio Department of Education (ODE), Ohio Department of Higher Education, and Ohio Department of Workforce Transformation into a single new department organized under the governor. In addition, the elected State Board of Education (SBE) would be stripped of most its powers to promulgate rules related to K-12 education. The current board, which has 11 regionally-elected members and eight at-large members appointed by the governor, has purview over a wide variety of education issues, including standards, assessment selection, proficiency determination, state report cards, teacher/student ratios, private and homeschool regulations, and public school operating standards.

"What I really want... I want to be able to run the Department of Education," Kasich said at an Associated Press forum in early February, signaling his support for the move. "I don't think we should have this elected school board." Instead, he said the governor should be in charge of education in the state.

"We have no clue who these people are and they're running education policy," Kasich said. "And I'm governor and I can't tell them what to do. It's nuts."

That's the way democracy works, John.

. . .

The most egregious change, she warned, "is the transfer of authority from our State Board of Education to one person appointed by whomever the governor may be." As a result, "every four to eight years the focus and direction of [the agency's] broad scope of power can change, which is not conducive to stability," Elsey said.

Read the rest here -- including written testimony already submitted. Don’t just weep. Cleveland Tea Party blogged alerts on HB 512 earlier today here and on March 4 here. Please refer back to those blog links for Actions you can take to stop this monstrosity.

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Update on HB 512 and Alert

Second Hearing for Opposition Testimony

This Week ~ Wednesday, March 14 @ 9:30am

Cleveland Tea Party blogged on March 4 about HB 512 – the state’s education power-grab – click here. A short overview is at The Petition Site here. Today’s Alert is based on e-Alerts from other Ohio liberty groups.

Reasons to oppose HB 512:

• ·         Would establish the largest educational bureaucracy in the nation
• ·         Would take away the right of citizens to effectively have a say in education and concentrate power in the hands of the Governor. HB 512 will further weaken local control of schools.
• ·         An unresponsive education bureaucracy would lead to more rule making authority, and allow the state government to act unilaterally -- without a check and balance by an elected Board of Education, as specified by law.
• ·         With today’s need for education to focus more on skilled trades and non-college jobs, a department with a K-16 focus can only make education more expensive and more difficult to prepare students for future employment and careers.  

If you were unable to travel to Columbus last week, here’s a second opportunity to attend the hearing on HB 512 on Wednesday, March 14th.  Come for as long as you can, depending on the amount of testimony for each bill (there are seven prior to HB512). 

The hearing room was moved to 313 - the largest available so we will need more people to attend.

Additional Action Alerts:

Continue to both call and write to your state representative.

Submit "written only" testimony to  GovernmentAccountability&OversightCommittee@ohiohouse.gov

Offer written and oral testimony (be prepared for questions from Committee Members) by sending prepared remarks to the e-mail address above 24 hours in advance of the hearing and completing a witness slip as requested through the chairman's office.

Attend the hearing to quietly demonstrate your opposition to the massive overhaul of Ohio's education system, consolidation of power under the governor and elimination of voter's voice in education policy!  

Note: HB 512 is listed on the March 14 schedule as being for proponent, opponent, and interested parties. It is common practice that by inviting all parties to testify, this could indicate it is the final hearing... although this is at Chairman Blessing's discretion.

 

Additional Information:

Address: Ohio State House, 1 Capitol Square, Columbus, OH 43215

Parking cost: $7-20 depending on location, if the Statehouse Parking Garage is full, Columbus Commons is the next best option.

Complete this form when submitting testimony:  GAOCWitnessInformationform

Email testimony & witness form to Chairman Blessing:  GovernmentAccountability&OversightCommittee@ohiohouse.gov

Contact information for Committee Members:

Chairman Louis Blessing III – (Co-Sponsor of HB 512) (614) 466-9091

Vice Chairman Bill Reineke (Sponsor of HB 512) – (614) 466-1374

Kathleen Clyde (Running for State Office) – (614) 466-2004

Riordan McClain (replacing Keith Faber 2/22) – (614) 644-6265

Timothy Ginter – (614) 466-8022

Dave Greenspan – (614) 466-0961

Brigid Kelly – (614) 466-5786

Bernadine Kennedy Kent – (614) 466-5343

P. Scott Lipps – (614) 644-6023

Dorothy Pelanda (Co-Sponsor of HB 512) – (614) 466-8147

Bill Sietz – (614) 466-8258

Ryan Smith (Running for House Speaker) – (614) 466-1366

Martin J. Sweeney – (614) 466-3350

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Free speech zones

image credit: commdiginews.com 

Rick Moran at American Thinker reports:

Florida legislature bans 'free speech zones' on state campuses

. . .

The very notion of a "free speech zone" is repugnant to democracy and an affront to the First Amendment. But with radicals firmly in charge, they make the rules and enforce their codes with little opposition so far from state education authorities.

It's a small victory, but a significant one nonetheless. It shows that we can successfully pushback against the radicalization of our schools and protect the rights of all to freedom of speech.

Full report is here. 

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DACA / Dreamers: One step closer to the Supreme Court

photo credit:  koat.com

Yesterday, President Trump tweeted:

It’s March 5th and the Democrats are nowhere to be found on DACA. Gave them 6 months, they just don’t care. Where are they? We are ready to make a deal!

Update. Sundance reports on yesterday’s court ruling:

Federal Judge Rules Trump DACA Program Elimination Appropriate and Authorized – Full Judicial Ruling…

Federal judge Roger W Titus (Maryland) has ruled that President Trump acted appropriately and within his authority by announcing his intent to rescind the Obama-era executive order surrounding Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). However, the Judge Titus order does not stop the previous blocks by activist judges currently working through the courts.

Eventually the state challenges to the recension of DACA will work through the appellate courts and arrive at the Supreme Court. It is likely SCOTUS will take the same position on DACA as they did on DAPA; overrule the state challenges and determine the program unconstitutional.

In the interim, President Trump had requested that congress take up the DACA issue as part of their responsibility to put forth an immigration reform bill. Democrats have abandoned legislative efforts to assist those impacted by DACA, and have instead chosen to make DACA a political issue for the 2018 mid-term election.

The full text of the ruling is at the Treehouse website here.  

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UPDATE: HB 512 Education power grab

This Action Alert is from several liberty groups in Ohio.

The GAO Committee Chairman Lou Blessing has scheduled HB512 for opponent testimony. This is the third hearing.

Wednesday March 7, 9:30 am

Ohio Statehouse, Columbus - Room 114

If possible, please plan to attend.

SHARE

Spread the word taking full advantage of social media.  SHARE this event on Facebook by clicking here.

ATTEND

Please plan to attend!  It is critical to overflow the room (it is not a large room), spill into the hallway and over to the Rotunda. So, if you attend but do not plan to testify, please know you are making a difference with your presence.

DATE / TIME / PLACE

Wednesday, March 7, 9:30 am

Ohio Statehouse - Room 114,  77 South High Street, Columbus 43215

PARKING

There is parking under the Statehouse. If it is full, there are other parking lots downtown. Please plan to arrive downtown with plenty of time to find parking.

AGENDA

Note that the agenda specifies that this will also include hearings on other pending legislation.  HB512 is listed as being for proponent, opponent, and interested parties (these are usually neutral). It is common practice that by inviting all parties to testify, this could indicate it is the final hearing....although this is at Chairman Blessing's discretion.

TESTIMONY

For those who would like to offer testimony, the Chair respectfully requests that testifying parties submit testimony to his office 24 hours prior to committee.  Testimony can be emailed to the Government Accountability & Oversight Committee Chairman.

If it is not possible to attend, please consider submitting written testimony and specify it is "written testimony only" that you would like entered into the Committee record.  FYI, proper protocol for written testimony or similar wording to begin your testimony is as follows.

"Chairman Blessing, Vice Chair Reineke, Ranking Member Clyde, and members of the House Government Accountability and Oversight Committee, my name is -------- and I appreciate the opportunity to offer testimony today in opposition to HB 512. ..."

Additional Information about this bill:

Here is the 28-minute House Press Conference on Feb. 14.

Here is the HB 512 Bill Summary.

Here is the 2,430 page bill location and its status. (You can download current version.)

The State Board of Education, which includes 11 regionally elected members, would no longer have any voice in state education policy.  This includes a wide range of state regulations, such as:

- Education Standards in all subjects

- Education Assessment selection at the state level

- Determination of Achievement/Proficiency Levels

- State Report Cards

- Teacher/Student Ratio's

- Private School Regulations

- Religious School Regulations

- Home Education Regulations

- Public School Operating Standards

- Career Technical Regulations

Currently all of these items (and many more) go through a public hearing process.  Under the proposed legislation, it appears that all policy making function would be further bureaucratized and no longer created through a transparent, accountable process.

This legislation also imposes on our Constitutional separation of powers by giving the administrative branch (Governor) legislative authority.  Our founders knew that people are more likely to lose their rights when the same body is creating and enforcing the laws.  HB512 aligns all education entities solely under the administrative branch and gives the new mega-agency the ability to create and enforce regulations with no accountability.

This needs to be stopped.  This would eliminate any effective representation that we have through the State School Board, Board of Regents, etc.  This is a full-on power grab by Kasich.  

* * *

Related: Last week, cleveland.com reported on Gov. Kasich’s dismantling of the Ohio Board of Regents:

The Ohio Board of Regents, an advisory board to the Ohio Department of Higher Education, has not met in more than a year because it currently has only two members, three members shy of a quorum.

Gov. John Kasich, who is responsible for appointments to the nine-member board, has not replaced members whose terms have expired for at least five years.

Kasich supports a bill [that would be HB 512] recently introduced in the Ohio House to combine the state's school, university and workforce development systems into a single new Department of Learning and Achievement.

The rest of this report is here.

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Gridiron Dinner: Trump Meets the Press

image credit: pinterest.com

President Trump spoke at the Gridiron Dinner last night. Not televised. The full transcript of his speech is here. Here’s part of his opening remarks:

It’s been really another calm week at the White House. We finally have it running like a fine-tuned machine. It’s fine-tuned. It’s a beautiful piece of work. … But before I get started, I wanted to apologize for arriving a little bit late. You know, we were late tonight because Jared could not get through security. 

. . .

I know the Gridiron is really an old tradition in Washington, been around a long time, and one that’s important to many of you in the media. So, I was very excited to receive this invitation and come here and ruin your evening in person. 

… My staff was concerned heading into this dinner that I couldn’t do self-deprecating humor. They were worried about it. They said, ‘Can you do this?’ And I told them not to worry. Nobody does self-deprecating humor better than I do. …  In fact, Orrin Hatch, Orrin said that ‘Donald Trump is the best at self-deprecating in the history of America, better than Washington and better than Lincoln.’ … Thank you, Orrin.

More:

. . . Attorney General Sessions is here with us tonight. … I offered him a ride over and he recused himself. … But that’s OK. We also have some of the leading lights of the media here including some folks from the failing New York Times. That sucker is failing! … I know we have our differences, but I also know that you have a very special place … in my heart. … The other day they had five stories on the front page of the New York Times and every one of them was totally different and each one of them was bad.

After all, you the New York Times are an icon. I’m a New York icon, you’re a New York icon, and the only difference is, I still own my buildings.

I especially have a place in my heart for Arthur Sulzberger. … Our stories are almost mirror images. I inherited a million dollars from my father—had a great father—gave me a million dollars and I turned it into billions. True story. Arthur inherited billions of dollars and he turned his into millions. Hello Arthur.

More zingers at the TPM blog transcript here.

# # #

Where is the Attorney General?

“You know we talk about special prosecutors, but enough of that…I don’t want new prosecutors, I want prosecutions.” Fitton demanded.

 

Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton was talking to the CPAC audience about the Clintons and other scandals that never seem to result in grand juries or indictments. Meanwhile, the Mueller investigation grinds on.

For those who are frustrated at Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s seeming invisibility or failure to take action, maybe it’s simply that we don’t know what is going on behind the scenes. Thomas Lifson at American Thinker makes a good point:

One other thing to never forget: Jeff Sessions spent 12 years as a U.S. attorney in Alabama and went on to spend two years as the attorney general of Alabama before becoming a United States senator.  He is a veteran prosecutor, and he knows that you keep evidence secret, and that when you bring an indictment, you must have all your ducks in line, not compromised by leaks and not requiring more investigation.

The rest of Lifson’s article is here.

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Precision Idiocy

 art credit: pixabay.com

From John Ellis at PJ Media:

As you file your taxes, try not to think too hard about the revelation that your hard-earned money is helping someone achieve their dream of becoming a clown. Because, apparently becoming a clown requires going to college, and going to college requires taxpayers footing the bill. Next time you're at the circus, demand a "thank you" from a clown.

CNS News provides more information about the bad news regarding the gross misuse of our taxes: "The federal government is funding a clown school located in House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco-based congressional district that has classes and workshops on 'Precision Idiocy' and how to act like a 'Buffoon,'" CNS wrote. "The school, which is called the 'Clown Conservatory' and is part of the nonprofit Circus Center, received a $10,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts that runs from June 2017 through May 2018." Clown Conservatory claims to be “the United States' only professional training program for clowns and physical comedians.”

The rest of the report is here. And in related news at the LA Times:

Schwarzenegger, Kasich to team up in L.A.
for group seeking to reform California GOP

Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ohio Gov. John Kasich will headline an event to debut a new group seeking to reform the California Republican Party.

The pair will deliver speeches and participate in panels on March 21 in Los Angeles at an event for New Way California, a group formed by Assemblyman Chad Mayes (R-Yucca Valley).

“They will be focused on reminding the Republican Party we need them to be successful, but in order to be successful, they need to choose policies and messaging that helps them grow rather than continue to shrink,” said Daniel Ketchell, a spokesman for Schwarzenegger.

Cue: “Send in the Clowns.”

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Mark Levin debuts on Fox

photo / image credit: pinterest.com

Last night, Mark Levin debuted his Sunday evening program on Fox:

On the Fox News Channel premiere of "Life, Liberty & Levin,"Mark Levin sat down for an illuminating discussion with prominent economist and syndicated columnist Walter E. Williams.

Levin recalled that when he was about 20 years old, he spoke with then-Sen. Paul Laxalt (R-Nev.), a close ally of Ronald Reagan.

"One of the things he said to me that has stuck with me ever since [was] 'every day Congress meets, we lose a little bit of our liberty.' It wasn't supposed to be that way," Levin noted.

. . .

Our household reluctantly tuned in last night -- and with low expectations. Levin is often strident and irritating on radio, and we did not sign on to CRTV after his disgraceful treatment/firing of Mark Steyn about a month after they started operations. However, last night’s program was a pleasant surprise. The distinguished economics professor Walter E. Williams was on for the full hour, so there was a sustained discussion instead of the usual 2-minute sound bite, cut off with the host/hostess saying “we’re out of time.”

There is a short video extract at the link (scroll down).

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More on House Bill 512 - Comprehensive Education Restructuring

image credit: yaf.org

Yesterday, I posted an Action Alert that is circulating among Ohio liberty groups concerning House Bill 512 -- a bill that is 2,430 pages in length! Today, I found more information at the Christian Home Educators of Ohio here. Here's their take :

CHEO LEGISLATIVE ALERT – February 16, 2018
From Melanie Elsey, Legislative liaison for Christian Home Educators of Ohio

Regarding: HB 512 – Comprehensive Education Restructuring

This legislation (2.430 pages in length), sponsored by State Representative Bill Reineke and co-sponsored by Representatives Blessing, Carfagna, Pelanda, Brenner, Riedel, Hoops, and Koehler, was introduced February 14^, 2018. It has not yet been assigned to committee.

HB 512 places the regulations for home education and regulations for non-chartered, nonpublic schools (08 schools) in jeopardy by pulling them out of the jurisdiction of the State Board of Education (partially elected) and placing these policies under the authority of a NON-ELECTED cabinet agency under the sole authority of the Governor.

At Wednesday’s press conference, Ohio House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger stated that HB512 “will be the Ohio House’s mission for the rest of the year.”

It is intended to abolish the Ohio Board of Regents, abolish the Ohio Department of Higher Education, and strip the Ohio Department of Education/State Board of Education of more than 80% of their duties.  It creates an enormous state agency in the executive branch with authority over all the responsibilities of these abolished and diminished agencies. This new agency would be called the Department of Learning and Achievement (DLA).  In the language of the bill this “mega-agency” will have a blank check on their authority to set policy as described in 3301.07(D). 

There will be NO ACCOUNTABILITY to the public – only to the Governor. In various news articles, Governor Kasich has publicly expressed frustration for lack of control of the State Board of Education. This new agency would provide him with the desired oversight and authority in this area.

The bill’s sponsor, Representative Reineke stated, “This bill is about a lifetime of learning – crib to career – birth to work.”  He has served on Governor Kasich’s Taskforce for Workforce Transformation, which will become a department within the DLA and he is genuinely excited about the intent of this legislation to streamline how students are prepared for what he calls the “new knowledge economy.”

CHEO is working to review and analyze all of these proposed policies within the 2430 pages of this legislation.  It will absolutely affect every child in this state for generations to come.

IMMEDIATE ACTION IS NEEDED:

Home education is not the focus or intent of this legislation, but the shift in authority places ALL POLICIES governing home education in SERIOUS JEOPARDY. Speaker Rosenberger is making this a high priority and, as such, this legislation will likely be on a fast track – unless legislators hear from you!

1)  Please contact your own State Representative and urge him/her to OPPOSE HB512. In your own words, please express the importance of keeping policies that govern pre-K to grade 12 education with the State Board of Education, where you have an elected representative. There should not be transfer of power that will have ZERO accountability to the public. Please be respectful, yet firm, in all communications with legislators.

2)  Please contact Speaker Rosenberger (614-466-3506) and ask him to stop his efforts to take away your voice by moving most responsibilities of the State Board of Education to an unelected agency.

3) . . . You can visit the CHEO website at:  www.cheohome.org

You can find contact information for your state representative at www.legislature.ohio.gov

More details on yesterday's Action Alert concerning House Bill 512 are here.

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ACTION ALERT! Ohio Board of Education vs The Feds

One of the three core Tea Party principles is in support of "limited government," and here we have yet another imminent intrusion of the federal government into state business. This Action Alert is already on several Ohio liberty group lists. It’s all about The Feds' attempted overreach into the Ohio Board of Education and school systems, and it appears to undo the provisions passed in 2014 in Ohio HB 487, as summarized here on Rep. Brenner’s webpage and which include the following language:

No official or board shall enter into any agreement or memorandum of understanding with a federal or private entity that requires the state to cede any control of development, adoption or revision of academic content standards. (3301.07, page 12)

I am forwarding the Alert:

Oppose HB 512!

Ohio State Board of Education, Sarah Fowler, alerted us to something that needs our immediate attention.  

On February 14^th, State Representative Bill Reineke (R – 88^th District) introduced HB 512. This legislation would combine the Ohio Department of Education, the Ohio Department of Higher Education, and the Ohio Department of Workforce Transformation into a single department called the Department of Learning and Achievement. It would be organized under the governor. Not surprisingly, Governor Kasich and House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger have voiced their support for the bill.

What this legislation would mean is that our elected State Board of Education would no longer have any say in state education policy, including things like state report cards, educational standards in all subjects, public school operating standards, and home school regulations. All of these currently go through a public hearing process. This legislation would eliminate the public hearings and eliminate any transparency in the process. Further, it would concentrate more power and control in the Executive branch, giving it legislative authority.

If there is one thing that we do not need is to concentrate more power with the governor’s office, especially when it comes to the future of our children.

Call your state legislator this week

HB 512 is moving rapidly through the House, with its first hearing scheduled today. To stop this bill in its tracks, we need to move even more quickly. Start by calling your state representative and let your voice be heard. Tell your representative that you want them to vote NO on this legislation and that support of it will tell us that they are more interested in representing the governor and the House leadership than they are in representing their constituents.

Find your state representative here.

Call the committee members this week

Call every member of the Government Accountability and Oversight Committee and ask them to oppose HB 512.

1)      Chairman Louis Blessing III (Co-sponsor of HB 512), (614) 466-9091

2)      Vice-Chairman Bill Reineke (Sponsor of HB 512), (614) 466-1374

3)      Kathleen Clyde, (614) 466-2004

4)      Keith Faber, (614) 466-6344

5)      Timothy Ginter, (614) 466-8022

6)      Dave Greenspan, (614) 466-0961

7)      Brigid Kelly, (614) 466-5786

8)      Bernadine Kennedy Kent, (614) 466-5343

9)      P. Scott Lipps, (614) 466-6023

10)   Dorothy Pelanda (Co-sponsor of HB 512), (614) 466-8147

11)   Bill Sietz, (614) 466-8258

12)   Ryan Smith, (614) 466-1366

13)   Martin J. Sweeney, (614) 466-3350

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