Support HB 380: Bring Balance to Asbestos Cases

Currently in the Ohio Senate Judiciary Committee is HB 380 which will reform and promote transparency in the legal process of work related asbestos claims.

HB 380 will, "enact sections 2307.951, 2307.952, 2307.953, and 2307.954 of the Revised Code to require claimants in asbestos tort actions to make certain disclosures pertaining to asbestos trust claims that have been submitted to asbestos trust entities for the purpose of compensating the claimant for asbestos exposure."  (HB 380).

From Ohio.com

By Ralph King

Published: April 18, 2012

In earlier decades, some American workers were exposed to asbestos on the job. Many of them later suffered injury, illness and even death as a result of that exposure. Rightfully, large numbers of these people, many of whom are in Ohio, continue to seek compensation for their losses.

Because Ohio was a heavy manufacturing site in the past, our state has a high number of asbestos-related claims, and particularly so in Northeast Ohio.

The great majority of companies most responsible for asbestos injuries — primarily companies that mined or manufactured asbestos — have ceased operations, declared bankruptcy and established trusts to pay the current and future claims of asbestos-injured workers. These trusts are considered “personal injury settlement trusts.”

Since the first trust was approved in 1986 under federal bankruptcy law, 60 companies have created trusts controlling more than $36 billion to address their asbestos liabilities.

The asbestos trusts assume all of the bankrupt companies’ asbestos liabilities, which effectively removes those companies from the court system in Ohio and every other state where such activity exists.

The asbestos trusts are one way claimants can seek compensation for asbestos-related injury. A second way is through lawsuits — suing solvent Ohio companies still open for business. In most cases, these companies’ involvement with asbestos was marginal at best. However, that does not stop many individuals from suing these businesses, in addition to staking claims from the trusts.
Ohio has a serious problem with these two tracks of asbestos compensation. When it comes to asbestos-related lawsuits, an unfair legal practice is hurting Ohio employers. This is because asbestos claimants in civil court are not obligated to disclose if they plan to pursue awards from a bankruptcy trust.

Ohio businesses trying to accurately defend their actions in an asbestos lawsuit are at a disadvantage when they don’t have access to information filed in the trust case such as work history and medical information. The pursuit of this information by companies often results in delays and appeals that result in a slow process for claimants.

The dual compensation system of trusts and lawsuits for asbestos claims leads to possibly inconsistent claims between both systems. There are cases where asbestos claimants are presenting the trusts with one set of facts, while, as plaintiffs in court cases, filing entirely different information against solvent defendant companies.

For example, in the Ohio case of Kananian v. Lorillard Tobacco Company, a claimant told a trust he was exposed to its asbestos as a World War II shipyard worker. But in his court lawsuit, he said he just “passed through” the shipyard and later suffered asbestos injuries from smoking cigarettes that used asbestos filters.

To ensure fairness in Ohio’s asbestos litigation system, the Ohio Senate is considering legislation that would make the process more transparent for the individuals seeking damages, as well as Ohio employers. House Bill 380 would require claimants in civil cases to disclose information on claims that could be made against bankruptcy trusts. The legislation will ensure fairness and restore consistency.

Establishing predictability in the system is important to note because even though courts may place case management orders that require the disclosure of claims against trusts, the orders would apply only to that particular court. There is nothing preventing plaintiffs’ lawyers from avoiding such an order by filing an asbestos lawsuit in another county. The best solution is to create a uniform system that makes the process consistent for Ohio employers and the awards claimants receive more accurate and fair. House Bill 380 creates such a system.

House Bill 380 also would place no limits on the number of claims that an individual may pursue. It proposes no caps in compensation and would expedite the process by avoiding time consuming requests for discovery. Because of the proposed disclosure requirements, the potential for inconsistent information between trust and lawsuit claims is discouraged. This helps ensure resources will be available for future bankruptcy trust claims.

At a time when the state is working to attract investment and job creation in the manufacturing sectors, businesses need to know they will get a fair shake in Ohio courts when it comes to asbestos lawsuits. Ohio needs House Bill 380.

King is co-founder and coordinator of Cleveland Tea Party Patriots and state co-coordinator of Tea Party Patriots.

Please contact the below listed State Senators and ask them to support HB 380....

State Senator Gayle Manning (District 13)
Phone: (614) 644-7613
Email: Click Here

State Senator Frank LaRose (District 27)
Phone: (614) 466-4823
Email: Click Here

State Senator Scott Oelslager (District 29)
Phone: (614) 466-0626
Email: Click Here

To keep track of the status and results of your calls, please click here to fill out the HB 380 Contact Form to record the response of your call(s) to the above State Senator's offices.

This is NOT What Democracy Looks Like! (WI)

The residents and patriots in Wisconsin have been subjected to a two year assault from the left who are disappointed with the results of the 2010 elections.

Doing what the big union bosses and the left does best, they've learned how to use the political process to abuse the political process. This pattern of political abuse will continue across the states if we do not rise to the challenge of meeting this dangerous political trend of the left head on.

The Tea Party Patriots are amassing Tea Party members from across the U.S. to meet this challenge in Wisconsin head on! To learn more on how you can help with phone calls from your own home, or if you are interested in going to Wisconsin to be part of the Tea Party Patriots ground team, please click here.

The below is from our Tea Party Patriots State Coordinator for Wisconsin, Michael Hintze.

From Bear Witness Central --

By Michael G. Hintze, State Coordinator Wisconsin Tea Party Patriots


For the second year in a row, the people of Wisconsin are being subjected to a series of recall elections that cost money for which the State and its local communities have better uses. More importantly, the recall elections distract Wisconsin’s politicians from doing the jobs to which they were elected, create uncertainty in the business community that hinders job creation and economic growth, and increase rather than smooth over the sense of division between the people of Wisconsin and the public employee unions.

Why are the people of Wisconsin being subjected to these recalls? Because a minority of Wisconsin’s electorate has decided it does not like the results of the election of 2010, and will do anything to overturn those results, including abuse of the democratic process. Make no mistake about it that is exactly what these recall elections represent—abuse of process. Recall elections should be the people’s method of impeachment of government officials for “high crimes and misdemeanors,” not a last resort for those who have policy differences with political officeholders. Policy differences should be settled according to the regular electoral process, and should not be the subject of continual “do-overs” forced by the losing side. Nothing but anarchy lies down that path.

Those who think that a successful recall effort will lower the divisions among the people of Wisconsin and bring peace and tranquility to Wisconsin politics are engaging in self-delusion of the most flagrant kind. A successful recall effort will have precisely the opposite effect. It will heighten tensions, not relieve them. It will increase frustration, not alleviate it. It will lead to a solidification of positions that will make it impossible for anything to be accomplished by State government. And it will solve nothing.

Recent polls indicate that the recall election is becoming a referendum on job creation in Wisconsin. If that is the case, then defeat of the recall effort is an imperative pre-requisite. For business to be willing to create more jobs in Wisconsin, or anywhere else, it must know that it is dealing with a State with a long-term plan for economic growth and opportunity, and a government whose position does not change with every passing whim of political demagogues who feed on the people’s misery. Stability and predictability in a business friendly environment are the keys to job growth and economic prosperity. Neither will be the case if the recall effort is successful.

This is not just Wisconsin’s battle. This is the nation’s battle. It is a battle to ensure that the will of the majority as expressed through the normal election process will prevail, and that the United States will retain its democratic republic form of government. And it is a battle to return control of government to the taxpayers, and not leave it in the hands of the government employee unions.

If the unions win in Wisconsin, they will have created a strategy and proved it effective for the overturn of election results with which they do not agree, and they will use that strategy in every other state in the Union. The citizens of Wisconsin are fighting to take back control of their government from the greedy and arrogant union bosses. Please join us and help us help you!

Together, we all win.

Sign Up Here To Help Save Wisconsin 

Grassroots Tea Party's Derail Tea Party Express Establishment Candidate in Nebraska Senate Primary

A big congratulations to all the grassroots Tea Party groups in Nebraska for derailing the Tea Party Express establishment candidate, NE Attorney General Jon Bruning, and walking away with a big grassroots Tea Party victory!

As usual, and expecting nothing less, the Tea Party Express went into Nebraska and supported the establishment candidate - Bruning - in the GOP primary for U.S. Senate and worked against the efforts of the grassroots Tea Party groups who supported State Senator Deb Fischer.

State Senator Deb Fischer, who was also supported by Sarah Palin, will face off against former Democrat Senator Bob Kerry to replace the retiring Senator Ben Nelson.

From SF Gate -- (emphasis added)

An insurgent Republican lawmaker in Nebraska will square off against former Sen. Bob Kerrey this fall in the state's U.S. Senate race, as Democrats look to hold onto the Senate seat and control of one part of Capitol Hill.

In Tuesday's Republican primary, state Sen. Deb Fischer rode a wave of discontent with the GOP establishment to best Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning, the preferred candidate of Washington, D.C.-based Republicans, and Treasurer Don Stenberg in a race that drew national attention from outside groups in its final, unpredictable weeks.

Fischer's victory marked also another win for the party's anti-establishment movement just a week after a Tea Party-supported Richard Mourdock beat Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar in that state's GOP primary.

And they said the Tea Party was dead!

How You Can Help Save Wisconsin!

The FINAL HOUR is fast approaching for the June 5th recall election in Wisconsin and EVERYTHING is at stake! 

Grassroots activists in Wisconsin have worked tirelessly over the last several years to promote fiscal responsibility, but the opposition is waging a war to tear it down!

Tea Party Patriots are mounting a massive ground operation to end the Wisconsin recall once and for all, but we can't do it without you!  With your help - we can take it to the left - and we can win!

 Wisconsin needs YOUR help now!  

From going to Wisconsin to door knock, making calls from your home, giving a financial contribution, or sharing our efforts on social media, YOU can have a huge impact! 

For Patriots with the time to go and knock doors and help in Wisconsin, Tea Party Patriots will cover your room and board. For others, you can make calls from home, help with blogging and social media efforts.  There is something everyone can do - are you ready to help save Wisconsin?

This recall election is about much more than any individual candidate. It is about protecting our representative democracy to ensure that the democratic process is allowed to work. If the opposition is successful in Wisconsin, they will replicate this abuse of recall laws in states across the country - AND you can be sure Ohio will be one of them!.

Click Here to Help Wisconsin

Holder in Contempt over Fast & Furious?

From Tea Party Patriots --

House leaders confirmed on May 3, 2012, they have drafted a contempt order against Holder for his refusal to produce to Congress documents requested in the Fast and Furious gun-walking scandal.  “We have a few other options (but) to a great extent we’ve been stonewalled by the Justice Department,” said Issa, R-CA.

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is the executive department of the federal government responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice.   How is justice administered when the head of that department, Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr., is found in contempt of the laws it exists to enforce?

The resolution, if approved by the House, could force Holder to release thousands of pages of documents related to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Fast & Furious program.   The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has requested 80,000 documents and been provided with only 7,000 to date, according to Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah.  ““We have issued a subpoena.  We have bent over backward to be patient.”

Since last August Senator John Cornyn, R-TX, has been outspoken about his concern that the DOJ knew that guns were sold illegally to members of Mexican drug cartels which resulted in the death of U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian Terry.   “I don’t think we know all the facts because the DOJ has stonewalled. They simply need to come clean. If Holder is implicated, let’s hold him accountable,” Sen. Cornyn said.  Cornyn was adamant that Holder be held accountable for his department’s actions and not be allowed to continue to block access to documents critical to the investigation into the mishandled gun-tracking program.

According to the House Oversight Committee, the Justice Department has not fully cooperated with the investigation into gunwalking that occurred in Operation Fast and Furious.  Although some documents have been produced, Holder has maintained a pattern of denial or non-responsiveness to Congress in the Fast and Furious matter.  He has yet to admit to perjury or prove otherwise by producing the documents.

It remains to be seen whether House Oversight Committee members will cite Holder for contempt.   Attorney General Holder owes it to the American people to provide full disclosure of his knowledge and involvement in the failed program, but it could literally take an act of Congress to make that happen.

Senator Cornyn can be contacted at www.cornyn.senate.gov/public  / or at 202-224-2934.

The 2012 election cycle: What Can A Patriot Do?

Michelle Malkin’s column today explored voter fraud facts and fictions. And she points us to opportunities for an active citizenry to make a difference:

"… The solution is to get off the couch, support election integrity activists like [James] O’Keefe, and turn out in force on Election Day to eject Obama’s voter fraud coddlers. Like the old saying goes: If it ain’t close, they can’t cheat. * * *

"More election integrity activists you should support: Election Law Center, King Street Patriots and True the Vote. Words of wisdom [from True The Vote]:

"We at True the Vote believe that the best safeguard against any potential problems in our elections is an active, organized, educated citizenry who are willing to take personal responsibility, stand in whatever gaps in our electoral system exist, and work to improve them. Now is not the time for panic. Let’s get some answers, figure out what’s going on, then spread the word. ...

"Here’s how you can help:
"... Commit to get involved, to volunteer at the polls, to record the final vote tallies at the polls where you work, to track those tallies, make sure they are being accurately reported, and be prepared to take meaningful and swift action if breaches are found to exist. We won’t change the electoral process until we are willing to roll up our sleeves and take responsibility for it. Sustained responsibility."

If you would like information about local True The Vote initiatives, or plan to sign up as a poll-watcher when voting begins, e-mail Cleveland Tea Party Patriots at clevelandteaparty@gmail.com

Tea Party tells Senator Dick Luger - "The Party's Over!"

A big congratulations to the all the Tea Party and Liberty groups in Indiana for handing Senator Dick Luger his walking papers.  Great job Indiana Tea Party Patriots! 

From Tea Party Patriots --

Today, the Tea Party Patriots, the largest tea party organization in the country, hailed the victory in the Indiana Senate primary race as State Treasurer Richard Mourdouck ousted establishment candidate Sen. Richard Lugar who had been in Congressional office for 36 years.

“Lugar’s defeat should wake up entrenched Washington,” said Jenny Beth Martin, co-founder and national coordinator of Tea Party Patriots.  ”The tea party movement continues to be the most influential force this election year.  Sen. Lugar betrayed the principles of fiscal responsibility, constitutionally limited government and free markets that must be addressed this year or the American people will choose new leaders as happened today and in 2010. This upset is no surprise to tax paying Americans in Indiana.”

We will do our best to make sure Senator Sherrod "Sluggo" Brown joins him in the unemployment line!

"Ohio's quest for regional unity"

The Plain Dealer ran an editorial on May Day (May 1) with the innocuous title “Organizing NE Ohio's quest for regional unity: editorial.”

It sounds so mother-and-apple-pie. Who could be opposed to “better coordination” or “reducing the duplication of government services and figuring out how to connect transportation systems with one another”. The editorial reports that The Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Consortium expects to issue its first report in June and then convene community meetings to discuss next steps. A “Sustainable Communities Consortium” likewise sounds appealing.

Its goals? “To create a vibrant and resilient Northeast Ohio that increases our quality of life; connects our communities; welcomes diversity; restores and protects our natural resources; and creates a competitive economic framework for the vitality of our region.” Sounds great.

Now compare this language to the buzz words compiled by Marianne G, co-cordinator for Ohio Tea Party Patriots, at her Mansfield Tea Party website (buzz words such as “sustainability”, “sustainable development,” “smart growth”, “ regionalism”, etc.). Marianne posted an Introduction to Agenda 21, a phrase you may or may not have heard about.

But the Plain Dealer, the Consortium, and an outfit called Greater Ohio are already pushing Agenda 21 under alternative nomenclatures – i.e., those buzz words. In addition to every other pressure we face in this election year, Agenda 21 should be at the top of our list. If we don’t defeat Agenda 21 at the local and state levels, the rest may not matter much. And the first step is for us to understand what Agenda 21 is, and what it looks like when dressed up in (or disguised as!) feel-good “sustainability” language.

Marianne has inaugurated a newsletter to start to educate patriots about Agenda 21, especially as it comes to a neighborhood near you. There have already been hearings or meetings in northeast Ohio, and there are many more on the calendar. Here’s one list of meetings listed on the Consortium’s website

The list includes an upcoming Cleveland area event:

NEOSCC Launches Young Leader Events
Greater Cleveland: This Is What Vibrant Looks Like
Wednesday, May 16, 2012 from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Brother's Lounge
11609 Detroit Ave.
Cleveland, OH 44102

Much more to follow.

Conservative Women Speak

Here's a short videe produced by Marianne Gasieki's (Mansfield Tea Party) son Anthony. It's a quick take on conservative women who know that the so-called "War on Women" is phony baloney. Pass it along.

Stop the Job Killing Big Tobacco Bailout

Big Tobacco companies have inserted an amendment to the massive federal highway bill that is currently being debated in Congress.  This amendment reclassifies all small Roll Your Own (RYO) cigarette retail shops as “cigarette manufacturers” for the sole purpose of driving them OUT of business, killing jobs across the country and limiting consumer choice.

Beginning Tuesday, May 8, the House and Senate will begin meeting to discuss this bill in a conference committee.

From Tax Tracker --

We’ve all played a good game of hide & seek, right? Cover your eyes, count to ten, run around and find your friends? It’s fun because you get to exercise just how clever you can be. If you can stay hidden, you’re clever. If you can find people, you’re clever. It’s a game that is SO much fun, some members of Congress are still playing!

Hidden in the Senate’s massive version of the 2012 transportation reauthorization act is a teeny weeny provision allowing Big Tobacco companies to SQUASH small businesses. You heard me. In between money for roads, bridges, airports, trains, and Amtrak is a monumental United States Government bailout for Big Tobacco.

TODAY’S MESSAGE: Enough hide and seek. Tell Congress REMOVE the #BigTobacco bailout from the highway bill. It’s a job killer. http://bit.ly/NewTax

If you’re a frequent reader of my blog, you already know this. But, we’re getting new readers every day so here it is again:

Big Tobacco has bought some lawmakers. These lawmakers have introduced legislation reclassifying small tobacco shops where you can roll your own smokes as “tobacco manufacturing” facilities. This throws small, roadside tobacco shops into the same tax and regulatory category as mammoth cigarette manufacturing facilities. Unfair, right? Well, the pain doesn’t last long for Mom & Pop tobacco shops. They pretty much go out of business immediately.

Why is Big Tobacco doing this? Because 99 percent market share isn’t enough. They make no money off people who roll their own smokes. If they can eliminate our ability to roll our own, Big Tobacco thinks they’ll pocket more money. Which, they probably will if they’re successful.

That’s where you come in.

You can help by reaching out to members of Congress. Scroll through some of my previous posts for lists of folks to hit.

Today: Engage a few members in the morning and a few members in the afternoon. Take a few minutes for Facebook. And if you have time, take a few minutes to post in the comments section of online news stories. Members of the news media appreciate heads’ up on how their member responds to your inquiries!

Tuesday, Congress reconvenes to hammer out a final 2012 transportation reauthorization act. Let our voices be heard!

President Obama & the Democrats Assault on College Students

In President Obama & the Democrats continued "War on Children" we see how his North Korean like ballistic missiles of fiscal and economic failure have crashed down on many youthful supporters of his 2008 ascent to Commander of Youthful Grief, (the office formerly known as Commander in Chief).

A report done by the Economic Policy Institute shows unemployment for young college graduates was 10.4% in 2010, and the underemployment rate was 19.8%. For young high school graduates, the statistics were even grimmer: unemployment was 32.7% in 2010, and the underemployment rate was 55.9%.

From the Economic Policy Institute --

Though the labor market is now headed in the right direction, the prospects for young high school and college graduates remain grim. This briefing paper examines the labor market that confronts young graduates who are not enrolled in additional schooling—specifically, high school graduates age 17–20 and college graduates age 21–24—and details the following findings:

• Unemployment and underemployment rates of young graduates have only modestly improved since their peak in 2010. 

• For young high school graduates, the unemployment rate was 32.7 percent in 2010 and 31.1 percent over the last year (April 2011–March 2012), while the underemployment rate was 55.9 percent in 2010 and 54.0 percent over the last year.

• For young college graduates, the unemployment rate was 10.4 percent in 2010 and 9.4 percent over the last year, while the underemployment rate was 19.8 percent in 2010 and 19.1 percent over the last year.

• There is no evidence that young high school graduates have been able to “shelter in school” from the labor market effects of the Great Recession; college and university enrollment rates for both men and women have not meaningfully departed from their long-term trend since the start of the Great Recession.

• The long-run wage trends for young graduates are bleak, with wages substantially lower today than they were in 2000. Between 2000 and 2011, the real (inflation-adjusted) wages of young high school graduates declined by 11.1 percent, and the real wages of young college graduates declined by 5.4 percent.

• Young graduates lack opportunities for advancement, a trend underscored by the fact that there are now nearly 30 percent fewer voluntary quits each month than there were each month in 2007.

• Graduating in a bad economy has long-lasting economic consequences. For the next 10 to 15 years, the Class of 2012 will likely earn less than they would have if they had graduated when job opportunities were plentiful.

• The safety net of federal and state assistance programs often does not cover young workers due to eligibility requirements such as significant prior work experience.

• The cost of higher education has grown far more rapidly than median family income, leaving students with little choice but to take out loans, which, upon graduating into a labor market with limited job opportunities, they may not have the funds to repay.

• The scarcity of job opportunities for the Class of 2012 is a symptom of weak demand for workers in the overall economy. What will bring down the unemployment rate of young workers most quickly and effectively are policies that will generate strong job growth overall, such as fiscal relief to states, substantial additional investment in infrastructure, expanded safety net measures, and direct job creation programs in communities particularly hard-hit by unemployment.



Unemployment and underemployment rates for young college graduates, 1994–2012

 To read the whole report click here.

But on the bright side... the Master Degree counter workers at McDonald's will now know how to give change!

Americans Spend More $$$ on Taxes than Housing, Food & Clothing

Under the four years of failed leadership and "share the wealth" policies of President Obama, you will be spending more of your hard earned money on paying taxes to support others -- than you will on your own housing, clothing ad food expenses combined!

From The Tax Foundation --

In 2012, Americans will pay approximately $4.041 trillion in taxes, which is $152 billion, or 3.9%, more than they will spend on housing, food, and clothing combined, according to a new study from the Tax Foundation. In addition, an increasing proportion of government benefits now go to pay for those same basic expenses of low-income Americans.

Examining the trends of tax collections and expenditures on housing, food, and clothing for the past several decades, the study shows that an ever-increasing amount of taxpayer money has gone into government programs that subsidize or pay for essential household goods. Cash and voucher benefits now pay for over a third of basic household expenses, up from less than 1% in 1929 and less than 20% in the early 1970s.

"Transfer payments, or government social benefits, have grown to represent a substantial portion of money spent on living expenses, encompassing housing, food, clothing, healthcare, and transportation," said Tax Foundation Adjunct Scholar Kevin Duncan. "This means that the government is picking up an increasing portion of the tab for these essential goods."

From the creation of Medicare in 1965 through 2010, transfer payments rose from 11.39% to 34.79% of living expenditures. While some money spent on transfer programs is spent on other items besides healthcare, food, clothing, transportation, and housing, the strong prevalence of in-kind benefits, or government transfer payments for a specific item or service, keeps this as a small fraction of overall expenditures.

Between 1929 and the early 1980s, aggregate tax collections were less than total expenditures on housing, food, and clothing. From 1929 to 1980, tax liabilities grew from $10 billion to $751 billion, while expenditures on housing, food, and clothing grew from $41.6 billion to $775.7 billion. The gap between tax collections and expenditures on essential goods reached a maximum in 2000, when Americans gave 19% more to the government than they spent on these items.

But, this makes it official that President Obama has finally held true on one of his campaign promises - Hope & Change.  Yes, you "hope" you will have some "change" left after President Obama gets his hand out of your pocket so he can pay for others.

Senator Sherrod Brown & Senator Dick Durbin to Host Senate Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing on "Voting & Civil Rights" in Cleveland

Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), two of Senator Harry Reid's best buddies, will be hosting an official hearing of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee this coming Monday (5/7/12) on Voting Rights in Ohio - specifically the supposed negative effects of HB 194.

SB 194, which is subject to a repeal effort in the 2012 General Election, reduces the amount of voting days registered voters can cast a ballot prior to election day, puts the responsibility of voting in the proper location on said registered voter and would require registered voters to submit a Vote by Mail application if they wish to vote absentee.

From Hispanic Ohio -- (Emphasis added)

United States Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) will hold an official hearing of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights in Cleveland on Monday examining the impact of Ohio’s new voting law, H.B. 194, which shortens early voting and eliminates the requirement that poll workers direct voters to the proper precinct. U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Warrensville) will provide testimony; additional witnesses will be announced at a later date.

Ohio’s new law reduces the number of early voting days from 35 to 17, and eliminates voting on the weekend before an election and prohibits county boards of elections from mailing unsolicited absentee ballots.

H.B. 194 will be subject to a ballot repeal measure in November.

The hearing will begin at 9 a.m. at the Carl B. Stokes federal courthouse, 801 W. Superior Avenue, all are encouraged to attend.

Where HB 194 and other election law related bills passed on Ohio this year will instill some integrity back into the election process and close loopholes that encourage voter fraud, the Democrats, no longer allowed to use votes from the cemetery as voters are now required to, if not registered, to at least have a pulse, would rather have voting available to anybody with a pulse, being allowed to vote anywhere -- days, weeks, and possibly months before election day.

With Ohio being a known battleground state, with the Democrats having to perform well in Cuyahoga County to win in Ohio and with Sherrod Brown & President Obama unable to run on their past 4 yrs of failure, that this Democrat-led Dog & Pony Show of "Voter Victimhood & Veiled Class Warfare" should come as no surprise.

The hearing starts at 9 a.m. Monday 5/7/12 at the Carl B. Stokes Federal Courthouse, located at 801 W. Superior Avenue Cleveland, OH (Click here for Map). 

A Tea Party Patriots (OH) Salute to Ohio Law Enforcement

Date: 5/4/12

For Immediate Release

Contact: Ralph King

Clevelandteaparty@gmail.com

  

A Salute to Ohio Law Enforcement:

FBI deserves big Thumbs Up

Cleveland, Ohio - The Federal Bureau of Investigation earned a huge “job well done” from all Ohioans for the precise and efficient strike against a domestic terrorists group who allegedly attempted to destroy a bridge near Cleveland.

Ohio tea partiers are encouraging all citizens to praise the FBI and local law enforcement for the outstanding job they do every day. Tea Party Patriot State Co-Coordinator Ralph King said, “we have just witnessed excellence in achievement from the finest law enforcement people in the world.”

Many of us in the Cleveland area were shocked to discover on April 30th, 2012, on a typical Monday evening, the FBI arrested five men involved in a conspiracy to blow up a bridge that may have injured and killed people and would have had a destructive impact on travel and interstate commerce and therefore our struggling economy. "It's instances of violence such as this that continue to set tea party members and supporters apart as peaceful, respectful and reasonable citizens protesting an excessive and over reaching government," said Marianne Gasiecki, State Co-Coodinator for the Tea Party Patriots.

All too often, honorable institutions like the Federal Bureau of Investigation have been wrongly criticized, often for political purposes. It is time for an honest look at a great law enforcement body with important accomplishments during some of the most trying times of this great nation. For more than a hundred years the FBI has served tirelessly to fill the gaps between local laws, dealing mostly with criminal activity across State lines.

The FBI and local law enforcement personnel were on the job while the rest of us went about our business without a clue as to what the conspirators were planning. Because of the tireless efforts of honorable men and women serving in law enforcement the attackers were under surveillance from the beginning, and the public was never in danger. The FBI has once more demonstrated its expertise in carrying out the FBI mission to protect our communities, businesses and our lives. Thank you FBI and God Bless you.

# # #

Tea Party Patriot values vs Occupy

From National Review Online cartoons of the day (it’s from last November, but is still au courant):

Support SB 323: Protect Ohio Workers Compensation Benefits

ACTION ALERT

On Tuesday May 1, 2012 at 4:00 P.M. in the South Hearing Room 231, The Insurance, Commerce, and Labor Committee will hear proponent testimony on Senate Bill 323.

Senate Bill 323, sponsored by Senator Bill Seitz, will amend sections 2743.02, 2744.02, 4123.01, and 4123.511 and to enact sections 2307.82 and 4123.513 of the Revised Code to prohibit illegal and unauthorized aliens from receiving compensation and certain benefits under Ohio's Workers' Compensation Law.

If you are unable to attend this hearing you can email your testimony/letter for S.B. 323 to Senator Seitz at SD8@senate.state.oh.us or Senator Bacon at  SD3@senate.state.oh.us. Subject Line - SB 323 Testimony/Letter. Proponent testimony can be submitted until the bill goes up for a final vote.

By law, illegal immigrants are not permitted to work in Ohio. Employers choosing to ignore these laws by hiring illegal immigrants, should also be held responsible for incurring costs related to any injury while the illegal alien was under ther employ.

SB 323 will protect the citizens and law-abiding employers in Ohio from being further financially victimized  & burdened by those willfully ignoring the laws of our state.  SB 323 will assure that only individuals legally employed in Ohio will be eligible for Workers Compensation Benefits.

Please contact the below members of the Senate Insurance, Commerce & Labor Committee and urge them to support SB 323.

Insurance, Commerce & Labor Committee

Chairman

Senator Kevin Bacon (R)
Phone: (614) 466-8064
Email: SD03@senate.state.oh.us

Vice-Chair

Senator Kieth Faber (R)
Phone: (614) 466-7584
Email: SD12@senate.state.oh.us

Republican Members

Senator Bill Beagle
Phone: (614) 466-6247
Email: SD05@senate.state.oh.us

Senator Cliff Hite
Phone: (614) 466-8150
Email: SD01@senate.state.oh.us

Senator Jim Hughes
Phone: (614) 466-5981
Email: SD16@senate.state.oh.us

Senator Shannon Jones
Phone: (614) 466-9737
Email: SD07@senate.state.oh.us

Senator Kris Jordan
Phone: (614) 466-8086
Email: SD19@senate.state.oh.us

Senator Tim Schaffer
Phone: (614) 466-5838
Email: SD31@senate.state.oh.us

Democrat Members

Ranking Minority Member

Senator Joe Schiavoni
Phone: (614) 466-8285
Email: SD33@senate.state.oh.us

Senator Edna Brown
Phone: (614) 466-5204
Email: SD11@senate.state.oh.us

Senator Eric Kearney
Phone: (614) 466-5980
Email: SD09@senate.state.oh.us

Senator Tom Sawyer
Phone: (614) 466-7041
Email: SD28@senate.state.oh.us

You can also contact your State Senator and ask them to voice their support for the SB 323.  Click Here to find your State Senator.

Thanks to the Grassroots Rally Team of Ohio for the above info.

3 Yrs & Counting: President Obama & Senate Democrats STILL Failing American Public

April 29, 2012

For Immediate Release

Contact:  Stephen Miller,

Andrew Logan: 202.228.0575

By The Numbers: Three Full Years Since Senate Democrats Last Adopted A Budget

“This Sunday, April 29, we will have gone 3 full years since the last time the Senate Democrats have brought a budget to the floor of the Senate… They are unable to unite behind a financial vision for this country that they are willing to go to the American people and advocate for and publicly defend.” – Ranking Member Sessions, floor speech, April 26, 2012

1096  –——————–  Days since the Senate majority last passed a budget

$10.4 trillion ————  Total federal spending since a budget was last adopted

$4.5 trillion ———––– New gross debt accumulated over that time

$15,000 —————–– Additional debt per person over that time

$39,000 —————–– Additional debt per family over that time

$626 billion ––———– Net interest payments on the debt since a budget was last adopted

1 ————————–– Budget mark-ups scheduled and then suddenly cancelled at the last minute by the Senate majority this year

0 ————————–– Number of Democrat Senators who voted for any budget in the last two years

0 ————————–– Number of votes in the House and Senate in support of President Obama’s budgets this year and last

511 ———————–– Number of combined votes against

51 ––––——————– Number of votes needed to pass a budget in the Senate

0 ————————–– Number of Democrat budget plans brought to the Senate floor in 2010

0 ————————— Number brought to the floor in 2011

0 ————————–– Number brought to the floor in 2012

2 U.S.C. 631 ––—–—– Title and Section of the U.S. Code that requires a budget be passed

Note: To view this document as a 1-page PDF, please click here.

An Open Letter to Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Bennett: 2012 Elections

In response to the recent naming of former Congressman and current ORP State Central Committeeman Bob McEwen as spokesman of the Ohio Republican Party (ORP) for the 2012 election, the below letter is being sent to ORP Interim Chairman Bob Bennett voicing our concerns and objections over this intellectually vacuous and questionable appointment.

Ohio Republican Party

Chairman Bob Bennett

211 South Fifth St

Columbus, OH 43215

Dear Chairman Bennett,

In light of your recent comments in which you stated former Congressman Bob McEwen would be named as Spokesman for the Ohio Republican Party during the 2012 election cycle, accordingly, we feel the need to respond and share our concerns.

With what arguably may be the most important election many of us will ever face in our lifetime, the importance of acting soundly, smartly, and with integrity cannot be underestimated. Because Ohio is a key battleground state, decisions and actions in Ohio made during this election cycle WILL play prominently in the eventual outcome of the Presidential election

Considering his past role in the House Banking Scandal and past voting indiscretions, we believe the decision to name former Congressman and current ORP State Central Committeeman Bob McEwen as spokesman to be sorely lacking in political judgment and respectfully request this decision be rescinded or reconsidered.

While volunteers and Tea Party members across the state fan out in our GOTV efforts promoting our conservative values, voter integrity, and the need for integrity in our elected officials, the appointment of Congressman McEwen flies in the face of good judgment; an individual who can be attacked for having violated the public trust is a poor choice for a political party spokesman.

We know all too well how President Obama will do everything possible to deflect attention from his 4 years of policies that have failed this state and our country.  It is incumbent on the Ohio Republican Party to remain vigilant in making sure they do not willfully arm the left with endless political fodder with actions like this leading up to the all-important 2012 election.

In closing, we look forward to your written response to this request in a timely manner, and we want to thank you for giving our correspondence your immediate and undivided attention.

Regards,

Ralph King

Marianne Gasiecki

Tea Party Patriots

State Coordinators (OH)

After speaking with many of the Tea Party & Liberty group members and Coordinators across Ohio, we have yet to find anyone that supports the decision to name McEwen as ORP Spokesman for the 2012 election.

After learning of former Congressman McEwen's role in the House Banking Scandal, past voting scandals and, past work as a high-powered lobbyist, the reaction has ranged from disbelief to disgust.

For the record, we do believe in forgiveness and that people can change. We applaud former Congressman McEwen for acknowledging, accepting and learning from his past mistakes. And we believe that the role and work he is currently doing on the ORP State Central Committee is where his experience would best serve the conservative movement during this election cycle.

Former Congressman McEwen surely recognizes the liabilities that his being ORP spokesman would bring and, how it will surely diminish any chances of conservative success in 2012.

If former Congressman McEwen has truly learned from his past mistakes and is a changed person, and in light of what the future of our nation faces in this upcoming election, Congressman McEwen would do the right thing by putting country first and reconsider his taking on this role as ORP Spokesman.

President Obama & the Democrats' "War on Children"

President Obama and the Democrats are doing their best to manipulate their attack on our religious freedoms and have it redefined as a conservative "War on Women".

While President Obama and the left will ask you to suspend all reality to believe their predetermined pagan prose, we want to share some facts as to "who" is really conducting a so-called war and point out "who" the victims are and the atrocities to be faced by future generations.

So if conservatives are conducting a "War on Women" then it is clear and indisputable that President Obama and his fellow Democrats on the left are conducting a "War on Children".

As you can see, without using Obama math (48 States + 2 States = 57 States), our nation's debt exceeds the debt of the entire Euro Zone and the U.K. combined...

And under President Obama's continued spending sprees, our debt continues to grow by leaps and bounds.  To date, according to the CBO's Long Term Budget Outlook, as they continue their onslaught of spending, our debt rises like mushroom clouds over the battlefield of life that will in effect make our future generations POW's of government debt.

In this Democrat driven "War on Children" a 16 yr old High School student, not even yet old enough to vote, will be shackled & chained with a minimum $870,000 of government debt. A child born today, through no fault of his own and only because of President Obama & the Democrats spending their future away, will be figuratively water boarded with over $1.5 Million of government debt. 

Expecting or future Mom's, well....   as the spending grows and our mushroom cloud of debt rises beyond the heaven's, your God's little bundles of joy can look forward to a lifetime of government subjugation at the Guantanamo Bay of life as they are forced to labor off their portion of the government debt from President Obama and the Democrats "War on Children".

 OK mom's take a look -- which ones are your grandchildren....

Support OH HB 380: Promote Transparency in Ohio's Legal System

While maybe not sounding or seeming as important, pressing or appealing as some of the other bills in the Ohio legislature, you can be sure HB 380 is equally important as it is a much needed step in reforming some of the judicial process in our state.

HB 380 will, "enact sections 2307.951, 2307.952, 2307.953, and 2307.954 of the Revised Code to require claimants in asbestos tort actions to make certain disclosures pertaining to asbestos trust claims that have been submitted to asbestos trust entities for the purpose of compensating the claimant for asbestos exposure."  (HB 380).

In short, by enacting safeguard's against frivolous lawsuits, the unfair practice of double-dipping, inconsistent claims, incorrect and fraudulently obtained a award payments and unscrupulous attorney's, HB 380 will promote integrity, uniformity, fairness and transparency for asbestos related litigation in Ohio.

By enacting these safeguard's, HB 380 will also assure the funds from the asbestos trusts are serving the intended purpose of aiding and compensating individuals affected by legitimate work related asbestos illnesses.

Currently, Cuyahoga County is the only court jurisdiction that requires claimants to notify defendants of any other work related asbestos litigation.  HB 380 will require claimants to identify, "all existing asbestos trust claims made by or on behalf of the claimant and all trust claims material pertaining to each identified asbestos trust claim."

Testifying before the OH Senate, Mark Behrens, a partner in the Public Policy Group of Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P., in Washington, D.C., stated...

"Because the trusts operate opaquely and make little effort to compare their claims amongst each other or to claims made in the tort system, the trust system is fertile ground for inequity," he told the Senate committee.

"While involved in trust governance," he informed the committee, "plaintiffs' attorneys are also actively engaged in soliciting trusts claims through television and Internet advertising, filing trust claims, and receiving contingent fees from trusts' payments."

"Abuse of the trust process has the potential to impact both defendants and bankruptcy trusts, as starkly demonstrated in the Ohio case of Kananian v. Lorillard Tobacco Co.," Behrens told the senators.

"As I'm sure you're aware, in that case, Judge Harry Hanna barred a prominent California asbestos personal injury law firm from practicing before his court after he found that the firm and one of its partners failed to abide by the rules of the court proscribing dishonesty, fraud, deceit, and misrepresentation.

"Judge Hanna's ruling received national attention for exposing 'one of the darker corners of tort abuse' in asbestos litigation: inconsistencies between allegations made in open court and those submitted to trusts set up by bankrupt companies to pay asbestos-related claims."

Behrens also cited a report from a company where out of 255 randomly sampled claims against an asbestos trust, only 19 had disclosed their exposure to asbestos. And Behrens noted in another case, after continued foot dragging by a plaintiff's legal counsel to comply with numerous requests for discovery, of nine (9) other trust claims showing conflicting exposure periods and discrepancies in legal positions taken between the courts and the trusts.

 The funds in the asbestos trusts must be protected and used to compensate those who truly and unfortunately deserve them, not to pad the pockets of less than desirable ambulance chasing attorneys and individuals trying to game the system. It is only through the transparency enacted through HB 380 that you can help stop these abuses.

HB 380 has passed the Ohio House and currently sits in the OH Senate Judiciary Committee. Please contact the below listed State Senators and ask them to support HB 380....

State Senator Gayle Manning (District 13)
Phone: (614) 644-7613
Email: Click Here

State Senator John Eklund (District 18)
Phone: (614) 644-7718
Email: Click Here

State Senator Frank LaRose (District 27)
Phone: (614) 466-4823
Email: Click Here

State Senator Scott Oelslager (District 29)
Phone: (614) 466-0626
Email: Click Here

To keep track of the status and results of your calls, please click here to fill out the HB 380 Contact Form to record the response of your call(s) to the above State Senator's offices.