Stop Medicaid expansion in Ohio: Tuesday Blitz

Last Monday, Tea Party Patriots State Co-Coordinator Marianne Gasiecki delivered a letter against the expansion of Medicaid in Ohio signed by 25 Ohio Tea Party & liberty groups across the state, and the petition signed by over 2,600 Ohio residents, to Governor Kasich's office. A copy of the letter and petition was also delivered to Ohio House Speaker Batchelder’s and Senate President Faber's offices.

Getting coverage from the local level to across Ohio and from San Francisco to Washington D.C., you can be sure that not only Governor Kasich and the Ohio Legislature knows where we stand, but the country now knows the Tea Party & Liberty groups in Ohio are ready to combat any expansion of Medicaid in our state.

To date, while we have received no direct response from the Governor himself, the Tea Party & Liberty groups in Ohio were attacked by a recent political appointee of Governor Kasich's days after our letter and petition were delivered.

In response to our opposition on the expansion of Medicaid in Ohio under Obamacare, Ohio Right to Life President Michael Gonidakis, who supported provisions that allowed Obamacare to become law, and who was recently appointed to the State Medical Board by Governor Kasich, called Tea Party groups in Ohio, "idealogues that are putting the conservative movement at risk by opposing the expansion of Medicaid and saying to hell with other Ohioans."

It should also be noted that while he claims to have fought against the passage of Obamacare, Gonidakis actively campaigned for and applauded the passage of the Stupak Amendment, which allowed Obamacare to be passed into law. Now, while on the State Board, he is promoting the expansion of Medicaid in Ohio under Obamacare.

How do we respond to these border-line Obama-like Chicago-style thug politics? We work even harder to defeat the expansion of Medicaid in Ohio under Obamacare!

Passion to Action

Tuesday Blitz

On Tuesday, March 5, 2013 (tomorrow), the letter against the expansion of Medicaid in Ohio signed by 25 Ohio Tea Party & Liberty groups, along with the petition against expanding Medicaid in Ohio --  with now nearly.2,800 signatures (sign Petition here) -- will be sent to all members of the House Finance Committee currently hearing the bill.

We are asking everyone to please call and email the GOP members of the House Finance Committee on the same day (Tuesday, March 5) to reinforce our opposition. Along with this, we are asking everyone to also call Governor Kasich, and House Speaker Batchelder to express your opposition to Medicaid expansion on the same day. Please make as many calls as you can.

Governor Kasich

PH #: (614)466-3555

Email: http://www.governor.ohio.gov/Contact/ContacttheGovernor.aspx

House Speaker Batchelder

PH #: (614)466-8140

Email: http://www.ohiohouse.gov/william-g-batchelder/contact

Next and most importantly, please call and email GOP members of the House Finance Committee and urge them to VOTE NO on expanding Medicaid in Ohio under Obamacare. Please make as many calls as you can.

House Finance Committee

Chair

Rep Ron Amstutz

PH #: (614)466-1474

Email: http://www.ohiohouse.gov/ron-amstutz/contact

Vice-Chair

Rep. Jeff McClain

PH #: (614)644-6265

Email: http://www.ohiohouse.gov/jeff-mcclain/contact

Rep. Richard Adams

PH #: (614)466-8114

Email: http://www.ohiohouse.gov/richard-n-adams/contact

Rep. Marlene Anielski

PH #: (614)644-6401

Email: http://www.ohiohouse.gov/marlene-anielski/contact

Rep. Peter Beck

PH #: (614)644-6027

Email: http://www.ohiohouse.gov/peter-beck/contact

Rep. Timothy Derickson

PH #: (614)644-5094

Email: http://www.ohiohouse.gov/timothy-derickson/contact

Rep. Mike Dovilla

PH #: (614)466-4895

Email: http://www.ohiohouse.gov/mike-dovilla/contact

Rep. Mike Duffy

PH #: (614)644-6030

Email: http://www.ohiohouse.gov/mike-duffey/contact

Rep Anne Gonzales

PH #: (614)466-4847

Email: http://www.ohiohouse.gov/anne-gonzales/contact

Rep. Dave Hall

PH #: (614)466-2994

Email: http://www.ohiohouse.gov/david-hall/contact

Rep. Bill Hayes

PH #: (614)466-2500

Email: http://www.ohiohouse.gov/bill-hayes/contact

Rep. Ron Maag

PH #: (614)644-6023

Email: http://www.ohiohouse.gov/ron-maag/contact

Rep Ross McGregor

PH #: (614)466-2038

Email: http://www.ohiohouse.gov/ross-w-mcgregor/contact

Rep. Cliff Rosenberger

PH #: (614)466-3506

Email: http://www.ohiohouse.gov/cliff-rosenberger/contact

Rep. Barbara Sears

PH #: (614)466-1731

Email: http://www.ohiohouse.gov/barbara-r-sears/contact

Rep. Ryan Smith

PH #: (614)466-1366

Email: http://www.ohiohouse.gov/ryan-smith/contact

Rep. Robert Sprague

PH #: (614)466-3819

Email: http://www.ohiohouse.gov/robert-sprague/contact

Rep. Peter Stautberg

PH #: (614)644-6886

Email: http://www.ohiohouse.gov/peter-stautberg/contact

Rep. Gerald Stebelton

PH #: (614)466-8100

Email: http://www.ohiohouse.gov/gerald-l-stebelton/contact

-- End --

Blog Bug - All better now

The Cleveland Tea Party Patriot blog was out of commission for about a week - it had a very nasty virus. All better now. 

Sorry for the inconvenience. 

Stop Medicaid Expansion in Ohio! Sign the Petition!

Stop Medicaid Expansion in Ohio!

Sign the Petition Now!

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As you probably know, Governor Kasich caved to pressure to expand Medicaid, in direct defiance of the Ohio's voters. Please sign the petition to Governor Kasich immediately and share it with everyone you know! We will deliver the petition to the Governor on Friday to remind him that we the people of Ohio reject Obamacare in its entirety.

Text of the petition:

Dear Governor Kasich,

We the undersigned residents of Ohio stand firmly and strongly against the expansion of Medicaid in Ohio under the Federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).

In the current structure, Medicaid spending in Ohio is already an unsustainable fiscal liability to our state. The fiscal liability of expanding Medicaid in Ohio will compound this burden and will quickly outgrow any promised funds from the Federal Government.

Any expansion of Medicaid in Ohio will further increase the financial burden for future generations of Ohio residents.

We strongly believe that continuing the proposed expansion of Medicaid is not only fiscally irresponsible, but does not solve the issue of quality, affordable care through a balanced free market approach.

Please be advised that the undersigned Ohio residents will remain engaged and active in the legislative process to do our part to stop any expansion of Medicaid in Ohio under, or in conjunction with, the Federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

We request that you please reconsider your proposed expansion of Medicaid so we can all concentrate our efforts in moving our state forward rather than saddling us with further financially unsustainable entitlements.

SIGN THE PETITION NOW!

Call your rep in Columbus: NO Medicaid expansion in Ohio

NO to Medicaid expansion in Ohio

Last night, Mansfield and Cleveland Tea Party Patriots held a conference call with tea party and liberty minded leaders to discuss Governor Kasich's decision to expand Medicaid in Ohio. Joining us were experts from the Buckeye Institute, State Budget Solutions, and Tea Party Patriots.

We strongly believe that this proposed expansion of Medicaid is not only fiscally unsustainable, but also does not solve the issue of quality, affordable care through a balanced free market approach. These tea party leaders will be signing an official statement to the Governor, which will be released next week.

Not only does the expansion of this entitlement program further burden Ohio taxpayers without any long-term solution, studies show that because Medicaid pays Ohio doctors roughly half of what private insurers pay - which will only decline over time - patients receiving treatment through Medicaid receive care that is inferior to those who are uninsured.

Please continue to call your state Representative and express your opposition to the Governor's decision to expand Medicaid.

Click here for your Ohio representative contact information.

More on healthcare: Wheels Coming Off

More on Healthcare(and a reminder to sign up for the Feb. 13 conference call)

In news related to current efforts to stop the expansion of Medicaid in Ohio, here is Betsy McCaughey, in a recent New York Post piece ("Wheels Coming Off"), on  a few of the ugly realities of ObamaCare coming to light as provisions begin to kick in:

the biggest setback is that most states are refusing to set up insurance exchanges. The exchanges are supposed to sell the government-mandated plans and hand out taxpayer-funded subsidies to most enrollees. 

Here’s the glitch. The law says that in states that refuse, the federal government can set up an exchange. But the law empowers only state exchanges, not federal ones, to hand out subsidies. The Obama administration says it will disregard the law and offer subsidies in all 50 states anyway, but the case will likely go to the Supreme Court. 

If the courts uphold the clear language of the law, then some 8 million people in the affected states won’t be eligible for subsidies to cover that $20,000 (or more) insurance bill. That’s another 8 million without coverage. 

All in all, at least 40 million people could be uninsured in 2016, only 9 million fewer than before the law was passed. 

Expect the momentum for repealing this law to grow as its flaws, perverse incentives and faulty predictions come to light.

Keep some of this in mind during tomorrow evening's conference call (8 pm) discussing how to STOP Medicaid expansion in Ohio. Sign up for the call here. 

Stop the Expansion of Medicaid in Ohio

Calling all Ohio Tea Party Patriots: Conference Call update

Marianne (Mansfield Tea Party) and Ralph (Cleveland Tea Party Patriots) are organizing a conference call next week

WHEN: Wednesday, February 13th, 8:00 p.m.

WHERE: Comfort of your own home

The purpose of the call is to discuss a unified plan of action to address Governor Kasich's "deal with the Devil" on Medicaid expansion in Ohio. Joining us on the call will be:

Bob Williams, President of State Budget Solutions - "Kasich makes it sound like the federal money that will come to the state to support this Medicaid is free money. It comes from us the taxpayers and we can't afford it anymore. Bottom line is that states need to stand up to the federal government."

Bill Pasco, Executive V.P. Citizens for the Republic - Bill joins Tea Party Patriots weekly on national conference calls as Tea Party Patriots' Legislative Coordinator. He provides a wealth of legislative knowledge and the inside scoop. "Kasich's betrayal is not going down well among conservatives in DC. Talk for the last 48 hours has been focused on him throwing away any chance he might have had for the GOP nomination in 2016."

Based on the information provided and ideas shared, the hope is that we can create a unified plan of action to address our legislature, and stop the financially disastrous plan to expand Medicaid.

If you have not registered for this call, please click here. Once registered, you will receive a "reminder" email with the call in # and access code.

Medicaid Expansion is Unsustainable

PRESS RELEASE
February 4, 2013

For Immediate Release
Contact: Marianne Gasiecki
State Co-coordinator (OH) - Tea Party Patriots
(419) 961-4439

Medicaid Expansion is Unsustainable
Tea Party Patriots (OH) Oppose Medicaid Expansion

Ohio - February 4, 2013 - Governor Kasich has been under a lot of pressure from progressive organizations, as well as lobbyists from the medical/hospital industry, to expand Medicaid in Ohio, and today announced that he will be doing just that.

"Since taking office and erasing an $8 billion hole in our budget, Governor Kasich's fiscally conservative approach to governing Ohio has brought our state a budget surplus. It's very disappointing that Governor Kasich has decided to expand Medicaid in Ohio under Obamacare, and abandon his fiscally conservative policies that have served our state well," said Ralph King, Co-founder of the Cleveland Tea Party Patriots and State Co-coordinator for Tea Party Patriots (OH).

The Governor's office recently expressed concern over the ability of the state to cope with the increased costs that occur when Ohioans currently eligible for Medicaid begin enrolling to comply with the Affordable Care Act's individual mandates. Medicaid benefits for these individuals are subject to Ohio's normal federal Medicaid formula and will cost the state nearly $700 million in the first two years alone. 

The Medicaid expansion would apply to all eligible Ohioans at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty level and would create a significant fiscal liability for the state beginning in 2017. The federal government has said it will pay 100 percent of the cost of Medicaid expansion in the first three years, with the subsidy phasing down after that.

"Considering the financial crisis the federal government is currently facing, I expect that promise to be reneged upon, and Ohio to be left holding the bag. Aside from the fact that Ohio would still have to incur the expense of covering 50% of the administrative costs to run the new program, expanding entitlements will make more people more dependent on government, rather creating a stronger more independent citizenry through economic growth" stated Marianne Gasiecki, Founder of the Mansfield Tea Party and fellow State Co-coordinator.

Tea Party Patriots is organized as a 501(c)(4). Our three core principles are fiscal responsibility, constitutionally limited government and a free market society.

# # #

When is your Town Hall?

Dear Cleveland Patriots,

Here's this week's alert from national Tea Party Patriots on Town Halls. When we last checked, the only Ohio representative holding Town Halls was Steve Chabot from District 1. So if you live in northeast Ohio, please consider what you can do to put pressure on your Representative. - CTPP

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Getting your Congressman to hold a town hall this week – and showing up big – is the action item this week! Below are some tips to help make it happen and make it a success!

Find Your Representative's Town Hall This Week Here

Last Wednesday we held a tele-town hall with Representatives Louie Gohmert from Texas and Tim Huelskamp from Kansas. They reminded us about the importance of showing up to the in-person town halls, and calling your Congressman’s office. We need to be able to get our message across face-to-face whenever possible.

Here are some tips from local coordinators across the country.

1. Call. Call your Representative’s local district office
2. Say the following: “When will the Representative be holding a townhall this week?” Note: It’s important to say “when” instead of asking “will you.”
3. Answer is yes. If the Congressman is holding a town hall, get the information about where and when, and spread the word! Also let us know at Tea Party Patriots because we are compiling town hall information. And remember to take your camera and film it!
   Answer is no. If the Congressman isn’t holding a townhall, here are some tips from other grassroots coordinators on how to handle this situation.
   - Ask or demand. If your Rep. isn’t holding a town hall, at that point you can ask them to please hold one. You can try demanding that he/she hold one, but that doesn’t work with every Rep. You probably know the situation best, so if playing nice works best, do that. If playing tough works best, do that.
   - Schedule an appointment. See if you can schedule a personal appointment with a small group of your friends and the Rep.
   - Crowd the office. Have dozens of people calling the local office and a handful of people showing up at the office together, all in the same day. You can call first to see if the Rep. is in the office if you’d like, and feel free to show up without an appointment. Make sure to bring a letter or something written with you, with your message on it, and make sure to be reasonable and polite.
   - Call them out publicly. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper or send a press release to local news organizations to put public pressure on them, and make it known to the entire district that your Rep. refuses to see his/her constituents. You can also post things on Facebook and Twitter.
   - Prove a point. In the past, coordinators have held their own town halls, invited the Rep. (who refused to show), and signified the absent Rep. with a cardboard cutout, or empty chair, etc. Constituents show up to ask questions to the missing Congressman, while you film the entire thing. A couple of local coordinators also made large milk cartons and put the Rep.’s face on the side with a, “Missing: Have you seen this man?” sort of thing. Have fun with it!
4. FILM EVERYTHING!! Above all else, film everything! If you go to the office to try and see the Rep. and they refuse, you’ll want that on film! If you hold a people’s town hall where the Rep. rejected your invitation, you’ll want to film the voters in his/her district simply trying to get answers from their supposed Representative, but not succeeding because the Rep. couldn’t be bothered to show up. And finally, if your Rep. does hold a town hall, go there and film it all! Especially film the people that are demanding that Congress cut spending!! All of this footage can help you when the election comes, if you’d like to replace your Rep.
5. Keep making calls. We know it seems like the calls do not make a difference but they do. We hear it repeatedly when we are in DC from staffers that the calls and especially the local office visits make a difference.
6. GET YOUR PEOPLE THERE! The left is already making their own plans to attend these town halls, to get their message out. DO NOT LET THEM STEAL THE SPOTLIGHT. If there is a townhall, make it your priority to get as many patriots there as possible!!

Remember – we want Congress to:
STOP THE OVERSPENDING
STOP STEALING FROM OUR CHILDREN
SOLVE THE PROBLEM NOW

Good luck!

Protect Your Second Amendment Rights

Passion to Action

Protect Your Second Amendment Rights 

One of the core values of Tea Party Patriots is Constitutionally-limited government. 

President Obama's 23 edicts through Executive Order regarding our 2nd Amendment "right to keep and bear arms" has the passion across our country to protect these God-given and Constitutionally protected rights running high

Preaching to the choir and posting on FaceBook about these attacks on the 2nd Amendment will not stop the anti-gun agenda that is being waged at all levels of government. By turning this passion into action, below you will find a brief overview of what is being done to combat this full frontal assault on our 2nd Amendment and what action you can take to help stop it.

State Level

At the State level, many states are introducing legislation that would forbid any diminishing or infringement of our 2nd Amendment rights. In Ohio, State Senator Kris Jordan has announced he will be introducing legislation in the Ohio Senate that will closely resemble a pro-2nd Amendment bill recently introduced in Wyoming.When this bill is introduced in Ohio we will forward the information and ask that you call state legislators to encourage its' passage.

County Level

There are numerous County Sheriffs across the U.S. that have stated they will not implement or enforce any laws that violate our Second Amendment. There has been a push in Ohio for people to contact their local county sheriff encouraging them to do the same.

Unfortunately, in Cuyahoga County we will most likely not be able to depend on our County Sheriff to protect our 2nd Amendment rights. Due to a poorly thought out County Reform measure, the Sheriff in Cuyahoga County is no longer elected but is instead appointed by the County Executive. (This was one of the main reasons the Cleveland TPP did not support the county reform initiative)

With liberal Cuyahoga County Executive Ed Fitzgerald recently firing our highly respected County Sheriff, you can be sure any replacement will be in step and under the directive of the anti-gun agenda already prevalent in this county.

Local Level

It is at the local level where you can make an immediate impact in defending our 2nd Amendment rights as it is at this level where most anti-gun legislation can be enacted with the least amount of media coverage and fanfare. Furthermore, it is at this level where many of the anti-gun crowd is already mobilizing.

NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg's "Mayor's Against Illegal Guns" (MAIG) group has been discreetly working at the local level to abridge our "right to keep and bear arms."

Prior to the Newtown School shootings, this group, MAIG, had over 800 Mayors signed on as supporters - after Vice President Joe Biden recently met with Mayors (Video)

from across the country at the Conference of Mayors held in D.C. membership to this group grew by over 400,000 Mayors.

There are currently many mayors from cities & townships across Ohio that have joined Bloomberg's Mayors Against Illegal Guns -- and this is where YOU can immediately start to defend your 2nd Amendment rights by putting your passion to action!

Passion to Action

Below you will find two paths to take to stop the Anti-Gun Agenda from being implemented at the local level.

See if your Mayor is a member of Mayor's Against Illegal Guns by clicking here.

If your Mayor is a member, work must start immediately to stop any further implementation of MAIG's Anti-Gun Agenda.

1.) Contact your council members or township trustees to see if they are aware your Mayor is a member of MAIG. If so, ask if they supported his signing on and ask they assist you in having the Mayor rescind his membership immediately.

2.) If you Mayor and Council members/Township Trustees refuse to do so, contact your friends and neighbors and begin a campaign of phone calls, emails, letter writing. Circulate a petition asking your Mayor to immediately remove your City as a member of this group and present the petition at your next Council / Township meeting.

3.) Please notify us at clevelandteaparty@gmail.com so we can support and help with your efforts.

If your Mayor is not already a member of MAIG, be pro-active and ask that your council members or township trustees immediately pass a Resolution in support of our 2nd Amendment rights.

We have a template resolution supporting the 2nd Amendment that is suitable for passage at the local level. If you are willing to ask your Council or Township Trustees to pass a resolution supportive of the 2nd Amendment, please contact us immediately at clevelandteaparty@gmail.com so we can support your efforts.

With many local elections taking place this year, this will also let you know where your local elected officials stand on the 2nd Amendment.  

  

'Deadbeats' and Junkies Can't Stop Spending Other People's Money

From Tea Party Patriots and the Mansfield Tea Party:

  

Tea Party to Obama: 

Don't Hold Our Economy Hostage

Cleveland, OH. - Today, Tea Party Patriots, the nation's largest tea party organization, responded to President Obama's press conference on the debt ceiling.

"Again taking hypocrisy to new levels, President Obama, in his recent press conference, spouts off about our country not paying our past debt, while he himself continually refuses to take any meaningful steps to prevent us from incurring more debt with his irresponsible and out of control spending habits," said Ralph King, Coordinator of Cleveland Tea Party Patriots and State Co-coordinator (OH) for the Tea Party Patriots.

The Senate has refused to put forth a budget in over three years, and this administration just acknowledged they will again miss the deadline for a budget this year. "It is this complete disregard for their responsibility as elected officials, and abuse of hard working taxpayers, that continues to be a  drag on our economy and stifle any meaningful growth that would put our country back on track to prosperity," stated Marianne Gasiecki, Founder of the Mansfield Tea Party and fellow State Co-coordinator.

Every dollar increase in the debt ceiling is another dollar stolen from our children and from young people who aren't even old enough to vote. We must stop splurging on ourselves and sending our children the bill. Deadbeats and addicts ensure they get their own 'fix' and leave their children to waste away. A government addicted to spending cannot long last without overdosing and going bankrupt. We need to stage an intervention to change our government's spending habits, and we need it now.

Tea Party Patriots is a national grassroots coalition with more than 3,400 locally organized chapters and more than 15 million supporters nationwide. Tea Party Patriots is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting the principles of fiscal responsibility, constitutionally limited government, and free markets. Visit Tea Party Patriots online at www.TeaPartyPatriots.org.

# # #

AGENDA 21 forum January 20

"Sustainable development" may sound good, but. . .  Our friends in Streetsboro are hosting a meeting to educate Ohioans on Agenda 21. The featured speaker is Don Casey, who has studied Agenda 21 for twenty years and was instrumental in Alabama’s successful passage of Senate Bill 477. 

Most of you are aware that Cleveland is an Agenda 21 city, Cuyahoga County is an Agenda 21 county, and multiple initiatives are already underway. (This is not a left/right party politics issue;  see also: democrats against UN agenda 21.) And Streetsboro is just south of the Ohio Turnpike, accessible to Cleveland and Akron-Canton.

WHAT:           UNDERSTANDING UN AGENDA 21

WHEN:           SUNDAY JANUARY 20th 2013 at 1:00 PM

WHERE:         Stringz & Wingz Z-PLEX

1543 State Route 303, Streetsboro, OH   (map here)  

* In Streetsboro Plaza next to SAVE-A-LOT

THREE SPEAKERS at THE JANUARY 20th EVENT

·         Don Casey - Understanding UN Agenda 21

·         David Frost - Agenda 21 spreading in Ohio

·         Steve Berecek - Recognize how Agenda 21 is introduced

This is an educational event, and nobody needs to be educated more than our elected representatives who can prevent this socialist collective regionalism from spreading and destroying our liberty. Please consider contacting your local elected representatives and inviting them to attend this event. We wish to include ALL elected officials -- Democrat, Republican, or other -- at this educational forum. That would include your county commissioner, township trustees, city or village council members, as well as your state and federal representative and senator. The building hold 1,600 people, so there is plenty of room to bring a friend or two as well. Invite your neighborhood.  There will be handout materials available for everyone. This event is being held at STRINGZ & WINGZ Z-PLEX Centrally located to Cleveland, Akron, and Youngstown Just a short drive from the Ohio Turnpike exit at 480 STRINGZ & WINGZ is a full menu restaurant and bar and you can have lunch on site if you so desire. Though this is a FREE event to convey important information, but there will be a donation jar available to help cover the cost.  

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.

---------------------------------

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.

--------------------------------------------

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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