Jenny Beth Martin on the IRS scandal: they want us in jail

Art credit: tsu3rdvp.blogspot.com

“One prosecution would make an impact” 

From Istook at The Washington Times:

IRS “wants to throw us in jail,” says tea party leader 

“They want to throw us in jail,” says Tea Party Patriots leader Jenny Beth Martin about the latest bombshell news of the IRS‘ targeting of the Tea Party movement.

Emails released under a federal court order showed the Obama administration’s Justice Department and the IRS‘ Lois Lerner discussed working together to find a tea party case they could prosecute for supposed false claims about political activity.

“One prosecution would make an impact,” Ms. Lerner wrote in one of her emails.

Ms. Lerner has pleaded the Fifth Amendment rather than testify to Congress. She faces contempt of Congress charges because she had already made self-serving statements before clamming up when questioned.

“Clearly they were trying to find ways to throw us in jail,” says Ms. Martin, co-founder and president of Tea Party Patriots, the largest national grassroots Tea Party group. “They were looking to trump up charges to throw us in jail,” she told me in an interview on my daily talk show on The Washington Times Radio Network.

“I cannot overstate the silencing effect this has already had on groups all across the country,” said Ms. Martin. “While the IRS lied to Congress … they were looking for ways to trump up charges to throw us in jail.”

The new batch of emails was not provided by the IRS to congressional investigators, but was obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit brought by Judicial Watch.

One of the emails specifically mentioned “Tea Party Patriots,” so Ms. Martin said the news of the Justice Department’s coordination with the IRS caught her immediate attention:

“All day long I just kept thinking, had the inspector general not come out with his report, would I have been in jail yesterday? Would they have found some reason to throw me in jail and would my 11-year-old twins be wondering what Mommy did wrong to throw me in jail, when indeed I hadn’t done anything wrong. It was just this Obama administration, this corrupt administration, trying to make people who disagreed with them be quiet.

“It’s sickening. We have to get to the bottom of this. The people who did this must be held accountable. We will do everything we can to make sure they are held accountable. We are not backing down. We will not let this government intimidate us.”

Nevertheless, she says the IRS effort already has suppressed conservative groups: “I cannot overstate the silencing effect this has already had on groups all over the country.”

Ms. Martin also told my listeners that Tea Party Patriots has filed its own FOIA lawsuit against the IRS and the Treasury Department. The goal is to force disclosure of the secretive “off-plan” process used to develop proposed new stifling regulations on nonprofits that try to inform the public about what government is doing.

Responses to those FOIA requests were due in January, but the IRS kept dragging them out, most recently trying to extend its deadline until July. Instead, the Tea Party Patriots filed suit on April 15 to force the IRS to divulge the background and origin of those proposed regulations. More than 150,000 comments were submitted in response — a record number — mostly in opposition.

Ms. Martin says the regulations appear to be an extension of an out-of-control effort to target and suppress the tea party and other conservative groups.

“While they lied to Congress they were looking for ways to trump up charges to throw us in jail,” she told my audience. “We have government that has gone wild.

“To think that they were trying to throw volunteers in jail for speaking out against our government and being concerned about the direction of our country, for being concerned about our $17 trillion in debt … shows just how out of touch with reality and our founding principles the bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., the Obama administration and the ‘Department of In-Justice’ are.

“It’s astounding that this is what’s happening in our government and our country. It’s not justice to try to punish people that disagree with you politically.”

Former Rep. Istook serves on the national board of Tea Party Patriots. Hear his daily radio show, noon to 3 p.m. Eastern, at www.kzlsam.com.   

Keep Cleveland Strong: Vote No on Sin Tax Issue 7!

It is time for all hands on deck to beat Issue 7 the proposed Sin Tax extension!  

Not surprisingly, on the pro-Sin Tax side the corporate cabal that has been fleecing the residents of Cuyahoga County for far too long - the Greater Cleveland Partnership (GCP) - has been running a constant campaign of misleading half truths and shameful scare tactics in the efforts to pass the Sin Tax.

Under the leadership of the same so-called corporate & elected leaders supporting the Sin Tax extension, the Cleveland/Cuyahoga County has continually rated in the top rankings of Worst City, Most Miserable City or Most Dangerous to live in the U.S. (2010, 2011, 2012 & 2013).  

And, I guess in trying to out do themselves being the 7th most financially distressed region in the U.S. for 2012 - the Cleveland/Cuyahoga area was rated the #1 Most Miserable City to live and one of the Worst Run Cities in the U.S. in 2014!

So as you see - while the pro-Sin Tax cabal has claimed the tag "Keep Cleveland Strong" it is clear this Cuyahoga County cadre of corporate clowns just want to "Keep Doing Cleveland Wrong!"

Why Should You Vote No on Issue 7?

If giving more money to the same corporate & elected leaders whose continued failed leadership earned us the above "stellar & cellar" rankings is not enough to Vote No on Issue 7 maybe how they are continuing to fleece the region for their pet projects will....

We still owe approximately $70 million on the Gateway bonds and will be paying those until 2023 to cover cost over runs in building Progressive Field & Quicken Loans Arena and to cover the poorly negotiated team leases.

The same Greater Cleveland Partnership fronted groups pushing for the Sin Tax are made up from the same corporate social club that pushed and received the forced sales tax increase for the Med Mart. In which we just paid another $3 million to part ways with the original developer MMPI.

And in the latest endeavor of feeding at the public trough is the proposed redesigning of Public Square at the cost of $60 million by Land Studios - another Greater Cleveland Partnership controlled front group.  

The City of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County have each pledged $10 million towards this project. That would be $20 million of your money! Forget about being responsible and using this money for their poorly negotiated leases, the Sin Tax or maybe important things like fixing our failing infrastructure & roads - we need more grass, green space and park benches! 

To summarize the Sin Tax -- 

The Sin Tax is set to expire in August 2015. 

Using their money & influence as the largest Chamber of Commerce in Ohio and one of the largest metropolitan chambers of commerce in the nation, the GCP had the GOP controlled Ohio Legislature add in a last minute provision to Governor Kasich's budget bill that would give Cuyahoga County the option to extend the Sin Tax beyond the scheduled 2015 expiration. 

Yes, the so-called "Party of Lower Taxes" controlling the Ohio legislature supported a tax extension. A better way of saying it is - the Ohio legislature dare not and know better than to defy the wishes of the Greater Cleveland Partnership.  

In conducting what amounted to nothing more than a dog & pony show for their pre-determined outcome and, without any meaningful discussions or consideration on alternative funding, the Cuyahoga County Council - doing their bidding for the GCP - immediately looked to your pocket book, and unanimously voted to put Issue 7 the Sin Tax extension on the upcoming May primary ballot.

To be clear with an indisputable fact - there was no need to immediately ask the voters to pay for the Sin Tax extension - there was plenty of time and it could have been put on the November 2014 or May 2015 ballot. And furthermore, there is no danger of losing our beloved sports teams should the Sin Tax extension be voted down.

If they wanted, the so-called corporate & elected "leaders" in Cuyahoga County had and still have more than enough time to explore alternative funding avenues for the Sin Tax.  

Without jeopardizing any funding or violating the leases, the Sin Tax extension could have been placed on the November 2014 or May 2015 ballot. Instead, and as usual in Cuyahoga County, they immediately look to the voters to support this "Billionaire Bailout" for the stadiums. 

By voting No on Issue 7 - it will simply force the so-called corporate & elected leaders to do their due diligence - which they did not do when the original leases were negotiated or now when they came straight to the voters asking for what amounts to a stimulus for the stadiums and/or a bailout for billionaires.

Most importantly voting No on Issue 7 will send a message that we the people of Cuyahoga County will no longer stand for the status quo that was supposed to have stopped with the Greater Cleveland Partnership pushed County Reform.

It is time to say enough is enough! 

Vote No on Issue 7!

Donald Rumsfeld's letter to the IRS

From Donald Rumsfeld's FB page (h/t Hot Air):

Speaker Boehner's Electile Dysfunction

There is only one thing that can be said about this video - Priceless!

The below video is from J.D. Winteregg (http://www.jdwinteregg.com/) who is running against Speaker Boehner in the Ohio 8th Congressional District...

To find out more about J.D. Winteregg click here.

Vote No on Issue 7: Spineless Pro-Sinners

As we see many local elected officials & candidates cowering in fear of the Greater Cleveland Partnership if they do not support passage of the Sin Tax (Issue 7), it is nice to see some candidates showing the resolve and integrity to stand up to the same corporate cabal that has been fleecing Cuyahoga County residents since their inception in 2004.  

To date, City of Cleveland Council members Brian Cummins & Michael Polensek are the only elected officials brave enough to speak out against the Sin Tax.

Sadly, every single one of the current County Council members & County Executive Ed FitzGerald showed they were woefully lacking in the spine department when it came to Issue 7 when they unanimously, with minimal if any discussion of alternative funding avenues, voted for it to be placed on the May 2014 ballot.

In the contested races for County Council and the Democrat primary for County Executive, there are only 2 candidates that have shown they are willing to speak out against the status quo and have declared their opposition to Issue 7, the Sin Tax.

Challenging incumbent County Councilwoman Sunny Simon in District 11 is John Currid.  Besides wanting a plastic bag tax, Simon is a staunch supporter of  - and had no issues with immediately asking the voters to pay for - the Sin Tax.

In contrast to Simon, her challenger John Currid is very clear in his stance against Issue 7 the Sin Tax. He does not believe that the voters should again be burdened with the Sin Tax.

From John Currid --

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

February 18, 2014 

CONTACT: 

John J. Currid

(216) 502-0914

campaign@bestcuyahoga.com

WEBSITE:

http://www.BESTCuyahoga.com

Innovative Thinking and Fresh Ideas Needed; the Sin Tax Is a Failed Funding Scheme. 

South Euclid, OH – John J. Currid, Candidate for County Council, District 11 has come out against the renewal of the County Sin Tax and urges residents to reject the upcoming tax levy. Previous leaders for both the City of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County entered into agreements that were short sighted and placed a heavy burden on the residents of Cuyahoga County. The Sin Tax was established as a scheme to pay for the unfunded promises of Gateway and the Cleveland Browns Stadium. 

“I am running for County Council because the time is long overdue for leadership that provides unique ideas and innovative solutions that makes Cuyahoga County more attractive to young families and competitive businesses throughout the county” says Currid. 

If the Sin Tax is not renewed, the county and City of Cleveland are still responsible for the legal agreements made with each of the teams. With the announcement that United Airlines is pulling their Hub from Cleveland Hopkins Airport there is a distinctive opportunity to responsibly fund these obligations while making Cuyahoga County an inviting community for families to take root and competitive for businesses to prosper. 

Rather then burdening the residents with this continued tax Currid suggests, “The time has come to close Burke Lakefront Airport and immediately implement a redevelopment plan for the lakefront. Burke Lakefront is an unnecessary and rarely used luxury that we can no longer afford.” 

The benefits of a thriving lakefront support a BEST Cuyahoga; this is a responsible and achievable plan that makes Cuyahoga County more competitive and desirable for families and businesses to invest in the county while loosening the tax burden currently keeping the region down. To learn more about this and other plans that make up the BEST Cuyahoga (Business, Education, Safety, & Taxes) visit www.BESTCuyahoga.com. 

###

On the other side of the aisle, in the Democrat primary for County Executive, against the establishment supported front-runner Armond Budish, all but one of the candidates are Sin Tax supporters.

Democrat candidate Tim Russo has been the only County Executive candidate that has been vocal and actively working across the political aisle in trying to defeat the Sin Tax.  

County Council incumbents & Ed FitzGerald should all be ashamed for continuing with the same status quo, especially since the voters in Cuyahoga County spoke out against the status quo by passing the County Reform. Candidates and elected officials brave enough to stand up for the people in this county should be applauded!

Keep Cleveland Strong!

Vote No on Issue 7 

Good News: IRS Set to Water Down Newly Proposed Free Speech Regulation

Art credit: http://lutheranprof.org/

From Katie Pavlich at Townhall:

Shortly after former IRS Director of Tax Exempt Groups Lois Lerner admitted last year that her agency had been inappropriately targeting conservative organizations, a new set of rules were proposed that would make what the IRS did to tea party groups legal and would limit the free speech of tax-exempt groups across the political spectrum. The rules specifically define "candidate related activity" as voter registration, candidate forums and debates, distribution of voter guides, discussion of incumbent voting records, simply referencing the names of candidates during meetings and more.

During the public commenting period, a record breaking 150,000 people left comment strongly suggesting the rule be completely thrown out. Conservative groups like the Tea Party Patriots and liberal groups like the ACLU are both opposed to this type of regulation on the free speech of tax-exempt groups. [emphasis added]

Now, IRS head John Koskinen plans to rewrite the previously proposed rules and will open up another public comment period once they are finished.

He said the new rule would take into account backlash from conservative Tea Party groups as well as some liberal advocacy organizations that the agency's proposal – intended to address concerns that the tax-exempt groups were engaged in partisan warfare – would bar, even voter education and registration programs.

He was interviewed on the eve of Tax Day, the April 15 deadline for Americans to file their returns.

"I think we have to take all of that into consideration," Koskinen told the weekly video newsmaker series. "There are very thoughtful comments and concerns, and one of the questions that has evoked a lot of comment is, once you define what political activity is, to what organizations should it apply in the 501(c) context and how much of it should be allowed? All of that is going to be very important."

Last week Koskinen faced tough criticism [from] Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senator Orrin Hatch for failing to kill of the newly proposed rules faster. The new regulation has also prompted calls for tax reform on Capitol Hill.

 # # # 

Income Tax due today

File your income tax returns today. The only post office open late is the Orange Rd. main branch - open until 9pm. Map here. 

Truth in Campaigning? Not in the 9th District GOP Primary!

At this time of the year many people are being flooded with campaign literature through the U.S. Mail and are being bombarded with emails, tweets and facebook messages/posts from candidates in the upcoming primary races.

The primary challengers do their best to portray themselves as reflecting the views of the voters in the political party with which they are affiliated. And as we all know, incumbents facing a primary challenge will use the best spin doctors money can buy to redefine a poor voting record in attempts to make it appear they are line with the views of their political party.

Pretty much - GOP candidates & incumbents try to make themselves Ronald Reagan, and Democrat candidates & incumbents try to make themselves Bill Clinton or John Kennedy.

A case in point of candidates trying to mislead voters and create themselves as something they are not would be the GOP primary in Ohio's 9th Congressional District between Richard May and Robert Horrocks. The winner will face off against Democrat incumbent Rep. Marcy Kaptur this November.

Taking a quick look on the "About" page on Mr. Horrocks campaign website, in trying to portray himself as conservative, you immediately see the obligatory quote from Ronald Reagan on the right side bar. 

And at the top of the page, in an attempt to show voters he supports "Family Values," Horrock's has a picture of himself with his kids - and what he would want you to think is his wife...

And this is where we come to the integrity of candidates..... while attempting to portray himself with a wife and kids - at the very bottom of this webpage - Horrock mentions he lives with his partner in Lakewood and has shared parenting with his ex-wife.  Why no picture of Horrocks & his partner?

It is clear that by having a warm & fuzzy family picture placed boldly at the top of his webpage and the one sentence regarding his "partner" at the bottom - Horrocks is clearly trying to mislead conservative voters into thinking he is something he is not!

Make no mistake - this is not about Horrock's being gay - it is about Horrocks being deceitful and clearly trying to mislead voters. The question begs to be asked -- if he cannot be honest with voters in his primary race - how could one expect Horrocks to be honest if he is elected to office? 

Further advancing this farce would be the Plain Dealer, the local newspaper that supports all things liberal. The PD has recently come out and endorsed candidate Robert Horrocks over Richard May in this race. 

Taking issue with Richard May because he supports traditional marriage and doesn't "think a gay man can't represent the 'party of traditional values,'" in their endorsement of Horrocks the PD looks past his failures and questionable abilities as a previously elected official.... (emphasis added)

Horrocks, of Lakewood, is far from an ideal candidate. He couldn’t immediately explain how New Carlisle developed financial problems in 2002 when he was on city council. (Voters recalled him the next year). He's experienced foreclosure. May revealed that Horrocks removed, at May's request, links on his Facebook page to websites that included photos of scantily clad men.

Horrocks should have learned by now that the personal is political on the campaign trail. 

On balance, Horrocks appears to be a thoughtful, if flawed, candidate...

Thoughtful but flawed?!?!? How about lacking integrity, honesty, fiscal responsibility, etc...?

With our country facing a $17 trillion debt, the Plain Dealer supports a candidate, Horrocks, who was recalled by voters in New Carlisle over financial problems in the city that happened under his watch. But he is thoughtful!

The Plain Dealer clearly endorsed Horrocks not because of his qualifications or past performance as an elected official - but simply because of his being gay. This should not be about a persons sexual orientation or sexual confusion and should be about integrity of the candidates - and Horrocks has shown he has none!

In full disclosure - I have personally known Richard May for many years and have stood shoulder to shoulder with Richard in fighting against the RINO's in Cuyahoga County. 

As a group, the Cleveland TPP does not endorse candidates, but as an individual I can personally attest to the fact that Richard May is a conservative candidate that not only walks his talk - he truly lives by it.

Corporate Charlatan's Supporting Sin Tax (Issue 7) Dismiss Proposed "Fair Share" Facility Fee

The Coalition Against the Sin Tax held a press conference yesterday to offer up an alternative avenue of funding to replace the proposed Sin Tax extension.

This "Fair Share" Facility Fee would be $3.25 per ticket for events held at Progressive Field, Quicken Loans Arena & First Energy Stadium. This proposed fee would generate an amount roughly equal ($13 - $14 million per year) to what is raised with the current Sin Tax on cigarettes & alcohol.

The hypocrisy of the pro-sin tax crowd is priceless.  Without even looking at it -- they immediately dismiss the Fair Share plan of being hastily put together.

Really?  This coming from the same people that did not consider any alternative funding measures and came directly to the people at the first opportunity they could.

It is time to come together to put a stop to this corporate cabal of charlatan's - The Greater Cleveland Partnership - that have been fleecing this area for far too long.  

For those that may not remember - always having their hands in our pockets - the Greater Cleveland Partnership is the same group that pushed the forced sales tax increase for the Med Mart too.  And the same as they did then they are doing now - looking straight to the residents to pay for their projects.

Vote No on the Sin Tax (Issue 7)

Below is a copy of the Fair Share Plan from the Coalition Against the Sin Tax.

Fair Share Facility Fee proposal, a preferable alternative to the proposed 20-year $260 million Sin Tax up... by Andrea Torres

The Legacy of Obama's Illegal Alien Aunt Zeituni

From Michelle Malkin via Townhall --

Zeituni Onyango, President Obama's illegal alien aunt, died this week of cancer and other complications. I hope she rests in peace. America, however, should be up in arms.

Auntie Zeituni is an enduring symbol of all that is wrong with this country's immigration "policy" -- or rather, its complete lack of a coherent, enforceable system of laws and rules that puts the national interest first. She was a beneficiary of the welfare state run amok, enabled by bipartisan fecklessness. To the bitter end, she bit the hand that fed her with predictable ingratitude and metastatic entitlement.

Zeituni's 14-year illegal overstay is a reminder that our temporary visa program is an abysmal joke. Like millions of foreign students, business people and tourists to this country, Auntie Zeituni obtained a short-term visitor visa in 2000. It had an expiration date. She was supposed to go back to Kenya in two years after traveling here with her son, who had been accepted at a college in Boston.

But like millions of other "temporary" visa overstayers, Auntie Zeituni never went home. And despite billions spent on homeland security and immigration enforcement, no one ever went looking for her to kick her out of the country after her time was up.

Auntie Zeituni had no job skills, no special talent, no compelling reason to keep her here in America as an asset to our culture or our economy. She didn't value the American Dream. She was a dependency nightmare. She collected $700 a month in welfare benefits and disability payments totaling $51,000. Somehow, Auntie Zeituni also drummed up money to apply for asylum and finagled her way into both federal and state public housing in Boston.

She contributed nothing to this country. The only "work" she did was gaming the system, complaining about her lot and blaming everyone else for her problems while they subsidized her 14-year illegal overstay.

Auntie Zeituni's ridiculous asylum application and what happened afterward are reminders that our asylum and deportation systems are appalling jokes. Auntie Zeituni's bogus request was rejected by the immigration court system. A judge ordered her to return to Kenya in 2003. She appealed. She lost. A judge again ordered her to leave in 2004.

But Auntie Zeituni never went home. Like an estimated 700,000 other deportation absconders, she evaded the judicial order for nearly a half-dozen years and continued to feed at the government trough. When the Bush administration had the chance to put the pedal to the enforcement metal in 2008, they caved. Pandering to pro-amnesty forces, Bush officials issued a 72-hour cease-and-desist order to all fugitive apprehension teams to spare Obama embarrassment over his auntie right before Election Day.

As an Immigration and Customs Enforcement source told me at the time: "The ICE fugitive operations group throughout the U.S. was told to stand down until after the election from arresting or transporting anyone out of the U.S. This was done to avoid any mistakes of deporting or arresting anyone who could have a connection to the election, i.e., anyone from Kenya who could be a relative. The decision was election-driven." Such stand-down non-enforcement orders are standard operating procedure in Washington.

Auntie Zeituni's illegal activity and ingratitude were rewarded time and time again. She got multiple bites at the immigration court apple, where it ain't over till the alien wins. Despite twice being ordered to go home, the feds allowed her bogus case to be reopened. After breaking visa laws, campaign finance laws (she donated illegally to Obama three times), deportation rules and judicial orders, she was allowed to have yet another hearing. Her manufactured claim of a "credible fear of persecution" in Kenya made a mockery of every legitimate case for asylum or refugee status.

"If I come as an immigrant, you have the obligation to make me a citizen," Auntie Zeituni demanded. She griped that America had "used" her and then cashed in on a book about her travails called "Tears of Abuse." And then, after a decade of doing absolutely nothing to enhance the well-being of our country, she received a coveted green card in 2010.

Neither Republican nor Democratic leaders in Washington had the will to kick this trash-talking freeloader (or her drunk-driving, deportation-evading, amnesty-securing deadbeat brother Omar Onyango) out of our home. Auntie Zeituni's story is a disgraceful reminder that the only thing worse than the ingrates thumbing their noses at our immigration laws are the people in power on both sides of the aisle enabling them.

Hypocrite Ed FitzGerald (P.O. #14) Conducts his own "War on Women"

From the phony cries of racism and voter suppression and now the so-called GOP War on Women - nobody owns being a hypocrite like the Ohio Democrat Party & Cuyahoga County Executive and Democrat candidate for Ohio Governor - Ed FitzGerald (AKA - Public Official #14 in the Cuyahoga County Corruption Scandal).

And consistent with FitzGerald paying women less then men, as we posted back in 2012, the Democrats have been conducting a War on Women for some time.

From Third Base Politics --

You’ll hear Democrats squawking quite a bit today about equal pay today. They love to quote that women make only 77 cents for every dollar a man makes.

Today is National Equal Pay Day. Did you know women still make just .77 for each $1 a man earns? RT to stand w/us in the fight for #equalpay
— Ohio Dems (@OHDems) April 8, 2014

Of course, many of us know that that figure alone does NOT reflect men and women doing the exact same jobs. There are many factors that go into that 77 cent figure, and it is far more influenced by factors such as the careers that women go into compared to men, plus the fact that women often take maternity leave.

But let’s pretend that 77 cent methodology, taking all workers across all careers and job types, is a valid one to consider. Let’s do what the Democrats are doing, and NOT consider the type of work or career, and only look at raw numbers, even if it is comparing apples to oranges.

How would they fair in their own hiring practices?

Third Base Politics has acquired the salaries of Ed Fitzgerald’s county executive staff through a public records request. Below is what the county provided.

Ed Fitzgerald has 7 men and 5 women on his staff.

He pays the men an average of $94438.
He pays the women an average of $71011.

The women on Ed Fitzgerald’s staff make 75 cents for every dollar that the men on his staff do.

This is the same standard and methodology that Democrats are using when they claim that there is a “war on women” because women earn 77% of what men do.

Heck, in Ed Fitzgerald’s office, it’s even worse than Democrats are saying about the national average!

So, Ed. Why are you discriminating against women this way? We’ll be waiting for the Ohio Democratic Party to criticize the pay discrimination going on in Ed Fitzgerald’s office.

Illegal immigrants don't want to be Americans; they want money: Kevin O'Brien

Below is an excellent column by the Plain Dealer's Kevin O'Brien on the difference between immigrants wanting to come here here for a better life and to become an American citizen and illegal immigrants coming here and sucking the system dry....

From Cleveland.Com -- 

Back in 2008, before then-Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora’s world started to crumble in earnest, I penned a little song parody about his throwing a couple of Plain Dealer reporters out of a news conference. They were questioning him about a county employee whose hiring looked a lot like cronyism.

It was titled “That’s Dimora”and was sung to the tune of “That’s Amore.”

A couple of days later, a delegation of guys — most of whom you’ve probably at least heard of — dropped by the editorial writers' department to chew me out for disrespecting Italians. Every one of them was as American as an apple pie chaser after a big plate of lasagna. Solid citizens. Here for the duration. Completely invested in the United States of America.

In one particular case, American and proooooooud of it.

They obviously had great love for their ethnic heritage, but they weren’t straddling continents. Their lives were here. Their families were here. Their businesses were here. Their future was here. And the most meaningful parts of their past were here.

I’m confident that if someone ran an Italian flag up the schoolhouse pole above Old Glory, to a man they would have taken offense. Because, to a man, they love this country. Somewhere along each of their lineages, some gutsy forebear risked everything to come here — legally, one would surmise — and stayed to make a life and to contribute to a better, stronger America.

They didn’t forget their heritage, but they aren’t confused about where their allegiance lies.

Contrast that with the vast majority of “immigrants,” who arrive illegally and with no interest whatsoever in contributing to a better, stronger America. They’re immigrants only in the sense that they have entered from another country. They stay as long as it suits them, or until they get caught.

Citizenship is the very last thing on their minds. Money is the very first.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush got the money motivation absolutely right when he rhapsodized about illegal “immigrants” on Sunday, during an event at the George Bush Presidential Library. The rest of it, he mangled beyond recognition:

“The way I look at this is someone who comes to our country because they couldn’t come legally, they come to our country because their families — the dad who loved their children — was worried that their children didn’t have food on the table. And they wanted to make sure their family was intact, and they crossed the border because they had no other means to work to be able to provide for their family. Yes, they broke the law, but it’s not a felony. It’s an act of love. It’s an act of commitment to your family.”

OK, Mexico is a hell of a mess. It’s corrupt. Its oil riches have been horribly mismanaged, and what hasn’t been squandered has been stolen by the people in charge. It’s drug-ridden, gang-ridden and poverty-ridden. Getting out of there has to have tremendous appeal.

But they can’t do it legally, so their lives stay there, even when their bodies are here. And going back with a bag of dollars earned up north in the land of opportunity has a lot of appeal, too.

Their apologists remind us constantly that the United States is “a nation of immigrants.” And so it is. But let’s not flatter today’s illegals by calling them immigrants. They’re just visitors, here on their own, individually conceived guest-worker program.

The immigrants of previous generations came here looking for opportunity and wealth, too. But the vast majority did so with no thought of returning. They packed what they could, booked passage on ships, said goodbye to everyone they knew and disembarked days or weeks later at Ellis Island. They were committed to being in the United States because they were convinced that the United States was the best place in the whole world to make a life.

They came to be Americans, not to be Italian or Irish or Polish people merely residing in the United States, with roots and plans no deeper than a mailing address.

That, too, was an act of love — love for the things they understood America to stand for.

They came to be Americans, not just to take what they could get and head for home as soon as they thought they had enough or felt the law closing in. They didn’t break the law to come, in hopes of being hired by an employer willing to break the law, under the nose of a government that declines to enforce the law. They came to learn and assimilate into the culture, not to change the culture so it resembled what they had left behind.

America, meanwhile, doesn’t exist because the Founding Fathers made an act of commitment to their families. Far from it.

America exists because of enormous risks — to lives, to fortunes, to sacred honor, to families — taken by people who believed strongly enough in the ideals laid out in the Declaration of Independence to commit everything to them.

You won’t find any such commitment in today’s illegal “immigrants.” They’re here to use America. And while they’re here, they, in turn, are used to increase the political power of groups that cynically play on the emotions of good-hearted, soft-headed people — like Jeb Bush.

It’s good that he spoke up the way he did, because in doing so he torpedoed his already extremely slim chance at the Republican presidential nomination. That was a public service. So was giving Americans reason to re-examine the point of immigration.

If immigration is to make any sense, it must benefit both sides — the new arrival and his new nation. In no way does the scant benefit of cheap labor begin to offset the damage that is being done to American law and culture.

Kevin O’Brien is The Plain Dealer’s deputy editorial page editor.

Cleveland-area bingo players say No Dice on Sin Tax!

From the Coalition Against The Sin Tax --

Earlier this week, the Coalition Against the Sin Tax (C.A.S.T.) visited a popular Cleveland-area bingo game to speak with citizens about Issue 7 — the proposed $260+ million Sin Tax on alcohol and cigarettes that Cuyahoga County’s business and political leaders want to take from the County’s residents to give to Cleveland’s pro sports teams for improvements to their facilities. 

Not surprisingly, the bingo players were none too pleased with the idea of the sports owners reaching back into their kitty....

Unfortunately, there’s far too much doubt as to whether informed opinions of regular Clevelanders will be heard in this low-turnout May election, especially with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of “Keep Cleveland Strong” propaganda flooding the County like something out of an Orwell novel. 

Which makes it especially important for folks to inform themselves and stand up for themselves, including in Cuyahoga County on May 6 by voting no on Issue 7.

Join in the fight to stop the Sin Tax! (Vote No on Issue 7)

Click here or on the below photo and go to the Coalition Against The Sin Tax webpage & sign up for more info, volunteer sign up, fundraising info and email updates.  

Click here to "Like" their Facebook page and share it with your social networks.  Save the picture below and use it as your Facebook profile picture.

Tea Party groups unite around core conservative values

Art credit: politicaloutcast.com

PRESS RELEASE Monday, April 7th, 2014 For Immediate Release Contact:Barbara Gonzalez BayshoreTeaPartyGroup 908-902-5728  Ann Marie Ubelis  Beaufort Tea Party Group 843-473-7712

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE     TEA PARTY GROUPS CONTINUE TO UNITE IN JOINT STATEMENT - TAKE A STAND ON THE 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION   MIDDLETOWN, NEW JERSEY  -  April 7th, 2014       THE LIST KEEPS GROWING!  In less than a month, other conservative groups in the country have added their names as signatories to a Press Release sent in early March, stating that they will NO LONGER accept an RNC  'anointed' candidate who, more than likely, would be considered by these groups to be a moderate republican. In the original Press Release, the following was stated:  It is time for the GOP to choose a candidate who reflects the values and core principles that were once that of the Republican party, and propelled Ronald Reagan to landslide victories in 1980 and 1984 - namely: smaller government, lower taxes and respect for the rule of Constitutional law. In the event a moderate or liberal republican is nominated by the GOP in 2016, the TEA Party and Conservative groups that joined together in this statement, have pledged to refuse any support for that nominee and urge all concerned Americans who believe in liberty, prosperity, smaller government and fiscal responsibility, to join them in their action.  Rich Luzzi -  Morris County TEA Party, (NJ) had this to add:   "While the GOP symbol is an elephant, and elephants have long memories, the GOP establishment  has a very short memory.  The establishment continues to push left of center Presidential candidates and calls them "moderates".  But being "socialist-light" is not the way to reach the masses.  Most people want to live the American Dream, and pass a better life on to their children.  But both parties policies are doing the opposite, leaving us worse off and a darker future for our children.  Voter dissatisfaction with both parties can be seen in the steep decline in voter participation since 2008.  If the GOP wants engaged voters, and overwhelming victories, it needs to nominate and back a conservative candidate who can synthesize and communicate the conservative message, because the conservative message IS the American Dream." Ralph King, Co-Coordinator  - Cleveland TEA Party Partriots, said:  "The GOP has shown they are unable to win elections with weak candidates that do not embrace the values of the Tea Party movement that brought them historical & landslide victories in 2010."   "Mr. Priebus, Speaker Boehner and the rest of the GOP establishment elite, please be advised, that in no uncertain terms - should you choose to ignore the message from the undersigned groups - it will be at your own political peril." The following is the updated list of signatories as of April 7th, 2014:  - Bayshore TEA Party Group - New Jersey   - East Jersey TEA Party Group - New Jersey   - West Jersey TEA Party Group - New Jersey  - New Jersey TEA Party Caucus - New Jersey  - Ventura County TEA Party - California  - Aroostook County TEA Party - Maine  - Bakersfield TEA Party - California  - New York TEA Party Coalition - New York   - Beaufort TEA Party - South Carolina   - Morris County TEA Party - A NJ-non-profit corp.  - TeamNJ - New Jersey  - TPATH - New Jersey                                          - Cleveland TEA Party - Ohio  - Wood County TEA Party - West Virginia   - Skylands TEA Party - New Jersey   - CNY (Central New York) TEA Party - New York   - East Bay TEA Party - Contra Costa County California   - Firelands Patriots of Eerie County - Ohio   - Mansfield TEA Party - Ohio   - Cincinnati TEA Party - Ohio     As the election nears, more TEA Party and Conservative groups will sign this action and join their  website:  Check back on their website for updates: http://norino2016.webs.com/   Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/no.rino.75 Twitter:       http://www.Twitter.com/NoRino60085183                                                                    ###