State Auditor candidate Dave Yost proposes taking away Independence of State Auditors Office

The Ohio Republican Party hand-picked & endorsed candidate for State Auditor, Dave "I was for being Attorney General before I was against it" Yost, in an over reaching attmept to politicize an office that MUST maintain its' independence is proposing a State Budget Commission to be made up of the State Treasurer, the State Auditor & State Attorney General.....

Republican State Auditor candidate Dave Yost today proposed creation of a State Budget Commission of the Auditor, Treasurer and Attorney General to improve state fiscal planning and increase accountability.

“Ohio counties have been well-served by county budget commissions made up of the county auditor, treasurer and prosecuting attorney, which designate a revenue total and then make regular updates,” Yost continued.

“A budget commission works for counties, it can work for the State, too,” Yost concluded. “By making these important calculations the responsibility of specific statewide elected officials, voters will know exactly where to look when the numbers are wrong or slow in coming.” (Dave Yost for Auditor)

With this proposed partisan move and as reflected in the above statement, Yost clearly affirms a lack of knowledge on the vastly different roles of a County Auditor and a State Auditor.

His opponent in the State Auditors race, Seth Morgan, counters Yost's proposal with this statement....

“This is a great example of the difference between having a CPA as Auditor of State and someone who served as auditor of county. A CPA like the Ohio Auditor both work to ensure independence and objectivity whenever issuing audit reports. A county auditor has no responsibility to issue such reports,” said Seth Morgan, CPA.

“To have the Auditor of State who is tasked with issuing an objective and independent financial audit report being involved with placing their credibility on the estimates of the revenue itself creates the appearance of a lack of independence in issuing that financial audit report. How does the Auditor of State first tell the citizens of Ohio what the revenues will be and then issue a report on the revenues themselves without being tainted by the fact that their credibility is already on the line?” said Morgan.

Additionally, the Governor’s role and the legislature’s role are to debate and enact the state budget. Seth Morgan has expressed major concerns in the past about the reliability of having the Governor issue the revenue estimates through his Office of Budget Management (OBM). (Friends of Seth Morgan Campaign)

Putting aside the comments from the candidates, Mary Taylor (current State Auditor and candidate for Lt. Governor), who has taken the State Auditors office to level of fiscal competency not seen in years, has some concerns about Yost's attempt at politicizing the office....

State Auditor Mary Taylor says an Ohio Budget Commission proposal unveiled this week by auditor candidate Dave Yost could create a conflict-of-interest problem for the office.

“We would be concerned that their might be an independence issue if the legislature were to approve legislation…that required the auditor of state to participate in any budgeting process, and then after the fact would be required to go in and audit,” Taylor said Friday during a taping of ONN’s Capitol Square, which will air Sunday at 10 a.m., noon, and 7 p.m. (Columbus Dispatch)

For more insightful comments on Yost's proposed Budget Commission here are a couple other posts made by two of the more competent and accurate bloggers in OH at Right Ohio (click here) and Bizzy Blog (click here).

Support Cuyahoga County for Liberty & COAST's Ban Red Light Cameras Rally tomorrow in Cleveland

The Cuyahoga County for Liberty group by working with COAST is kicking off their campaign to ban Red Light Cameras in Cleveland & Garfield Hts. The Cleveland Tea Party Patriots have endorsed this effort without reservation and encourage all our members to attend the press confernce tomorrow.

Make sure to visit the CC4L booth at our Tax Day Tea Party where you can sign up to be more involved.

From our friends at Cuyahoga County for Liberty--

COAST brings campaign to ban Red Light Cameras

to

Cleveland and Garfield Heights

Friday, April 9, 2010 at Noon

For immediate release:

Monday, April 5, 2010 at 8:30 AM

For more information:
Christopher P. Finney, 513-720-2996 (COAST)
Maryanne Petranek, 216-503-2238 ( Cleveland )
Frank Wagner, 216-799-2909 ( Garfield Heights )

On Friday, at the invitation of local activists, COAST returns to Cleveland to formally launch petition drives to fight Red Light Cameras in the cities of Cleveland and Garfield Heights . COAST will come with petitions and petitioning instructions in hand to start the 2010 drive. The details of the gathering are as follows:

The intersection of Chester Ave. and E. 71st
Friday, April 9, 2010 at Noon

(This is the intersection where more tickets have been issued for red light cameras in Cleveland than any other.)

In 2009, at least three other cities in Ohio batted back Red Light Cameras. Pickerington residents defeated the plan with legislative action, and voters in Chillicothe and Heath, Ohio banned the cameras with ballot initiatives.

In 2008,Cincinnati voters banned the pernicious and intrusive devices with a Charter Amendment.

The Cleveland and Garfield Heights Charter Amendment proposals are modeled after Cincinnati 's and will effectively ban unmanned red light and speeding cameras from being enforced in City limits.

On Thursday, COAST and local volunteers in Toledo will re-launch the effort to ban the cameras in that City as well.

# # #

Check us out online:
COAST Website
GOCOAST on Twitter
COAST on Facebook
COAST Blog

Cleveland Tea Party Patriots Candidate Forum; After-Action Report

We had an awesome turnout for the CTPP Candidates Forum with about 65 people attending. The questions posed to the participating candidates were far from the usual softball type questions and settings most typically seen.

The candidates that participated were given no "open book" type questions prior to the event and were told they would be coming into an unknown setting. Other than the most basic description of the format and that their opponents would be invited, the candidates were completely kept in the dark about what they would be facing.

The reasoning behind this was twofold -- one, the Tea Parties should not exist for the candidates & their campaign but for our members & our core values. The other being -- if a candidate must study or prepare for a Candidates Forum, they have no business running for office. They should already know what they stand for and why they are running for office. The candidates were informed that the days of softball type questions and cookie-cutter type formats are a thing of the past with the Tea Party Patriot groups in OH.

Here is a break down on the candidates that attended & those that didn't;

Secretary of State

Sandra O'Brien, who is running for Secretary of State was in attendance, her opponent, John Husted refused to attend.

After first giving a verbal commitment that they would attend the series of candidate forums being hosted by the Tea Party Patriot groups in OH, the Husted campaign played games and wanted to just come and talk to the groups alone. They were told we do not exist for candidates to bloviate pie in the sky promises -- after this the Husted campaign did not respond to several requests for confirmation of their attendance.

State Auditor

Seth Morgan, who is running for State Auditor was in attendance. His opponent, Dave "I was for being Attorney General before I was against it" Yost.... well we don't know what happened to Dave.

When Dave was going to be the Tea Party darling and run against Mike DeWine for Attorney General he was all gung-ho on coming to the events. After he decided to do the bidding for ORP Chairman Kevin DeWine ( and John "CAT Tax" Husted) by abandoning the AG race (and the Tea Parties & 9.12 Groups) for the State Auditor race, Yost refused to schlep in for any of the TPP candidate forums. This brings us to the conclusion Yost would much rather drink Ohio GOP kool-aid than "Tea" with you & me.

For the record, when Dave Yost, who can now be referred to as the AG candidate of yosterday, dropped out of the AG race, he claimed it was the grass roots organizations that asked him to do so. We don't want to say he is not telling the truth, but he has been unable to provide any proof of these requests.

10th Congressional District & OH House 98th District

Peter Corrigan & Ben Franklin running in the District 10 primary were in attendance and both performed very well.

Tim Grendell & Skip Claypool running for OH House 98th District were also in attendance and both of these candidates rose to the occasion also.

****************************

Overall, the candidates all performed very well and should be applauded for their willingness to wade into an unknown format, something rarely done by candidates. We wish them all the best of luck in the May primary races.

We want to thank Steve Christopher (former AG candidate) and Kat Palmer for moderating the event. We also want to thank the Cuyahoga for Liberty group for taping the event for us. The video will be up soon and you can judge the candidates performance for yourself.

Buckeye Firearms gives out 2010 Endorsements & Grades

For our members interested in what candidates running for office believe in and support the 2nd Amendment of our Constitution, Buckeye Firearms has released their grades and endorsements in the upcoming May Primary races. (Click here to read)

We've noticed some new candidates have been endorsed in the State Central Committee races over the longtime GOP favored incumbents. Namely in Senate District 25 where Ron Lisy was endorsed over long time incumbent Dave Bailey and Mike Griffith was endorsed over former OH Republican Party Chairman and incumbent Bob Bennett in Senate District 23.

On the Democrat side, challenging Rep. Betty Sutton in Congressional District 13, Justin Wooden was given the endorsement.

These BFA endorsements are being listed strictly as educational material and not as endorsements from the Cleveland Tea Party Patriots.

Contract from America to be unveiled at Tax Day Tea Parties

Please join us at our 2nd Annual Tax Day Tea Party (click for details) where we will be unveiling the grass roots built Contract from America.

From Contract from America

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Alexandria, VA) – The Tea Party Patriots, a national umbrella organization for hundreds of local tea party groups around the country, joined today with the National Taxpayers Union, FreedomWorks, and Americans for Tax Reform, three of the nation’s most prominent free-market advocacy groups, to announce the upcoming April 15 launch of the “Contract from America,” a grassroots legislative agenda for 2010 and beyond. Originally proposed by Ryan Hecker, a Houston Tea Party activist and National Coordinator for the project’s chief organizing group Tea Party Patriots, the Contract is a different kind of agenda for our federal lawmakers: unlike the Contract with America from the 1990s, every plank of the Contract from America was proposed and voted on by everyday citizens.

After a fight that seemed to last forever, Congressional leaders were finally successful in ramming through a controversial $2.5 trillion health care plan. They did it despite poll results showing that the bill was deeply unpopular, and despite efforts from of millions of taxpayers who contacted Congress, came to townhall meetings, and attended protests to speak out against the proposal. Now those taxpayers can use their frustration to do more than just protest – they can change the direction of our
country.

Right now, concerned citizens can visit the Contract FROM America website (www.contractfromamerica.org) and choose their top ten priorities from a list of 21 planks proposed by committed Americans from all walks of life. By asking website visitors to propose and vote on the agenda, the result will be not a list handed down from on high by old-bull politicians, but one handed up from the true grassroots in this country. Once voting is complete on Monday, April 5, 2010, the Contract will be finalized into a blueprint that will serve notice to public officials about what the people want for their future.

As of April 1, over 360,000 votes had been cast on the Contract website. The three most popular planks were: (1) beginning the process of enacting a balanced budget amendment to our Constitution, (2) requiring legislation to cite the Constitutional provision under which it is authorized, and (3) rejecting “cap-and-trade” national energy tax proposals.

Tea Party Patriots (www.teapartypatriots.org), National Taxpayers Union (www.ntu.org), FreedomWorks (www.freedomworks.org), and Americans for Tax Reform (www.atr.org) are nonpartisan, nonprofit citizen organizations working for lower taxes and smaller government.

2nd Annual Cleveland Tax Day Tea Party

Cleveland Tea Party Patriots
2nd Annual

Tax Day Tea Party

"Takin' it to the Street"

• Date: Tax Day April 15, 2010
• Time: 4pm - 6:30pm
• Location: Mall C / Downtown Cleveland
• Address: E.6th & Lakeside

Last year on April 15th 2009, millions of hardworking Americans stood in unison in over 800 protests around the country.

These protests, which became known as the Tax Day Tea Party, expressed real concerns against reckless government spending and spawned millions of Americans to get involved in their local Tea Parties which today are holding elected officials accountable.

With our nation at a time like no other since we’ve gained our Independence, it is important, now more than ever, that YOUR voice be heard. Please join us & your fellow Americans in celebrating this non-partisan, grass roots movement sweeping the nation!

Listed in no particular order, our speakers will be covering a whole range of topics;

• Bob Frantz (WTAM 1100)
• Al Wilson (PCCOH)
• Colleen Holmes (Eagle Forum / Executive Director)
• Maryanne Petranek (Cuyahoga County for Liberty)
• Jack Boyle (End Ohio Estate Tax)
• Mike Carey (Ohio Coal Association / President)
• Ross Phar ( Young Americans for Liberty)
• Russ Scarvelli (Operation Firing for Effect / Veterans Advocacy)
• Jim Trakas (former OH State Rep.)
• Jim Bridgens (Oath Keepers)
• Dr. Walker Todd (J.D., Ph.D. Research Fellow, American Institute for Economic Research)

Along with our great list of speakers, C.J. & Adeena will again be blessing our ears with thier incredible voices (Listen Here). And wait until you hear the patriotic pipes on CTPP's co-coordinator Glynn Urban as she sings her song "Freedom" (Listen Here).

To top everything off, the Tea Party Patriots, National Taxpayers Union, FreedomWorks, and Americans for Tax Reform will be unvieling the Contract from America at Tax Day Tea Parties across the country. Help draft the final version of the Contract from America. Click here to vote on your priorities.

Groups supporting & participating in this years Tax Day Tea Party are to date;

Lake/Geauga Tea Party Patriots
Bowling Green Tea Party Patriots
Cleveland 9.12 Project
Burton 9.12 Project
Cuyahoga County for Liberty
Young Americans for Liberty
John Carroll Conservatives
Grass Roots Rally Team of OH
N/E Ohio Value Voters
Ohio Jobs & Justice PAC
Ohio Coal Association
Oath Keepers
Heartland Institute

Support OH Senate Bill 244 / (prohibit requiring an individual to obtain or maintain a policy of health insurance.)

Patriots,

OH State Senator Shannon Jones & OH State Senator Tim Grendell have sponsored Senate Bill 244 which would prohibit requiring an individual to maintain a policy of health insurance.

State Senator Shannon Jones has also started an on-line petition in support of this bill. Please take the time to read the bill (below) and sign the petition if you agree.

You can read & sign the on-line petition in support of SB 244 by clicking here.

S. B. No. 244
Senators Jones, Grendell
Cosponsors: Senators Buehrer, Carey, Gibbs, Schaffer, Seitz
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A BILL

To enact section 3901.711 of the Revised Code to prohibit requiring an individual to obtain or maintain a policy of health insurance.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section 1. That section 3901.711 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:

Sec. 3901.711. (A)(1) No individual who is a resident of this state, regardless of whether the individual has or is eligible for health insurance coverage under any policy or program provided by or through the individual's employer, or a plan sponsored by this state or the federal government, shall be required to obtain or maintain a policy of individual health insurance coverage.

(2) No provision of Chapter 1751. or Title XXXIX of the Revised Code shall render an individual who is a resident of this state liable for any penalty, assessment, fee, or fine as a result of the individual's failure to procure or obtain health insurance coverage.

(3) No public official, employee, or agent of this state or any political subdivision shall impose, collect, enforce, or effectuate any penalty as a result of the failure of an individual who is a resident of this state to procure or obtain health insurance coverage.

(B) The attorney general shall seek injunctive or any other appropriate relief as expeditiously as possible to preserve the rights and property of the residents of this state, and to defend as necessary this state, its officials, employees and agents in the event that any government, subdivision, or government agency enacts or adopts any law, rule, or regulation that violates division (A) of this section.

(C) This section shall not apply to individuals voluntarily applying for coverage under the medicaid program established under Chapter 5111. of the Revised Code or the children's health insurance program established under sections 5101.50 to 5101.529 of the Revised Code.