Join the Virtual Continuing Revolution Rally / Call Your Congressman Now!

If you could not make the D.C. Continuing Revolution Rally, we are encouraging you to participate by calling selected OH Congressman at the same time the rally is taking place in D.C.

The GOP is getting cold feet on making the needed cuts in spending as they are fearful of being blamed for shutting down the government.  The fact of the matter is -- had the Democrats done their job and put forth a budget, there would be no need for all the Continuing Resolutions.

The Freshman GOP Congressman from OH have been wavering in their support of cutting spending and we must remind them, they work for "We the People" and not House Speaker John Boehner.

Tea Party Patriots will be holding a rally today in DC. This is a continuation of the battles fought over the last two years.

  

 The Continuing Revolution Rally will be from Noon to 1:30 PM at the Robert A. Taft Memorial, which is located northwest of the Capitol Building, directly west of Upper Senate Park. For more information: Visit: http://www.teapartypatriots.org/crr.aspx.

In conjunction with the rally on Thursday, we want to send a loud, clear message to Speaker John Boehner and our Ohio Representatives, encouraging them to create and pass a CR that cuts spending significantly (i.e., defund Obamacare appropriations, etc.).

We are asking all Ohio patriots to e-mail and call the following people between 12:00 AM and 1:00 PM. Please also continue calling through the day.

The message is simple:

• Stop playing into the hands of the Democrats and pushing short-term Continuing Resolutions. We need to develop a long-term strategy that guts the budget of excessive waste, so we can restore our nation to fiscal sanity.
• Put an end to Obamacare by defunding it in its entirety; remove the $105.5 billion that's been appropriated to implement the law.
•  Keep your promise to the American people and cut $100 billion from the actual budget, not $100 billion from the president's proposed budget.We can no longer continue to kick the can down the road. We must act NOW and demand that Congress, and specifically the Republican Leadership, get serious about addressing our country's fiscal crisis and making the deep, needed cuts to the budget.

Rep. John Boehner (OH-8) House Speaker

D.C. Office: (202) 225-0600

D.C. Office Fax: (202) 225-5117

E-mail: SpeakerBoehner@mail.house.gov

8^th Congressional District Office

D.C. Office: (202)225-6205

D.C. Office Fax: (202)225-0704

E-mail:

Rep. Steve Chabot, OH-1  

D.C. Office Phone: (202) 225-2216
D.C. Office Fax: (202) 225-3012
Email: https://chabot.house.gov/contact-me/email-me


Rep. Jean Schmidt, OH-2
D.C. Office Phone: (202) 225-3164
D.C. Office Fax: (202) 225-1992
E-mail: http://www.house.gov/schmidt/contact.shtml


Rep. Mike Turner, OH-3
D.C. Office Phone: (202) 225-6465
D.C. Office Fax: (202) 225-6754
E-mail: http://turner.house.gov/Contact/

Rep. Jim Jordan, OH-4

D.C. Office Phone: (202) 225-2676

D.C. Office Fax: (202) 226-0577

Email: Congressman Jordan is speaking at the Continuing Revolution Rally

Rep. Bob Latta, OH-5
D.C. Office Phone: 1-800-541-6446 (OHIO)
D.C. Office Fax: 1-800-278-8203
E-mail: https://latta.house.gov/Contact/default.aspx

Rep. Bill Johnson, OH-6
D.C. Office Phone: (202) 225-5705
D.C. Office Fax: (202) 225-5907
E-mail:

Rep. Steve Austria, OH-7
D.C. Office Phone: (202) 225-4324
D.C. Office Fax: (202) 225-1984
E-mail: http://austria.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=7&sectiontree=4,7

Rep. Patrick Tiberi, OH-12
D.C. Office Phone: (202)225-5355
D.C. Office Fax: (202)226-4523
Email: https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

Rep. Steven LaTourette, OH-14
D.C. Office Phone: (202) 225-5731
D.C. Office Fax: (202) 225-3307
Email: http://latourette.house.gov/contact/contact-form.aspx

Rep. Steve Stivers, OH-15
D.C. Office Phone: (202)225-2015
D.C. Office Fax: (202)225-3529
E-mail: https://stivers.house.gov/contact-me/email-me
Rep. Jim Renacci, OH-16
D.C. Office Phone: (202)225-3876
D.C. Office Fax: (202)225-3059
E-mail: https://renacci.house.gov/contact-me/email-me

Rep. Bob Gibbs, OH-18
D.C. Office Phone: (202)225-6265
D.C. Office Fax: (202)225-3394
E-mail: https://gibbs.house.gov/contact-me/email-me

Senator Rob Portman (OH) Sounds off on High Gas Prices

From WKBN --

As prices at the pump continue to hover around $3.50 a gallon, one Ohio lawmaker says Washington needs to do more to encourage exploration of American resources.

Republican Senator Rob Portman says there's not enough work being done to look for oil and natural gas in this country.

He says in spite of discoveries of huge deposits of gas in the Marcellus and Utica formations in Ohio and other states, the government isn't doing enough to drill for it.

"I met some people yesterday who told me that the federal government is continuing to put road blocks in place for the development of natural gas. We need to be sure that we do that, because it's a fuel that we need for our electricity and power plants, but also, natural gas can be used in automobiles and trucks," Portman said.

Portman, who is a member of the Senate's Energy Committee, is pushing for more domestic exploration of oil and gas reserves to ease the country's dependence on foreign sources. (“Ohio Lawmaker Sounds off on High Gas Prices,” staff report, WKBN.com, 03/19/11)

Tea Party letter on SB-5

Senate Bill 5 (CBA Reform) is scheduled for a committee vote this coming Tuesday.  In attempts to inject some common sense into this bill, which was poorly drafted by State Senator Shannon Jones and shamefully passed out of the OH Senate, the below letter was submitted to OH House Speaker Bill Batchelder and Representative Joe Uecker, Chairman of the House Commerce and Labor Committee.

From what we are being told the OH House is doing their best to make SB-5 a good bill and we applaud these efforts.

The undersigned groups fully support a reform of CBA's, but we demand it must be done in the right way and most of all, must respect the Constitution.  If you agree with the below letter, please contact members of the OH House Commerce and Labor Committee and urge them to support the below suggestions. For OH House Commerce and Labor member contact info, please click here.

Cleveland Tea Party Patriots

P.O. Box 46378   Cleveland, OH  44146

clevelandteaparty@gmail.com

Friday, March 18, 2011

Speaker Bill Batchelder

Representative Joe Uecker

Ohio House of Representatives

77 S. High St

Columbus, OH 43215

RE: Collective Bargaining Reform Bill (SB-5)

Dear Speaker Batchelder & Representative Uecker,

First, we would like to thank you in advance for giving our below correspondence on the Collective Bargaining Reform Bill (SB-5) your full consideration and prompt attention.

Putting aside our disappointment over the shameful way SB-5 was introduced and passed out of Committee in the Ohio Senate, we want to applaud the Ohio House for doing their due diligence on such an emotional and controversial, but much needed collectively bargaining reform bill.

We the undersigned Tea Party and 9.12 Groups, sharing the same concerns, respectfully submit the following items --

Safety Forces

Request that Safety Forces be exempted from SB-5.  Should they continue to be included, we would request they be allowed to collectively bargain for wages, staffing, safety equipment/training and uniform allowances.

With the right to binding arbitration for safety forces having been removed from SB-5, we would request this privilege be reinserted or to amend the current language in SB-5 to reflect, that if at an impasse in negotiations, an unbiased third party or third party panel be empowered to make the final contract decision.  Leaving this decision in the hands of the local legislative body is short sighted, as it would hamper the bargaining in good faith.

The classification of Fire Lieutenant should be left to the local community and this determination should be based on duties performed instead of rank.  Because of department size, smaller departments often have lower ranking officers perform rank and file tasks not administrative in nature.  We believe the Home Rule provision in the Ohio Constitution allows these decisions to be determined at the local level.  Reference; http://www.sconet.state.oh.us/tempx/629825.pdf.

No Strike Provisions

Many of us believe everyone has the “right” to strike, but they do NOT have the “right” to retain employment should they violate workplace policy.  Please consider that a person found to be participating in an unauthorized strike, be subject to dismissal hearings.  We believe taking this to the level of being a criminal offense is unwarranted and over reaching.

With the “No Strike” provision included, we submit that as currently written in SB-5, this language is subjective, can be applied arbitrarily in the work place, and falls short in respect to employees having a meaningful avenue towards an unbiased dispute resolution. It also appears the lines of due process and the burden of proof has been blurred in this section.

Fact Finding Hearings

Provisions in SB-5 state that if negotiations progress to the Fact-Finding stage, then at the request of either party this process will be open to the public.  At this stage of the negotiation process, in the spirit of transparency, we think it would be justifiable that the findings are automatically made available to the public.

Final Resolution

In its current form, SB-5 stipulates if negotiations advance to the fact-finding process and there is still an impasse, the legislative body then has the power to impose the last best offer of either party or re-implement the last agreed to contract for a term of 3 years.  In this form there is no incentive for the legislative body to reach a mutually agreed to contract as the bill gives them the ultimate power to impose a 3 year contract

We believe this provision is fundamentally flawed and request that the legislative body’s imposition of final contract terms be limited to the later of 2 years from expiration date of prior contract or 1 year from the date the legislative body imposes the new contract.  This limitation on mandated extension terms, will hopefully encourage both parties to remain actively engaged towards a mutually agreed to contract.

Unfair Labor Practices

This section of SB-5 expands the current law list of actions that constitute an unfair labor practice by a public employee. We would request that in respect to one of our inalienable rights, the right to free speech, the clause forbidding a public employee from having contact with an elected or appointed official not involved with negotiations be removed from SB-5.

Open Shop Clause / Re-Certification

Not taking away from the importance of any of the above listed items, we strongly believe it is of the utmost importance that public employees have the freedom and liberty to join or to not join a union for collective bargaining purposes. This is something that should not be mandated as terms of employment.  With this, we would urge you to reinsert the Open Shop language that was removed when passed out of the Ohio Senate.

In hand with this request, and also in the spirit of freedom and liberty, we believe to assure a work place reflective of the public employees desires, it be included in SB-5 that a separate and stand alone vote for re-certification of union representation be taken every two (2) years.

Finalizing our list of concerns, we request the SB-5 mandate that, at the time of the vote for re-certification of union representation and with any new hires, all public employees be advised and given a copy of Communication Workers of America V. Beck, 487 U.S. 735 (1988).

In closing, should you have any questions, or need further clarification on the above, please feel free to contact us.  Again, we would again like to thank you for your time and urge the Ohio House to give these requests and concerns their full consideration.

Respectfully submitted,

Ralph King

Coordinator

Cleveland Tea Party Patriots                       

Arzella Melnyk

Coordinator

Geauga/Lake Tea Party Patriots

Marianne Gasiecki

Coordinator

Mansfield Tea Party Patriots

Kay Clymer

Coordinator

Zanesville Tea Party Patriots

Gary Young

Coordinator

North Ridgeville Tea Party Patriots

Diana Price

Coordinator

Cleveland 9.12 Group

Al Wilson

Cleveland District Coordinator

Peoples Constitution Committee of OH

Rep. Farenthold (TX) introduces the Federal Agency Transparency Act

With input from the Tea Party Patriots, Congressman Blake Farenthold (TX-27) has introduced the Federal Agency Transparency Act....

I have introduced H.R. 1061, the Federal Agency Transparency Act, which would require federal agencies to publish receipts and expenditures every two weeks on their websites.  I truly appreciate the Republican Study Committee for their insight and assistance in drafting this piece of legislation which will provide greater transparency of federal spending.  Under this bill, Americans will be able to track every dollar of government agency spending, scrutinize the goals and performance of every federal program, and perform searches of millions of forms and filings in a similar cohesive manner.

This past November, the American people demanded that Congress cut spending, reduce the size of the federal government, and increase accountability and transparency.  As Members of Congress, we have a duty to be faithful stewards of taxpayer dollars and to use their money efficiently.  Leading by example, Congress took an important step towards increasing transparency in our own budget expenditures by publishing the Statement of Disbursements (SOD) online for the American people to review.

The government’s current practices and processes do not facilitate transparency and have not kept pace with private sector technologies.  Too often, federal agencies and Congress have failed to publish their information online.  At other times, information has been published in formats that are not easily searchable, sortable, and downloadable.  As a result, citizens often perceive federal policies and spending to be obscure, costly, and arbitrary.

Thanks,

Congressman Blake Farenthold (TX-27)

RSC introduces Welfare Reform Act of 2011

Republican Study Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (OH), freshman Rep. Tim Scott (SC), and Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ) introduced the Welfare Reform Act of 2011...

From the Republican Study Committee --

H.R. 1167: Welfare Reform Act of 2011

“Continued dependence upon relief induces a spiritual and moral disintegration fundamentally destructive to the national fibre. To dole out relief in this way is to administer a narcotic, a subtle destroyer of the human spirit… We must preserve not only the bodies of the unemployed from destitution but also their self-respect, their self-reliance and courage and determination.”

-President Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1935 State of the Union Address—the speech that launched the American welfare state

Since the “War on Poverty” began in 1964, Americans have spent $16 trillion on state and federal welfare programs. In the two decades leading up to 2008, welfare spending grew by 292%. According to the most recent data available, spending for this purpose will amount to more than $10.3 trillion at all levels of government over the next decade. These spending programs have not achieved the stated aims of their authors, which was to reduce poverty and to increase self-sufficiency. Instead, 43 million Americans live at or below the poverty level, and dependence on government is increasing by any objective measurement. In order to reverse course, the RSC offers the Welfare Reform Act of 2011, which will:

1.      Require disclosure of total means-tested welfare expenditures (for the 77 existing programs) in the President’s budget submission.

2.      Place an aggregate spending cap on these means-tested welfare expenditures limited to the level of 2007 plus inflation growth (effective when unemployment falls below 6.5%).

3.      Provide enforcement of this spending cap through the budget resolution.

4.      Extend work requirements to the Food Stamp program.

5.      Incentivize states to alleviate poverty through self-sufficiency, not dependence on government, by reallocating $300 million of current welfare spending toward a new program of grants to states that successfully reduce poverty and increase self-sufficiency.

6.      Prevent federal funding of abortion through these programs.

Disclosure of Welfare Spending in President’s Budget: The legislation requires the President’s budget to include a figure on proposed aggregate federal welfare expenditures over the next ten years, as well as estimated state and local welfare expenditures over this period. This will give taxpayers information on how much the federal government, and also all levels of government, are spending on means-tested welfare spending.


Cap on Welfare Spending: Overall means-tested welfare spending (for the 77 current programs) is limited to the level of 2007 plus inflation growth. This is an overall cap, which means it does not require cuts to any specific program. Instead choices would be made through the budget process. Effective date: On the first fiscal year after the unemployment rate is 6.5% or less.  

Enforcement of Spending Cap: Amend the Budget Act to require all of the following (in order to comply with the cap):

1.      Require the budget resolution to establish a total spending allocation for means-tested welfare spending that does not exceed the aggregate cap established by the legislation.

2.      Require the budget resolution to provide to each authorizing committee with jurisdiction over one or more mandatory means-tested programs a maximum spending allocation for that year for the combined cost of all the mandatory means-tested programs under its jurisdiction.

3.      Provide for reconciliation instructions for each committee of the difference between the allocation and the CBO baseline of spending for means-tested welfare programs under the committee.

4.      Require the budget resolution to place a cap on the Appropriations Committee’s (i.e. discretionary) means-tested spending, and require the committee to divide this cap between the subcommittees.

5.      Require the sum of the mandatory means-tested sub-limits for each of the authorizing committees and the discretionary means-tested limit for the appropriations committee to not exceed the aggregate cap for means-tested welfare spending for that year.

6.      Provide a point of order in House and Senate against consideration of any budget resolution that does not comply with these requirements.

Food Stamp Work Requirements: The legislation establishes work requirements for Food Stamps modeled on the success of the 1996 welfare reform law. States would be required to place 4% of the monthly caseload in a work activation program in 2012, and then 7% in 2013 and thereafter.

In general, able-bodied individuals (from ages 19 to 62) would have to meet work requirements established by the legislation, including:

Ø Employment;

Ø Supervised job search;

Ø Community service work;

Ø Education and job training;

Ø Drug or alcohol treatment.

Individuals would have to meet 60 hours per month of the above-listed activities (families with dependent children 120 hours per month). The legislation would also reduce TANF spending by $1 billion a year, and repeal a provision from the “stimulus” increasing Food Stamp benefits. This money would pay for the cost of state administration of work requirements (authorized at $2.5 billion a year).


Incentives for States to Increase Self-Sufficiency: The legislation creates a new program of grants to states (more than paid for by other spending reductions in the bill) that can meet rigorous standards on reducing poverty without increasing government dependence. To be eligible, a state would have to increase their “self-sufficiency ratio” compared to 2007. This calculation would be based on the number of families that are above the poverty line after excluding receipt of means-tested welfare spending. Up to three states would be eligible for this award, with a total cap on spending for this award of $300 million. Conservatives believe that the answer to poverty is work, higher earnings, and marriage. This program would reward states that can meet the stated aims of the creators of our current welfare programs: to move able-bodied individuals into self-sufficiency. The costs of this program would be more than offset by the savings elsewhere in the bill.

 Prohibition of Federal Abortion Funding: The legislation prohibits federal funding for abortions.

True the Vote Virtual Summit

If you are one of the millions of Americans outraged by corruption at the highest levels of our nation's government, then you can help us stop fraud where it begins - at the polling place, in the precinct where you live, in the streets of your city.  The True the Vote National Summit is THIS WEEKEND!

Fellow patriots from 25 States will converge in Houston to spend an info-packed weekend learning about how to True the Vote in their own hometowns.  

BUT- the Summit is for us, too!  How often do you get to see Anita MonCrief, Hans Von Spakovsky, Senator Norm Coleman, John Fund, Warner Todd Huston, Andrew Breitbart, and Christian Adams all in one place?  We are blessed to have such an all-star lineup joining forces with King Street in this national call for election integrity.

While the True the Vote Summit is Sold Out -the True the Vote Virtual Summit is only a few clicks away!  

Check out the True the Vote website for more information on how to watch the Summit online, learn the basics of the True the Vote program, and connect with fellow patriots uniting all across the country in support of election integrity!   Mark your calendars- live streaming will begin at 6:30pm CST on Friday, March 25th!  

Tea Party Patriot Survey Results

 

Below are the results of a survey conducted with Tea Party Patriot members acrss the U.S....

 

 

Do you think the Republican Leadership is in line with the will of the American people?

 

7.1% said yes

76.8% said no

15.5% undecided

<1% did not respond

Do you think Tea Party Patriots still has a lot of work to do to make sure that the Republicans 'can hear us now'?

 

98.5% said yes

<1% said no

<1% undecided

<1% did not respond

Do you think some of the Freshmen Republican Congressmen have been co-opted by the leadership?

 

60% said yes

9.3% said no

30% undecided

<1% did not respond

Do you think Tea Party Patriots should stage a protest in DC on 3/31/2011?

 

84% said yes

3.5% said no

12% undecided

<1% did not respond

Should we demand the next CR contain at least $90 billion in cuts to get us to the original promise of $100 billion this fiscal year? ($10 billion in recent cuts + $90 billion in new cuts)

 

95.3% said yes

1.2% said no

2.9% undecided

<1% did not respond

Should we demand that the defunding of NPR be included in the CR so that it actually has a chance of passing the Senate? 

94.2% said yes

1.8% said no

3.3% undecided

<1% did not respond

Should we demand that the next CR defund all of Obama Care (including $105 billion already appropriated)?

97.7% said yes

<1% said no

<1% undecided

<1% did not respond

Will you help organize or participate in a side walk protest outside of your Representative's district office on Thursday, March 24, 2011 when they are home for break?

37.9% said yes

23.1% said no

38.2% undecided

<1% did not respond

Are you willing to spend your own money to come to DC again on March 31, 2011 to protest the current actions of the House of Representatives and demand that they get their fiscal house in order? (This is the most opportune time because the House is in session and it will be right before leadership is whipping votes for the CR the following week.)

24% said yes

41% said no

34.9% said undecided

<1% did not respond