Tea Party Patriots Ordinary citizens reclaiming America's founding principles.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

RPCC to Choose New Member For Cuyahoga County Board of Elections

There will soon be a new face on the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections. Republican Party of Cuyahoga County (RPCC) Chairman Rob Frost, citing professional and political reasons, has stepped down from his post on the this past Monday.

From the PD --
Rob Frost, one of two Republican members on the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, resigned Monday.


"I went over there reluctantly and a job needed to be done, and I feel we really have gotten the agency running better," Frost, who was appointed in May 2007, said.

Frost, a lawyer and paid chairman of the county's Republican Party, said the timing is driven by "professional and political reasons." His last day is April 15.
Frost's replacement on the BOE will be determined by a vote of the Republican Party of Cuyahoga County Executive Committee.  After this process, Secretary of State John Husted will confirm or reject the recommendation.

The troubling thing is that the political gamesmanship & chicanery started in full force almost simultaneously with Frost's announcement.  If we didn't know any better (sarcasm), it almost appeared choreographed. 

RPCC favorite, Bay Village Mayor Debbie Sutherland, with tacit RPCC approval, began contacting members of the RPCC Executive Committee immediately after Frosts resignation.  Sutherland, while maybe a 'nice' lady, falls far short of the free-thinking person willing to stand for the right thing when it is needed. 

To back this up , we would submit the following;

In 2007, when an Interchange was to be built in Avon at I-90, Sutherland who supported the interchange, which at that time would have been funded mostly by the developers, in siding with the Cuyahoga County Democrats, she threatened to pull her support unless there was a 'tax-sharing' plan....
Earlier this week, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, Cuyahoga County Commissioner Tim Hagan and Bay Village Mayor Deborah Sutherland all said they would vote against the interchange unless Avon agreed to share revenues from the site ...
This interchange is now the topic of great dissent in Avon, as the City, after the original deal falling through, is now trying to force a select few residents and businesses to bear a $9 million portion of the project.

Mayor Sutherland, in her role as Mayor of Bay Village and President of the Cuyahoga County Mayors & City Managers Association, was a staunch supporter and cheerleader for the forced sales tax increase imposed by Cuyahoga County to pay for the Med Mart, a Greater Cleveland Partnership and then County Commissioner Taxin' Tim Hagan driven project. 

At the time there was strong support within the RPCC Central & Executive Committee to put this corporate welfare tax on the ballot -- Sutherland REFUSED to support the initiative to put this tax on the ballot. 

It was only after 1 year of this forced sales tax increase imposed against the will of the people that Sutherland, unhappy with the lack of progress, flip-flopped and called for a "tax timeout." 

Mayor Sutherland has shown she will make decisions just to get along and/or to further her political career and partisan standing.  Sutherland's actions have shown her initial decisions, because they are based not on good policy but on self-interest, are short sighted and can cause irreparable effects on citizens, businesses and the community as a whole.

Now that the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections has been vastly improved, can we afford having it turn back into the Cuyahoga County 'Bored" of Elections?

With the responsibility of being on the Board of Elections, and with the Unions and hardcore ACORN type activities we can expect in the 2011 & 2012 elections, we cannot afford someone that will compromise the integrity of the election process - just to get along with the Cuyahoga County Democrats or further their political career at the expense of voting integrity.  

TPP's Mark Meckler on Hardball with Chris Matthews

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Spending Cuts are a Hollow Victory


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Ralph King
Clevelandteaparty@gmail.com
 April 9, 2011

                                                                               
HOLLOW VICTORY
Tea Party Patriots Criticize Minimal Budget Cuts

(CLEVELAND) - Today, Tea Party Patriots, the nation's largest tea party organization, criticized the minimal cuts made in a last-minute budget deal between both Houses of Congress and President Obama.

"In the seven days preceding last night's deal, our nation's debt increased by $54.1 billion.  And now our 'leaders' are touting as 'historic' the $38.5 billion in spending cuts for the rest of fiscal year 2011,"  said Mark Meckler, Co-Founder and National Coordinator for the Tea Party Patriots.  "Leadership requires bold, visionary action in times of crisis.  Are we getting bold, visionary leadership in Washington, DC?  We think the numbers speak for themselves."

"Democrats in the Senate and White House have obstructed any real move towards pulling our country back from the fiscal abyss," said Jenny Beth Martin, also a Co-Founder and National Coordinator for the Tea Party Patriots.  "While our nation increased its deficit by $223,000,000,000 (Two Hundred and Twenty-Three Billion Dollars) in February, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid characterized $61,000,000,000 in proposed Republican spending cuts as 'extreme and draconian.'"  

"We want to thank all those in Congress who stood with the tea party movement against the pressure by their leadership of both Houses and the President," said Ralph King, Coordinator of the Cleveland Tea Party Patriots and State (OH) Co-Coordinator for the Tea Party Patriots.
  "We are extremely disappointed with the Ohio Freshmen in Congress for siding with the GOP establishment but want to applaud Rep. Jim Jordan (OH-4) and Rep Steve Chabot (OH-1) for standing strong strong against the continued wave of spending and irresponsibility."

Tea Party Patriots is a national grassroots coalition with more than 3,000 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.
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Cleveland's 3rd Annual Tax Day Tea Party

Cleveland's
3rd Annual Tax Day Tea Party

Tired of the EPA regulating your life?
Do you believe in Liberty & Freedom?
Sick of Rising Water, Sewer & Utility Bills?
Disgusted with Government Waste & Spending?

Want to help turn around Ohio?

Join Us & Be Heard!

   Saturday April 16th,  2011 
 Voinovich Park 11am - 1pm 


Our fight to restore Fiscal Responsibility, Constitutionally Limited Government and the Free Markets in our country is far from over!

Want Health Care Freedom in Ohio?

Help continue the fight against Obama Care in Ohio! Come and learn more about the Tea Party Patriots Ohio Health Care Compact and how you can step up and help with The Ohio Project against the Obama Care Forced Health Insurance Mandate.

Hear Ohio Coal Association President Mike Carey and how you can help stop the EPA from their continued use of the Clean Air & Clean Water Acts as a Hammer & Sickle against the American people. This is the same EPA, through the Clean Water Act that is FORCING the $3 Billion in repairs that will cause your sewer bill to increase 300%!

Learn from People's Constitutional Coalition of Ohio (PCCOH) on how you can help get involved in restoring the rights of Ohio as granted by the U.S. Constitution. Tea Party favorite, former OH Rep Seth Morgan, now with American's For Prosperity in OH, will be on hand to talk about AFP's Ohio 180 Degrees program.

The ever-energetic Tom Zawistowski of the Portage County Tea Party will be there with exciting news about the "We the People" convention, the first ever state-wide Tea Party/ Liberty group gathering in Ohio. 

Conservative Columnist, Author, Blogger & Comedian, Eric Golub of Tygrrr Express will also be there entertaining us with his witty political views & humor. Local favorite's Theo Wilson will be addressing the crowd and Matt Brakey will be there delivering a message from our Founding Fathers. For Speaker Bio's click here.

Keeping us rocki', live entertainment will be provided the Deja Voodoo Band, Northeast Ohio's Premier Rockin' Blues Band.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

OH Supreme Court will Review Smoking Ban in Ohio



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Matt Henderson at (614) 499-6602    


High Court will Review Smoking Ban Constitutionality
Legality of Ban's Application to Bars, Health Department Enforcement in Dispute


COLUMBUS (April 6, 2011) - The Supreme Court of Ohio today agreed to become the first state supreme court in the nation to determine whether a statewide smoking ban violates bar owners' property rights.  The Court also agreed to review whether the Ohio Department of Health has consistently exceeded its authority in fining business owners under the ban.

The case is brought by the 1851 Center for Constitutional Law, an Ohio-based public interest law firm, on behalf of Zeno's Victorian Village, a family-owned Columbus tavern. 

The Center argues the smoking ban unconstitutionally deprives business owners of fundamental property rights.  It also argues that the state health officials' methods while enforcing the ban exceed their unconstitutional authority and is at odds with the plain language of the ban. The legal center's Motion for Jurisdiction is available here.

"Irrespective of what one thinks of the merits of this law, it was never intended to result in the indiscriminate imposition of $5,000 citations on innocent business owners," said 1851 Center Executive Director Maurice Thompson.  "These enforcement complications are largely a function of trying to fit a square peg into a round hole:  local taverns are not public property, and owners of these properties have a right to decide how their indoor air is used, just as potential patrons have a right to freely enter or exit."

The 1851 Center believes this will be Ohio's most important decision on property rights since the Ohio Supreme Court decided Norwood v. Horney in 2006, prohibiting takings of private property for economic development.  "In Norwood, the Court called Ohioans' property rights, including the right to use property, 'fundamental' and 'sacrosanct,'" said Thompson.  "This case will determine whether the Court really meant that."

After a politically-charged filing against Zeno's by then-Attorney General Richard Cordray, a Franklin County Common Pleas court ruled that state and local health officials had overstepped their authority in enforcing the law.  "When an individual is asked to stop smoking but refuses, liability is transferred from the property owner to the individual," Judge David E. Cain wrote in his February 2010 decision.

The Ohio attorney general appealed the decision to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, which overturned the lower court and prompted the current appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court. 

The Ohio Licensed Beverage Association, Buckeye Liquor Permit Holders Association, Ohio Liberty Council, COAST, and the Ohio Freedom Alliance filed amicus briefs with the high court supporting the 1851 Center's position, and asking the Court to review the case.

The 1851 Center for Constitutional Law is a non-profit, non-partisan legal center dedicated to protecting the constitutional rights of Ohioans from government abuse. The center litigates constitutional issues related to property rights, voting rights, regulation, taxation, and search and seizures.



Monday, April 4, 2011

Tea Party Patriot Groups in Ohio Announce the Ohio Health Care Compact


For Immediate Release

April 4, 2011

Contact:
Marianne Gasiecki
(419)961-4439


Ohio Tea Party Patriot Groups announce
Ohio Health Care Compact

We will be taking Control of our Health Care One Step at a Time!

Ohio - As part of the Tea Party Patriots & The Health Care Compact Alliance 50 state initiative to enact interstate compacts specifically for health care, the Tea Party Patriot groups of OH are proud to announce the Ohio Health Care Compact!
 
The Ohio Health Care Compact is the key to true freedom when it comes to health care in Ohio. The Ohio Health Care Compact is in the beginning stages and we expect legislation to be introduced into the Ohio legislature in the immediate future.
 
Gary Young, coordinator for the North Ridgeville Tea Party Patriots and Coordinator for the Ohio Health Care Compact stated, "a health care compact in Ohio will be the key to our state's economic freedom and give us the means to specifically address and fix the health care concerns and funding in our state."
 
Already introduced in half a dozen other states, the Health Care Compacts are quickly becoming a big hit for states looking to take back control of their health care and move the decision making process away from federal bureaucrats and closer to the people. Shifting the responsibility of health care decisions closer to the people will give the states more flexibility in combating the rising costs of medicaid/medicare and health care in general.
 
The Ohio Health Care Compact, when enacted will not conflict with any efforts to repeal Obama Care or repealing of the health insurance mandate -- in fact it will enhance and make these efforts stronger!
 
To learn more about the Ohio Health Care Compact, please click here.
 
Ohio Tea Party Patriots Groups

Buckeye Lake TPP * Cleveland TPP * Geauga/Lake TPP * Lorain County 9.12 TPP * Mansfield TPP * Medina TPP * Morrow County TPP * New American Patriots TPP * Newark (OSU Campus) TPP * North Ridgeville TPP * Stark County TPP * Zanesville TPP

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Sunday, April 3, 2011

Time To Defund Ohio Commission on Hispanic Latino Affairs (OCHLA)

Now we need to defund the Ohio Commission on Hispanic Latino Affairs (OCHLA). OCHLA is an Ohio state agency created in 1977 to advise the Governor, General Assembly and other state agencies on the needs of Spanish-speaking citizens. OCHLA, receiving in excess of $500,000 from the State of OH and has routinely operated as an ACORN type group by actively lobbying the state legislature to provide favorable treatment for illegal aliens in Ohio. 
 
A complaint against OCHLA has been filed with Ohio Inspector General Tom Charles in 2010, but Charles, who was reappointed by Governor Kasich as Ohio Inspector General, did his best to ignore the complaint.
 
It would also be a safe bet that OCHLA most likely played a hand in the Justice Dept. singling out Cuyahoga County and demanding they print bilingual ballots at an extra cost of $500,00 for the past 2010 elections.

From the Grassroots Rally Team of Ohio --

Time to Defund Ohio Commission on Hispanic Latino Affairs (OCHLA)

Latino Affairs Director Defends Budget Before House Committee

OCHLA is hoping to continue to be funded with our tax dollars. When legislation has been introduced to help stop the influx of illegal immigrants into Ohio, OCHLA has been there to give opposing testimony. We expect our elected officials to protect us from the ill effects of illegal immigration and yet OCHLA uses our tax dollars to oppose this.

In testimony defending their current funding level of over $340,000 from Lilleana Cavanaugh, Executive Director of Ohio Latino Affairs Commission, calls this a modest investment for a more positive social and cultural impact for the State of Ohio.  (Click here to read full testimony).

Just two of the many testimonies from OCHLA:

S.B. 238 -

"... thank you for the opportunity to testify in opposition to Sb 238, which prohibits undocumented immigrant workers from receiving injury compensation from the Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC).  My name is Florentina Staigers, and I am the Policy Director of the Ohio Latino Affairs Commission...."

" The immigration system is broken and this bill is yet another attempt to deal with some of the effects of that broken system by deterring undocumented immigrants from seeking work in Ohio." (Click here to read full testimony)
S.B. 35 & S.B. 150 - 
Bill SB 35 reads: "To enact section 109.45 of the Revised Code to direct the Attorney General to pursue of Memorandum of Agreement that permits the Enforcement of Federal Immigration Laws in the State of Ohio by Law Enforcement Officers."

In permitting the Enforcement of Federal Immigration Law, both criminal and civil is not a clever way to resolve this dilemma om Immigration. This BILL is going to cause the State consequences, not only economical, but political as well.  Not everybody that dictates the Law, knows or has witnessed what happened when an ignorant Law Enforcement Officer approaches our Hispanic/Latino people. (Click here to read full testimony).

(Lupe Williams was an OCHLA commissioner when she gave this testimony.)

Please contact the following Subcommittee members, and ask that OCHLA be defunded:
Representative John Carey / ChairPhone: (614) 466-1366
Fax: (614) 719-6987

Representative Ron MaagPhone: (614) 644-6023
Fax: (614) 719-3589

Representative Gerald L. StebeltonPhone: (614) 466-8100
Fax: (614) 719-0005

Representative Matt LundyPhone: (614) 644-5076
Fax: (614) 719-3957

Representative Debbie PhillipsPhone: (614) 466-2158
Fax: (614) 719-6992

Public testimony will be heard on this issue next week:
Date: Thursday, April 7, 2011
Time: 10:00 AM
Room: 122

If you plan on giving testimony, please have 25 copies of written testimony to summit to the Chairman prior to the hearing. You are also required to fill out a Witness Information form prior to testifying.
To email the above Houe members, please cut, copy and paste the below emails...

district87@ohr.state.oh.us, district57@ohr.state.oh.us, district35@ohr.state.oh.us, district5@ohr.state.oh.us, district92@ohr.state.oh.us