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.

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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.