On the November ballot: Issue #1

image credit: freerepublic.com

Jeff Sanders at PJ Media reports:

Ohioans will soon be voting on Issue 1, a ballot initiative that is ostensibly about reforming drug laws, but actually is about giving "get out of jail free" cards to not only drug offenders, but dozens of other kinds of criminals in Ohio's prisons. The ballot initiative is known as "The Neighborhood Safety Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Amendment" and is a six-page amendment to the Ohio Constitution.

(You can read the actual language of the ballot, as well as pro and con arguments regarding the issue at the non-partisan voting information site, ivoters.com.)

The premise is that too many non-violent criminals are clogging up the courts and prison system and we need to get them out of prisons and back into society. Supposedly this will save the state of Ohio a ton of money. Prison expenditures should only be for violent offenders, proponents say.

Only that's not what will happen if Issue 1 passes. Here are three reasons Issue 1 is a terrible idea.

Then follows these bullet points, each one fully analyzed in the report [see the link below].

1.    Drug convictions will only count as misdemeanors

2.    It will let dangerous criminals out of prison

3.    The ballot initiative is funded by out-of-state leftists

The report concludes:

Through his Open Society Foundation, George Soros helps fund Tides, and Tides, in turn, sends money to things like this Issue 1 on the Ohio ballot. The Open Society Foundation sent $1 million to fund Issue 1. Soros knows what he's doing. He knows that his donation will allow him to own a piece of the Ohio Constitution — if Ohioans fall for it.

Why would these progressive billionaires — who won't have to live in Ohio and suffer the consequences of a bad constitutional amendment — want this in Ohio?

Issue 1 has received approximately $5 million — the vast majority of it from out of state. Now, $5 million is pocket change to Zuckerberg and Soros and their billionaire socialist pals. Is this a probe to see how well this kind of "under-the-radar" ballot initiative will do in a somewhat conservative Midwestern state? Ohio is a key swing state... wouldn't that be something if the leftists from California and New York could turn Ohio into a "forward operating base" or testing ground for their ideas about dealing with drugs?

If they are successful, it will cost them only pennies (comparatively speaking). But it will cost the citizens of Ohio plenty.

Read the rest here. And forward links to your family and friends.

(Note: The Columbus Dispatch reported on both gubernatorial candidates Mike DeWine's and Richard Cordray's positions on Issue #1 here .) 

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The Blue vs Red Wave

art credit: flickr.com

Newt Gingrich has me on his mailing list; he original published “President Trump Defines the Big Choice for 2018” at Fox News here.  Here are his opening three paragraphs:

For Republicans to win in the upcoming midterm elections, they must understand – and make clear to the American people – that November represents a big choice election, wherein voters will decide between two competing alternative universes.

If Republicans maintain – or even grow – their majorities in the House and the Senate, America will be operating in a grassroots rebellion-conservative-Republican universe after November. That will mean President Trump’s agenda will continue (and possibly accelerate). More conservative judges will join the federal bench. Our taxes and unemployment figures will remain low, while our jobs numbers, wages, and economic growth will continue to increase. Finally, our borders will be secure, our military will be strong, and our nation will prosper through free, fair, and reciprocal trade practices.

If Democrats are able to take the House and gain seats in the Senate, we will be in the media-Left-Democratic Party universe. They will oppose every Trump-Republican plan that is proposed (and likely try to impeach the President at the first frivolous opportunity). Every day will be dominated by scandals and defined by identity politics. Nominated judges will sit in limbo as the federal caseload builds – delaying justice and fair trials for many. They will raise our taxes and reverse the economic gains of the Trump Administration – causing unemployment to rise and our economy to stagnate.

The rest is here. Election countdown: 54 days till November 6.

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Remembering 9/11

The media and social media are filled today with remembrances of the 2001 attacks on 9/11. Sundance pays tribute with this photo:

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In heaven's name work for him

photo credit: nydailynews.com

Whether it is the pathetic “Anonymous” op-ed in the New York Times, or the disgraceful behavior of Colin Kaepernick, I was brought to mind of a work ethic that I came across decades ago:

If you work for a man, in heaven's name work for him! If he pays you wages that supply you your bread and butter, work for him - speak well of him, think well of him, stand by him and stand by the institution he represents. I think if I worked for a man I would work for him. I would not work for him a part of the time, and the rest of the time work against him. I would give an undivided service or none. If put to the pinch, an ounce of loyalty is worth a pound of cleverness. - Elbert Hubbard

To which I would add, if you cannot speak well of your employer, start looking for a new job. 

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Update on Richard Cordray campaign event

Cleveland Tea Party posted on Sept 5:

Guess who's coming to Cleveland? Cleveland.com reports:

Former President Barack Obama will campaign for Ohio Democratic gubernatorial nominee Richard Cordray in Cleveland on Sept. 13, one of Obama's first electoral rallies of the 2018 midterms.

Cordray is a former Obama administration official, having served as the first director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. . . .

The Cordray campaign did not immediately provide a time or location for the rally, other than to say in a press release it would be in the evening.

This event will be open to the public.

UPDATE from Cleveland.com:

The campaign for Richard Cordray released more details on Sunday about President Barack Obama's upcoming visit.

Obama will appear with Cordray, a Democrat running for governor, Thursday night at the Cleveland Metropolitan School District East Professional Center Gymnasium at 1349 E. 79th St. in Cleveland. An exact time for the program has not been announced, but doors to the public event will open at 5 p.m.

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The Great Divide

DC Whispers published this tweet:

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Cuyahoga County Council’s public hearing postponed

Image credit: stemgenex.com

I’ve posted twice on The Cuyahoga County Council’s intended power grab to meddle in the lives of residents. As posted earlier:

The Cuyahoga County Council has been quietly working on legislation to establish a county-wide "Human Rights Commission" that will affect every city, resident, business, and church in the county.  The three-person commission is intended to hear ALL cases of discrimination in Cuyahoga County relative to sexual orientation/gender identity.  LGBT citizens will be provided legal assistance paid for by our tax dollars.  This piece of legislation hurts business, puts our safety at risk, and punishes people of faith.   This ordinance permits biological men, who consider themselves to be a woman, to enter a woman's bathroom or locker room in "all places of public accommodation."

But the public hearing scheduled for Sept. 12 has been postponed again; I wonder if that’s a good sign. Just received an Alert from Ohio Value Voters:

The public meeting to discuss and vote on the proposed "Human Rights Commission" at the Cuyahoga County Council has been placed on HOLD (once again) and will NOT be held on September 12, 2018.

A date for the meeting has not been announced.

Previous Cleveland Tea Party blog posts are here and here.

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