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

Friday, April 15, 2011

Congress & the Monkey Theory

From Politically Incorrect Gazette --
If you start with a cage containing five monkeys and inside the cage, hang a banana on a string from the top and then you place a set of stairs under the banana, before long a monkey will go to the stairs and climb toward the banana.

As soon as he touches the stairs, you spray all the other monkeys with cold water. After a while another monkey makes an attempt with same result... all the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water. Pretty soon when another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it.

Now, put the cold water away. Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and attempts to climb the stairs. To his shock, all of the other monkeys beat the crap out of him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs he will be assaulted.

Next, remove another of the original five monkeys, replacing it with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment... with enthusiasm.

Then, replace a third original monkey with a new one, followed by a fourth, then the fifth. Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs he is attacked. Most of the monkeys that are beating him up have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs. Neither do they know why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey.

Finally, having replaced all of the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys will have ever been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless, none of the monkeys will try to climb the stairway for the banana.

Why, you ask? Because in their minds... that is the way it has always been!

This, my friends, is how Congress operates and is why, from time to time, all of the monkeys need to be REPLACED AT THE SAME TIME!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

RSC Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan (OH-4) to Oppose Spending Deal


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 12, 2011



RSC Chairman Jordan to
Oppose FY 2011 Spending Deal

Washington, DCRepublican Study Committee (RSC) Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan issued the following statement expressing opposition to the compromise spending deal struck for the remainder of FY 2011.

“I thank the Republican leadership for their efforts to cut spending and rein in Washington.  In January, the RSC launched an effort to cut a full $100 billion from President Obama’s budget, and nearly every Republican voted in favor of making those fiscally-responsible cuts.  By contrast, the tax-and-spend Democrats failed to pass their own budget last year, failed to take action on our spending plan this year, and never came up with a plan of their own.”

“While I respect that some of my Republican colleagues will ultimately support this spending deal, I believe voters are asking us to set our sights higher.  The debate is now turning to next year’s budget and the debt ceiling, both of which offer real opportunities to chart a better future than the one toward which the country is currently headed.  Making a real impact will require the discipline to do the right thing even when it’s the hard thing.  Americans want us to reach higher, act bolder, and remember the job we were sent here to do.”

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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.