Buckeye State Blog - State House

Honey, is my Sweatshirt with the big red 'A' back from the cleaners yet?

Alan Harvard — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 10:33:46 -0700

long time ago, when I was a boy in Jr. High, my teacher forced me to read The Red Pony, The Pearl, Beowulf, Edgar Allen Poe poems and several stories by Nathaniel Hawthorn.

I didn't read The Red Pony - I cheated on the tests, or skimmed it before quizzes. Beowulf, well I liked the parts where they mamed the guy. Was that Beowulf right? The poems - well I was not into poetry that didn't involve toilet humor (some say I am still of that mindset) and I couldn't get a date to save my life - so why in the world would I ever need poetry?

BUT

Nathaniel Hawthorn and Edgar Allen Poe made a dent - they still haunt me. I am really not much of a literature hound - but I do remember the themes, and the "lesson learned".

There was one book where every year all of the townspeople were forced to take aslip of paper, and one of them had a black dot on it. Whoever got the black dot was stoned to death by the other townspeople. I cannot recall the name and author now - but the theme was that they did this every year because they always had - and no one really knew why. I always refer to that book when I am dealing with certain 60 year old white men who run government offices. (I guess if I knew the name it would be more effective?)

The Pit and the Pendulum. Another that haunts me. I remember reading this story as a kid and having to put the book down. I must have been 14 or so, and even today I have nightmares about that thought. There are even some 'torture' scenes in James Bond movies I have to turn my head from because of it. I would assume Poe would be pleased that 170 years after the penleft the page - he is still haunting my mind.

Now although those two stories haunt me personally - and resonate with a lesson learned for most - THE SCARLET LETTER is what I will remind you of now:

From the AP:

Ohio already tags repeat drunken drivers' cars with bright yellow license plates. Now it wants to make convicted sexual predators use fluorescent green ones.
A bill introduced Wednesday would require all habitual and child-oriented convicted sex offenders to display the easy-to-spot plates.

Ok - now if I am against this - I am OF COURSE soft on sexual predators, and THEREFORE maybe I AM ONE - RIGHT?! That's how our opponents would talk, and that's why this bill will most likely sail through the Legislature, and why my favorite Governor will have to sign it. And that sucks.

My concern is not with this particular piece of legislation really - I am more unhappy with the road this leads us down. What's next - plaid bumperstickers for everyone that paid their taxes late? Maybe bright orange cowboy hats for anyone that makes five gramatical errors in an email.

I am also concerned about how we define a 'sexual predator'. Someone who forces themself on a minor is not the same as someone who buys dirty pictures from China.

Earlier I used great literary minds as references - now I will use a modern day philosopher:

Mitch Headberg: Alcoholism is a disease, but it's like the only disease that you can get yelled at for having.
"Dammit, Otto, you're an alcoholic." "
Dammit, Otto, you have lupus."
One of those two doesn't sound right.

I don't think that a sexual predator has a 'disease'. ( I am gonna get hell for this one.) Just because someone has a different attraction than you does not mean that something is wrong with them. Hell, that's what the Conservative Christian Wackos talk about gays: "Them boys like other boys? Well that just ain't right -them boys are sick!" I truly believe that these sexual predators have a true and uncontrolable desire to do these things, and instead of forcing them to be publically humiliated, we should instead offer them the care they need.

Ok, I covered a lot of topics, and did not do so elloquently here. Maybe Jill will jump in and streamline my thoughts. She seems to have done more book learning than me....er...than I....whatever. I look forward to the conversation.

Forwarding the Republican Agenda

redenemy — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 12:01:48 -0700

Members of the Democratic Party who are Forwarding the Republican Agenda:

Joyce Beatty

Catherine Barrett

Tim Cassell

Mike Mitchell

Tyrone Yates

Clayton Luckie

These are the 6 Ohio House members that voted for the Ohio Core bill. The bill passed by nine votes. This bill, which was lobbied against by the OFT, the OEA, and Governor-Elect Strickland, passed with out the support of those 6 Democrats. These six, which include the House Minority Leader, are working directly to undermine thier newly elected leader and the agenda of one of thier core constituancies. This type of complicity in the Republican agenda is absolutely intolerable, especially during this sour grapes session.

Gov. Elect Strickland has said that the Core bill (discussed in depth in the link above) would potentially "set up a system that will forever consign a student that may have unique gifts and abilities to a secondary place within our society simply because they do not have the ability to function in other areas."

He had asked the House to wait untill he took office to consider the bill so it could get the consideration and mandate that such a bill would need to work.

Rep. Beatty and the five above have now joined the Republicans in pissing on the newly eleccted Governor's boot. This is absolutely intolerable, especially when you consider that this bill would have had a vastly smaller chance of passing if the leadership had held the line and bothered to bring over more Republicans.

10 Republican House members voted against the bill and many were wavering in thier support.. willing do for the Governor what members of his own party were not; Give him a chance to govern before destroying his agenda.

Marian Harris video up on YouTube

Ryan — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 14:02:52 -0700

Check out a brand new video from Marian Harris, candidate for Ohio House in the 19th district here.

Marian needs your support in this last week. To volunteer fill out the form on her website and someone will be in contact with you.

Republican Ads Don't Cut It

Lucie — Sun, 22 Oct 2006 12:12:32 -0700

Maybe it is just me, but I don't think I would mail out a slick flyer supporting a��candidate named Bacon�� with a picture of a big hammer looming over a piggybank!

Photoshop anybody?!

I might just make my own poster, labeling the hammer Dean and the bank Kevin.

OH 34's Tom Brinkman is an Idiot

Muffet — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 11:30:20 -0700

From Yellow Dog Sammy.�� I am so happy Steve Silver is emphasizing this.�� I have the misfortune of living in Mean Jean's district as well as Tom Brinkman's.

Thursday, September 7Ohio House 34th: Silver (D) Demands Explanation of Brinkman (R) Vote Against Tougher Foster Parent Screening The State of Ohio was shocked by the horrific death of Marcus Fiesel, a three-year-old special needs child who died after his foster parents wrapped him in a blanket, bound him with strapping tape, and went off to a family reunion in Kentucky on the weekend of August 4th. The foster parents have pleaded not guilty to murder charges in Clermont County, with bail set at $10.1 million each.

The Fiesel tragedy occurred in part in the 34th Ohio House District, where challenger Stephen Silver (D-Cincinnati) seeks to oust controversial incumbent State Rep. Tom Brinkman (R-Cincinnati). Readers will recall that Brinkman championed the outrageous House Bill 515 to prohibit lesbian or gay couples from adopting, introduced a bill to outlaw abortion in all cases, was the only Ohio legislator to vote against belated ratification of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (equal protection under the law) in 2003, and was voted Ohio��s ��Worst Legislator�� by his peers in a Columbus Monthly survery in 2003.

Silver is now calling on Brinkman to explain why he recently voted against Senate Bill 238, a bill that passed 91-4 with broad bipartisan support after 11 special needs children were removed from a Huron County home following the discovery that they were living in cage-like contraptions. The bill provides for computerized collection of information about child abuse or neglect cases and other measures strengthening background checks. ��Especially after the death of Marcus Fiesel," Silver said, "this heinous vote demands an explanation."

In his letter to Brinkman, Silver called on the embattled legislator to explain his outrageous vote:

The loss of a small child is always a tragedy, however given the involvement of the people in this district and the manner in which Marcus died, this incident has special meaning. I think everyone here in our district prays that this never happens to another child again. ...

... While [SB 238] doesn��t go into effect until mid -September, many of the provisions of the legislation can, in the future, prevent situations like the one that led to the death of Marcus Fiesel. This was good legislation and was passed by a huge bi-partisan majority of the House (91-4). Your vote, sadly, was NO.

I, like the rest of the citizens of the Ohio 34th House district, want to know why you voted NO on such important legislation. I am calling on you, on behalf of the citizens of Ohio and the young people this bill was designed to protect, to explain your actions. You need to tell us why you felt that protecting our young and defenseless children was not worth your vote. Our vote. ...

Brinkman has a history of rebelling against his own party as well as battling Democrats, as when he urged Republicans to vote for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tim Hagan in 2002 because Gov. Bob Taft had appointed pro-life Jenette Bradley as State Treasurer, and recently when he wrangled with County Commissioner Phil Heimlich (R-Cincinnati) over a local tax to finance construction of a jail. No word yet on whether or how Brinkman will defend his opposition to tougher screening of foster parents.

Jay Hottinger Bamboozle's Newark J C's

Garry G — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 08:15:47 -0700

Tom Holliday is in tough fight in House District 71 which is essence is Licking County.�� Tom faces Republican Jay Hottinger who has been term limited out of the Senate.�� The United Way Parade slated for the 17th of Sept. has been politcally tainted by the JC's failure to see how they have been minipulated by Hottinger.�� In past years the JC's have asked Hottinger to be the Grand Marshal of the event.�� When he was not running he was too busy to do it and turned them down.�� Now this year he is a real race, one he is beginning to think he might lose and now he wants to be the Grand Marshal.�� Jay also failed to tell the organizers, who was under the impression he was term limited and would not be running, that he was a candidate for State Representative!�� Jay has promised the JC's he would not campaign... and the JC's believed him.��At this point all we can do is call the United Way of Licking County��and have them put pressure on the JC's to do the right thing and pick a new Grand Marshal.

Jay Hottinger is tied to Bob Taft and the do-nothing Republican controlled legislature.�� We as voters and citizens with a conscience, have got to spread the word and TURN AROUND OHIO.

Phillips Slams Stewart... (92nd House Dist)

redenemy — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 18:43:51 -0700

I've never much liked Jimmy "Fast Fingers" Stewart, so I was happy to come across this tidbit about a recent debate in Athens...

Debbie Phillips, who is running against Stewart for the 92nd Ohio House seat, wasted no time in taking Stewart to task for hanging his constituants out to dry.

"Some people think that people choose not to be insured or have planned poorly," said Ohio House candidate Phillips. One Morgan County resident she's spoken with, however, has an entirely different situation that she believes is emblematic. "The company (he worked for) left the country," reported Phillips. "They are not paying insurance."

Meigs County trails other parts of Ohio in terms of its number of doctors, she added. Ohio State University data show one doctor for every 3,852 Meigs residents - compared with one doctor for every 852 state residents as a whole.

Incumbent state Rep. Stewart, asserted Phillips, has voted for budgets that do little to address these problems.

Stewart's answer? That SE Ohioans lack decent medical care because they over use the emergency room and smoke too much. I don't think I've ever heard a worse answer; you're telling me that our state's healthcare crisis is due to the fact that SE Ohioans smoke too much? Hysterical.

Phillips wasted no time in blasting back.

Asked why, if smoking cessation is key, he accepted a campaign donation from the RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co., Stewart responded that he has received money from a variety of sources, which does not affect how he votes in the legislature...

Of course, the article also gets to the heart of the matter:

Public campaign-finance data show that Stewart has accepted thousands of dollars from major players in the health-care industry, including political action committees for national pharmaceutical companies Glaxo Smith Kline, Merck and Pfizer.

So long as Reps like Stewart run our state and our nation, American consumers will continue to suffer, whether they light up or not.

What We Put Up with in Brinkman Territory

Muffet — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 13:35:24 -0700

Steve Silver needs your help.�� He sure won't get it from "public" access.�� See below from DL in Cincinnati.

Fair and Balanced? Not so much Guest post from state representative candidate Steve Silver:

Oh the naivete! I was so sure that here in the heartland of America, politics would not find its way into the control of the media. Boy was I wrong. Let me share a story with you that you may have a hard time believing.

A few weeks ago, I inquired at the local cable TV outlet about the possibility of appearing on one of their community happenings shows. {The program is called Community Connections and is hosted by a Brenda Wherman (please excuse the spelling of her name). Brenda is also the executive director of the Anderson Township cable access channel, a fact that you might want to keep in mind. I want to tell you that I never did speak to Brenda directly even though I had tried many times. All of the communication I had with her was via her assistant Nicki.}

I was informed that the policy of the program was that they would only interview incumbent political types. The reason for this was not clear to me right away, however it became very clear later on. I responded that I thought the policy was not very 'fair and balanced'. They responded by saying that I could have a half hour of my own time and produce a show of my own. They also said they would provide the equipment and a couple of techies to show me how to use everything. I deal with complex equipment everyday in my job and the thought of learning how to use cameras and video tape machines doesn't scare me. My problem was that I didn't have the time necessary to write, produce and edit this thing....something incumbents don't do when they appear on her show. How this is equitable still escapes me. It gets better though.

After a little checking, I saw that my opponent was on Brenda's show recently. He went on and on about the upcoming campaign, knocking her softball questions out of the park. Unbiased reporting this was not.

As it turns out, this whole Anderson Cable Channel is funded in part by the Anderson Township Trustees. They funnel cable franchise fees collected by Time Warner and paid by the citizens of the township to Brenda so she can run her operation. And guess what. All of the trustees are Republican.

So what we have is a group of Republican Trustees who direct funds paid by the citizens of the township to a cable concern that has a show, hosted by the executive director of the operation, that will only have incumbent (read Republican) politicians on as guests. YHGTBKM

And we wonder why we don't have good government. # posted by Zack Morris at 12:13 PM �� Comments (7) | Trackback

Photos of Repubs with Taft

calebfaux — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 06:29:57 -0700

The posting of the photo of Joy Padgett with Bob Taft reminds me that every Dem candidate running in Ohio could benefit from the possession of a similar photo of their opponent. I'm managing a State Rep's race in SW Ohio (28th District) and would love to find a photo of State Rep Jim Raussen schmoozing with Taft. I'm sure I'm not alone. Maybe those who have such pictures could begin posting them on here - they would be very useful in the next 92 days.

Tom Brinkman: Real reactionary

Muffet — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 14:11:20 -0700

I have the misfortune of having Tom Brinkman as my state rep in Ohio 34.�� I thought I'd take a look at his website to see what he's up to.�� He links to an article from 2003.�� He must be proud of this.

��We must elect Steve Silver.�� http://www.silverforohio.com/

��How embarrassing.�� I have Mean Jean and Reactionary Tom.

Thursday, March 20, 2003

Brinkman only Ohio lawmaker to oppose 14th amendment

By Shelley Davis
Enquirer Columbus Bureau

COLUMBUS - A Cincinnati lawmaker has drawn criticism for being the lone dissenter in Ohio's long-delayed ratification of the 14th Amendment, which guarantees equal protection under the law for all U.S. citizens.

Rep. Tom Brinkman Jr., R-Cincinnati, was the only member of the Ohio General Assembly to vote against ratifying the amendment. He said the bill itself was symbolic and his vote on March 12 was meant to symbolize his displeasure that the amendment has been used to justify taking away state authority on issues from abortion to E-Check.

"It's misapplied constantly by the country to get states to do things they don't want to do," Brinkman said. "Most importantly to me, 45 million babies have been murdered since judges forced Roe v. Wade down the throats of citizens."

But sponsors hoped the amendment's ratification would end a racial embarrassment from Ohio's past. State lawmakers rescinded it in 1868 after they declared it "contrary to the best interests of the white race."

"In reality ... equal rights are already granted to people at the national level," said Dr. Calvert Smith, president of the Cincinnati NAACP. "(Brinkman's vote) sends a message, though, to the African-American community, which says, `I really question the degree to which we should validate your right to have these rights.' "

Smith said he is concerned that Brinkman's vote will add to the negative racial image that already plagues Cincinnati. "In spite of the rationale he may have in terms of abortion rights, the question becomes to what degree that particular act (voting no) reflects the feelings of the total populous of the area, rather than just a limited segment," Smith said.

When the vote occurred, Brinkman voted without making any comments about abortion or otherwise. He said later that he didn't want to stir up an already controversial issue.

Demeaning comments made during the ratification debate forced Rep. Timothy Grendell, R-Chesterland, who is white, to publicly apologize Tuesday to the bill's sponsor, Sen. Mark Mallory, D-Cincinnati, who is black.

Grendell had implied Mallory was illiterate after Mallory responded to a memo Grendell wrote about the amendment. Despite his comments, Grendell voted for ratification.

E-mail davis.1508@osu.edu

Connie Pillich: A Potential Democratic Star

AnnDriscoll — Sat, 24 Jun 2006 14:42:42 -0700

Cross-Posted at MyDD

I met Connie Pillich- candidate for Ohio State House 28 District-- last night at a fundraiser for Dr. Wulsin (OH-02) and I can confidently say that Connie Pillich has the potential to become a major Democratic star. Not only does she radiate intelligence and warmth on a personal level, her biography is one of the more impressive I've seen of any Ohio Democratic candidate this election cycle. She's an air-force veteran, the owner of her own law firm, and a mother of two. She has a B.A., an M.B.A., and J.D. There is nothing Pillich can't do- including unseat Jim Raussen, a particularly odious example of all that is corrupt and wrong with our state government.

You may remember Raussen as one of the 5 GOP lawmakers (along with then-state rep, Jean Schmidt) who failed to report over $5000 in gifts from lobbyists during a Bengals game. Or perhaps Raussen is more infamous for being the beneficiary of a a very public gerrymandering scheme engineered by disgraced former Speaker Larry Householder, which was, oh yeah, caught on tape.

Though gerrymandered, the district can still be won, as Pillich persuasively explains in her interview with Drinking Liberally. This race should be viewed equally as an opportunity to begin a Democratic resurgence in the State House (where we trail the GOP by 21 members) as well as an investment into our arsenal of excellent potential candidates for future races.

-CONTRIBUTE
-VOLUNTEER

Steve Silver can defeat Tom Brinkman

Muffet — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 14:55:37 -0700

Tom Brinkman, my rep unfortunately, was one of the sponsors trying to make going across state lines for medical care he doesn't approve, a felony.�� Steve Silver is running against him.�� Below are Silver's points, from his website. http://www.silverforohio.com/whereistand.htm

My Vision for Ohio

The foundation of any growing society must contain the highest regard for healthy, educated and working citizens. The past several years has seen Ohio legislators ignore these foundational principles. I will work to see that everyone in Ohio has access to a health care plan. I will work to insure that our educational system produces world class students by giving teachers the tools and technology they need. I will work to attract and retain high quality jobs by fostering growth and innovation all business sectors.

I will work for all Ohioans.

On the Issues:

Health Care
While the United States has the best healthcare system in the world, unfortunately more and more Ohioans don��t have access to it. I have seen, first hand, the devastation that can occur for those without health insurance. It is the number one cause of personal bankruptcy in this country. As your next legislator, I pledge that my first order of business will be to fight for expanded access for all Ohioans to health care coverage. We need to take the burden off of employers and employees alike and take control of the spiraling costs. Our focus should be on preserving the lives of our fellow citizens and not the corporate interests of insurance companies and their lobbyists.

Education
The bedrock for any growing society is the education of its youth. I believe that we should provide the technology and resources to our teachers so that our children graduate with all the tools necessary to power our competitiveness in this global economy. We need to fix the funding issues that have plagued our school systems for the past 10 years. Four times the State Supreme Court has determined that the way we fund education in this state is unconstitutional. Four times the legislature has ignored the issue. The time is now to put the interests of our children above the politics of our current leaders.

Jobs
I believe that we need to put the interests of our citizens above the corporations that are sending our jobs overseas. We need to focus on the strengths of Ohio and foster growth in our regional economies. We need to help small and mid-size companies by cutting red tape and helping with incentives. We need to support entrepreneurial partnerships and emerging businesses by allowing them to do what they do best, without the government getting in the way. We need to work with our world class colleges and universities so they can provide the cutting edge technologies and breakthroughs that will propel our state��s economy into the next century.

Choice
I believe that abortions in this day and age are a failure on our part�Ķat almost every level. For too long, our focus has been on legislating something that can never be truly enforced. While this type of action can make us ��feel good�� it doesn��t address the real problems that underlie this emotional issue. I believe that we need to reduce the number of instances where abortion can become an issue. We need to provide more effective and comprehensive birth control training to our children. We need to provide contraceptives to those who cannot afford them and make them more accessible to those who want to use them. A real and inspired effort at reducing those unwanted pregnancies will do far more to reduce abortions than any high profile legislation will.

Sexual Orientation
I believe that every person in this state is entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness no matter what their sexual orientation. Gays and lesbians deserve the same rights and privileges that all people enjoy. I believe it is well beyond the scope and power of a handful of legislators in Columbus to force their personal prejudices upon the citizens of our state. Instead of fostering an atmosphere of hate and discrimination, I pledge to protect the rights of all Ohioans and will work to see that all laws passed in Ohio reflect that commitment.

We Need You! - Marian Harris Campaign Needs A Field Coordinator!

Ryan — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 13:16:52 -0700

My name is Ryan Fissel and I am the campaign manager for Marian Harris, the candidate for State Representative in Ohio's 19th District. We are looking to bring on a field coordinator to assist Marian with a variety of duties. This is a volunteer intern position but a really amazing opportunity to gain some experience and insight into the campaign realm.

If you are interested, please email me at ryan@marianforohio.com and we can set up a time to chat! I look forward to hearing from you! If you have any questions, please feel free to email me those as well.

Marian Harris - 19th District Candidate - Live Blogging in 13 minutes!

Ryan — Mon, 08 May 2006 16:46:36 -0700

Marian Harris, candidate for Ohio House in the 19th District will be live blogging at <http://myvoices.blogs.com/blog/. Come and check her out now!

Also, visit Marian's website at http://www.marianforohio.com for information on her and learn how you can help out!

Thanks!

Marian Harris, District 19 Live Blogging May 8th on My Vote is My Voice

Ryan — Thu, 04 May 2006 18:35:26 -0700

From the forums (with edit to long title breaking Safari) - this sounds interesting. Staff

Join 19th District State House candidate Marian Harris in a guest blogging event on the My Vote Is My Voice blog on May 8th from 8-9pm. Come and ask Marian questions and learn about her plans as a state representative from Ohio's 19th district!

We also invite you to visit Marian's website to learn more about her

This is a seat that with hard work we can win. Come out and support a great candidate!

Ryan Fissel

Campaign Manager

Marian Harris for State Representative, 19th District