Posted April 22, 200520 yr By Howard Wilkinson Enquirer staff writer As Ohio Gov. Bob Taft passes the halfway point of his last term as governor, his approval rating has never been lower, dipping to 34 percent, according to a new Ohio Poll. The same poll, conducted by the University of Cincinnati's Institute for Policy Research, shows that President Bush's 49 percent approval rating among Ohioans is virtually unchanged from last fall, when Ohio voters assured him of a second term in the White House. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050422/NEWS01/504230309/-1/rss
April 22, 200520 yr Apparantly what he is doing isn't working. Do governor's even listen to the people any more?
April 22, 200520 yr ^ I feel like being cynical, so I will respond to that as follows: Governors don't have to listen to people, save during election time. It's like Bush's "accountability moment" (the 2004 election). Otherwise, on an unrelated note, I just want to say that the last line in that article is the most explicit mention of a confidence interval/margin of error I've ever seen in such a short article about a poll.
April 22, 200520 yr By Howard Wilkinson Enquirer staff writer As Ohio Gov. Bob Taft passes the halfway point of his last term as governor, his approval rating has never been lower, dipping to 34 percent, according to a new Ohio Poll. What are Ohio's laws concerning recalls? Otherwise, he can't run for re-election. Unless he and DeWine are going to trade jobs, Taft isn't going to be running for a statewide office again anytime soon. Who the fuck cares what his approval rate is right now.
April 22, 200520 yr Otherwise, on an unrelated note, I just want to say that the last line in that article is the most explicit mention of a confidence interval/margin of error I've ever seen in such a short article about a poll. Amen on that. Surprising to see from the Enquirer - I've always been appalled at their math illiteracy...
April 23, 200520 yr He deserves the low rating. He has earned it, but I still say people pay too much attention to the governor. He is largely a figurehead. The real power is in the legislature and the Republican majority there deserves its share of the blame.
July 26, 200519 yr From the 7/26/05 PD: Spending cap would trump rest of Ohio's constitution Tuesday, July 26, 2005 Julie Carr Smyth Plain Dealer Bureau Columbus - Surprises are buried in the complicated language of a proposal to limit Ohio's government spending. A constitutional amendment whose prime mission is to cap government spending also contains a "supremacy clause" allowing it to prevail over all other sections of the Ohio Constitution, according to a Policy Matters Ohio report out today. "It's an unusual thing to do, to write a clause that says this provision of the Constitution is going to trump everything - whatever it is," said research analyst Jon Honeck, the report's author. "Whether it's municipal home rule, anything to do with education, it really doesn't matter." http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/112237028986953.xml&coll=2
July 26, 200519 yr It's a bad, bad idea to write spending caps into the Constitution. In addition to the heinous problems describe in the article, you never know what's going to happen in the future and this would cripple the state's ability to deal with whatever may arise.
July 27, 200519 yr I was for this amendment, until I see it applies to the localities. I'm for local control, so I would prefer this amendment be limited to state government, and let the localities determine their own policies on spending caps. Perhaps the best restriction on local spending is a requirement that local budgets have to balance, that there not be any deficits. I think this already is either state law or a provision of the state constitution.
July 27, 200519 yr ^ One thing I worry about with the local governments is that certain metropolitan core counties and cities, in addition to their own residents, receive an influx of workers, etc. from the outside to whom they provide services. Tying these places' spending to their own population growth doesn't seem a good idea.
July 27, 200519 yr well, I think localities can levy city income taxes that apply to workers who commute in, but dont live in thte town. I know that is Franklins strategy with its industrial park near I-75. In any case it should be up to the localities as to how much they want to tax, or spend, as long as their budgets stay in balance.
August 2, 200519 yr This just doesn't sound right at all. From the 8/2/05 Toledo Blade: PHOTO: Blackwell Tax reformists get cash infusion Anonymous funds back Blackwell group By JIM PROVANCE BLADE COLUMBUS BUREAU COLUMBUS - A newly created nonprofit group has anonymously funneled nearly a quarter million dollars into an initiative seeking a constitutional amendment to restrict state spending. Citizens for Tax Reform, the ballot initiative fronted by Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, has received five contributions totaling $225,000 from Ohioans for Responsible Government, incorporated in March by a pair of lobbyists and an attorney in Columbus. http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050802/NEWS09/508020390/-1/NEWS
August 4, 200519 yr Two articles today. The first talks about Blackwell's group getting the required number of signatures. From the AP, 8/4/05: Blackwell group says it has enough signatures for ballot issue 8/4/2005, 6:55 a.m. ET The Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A group headed by Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell says it will submit petitions containing 515,000 signatures for a vote on a constitutional amendment to cap state and local government spending. The group needs 322,899 valid signatures of registered voters from at least 44 of the 88 counties to put the issue on the Nov. 8 ballot. The deadline for submitting the petitions is Aug. 10. The proposal by Citizens for Tax Reform would limit spending to the rates of inflation and population growth combined, or 3.5 percent a year, whichever was greater. It also would require voter approval of tax increases. http://www.cleveland.com/newsflash/cleveland/index.ssf?/base/news-18/112314945244550.xml&storylist=cleveland This one deals with the non-profit that's raising money for Blackwell's group. From the 8/4/05 Akron Beacon Journal: New group eyes state reform Brennan associates' nonprofit raising funds for amendment to limit spending By Dennis J. Willard Beacon Journal Columbus Bureau COLUMBUS - Associates of Akron industrialist and charter school entrepreneur David Brennan are behind a new nonprofit organization that is raising large contributions from unspecified sources to amend Ohio's Constitution to limit spending by the state government. Ohioans for Responsible Government was formed on March 28 by three Brennan associates, and a recent campaign finance filing indicates that the organization is playing a key role in raising the money to place the ballot issue before voters on Nov. 8. The group gave $225,000, or almost three of every four dollars raised, to Citizens for Tax Reform, the committee created by Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell and his associates to gather signatures and run the campaign. http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/12300177.htm?source=rss&channel=ohio_news
August 10, 200519 yr From the 8/9/05 Toledo Blade: Report blasts Ohio 'corporate welfare' Groups: $3.4B wasted on marketing, trade trips, arts, farm subsidies By JIM PROVANCE BLADE COLUMBUS BUREAU COLUMBUS - Lawmakers could have saved Ohio taxpayers as much as $3.4 billion by eliminating "corporate welfare" and other "wasteful spending" from the state budget, according to a report to be issued today by a pair of conservative think tanks. The "Ohio Piglet Report" claims lawmakers should eliminate spending for marketing, foreign trade missions, tourism promotion, high-tech research, agricultural subsidies, professional regulatory boards, the arts, historical preservation, and other programs. The Washington-based Citizens Against Government Waste, which has long criticized federal spending, has joined forces for the first time with the Columbus-based Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions for a similar study of Ohio. http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/0809blackwell.html From the 8/10/05 Toledo Blade: PHOTO: Blackwell and Redfern Vote reform helps stall Ohio spending cap Democrats call delay to 2006 a political ploy By JIM PROVANCE BLADE COLUMBUS BUREAU COLUMBUS - The lines have been drawn for a battle in courtrooms and at the ballot box this fall with the control of Ohio government potentially at stake. Conservative Republicans felt the threat was strong enough to sacrifice their cause - a constitutional amendment to rein in government spending - to concentrate instead on defeating proposed election reforms pushed by labor and other Democrat-leaning groups in the wake of a statewide scandal that began with rare coins and is now threatening the GOP's hold on Ohio government. "I guess we get some credit for getting the Tax Expenditure Limitation off the ballot, so Reform Ohio Now can claim its first public policy success," said Herb Asher, political science professor emeritus at Ohio State University and spokesman for the election reform effort. http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050810/NEWS24/508100456
August 13, 200519 yr From the 8/12/05 Toledo Blade: Ohioans may get to vote on state-spending cap BLADE COLUMBUS BUREAU COLUMBUS - Backers of a proposed constitutional amendment to restrain government spending yesterday filed petitions containing about 497,000 signatures to put the issue on the 2006 general election ballot. The filing was done the day after the deadline to put the issue on this November's ballot, a decision made by Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell at the request of the Ohio Republican Party. The proposed Tax Expenditure Limitation amendment would cap government spending at the rate of inflation adjusted for population growth, or 3.5 percent, whichever is greater. It would guarantee that local governments get at least 5 percent of state revenues. http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050812/NEWS24/508120391
August 16, 200519 yr From the AP, 8/15/05: Voting machine makers' tactics in question Report says Diebold Inc. attempted to pressure election officials into buying their equipment Associated Press COLUMBUS - Officials with some of Ohio's county elections boards say representatives of voting machine maker Diebold Inc. tried to strong-arm them into buying the company's products, a newspaper reported. People acting on behalf of the Green-based company tried to donate money to the local parties of Democrats and Republicans who sat on the boards, the board members told The Columbus Dispatch for a story published Sunday. ... http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/state/12386425.htm?source=rss&channel=ohio_state
September 2, 200519 yr From the AP, 8/29/05: Judge dismisses lawsuit filed over long election lines By JOHN McCARTHY Associated Press Writer COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- A federal judge has dismissed an Election Day lawsuit filed by the Ohio Democratic Party that sought paper ballots for people waiting in long lines at polling places Nov. 2. The party wanted the lawsuit to be thrown out once it became clear President Bush won re-election, but Republican state leaders kept the lawsuit alive to try to get the judge to rule the election did not violate voters' constitutional rights. ... http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OH_VOTING_LINES_OHOL-?SITE=OHTOL&SECTION=US&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
September 6, 200519 yr From the 9/4/05 PD: Money intended to help Ohio's poor sits in huge surplus Sunday, September 04, 2005 Ted Wendling Plain Dealer Bureau Columbus -- Ohio has set an unenviable welfare-reform record by stockpiling the largest surplus in the history of the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program -- $1.14 billion. More than half of the money -- $599 million -- is listed as "unobligated," meaning the state has no specific plans to spend it to help poor Ohio families. In addition, the state recently received $182 million in TANF money to cover the current quarter. The unobligated portion of the surplus has soared from $431 million a year ago even though newly released U.S. Census data show that Ohio's poverty rate rose from 10.3 percent to 11.3 percent during that period. Read More...
September 20, 200519 yr From the 9/17/05 Toledo Blade: Bills would extend tax break to more Ohio cargo hubs By JIM PROVANCE BLADE COLUMBUS BUREAU COLUMBUS — State lawmakers are introducing bills to extend special tax treatment for a Columbus cargo hub to similar operations statewide. Eight federally recognized foreign trade zones, including those operated by the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority and the Findlay-Hancock Chamber of Commerce, have objected to an exemption under Ohio’s new commercial activities tax on business gross sales that was slipped into the state budget and narrowly tailored to apply only to Rickenbacker Airport south of Columbus. Contact Jim Provance at: [email protected] 614-221-0496. http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050917/NEWS24/50917049/-1/NEWS
September 22, 200519 yr From the 9/16/05 Enquirer: Efficient college operation sought House speaker asserts financing needs overhaul By Jon Craig Enquirer Columbus Bureau COLUMBUS - State universities will be asked to raise their graduation rates, home in on specialties, and cut or restructure programs duplicated at other Ohio colleges, House Speaker Jon Husted said Thursday during a Statehouse news conference. Husted, a Republican from Kettering, said he'll send a letter to university leaders by Monday to outline his goals. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050916/NEWS01/509160396/1056/rss02 From the 9/20/05 AP: Lawmakers turn to college funding GOP goal is to add money, but allocation remains essentially frozen By Andrew Welsh-Huggins The Associated Press COLUMBUS - House Republicans who want to spend the next few months strengthening Ohio's higher education system face the reality of doing it without much additional money. House Speaker Jon Husted says the top priority for members of his party, who control the 99-member House at least until January 2007, is to improve the state's partnership with higher education. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050920/NEWS0102/509200339/1058/NEWS01
October 1, 200519 yr From the 9/27/05 Dayton Daily News: Husted urges tight focus for colleges Tells presidents to seek excellence, efficiency By William Hershey Dayton Daily News COLUMBUS | House Speaker Jon Husted has called on presidents of state-supported colleges and universities to join lawmakers in developing a higher education system that increases graduation rates, keeps tuition low, provides better access and creates "seamless transitions" between high schools and higher education. "And yes, it will require tough spending decisions and priority setting in the legislature and within your institutions," Husted said in a letter to the presidents released Monday. "Everything can't be the most important priority for everyone." http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/0927husted.html
October 18, 200519 yr From the 10/16/05 PD: Diebold critics keep up protest of voting machine pick Sunday, October 16, 2005 Julie Carr Smyth Plain Dealer Bureau Columbus -- With less than a month to go before another general election, a determined core of protesters refuses to relent on the perceived risks of Diebold Election Systems' voting machines. They are expected to continue to barrage Cuyahoga County elections officials with questions about the county's chosen machine maker at a hearing Monday -- though they are fighting a decision that has already been made. ... http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/112945506310060.xml&coll=2
December 7, 200519 yr From the 12/6/05 Cincinnati Post: Mayors pledge cooperation Post staff report Covington Mayor Butch Callery and new Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory met Monday and talked about ways their cities can cooperate instead of compete. "Sometimes in the past we've been in competition, but I don't think that should occur," said Callery. "We're all one big region. That's why we wanted to set up this meeting." http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051206/NEWS01/512060350
December 16, 200519 yr From the 12/9/05 Enquirer: Promoting arts, region's economy in mayors' plans Callery, Mallory seek development By Cindy Schroeder Enquirer staff writer COVINGTON - The mayors of Covington and Cincinnati pledged to promote regional economic development issues in a historic meeting this week. Covington Mayor Butch Callery said Monday's 50-minute get-acquainted session with newly-elected Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory was the first time a mayor from the Queen City has ventured across the Ohio River to meet with him. E-mail [email protected] http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051209/NEWS0103/512090422/1059/rss13
December 22, 200519 yr From the 12/20/05 PPD: Lawyer says fund-raiser touted jobs from Petro Tuesday, December 20, 2005 Sandy Theis and Ted Wendling Plain Dealer Bureau Columbus - Lawyer Kevin O'Brien didn't know the rules of political fund-raising, but he knew something didn't smell right. O'Brien said that, last summer at Spice, a Columbus hangout for young professionals, he approached an attractive young woman, Amy Gravengaard, who introduced herself as Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro's fund-raiser. "Within 60 seconds into the conversation, she focused on whether I was interested in becoming special counsel," O'Brien told The Plain Dealer. "She said, 'If you want to do it, here's what you have to do.' There were suggested levels of donations and fund raising." The encounter, O'Brien said, "flunked the smell test" - and troubled him for another reason: "I wasn't interested in talking shop with her. She's a good-looking blonde. I was going to hit on her." O'Brien detailed the conversation in an affidavit filed Monday in a Democrat-financed lawsuit that accuses Petro, Gov. Bob Taft and other top-ranking Republicans of selling state business for campaign cash. Republicans argue that the suit is politically motivated. Full article at http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/113507156687690.xml&coll=2
December 22, 200519 yr Debt collectors good to Petro Lawyer’s affidavit suggests ‘pay to play’ deals Thursday, December 22, 2005 James Nash THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Attorney General Jim Petro boasts that he has helped the state recover millions in unpaid debts by unleashing an aggressive and growing cadre of lawyers on scofflaws. Since he took office in 2003, Petro says, he has helped agencies recover $270 million a year in debts, up from $125 million under predecessor Betty D. Montgomery, now the state auditor. But his reliance on outside lawyers to go after bad debts also has benefited someone else: Petro himself. A Dispatch computer analysis of the 88 debt-collection attorneys paid by Petro’s office this year shows that 73 have donated to Petro’s campaigns. Collectively, the lawyers have given Petro’s campaigns $101,099 since 2000, with thousands more contributed by their spouses and law partners. Many of the lawyers also contribute to political action committees and outside groups that attempt to influence elections for attorney general and governor. Full article at http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2005/12/22/20051222-C1-00.html
December 24, 200519 yr ^Just what I figured. Young blonde republican women in Ohio are not worth our (men) trouble. :-P
December 28, 200519 yr From the 12/21/05 PD: Bill would focus teaching on K-12 school standards Wednesday, December 21, 2005 Reginald Fields Plain Dealer Bureau Columbus -- What Ohio's aspiring teachers learn in college soon will be tailored to match the state's K-12 classroom standards, according to a bill that could become law soon. House Bill 107, passed by the legislature last week and awaiting the governor's signature, would force Ohio's college and university teaching programs to align their instruction to Ohio's standards -- not unlike what is already occurring on many campuses. http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1135157630112211.xml&coll=2
December 28, 200519 yr From the AP, 12/22/05: Ohio may pay for slow growth State stands to lose 2 U.S. House seats , presidential electors Thursday, December 22, 2005 Stephen Ohlemacher Associated Press Washington - Ohio could lose as many as two seats when Congress is reapportioned in 2010, as Southern and Western states continue their fast-paced growth, demographers and political analysts say. Texas and Florida could each gain as many as three House seats if the current projections hold, while New York could join Ohio in giving up two seats. Several other states could gain or lose single seats. "The states in the Midwest are going through a transition," Ohio GOP Chairman Bob Bennett said. "We're going from a heavy manufacturing economic base to a more service-oriented base, and that transition has been very painful." http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/113525108840880.xml&coll=2
December 28, 200519 yr From the AP, 12/25/05: Democrat opts to drop lawsuit against GOP CLEVELAND (AP) - A Cuyahoga County commissioner has decided to drop his lawsuit accusing state Republican officeholders of awarding unbid contracts in return for campaign contributions. Democrat Tim Hagan said he feared the wide-ranging lawsuit would become a distraction in next year's race for governor. He also cited mounting legal fees. "The attorney general's office has an unlimited amount of resources they can throw at this," Hagan told The Columbus Dispatch. "They can tie me up forever. I just feel it's a distraction from the campaign that will ensue in the next year. I just hope the press and prosecutors will take it up now rather than have it appear as a sour-grapes case." Full article at http://www.coshoctontribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2005512250311
December 28, 200519 yr Resnick reprimanded for drunken driving conviction Associated Press Wednesday, December 28, 2005 11:41 AM COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- A panel of state appellate judges publicly reprimanded Ohio Supreme Court Justice Alice Robie Resnick today, saying her drunken driving conviction violated the state's judicial code of conduct. No other discipline was recommended. At least one other judge's law license was suspended following a third drunken driving conviction, the panel noted, but said Resnick's case differed. She has had no discipline against her since she was sworn in as an attorney in 1964, and quickly took responsibility for her conviction, the judges said. More at http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=156566&chck=t
December 30, 200519 yr From the 12/30/05 Toledo Blade: CAPSULE: The college trustee equation College trustees shell out millions in contributions Cash goes to Taft, Voinovich, gubernatorial hopefuls By STEVE EDER BLADE STAFF WRITER COLUMBUS — Trustees appointed by the governor’s office to sit on the boards of Ohio’s public colleges have contributed more than $500,000 to fund the political ambitions of Gov. Bob Taft, a Blade investigation shows. For more info, click the link Blade Columbus Bureau Chief James Drew and staff writer Joshua Boak contributed to this report. Contact Steve Eder at: [email protected] or 614-221-0496. http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051230/NEWS24/51230001/-1/NEWS
December 31, 200519 yr So Republic-appointed trustees contribute overwhelmingly to Republican candidates. Big surprise! I hope they're not somehow diverting university funds or resources. But then again I hoped Ohio would have a fair election in Nov. 2004. Republican officials are capable of all manner of dastardly deeds, and this back-scratching campaign contribution is just the tip of it. If only there weren't so many people who blindly voted like their parents did and educated themselves on how our government works and doesn't work.
December 31, 200519 yr More, from the 12/31/05 Toledo Blade: PHOTOS: Wexner, Ong 2 of 3 new OSU trustees GOP donors Pair have given Taft, party over $1.3M By STEVE EDER BLADE STAFF WRITER COLUMBUS - Gov. Bob Taft yesterday appointed three members to the Ohio State University Board of Trustees, filling two of the new seats with political contributors who have donated more than $1.3 million to state Republican candidates and causes. For more info, click the link Contact Steve Eder at: [email protected] or 614-221-0496. http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051231/NEWS24/512310398/-1/NEWS
January 4, 200619 yr Somewhat related, from the 12/30/05 Enquirer: Mallory to address groups in Kentucky BY PATRICK CROWLEY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER FORT MITCHELL - Newly-elected Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory isn't shy about crossing the Ohio River. Mallory, a Democrat and former Ohio state legislator elected in November and sworn into office earlier this month, is scheduled to appear at two Northern Kentucky events in January. http://news.nky.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20051230/NEWS0103/512300417/
January 4, 200619 yr http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060104/NEWS24/601040401/-1/NEWS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Article published January 4, 2006 Redfern seeks ban on appointments for political donors By STEVE EDER and JAMES DREW BLADE STAFF WRITERS COLUMBUS - The ranking Democratic legislator who doubles as state party chairman proposed yesterday to ban the governor from appointing political contributors to seats on public university or college boards of trustees. For more info, click the link Contact Steve Eder at: [email protected] or 419-724-6259.
January 6, 200619 yr CONTROVERSIAL TAX AMENDMENT Rickenbacker exemption unfair, say lawmakers Friday, January 06, 2006 Jim Siegel THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH A special state-tax exemption that Rickenbacker Airport officials say is vital to its continued development is under fire from the Ohio House speaker, who says it applies Ohio’s tax code unequally. The two-year budget approved in June created a new commercial-activities tax on business transactions. But an amendment pushed by Sen. David Goodman, R-New Albany, exempted distribution activity at Rickenbacker from the tax. [email protected] http://www.dispatch.com/business-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/01/06/20060106-E1-01.html
January 6, 200619 yr From the AP, 1/6/06: College education tops list of priorities Politicians push affordability By Carrie Spencer Ghose The Associated Press COLUMBUS - Gov. Bob Taft sounds enthusiastic about the House leader's proposal to spend more state money encouraging college students to pursue math, science or engineering - skills that Ohio employers want. An affordable college education is the next big step to improving Ohio's economy, elected leaders said Thursday. House Speaker Jon Husted said his top legislative priority for the year is changing how the state pays for higher education. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060106/NEWS01/601060441/1056/rss02
January 8, 200619 yr Boehner reportedly wants GOP post Sunday, January 08, 2006 Jonathan Riskind THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH An Ohio lawmaker is one of the leading contenders to replace Tom DeLay as Republican majority leader. Rep. John A. Boehner, R-West Chester, will "very likely" announce that he is running for majority leader when GOP leadership elections are officially scheduled, a close source to Boehner told The Dispatch yesterday. More at: http://dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/01/08/20060108-A4-05.html
January 10, 200619 yr Boehner in line to be House majority leader Tuesday, January 10, 2006 Stephen Koff Plain Dealer Bureau Chief Washington- John Boehner is an insider's insider. He not only knows how to pass laws and win allies in Congress, he also knows how to slip quietly out of the Capitol for a smoke and some schmoozing with reporters, and how to make friends among CEOs, work a golf course and throw one magnificent party. Normally that's how one rises to the vaunted post of House majority leader, a position Boehner, from West Chester in southwest Ohio, wants now that Tom DeLay is bowing out of leadership under an ethics cloud. Full story at: http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1136885639308260.xml&coll=2
January 12, 200619 yr From the 1/11/06 Toledo Blade: Gardner offers up higher education reforms COLUMBUS - Ohio Sen. Randy Gardner said yesterday the state should support universities more and, in return, it should expect more from universities. Mr. Gardner (R., Bowling Green) presented higher education reforms yesterday at a meeting of university officials in Columbus. Included in the list of proposals, which was created with Sen. Joy Padgett (R., Coshocton), were funding incentives based on student course completion and graduation rates. http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060111/NEWS24/601110418
January 13, 200619 yr From the 1/13/06 PD: Bill would limit governor's power in appointing college trustees Friday, January 13, 2006 Reginald Fields Plain Dealer Bureau Columbus - Appointments to Ohio's university boards of trustees too often go to the governor's political donors, according to a state senator who introduced a bill Thursday that would change the selection criteria. For more info, click the link To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: [email protected], 1-800-228-8272 http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1137144764199150.xml&coll=2
January 14, 200619 yr From the 1/13/06 Middletown Journal: Boehner, Blunt short in race for GOP slot New contender may emerge in Shadegg WASHINGTON — Despite a weeklong campaign, both Missouri Rep. Roy Blunt and Ohio Rep. John Boehner acknowledge they remain short of the tally required to succeed embattled former Majority Leader Tom DeLay as the No. 2 Republican in the House. Blunt claims the lead and issued a statement claiming more than 100 supporters, though his list of those willing to make their names public contains just 70 lawmakers. To win the race to replace DeLay, R-Texas, requires 116 votes, a majority of the 231 member House GOP conference. Full story at: http://www.middletownjournal.com/news/content/news/stories/2006/01/13/MJ0113HouseGOPLeadership.html
January 15, 200619 yr From the 1/14/06 Dayton Daily News: Boehner now has two challengers for post Arizona's Shadegg opens bid for House majority leader By Jessica Wehrman Washington Bureau WASHINGTON | An Arizona congressman Friday declared his candidacy for the House majority leader position, throwing an new wrinkle in a race that had until then pitted two veteran lawmakers with vast insider connections against one another. Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz., elected in 1994, is chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee, the fifth-ranking position in the House leadership. He will face Reps. John Boehner, R-West Chester, and acting Majority Leader Roy Blunt, R-Mo., in a secret ballot House Republican Conference Election slated for Feb. 2, and would need 116 votes to win the position. More at: http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/0114boehner.html
January 15, 200619 yr Limits on spending in hands of voters Amendment to state constitution invites fiscal disaster, critics say Sunday, January 15, 2006 Mark Niquette and Joe Hallett THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH It’s billed as a way to stop politicians from spending too much of your money and driving jobs out of the state. As appealing as that may sound, budget experts and critics of a proposed constitutional amendment to limit government spending say a close look at the details shows the plan would be a disaster for Ohio. Among the potential consequences, they warn: spending for state services would be slashed, schools would be hard-pressed to raise needed money, and police and fire levies would be virtually impossible to pass. [email protected] http://dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/01/15/20060115-A1-02.html
January 15, 200619 yr This is absolutely absurd. Unfortunately it is one of those issues that will probably sound good to voters and they will not realize the ramifications. When the economy is slow, the state must make many cuts to the budget. Things sometimes languish and “fall into a state of disrepair.” However, when the economy picks up again, the state is able to relatively easily increase spending on those things that were deeply cut when the economy was bad, build up a reserve, and even cut taxes. If there is a spending limit in place like this amendment proposes, the state is unable to significantly make up for the past budget cuts so the state falls further and further behind other states, never able to catch up. Colorado is the only state that I’m aware of right now that has such an amendment—TABOR. Here are a few facts about TABOR I found…. In the 1990s, the Colorado limit forced the state to enact large and (as it turned out) unaffordable tax cuts. As a result, TABOR has worsened the state’s fiscal crisis, contributed to damaging spending cuts, forced the state to borrow against its own fiscal future, and lowered the state’s bond ratings. Colorado’s fiscal situation is worse than those of many other states. For 2003, the state is struggling to close a $1 billion deficit, equal to about 20 percent of total spending — among the largest deficits in the nation. The outlook for 2004 is no better. The state’s fiscal plight has led bond rating agencies to downgrade the state’s bond rating and credit outlook in recent months; analysts specifically blamed TABOR for making the fiscal crisis worse. In a pair of studies in 1999 and 2001, Governing magazine ranked Colorado’s finances as among the worst-managed in the country, again due to TABOR. Budget restrictions have made it difficult to cover the rising costs due to homeland security, increasing health care costs and recession-driven needs. Many state programs are designed to be counter-cyclical: their costs rise during economic downturns as they assist families that have lost jobs or income. States also may be required to take on new costs as the result of federal policies and mandates, which further increases the cost of maintaining current services. (i.e. No Child Left Behind)
January 15, 200619 yr From the 1/15/06 Dayton Daily News: Boehner can cap comeback with win Earlier defeat gave him drive to return to GOP top By Jessica Wehrman [email protected] WASHINGTON | On the day Rep. John Boehner announced his long-expected bid to return to congressional leadership, he talked as much about his greatest political disappointment as he did his political prowess. "I think at the time I didn't take my loss personally," Boehner said. "... I kept my chin up, went to work, went back to my committee assignments and devoted my efforts to being a legislator, you know, the reason I really came to Congress." As Boehner and his supporters make a case for him, in phone calls and his 37-page plan for the House Republicans, a theme emerges: redemption. Full story at: http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/0115boehnerbox.html
January 15, 200619 yr You are right on dfly. This is state-of-the-art Ohio Republican politics: go for the low-hanging fruit. It looks good and sounds appealing.... that is, until you start to take a paring knife to the fruit and peel it back. Then what you have is a rotten apple. Blackwell and his band of neo-cons are pushing the idea that putting spending limits on government is good. Good for whom? Good for Blackwell, politically. But at a time when more and more is being demanded by the public of government at all levels, this has fiscal disaster written all over it. But the sweet smell of somehow pulling in the reins on what Blackwell says is a state government run amok masks the fact that state government has already been cutting back on staff and programs. Many agencies are doing more with much less than they had even a few years ago. Could we be spending smarter? Absolutely. It is a lot harder to do that, however, than it is to push what looks like a quick fix. Don't forget: term limits was pushed much the same way, and it has turned out to be one of the worst things to happen to Ohio's legislature and the government it helps fund and run. Did it clean out the rascals? No, many of them just give up their seat in the House or Senate and run for a seat in the other chamber. What we get is a turnover in the General Assembly that robs us all of any chance to have a legislature that has the experience level to take on the hard issues and provide real solutions. Instead, we have one that gives us legislative drivel like Defense of Marriage, bans on DNA research and concealed carry laws. Meanwhile, major issues like school funding reform and an overall smarter state fiscal policy are either ignored or dealt with at best in a superficial manner. Blackwell's proposal stinks like low-tide.
January 16, 200619 yr From the 1/16/06 Dayton Daily News: Boehner's PAC raises critics' questions It may prove to be factor in bid for House position By Jessica Wehrman Washington Bureau WASHINGTON | In 25 years of politics, John Boehner has gone from being president of the Lakota Hills homeowner's association to the proverbial smoker in the smoke-filled rooms of Congress. He came to Congress in 1991 as an ambitious freshman and became part of Newt Gingrich's "Gang of 7," who took on what they perceived as Democratic abuses of power, including misuse of the House bank and post office. More at: http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/0116boehnerpac.html
