Ohio Bloggers
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A group for Ohio-based political bloggers.
Well now that the RNC is over in the “Twin City” what can be said about this week?
Palin gave a great but highly inaccurate speech and McCain gave and OK speech.
Much of the convention can be summed up with three words. war, guns and service
and chants of “drill baby drill”. McCain hinted at changing Social Security, Unemployment Insurance, Healthcare, continuing the war in Iraq and outlined the GOP’s new faces of evil in Iran and Russia. Clearly McCain gave a “Cold War Speech” and hit tones on the war in Iraq very similar to Nixon’s speeches on ending the war in Vietnam.
Palin never touched on her extreme pro-life views even in cases of rape and incest or her support of Creationism/ intelligent Design being taught in public schools.
If anyone had be watching the floor of the convention they would have seen delegates that was 96% white, 2% black and 2% Hispanic, and what was with all the suite and ties?
Palin gave a great but highly inaccurate speech and McCain gave and OK speech.
Much of the convention can be summed up with three words. war, guns and service
and chants of “drill baby drill”. McCain hinted at changing Social Security, Unemployment Insurance, Healthcare, continuing the war in Iraq and outlined the GOP’s new faces of evil in Iran and Russia. Clearly McCain gave a “Cold War Speech” and hit tones on the war in Iraq very similar to Nixon’s speeches on ending the war in Vietnam.
Palin never touched on her extreme pro-life views even in cases of rape and incest or her support of Creationism/ intelligent Design being taught in public schools.
If anyone had be watching the floor of the convention they would have seen delegates that was 96% white, 2% black and 2% Hispanic, and what was with all the suite and ties?
This past Tuesday Aug.12th, 2008 Our City Council voted to override our Mayors veto of Ordinance NO. 4270 which places a limit on the Administration of $ 2500 dollars on “Personal Service Contracts”. In spite of our own Law Directors letter warning them of what their action would mean.
"City Charters" are like constitutions for cities and are based on the State Constitution, Ohio Revised Code and approved by voters. The City of Urbana is less than two years away from “Charter Review” in 2010. Not only was this ordinance “not supported” by our Law Dir. but was not supported by the Ohio Municipal League as well so I've been told.
It may seem like a small thing ... but this one small thing has huge ramifications for the city and the citizens and voters of Urbana. City Council has changed our Charter form of government approved by the voters of Urbana. To their credit Al Evans and Larry Lokai voted NO on the limit.
I oppose this ordinance in the strongest terms…it changes the nature of our Charter Form of government and circumvents the will of the Urbana Voter who passed the City Charter.
The Citizens of Urbana may...want to consider [if possible], a pre-Charter Review referendum on CHAPTER 145, CODIFIED ORDINANCES OF URBANA PART ONE - ADMINISTRATIVE CODE 145.01 (d) and return the right (in my opinion) the explicit and implied right of the Executive Branch of [City] Government under the ORC and The Charter of the City of Urbana to hire and fire personal, service contractors and to purchase services from professional people or firms including consultants, engineers and architects as well as consulting firms to negotiate union contracts and other needs that come up in the course of running a city to provide the best services for its citizens.
"City Charters" are like constitutions for cities and are based on the State Constitution, Ohio Revised Code and approved by voters. The City of Urbana is less than two years away from “Charter Review” in 2010. Not only was this ordinance “not supported” by our Law Dir. but was not supported by the Ohio Municipal League as well so I've been told.
It may seem like a small thing ... but this one small thing has huge ramifications for the city and the citizens and voters of Urbana. City Council has changed our Charter form of government approved by the voters of Urbana. To their credit Al Evans and Larry Lokai voted NO on the limit.
I oppose this ordinance in the strongest terms…it changes the nature of our Charter Form of government and circumvents the will of the Urbana Voter who passed the City Charter.
The Citizens of Urbana may...want to consider [if possible], a pre-Charter Review referendum on CHAPTER 145, CODIFIED ORDINANCES OF URBANA PART ONE - ADMINISTRATIVE CODE 145.01 (d) and return the right (in my opinion) the explicit and implied right of the Executive Branch of [City] Government under the ORC and The Charter of the City of Urbana to hire and fire personal, service contractors and to purchase services from professional people or firms including consultants, engineers and architects as well as consulting firms to negotiate union contracts and other needs that come up in the course of running a city to provide the best services for its citizens.
Well if Rep. Jim Jordan (R) Ohio has anything to say about it we will be. That's what Rep. Jordan and 30 other members of the U.S. House of Representatives have in mind. Jordan has officially given his support to "H. Res. 598" a resolution [so] called the "Supporting the goals of the Ten Commandments Commission" and making a federal government campaign to urge "obedience to the commands of God". Read More »
So what about all this Florida and Michigan talk you may ask? Read More »
In recent surveys Clinton holds a lead in Ohio among likely voters of as high as 56% to Obamaâ��s 39% Bad news for Obama however, Obama has seen gains of as much as 20% in recent days and that is good news for Obama. Why? Read More »
The energy is with Barack Obama. He swept the Potomac primaries in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC on Tuesday giving him seven straight wins since Super Tuesday, and the lead in pledged delegates. In unprecedented number of donors are pouring money into his coffers. He now has momentum to carry him into Texas and Ohio. If this were any other year the nomination would be locked up by now, but this is not any other year now is it.
In Virginia, Obama won around 64% of the vote, doing especially well not just with his expected bases of independents, young voters and African-Americans, but also with older and blue-collar voters, and even women. His performance in Maryland, where he took around 60% of the vote, was equally broad-based. Obama has piled up more popular votes than any previous Democrat in a contested primary and has won twice as many state contests as Hillary.
Can he keep the momentum going is the next big question?
David Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager, said on Tuesday afternoon. "We obviously did well on Saturday and Sunday but we don't think that has much relevance to what happens in the Mid-Atlantic. And whatever happens [in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia] is not going to have much impact in Wisconsin or Hawaii [next Tuesday]." Voters are not the only ones who are swept up by Obama, more than 750 super-delegates to the Democratic convention are getting swept up as well.
"Change is in the air," says Anthony Ehresmann (City Council Candidate), “however Obama has been here before”. He [Obama] seemed to have it [the momentum] coming out of Iowa and South Carolina and in both cases he ran into Hillary Clinton, a candidate with a highly recognizable name and strong campaign management." “Let’s not let it go to our heads” said Anthony after Tuesday night's results came in, “It will be easy to say it’s over for Hillary with these wins [all of more than 60%], it will take a lot of work to keep the current momentum going until November”
In Virginia, Obama won around 64% of the vote, doing especially well not just with his expected bases of independents, young voters and African-Americans, but also with older and blue-collar voters, and even women. His performance in Maryland, where he took around 60% of the vote, was equally broad-based. Obama has piled up more popular votes than any previous Democrat in a contested primary and has won twice as many state contests as Hillary.
Can he keep the momentum going is the next big question?
David Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager, said on Tuesday afternoon. "We obviously did well on Saturday and Sunday but we don't think that has much relevance to what happens in the Mid-Atlantic. And whatever happens [in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia] is not going to have much impact in Wisconsin or Hawaii [next Tuesday]." Voters are not the only ones who are swept up by Obama, more than 750 super-delegates to the Democratic convention are getting swept up as well.
"Change is in the air," says Anthony Ehresmann (City Council Candidate), “however Obama has been here before”. He [Obama] seemed to have it [the momentum] coming out of Iowa and South Carolina and in both cases he ran into Hillary Clinton, a candidate with a highly recognizable name and strong campaign management." “Let’s not let it go to our heads” said Anthony after Tuesday night's results came in, “It will be easy to say it’s over for Hillary with these wins [all of more than 60%], it will take a lot of work to keep the current momentum going until November”
EXPERIENCE, JUDGMENT, AND LEADERSHIP
EXPERIENCE AND BACKGROUND:
Over 20 years of experience as a Senator, activist, community organizer and civil rights attorney: 3+ years as U.S. Senator, Illinois (2004-present), where he serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; 8 years as Illinois State Senator (1996-2004), where he served as the Democratic Spokesperson for the Public Health and Welfare Committee, as the Co-Chairman of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, and on the Judiciary and Revenue Committees; 11 years as Senior Lecturer on Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago Law School (1993-2004); 9+ years as a Civil Rights Attorney at the prestigious Chicago law firm Miner, Barnhill & Galland (1993-2002); Director of Illinois Project VOTE! (1992), which registered over 150,000 new minority voters in Chicago; Harvard Law School, J.D., Magna Cum Laude (1991); President of Harvard Law Review (1990-1991); 3 years as Director of the Developing Communities Project (1985-1988), where he worked in low-income areas of Chicago to create job-training facilities, remove asbestos and lead paint from local schools, and guard community interests; Columbia University, B.A., Political Science (specialization in international relations, 1983). He is also the best-selling author of the books Dreams of My Father and The Audacity of Hope.
ECONOMY:
What He Has Done:
- In the U.S. Senate, introduced the STOP FRAUD Act to prevent mortgage fraud over a year before the current crisis
- Introduced the Patriot Employer Act of 2007 to give tax credits to companies who hire American workers
- Sponsored legislation in the Illinois State Senate to crack down on unethical lenders who prey on the poor
What He Will Do As President:
- Provide tax relief for low and middle-income workers and eliminate taxes for seniors making over $50,000 per year
- Create jobs at home by offering expanded loans and tax incentives to small businesses
- Restore fiscal discipline to Washington by reinstating PAYGO rules in order to drive down the deficit
HEALTH CARE:
What He Has Done:
- Cosponsored the Healthy Kids Act of 2007 and the SCHIP Reauthorization Act of 2007 to ensure that more children have affordable health care coverage
- Sponsored and passed a 2003 bill that expanded health care coverage to 70,000 children and 84,000 adults in Illinois
- Supported women’s health while in the Illinois and U.S. Senate: Created a task force on cervical cancer, provided greater access to breast and cervical cancer screenings, and helped improve prenatal and premature birth services
What He Will Do As President:
- Provide affordable, guaranteed health care coverage for all Americans, without penalizing those with limited incomes (If you prefer the plan you already have, you can keep it)
- Ensure that every child in America has high-quality health care coverage
- Lower costs by modernizing the health care system and allowing citizens to buy their medicines from other countries
IRAQ AND THE MIDDLE EAST:
What He Has Done:
- Publicly spoke out against the Iraq war in 2002, long before most politicians had the courage or judgment to do so
- Introduced legislation in 2007 to responsibly end the war, with a phased withdrawal of combat troops
What He Will Do As President:
- Immediately work to bring our soldiers home in a safe, responsible manner
- Redeploy diplomacy: As JFK said, “Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.”
- Ensure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons
WOMEN’S RIGHTS:
What He Has Done:
- Consistently protected a woman’s right to choose: 100% rating from Planned Parenthood and the NARAL
- Co-sponsored the 2007 Prevention First Act to reduce unintended pregnancies, focusing on family planning and education
- Introduced the 2007 Communities of Color Teen Prevention Act to combat unintended pregnancies in communities of color
What He Will Do As President:
- Make safeguarding Roe v. Wade a priority
- As the son of a single, working mother, Obama will fight to ensure that women receive the same pay as men
- Expand access to contraception, health information and preventative services
EDUCATION AND CHILDCARE:
What He Has Done:
- Helped create the Illinois Early Learning Council to increase early childhood programs and services
- Proposed a bill in the U.S. Senate to increase grants for students from low-income families to attend college
- Introduced legislation to create Teacher Residency Programs and increase support for summer learning programs
What He Will Do As President:
- Expand access to high-quality early childhood education and child care so every child can enter kindergarten ready to learn
- Work to place effective, qualified teachers in every classroom, especially those in high-poverty, high-minority areas
- Reform No Child Left Behind: Support struggling schools instead of punishing them
WASHINGTON ETHICS:
What He Has Done:
- Unlike other leading presidential candidates, Obama does not accept money from corporate lobbyists or PACs
- Passed a law to create “Google for Government,” allowing citizens to track federal spending online at www.usaspending.gov
- Proposed extensive ethics reform in the U.S. Senate and passed the toughest campaign finance law in Illinois history
What He Will Do As President:
- If the Republican candidate accepts, Obama has agreed for both candidates to receive public funding for the general election
- End the influence of corporate lobbyists in Washington
- Support extensive campaign finance reform
CIVIL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES:
What He Has Done:
- Passed a law making Illinois the first state to videotape police interrogations to limit police beatings and coercion
- Lead the biggest voter registration drive in Chicago history, registering 150,000 new minority voters
- In Illinois, passed one of the country’s first anti-racial profiling laws and helped reform the broken death penalty system
What He Will Do As President:
- Ensure fair pay for all people, regardless of race, gender, or orientation
- End deceptive voting practices and voter intimidation
- Advocate rehabilitation instead of prison for first-time drug offenders
IMMIGRATION:
What He Has Done:
- Championed a proposal to create a system for employers to verify if their employees are legally eligible to work in the U.S.
- Introduced the Citizenship Promotion Act to ensure that immigration application fees are reasonable and fair
- Introduced legislation that passed the Senate to improve the speed and accuracy of FBI background checks
What He Will Do As President:
- Secure the borders with additional personnel, infrastructure and technology
- Improve and modernize our immigration system to encourage people to come here legally
- Crack down on employers who hire undocumented immigrants
POVERTY:
What He Has Done:
- Lead the Developing Communities Project in Chicago to create jobs and housing for Chicago’s impoverished South Side
- Created Illinois’ Earned Income Tax Credit to give low-income working families $105 million in tax relief over three years
- Championed multiple bills in the State Senate to help low-income families find affordable housing
What He Will Do As President:
- Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit so more families are eligible
- Raise the minimum wage and tie it to inflation
- Create 20 Promise Neighborhoods in high-poverty and high-crime cities across the nation to provide early childhood education, youth violence prevention efforts and after-school activities to an entire neighborhood from birth to college
ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT:
What He Has Done:
- Passed legislation to give gas stations a tax credit for installing E85 ethanol refueling pumps
- Sponsored an amendment that became law to provide $40 million in funding for the creation of hybrid cars
- Worked with Republicans and Democrats to create a new plan to increase fuel economy standards
What He Will Do As President:
- Invest $150 billion over 10 years in Clean Energy resources
- Reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050
- Support renewable energy by requiring that 25% of U.S. electricity is renewable by 2025
SUPPORTERS:
Sen. Bill Bradley, Warren Buffett, Pres. Jimmy Carter, George Clooney, Susan Eisenhower,
Gov. Christine Gregoire, Caroline Kennedy, Ethel Kennedy, Sen. Ted Kennedy, Sen. John Kerry,
Sen. Patrick Leahy, Toni Morrison, Maria Shriver, Paul Volcker, Oprah Winfrey
Read more at www.barackobama.com
Sign up now and get involved!
Printed in-house by Obama supporters
EXPERIENCE AND BACKGROUND:
Over 20 years of experience as a Senator, activist, community organizer and civil rights attorney: 3+ years as U.S. Senator, Illinois (2004-present), where he serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; 8 years as Illinois State Senator (1996-2004), where he served as the Democratic Spokesperson for the Public Health and Welfare Committee, as the Co-Chairman of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, and on the Judiciary and Revenue Committees; 11 years as Senior Lecturer on Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago Law School (1993-2004); 9+ years as a Civil Rights Attorney at the prestigious Chicago law firm Miner, Barnhill & Galland (1993-2002); Director of Illinois Project VOTE! (1992), which registered over 150,000 new minority voters in Chicago; Harvard Law School, J.D., Magna Cum Laude (1991); President of Harvard Law Review (1990-1991); 3 years as Director of the Developing Communities Project (1985-1988), where he worked in low-income areas of Chicago to create job-training facilities, remove asbestos and lead paint from local schools, and guard community interests; Columbia University, B.A., Political Science (specialization in international relations, 1983). He is also the best-selling author of the books Dreams of My Father and The Audacity of Hope.
ECONOMY:
What He Has Done:
- In the U.S. Senate, introduced the STOP FRAUD Act to prevent mortgage fraud over a year before the current crisis
- Introduced the Patriot Employer Act of 2007 to give tax credits to companies who hire American workers
- Sponsored legislation in the Illinois State Senate to crack down on unethical lenders who prey on the poor
What He Will Do As President:
- Provide tax relief for low and middle-income workers and eliminate taxes for seniors making over $50,000 per year
- Create jobs at home by offering expanded loans and tax incentives to small businesses
- Restore fiscal discipline to Washington by reinstating PAYGO rules in order to drive down the deficit
HEALTH CARE:
What He Has Done:
- Cosponsored the Healthy Kids Act of 2007 and the SCHIP Reauthorization Act of 2007 to ensure that more children have affordable health care coverage
- Sponsored and passed a 2003 bill that expanded health care coverage to 70,000 children and 84,000 adults in Illinois
- Supported women’s health while in the Illinois and U.S. Senate: Created a task force on cervical cancer, provided greater access to breast and cervical cancer screenings, and helped improve prenatal and premature birth services
What He Will Do As President:
- Provide affordable, guaranteed health care coverage for all Americans, without penalizing those with limited incomes (If you prefer the plan you already have, you can keep it)
- Ensure that every child in America has high-quality health care coverage
- Lower costs by modernizing the health care system and allowing citizens to buy their medicines from other countries
IRAQ AND THE MIDDLE EAST:
What He Has Done:
- Publicly spoke out against the Iraq war in 2002, long before most politicians had the courage or judgment to do so
- Introduced legislation in 2007 to responsibly end the war, with a phased withdrawal of combat troops
What He Will Do As President:
- Immediately work to bring our soldiers home in a safe, responsible manner
- Redeploy diplomacy: As JFK said, “Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.”
- Ensure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons
WOMEN’S RIGHTS:
What He Has Done:
- Consistently protected a woman’s right to choose: 100% rating from Planned Parenthood and the NARAL
- Co-sponsored the 2007 Prevention First Act to reduce unintended pregnancies, focusing on family planning and education
- Introduced the 2007 Communities of Color Teen Prevention Act to combat unintended pregnancies in communities of color
What He Will Do As President:
- Make safeguarding Roe v. Wade a priority
- As the son of a single, working mother, Obama will fight to ensure that women receive the same pay as men
- Expand access to contraception, health information and preventative services
EDUCATION AND CHILDCARE:
What He Has Done:
- Helped create the Illinois Early Learning Council to increase early childhood programs and services
- Proposed a bill in the U.S. Senate to increase grants for students from low-income families to attend college
- Introduced legislation to create Teacher Residency Programs and increase support for summer learning programs
What He Will Do As President:
- Expand access to high-quality early childhood education and child care so every child can enter kindergarten ready to learn
- Work to place effective, qualified teachers in every classroom, especially those in high-poverty, high-minority areas
- Reform No Child Left Behind: Support struggling schools instead of punishing them
WASHINGTON ETHICS:
What He Has Done:
- Unlike other leading presidential candidates, Obama does not accept money from corporate lobbyists or PACs
- Passed a law to create “Google for Government,” allowing citizens to track federal spending online at www.usaspending.gov
- Proposed extensive ethics reform in the U.S. Senate and passed the toughest campaign finance law in Illinois history
What He Will Do As President:
- If the Republican candidate accepts, Obama has agreed for both candidates to receive public funding for the general election
- End the influence of corporate lobbyists in Washington
- Support extensive campaign finance reform
CIVIL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES:
What He Has Done:
- Passed a law making Illinois the first state to videotape police interrogations to limit police beatings and coercion
- Lead the biggest voter registration drive in Chicago history, registering 150,000 new minority voters
- In Illinois, passed one of the country’s first anti-racial profiling laws and helped reform the broken death penalty system
What He Will Do As President:
- Ensure fair pay for all people, regardless of race, gender, or orientation
- End deceptive voting practices and voter intimidation
- Advocate rehabilitation instead of prison for first-time drug offenders
IMMIGRATION:
What He Has Done:
- Championed a proposal to create a system for employers to verify if their employees are legally eligible to work in the U.S.
- Introduced the Citizenship Promotion Act to ensure that immigration application fees are reasonable and fair
- Introduced legislation that passed the Senate to improve the speed and accuracy of FBI background checks
What He Will Do As President:
- Secure the borders with additional personnel, infrastructure and technology
- Improve and modernize our immigration system to encourage people to come here legally
- Crack down on employers who hire undocumented immigrants
POVERTY:
What He Has Done:
- Lead the Developing Communities Project in Chicago to create jobs and housing for Chicago’s impoverished South Side
- Created Illinois’ Earned Income Tax Credit to give low-income working families $105 million in tax relief over three years
- Championed multiple bills in the State Senate to help low-income families find affordable housing
What He Will Do As President:
- Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit so more families are eligible
- Raise the minimum wage and tie it to inflation
- Create 20 Promise Neighborhoods in high-poverty and high-crime cities across the nation to provide early childhood education, youth violence prevention efforts and after-school activities to an entire neighborhood from birth to college
ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT:
What He Has Done:
- Passed legislation to give gas stations a tax credit for installing E85 ethanol refueling pumps
- Sponsored an amendment that became law to provide $40 million in funding for the creation of hybrid cars
- Worked with Republicans and Democrats to create a new plan to increase fuel economy standards
What He Will Do As President:
- Invest $150 billion over 10 years in Clean Energy resources
- Reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050
- Support renewable energy by requiring that 25% of U.S. electricity is renewable by 2025
SUPPORTERS:
Sen. Bill Bradley, Warren Buffett, Pres. Jimmy Carter, George Clooney, Susan Eisenhower,
Gov. Christine Gregoire, Caroline Kennedy, Ethel Kennedy, Sen. Ted Kennedy, Sen. John Kerry,
Sen. Patrick Leahy, Toni Morrison, Maria Shriver, Paul Volcker, Oprah Winfrey
Read more at www.barackobama.com
Sign up now and get involved!
Printed in-house by Obama supporters
The added meeting coupled with thoughtful debate and research can benefit The City of Urbana at a time when a turnaround is needed and a Comprehensive Plan is being developed.
The last meeting was in regards to last years budget and thoughtful discussions about the coming year was beneficial to all who attended the meeting and Mr. Lokai’s input would have also been helpful had he attended. The discussion of the coming year was of particular importance as the economy slows and unemployment rates rise. Urbana will have to be careful with the ’08 budget as we were in the “2001” downturn and we are in a position to weather a year of slow growth. The Feb. 9th “Retreat meeting” will be of particular importance as Urbana goes into 2008 and I hope Mr. Lokai will be attending, as his input will prove useful.
I’m disappointed that Mr. Lokai feels as others do on council, that council members have such a short attention span. I feel that in the course of doing the business of the city and its citizens, council members should do whatever is necessary and be an accomplice to this even if it means it can only be done over many hours. Many citizens realize that votes will not always go the way they themselves would have voted but would like to think that everything was be done…and was, regardless of the number of meetings it takes or how long.
I will agree with Mr. Lokai that council members need all the data they can get and that city staff and the Administration must come prepared to answer questions from council with “specific” data and information on the topics before council and City Council Members should come prepared as well, having taken whatever time is necessary to research those topics. It’s all about Listen " Learn " Lead.
The last meeting was in regards to last years budget and thoughtful discussions about the coming year was beneficial to all who attended the meeting and Mr. Lokai’s input would have also been helpful had he attended. The discussion of the coming year was of particular importance as the economy slows and unemployment rates rise. Urbana will have to be careful with the ’08 budget as we were in the “2001” downturn and we are in a position to weather a year of slow growth. The Feb. 9th “Retreat meeting” will be of particular importance as Urbana goes into 2008 and I hope Mr. Lokai will be attending, as his input will prove useful.
I’m disappointed that Mr. Lokai feels as others do on council, that council members have such a short attention span. I feel that in the course of doing the business of the city and its citizens, council members should do whatever is necessary and be an accomplice to this even if it means it can only be done over many hours. Many citizens realize that votes will not always go the way they themselves would have voted but would like to think that everything was be done…and was, regardless of the number of meetings it takes or how long.
I will agree with Mr. Lokai that council members need all the data they can get and that city staff and the Administration must come prepared to answer questions from council with “specific” data and information on the topics before council and City Council Members should come prepared as well, having taken whatever time is necessary to research those topics. It’s all about Listen " Learn " Lead.
I signed and passed petitions to put John Edwards on the primary ballot for March 4th, here in Ohio. I caucussed to become a "Pledged Delegate for John Edwards in Ohio's 16th Congressional District". Yeah, it was hard and personally grueling. I passed my own petition for "Stark County Democratic Party Central Committee Member". That was easy. I'll tell y'all, when I vote for me...I'm gonna vote for John. Plain and simple! Going into November, we have some homework to do. I'm starting here...again! Steve Kirsch is a very intelligent man; let him break it down. Get a drink and a snack! This is real::coughs::reading. Thanks for your help, Steve! Read More »
Every time George W. Bush comes out and gives absolute public support for somebody working for him, that person is inevitably out of job in a few days. It happened to Mike Brown, former head of FEMA. Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans on August 29, 2005. Bush came out in public support of Brown a few days later, and Brown was gone by September 12, 2005. It happened to Donald Rumsfeld, former Secretary of Defense. Bush, in an admittedly blatant lie to the entire country, told reporters on November 1, 2006, that Rumsfeld would not be replaced and would be with Bush until the end of his presidency. On November 8, 2006, the day after the election, Rumsfeld was gone. The same thing apparently has happened to Paul Wolfowitz. Last week, Bush supported him 100%, even in the midst of this bizarre World Bank scandal. Seems, though, that Wolfowitz will be resigning in June. Alberto Gonzales should start packing his bags, because George Bush has given him his total support in the midst of the scandal involving the firing of numerous attorneys in the Attorney General's office. The Senate is ready to enter a symbolic no confidence vote on Gonzales, and it really is only a matter of time before Gonzales will not be able to function at all. I give him 2 weeks at most. Why can't we get Bush to give his entire cabinet, and Vice President Cheney, a big public announcement of total unequivocal support, and maybe they will all quit by July 4th, and we can really have a great celebration!! Come on George, I dare you! Your hollow words of praise are truly a curse on anyone and anything they touch.
The news is full of stories that Rick Renzi, Republican congressman from Arizona, is about to resign in the wake of a scandal involving a federal land swap. The FBI recently raided the offices of the Patriot Insurance Agency, owned by his wife. Renzi has recently resigned from all his committees, including the House Intelligence Committee. Top Republicans are already looking for his replacement.
The FBI also recently raided a home (in Virginia) of California Republican Congressman John Doolittle, and he has been connected to the Jack Abramoff scandal. Doolittle says he absolutely won't resign, but I remember all those other Republicans saying that too, like Duke Cunningham, Tom Delay, Bob Ney, and Mark Foley. Strangely, Doolittle just resigned his seat on the House Appropriations Committee, which won't do much to help his claim of innocence.
Just last Friday another top Republican, assistant secretary of state Randall Tobias, resigned because of his connection to the high-profile prostitution case of Jeane Palfrey, dubbed the "D.C. Madam". Tobias admitted to being one her clients.
The Republican party only has itself to blame for what is being called a "toxic environment" Republican fundraisers. Democrats will have another golder opportunity next year because Republican corruption is depleting its usual monetary advantage and many more Republicans will be vulnerable to Democratic challengers. 2006 was great, but let's make 2008 even greater!
The FBI also recently raided a home (in Virginia) of California Republican Congressman John Doolittle, and he has been connected to the Jack Abramoff scandal. Doolittle says he absolutely won't resign, but I remember all those other Republicans saying that too, like Duke Cunningham, Tom Delay, Bob Ney, and Mark Foley. Strangely, Doolittle just resigned his seat on the House Appropriations Committee, which won't do much to help his claim of innocence.
Just last Friday another top Republican, assistant secretary of state Randall Tobias, resigned because of his connection to the high-profile prostitution case of Jeane Palfrey, dubbed the "D.C. Madam". Tobias admitted to being one her clients.
The Republican party only has itself to blame for what is being called a "toxic environment" Republican fundraisers. Democrats will have another golder opportunity next year because Republican corruption is depleting its usual monetary advantage and many more Republicans will be vulnerable to Democratic challengers. 2006 was great, but let's make 2008 even greater!
I'm sure that most of you have heard by now that Democrat Ciro Rodriguez won the special Texas runoff election on Tuesday in TX-23, a sprawling district that includes a huge chunk of the US-Mexico border. He garnered 54% of the vote, and the Republican incumbent, Frank Bonilla, only got 45%. This was really amazing, because in the general election Ciro only got 20% of the vote in an 8-person race, and Bonilla had 48% !! This victory in what appears to be the last undecided congressional race of the election (unless we can get a new election in FL-23), is a particularly sweet one for me. I was feeling a bit depressed that neither of the close races in Ohio (my state) went the Democrats (OH-2 and OH-15) even after the recounts. I got an email from Ciro's campaign asking for contributions, no matter how small, so I sent him something, and apparently a lot of other people did as well. The result is that Democrats now have 233 people in the House instead of 232, and the Republicans only have 202. The Democratics have achieved a greater victory than the Republicans got in 1994, when they only won 230 seats and the Dems ended up with 204. Three cheers for Ciro Rodriguez for capping off this historic midterm election season! (read more about the victory at HispanicBusiness.com)
The following story is being reported in a number of newspapers today, written by Shatha Al-Awsy, a reporter who often writes for McClatchy Newspapers. It is incredibly moving, very vivid, and completely believable.
link to full story
BAGHDAD, Iraq - I left my home Monday.
As my family fled the fighting that's engulfed our neighborhood in Baghdad, I gazed out the car window, thinking that I might never again see the fruit stand off our street, the shops where my sisters and I bought soft drinks, the turquoise-domed mosque where we prayed in the holy month of Ramadan.
And to think I'd spent Sunday in my garden, using the forced free time of a curfew to plant geraniums for spring. Later that night, Shiite militiamen encroached on our Sunni enclave; the reverse had happened in so many other neighborhoods, and now it was our turn. Any thoughts of the future were overshadowed by the need to survive the night....
link to full story
Well, after almost 3 weeks, the votes have finally been counted in the OH-15 congressional race, and the incumbent Deb Pryce supposedly beat Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy by 1,054 votes, out of more than 200,000 votes cast. There will be an automatic recount, so the saga continues. Read story here
Personally, I don't see how we can trust any of the numbers coming out of the Ohio Secretary of State's office concerning this election--the SoS website still has glaring errors, including a report that the total voter turnout for Cleveland (Cuyahoga County) was 562,498 ballots casts, when it is clear from looking at the totals for each specific race that no more than 430,000 votes were counted. There has been no good explanation for this massive discrepancy.
Personally, I don't see how we can trust any of the numbers coming out of the Ohio Secretary of State's office concerning this election--the SoS website still has glaring errors, including a report that the total voter turnout for Cleveland (Cuyahoga County) was 562,498 ballots casts, when it is clear from looking at the totals for each specific race that no more than 430,000 votes were counted. There has been no good explanation for this massive discrepancy.
SurveyUSA just did an updated approval/disapproval poll of all 100 Senators (including the lame ducks), and my soon to be ex-Senator, Ohio's own Mike Dewine, came in dead last, number 100, with a 34% approval rating. Of course, Mike's real low point came when Chris Matthews told him to his face that his campaign was an embarrasment. The little interview clip is still on Youtube if you want to relive the moment.
I used to live in PA, so I was also tickled to see that Ricky Santorum came in next to last, number 99, with 37%. Jim Talent, also a Repub. loser in Missouri, was 98th, with 37% approval. Also interesting: 8 of the top 10 most popular Senators are Democrats, and 14 of the top 20 are Democrats. On the other hand, 8 of the bottom 10 least popular Senators are Republicans. Now, if the Republicans were sharing this little tidbit of information, you would be hearing the word "mandate" being thrown around. We Democrats, though, are so cautious. Why don't we ever get to have a mandate? Apparently a lot of people like us, they really like us.
One final note (and this may be a record): our pathetic governor, Bob Taft from Ohio, has an approval rating of 12%. How is that even possible? Needless to say, he is also dead last, 50th out of 50.
I used to live in PA, so I was also tickled to see that Ricky Santorum came in next to last, number 99, with 37%. Jim Talent, also a Repub. loser in Missouri, was 98th, with 37% approval. Also interesting: 8 of the top 10 most popular Senators are Democrats, and 14 of the top 20 are Democrats. On the other hand, 8 of the bottom 10 least popular Senators are Republicans. Now, if the Republicans were sharing this little tidbit of information, you would be hearing the word "mandate" being thrown around. We Democrats, though, are so cautious. Why don't we ever get to have a mandate? Apparently a lot of people like us, they really like us.
One final note (and this may be a record): our pathetic governor, Bob Taft from Ohio, has an approval rating of 12%. How is that even possible? Needless to say, he is also dead last, 50th out of 50.
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