Blue Buckeye Blog

Pain at the pump turns into anger at GOP

Via AP:

Mike Shteiwi pulled out the pump in disgust after buying just a few gallons of gas on a day when the price for a gallon of regular jumped a dime, to $3.09, in his southwest Ohio hometown.

"It's killing everybody," muttered Shteiwi, 54. "Whoever's in office now, I'm not going to vote for none of them."

Looks like Mike isn't voting for Republicans in '06.

Lawsuit due to Blackwell's posting of SS numbers online costing thousands in taxpayer dollars

Ken Blackwell's Secretary of State office came before the State Controlling Board today, asking for tens of thousands of additional dollars in taxpayer dollars to defend the office from a lawsuit filed by a Brown County truck driver who was upset Blackwell posted his Social Security number online.

Democrat State Sen. Ray Miller voted against the request, which passed.  Miller had the following to say:

“We shouldn’t be throwing money at Secretary Blackwell for a legal defense that is indefensible,” said Senator Miller. “Secretary Blackwell created this problem when he failed to use common sense and failed to heed the concerns brought forth by taxpayers and state leaders about exposing the raw personal data. He didn’t and hasn’t rectified the situation, yet he still continues to collect tens of thousands of dollars from taxpayers for the problem.”

Santorum plants foot firmly in mouth

Soon to be ex-Senator Rick Santorum made news today with his dramatic announcement that the US has found WMD's in Iraq.  Conservative blogs were tripping over themselves touting the announcement, claiming it justifies the 2003 U.S. invasion.

Just one problem for Sen. Santorum and the wingnut bloggers - top U.S. intelligence officials would like to dispute your claim.  In fact, they disagree with you entirely.

No, intelligence officials said today that they still have no evidence Iraq produced weapons of mass destruction after the 1991 Gulf War.  Weapons that have been recovered were degraded, unstable and useless because of their age, which was determined to be pre-1991.

The timing of Santorum's "announcement" seems a bit suspicious - the night before a Senate debate on the removal of troops from Iraq.  But Santorum seems to be backpedaling - he's scrubbed the press release section of his website.

Democrats noted that Santorum may have made the announcement out of desperation - he's losing by 18 points to State Treasurer Bob Casey Jr.

If Santorum made the announcement because he is losing so badly, one would supposed Mike DeWine shoud have a similar announcement any day now.

ABJ Editorial: The 'Me' Party

The Akron Beacon Journal comments on the growing corruption and scandal associated with Bob Taft, Tom Noe and Betty Montgomery's BWC coin/investment scandal:

To get state investment business, it seems, one gives, if not sports tickets or golf outings, then easy access to a Florida condo valued in the high six figures. Beyond that, Noe allegedly found ways to siphon $25,000 in cash to Gasper's pockets.

This is the kind of shady atmosphere that diverts attention at public entities from the larger objectives of services to schemes driven by a wish for personal enrichment. The workers' compensation and teachers' retirement funds have billions in assets, reflecting huge obligations. Those injured on the job deserve every assurance of help in recovering. Those who have dedicated their careers to teaching are given a promise of long-term support for a decent life after leaving the classroom.

A lazy, sloppy attitude toward ethics in a one-party town is the kind of environment where the broader public purposes of government, the advancement of the state as a whole, become secondary. What's the first priority? This question: What's in it for me?

SurveyUSA poll: Strickland, Brown up BIG over Republican challengers

Governor

Blackwell (R) 37
Strickland (D) 53

Senate

DeWine (R) 39
Brown (D) 48

20% of Republican voters cross over and vote for Ted.  Brown leads by 22% among Seniors.  More number crunching after the jump.

GOP catfight! OTA Head Pullins sues Rep. Collier for $1 million!

With a record of failure, pay-to-play scandals, cronyism and corruption to run on in 2006, it should come as no suprise Republicans are busy turning on their own kind:

Knox County attorney (and former head of the Knox County Republican Party) Scott Pullins has filed a $1 million libel lawsuit against State Rep. Thom Collier (R-Mt. Vernon), alleging Collier caused him "physical and mental anguish, humiliation, embarrassment and great loss of reputation," based on comments Collier made about Pullins in a recent Canton Repository article.

Read the article in the Mt. Veron News

Collier called Pullins "a scoundrel, liar and cheat" in the Repository article.  Collier and Pullins competed for the same open Ohio House seat in 2000 - and apparently there is no love lost between the two.

Pullins is currently working to bring casino gambling to NE Ohio, an idea Ohioans have rejected in the past.

Residents of the 90th House District (Knox, Morrow, parts of Richland and Ashland counties) who want a new voice at the Statehouse should vote for Democrat Duane Grassbaugh this November.

Ohio GOP blog says economy is rebounding - statistics show otherwise

Looks like the Ohio Republican Party is putting out an interesting spin in response to some troubling unemployment figures released this week.  In a blog post released today the ORP claims the economy is booming.  That claim, however, runs contrary to a increase in Ohio's unemployment rate reported on in yesterday's Dispatch.

Ohio's unemployment rate shot up to 5.5%, from 5% the month before.  In the central Ohio region, the unemployment rate increased in 6 of the 8 counties.  Unemployment tops out at 11.2% in hard-hit Monroe County.  Youngstown, a large manufacturing city, has an unemployment rate of 8.3%.

These disturbing numbers are yet another reminder of what 16 years of corrupt, Republican rule have brought to Ohio.  Republicans have had over a decade to provide for Ohio's citizens a prosperous, economically vibrant state.  But Republicans in Ohio's Statehouse seem to have other priorities - they either spend time appealing to their rabid, right-wing base by pushing divisive legislation centered around hot-button social issues, or, they spend their time raising Ohio's taxes.  Neither strategy has proved successful.

The Turn Around Ohio program championed by Ted Strickland, and Sherrod Brown's innovative ideas for a trade policy that rewards companies that create jobs at home will right Ohio's sinking economic ship - and undo the damage caused by 16 years of Republican control.

Creating jobs through clean energy/ethanol programs, providing broadband access to all corners of our state, investing in early childhood education and continuing the process through life-long learning will help make our state more competitive - and lead the economic boom the Ohio GOP so desperately wishes we could experience.

Spending problem?

Ken Blackwell and his gang of tax-raising Republican friends at the Statehouse want you to believe Ohio has a spending problem.  These tax and spend Republicans think voters will choose Blackwell's TEL Amendment if enough people start to believe their theory.

But after viewing the latest from The Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions (view report here) it's clear Republicans can't blame Democrats, they only have themselves to blame- because the ratio of spending to inflation is larger under Taft and Voinovich than it was under Celeste.  It becomes clear that Ohio has a REPUBLICAN problem.

Ohio House Republicans - playing politics with college scholarships for war widows

A bill virtually identical to legislation championed by Rep. Peter Ujvagi (D-Toledo) is expected to be voted on today at the Statehouse.  The legislation offers college scholarships to widows of US Army servicemen killed in action.

So how does a bill become a law at a Statehouse dominated by Republicans?  Read the sad truth on how Republicans block, table and kill a Democratic bill, only to resurrect it as their own after the break...

Introducing...Ken Taftwell, part 2

Today we bring you part 2 of our continuing series, Ken Taftwell - the same failed Republican record - just angrier!

• Hypocrite on BIG GOVERNMENT
• Taftwell increased spending at the Secretary of State's office by 82%
• Taftwell raised fees at the Secretary of State's office for the first time in over 20 years
• WRONG on Elections
• "Long line" Taftwell becomes 2004's Katherine Harris:  heavily African-American precincts and Democratic leaning precincts are saddled with long lines on election day - not to mention the numerous diversionary directives leading to a scathing Congressional report on his duty as SoS.
• Taftwell serves as Co-Chair of President Bush's 2004 Presidential campaign while serving as SoS overseeing non-partisan elections. 
• Taftwell issues directives that make it harder for write-in candidate Charlie Wilson to garner support by directing poll workers not to offer advice or support to voters - but Taftwell violates his own rule when he refuses to get involved when radio stations (that he used to have an ownership stake in) tell voters to "ask for the Blackwell ballot," which would force pollworkers to violate the Wilson rule.

You can expect Ken Taftwell to use divisive social issues to divert attention from his mediocre record.  Beware - It's the same Republican record - only angrier.