State of the Union

'No Evidence of Discrimination'

In yet another blow to the Democrat conspiracy theories about Ohio's 2004 presidential election, the Associated Press reported today that the U.S. Justice Department "found no evidence of discrimination in the distribution of Franklin County's voting machines in the 2004 presidential election."

The four-page report released Wednesday followed last week's Democratic National Committee investigation into Ohio's contested election. The department's data refute DNC claims that black voters were placed at a disadvantage because voting machines were distributed disproportionately among precincts.

The DNC report found racial disparities between the number of registered voters allocated per machine in predominantly black and white precincts, but, using turnout rather than registration numbers, the Justice Department said the distribution narrowly favored black voters. Because turnout in predominantly black precincts was significantly lower than in predominantly white ones, machines in those districts averaged fewer votes.

Check out some of the other Democrat myths on Ohio's 2004 election that have since been debunked.  Could all this be a diversion from their own misdeeds on Election Day?

Budget Highlights

Ohio's new biennial budget was signed into law today.  Here are the highlights:

Tax Reform

• Cuts personal income tax by 21 percent across-th­e-board over five years
• Cuts the sales tax to 5.5 percent, effective July 1, 2005
• Phases out the corporate franchise tax over five years
• Phases out the tangible personal property tax over four years – new machinery/equipment purchases exempt
• Phases in new broad-based, low-rate commercial activities tax (0.26 percent) on business receipts in Ohio; exempt first $1 million in sales to protect small businesses

Education

• Increases overall state funding for schools by more than $270 million over the biennium
• Implements the Building Blocks model of school funding to better direct funding to address critical needs within districts
• Establishes the Ohio Educational Choice Scholarship Pilot Program to give additional choice to students in persistently failing schools
• Increases funding for higher education by more than $100 million over the biennium
• Implements the Ohio College Opportunity Grant which raises the family income cap for college grants from $39,000 to $75,000 and reaches an additional 11,000 students

Medicaid reform

• Incorporates recommendations from the Commission to Reform Medicaid
• Replaces the cost-based nursing facility formula with a new price-based formula
• Takes ambitious steps toward a system of managed care in Ohio
• Establishes a study to review the best ways for Medicaid to be administered in the future

Seniors

• Enables more seniors to receive care in their own homes through the PASSPORT program
• Establishes a pilot project to provide assisted living to 1,800 seniors who would otherwise have to move into a nursing home

Efficiency in government

• Merges the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services into the Ohio Department of Public Safety
• Merges the Ohio SchoolNET Commission and the Ohio Educational Telecommunications Network to form ETech Ohio in order to bring technology-based learning opportunities to more students
• Consolidates 20 of the state’s 27 regulatory boards that set license and registration standards for professions and occupations
• Flat funds or decreases funding to two thirds of GRF funded state agencies

DeWine Recognized for Defense of Marriage

U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine was honored by the Alliance for Marriage with its first annual ‘Defender of Marriage’ Award yesterday in Washington.  The award was given to both Republican and Democratic senators who stood in defense of marriage in America by voting for AFM’s Marriage Amendment in 2004.

According to the group's news release, the Alliance for Marriage is the driving force behind the movement to democratically protect marriage under American law.  AFM drafted the Marriage Protection Amendment (MPA).  In 2004, AFM won President Bush’s endorsement of our amendment, successfully spearheaded pro-marriage votes in both Houses of Congress, and made marriage the determining issue of the 2004 presidential election.

Download DeWine--DefenderAward.pdf

Eminent Domain

No Core Convictions

The latest Democracy Corps survey, conducted June 20-26, found that Democrats are "not doing very well," according to Clinton pollster Stan Greenburg, who cofounded the survey along with Democrat strategist James Carville.

Greenburg and Carville found more voters have a positive opinion of the Republican Party than the Democratic Party.  Why? According to Christian Science Monitor, Greenburg attributes the decline to voters' perceptions that Democrats have "no core set of convictions or point of view."

You don't say.

Noonan vs. The Egomaniacs

Is the new senator from Illinois a lot like the former president from Illinois?  Sen. Barack Obama tells Time magazine this week, "In Lincoln's rise from poverty, his ultimate mastery of language and law, his capacity to overcome personal loss and remain determined in the face of repeated defeat--in all this he reminded me not just of my own struggles." 

The always-poignant Peggy Noonan begs to differ.

Lincoln came from a lean-to in the backwoods. His mother died when he was 9. The Lincolns had no money, no standing. Lincoln educated himself, reading law on his own, working as a field hand, a store clerk and a raft hand on the Mississippi. He also split some rails. He entered politics, knew more defeat than victory, and went on to lead the nation through its greatest trauma, the Civil War, and past its greatest sin, slavery.

Barack Obama, the son of two University of Hawaii students, went to Columbia and Harvard Law after attending a private academy that taught the children of the Hawaiian royal family. He made his name in politics as an aggressive Chicago vote hustler in Bill Clinton's first campaign for the presidency.

You see the similarities.

And speaking of Bill, Noonan doesn't take too kindly to his mugging for the cameras recently at Billy Graham's New York crusade.

Billy Graham is a great man. He bears within him deep reservoirs of sweetness, and the reservoirs often overflow. It was embarrassing to see America's two most famous political grifters plop themselves in the first row dressed in telegenic silk and allow themselves to become the focus of sweet words they knew would come.

Why did they feel it right to inject a partisan political component into a spiritual event? Why take advantage of the good nature and generosity of an old hero? Why, after spending their entire adulthoods in public life, have they not developed or at least learned to imitate simple class?

Well said, Peggy.  As always.

"We have more work to do..."

"We have more work to do, and there will be tough moments that test America's resolve. We are fighting against men with blind hatred - and armed with lethal weapons - who are capable of any atrocity. They wear no uniform; they respect no laws of warfare or morality. They take innocent lives to create chaos for the cameras. They are trying to shake our will in Iraq - just as they tried to shake our will on September 11, 2001. They will fail. The terrorists do not understand America. The American people do not falter under threat - and we will not allow our future to be determined by car bombers and assassins.

America and our friends are in a conflict that demands much of us. It demands the courage of our fighting men and women, it demands the steadfastness of our allies, and it demands the perseverance of our citizens. We accept these burdens, because we know what is at stake. We fight today because Iraq now carries the hope of freedom in a vital region of the world, and the rise of democracy will be the ultimate triumph over radicalism and terror. And we fight today because terrorists want to attack our country and kill our citizens, and Iraq is where they are making their stand. So we'll fight them there, we'll fight them across the world, and we will stay in the fight until the fight is won."

- President George W. Bush, Address to the Nation from Fort Bragg, NC, Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Coleman's Hypocrisy

Columbus Mayor Mike Coleman was out again this weekend trying to run for governor, although it's not clear whether his stump speech is directed at Republicans or at himself.  According to the Akron Beacon Journal, Coleman was preaching to about 400 Summit County Democrats on Sunday about:

"Scandals, as you see each and every day. Corruption, as you read in the paper each and every day. Total and complete mismanagement and failure of leadership.... Arrogance of one-party control -- that's what we see in the state of Ohio today."

So let's review, Mr. Coleman. 

Scandals:

“Government officials charged with overseeing an agency that misspent millions intended for the poor knew for years it was in grave trouble. But none acted fast or forcefully enough to save the Columbus Metropolitan Area Community Action Organization. … Coleman has acknowledged that, at first, he thought his position on the board was ceremonial. In fact, he had a vote.” (Barbara Carmen, The Columbus Dispatch, 5/16/05)

Corruption:

“Allegations against the [Columbus fire division inspection] bureau include overtime abuse, disparate treatment based on race, mismanagement and theft in office, [Safety Director Mitchell] Brown said. …An investigation by The Dispatch and WBNS-TV (Channel 10) found that at least 12 times last year, inspectors missed buildings entirely or showed up but did no work.” (Jodi Andes, The Columbus Dispatch, 6/2/05)

“With few exceptions, The Dispatch found, companies that received construction and architectural contracts from the city's nonprofit development arm also contributed to Coleman's campaign fund. …All of the largest contracts went to Coleman contributors who gave thousands.” (Mark Ferenchik, The Columbus Dispatch, 5/11/04)

Total and Complete Mismanagement:

“At Columbus' biggest subsidized housing complex, neither the owner nor the city has done much about long-standing violations and squalor. Meanwhile, hundreds of people have to live there.” (Barbara Carmen and Mark Ferenchik, The Columbus Dispatch, 5/29/05)

"The new chief of staff for Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman makes almost $30,000 more than the mayor. ...Hiring high-priced administrators in tight budget times is generally not a good idea, said John Green, director of the University of Akron’s Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics. 'This is the sort of thing that gets mayors in trouble across the country. The average person looks at those salaries and wonders how many front-line service people that money could pay for,' Green said." (Mark Ferenchik, The Columbus Dispatch, 6/21/05)

Failure of Leadership:

"Glenn Beck, a Philadelphia-based conservative talk show host,... has berated Mayor Michael Coleman and district officials after an alleged sexual assault of a disabled student at Mifflin High School and the district's handling of the case. 'Mayor Coleman, you suck beyond belief,' Beck said during his show.  Beck has criticized the school district and the mayor for what Beck perceives is a lack of leadership on the issue, Ivanic reported." ("Radio host discusses alleged assault in Columbus," NBC4i.com, 04/29/05)

 “Many agree that the biggest problem facing Columbus is murder. In 2003, there were 112 homicides in Columbus - 31 more than 2002. Last year was the biggest death toll since 1993, when there were 105, and police have struggled to explain why.” (James Drew, Toledo Blade, 5/26/04) "The number of rapes climbed 2.7 percent and auto thefts 3.6 percent between 2001 and 2003, the latest Police Division statistics show.” (Jodi Andes and Mark Ferenchik, The Columbus Dispatch, 2/6/05)

"Despite the slogans and marketing, Columbus remains a mystery in the business world... A majority of outsiders, 58 percent, said they did not think of Columbus when asked to name cities that would be good places to do business. ...In 2002, Mayor Michael B. Coleman talked about conducting an image campaign, but the effort never got off the ground." (Mike Pramik, The Columbus Dispatch, 2/23/05)

“With a state full of reporters and political operatives dissecting his every statement, Coleman is likely to get caught when he tries to fudge his positions – something he is prone to doing.  It wouldn’t take much for him to get branded a flip-flopper.”  (Dan Williamson, The Other Paper, February 3-9, 2005)

Arrogance of One-Party Control:

"But in Columbus, Democrats control the mayor's office, every City Council seat and the auditor's and city attorney's offices." (Mark Ferenchik, The Columbus Dispatch, 03/06/03)

"The Columbus City Council won't look any different next year. All four incumbents -- Matt Habash, Michael C. Mentel, Charleta B. Tavares and Patsy A. Thomas -- retained their seats, according to final, unofficial results. 'Who's got a broom, because this is a sweep,' Mentel told a cheering crowd of Democrats at the Adam's Mark Hotel Downtown. (Suzanne Hoholik and Mark Ferenchik, The Columbus Dispatch, 11/05/03)

"Democrats won more on Election Day than two seats on the Franklin County Board of Commissioners. They also won control of 13 county departments, 1,500 county jobs and the power to shape boards and commissions that oversee everything from children's foster-care programs to the Columbus Clippers." (Robert Vitale, The Columbus Dispatch, 11/04/04)

Oh, and what would Mayor Coleman do for Ohio?

“While the Republican majority in Columbus tries to manage Ohio's economic downturn, do Democrats have a plan to offer that is better? … Mr. Coleman, who kicked off his campaign for governor earlier this month, did not return repeated calls from The Blade seeking his ideas for solving Ohio's problems.” (Fritz Wenzel, Toledo Blade, 2/27/05)

Blackwell Pledges Support for DeWine Re-Election

More than 1,000 Ohioans braved the oppressive 95 degree heat and spent the afternoon at the Cedarville home of Sen. & Mrs. Mike DeWine on Sunday, enjoying the DeWine's annual ice cream social. 

Sen. DeWine picked up a rousing endorsement from the only gubernatorial candidate on-hand at the event.  Secretary of State Ken Blackwell praised the senator's positive record of accomplishment for Ohio and his steadfast conservative positions on key social issues.  Blackwell encouraged his fellow Republicans to begin laying the groundwork for the 2006 statewide elections, and he pledged his support for DeWine's re-election effort.

A Bad Decision by SCOTUS

In a ruling this week that most citizens probably overlooked, the U.S. Supreme Court dealt a devastating blow to private property rights and delivered yet another victory for liberal judicial activism. 

The case stems from a showdown between the city of New London, Connecticut, and some local property owners.  The money-hungry city government figures it can get more property taxes if it condemns a local working-class neighborhood and gives the OK for a developer to plow it up and build some new condos, offices and a luxury hotel.

They ran into a problem with the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution, which states, "nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation."  It's called Eminent Domain, and many legal experts believe the clause restricts government entities from simply taking private property from the poor and giving it to the rich just for the purpose of gaining higher tax revenue.  The liberals on the U.S. Supreme Court disagreed this week and sided with the city.  George Will writes:

In a tart dissent, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, joined by Chief Justice William Rehnquist, Justice Clarence Thomas and Scalia, noted that the consequences of this decision "will not be random." She says it is "likely" -- a considerable understatement -- that the beneficiaries of the decision will be people "with disproportionate influence and power in the political process, including large corporations and development firms."

Those on the receiving end of the life-shattering power that the court has validated will almost always be individuals of modest means. So this liberal decision -- it augments government power to aggrandize itself by bulldozing individuals' interests -- favors muscular economic battalions at the expense of society's little platoons, such as homeowners and the neighborhoods they comprise.

Will adds, "Liberalism triumphed yesterday. Government became radically unlimited in seizing the very kinds of private property that should guarantee individuals a sphere of autonomy against government."