One must take the lefty nuts at the Cleveland Scene with a grain of salt, but they published just about the least flattering profile piece imaginable about Cuyahoga County Commissioner and Chairman of the Cuyahoga County Democrat Party Jimmy Dimora. Check it out here.

Bill Sloat at the Daily Bellwether has the story. Apparently, before leaving office, Gov. Taft refunded nearly $27,000 to the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation, which was recorded as a contribution fund. Ouch!

This is just another reason why Republicans lost, and its another example of why the BWC should be privatized.

Chicken coop dwellers living near Duck Run aren't happy.

The Plain Dealer's Aaron Marshall seems to want to outrage taxpayers that the legislature's legal bills to fight back against Ted Strickland's illegal veto will be $150,000 or more:

Ohio taxpayers will likely be out at least $150,000 as the Republican-controlled General Assembly plots its march to court over Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland's controversial veto.

House and Senate leaders have budgeted $75,000 apiece for the Columbus law firm of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease to handle the looming court challenge of Strickland's veto. But at 160 bucks an hour, where the total tab ends up is anyone's guess.

The legal showdown was triggered when Strickland vetoed House Bill 117, a measure that limited awards under the Consumer Sales Practices Act by capping non-economic damages at $5,000. The controversial measure also included language attempting to block cities from filing public nuisance lawsuits against lead pigment manufacturers over lead paint poisoning.

Those lead paint lawsuits are frivolous, and $150,000 is worth it if it leads so much needed tort reform. Its just a shame that this bill already been recorded into law, and Strickland is willing to waste taxpayer money for political posturing.

This is from the Heritage Foundation and was too good to pass up: The 10 Myths about the Bush Tax Cuts and the Facts . It's good stuff to debate those annoying liberals and big government statists with.

Here is the summary:

Myth #1: Tax revenues remain low.
Fact: Tax revenues are above the historical average, even after the tax cuts.

Myth #2: The Bush tax cuts substantially reduced 2006 revenues and expanded the budget deficit.
Fact: Nearly all of the 2006 budget deficit resulted from additional spending above the baseline.

Myth #3: Supply-side economics assumes that all tax cuts immediately pay for themselves.
Fact: It assumes replenishment of some but not necessarily all lost revenues.

Myth #4: Capital gains tax cuts do not pay for themselves.
Fact: Capital gains tax revenues doubled following the 2003 tax cut.

Myth #5: The Bush tax cuts are to blame for the projected long-term budget deficits.
Fact: Projections show that entitlement costs will dwarf the projected large revenue increases.

Myth #6: Raising tax rates is the best way to raise revenue.
Fact: Tax revenues correlate with economic growth, not tax rates.

Myth #7: Reversing the upper-income tax cuts would raise substantial revenues.
Fact: The low-income tax cuts reduced revenues the most.

Myth #8: Tax cuts help the economy by "putting money in people's pockets."
Fact: Pro-growth tax cuts support incentives for productive behavior.

Myth #9: The Bush tax cuts have not helped the economy.
Fact: The economy responded strongly to the 2003 tax cuts.

Myth #10: The Bush tax cuts were tilted toward the rich.
Fact: The rich are now shouldering even more of the income tax burden.

The full explanation of these facts are posted at the Heritage Foundation.

The Lima News slams Jennifer's "let's draft poll workers!" idea:

Give Democratic Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner credit. She has come up with the ideal way to give the race to her challenger in the 2010 election � long before we know who that person will be. Brunner last week suggested Ohio become the first state to draft its poll workers.

You read that right. Brunner, elected in November as secretary of state, has proposed to the Republican legislative leadership that Ohio conscript people to do what local elections boards now have volunteers do. If her proposal would work anything like jury duty notification works, Brunner also would be able to take credit for getting fewer Ohioans to register to vote.

The Associated Press reported last week that Ohio House Speaker Jon Husted’s response to Brunner’s idea was cool. That’s encouraging. Brunner is going to ask the GOP-controlled Legislature to authorize the drafting of poll workers. We can only hope Husted doesn’t warm up to the idea.

Brunner’s proposal, as reported, will include notifying prospective poll workers by mail that they would need to show up for two days of training and then to work an eight-hour Election Day shift.

Brunner said the change would lower the average age of poll workers � now at 72 � and ease the workload for Ohio’s 47,000 poll workers. And in typical Democratic fashion, Brunner is looking first to government to solve one of life’s problems. Kay Stimson, spokeswoman for the National Association of Secretaries of State, told the AP that her group and most states focus on recruiting teenagers interested in the political process.

Rather than bumping up the number of poll workers through servitude, the new secretary of state should look to further modernize the voting process. Ohioans, for example, now have the option of voting by absentee ballot for any reason. Brunner would be better served encouraging more absentee ballots than trying to increase the size of the elections labor pool.

While we believe voting is a crucial first step in controlling government, doing so remains optional. Volunteering to work the polls on Election Day also should remain optional.

My question is- If you are drafted to be a poll worker, and don't go, what happens to you? Does it become a criminal offense?

I also disagree with the Lima news that people should be able to vote absentee for any reason. Having more votes cast outside of the eyes of election workers only opens the door to fraud. Instead, if we want to make it easy to vote, polls should be open a couple weeks in advance, where voters will have to show their ID and vote under the supervision of poll workers.

Regardless, Brunner's idea is a joke.

From cleveland.com

About 65 cities have made a noticeable effort to attract gay travelers, said Ed Salvato, editor of The Out Traveler magazine and director of travel media for PlanetOut Inc. Salvato said he noticed a push after 9/11, when travel slumped and cities began re-evaluating possible markets.

"For someone like me, I'd be like 'What? Cleveland?' " he said. "But, on the other hand, you'd definitely get my attention."

Cleveland can't print a guide and leave it at that, he said. The city needs to make sure gay travelers feel safe and comfortable once here, he said.

Gestures could include everything from sticking a rainbow flag decal on the door to educating hotel employees not to bat an eye when two men check in for a room with one bed, he said.

On Sunday, Lara Mastin, former Chairman of the Ken Blackwell for Governor campaign, accepted an offer to serve as the Ohio GOP's Deputy Finance Chairman of the party's finance committee. The position primarily focuses on assisting the party with fundraising. Lara will serve as Tim Timken's deputy.

Congratulations to Lara on her new position! I'm sure she will serve the Republican cause well.

Here is something to think about: With Lara in this new gig- does this impact the race to be the Ohio GOP's next Chairman?

According to Mark Naymick, Central committee member David Johnson of Columbiana County dropped out of the race to be the Ohio GOP Chairman. Of course, readers of Right Angle Blog would have known this 2 days ago (thanks to magicjack80).

I'm surprised by Kevin DeWine's late entrance into the race- I thought for sure he would eventually run for statewide office or for Congress. But he is a conservative and would make an excellent chairman. But I don't know who to support, because I frankly don't know much about the candidates.

Since the decision of who becomes Deputy Chair is made in April, I will send invites to candidates for Chairman to email Right Angle Blog with an answer to this question: Why are you the best candidate to be the Ohio GOP's next Chairman?

Since it may be difficult to contact these candidates, if you know them, please have them email their answer to [email protected]. Their answers will be posted on RAB, and I believe this would be an excellent way for Republicans to have a chance to meet the candidates BEFORE the decision is made by the powers that be. I hope all the candidates agree.

From ABC News:

From the lone voice of reason at the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Kevin O'Brien:

There are two good reasons why the United States has a com mander in chief.

The first is rooted in law: Our Constitution provides for civilian control of the military, and it explicitly vests the power to direct the armed forces in one person - the president.

The second is rooted in practicality: Running a war by committee - especially when the committee is made up entirely of politicians with ambition-driven agendas - wouldn't be smart.

So President Bush should do the senators who would like to try running the military a favor: Invite them to butt out. It's not their job.

Read his full column here. Senator Voinovich, Congressman Boehner, Senator Hagel, and the rest of Congress should pay attention.

From cleveland.com

Columbus � Hey, pal, you wanna buy some swampland? It’s prone to seasonal floods, but wait until you see the parking available for the beavers, foxes and waterfowl.

No, that’s not the worst real estate pitch in the world. It’s part of an idea floated Tuesday by state Treasurer Richard Cordray as he sought to “stimulate the bureaucracy� of state government by working to compile a comprehensive list of stateowned properties with an eye toward future development.

Cordray, a Democrat who took office this month, picked a piece of property that seemed to cry out for development � a 50-acre abandoned quarry in Columbus � to announce his proposal at a frigid news conference. He said his office so far had identified 446 state-owned properties across 20 counties that his staff suspected were underused or abandoned.

The former quarry made a “Top 10� list of stateowned parcels that Cordray believes to be “the most advantageous to develop.� But also on Cordray’s top 10 list is a 108-acre parcel in Geauga County � valued at $629,000 � that is part of the Auburn Marsh. An Ohio Department of Natural Resources description of the marsh notes that it has “poor drainage� and is “subject to seasonal floods.�

This sounds like a workable idea, but the devil is in the details…

Check out this video from Cleveland's socialist boy mayor who turned into a joke of a presidential candidate. Here he is singing Merle Travis' (or was it Ernie Ford's?) "Sixteen Tons."

The video is from Jan. 8th at a luncheon with Jesse Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. Funny stuff!

From David Keene of the American Conservative Union:

The question of the continuing Republican/conservative alliance may well hinge on the answer to that question. Many of those attending the GOP retreat seemed to be speaking out of both sides of their mouths as they returned to the Capitol. On the one hand, they talked about “going back to basics,� but at the same time argued that they hadn’t made all that many mistakes as most conservatives stuck with them last fall.

Indeed, they listened to pollsters argue that the problem Republicans face is not on their right, but on their left as the center moves toward Democrats. This is true, but because they, like the conservatives who deserted in fewer numbers because of a fear of what Democratic liberals might do once elected, no longer believe Republicans stand for much of anything.

The meetings and the arguments will continue. Five thousand activists will flock to Washington for the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in early March and will continue to debate the state of the movement and the need to “get back to basics.� We can argue among ourselves about tactics and peripheral issue, but if conservatives abandon the core belief in limited government on which their movement has been built, they’ll be in the wilderness for a long time.

I attended a briefing on a massive exit poll run by MIT on behalf of perhaps a hundred colleges and universities to give political scientists the data they need to endlessly seek to find out just what happened this year. The preliminary results, we were told, make it clear that the electorate remains conservative favoring, for example, fewer government services and lower taxes over more services and higher taxes, but was upset with the GOP’s management of the government and inability to live up to its promises or ideals.

Interestingly, that poll and others reveal that even a majority of Democrats are willing to accept fewer services in exchange for lower taxes because they get it. Perhaps those numbers explain why all the earmarks didn’t guarantee a GOP victory.

Ohio Republican politicans, please write that down.

This report shouldn't be very surprising: African-American churches are the most politically active and Democrats profit the most from this activity.

So why does the media scream bloody murder about the Ohio Restoration Project leaning towards Republican candidates, but there is never outrage about Democrats campaigning in black churches?

It should be incredibly offensive to people of all political persuasions that the government tries to censor religious leaders from speaking openly with their parishioners about which candidates are closer to the values of their religion.

Maggie Thurber has an idea for how Toledo, while facing budget deficits, can cut costs: Start cutting "PERS Pickups" given to unionized city employees.

Seems like a reasonable proposal to me.

I've never understood why we would allow Ohio's public employees to unionize in the first place. Government employee unions should be eliminated.

After reading about Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner's crazy idea to draft unqualified, uncommitted, and uncaring people to work the polls on election day, Wendell Robinson offers a simple alternative plan: use county government employees:

I’ve said this before and I’ll keep saying it until somebody does something about it. Make working the polls a part of a county employee’s job (and no, don’t pay them more money to do this like they did last year in Cuyahoga County). It’s typical that little if any official county business gets done on Election Day (although our Board of Commissioners does meet on Tuesdays� did I say little business gets done? you decide how that inference works) so why not take advantage of this work lull and get our money’s worth? The added benefit of using county workers for the polls is the opportunity to provide ongoing training to these people and this way they’ll be better prepared for Election Day. On top of all the quality benefits from this idea is the fact that we’ll be saving millions of dollars each year on temporary workers.

From my experience as a former summer intern in county government, I have to assume this plan is entirely possible. Some of these workers may also be unqualified, uncommitted, and uncaring- but it wouldn't cost anymore to use them.

When discussing how laughable it is for Democrats to claim they have a mandate from voters on the Iraq War, Rush Limbaugh used Ohio as one of many examples of the plethora of other reasons that motivated Ohioans to vote Democrat:

In Ohio, the people didn't speak against the war, they spoke against the state's corruption scandals and the mismanagement on the part of Republicans. Do you think the new senator from Ohio is elected because of the war? I guarantee you it wasn't. The people in Ohio spoke about corruption.

Exactly! Sherrod Brown is left of the salad fork and is far outside of the mainstream of Ohio voters. To claim that the Democrat victory in Congress, with an extremely narrow margin in the Senate, is a mandate to pull out of Iraq is obsurd.

And if voters truly gave Democrats a mandate, General David Petraeus wouldn't have been unanimously confirmed and the war would already be defunded.

The poll was just closed, and here are the results:

The coolest cat in the state house news gaggle, Dan Williamson of The Other Paper, might mention the results in an article on Thursday.

How can we improve the poll? Should we only include the top candidates next time?

Hugh Hewitt interviewed Republican Minority Leader John Boehner, who doesn't want to be left out of the "Hey, I've got a meaningless resolution too!" crowd, is proposing a benchmark measuring device with his very own congressional resolution. Boehner's plan is to create a so-called bi-partisan panel which would require reports every 30 days, along with other such nonsense to give the House power to micro-manage the war effort.

Here is an interesting part of the transcript:

HH: What do you think the enemy thinks about your benchmark proposal?

JB: Uh, I think it helps the administration. I think it puts pressure on the Iraqi government to step up. If you look at the President’s proposal, it’s dependent upon the relatively new Iraqi government to step up and do what it has to do. And I think that having these benchmarks out there send a very clear signal to the Iraqis that we’re going to expect them to do what they have to do.

HH: But the question was what do you think the enemy thinks about your resolution?

JB: We’re measuring progress. We’re measuring success.

HH: But do you think the enemy thinks it’s a bad thing that you’ve put this into place?

JB: I don’t think so.

Dean Barnett on Hugh's website analizes Boehner's proposal :

Minority House Leader John Boehner was just on Hugh’s show. It was obvious during the interview that smoke was pouring out of Hugh’s ears. Mine too.

[…]

If Boehner thought Hugh wouldn’t notice that he didn’t answer the question, he had another thing coming. You don’t get those degrees from Michigan Law School at the bottom of a Cracker Jack Box. Hugh asked his question a second time � what effect will the resolution have on the enemy? Again, Boehner spoke for a while without answering the question. Hugh asked a third time. Yet again, Boehner declined to directly answer the question.

SO WHAT ARE WE TO MAKE OF THIS? Two possible scenarios � one is that Boehner knows damn well what this will do for the enemy and yet he still wants to pass the resolution for political reasons. The other scenario, and frankly I find this one both more likely and more chilling, is that Boehner has never even considered, not for one second, the effect his resolution will have on the enemy. Hugh’s question caught him off guard and without an answer because to him, it seemed like a non-sequitur.

Such is the nature of the political vacuum that our politicians dwell in.

Boehner is a smart man, and there is no way he doesn't understand what General Petraeus meant when he testified that these sort of resolutions hurt the morale of the troops and only serve to embolded the enemy. So is Boehner doing this for political reasons? After overseeing the loss of the majority in the House, why is Boehner so quick to throw the President, Secretary of Defense Gates, our troops, and the war effort under the bus?

Want to pass a resolution? How about a resolution for victory! Resolve to support the troops- And support an increase in troops to KILL THE ENEMY and create a more stable Iraq.

Boehner's resolution is quite mild compared to the sort of defeatist resolutions Chuck Hagel and others are supporting. But I would appreciate it if Republicans stopped supporting resolutions and allow the most powerful military in the world to do its job. Even the most mild resolution sends a confusing message to Americans, who don't read the details of resolutions and simply hear that politicians are passing resolutions for various changes in the Iraq strategy. Instead, Republicans must take a clear, unified position to support the war effort and victory!

Update: Tom at BizzyBlog has been blogging on this situation, and Boehner's office sent an email to Tom. Check it out here.