YOUNGSTOWN � Attorney General Marc Dann of Liberty is to announce Monday the creation of a Youngstown regional office.
An e-mail sent by Dann's office reads, "The new branch office will create good-paying jobs in Youngstown while boosting the level of service for residents of the entire region."
The official announcement is set for 9 a.m. Monday in the main concourse of the Youngstown-owned 20 Federal Place, presumably the location of the new branch office.
Dann, a Democrat, has said he planned to expand the attorney general office's presence in the Mahoning Valley and had asked the mayors of Youngstown and Warren to submit proposals to open an office in either of the cities' downtowns.
He has said he wanted to add 10 to 20 attorney general employees in the Valley during the first two years of his administration.
Leave it to Democrats to brag about "good-paying" GOVERNMENT jobs.
My only question is: How nice will mafia boss J. J. Cafaro's office be? (For those of you keeping score at home, by donating to Dann's campaign, J.J. purchased Dann's former Ohio Senate Seat for his bleached-blond daughter, Capri.)
Enemy is within, FOX News host says John Kasich the keynote speaker at Republican Party's Lincoln Day dinner and fundraiser.
By Megan Gildow
Staff Writer
Saturday, March 31, 2007
FAIRFIELD � America is at war for the soul of the country, according to former Congressman and FOX News host John Kasich, keynote speaker at this year's Lincoln Day dinner.
A message many heralded as "inspirational," Kasich warned that the greatest fight the United States currently faces is from within to the audience of 500 that included many state and local officeholders.
"Great civilizations get in trouble because there's a decay on the inside," he said. "I believe the greatest battle we face in this country is for the soul of our nation."
Kasich was introduced by U.S. House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-West Chester Twp., as a rumored "candidate for state governor," a rumor Kasich did not dispel at the annual Butler County Republican Party dinner and awards ceremony.
"If I were Gov. (Ted) Strickland, I'd be worried," said county Commission President Gregory Jolivette.
"He has everything that's hard to find in a politician today. No. 1 being honesty" said Fairfield Mayor Ron D'Epifanio.
Previously hosted in Sharonville, the event returned to Butler County this year at the Oscar Event Center at Jungle Jim's International Market in Fairfield.
"We are back home again after many years, and that's where we're going to stay," said the local GOP Executive Chairman Tom Ellis.
It's not a rumor- John Kasich IS running for Governor. And I'm still very surprised he is willing to give up a nice Fox News gig to run. Maybe this will be a good way for him to avoid having to talk about Anna Nicole Smith and Natalee Holloway.
A Message Regarding the Vacancy on the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections
A message from Ron Lisy
Dear Friends,
As you are probably aware, our friend Republican Cuyahoga County Board of Elections member Sally Florkiewicz has announced her intention to resign from the Board effective April 2nd.
This follows a politically charged demand from Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner to all four Cuyahoga county Board of Elections members to resign their positions.
Of the four members, only Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Bennett, who also serves as Chairman of the Board of Elections remains seated on the Board past April 2nd.
Many of you are also aware that I have been employed at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections for the past nine months, joining the Board staff soon after the May 2006 primary debacle.
I've learned the nuts and bolts of the elections process, and seen many areas where the Board needs to improve. I believe it is crucial that our faith in the elections process be restored, and the value of the county taxpayers' dollars be respected.
Several of you have stated that this experience and insight along with my previous activities with the Republican Party, and as an elected member of Bedford City Council would make me an ideal candidate for the Board of Elections vacancy.
Although I am flattered at the suggestion, and did give it active consideration, I will not be a candidate for this vacancy.
In my opinion, an extremely qualified candidate, and an extremely committed Republican has stepped forward and declared himself a candidate — that person is Judge Jeff Hastings.
Jeff is an ideal person for this seat, with experience in the Ohio Attorney General's office under both Betty Montgomery and Jim Petro, experience serving as Executive Director of the Cuyahoga County Republican Party, and a stint as a Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge, which earned him wide praise for his judicial temperment and legal skills-and nearly re-election despite running against a "legendary name" and the Democratic tidal wave in Ohio.
Jeff Hastings will do us proud on the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.
�
I hope that you will attend the meeting of the Cuyahoga County Republican Party Central & Executive Committees, scheduled for Wednesday April 4th at 6 to 8 pm, Independence Civic Center, 6363 Selig Drive in Independence and join me in supporting Judge Jeff Hastings for the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.
Washington - A day can make a world of difference in Dennis Kucinich's presidential campaign.
On Wednesday morning, the Cleveland Democrat's campaign sent an e-mail that sought volunteers to participate in an "Eyes and Ears Project" to perform opposition research on his rivals.
On Thursday, the congressman sent another e-mail that renounced the first, calling the opposition research "inherently pretentious, divisive and mean-spirited." He said his "campaign has arrived at a teachable moment and an opportunity for growth."
"The vital organ of this campaign is the heart," said Kucinich, who has criticized government surveillance programs implemented by the Bush administration. "This campaign is about transforming politics, not mimicking stale political trends."
What changed in 24 hours? Although dozens of volunteers expressed interest in the program, Kucinich campaign manager David Bright said the candidate decided their time would best be spent on "door knocking, phone ringing and those kinds of things." He said Kucinich will rely on press reports to track the other Democratic candidates.
Department of Administrative Services Hugh Quill was appointed director of the Ohio Department of Administrative Services (DAS) by Governor Ted Strickland in February 2007.
What hasn't been mentioned anywhere is that Mr. Quill had been having an affair with Nikki Jaworski (see pic here), who worked in his office when he was Montgomery County Treasurer.
Ms. Jaworski was formerly married to Charlie Bowling, who worked at the Board of Elections.
Besides being 20+ years Quill's junior- Jaworski also got a job in Columbus right at the same time Quill did.
So far Quill is still a married man.
Since Ted Strickland is a big fan of sex-ed for students, maybe this is part of some new, hands-on continuing education program for government employees.
Blackwell appointed to the Club for Growth's Leadership Council
Ken Blackwell, Ronald Reagan Distinguished Fellow at the Buckeye Institute and visiting Senior Fellow at the Family Research Council, was recently appointed to the Club for Growth's Leadership Council.
This weekend Blackwell will moderate and participate in a panel discussion at the Club's 2007 Annual Winter Conference in Palm Beach, Florida. The panel is entitled "Do free markets have an alternative to universal health care." Other participants include U.S. Senator Tom Coburn (R - OK), Congressman John Shadegg (R-AZ), and National Center for Policy Analysis President Dr. John Goodman.
The Club for Growth is the nation's leading advocate for pro-growth economic policy. It works to promote public policies that advance economic growth primarily through legislative involvement, national and state issue advocacy, research, training and educational activity.
The Club also has a PAC, which supports pro-growth candidates for Congress, particularly in Republican primaries.
This is great news! The Club for Growth is a well funded and shrewd organization which promotes free-market ideas and like-minded conservative politicians. Ken Blackwell stands for the same principles of free-markets and economic liberty, so he is a perfect fit for this organization. If you haven't done so already, consider becoming a member of The Club for Growth here.
There has been a rumor that there may be a Ohio Club for Growth starting soon- I've been informed that $250,000 must be raised before The Club for Growth would recognize them. This could be an effective way to elect more conservatives in Ohio- Just like the California Club for Growth is doing in Golden State. If I hear anything more about this, I'll report back.
RAVENNA, Ohio (AP) � A former state representative and Ravenna mayor sentenced to federal prison for not paying taxes on income from a private business now faces state charges over the same matter.
Paul H. Jones, 56, was charged Thursday in Portage County Common Pleas Court with having an unlawful interest in a public contract, filing false state tax returns and filing a false financial disclosure statement.
Jones was sentenced last Friday in U.S. District Court in Youngstown to 16 months in prison. He pleaded guilty in January to five mail fraud charges and three of filing false tax returns.
The AP doesn't mention what party Jones is a member of, which means he is a Democrat.
As Tom Blumer mentions below, it is in the article- In the 10TH PARAGRAPH.�
For that small percent of unskilled laborers and teenagers who earn the minimum wage, what good is a small pay increase if those same dollars now have less purchasing power?
From The Enquirer
Pay hikes mean price hikes BY ALEXANDER COOLIDGE | [email protected]
Eric Franke is weighing his options.
In light of Ohio’s minimum-wage increase, the co-owner of 18 Subway sandwich shops in the region has two equally unappealing choices: He can raise prices, or he can cut staff.
Franke estimates the new Ohio law, which raised the minimum wage from $5.15 to $6.85 an hour, will drive up annual expenses by $5,000 per store.
Some restaurants might try to absorb the increase with lower staffing, but that’s a slippery slope: Longer waits in line and less-spiffy stores could devalue an eatery’s image with customers, he says.
On the other hand, if Franke increases pay he’ll have to increase prices to compensate.
Before the increase, he could offer starting employees $6.25 an hour “and be competitive.� “It impacts the whole pay scale,� he said.
“We’re looking at it right now,� he added. “We adjust prices every couple of years, but it’s definitely mandated now with the minimum-wage increase.�
[…]
Walnut Hills-based Frisch’s, which is the nation’s largest franchisee of both Big Boy and Golden Corral eateries, said in its latest quarterly report that the change in Ohio � where two-thirds of its employees work � would cost it $3.5 million in extra operating costs.
As a result, the company boosted menu prices in January by 2.4 percent at its Big Boys and 2.1 percent at its Golden Corral restaurants.
The company said the increase wasn’t entirely due to the minimum wage, but it did increase prices at all restaurants because it anticipates the national rate will increase.
The increase is a big deal for the company because its customers are particularly price sensitive.
Richard Graeter, co-owner of his family’s namesake ice cream shops, estimates his total payroll costs will increase $100,000 per year at the dozen Graeter’s stores owned by the family.
The added costs will force the chain to boost the price of cones and other items about a dime. Retail prices of Graeter’s products in grocery stores won’t be affected.
“That’s a huge hit,� he said. “It stair-steps the entire wage structure � the minimum wage pushes up the other wages.�
Graeter said he already pays most of his regular workforce above the minimum, but the stores round out their help with teenagers during the busy summer season. He said such entry-level help is often learning how to work and shouldn’t command a higher hourly rate.
“No adult should be paid minimum wage,� he said “But when you’re hiring teenagers, it’s literally their first job ever. It’s scooping ice cream.�
For the most part, restaurants say their increases are incremental. Skyline Chili also boosted prices at its 14 corporately controlled stores by 2 percent � increasing the cost of a classic three-way by 10 cents to $4.79 and a cheese Coney by four cents to $1.49. “In our case we raised the prices because of the minimum wage,� said Skyline’s executive vice president Terry Donovan. “We had hoped to do nothing but we couldn’t, so we did as little as possible.�
But who cares? Afterall, the benevolent liberal elitists at Policy Matters Ohio say "Ohio can afford it." So shut up and pay more for your subs and bowls of Skyline chili, you peasants!
It's so easy to pick on Catholics- Why? Probably because we won't riot in the streets and chop your head off:
From the Catholic League:
OHIO STATE NEWSPAPER ASSAULTS CATHOLICISM
On March 27, an anonymous female journalism student at Ohio State University wrote a column in The Lantern, a student newspaper on the campus, titled “Going Down with the Catholics.� She mentions that one of her friends, Megan, is a Catholic who hasn’t had vaginal sex with her boyfriend John. But “he won’t break up with Megan because he said it’s the best head he’s ever had in his life.�
Penelope, the anonymous writer, wonders, “Catholics can’t do a lot of things: eat meat on Friday, listen to Marilyn Manson or vote Democrat, so pre-marital sex is just another item on the list. But when did God say it’s OK to give a blow job so long as that’s as far as you go?� She adds that “oral sex doesn’t get women pregnant, only penetration does. (Unless you’re Catholic, then Immaculate Conception does, too.)� She ends by saying, “Maybe God is looking down on the world smiling as He’s getting oral pleasure guilt free, no strings attached.�
Here’s how Catholic League president Bill Donohue responded:
“Though The Lantern does not receive any money from the university, it is afforded a place on the campus, and is therefore subsidized by the taxpayers of Ohio. We are contacting Dr. Karen Holbrook, president of Ohio State, asking her to treat this incident the way she addressed a comical, yet racist, matter last year. About a year ago, several students at a branch campus sent racist letters to some blacks on the Wooster campus. �If they were intended to be funny,’said President Holbrook, �there was nothing funny about them.’In another racist incident last year, the offending students were accused of violating the Student Code of Conduct, and were subject to dismissal.
“It is important to note that The Lantern is guilty of rank hypocrisy. Two months ago it chided another school newspaper, The Daily Princetonian, for publishing a satirical piece on Asians in its annual joke issue. Looks like when it comes to Catholics, the same rule doesn’t apply.�
This anonymous female author clearly has a mother and a father who, in their job as parents, were miserable failures. What a classy young lady she must be.
On April 3, the Family Research Council is holding a reception in honor of Ken Blackwell, who recently joined the FRC as the Senior Fellow for Family Empowerment, where he will focus on issues such as family economics, tax reform, and education. More details are posted here.
I've had some time to think about this story before posting about it. There have been some serious problems at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections. Two Cuyahoga BOE employees were sentenced to jail for 18 months for rigging a recount of the 2004 presidential election. And Michael Vu, the former Director of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, was in incompetent boob. And even though the Secretary of State has a great deal of power to remove members of board of elections, Jennifer Brunner has simply not given enough reason for Ohio GOP Chairman Bennett to be removed. In fact, the Cleveland Plain Dealer hit the nail on the head and explained Brunner's real reason for wanting Bennett out:
Cuyahoga County elections board Chairman Bob Bennett has filed suit in Franklin County asking the court to block Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner from removing him from the board.
The suit contends that Brunner's action would violate Bennett's constitutional rights and that her accusations against the board are vague. The suit also argues that:
The Ohio law dealing with removal of board members fails to define misfeasance and nonfeasance.
Brunner cannot take action to remove Bennett based on conduct that occurred before she took office in January 2007.
Brunner, a Democrat, is attempting to remove Bennett, head of the Ohio GOP, because he supported her opponent in the 2006 election and plans to support Republican candidates in 2008.
So its all about politics, and as you can clearly hear in this interview from Cleveland's WMJI Lannigan and Malone Show, Brunner has made up her mind and has no interest in hearing Chairman Bennett's site of the story:
Brunner has to hold to hold a fair and impartial hearing to allow the board to make its defense- But clearly, Brunner has no interest in fairness or due process.
So what's really going on in ths case? This has nothing to do with anything Bennett has done- Instead, it is about the 2008 elections. The Democrats are using their new Democrat secretary to micromanage the vote in Ohio's most Democratic county to make sure every vote- even illegal votes- count.
I have it from inside sources to report that this is all being orchestrated by the Democrats under the close eye of Congressman Stephanie Tubbs Jones. Her former chief of staff is now the assistant secretary of state to Brunner. One of the Democrats being removed from the board is the husband of a Tubbs Jones staffer, and he is slated to be replaced by a staff lawyer for Tubbs Jones. Jones, in an incredibly safe district, is a mouthpiece for radical voter activist groups. And now with this new power, shes doing everything can can to run the Cuyahoga County BOE as she sees fit.
Brunner is much more partisan than Ken Blackwell could ever be accused of. The only difference is- Jennifer Brunner has many willing accomplices in the liberal Ohio MSM.
Chairman Bennett deserves to remain on the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections. For any flaws he may have, you can guarantee that he won't go along with Brunner's and Jones' devious plans to mess with the vote count in 2008.
Oh, the whirlwind life of a U.S. senator. It's apparently enough to dizzy an ardent foe of the Iraq War like our Sen. Sherrod Brown into mistakenly voting opposite to what he'd intended.
That's exactly what happened when Brown cast his vote Tuesday on a measure involving a deadline for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq. Brown favors the deadline but somehow goofed and voted against it, according to an item in The Washington Post. For one amazingly un-Brown moment, our senator had blundered into the Bush camp on Iraq.
Lucky for him, staffers caught Brown's gaffe in time and he was able to correct his vote and help Democrats get their way, much to the dismay of Bush.
Wow- Sherrod Brown almost voted for victory in Iraq and against billions of dollars in pork projects, which were used to bribe members of Congress into voting for this legislation. Its a good thing Brown corrected his vote, and promptly endorsed the planned defeat of America. The Democrat base and the Iraqi insurgents can breathe a sigh of relief now that they know Sherrod is still on their side.
Jennifer Rubin, columnist for Human Events, writes about the political landscape for Ohio Republicans in her latest column, "Buckeye Blues." She concludes with this:
Moreover, Ohio Democrats in power now have the responsibility for governing and risk voters’wrath if they do not produce results. They already have shown an aversion to reform. Gov. Strickland recently proposed abolishing the statewide school voucher program and halting expansion of the state’s charter school program. House Minority Leader John Boehner and other Republicans immediately criticized the move. They no doubt will be echoing the words of the Wall Street Journal that in a state in need of school improvement voters may be left wondering why Strickland wouldn’t “have better things to do than deny opportunity for poor kids to escape the worst school in the state.�
Ohio does then provide a lesson to Republicans across the country: majorities are never permanent and party loyalty will not trump voters’perennial concerns about good government and economic prosperity. Moreover, unless progress is made, the deepening mood of dissatisfaction with handling of the Iraq war will loom over state races. If Ohio Republicans — at home and in Washington — do not address these concerns their time in the political wilderness will be prolonged.
Democrat Ted Strickland is not yet three months into his first term as Ohio’s governor, and already he has a potential Republican challenger cross-crossing the state, laying broad hints that he will take Strickland on in the 2010 gubernatorial election.
John Kasich, former congressman from suburban Columbus, 2000 presidential contender, and, now, a talking head on Fox News, has been on a tour of the Ohio Republican Party’s rubber chicken circuit, turning up in places like Batavia, Cleveland and Toledo to deliver keynote speeches at Lincoln Day dinners and other functions.
Friday, tthe Kasich road show stops at the Butler County Lincoln Day at the Oscar Event Center at Jungle Jim’s in Fairfield; where, no doubt, the talk of Kasich as a candidate for governor will once again be the talk among the dinner guests.
Way to go George- Great job on helping the Democrats' fishing expedition:
WASHINGTON — U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales should lose his job if politics had a role in the firing of eight federal prosecutors, Sen. George V. Voinovich said yesterday.
The Ohio Republican said that although all the facts must be aired before deciding whether the embattled Gonzales should stay or go, there is no question that the White House has bungled its handling of the U.S. attorneys controversy.
Voinovich spoke about Gonzales during a taping of the show On the Hill, which will air Sunday on the Ohio News Network, and in an interview with The Dispatch.
"This is a serious issue. We need to get to the bottom of it," Voinovich said, adding that although Democrats are exploiting the issue, so would Republicans if roles were reversed.
"If what some people say is true, then Gonzales should go."
There also is the problem of a public perception that the work of prosecutors was interfered with, he said.
"The appearance is terrible," Voinovich said.
These appointments are political appointments, and they serve at the pleasure of the President. And as a new administration comes into office, they are fully within their rights to remove appointees who do not match up with their philosophy. The Bush administration was fully within its rights to fire these prosecutors, and this is simply an attempt by Senate Democrats to drag Gonzales and Karl Rove through hearings, and the liberal MSM is willing to promote this as yet another "scandal."
And playing politics with Federal prosecutors is nothing new. Remember that Bill Clinton fired ALL federal prosecutors to avoid serious investigations of Whitewater. From the Wall Street Journal:
Congressional Democrats are in full cry over the news this week that the Administration's decision to fire eight U.S. Attorneys originated from-gasp-the White House. Senator Hillary Clinton joined the fun yesterday, blaming President Bush for "the politicization of our prosecutorial system." Oh, my.
As it happens, Mrs. Clinton is just the Senator to walk point on this issue of dismissing U.S. attorneys because she has direct personal experience. In any Congressional probe of the matter, we'd suggest she call herself as the first witness-and bring along Webster Hubbell as her chief counsel.
As everyone once knew but has tried to forget, Mr. Hubbell was a former partner of Mrs. Clinton at the Rose Law Firm in Little Rock who later went to jail for mail fraud and tax evasion. He was also Bill and Hillary Clinton's choice as Associate Attorney General in the Justice Department when Janet Reno, his nominal superior, simultaneously fired all 93 U.S. Attorneys in March 1993. Ms. Reno-or Mr. Hubbell-gave them 10 days to move out of their offices.
At the time, President Clinton presented the move as something perfectly ordinary: "All those people are routinely replaced," he told reporters, "and I have not done anything differently." In fact, the dismissals were unprecedented: Previous Presidents, including Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter, had both retained holdovers from the previous Administration and only replaced them gradually as their tenures expired. This allowed continuity of leadership within the U.S. Attorney offices during the transition.
Equally extraordinary were the politics at play in the firings. At the time, Jay Stephens, then U.S. Attorney in the District of Columbia, was investigating then Ways and Means Chairman Dan Rostenkowski, and was "within 30 days" of making a decision on an indictment. Mr. Rostenkowski, who was shepherding the Clinton's economic program through Congress, eventually went to jail on mail fraud charges and was later pardoned by Mr. Clinton.
Also at the time, allegations concerning some of the Clintons' Whitewater dealings were coming to a head. By dismissing all 93 U.S. Attorneys at once, the Clintons conveniently cleared the decks to appoint "Friend of Bill" Paula Casey as the U.S. Attorney for Little Rock. Ms. Casey never did bring any big Whitewater indictments, and she rejected information from another FOB, David Hale, on the business practices of the Arkansas elite including Mr. Clinton. When it comes to "politicizing" Justice, in short, the Bush White House is full of amateurs compared to the Clintons.
So firing 8 prosecutors for specific reasons is enough to hold hearings about, but firing all Federal prosecutors for an obvious political reason doesn't matter?
Why don't we have hearings about Sandy Berger stuffing classified national security documents into his pants and destroying them? Or maybe there should be hearings to investigate Senator Dianne Feinstein for "war profiteering" and a serious conflict of interest. This Gonzales story is a non-story, and I'm embarrassed that my Senator is so quick to throw the Bush administration under the bus just because of the latest media created scandal.
Richard Cordray is taking credit for saving Ohio taxpayers 500k, which is a good thing.
(Columbus)�The State of Ohio and KeyBank have agreed that nearly $418,000 in earnings and interest were not credited to Ohio’s main bank account over a�ten-year period from 1997 to 2007, Ohio Treasurer Richard Cordray said today.
“KeyBank worked very cooperatively with us to identify and accurately allocate earned interest credits, which are part of the state’s banking services�contract, from July 1, 1997 through December 31, 2006,� Cordray said.� “We determined that $378,524.10 should have been credited to the state over that�period of time.� We appreciate their hard work in helping us account for and recover every penny on this issue.�
KeyBank has agreed to credit the state for that amount in addition to lost interest, Cordray explained. “The amount of interest to be reimbursed totals�$39,366.73, bringing the total credit to the Treasury’s main bank account up to $417,890.83.��� That amount will be used to offset all outstanding invoices from�KeyBank, which were also reduced in further negotiations, leaving a net amount due to the Treasury of $162,666.68.
Cordray will recommend the agreement to fellow Board of Deposit members Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann and Ohio Auditor Mary Taylor at their monthly meeting tomorrow morning at 10:30 a.m.
Cordray said he is recommending a second-stage initiative of “similarly painstaking review� by his staff of payments collected in recent years on all other state bank accounts, including those held by Ohio’s pension systems and�other agencies.
“We will also offer the same assistance to any and all local officials who want to make sure things are as they should be with expenses and fees on their�banking contracts,� Cordray said. “We can apply the experience of the State Treasurer’s office to be helpful to local governments that want to perform this�same kind of comprehensive review.
“Just as with balancing your own checkbook, it is important to account for every penny and to stay on top of things,� Cordray said. “Obviously, even a few�dollars and cents here and there add up over time to some pretty significant amounts of money, and we owe it to the taxpayers to be zealous in protecting�their money every way we can.�
�
This is great, as a conservative Republican, I'm really happy.�� But then i read the end of this article by WTOL
�
He says KeyBank informed the state of missing back credits in January. The company attributes the problem to an oversight.
�
So…who informed who?� Don't mean to nitpick, but that implies that Key Bank told Cordray they screwed up, not the other way around.
For Immediate Release For More Info Contact: Gene Pierce 614 365 9494 x 105
Business Coalition: “Proposal to Cut Vendors’Allowance Hurts Ohio Retail Economy�
(Columbus) A coalition of leading Ohio business advocates today said Governor Strickland’s proposal to cut the vendors’allowance on sales tax collection and remittance would hurt Ohio’s retail industry and the state’s economy.
“On behalf of the 192,000 vendors in the State of Ohio who employ millions of Ohioans as part of Ohio’s service economy, this cut means $37 million every year in new costs that hurts vendors, consumers and our entire economy,� said John C. Mahaney, Jr., President of the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants, a spokesman for the business coalition.
“We are not looking for favoritism or special treatment,� Mahaney continued. “We have collected the sales tax for more than 70 years at a rate below fair market value, and we will continue that service. This proposal simply creates an unfair burden on vendors across the state.�
“I am not one of Ohio’s largest retailers,� added John Marshall of Grismer Tire of Dayton, “but this proposal means higher costs for my business. Retailers can’t play the float with this money, we’re required to file sales and use tax pre-payments several times a month. Cutting the vendors’allowance adds to my overhead.�
Ohio’s vendors’allowance is a small fee (.0075 as of July 1, 2007) retained by retailers in exchange for their services in collecting and remitting billions of dollars from the 5.5 per cent State of Ohio sales tax as well as piggyback county sales taxes. If the allowance is eliminated, Ohio’s retail businesses will be forced to absorb $37 million in extra costs every year.
A 2006 Price Waterhouse Coopers study directed by a joint government and business steering committee concluded that the national weighted average sales tax compliance cost for retailers in 2003 was 3.09 per cent — 13.47 per cent for small retailers, 5.20 per cent for medium-size retailers and 2.17 per cent for large retailers.
Other Midwestern states with vendors’allowances include Illinois at 1.75 per cent, Pennsylvania at 1 per cent, Indiana at .83 per cent and Kentucky at 1.75 per cent on the first $1,000 and 1.00 per cent on the balance.
“The one healthy part of Ohio’s economy in the past few years has been retail shipping logistics and warehousing, with projects such as Rickenbacker in Columbus or DHL in Washington Court House,� added Mahaney. “Taking away the allowance will discourage the creation of more Ohio retail sector jobs.�
“We believed Ted Strickland when he said he wants to protect Ohio jobs during last fall’s campaign. We can’t imagine he wants to change that policy, less than 60 days into his administration,� Mahaney concluded.
A vendor in Brown County with $350,000 in annual taxable sales for 2006 collected $23,625 in sales tax on behalf of the state of Ohio and the county. With sales tax collections less than $75,000, the vendor was required to file sales tax returns semi-annually. For rendering this service, the vendor was allowed to retain 0.9% of the tax for a total of $212.63.
Under the Governor’s proposal, this vendor’s allowance would be capped at 1% of the first $3,000 in tax collected per reporting period, for a total of $30 each reporting period. As a result, the maximum the vendor could retain in a year would be $60. This small vendor would have received $152.63 less if the Governor’s proposal had been in place in 2006.
A vendor in Mahoning County with $750,000 in annual taxable sales for 2006 collected $48,750 in sales tax on behalf of the state of Ohio and the county. With sales tax collections less than $75,000, the vendor was required to file sales tax returns semi-annually. For rendering this service, the vendor was allowed to retain 0.9% of the tax for a total of $438.75.
Under the Governor’s proposal, this vendor’s allowance would be capped at 1% of the first $3,000 in tax collected per reporting period, for a total of $30 each reporting period. As a result, the maximum the vendor could retain in a year would be $60. This small vendor would have received $378.75 less if the Governor’s proposal had been in place in 2006.
A vendor in Putnam County with $1.2 million in annual taxable sales for 2006 collected $81,000 in sales tax on behalf of the state of Ohio and the county. With sales tax collections greater than $74,999, the vendor was required to file sales tax returns three times each month. For rendering this service a total of 36 times last year, the vendor was allowed to retain 0.9% of the tax for a total of $729.
Under the Governor’s proposal, this vendor’s allowance would be capped at 1% of the first $3,000 in tax collected each month, which equals $30. As a result, the maximum the vendor could retain in a year would be $360. This small vendor would have received $369 less if the Governor’s proposal had been in place in 2006.
A vendor in Jefferson County with $2.5 million in annual taxable sales for 2006 collected $175,000 in sales tax on behalf of the state of Ohio and the county. With sales tax collections greater than $74,999, the vendor was required to file sales tax returns three times each month. For rendering this service a total of 36 times last year, the vendor was allowed to retain 0.9% of the tax for a total of $1,575.
Under the Governor’s proposal, this vendor’s allowance would be capped at 1% of the first $3,000 in tax collected each month, which equals $30. As a result, the maximum the vendor could retain in a year would be $360. This small vendor would have received $1,215 less if the Governor’s proposal had been in place in 2006.
A vendor in Fayette County with $5 million in annual taxable sales for 2006 collected $325,000 in sales tax on behalf of the state of Ohio and the county. With sales tax collections greater than $74,999, the vendor was required to file sales tax returns three times each month. For rendering this service a total of 36 times last year, the vendor was allowed to retain 0.9% of the tax for a total of $2,925.
Under the Governor’s proposal, this vendor’s allowance would be capped at 1% of the first $3,000 in tax collected each month, which equals $30. As a result, the maximum the vendor could retain in a year would be $360. This medium-size vendor would have received $2,565 less if the Governor’s proposal had been in place in 2006.
A vendor in Lorain County with $7.5 million in annual taxable sales for 2006 collected $468,750 in sales tax on behalf of the state of Ohio and the county. With sales tax collections greater than $74,999, the vendor was required to file sales tax returns three times each month. For rendering this service a total of 36 times last year, the vendor was allowed to retain 0.9% of the tax for a total of $4,219.
Under the Governor’s proposal, this vendor’s allowance would be capped at 1% of the first $3,000 in tax collected each month, which equals $30. As a result, the maximum the vendor could retain in a year would be $360. This medium-size vendor would have received $3,859 less if the Governor’s proposal had been in place in 2006.
And here are two related documents:
And…
This proposal by Ted Strickland is a tax increase, which you, the consumer, will end up paying for.
On March 9, a good thing happened for people living in the central and inner cities of America: the DC gun ban was declared unconstitutional. The blanket ban on all operational firearms - and every handgun even if that gun doesn't work - was struck down as unconstitutional by a federal appeals court. As a guy who lived in the projects, served as mayor of Cincinnati, and who serves as a member of the National Rifle Association's urban affairs committee, I say, "Three cheers for justice."
Many cities have bad gun laws, and the worst is the DC gun ban. Under the ban, you cannot have any handgun, even in your own home. What's worse, you can't even have a shotgun or rifle, unless it's locked away (unloaded) or disabled with something like a trigger lock. The end result is the same; you cannot have a functional firearm handy in your house. If something happens in the darkness of night, you cannot have a usable firearm to defend your house, your children, or even your own life. That's the outrage of laws like the DC gun ban.
