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May 16, 2008
As the Independent Green Party Candidate for State Representative for the 60th District, I believe it's time to call for a Renewable Energy initiative for our valley. Over the past century we have created a world dependent on oil.
There are many ways to create energy. True, at this time there is nothing to date that equals the power of oil but there are new advancements in solar, wind, and geothermal technologies that are pushing the envelope on the potential or renewable energy. There will be a solution to the decline of oil only when state legislative leaders like myself and the general public make the decision to be part of the solution.
I am proposing that the 60th district organize a renewable energy initiative to encourage energy conservation, energy efficiency practices, and to promote the use of renewable energy in homes businesses, and industry.
My initiative would have four goals:
1. Reduce barriers to the use of renewable energy by providing education and assistance to help citizens plan their energy futures.
2. Reduce the costs of renewable energy and energy efficiency products by negotiating with manufacturers, retailers, and trades people.
3. Reduce the installation costs of renewable energy by using a neighbor helping neighbor approach and by participating with local trades people.
4. Help citizens practice energy conservation by forming an energy assessment and action planning process.
As an Independent Green Party Candidate, I can work to help to bring renewable energy to the valley because I will not accept lobbyists or corporate PACS from the oil industry like current State Representative Bob Hagan does.
Dennis Spisak-Independent Green Party Candidate for State Representative-60th District
Campaign web-site: Http://Votespisak.tripod.com
"This is bullshit. This is malarkey. This is outrageous. Outrageous for the president of the United States to go to a foreign country, sit in the Knesset ... and make this kind of ridiculous statement," Biden said angrily in a brief interview just off the Senate floor.
Later in the day Joe Biden was on MSNBC's Hardball.
Watch it:
It's our very own fundraiser. We need to hurry this along with contributions of cash and money orders. (Please - no checks or credit cards). This star - studded event will enable us to put all "baker's dozen" lobbyists on retainer. The other critical purchase we need to make is for mass quantities of kneepads. We don't want you to sue us for crippling you. The official color of all products labeled with our Party Name, "Rep-dthems(the "d" is silent)TM pending is yellow. If you prove that you're a hit with the lobbyists, we'll elevate your status and permit you to wear kneepads of a sickly green shade that we shall purchase especially for you.
Time to jump into the swift boat everybody!
Your Executive Director,
Jane Schiff
"Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along. We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: 'Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided.' We have an obligation to call this what it is -- the false comfort of appeasement."
Who was the American Senator Bush references?
None other than Republican Sen. William Borah.
"I think that what happened today is something we Democrats have talked about a long time and that is weeding out the culture of corruption whether it's in the Republican Party or the Democratic Party."
My question still remains is when will Bob Hagan make a public statement that he is returning Marc Dann's
$10,000 campaign contribution to the Friends of Bob Hagan Committee that was received on 11/11/2007?
It's one thing to talk about corruption, it's another thing to keep a $10,000 campaign contribution from a
"Corrupt" Democratic Party official.
Actions do speak louder than words, Bob.
It still seems you will keep corrupt money in your war chest. How ethical is that? How ethical are you?
Dennis Spisak-Independent Green Party Candidate for State Representative-60th District
campaign site: http://votespisak.tripod.com
Video of the Payday Lending debate prior to the vote and passage yesterday in The Ohio Senate. The Bill is brought up about 14 minutes in and debate lasts almost a full hour.
Watch it:
WKYC Exclusive: O'Malley resigns; pleads guilty to federal obscenity charge in court
Cuyahoga County Recorder Pat O'Malley has resigned, effective immediately.
He will turn his resignation letter in to Cuyahoga County Commissioners today and be in federal court in Akron at 3 p.m.
That's where he will plead guilty to one count of obscenity. O'Malley emphatically said that the obscenity charge has absolutely nothing to do with any "kiddie porn" allegations.
The charges were filed in U.S. District Court by U.S. Attorney William J. Edwards.
They state that, on or about Feb. 18, 1998 through Nov. 10, 2004, O'Malley used an "interactive computer service for the carriage in interstate and foreign commerce of numerous obscene, lewd, lascivious and filthy pictures, writings and other matters of indecent character, all in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1462(a)."
O'Malley faces up to five years in prison on the felony charge but told Meyer that he hopes he won't have to serve any jail time but that decision is up to Judge David D. Dowd Jr.
Washington D.C. – With Republicans reeling due to their association with President Bush, and amid what supporters of the President have dubbed his "legacy year," Americans United for Change announced the upcoming national tour national tour of the "Bush Legacy Bus." This latest chapter in AUFC's ongoing Bush Legacy Project, which will cement into history how two terms of failed conservative policies – supported by Bush and his allies including Sen. John McCain - have weakened America's security abroad while neglecting and undermining important priorities here at home.
This 45-foot long museum on wheels, powered by biodiesel, and weighing in at 28 tons, features interactive exhibits on the worst policy failures that grew out of the conservative agenda. Visitors will be given the chance to reflect on the Administration's tragically inept response to Hurricane Katrina, mismanaged and endless war in Iraq, 'trickle-down' economic policies that favored the wealthiest Americans and more.
The tour kicks off in Washington D.C. in late June and travels from coast-to-coast throughout the summer and fall stopping in the hometowns of Bush's allies in Congress, both national political conventions and symbolic and historic locations like New Orleans and Crawford, TX.
Moving the Goalposts
“By January 2013, America has welcomed home most of the servicemen and women who have sacrificed terribly so that America might be secure in her freedom.
The Iraq war has been won.”
-- John McCain In Columbus Today [Reuters, 5/15/08]
McCain's Speech In Columbus Today
John McCain claimed in Columbus today that the war in Iraq would be won in five more years. However, after making dozens of such predictions since the beginning of the war, McCain has lost credibility in the eyes of the public. After years of faulty logic and failed strategies, McCain still walks hand-in-hand with President Bush on the war in Iraq. From predicting victory in “months” to “a hundred years,” McCain consistently moves the finish line farther and farther away in an effort to mask the fact that he has no plan to end the war in Iraq and no idea when the conflict will be over.
Early 2003: The End is “Very Much in Sight.”
McCain Predicted a “Brief, Successful War In Iraq.” While speaking on the floor of the senate on the day before U.S. military action commenced in Iraq, McCain said, “The costs of these enterprises are not known with any degree of certainty at this time. Nor are the costs we will incur after what I believe, what I fervently, hope, will be a brief, successful war in Iraq, as we seek to establish the foundations for a peaceful, stable and democratizing Iraq.” He added, “I believe the war in Iraq can be concluded successfully in a relatively brief time.” [McCain Senate Press Release, 3/18/03]
McCain Believed The War In Iraq Would Be Relatively Short. While appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” McCain said, “I believe that this conflict is still going to be relatively short. I believe we’ve achieved significant goals and successes.” [NBC, “Meet the Press,” 3/30/03]
In 2003 McCain Said The End Was “Very Much In Sight.” Senator McCain was asked “At what point will America be able to say the war was won?” McCain said there were oil fields to secure and “die-hards” to take care of but “it’s clear that the end is very much in sight, and today I think Americans should be very proud of their leadership, their technology…There are still some foreigners, Syrians and others hanging around. But it won’t be long. It will be a fairly short period of time, but this happens in wars. I’m confident that once they are confident the area is no longer a threat to the Marines and to or army troops that they’ll start imposing discipline. In the meantime, we’ll have a short period of chaos.” [ABC, Good Morning America, 4/9/03, emphasis added]
In April 2003, McCain Said He Was “Sure” The End Of Conflict In Iraq Was Near. While appearing on “Lou Dobbs Moneyline,” Dobbs asked McCain, “Is it your judgment that we are near the end of this conflict?” To which McCain replied, “Oh, I’m sure that’s true.” [CNN, “Lou Dobbs Moneyline,” 4/10/03]
Late 2003: A Few Months?
McCain Said “We Would Probably Know Within The Next Few Months” If America Won Or Lost In Iraq. During an appearance on MSNBC’s “Buchanan & Press,” McCain was asked what “victory” in Iraq was. McCain said, “I think the next three to six months are very critical in this whole scenario because the Iraqi people don’t want to go back to Saddam Hussein. They’re not crazy. But many of them in the Sunni Triangle are losing any confidence that the United States can bring them what their ambitions are all about for themselves and their families. So I think we’re in a very critical time. And we would probably know within the next few months.” [MSNBC, “Buchanan & Press,” 11/6/03]
2004: Five Years?
McCain Said “Listen, My Friend, We’re Going To Have To Be There For Five or Six Years.” During a February 2004 appearance on MSNBC’s “Hardball,” McCain discussed the war in Iraq and said, “Listen, my friend, we’re going to be there for five or six years. A little straight talk. We’re going. We’re going to have to be there for quite a while.” [MSNBC, “Hardball,” 2/25/04]
Early-2005: One Year?
McCain: “I Would Think That It’s Going To Be Another Year To A Year And A Half.” During an appearance on CBS’s “The Early Show,” McCain was asked “What is a realistic timetable” regarding the war in Iraq? McCain said, “If I had to guess, I would think that it’s going to be at least another year to a year and a half, but, hopefully before then we could have our troops out of a lot of the areas where they’re vulnerable to casualties.” [CBS, “The Early Show,” 2/3/05]
"Get a job!" shouted a man in an SUV as he drove past demonstrators at a McCain event in Columbus this morning.
Butch Deems, a retired USW member now working on the political staff for the Steelworkers, shouted back, enfuriated. He blames free trade deals promoted by John McCain and others for the crushing job loss in Ohio. Butch says he was "fortunate enough to work until I retired," but he's seen countless of his brothers and sisters in the Steelworkers laid off as companies have moved offshore.
An AFL staffer noted, "It's not a real demonstration until someone tells you to get a job."
The demonstrators at this morning's event, many if not all of whom are employed, represented the AFL-CIO, Working America, Progress Ohio, America Votes, the Alliance for Retired Americans, the Steelworkers, and other organizations. Reporters from The Canton Repository, Columbus Dispatch, Toledo Blade and The Wall Street Journal all interviewed members.
Meanwhile, inside the Convention Center, John McCain said he thought Iraq would be "a functioning democracy" and that most U.S. troops would be home by 2013. As The New York Times notes, this surreal suggestion is "a striking departure from his refusal so far to set a date for U.S. withdrawal" -- what some might call a "flip-flop."
Outside the Convention Center, folks were more focused on McCain's other weaknesses -- like his poor record on the environment, and particularly his disastrous plan for health care, which would quite possibly lead to the end of employer-provided health coverage.
Photos from this event are available on our flickr page, http://www.flickr.com/photos/TakeBackOhio.
'Los Angles Plays Itself'
3:30 this Sunday afternoon- not to be missed!
GO RUN LEAD Training Program
Columbus Ohio
June 6 - 8, 2008
"If it takes a village to raise a child, the likelihood is slim that a woman would be governing that village in Central Ohio."
That statement is the conclusion of recent research conducted by Laralyn & Associates on Women's Political Presence. For decades Ohio has received failing marks on women's rights and representation and currently we are losing ground on the precious little territory we do occupy.
• Ohio ranks a dismal 43rd among the 50 states for the number of women in state legislature
• Only 12 of 59 judges on the bench in the 7 county Central Ohio area are women
• Women represent 51% of the population and only 28% of key elected and appointed positions
The Whitehouse Project is working to change that. Read More »
Last week when it appeared as if The Senate Finance Committee might be playing games with H.B. 545, I speculated:
Senate Senate President Bill Harris (R-Ashland) replaced Sen. Ron Amstutz (R-Wooster) with Sen. Jeff Jacobson (R-Vandalia).
Asked about the change, Sen. Harris said he wanted to offer the president pro tempore, who has served in the legislature since 1992, an opportunity to serve on the finance committee.
"It's my prerogative when I think a member needs to get some experience on a committee," he said. "I thought Sen. Jacobson - you know he's term-limited - should have a chance."
Perhaps it would be more truthful if Senator Harris had said, "I really don't want someone who has to face the scrutiny of the voters being involved with what we are trying to do here". I mean really Senator Harris why does someone who will be leaving the Ohio Senate suddenly need to get "experience on the finance committee" before they leave?
Today upon passage of the Bill, The Dispatch reported:
Senate President Bill M. Harris, R-Ashland, also strongly supported passage of the bill, which some saw as key to bringing other Republicans on board.
“You can blame it on Bill Harris. He’s the one who made the decision in the caucus not to work with us," said W. Allan Jones, CEO of Tennessee-based Check into Cash, which operates 92 stores in Ohio. “I guess up here, you all just need one guy.”
With 20-20 hindsight, it's now apparent that my paranoia expressed at the time was unwarranted.
Thank you President Harris and Thank you Senator Jacobson for all your work which resulted in the passage of the Payday Legislation!
House Republicans turned on themselves yesterday after a third straight loss of a GOP-held House seat in special elections this year left both parties contemplating widespread Democratic gains in November.
In huddles, closed-door meetings and hastily arranged conference calls, some Republicans demanded the head of their political chief, while others decried their leadership as out of touch with the political catastrophe they face.
Frustration among the House Republicans with Minority Leader John Boehner is apparently so great that some members are already considering a challenge.
As the Republicans lost their third special election in a row on Tuesday -- a feat not seen in 30 years -- Chuck Todd reported on MSNBC:
It is a seismic sort of shift, and sort of think of what you're gonna see the Republican Caucus... I have already been hearing whisper campaigns about John Boehner, the Republican leader, people are thinking about challenging him. Is he not being strident enough? You've got all sort of back biting and in-fighting. It is not a good night in the House Republican Caucus.
Maybe the theft of the Ohio Election was not something Marc Dann cared about anyway?
It's time to evolve.
Keith Olberman strikes again.
http://columbusdispatch.com/live/contentbe/dispatch/2006/12/22/20061222-D5-02.html
I found the above link on Plunderbund. Tom Winters our acting Attorney General used to be a lobbyist for Tom Noe. Perhaps this was a form of trading up - just conjecturing - when Tom Winters came on board as First Assistant Attorney General via Mark Dann. One can't help but wonder if Tom Winters worked with Mark Dann to prosecute Tom Noe?
May 14, 2008
Last week after over 287,000 Ohioans signed petitions to get the Ohio Healthy Families Act to the State Legislature, after 120 days the Legislature failed to act upon the bill and it died without action being taken. Now a new petition drive is underway to collect tens of thousands of signatures to get this bill on the November Ballot.
After 120 days of no action in the legislature, you would think, Bob Hagan, The Progressive Liberal, The working man and working families state legislature, would have spoken out on this issue loud and often. But Bob Hagan didn't. Bob Hagan said nothing.
Bob Hagan never raised his voice in protest over the fact that state leaders were letting this bill; signed by over 287,000 Ohio citizens, die without even a discussion being heard on the floor or in committee in Columbus.
So Bob Hagan, the Progressive Liberal for the 60th District, spoke not a word, and this is what Bob Hagan failed to speak up on and help poor, working, and middle class Ohioans.
The Ohio Healthy Families Act is a proposed new state law that would make our state one of the most family-friendly in the nation. The Act would require businesses with 25 or more workers to allow full-time employees to earn 7 paid sick days per year. Part-time workers could earn a smaller, pro-rated number of paid sick days depending on the number of hours they work.
When you look at the facts, you can see it makes good sense to allow more Ohio workers to earn paid sick days for their families.
But Bob Hagan refused to make any noise to help Ohio Workers!
Today's Key Facts:
FACT: 2.2 million Ohio workers are not able to take a paid sick day when they are ill. (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
FACT: Over 670,000 Ohioans with significant interaction with the public do not have paid sick days.
(Source: Policy Matters Ohio)
FACT: Over 330,000 Ohioans who work in Accommodation and Food Service do not have paid sick days.
(Source: Institute for Women's Policy Research)
FACT: 389,000 manufacturing employees in Ohio do not have the ability to take care of themselves when they are sick.
(Source: Policy Matters Ohio)
FACT: 337,000 Ohioans working in Retail Trade cannot take a paid sick day to get better.
(Source: Institute for Women's Policy Research)
FACT: Every Federal and State employee has paid sick days in the state of Ohio. 42 percent of workers in Ohio do not.
(Source: Institute for Women's Policy Research)
FACT: 79 percent of all Ohio employees earning less than $9.23 an hour do not have the ability to take care of their ill family members.
(Source: Policy Matters Ohio)
FACT: 53.7 percent of all workers with paid sick days do not miss a single day of work.
(Source: IWPR's analysis of the 2004 National Health Interview Survey)
FACT: Over 3.5 million Ohioans do not have the ability to stay home and take care of their ailing child.
(Source: Institute for Women's Policy Research)
FACT: Ohio employers save $1.25 per employee every week when offering paid sick days.
(Source: Institute for Women's Policy Research)
FACT: Pediatricians recommend that babies and children see the pediatrician 6-8 times in the first year, twice in the second year, and once a year thereafter.
(Source: Massachusetts Academy of Pediatric Dentistry)
FACT: Adults need semi-annual dental appointments and annual or biannual physicals for cancer and diabetes screening, cardiovascular fitness assessment, flu shots, and to receive information about nutrition, exercise, alcohol and tobacco use, and other aspects of healthy living.
(Source: Unity Health Care)
FACT: Only 33 percent of workers nationally have a sick days policy that officially covers doctors visits.
(Source: Institute for Women's Policy Research)
FACT: The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that patients do not return to work until they are completely recovered from the flu.
(Source: CDC)
FACT: The flu accounts for 10 to 12 percent of illness-related work absences.
(Source: Institute for Women's Policy Research)
As the Independent Green Party Candidate for State Representative for the 60th District, I would have fought to get this bill heard or made enough noise to let the public know the state powers to be who could have acted on this bill who were being paid to keep quiet by lobbyists and corporation PACS.
I guess Bob Hagan was one of these state leaders who decided to remain silent on the sidelines. And Bob Hagan is the Progressive Liberal of the 60 th District?
Dennis Spisak-Independent Green Party Candidate for State Representative-60 th District
Campaign site: Http://votespisak.tripod.com
Visit our site to read more on the Ohio Healthy Families Act
NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC is excited to announce that it endorses Sen. Barack Obama for president in 2008. Sen. Obama has a fully pro-choice record, and we are confident that as president he will be a champion for women's reproductive rights.
As the senator himself said, "It's not just an issue of choice, but equality and opportunity for all women."
- Read the press release
- Tell your friends about Sen. Obama, send an eCard
- Discuss the endorsement at BlogForChoice.com
- Learn more about Sen. Obama's record
Many Hillary Clinton Supporters Disagree With Naral's Decision To Endorse
NARAL Sticks a Finger in Our Eye
PostsSearch Blog
A Renewable Energy Initiative for the 60th District May 16,...
Well - here we are. Twentyfour hours or so since we were sp...
"Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terroris...
In today's Youngstown Vindicator, State Representative Bob H...
Video of the Payday Lending debate prior to the vote and pa...
The sex scandals just keep on rolling in . . .WKYC Exclusive...
Washington D.C. – With Republicans reeling due to thei...
Last Saturday, The Ohio Democratic Party I believe retroacti...
To Mr. West Chester: First, Bob hagan was the LAST Mahoni...
A recent Zogby survey found 84% of likely voters in Ohio bel...
Um, Hagan co-sponsored the articles of impeachment of Dann. ...
