Politics | Rowsey Blog - Part 2

From Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton

June 5, 2008

Below is a copy of the email sent to her supporters late yesterday.

I wanted you to be one of the first to know: on Saturday, I will hold an event in Washington D.C. to thank everyone who has supported my campaign. Over the course of the last 16 months, I have been privileged and touched to witness the incredible dedication and sacrifice of so many people working for our campaign. Every minute you put into helping us win, every dollar you gave to keep up the fight meant more to me than I can ever possibly tell you.

On Saturday, I will extend my congratulations to Senator Obama and my support for his candidacy. This has been a long and hard-fought campaign, but as I have always said, my differences with Senator Obama are small compared to the differences we have with Senator McCain and the Republicans.

I have said throughout the campaign that I would strongly support Senator Obama if he were the Democratic Party’s nominee, and I intend to deliver on that promise.

When I decided to run for president, I knew exactly why I was getting into this race: to work hard every day for the millions of Americans who need a voice in the White House.

I made you — and everyone who supported me — a promise: to stand up for our shared values and to never back down. I’m going to keep that promise today, tomorrow, and for the rest of my life.

I will be speaking on Saturday about how together we can rally the party behind Senator Obama. The stakes are too high and the task before us too important to do otherwise.

I know as I continue my lifelong work for a stronger America and a better world, I will turn to you for the support, the strength, and the commitment that you have shown me in the past 16 months. And I will always keep faith with the issues and causes that are important to you.

In the past few days, you have shown that support once again with hundreds of thousands of messages to the campaign, and again, I am touched by your thoughtfulness and kindness.

I can never possibly express my gratitude, so let me say simply, thank you.

Sincerely,
Hillary
Hillary Rodham Clinton

I think that should put to rest all of the anti-Hillary crowd that thinks that she won’t back Obama.

Posted by Jason Rowsey | Filed Under Hillary Clinton, Politics | 4 Comments 

Carnival of Ohio Politics #120

June 4, 2008

Check out the new Carnival of Ohio Politics compiled by Jill Miller Zimon.  Great job!

Posted by Jason Rowsey | Filed Under Ohio Government, Politics | 1 Comment 

Would Obama Write Off Ohio?

June 1, 2008

Governor Bill Richardson was recently quoted as saying:

“If we win these three states [New Mexico, Nevada, and Colorado], plus the traditional Democratic base, (Obama) is president,” New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson told Washington-based media group Politico last week. “If John Kerry had won these three states and lost Ohio as he did, he would’ve been president.”

That would total 19 electoral votes while Ohio has only 20.

It seems like that could be a very risky strategy on Obama’s part, don’t you think?  It would also be a slap in the fact to Ohio voters who have come accustomed to playing a larger role in the selection of the President of the United States.

Perhaps Richardson is realizing what most Clinton supporters have been saying…Obama lost many of the states that he would need to win to win the general election.

Posted by Jason Rowsey | Filed Under Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Politics, ohio | 9 Comments 

Do Smoking Bans Impede the Rights Of Patrons?

May 31, 2008

Two Central Ohio bars are challenging a local smoking ban which resulted in investigations and fines being assessed.  According to the Dispatch a local Moose Lodge and Zeno’s Victorian Village are slated for hearings resulting from patrons smoking in their establishments.

At one, the Loyal Order of Moose lodge, 1970 Schrock Rd., they’re mum about the upcoming encounter. A woman who answered the phone said nobody would talk about the hearing and refused to say whether patrons still are smoking at the lodge.

City officials suspect they are.

Roy Walls, who owns Jack’s Corner Pub, 2480 Summit St., said he’s a bit frustrated with the situation.

Walls said he has enforced the ban since last year, much to the chagrin of many patrons.

Some women sneak smokes in the bathroom and other customers have torn down his “no smoking” signs and snuffed out cigarettes on the sign outside, Walls said. He’s pretty sure that the last fine his business received was prompted by a ban-hating customer who lit up when he recognized the city inspector.

“When it was 10 degrees and snowing outside this winter, they were raising Cain,” said Walls, who thinks the choice of whether to allow smoking should be up to individual bar owners.

I’m tired of smokers whining about these bans.  They were voted on in a democratic process and the majority of us do not want the second hand smoke.  Don’t we have rights as well?

Posted by Jason Rowsey | Filed Under Ohio Government, Politics, ohio | 4 Comments 

Another Charter School in Trouble

May 30, 2008

The Dispatch has a great article about another charter school facing problems with finances.  This time it is George Washington Carver Preparatory Academy, located on Sunbury Road in Columbus, Ohio.  According to the article, the charter school witheld taxes from the paychecks of employees but neglected to send the money onto the government.

The school owes more than $343,000 in taxes to the state and federal government, the audit found.

“Failure to submit payroll taxes timely forces the academy to spend precious tax resources on penalties and interest rather than educating children,” Ohio Auditor Mary Taylor said.

Her office referred the matter to the Internal Revenue Service for review.

The audit, which covered the school’s financial activity for 2007, also revealed that a $789,000 deficit has grown to $851,000.

Ok, so that is bad enough, right?  Wrong!  What is even more disturbing is the fact that on the State of Ohio’s Report Card, this charter school is in “academic emergency” which means it is a failing school.  Its rating slipped from a D to an F in the last year.

When are we going to stop playing politics with the education of our young children?

Posted by Jason Rowsey | Filed Under Education, Politics, columbus, ohio | 2 Comments 

Obama Sticks His Foot In His Mouth Again

May 27, 2008

Very interesting press release from the RNC:

Barack Obamas dubious claim is inconsistent with world history and demands an explanation. It was Soviet troops that liberated Auschwitz, so unless his uncle was serving in the Red Army, theres no way Obamas statement yesterday can be true. Obamas frequent exaggerations and outright distortions raise questions about his judgment and his readiness to lead as commander in chief.

Obamas False Claim:

Obama: I had an uncle who was one of the — who was part of the first American troops to go into Auschwitz and liberate the concentration camps. And the story in our family was is that when he came home, he just went up into the attic and he didnt leave the house for six months. Right, now, obviously, something had really affected him deeply. But at that time, there just werent the kinds of facilities to help somebody work through that kind of pain. (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks On Memorial Day, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV1sxq8mqvA, Las Cruces, N.M., 5/26/08)

Historical Fact:

According To The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Auschwitz Was Liberated By The Red Army On January 27, 1945. On January 27, 1945, Soviet troops liberated the Auschwitz concentration camp complex, where they discovered some 7,000 prisoners, including young children, who had not been evacuated by the SS. (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Web Site, http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/focus/liberation/, Accessed 5/27/08)

Paid for by the Republican National Committee.

Not authorized by any candidate or candidates committee.

SOURCE Republican National Committee

Clinton was hounded for dodging bullets in Serbia.  Let’s be fair.

Posted by Jason Rowsey | Filed Under Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Politics | 4 Comments 

More Economic Woes

May 27, 2008

I don’t know if I am just in one of those moods, but the two posts that I have written thus far today both deal with the lousy shape of our economy.  The Columbus Dispatch tells us of Ohio colleges and universities that are also feeling the same angst as the rest of the county lately.

Senator Hillary Clinton has advocated for plans to make college more affordable for all students during this election cycle.  We can only hope that something will happen to help, and that it will happen sooner rather than later.

None of the colleges knows what its final figure will be because of “summer melt” — a trickling-off of committed students who decide not to go to the school after all. Some receive late offers from their top-choice college and go there instead. Others put school off for a year or decide not to go at all because of family emergencies, financial concerns or other reasons.

Everyone is waiting to see how the sluggish economy — including increasing home foreclosures, layoffs, record gasoline prices, soaring food costs and fears of a student-loan squeeze — will affect families’ ability to pay for college.

All the colleges have received more student appeals for financial aid, including pleas from families asking for consideration because of a drop in income.

The biggest test will come this summer when parents, particularly those with less-than-stellar credit, go out in search of private loans. Although few if any students are being denied access to loans, college leaders are increasingly nervous about how those looking to borrow will fare as fall classes near.

“Who knows what will happen once the bill arrives at their homes in July and they have to decide how they will finance it?” said Margaret Drugovich, vice president for university enrollment at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware.

How many of you or your parents are feeling the squeeze?

Posted by Jason Rowsey | Filed Under Education, Hillary Clinton, Money Matters, Politics, ohio | 2 Comments 

More Evidence of a Slowing Economy

May 27, 2008

For once I wold love to open up the paper and see good news about our economy.  It seems like it was so long ago that we had that luxury.  A new article in the Columbus Dispatch details more evidence of a downturn in our economy.

U.S. home prices dropped at the sharpest rate in two decades during the first quarter, a closely watched index showed Tuesday, a somber indication that the housing slump continues to deepen.

Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller said its national home price index fell 14.1 percent in the first quarter compared with a year earlier, the lowest since its inception in 1988. The quarterly index covers all nine U.S. Census divisions.

The narrower indices also set record declines. The 20-city index tumbled 14.4 percent during the quarter, the lowest since that index was started in 2001. The 10-city index plunged 15.3 percent, a record in its 20-year history.

I wonder where Ohio ranks in this category?

Posted by Jason Rowsey | Filed Under Money Matters, Politics | 1 Comment 

The New Wave of Election Petitions in Ohio

May 26, 2008

Thanks to the Columbus Dispatch for this article that details the way in which the citizens of Ohio will work to put initiatives on the ballot in the years to come.

The new system uses a “digital pen” that captures signatures electronically on special paper. It transmits them to a BlackBerry, which, in turn, sends the information to a computer, where the signatures and accompanying details are checked visually against a statewide voter-registration database maintained by county boards of elections.

This new system will allow petition organizers to electronically verify valid signatures.  This will prevent ballot initiatives from failing due to a lack of signatures after a review finds many to be invalid.

The company piloting this program, the Ohio Petition Co., is taking on a big contract for its first initiative.  The company will be collecting signatures to ensure that the Ohio Health Families Act, which you can read more about here, gets to be voted up or down by Ohio voters after an incompetent Ohio legistature has continued to drag its feet on this issue.

The system is adapted from PenVote, a Columbus startup company that is promoting use of the technology to replace voting machines. It uses an electronic pen about the size of a fat fountain pen. When someone writes on the paper, a miniature camera in the pen reads the handwriting in relation to tiny dots imprinted on the paper. It then transmits a signal to reproduce the handwriting on a computer screen. The pens cost about $250 each.

Do you think this is the wave of the future?

Posted by Jason Rowsey | Filed Under Ohio Government, Politics | 4 Comments 

Columbus Suburb Going Green

May 26, 2008

Westerville, a surburb on Columbus’ north side, has decided to resurrect a plan to allow city residents to buy more environmentally sound forms of energy, including wind and hydro.  The plan was passed approximately four years ago, but was never promoted because energy prices continued to increase.

According to an article in the Columbus Dispatch, the additional cost to residents of Westerville would be approximately $13 per month.

I’m a Westerville resident and would be more than happy to pay the increase.  Now this is an example of Ohio politics functioning as it should.

Posted by Jason Rowsey | Filed Under Money Matters, Ohio Government, Politics, Westerville, columbus | 3 Comments 

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