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Alternative to Fair Tax

Posted on July 29, 2009 by | Leave a comment

By Andy Myers

I’m not a proponent of the fair tax, and yes that makes me a target as was the case this past weekend at the gun and knife show. Our state sovereignty and audit the Federal Reserve booth was very well received by those who understand that our 2nd amendment rights come from a power higher than government, and we had well over 500 people sign our petitions. The NRA booth was next to ours and along with plugging the NRA to which I’d rather support GOA and the Buckeye Firearms Institute, he was plugging the Fair Tax. Most people familiar with the fair tax already know the details, so I would like to offer a “constitutional” alternative to the debate.

How about something that goes back beyond the fair tax all the way to June 2, 1944. The Liberty Amendment is an idea of Willis E. Stone, an industrial engineer. Born in Denver Colorado, who was a descendant of Ralph Waldo Emerson, the philosopher, and of Thomas Stone, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. As space in this letter is limited, I will paraphrase in the hopes that those who “understand the root of the problem is a federal government that has thrown aside the rules in which it was delegated.” will understand what the Liberty Amendment is about.

The Constitution is very specific in what powers the “sovereign states” granted it. And, there is a “proper and legal” way of changing it if need be. But our government disregards this process, for which they “swore an oath to” and continues to chain the people to a certain future of despotism. Stone’s Liberty Amendment on the other hand has been designed to fight all the multitude of apparently different battles at once, and win by “restoring the Constitution to full force and effect.” Once the Amendment is applied, a multitude of diversified battles will be won. The one thing about this proposal I disagree with is calling for a constitutional convention as this could likely lead to something far worse than what we could imagine. That is another subject that can not be adequately address in this letter.

The 4 sections of the Liberty Amendment are as follows:

Section 1. The Government of the United States shall not engage in any business, professional, commercial, financial or industrial enterprise except as specified in the Constitution.

Section 2. The constitution or laws of any State, or the laws of the United States shall not be subject to the terms of any foreign or domestic agreement which would abrogate this amendment.

Section 3. The activities of the United States Government which violate the intent and purpose of this amendment shall, within a period of three years from the date of the ratification of this amendment, be liquidated and the properties and facilities affected shall be sold.

Section 4. Three years after the ratification of this amendment the sixteenth article of amendments to the Constitution of the United States shall stand repealed and thereafter Congress shall not levy taxes on personal incomes, estates, and/or gifts. Henry David Thoreau once said, “There are thousands hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root.”

Please go to www.libertyamendment.com and let us strike at the root of the problems being created by an out-of-control federal government.

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Ohio Supreme Court endangers children, violates parental rights, and supports the violation of law and decency

Posted on July 28, 2009 by | 1 comment

On July 1, the Ohio Supreme Court upheld an earlier decision that allows Planned Parenthood of Southwestern Ohio (PP) to keep secret their reports documenting whether or not PP is notifying authorities of instances of statutory rape of pregnant minors seeking abortion services at the Cincinnati clinic.

The Ohio Supreme Court heard arguments last October on this issue after granting a Motion for Rehearing which was brought by attorneys for Jane Roe.

In Roe v. Planned Parenthood, the parents of Roe allege PP employees breached their legal duties when they failed to notify the proper authorities of the young girl’s sexual victimization by the 22-year-old male who brought her to the clinic. They further allege that PP violated Ohio’s parental involvement laws by failing to notify or get consent from them before performing the abortion on their 14-year-old daughter.

Attorney for Jane Roe, Brian Hurley, states about the decision, “We respectfully disagree with and are disappointed in the decision. It allows Planned Parenthood, under the pretext of protecting privacy rights, to prevent anyone from reviewing its redacted records to determine the truth of what many people believe is Planned Parenthood’s policy and practice of violating its duty to report suspected or known sexual abuse of minors. We believe that the protection Ohio provides to its sexually abused children has been significantly weakened and parents’ rights to protect their children from abuse have been undermined. We agree with Judge Donovan’s assessment that the decision is neither just nor reasonable.1

I agree with Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, who said,

“It’s hypocritical for the Ohio Supreme Court to be concerned about the privacy of girls receiving abortions at Planned Parenthood when, by keeping the redacted, anonymous records secret, it is in fact protecting the privacy of older men who abuse underage teens. The Court, by its decision, is enabling and perpetuating injustice.”2

Lila Rose, 20-year-old UCLA student and president of the non-profit Live Action, caught on tape Planned Parenthood workers breaking state laws requiring prompt reporting of statutory rape and parental consent laws.

Lila Rose went undercover at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Birmingham and told a counselor that she was 14-years-old, pregnant by her 31-year-old “boyfriend.” Rose said she needed a secret abortion so her parents would not find out about her sexual relationship with the older man.

After telling the counselor that her “boyfriend” is 31, Rose asks, “Is it a problem about my boyfriend?” The counselor, identified as “Tanisha” in the video, responds, “As long as you consented to having sex with him, there’s nothing we can truly do about that.” Rose then says that her boyfriend “said he could get in big trouble,” and Tanisha acknowledges that “he could, especially if your parents find out that he’s 31.” She then tells Rose that the clinic manager, OB/GYN Dr. Desiree Bates, “sometimes does bend the rules a little bit” and states that “whatever you tell us stays within these walls” and “we can’t disclose any information to anybody.”

Alabama code 26-14-3 requires health professionals to disclose suspected cases of sexual abuse to state officials immediately.

“The law is explicit about a healthcare provider’s duty to report, yet Planned Parenthood pretends they cannot say anything,” Rose notes of the investigation. “Planned Parenthood increases its business and influence by circumventing state reporting laws, but inflicts terrible harm upon the vulnerable young girls sent back to statutory rapists.”

In the video, Tanisha also seems to tell Rose that a signature from an “older sister that’s over the age of 18” or someone “with the same last name” could function as a substitute for parental consent so Planned Parenthood could perform an abortion on a minor. Alabama Code 26-21-3 specifies that the written permission of either a parent or legal guardian is necessary before a minor may obtain an abortion.

The new video is sixth in Live Action’s Mona Lisa Project, a nationwide undercover investigation that documents Planned Parenthood’s repeated noncompliance with state mandatory reporting laws for sexual abuse of minors. Alabama is the fourth state to be implicated in the controversy, along with Arizona, Indiana, and Tennessee.3

While Alabama's Attorney General is taking legal action, YouTube is banning this public evidence of Planned Parenthood's crimes. Are YouTube executives politically correct leftists or are they being strong armed by the Left's politicians and corporate members who are leading the drive help PP regain taxpayer funding for its baby-killing services? Because they are owned by Google, the ban on Rose's video is without a doubt politically motivated. Another reason for YouTube censorship is their executives partnership with billionaire George Soros, the global fund raiser for all thing Left like anti-Catholicism and abortion-on-demand.

Breaking state or federal laws is not limited to organizations like Planned Parenthood. Members of the Left seem to always break the law in order to achieve their agendas. It is no surprise that leftist politicians-at-law draped with black robes sitting high at the bar of justice collude with their associates. The false high wall doctrine of church-state separation was the beginning upon which all of the Left's goals have been achieved. Roe v Wade and all similar court decision– Roe v. Planned Parenthood–is merely one lethal example. Parents killing their unborn children is not a privacy right found in the US Constitution, but protecting life is.

References:

1   Christian Newswire, July 2, 2009.
2   Christian Newswire, July 3, 2009.
3   Live Action, June 30, 2009.

Lila Rose’s video can be viewed online at liveaction.org/alabama

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Posted in news, Ohio, politics

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If Democrat’s Health Surtax Is 5.4 Percent, Taxpayers in Ohio would be among 39 States That Would Pay a Top Tax Rate Over 50%

Posted on July 22, 2009 by | Leave a comment

By TF Staff

New taxes to fund the federal government’s plan for higher health insurance spending continue to be debated in Washington. According to a new Bloomberg report, the top surtax rate will be 5.4 percent in the House plan. That will be the top rate in a three-tiered surtax aimed at high-income tax returns:

1 percent surtax on AGI between $350,000 and $500,000 (singles between $280,000 and $400,000)

1.5 percent surtax on AGI between $500,000 and $1,000,000 (singles between $400,000 and $800,000)

5.4 percent surtax on AGI beyond $1,000,000 (singles beyond $800,000)

States have been raising taxes on this same group, leading to concern over how high the combined tax rates would be in each state, especially in the growing number of states with double-digit tax rates. Some commentators merely sum the rates at the federal, state and local level to give a statutory total tax rate. A more accurate method is to calculate the effective marginal tax rate, which takes into consideration deductions and adjustments. For a description of the difference between effective marginal tax rates and effective average tax rates, see Average vs. Marginal Tax Rates Revisited.

In Table 1 below we present calculations of the effective marginal tax rate on top earners. We use assume that the 2008 weighted local average for each state applies to 2011, the top federal taxable income rate will rise as scheduled to 39.6 percent, the top state tax rate in each state will follow current 2011 scheduled law, and a new House plan for 5.4 percent surtax on AGI earned at very high-income levels will become law.

Table 1 (Ohio)

Top Effective Marginal Rates under Proposed Health Care Surtax by State

Sorted by Combined Top Tax Rate in 2011

State

Avg. Local Rate

Top
State Rate (2011)

Top Federal Ordinary Rate

New
Surtax

Medicare
Tax

Combined
Top Rate

Rank

Ohio

1.82%

5.93%

39.6%

5.4%

2.9%

54.27%

13

To see rankings of other states, go to the Tax Foundation website.

Commentary

Taxing the rich to pay for free health care is an ploy of the rich and powerful to rob the non-rich of both their freedom and their income. Anyone familiar with Roman history will recognized the strategy. The Roman imperialists tax the nations of the world to pay for their big agendas. Caesar and the Roman Senate taxed the wealthy elites of the respective states. In turn, leaders like Herod increased local taxes on productive peasants. In order to pay, many had to borrow money. When misfortune rendered them unable to pay it back, their land was confiscated. Most were allowed to continue farming the same land as long as they gave Rome via Herod or some other member of the rich elite the required amount, usually over 50 percent.

What this means under the Democrats’ taxing scheme is this: we peasants will end up paying for the huge tax increases of the rich in inflationary costs for products and services. In fact, I recently listened to what Canadians and British people have experienced under universal health care. They have had to endure long waiting lists for care and large increases in overall cost for their health care.

In every respect, universal health care is much more costly than market based care. The highest price for socialist medicine is dying while waiting to receive the promised health care.

One woman with brain cancer was able to come to the Mayo Clinic in America to get the necessary cancer treatment. That is she is suing her government. Had she waited she certainly would have died.

Americans who love the right to life as well as true liberty does not need Democrats’ impoverishing programs or their deadly health care.

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Greene County “pay-to-play” politics may have compromised national security

Posted on July 21, 2009 by | 1 comment

by John Mitchell

Recently released documents indicate that the 2003 BRAC Initiative Agreement between Greene County Commissioners and the Dayton Development Coalition (DDC) may have inappropriately facilitated the release of information sensitive to national security. In an August 19, 2003 email from a Greentree Group consultant to the Dayton Development Coalition CEO, a request was made by the Greentree consultant that a lobbyists with PMA, a defunct Washington lobbying firm, intervene with Headquarters Air Force and the Office of the Secretary of Defense to “determine the plans and status for making a decision on (a sensitive program that could be characterized as Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI)). A later email indicates the PMA lobbyist followed through on that request. The simple truth is that Greentree, the Dayton Development Coalition and PMA do not have the authority to get involved with plans, programs and budgets related to sensitive intelligence matters unless they are under contract with a federal government agency to do so. To add insult to injury, this was all done within the framework of noncompetitively awarded contracts funded by Greene County and other Ohio taxpayers.

Since November 2007 this reporter has been seeking documents related to the 2003 Base Re-alignment and Closure (BRAC) Initiative Agreement. In fact, just last month the Greene County Common Pleas Court dismissed our public records request suit against Greene County elected officials to force them to provide those documents. Strangely enough, the Greene County Prosecutor, a defendant himself as well as legal counsel for past and present Greene County Commissioners named as defendants in the suit, ignored the court’s ruling and released at least 26 binders packed with BRAC Initiative Agreement documents. This is the legal equivalent of ENRON being acquitted of securities fraud, but then settling with plaintiffs after the fact without an appeal. This is strange behavior indeed, but completely consistent with career politicians taken to the edge of the abyss with no other option than to delay accountability until after the next election, in the meantime hoping to wear down the whistleblower. Fortunately for the citizens, the damaging evidence was in the second binder reviewed and not the 26th.

It’s important to note this isn’t just a sweetheart deal between Greene County Commissioners and the Dayton Development Coalition. Federal legislators including Dave Hobson and Steve Austria were deeply entangled in the “pay-to-play” shenanigans in Greene County that ran through Columbus and on to Washington, D.C. Hobson and Austria both had representatives on the DDC Wright Patt 2010 Committee that helped steer well over $100,000 in contributions to their campaigns from Coalition employees and directors, Greentree associates, and lobbyists formerly with PMA, which has disintegrated since last November when they were raided by the FBI for allegations of violating campaign finance laws.

It’s bad enough that fraud, waste, abuse and corruption place in jeopardy the economic future of our children and grandchildren, but when career politicians put their personal interests above national security, enough is enough. Kevin DeWine, State Chairman for the Ohio Republican Party, recently rolled out a 10-point plan to save the Ohio GOP, which includes, “Enforcing a zero-tolerance policy for misconduct.” It’s time to hold Kevin DeWine and the Ohio Republican Party to that commitment by demanding they rid the party of self-interested politicians and replace them with candidates who will uphold both the letter and spirit of the law, not to mention their sacred oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic.

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Spanking is now a criminal act according to the UN’s Convention on the Rights of the Child

Posted on July 18, 2009 by | 2 comments

Parents spanking their own children for breaking the rules and for other harmful behaviors may soon become illegal. According to the Parental Rights organization, [t]he United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which was adopted by the UN in 1989. Since then, only two members nations, the United States and Somalia, have yet to ratify the treaty. This treaty is interpreted to mean parents’ corrective spanking of their children for bad behavior is a form of torture and abuse that must end. The result is that the Committee on the Rights of the Child – a panel of 18 UN “experts” gathered in Geneva, Switzerland – decided on their own that they should tell the entire world how to raise their kids. The CRC’s prohibition of spanking in the home will become the Supreme Law of the Land if Americans allow the U.S. Senate to ratify it. If ratified, spanking will be considered a criminal act. Every parent, who still practices the biblical injunction ‘to spare the rod spoils the child,” will become a criminal. Good parents will lose the freedom to raise their children as they deem best and they will loose their children. (Go to Parental Rights website to learn more.)

It is true other forms of punishment can be effective in correcting children’s bad behavior. Taking away the freedom to play, eat favorite foods, watch favorite programs, communicating with friends, using the car, and the like can be effective in enforcing the rules and moral laws. Those methods do not always work. And, the younger the child is the less likely they will be.

Spanking, in fact, produces more long-term benefits to both the child and society. Spanking is a form of punishment usually intended to teach children that bad behavior has painful consequences. People whose behavior lands them in prison know the meaning of painful consequences. Living in a society condoning bad behavior also results in painful consequences of at least two types. One is the result from doing wrongful behaviors. Bodily injuries, disease, guilt or shame, rejection or alienation, and the like are consequences of doing wrong in a permissive culture. Another is the reciprocation of others, which compounds the consequences. A recent example of this is the murder of the late term abortion practitioner George Tiller. The ultimate consequence of moral crimes (sin, unethical behavior, etc.), however, is death. Death is the separation of individuals from a mutually beneficial working relationship. A long healthy marriage exemplifies such relationships. Divorce is a form of death. Abortion often results in the death of unborn child and parent. Ultimately, as prison is hell on earth so is life after death for those whose moral crimes end in the eternal punishment biblical religion calls hell. Many a revived clinically dead patient have told practicing doctors about going beyond barred gates into a place the Bible calls hell.

I have heard men honor their fathers for what seemed at the time very cruel punishment. The benefits of those harsh spankings produced the fruit of self-discipline hat made it possible for them to achieve their goals and enjoy their lives. This simply means that the Biblical injunction is true: Withholding painful punishment for wrongs done spoils the child so he or she may never enjoy the benefits of a moral and productive life. It also supports the widely known problem with leaders of the UN and their legal conventions–moral corruption. Evil doing brats often grow up to be evil doing adults.

That is another reason why America does not need the secular left’s God and Christianity hating wisdom. Nor does America need them dictating to us about how to raise children, how to live, how to practice religion, or how to make and spend our money. As a matter of fact, America would be much better off without them attempting to spend all of our hard earned income on their global imperial agendas like universal health care, education, or economic development. They have ruined enough of the American culture and economy; we do not need them to destroy the family too.

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Ten Ways to Fix the State Budget Fiasco

Posted on July 14, 2009 by | Leave a comment

By Daniel Downs

When the State benefits, public vice is okay. To get what they want, government leaders are ardent supporters vice that many studies show harms communities, wrecks families, and often destroys lives. For the easy money, Gov. Strickland and Ohio legislators have approved what Ohio voters rejected-slot machine gambling, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

Let’s hope voters remember this when they run for reelection.

The good news is Ohio lawmakers who voted against it intend to take the issue to the Supreme Court. Again, it’s a matter of politicians violating the Constitution, even though Gov. Strickland found found a convenient loophole to jump through.

That also means their is still hope that good creative solutions to solving the $3.2 billion budget deficit will be enacted. Marc Kilmer of the Buckeye Institute proposes ten ways to reform the state budget, which would also enable lawmakers to balance the budget. The following are his ten proposals.

1.    Eliminate the Department of Development – a corporate welfare agency. It hasn’t helped Ohio’s economy and few would miss it if it were eliminated completely. Savings: $157 million over two years.

2.    Move away from Medicaid institutional care. Unlike most other states, Ohio relies on expensive institutional care like nursing homes for its Medicaid recipients. Most recipients prefer cheaper alternatives like in-home care over nursing homes. Savings: $400 million per year.

3.    Reform Medicaid Florida-Style. Medicaid offers low-quality, high-cost care and it takes up a large portion of the budget. Reforms enacted in Florida provide Ohio lawmakers an excellent roadmap for tackling this difficult issue. Savings: $1.5 billion per year.

4.    Education funding should follow the student. If the state implemented a plan where the dollars followed students to whatever school they choose, it would lead to a better education for students as well as savings to the taxpayers. Savings: $500 million per year.

5.    Eliminate the increases from Fiscal Year 2009’s level — Legislators gave some agencies an increase from last year. If these agencies’ funding was held at the same level as Fiscal Year 2009, it would save $343.6 million.

6.    Increase state employee health insurance premiums. On average, state employees pay 15% of the premiums for health insurance. Their private sector colleagues pay roughly 20%. State employees should pay the same. Savings: $57 million over 2 years.

7.    Eliminate non-vital agencies. The Ohio Arts Council, the Cultural Facilities Commission, the Commission on Minority Health, e-Tech Ohio, the Commission on Hispanic/Latino Affairs, and the Ohioana Library Association may serve certain special interest groups well, but in this budget crisis the services they provide are hardly vital. Savings: $111 million over 2 years.

8.    Make users of government services shoulder the cost. The state park system’s millions of visitors each year can pay increased user fees. Savings: $70 million.

9.    Don’t expand government health insurance to the middle class. In 2007 the governor and legislators of both parties expanded a government health insurance program to middle class children. The increase has yet to be implemented and should be permanently abandoned. Savings: $119 million over two years.

10.    Eliminate some Medicaid services. If the state would stop paying for Medicaid recipients’ usage of chiropractors, hospice, and a few other services, the state could save $712 million over two years.

When the above saving are added it, the total amounts to $3.97 billion. Hey! that is more than the $3.2 billion. That violating the voters right to say to slot machine gambling isn’t necessary Gov. Strickland. It does means politicians wold have to show fiscal discipline and responsibility.

I still like the executive branch reorganization legislation that would save Ohio taxpayers around $2 billion this budget cycle.

Maybe it’s time Gov. Strickland and other liberal politicians obey the Constitutional and the people’s will. Better yet, why not resign and let someone more creative and responsible get the job done for the people.

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United Methodists Battle Gambling in Ohio

Posted on July 13, 2009 by | 1 comment

By Kathy L. Gilbert

Gambling is increasingly becoming an addiction to states trying for balance their budgets in the midst of an economic crisis.

Giving in to the temptation by allowing casinos or expanding state-sponsored gambling would heap the financial burden on those least able to afford it, said several United Methodists on the front lines of the public policy debate.

“In these economic bad times, we are witnessing the throwing over of the common good,” said the Rev. Tom Grey, a United Methodist pastor who is field director for the grassroots organization Stop Predatory Gambling. (,em>SPG is an excellent source of information.)

One of the latest battlegrounds is Ohio, where the governor, Ted Strickland, is a United Methodist minister who was elected in 2006. Strickland, who earlier expanded the state lottery to Sundays and added Keno games, is proposing bringing in video slot machines at the state’s seven racetracks as a way to bridge a $3.2 billion budget deficit. Keno is a bingo-like gambling game offered by some state lotteries.

The Rev. Tom Grey

The Rev. Tom Grey

This is an about face for a politician who had been an outspoken opponent of gambling during his campaign, said the Rev. John Edgar, a United Methodist pastor who has been fighting to keep gambling out of Ohio for the past 19 years. Edgar is chair of the anti-gambling task force for the East and West Ohio Annual (regional) Conferences.

“We are profoundly disappointed. I believe it shows an amazing public cowardice,” Edgar said. “United Methodists and the Ohio Council of Churches have led the effort for 19 years to stop casinos in Ohio.”

Tom Smith, public policy director for the Ohio Council of Churches, said gambling opponents face their toughest fight ever this year because of the overall economic situation.

Gambling proposals are coming from three directions, Smith said. Beside the video slot machines proposed by the governor, there is another proposal from bars and restaurants to put slot machines in their businesses and there is a drive to put casinos on the November ballot.

Slippery slope

In defense of his latest proposal, Strickland says state law allows slot machines as part of the Ohio lottery. It is the same argument he used to introduce Keno to the state, said East Ohio Bishop John Hopkins.

“Once you start letting gambling in you get hooked and it becomes addictive,” he said. “Living on gambling income promotes behavior that is counter to the health of the state.”

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland

Hopkins and West Ohio Bishop Bruce Ough have been working on building a relationship with the governor. Strickland is on “honorable location,” which means he is in good standing as an ordained minister but not active in the church. Ough said he was ordained a deacon in West Ohio and ordained as an elder in Kentucky.

Both bishops wrote a personal letter to Strickland expressing their disappointment in his decision to expand gambling.

“We suggested it would have been a better expression of his moral leadership if he had stood his ground and offered other ways to balance the budget,” Ough said.

“The United Methodist Church has a longstanding commitment to oppose gambling. It is bad economics,” Ough said. “We are obliged not to use forms of generating revenue that causes harm.”

The United Methodist Social Principles calls gambling “a menace to society, deadly to the best interests of moral, social, economic, and spiritual life, destructive of good government and good stewardship.”

Selling bad public policy on the grounds revenues will benefit education is reprehensible, Edgar said.

“We are saying we care so little about our children that we will fund their education only if we can do it out of the gambling losses of our neighbors.”

Tax on the poor

Gambling is a regressive tax, said the Rev. Cynthia Abrams of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society.

“It is an extra tax on the poor and the most vulnerable such as older adults who are lonely and looking for social interaction,” she said, pointing to the practice of many seniors boarding buses to go to casinos as a social activity.

One “frightening and weird” fact is that a major financial drain on casinos is the money spent on replacing the cushions on stools in front of slot machines, she said.

“People won’t get up from machines even to go to the bathroom. That shows the seductiveness of slot machines, that is how they are designed.”

Abrams said the economic crisis has compounded the issue, but the trend toward resisting higher taxes helped the gambling industry gain a foothold before the recession kicked in.

“This environment of people resisting raising taxes has had intended and unintended effects on state budgets,” she said. “In essence, we want services all the time, but we have moved away from the idea of paying our fair share.”

Grey said United Methodists will stand strong and continue to fight this dangerous menace in other key states as well as Ohio.

“What a ripe time for the church to speak truth to gambling,” he said. “You can’t gamble yourself rich.”

Source: United Methodist News Service, July 10, 2009.

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SCR 15, Ohio Cap & Trade Resolution

Posted on July 9, 2009 by | Leave a comment

Before the 4th of July break, the Ohio Senate passed concurrent resolution S.C.R. 15 by a vote of 21-11. S.C.R. 15 is a concurrent resolution opposing Cap and Trade legislation being proposed in the U.S. Congress. it has already passed the U.S. House of Representatives but not in the Senate.

President Barack Obama proposed this legislative scheme to Congress that would establish a specific limit or cap on greenhouse gas emissions. Emitters of green house gases would be required to purchase government credits (tax credit) until the cap is met after which, emitters would be allowed to sell or trade their remaining credits (tax) to others.

So why is the Ohio Senate against this method of reducing carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions? Didn’t they do the same to the automobile industry? Yes, and cars now cost as much as much as houses once did.

The following are the reasons why the Ohio Senate opposes the federal government’s cap and trade bill. Increased taxation by means of cost inflation is the first reason.

Companies that are required to participate in the cap and trade program will ultimately pass the cost of participation in the program on to consumers. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that price increases resulting from a 15% cut in greenhouse gas emissions would cost the average household between 1.7% to 3.3% of its after-tax income every year, with households in the bottom fifth of the income scale losing the largest share of income.

In addition to pushing costs up on most consumer goods, it would severely impact the cost of energy to all Ohio businesses and citizens.

The combustion of coal produces more than 50% of the electricity generated in the United States, with Ohio receiving more than 85% of its electricity from coal. Thus, the cap and trade program will result in massive increases in energy costs for all consumers because the cost to produce electricity from coal will be markedly higher. The increased energy costs will disproportionally impact states in the middle part of the United States such as Ohio that are more reliant on coal. The Congressional Budget Office has acknowledged that these increases in energy costs will effectively act as a regressive tax affecting every household in the nation, with a disproportionate effect on poorer families.

The Senate also recognizes that the federal government would gain billions of dollars at the huge expense to Ohio consumers and workers.

The cap and trade program will result not only in a massive windfall of hundreds of billions of dollars for the federal government through the sale of emissions credits, but also in the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs. The program ultimately will not result in the overall global decrease of greenhouse gas emissions because many industries that emit greenhouse gas will merely relocate to countries with less stringent standards.

The solution proposed by the Ohio Senate is simple:

[E]nact legislation that encourages states to establish and develop their own renewable energy portfolio standards.

The Ohio legislature has already proposed and enacted legislation toward this goal several years ago. Requiring energy providers to use clean energy technology and provide Ohio consumers a set percentage of clean energy was one enactment. This and other aspects of Ohio’s energy plan renders cleaver taxation scheme of Obama and Democrats redundant and counter-productive.

In light iof these facts, one has to agree with the Ohio Freedom Alliance that the passage of S.C.R. is a victory for Ohio. It is an important step to stopping the federal government from furthering a form of taxation without representation.

The next step is for the Ohio House of Representative to pass their version of the anti- Cap & Trade Resolution H.C.R. 25.

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Posted in economy, House of Representatives, news, Ohio, politics, Senate, taxes

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Dayton Tea Party Independence Day Weekend Rally

Posted on July 4, 2009 by | 1 comment

The Dayton Tea Party held their July 3 Rally at Golden Gate Park in Brookville. According to Brookville Police Chief Ed Preston, more than 5,000 were in attendance. This was only one of many Tea Parties held across Ohio and the nation. In Ohio, cities with scheduled Tea Parties included Ashland, Cadiz, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Freemont, Mansfield, Marietta, North Canton, Springfield, and Zanesville. Brendan Steinhauser’s map of known Tea Parties throughout the nation is posted on the Freedom Works blog.

According to the Tea Party Protests blog, there were over 200,000 Tea Party events held nationwide around the tax filing deadline of April 15. Of the 200,000, the national Tax Day Tea Party website reported 800 registered events in 50 states. Americans gathered in protest against government-generated debt that robs them of over one-third of their income through taxes. Astronomical debt by unaccountable federal politicians continues to be a huge issue at the Tea Party.

Brookville mayor David Seagraves gave the opening address. He challenged the Partiers further their involvement not only in the Tea Party movement but also in local, state and national politics. What followed his speech was great music by Dan River’s band, a visit by the comedian President Barak Obama (maybe it was a twin from Kenya?), many more fired up speakers, and some awesome fireworks. Whoever was performing the light show was a real pro.

Rob Yarger, a local business owner, emceed the Dayton Tea Party. Encouraged by Rob Scott, the chief brains behind the organization, Yarger also spoke to the Partiers about the socialization of business, health care, and the growing intrusion of the government in our lives and homes.

Deborah Mulholand, owner of home-based marketing business Angelic Enterprises, rallied the Partiers to support the Fair Tax movement. She said, the national income tax was first proposed by Karl Marx. Contrary to Obama’s international denial, America is a Christian not a socialist nation. While God only asks for 10 percent, government seeks over 60 percent. We pay more than just income tax. We pay tax on just about everything. The federal government is even proposing to tax burping. The Fair Tax would replace all taxation with a 23 percent sales tax. It would reduce the thousands of pages of tax code to 133 pages, and it would eliminate the IRS bureaucracy. All working Americans would receive a 7.5 percent pay raise just by getting rid of the FICA tax, and small businesses would save 15 percent. What better way to end the use of the tax code to reward favorite supporters by federal politicians for their votes.

Pres. Obama’s speech was pretty anti-climactic following Mulholand. Nevertheless, he made some interesting comments. Obama claimed he intends for all Americans to have a job. That is a job working for the government. He also proposed to create a simpler tax code: Tell us what you make and send it in.
I notice something strange about him. His voice was a little muffled, he a plastic or stone faced appearance, and he never quit smiling … I’m sure what his problem was.

Anyway, Arlene Holland was the next speakers. Emcee Yarger introduced her as a Spanish Sarah Palin. I think she is a little more dynamic than Palin. Holland is a legal immigrant from Honduras, where the people said no to communism. Yet, they are still fighting to maintain their constitutional self-governance. She said she could be silent no more about the erosion of our constitutional freedoms and democracy by elites. America belongs to us not to them. They are attempting to rule over our children and run or lives. Their bailouts only reward corrupt government. It is time to stand up and refuse to be silent, she said. Quoting John F. Kennedy’s famous dictum, Holland said, “It’s not what your country can do for you, it is what will do for your country. Now, what will you do?”

I’m sure the next three speakers, all young members of the Ohio legislators, found her fiery speech a hard act to follow. By young, I mean all men in their 30s. The first was Greene County’s own Jarrod Martin. He spoke about the need for a public hearing on the State Sovereignty Resolution, which is being held up by the Speaker of the House. As Mulholan said earlier, out-of-control spending by the federal government, their encroachment on state authority, their intrusion in state affairs, amounts to taxation without representation. According to Martin, the originators of the Constitution did not intend for big government and huge debt to dominate American life and politics. The federal government was given limited, enumerated powers. The ninth and tenth Amendments prove that all others rights and authority belongs to states and the people. That is why Ohio HCR 11 is needed to send a clear message to Congress that enough is enough.

Rep. Martin introduced Rep. Seth Morgan as a leading sponsor of HB210, which proposed to reduce the pay of Ohio politicians. Morgan speech was short and sweet. We have to stop the overburdening and over-reaching spending and power grabbing efforts of both Ohio and Washington D.C. politicians. Just as the signers of the Declaration of Independence knew they were signing their death warrants if the Revolution failed, we must likewise recommit ourselves to give us liberty or give us death cause of liberty and self-governance.

The next new generation of leaders to speak was Rep. Josh Mandel. He graduated from OSU, served in the US Marine Corps, and local government. He overcame entrenched political opposition to lower property taxes. He get property taxes rolled back first by proposing it, then by going house to house to garner support, and then by the overwhelming support of local taxpayers and voters. Just as he accomplished what status quo leaders said was impossible by doing the hard work necessary, we together doing the hard work can achieve the goals represented by the Tea Party. We can protect and restore our liberty.

The last speaker of the night was Greg McAfee, owner of McAfee Heating and Air. As did most of the speakers, he covered most of the current issues of our day including universal health care, foreclosures, global warming, cap-and-trade. One area of government intrusion in the personal lives of homeowners comes into play when homeowners want to sell their house. McAfee said the government is now empowered inspect homes and force owners to replace windows and doors before being permitted to put their home on the market. He also pointed out the free universal health care will not be free. Business owners will be forced to pay for it. In the end, however, consumers will pay for it through inflation.

McAfee concluded by calling for a return to the basics: (1) Returning to values worth passing on our children like honesty. (2) Honoring heroes who exemplify those values. Congress held a moment of silence for the king of pop culture Michael Jackson while also ignoring the passing of war hero Ed McMahan, who spend much of his life serving his country. (3) Restoring self-governance engendered by capitalism, by the practice of our fundamental rights like free speech, and the discipline of hard work. (4) Returning to being a nation of people under God. (After all, God is co-founder of the United States of America.)

During the entire event, the long line leading to the concession stand and to the coffee bar never subsided. Along with food and latté for the stomach, a number of organizations with booths offered something for the political soul like petitions in support of the Ohio Sovereignty Resolutions (HCR-11/SCR-13), petitions of protest against the cap-and-trade bills, books by National Center for Constitutional Studies, Glenn Beck’s Common Sense, and others. Eric W. Deaton had his campaign booth set up. He is planning to replace George Voinovich in the Senate. Our own Campaign for Liberty and John Birch Society organizations were also offering their political soul food. (See the links below for more info about work and ideals.)
Links:
www.daytonohioteaparty.com
www.OhioFreeState.com
www.ohiolibertycouncil.com
National Constitutional Education Society
www.deatonforsenate.com
John Birch Society
www.ohiofreedom.com
www.campaignforliberty.com

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Dayton Tea Party sets next Rally on July 3 in Brookville

Posted on July 1, 2009 by | Leave a comment

The Dayton Tea Party has set their next Rally on July 3 at Golden Gate Park in Brookville starting at 7 p.m.

The Rally will feature children’s area, informational booths, engaging speakers, music, and Dayton Tea Party fellowship. The event will conclude with a professional fireworks show. “Brookville is a perfect place to hold the next rally. The city is a beautiful location that truly speaks to the heart of America,” said Rob Scott, founder of the Dayton Tea Party.

“The support we have received has been unreal and speaks to the masses who are frustrated with their government’s spending habits,” said Scott. “This event is not about political labels but standing up for what the Tea Partiers believe in.”

More details will be released such as the speaker lineup and musical acts.

The Dayton Tea Party is a grassroots and nonpartisan group opposed to wasteful government spending. The Tea Party is made up of students, homemakers, working people, and professionals from all political spectrums. To sign-up for email updates for the Dayton Tea Party, go to www.daytonohioteaparty.com. For questions, contact info@daytonohioteaparty.com.

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