Transparency in the Health Care Reform Debate

Posted on January 26, 2010 by | Leave a comment

By Rep. Steve Austria

House and Senate Democratic leadership continue to negotiate health care reform in an attempt to reconcile the differences between the house-passed and senate-passed versions. Recently, the President of C-SPAN, Brian Lamb, sent a letter to House and Senate leaders requesting that they be allowed to televise the current negotiations, which will decide the ultimate fate of the legislation. House and Senate Democratic leadership largely denied the request.

The potential passage of health care reform has widespread implications for all Americans and it is imperative that these negotiations are not done behind closed doors. The American people and Members of Congress need to have access to the talks so they can adequately evaluate the merits of the bill.

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Re-thinking the War on Terrorism

Posted on January 25, 2010 by | Leave a comment

By Andy Myers

”Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all . . . The Nation which indulges toward another an habitual hatred or an habitual fondness is in some degree a slave. It is a slave to its animosity or to its affection, either of which is sufficient to lead it astray from its duty and its interest.” (George Washington, Farewell Address, September 17, 1796)

I hate that term: “The War on Terror.” I hate using the word “hate.” But I feel so strongly that our foreign policy has gone awry that I can’t help but speak out. We should all feel a duty as Americans to protect and defend the Constitution the limits of which are made a mockery of by the misguided “intellectuals” in Washington and their taxpayer funded “think tanks” who call the shots and continually get it wrong. Their punishment is a promotion to some other bureaucratic agency where they can wreck more havoc and again disregard the rule of law. Even congress, who’s authority it is, doesn’t even have the fortitude to “declare war” as outlined in Article I, Section 8 of our Constitution anymore.

Can you imagine what our founder’s would think of our foreign policy exploits and the executive powers held by the President today?

Death, destruction-reconstruction, and the bankrupting of behaving as an “empire” will only garner additional support for those who despise our overreaching foreign policy behavior.

Nations don’t hate us because of our way of life or our freedom. They despise our government’s never ending meddling in their internal affairs. Ask yourself how you would feel if a “foreign” nation were on our soil doing what we are doing in over 130 countries and over 700 bases around the world. You know all too well you’d be fighting mad!

“Of all the enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes-known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few. No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.” (James Madison, Political Observations, 1795)

Our military overstretch and the liberties and freedoms we are losing everyday is frightening. Even President Eisenhower’s prophetic warning to the American people of the threat from an ever increasing military industrial complex hardly garners attention and yet today this warning stands as true as ever. Don’t get me wrong I’m no isolationist, and I don’t think there aren’t any credible threats out there that shouldn’t be dealt with. But, I firmly believe that what we are doing today in terms of dissipating the threats to our country are wrongheaded and misleading the American public along with exacerbating the threat of another possible attack all the while bankrupting this country.

“I’m not upset that you lied to me, I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you.” (Friedrich Nietzsche)

Like most think tank propaganda carefully chosen by the government and it’s cohorts through mainstream media pulpits, the average “patriotic” American along with elected leaders and worse-our children-are easily indoctrinated into believing we must do “everything” in our power including military occupations, torture and renditions to make America safe from those who would seek to harm us. But, where do you draw the line? Do two wrongs make a right? Madeline Albright’s infamous interview on 60 Minutes is a perfect example of reprehensible logic and sadly is very common place with today’s foreign policy “experts.” Here is the excerpt:

Lesley Stahl on U.S. sanctions against Iraq: “We have heard that a half million children have died. I mean, that’s more children than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it?”

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright: “I think this is a very hard choice, but the price we think the price is worth it.” (60 Minutes, 5/12/96)

“We must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. We must make our election between economy and liberty or profusion and servitude. If we run into such debt, as that we must be taxed in our meat and in our drink, in our necessaries and our comforts, in our labors and our amusements, for our calling and our creeds… [we will] have no time to think, no means of calling our mismanagers to account but be glad to obtain subsistence by hiring ourselves to rivet their chains on the necks of our fellow sufferers… And this is the tendency of all human governments. A departure from principle in one instance becomes a precedent for [another ]… til the bulk of society is reduced to be mere automatons of misery… And the fore-horse of this frightful team is public debt. Taxation follows that, and in its train wretchedness and oppression.” (Thomas Jefferson)

I am also convinced that the American people cannot remain free and prosperous with over 700 military bases around the world, troops in over 130 countries, and a steady diet of war propaganda. Our military overstretch is undermining our national security and bankrupting our country all the while making us here at home less free and safe. I believe that those who have been calling “the shots” are terribly misguided. And, that if something isn’t done soon to educate and change the way the grassroots movements across the country think about our overreaching empire abroad, our constitutional republic, our children and their children will pay a punishing price in both lives and treasure.

“Truth is Treason in an Empire of Lies.” (Congressman Ron Paul)

Something that is a “fundamental must” in understanding if we are even to be able to grasp what role America should adhere to here at home and abroad is in the theory of natural rights that was espoused by our forefathers and by John Locke (1632-1704). In his Second Treatise, Locke stated that every man was entitled to life, liberty, and property (his “natural rights”) provided that exercising those rights does not intrude on others rights, and that the role of government in natural-rights theory is to protect those rights.

Without staying true to this tenet, America will be damned just as every other civilization has been in it’s pursuit of “empire.”

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City of Xenia Announces May Ballot Issue

Posted on January 21, 2010 by | 1 comment

Xenia City Council unanimously passed legislation on Thursday, January 14, 2010, which is the first step in the process that will give voters the right to decide whether it’s time to raise the City’s income tax rate from 1.75 percent to 2.25 percent. The proposed tax increase, which would appear on the May 4, 2010, ballot, is expected to generate an estimated $2.7 million for the City. This revenue would help to maintain current Police and Fire staffing levels and services as well as provide much needed dollars for street improvements and other general capital improvements. If voters approve the legislation, the City’s tax credit will not be affected, which is a maximum of 1.5 percent. Further, 0.25 percent of the increase is dedicated solely to maintain current Police and Fire staffing levels and services and provide funding for police and fire capital needs (i.e., police cars, ambulances, etc.).

City Council has been deliberating the city’s finances after the defeat of a Replacement 3.5 Mill Operating Levy in February 2009. Voters approved a renewal of the 3.5 Mill Operating Levy in August 2009. Although the City needs those dollars, the renewal levy only kept the existing revenue stream in place and did not provide any additional funding. The City of Xenia has not received a voted income tax increase since 1991. Further, the existing 3.5 Mill Operating Levy was initially passed in 1959 and has generated very few additional dollars since the 1970s. Mr. Bazelak said, “The City of Xenia has received only one voted tax increase (a quarter percent in 1991) over the last 30 years and that increase was almost 20 years ago. Income tax collections have declined significantly over the past year and there has been a reduction in local government funding from the state, and with little growth in other revenues, it is just not enough anymore to be able to provide the same level of services that our residents have come to expect.” City Manager, Jim Percival said, “the City has done everything we can do to reduce expenses, save jobs, and maintain current Police and Fire staffing levels. We have cut everything we can cut … we cut nine full-time and two part-time non-union positions in September 2009, two vacant police officer positions have not been filled, a wage freeze for non-union employees was put in place in 2009 and will continue in 2010, and union contracts have been renegotiated with concessions. This comes on top of a staff reduction of 15 employees in 2003. Voters need to be made aware of the potential additional cuts to police and fire and service reductions so they can make an educated vote on May 4th. City streets are also in grave need of improvements, but there are just not enough capital dollars to make any substantial improvements.”

In November 2009, the City began a community outreach initiative with a citizen perception survey of a limited number of residents conducted by Wright State University and a focus group of community leaders facilitated by 3-F Coaching. The results of the survey and focus group discussion were utilized in forming a recommendation to Council on a potential levy ballot issue. The survey indicated street improvements as well as police and fire services were top priorities for citizens. The survey results are available on the City’s website at www.ci.xenia.oh.us. Council President Patricia Felton said, “Nobody wants to raise taxes, but we feel an income tax increase is the best approach to raise the necessary dollars to maintain our current Police and Fire staffing levels and also provide much needed capital dollars for street improvements and capital dollars for police and fire. This is essential when it comes to the safety of our City. If it doesn’t pass, we’ll have to go to Plan B – which is to lay off 6 firefighters and 4 police officers – there is no other way around it.”

If approved by the voters on the May 4th ballot, the rate increase would be effective January 1, 2011. The City realizes the economic difficulties of our community and took that into consideration when determining what amount and what of type of issue to place on the ballot. Those with higher incomes would pay more, those with lower incomes would pay less, and those with no earned income would pay nothing at all. For a middle-class Xenia household making $40,000 a year, the increase would cost less than $17 a month. All Social Security, company pensions, dividends, and interest income would continue

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Health Care Reform Consensus: It Will Harm Millions of Small Businesses

Posted on January 20, 2010 by | 1 comment

By Daniel Downs

Small business employs more people than large corporate establishments. By comparison, small businesses employ 50.2 percent of all American workers, while large corporations employ only 49.8 percent. Depending on the statistical source used, the number of Americans employed by small businesses is between 60 to 69 million. Self employed entrepreneurs make up between 32 to 38 percent of small businesses.

Small businesses also lead the nation in creating new jobs. According to Small Business Trends, two-thirds of all new jobs are created by small business. http://smallbiztrends.com/2009/11/who-creates-the-most-jobs.html

So why do Congressional Democrats favor the interests of big business? Why does their health care reform legislation give them large deductions for self-insured health care? One answer might be elite the liberal Congressional millionaires maybe attempting to protect their investments self-insuring corporations. Another possibility maybe that big corporations have better lobbyists, but who cares?

The largest and best employers in America are overwhelmingly opposed to Congress’ health care reform legislation. They oppose it not only because it gives unfair breaks only to large corporations but also because it will raise the cost of doing business, and threatens the ability of small firms to grow their business and create new jobs.

One aspect of the legislation specifically targets the construction industry, according to the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council. “The bill singles out the construction industry by not exempting businesses in this sector from the “play-or-pay” employer mandate that other firms with 50 or fewer employees are exempt from.” Interestingly, the government defines small business as firms with 500 or less employees. Consequently, many other small businesses will be adversely affected by the unfunded mandates.

About one-third of the 22 million self-employed cannot even afford health insurance. Those who do purchase health coverage have experienced double-digit premium increases every year, making it difficult to retain insurance, according to the National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE). Because the Senate tabled an amendment that would have given a 50 percent deduction to small businesses, the cost of adequate health care will continue rise if the Democrats health care bill passes.

As outlined by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), Congress’ health care reform will significantly increase the cost of health care to small businesses in the following ways:

The legislation includes a new $60 billion tax that falls almost exclusively on small business because the fee (tax) is assessed on insurance companies, which is confirmed by the Congressional Budget Office. This cost will be passed on to small business in the form of higher premiums, at least 10 percent higher. The cost of health care insurance is already 18 percent higher for small businesses than for large corporations. And, as previously stated, the new legislation exempts self-insuring large corporations from the additional costs.

Because employer mandates assess multiple penalties based on the income of full-time employees, there will be job loss, greater reliance on part-time employees, and harm to entry-level and low-wage workers.

The new reporting requirements increases administrative costs by $17 billion.

Small business with high rates of employee turnover may be put out of business because of a $600 fine for not providing all employees health insurance within 60 days.

Congress’ health care reform also limits previous cost saving options like tax-exempt Health Savings Accounts.

According to Small Business Coalition for Affordable Healthcare, a government-run health care plan cannot compete fairly with the private market and threatens to destroy the marketplace, further limiting choices.

http://www.smallbusinesshealthcarecoalition.com/Portals/2/KeyVote-Senate-%20H.R.%203590%20-%2012-2.pdf

One thing is certain; the health care reform of congressional Democrats will be neither affordable nor free-market friendly. Those are a few reasons why small businesses should petition their representatives. Small business owners can also sign the SBECs “Not On Our Backs” Small Business Health Care “Not On Our BacksPetition to voice their opposition to the proposed national health care legislation.

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New Year Resolutions For Local Officials

Posted on January 19, 2010 by | Leave a comment

Making resolutions is a tradition of the New Year’s holiday. Most organizations establish plan objectives in order to reach their goals. One example of an organizational objective is to reach a specified number of potential customers, clients, or audiences. Another might be to recruit a certain number of new members, clients, new readers, or new businesses. Still another objective might be to increase revenue by a targeted amount whether in the form of sales, membership dues, or taxes.

In the spirit of setting corporate goals, I propose two New Year resolutions that would improve the service of public officials to those who pay them their salaries and that might increase public respect of the same.

Resolution one. Treat Xenia taxpayers like stakeholders and investors. To accomplish this goal, the City will create and distribute to every taxpayer a corporate-like annual report that includes goals, accomplishments, new issues, and simplified financial statements.

Government exists to serve specific needs of the citizens who created it. Services needed by local citizens include police and judicial protection of property and person, facilitation of economic prosperity, education, sanitation, and the like. Like investors in for-profit business, taxpayers invest their hard-earned money into government. Taxpayers have a right to expect a return on their investment (ROI). It could even be said that they are obligated to demand measurable results. To achieve this reasonable demand, city officials could create and distribute an annual report as stated above. An annual report would provide taxpaying investors both with measured and comprehensive results of service achievement and with financial accountability by means of simplified financial statements.

Some people will like react negatively to this resolution because they believe the cost are not justified, That is, they believe the money would be better spent on paving streets, repairing equipment, or some other necessary expenditure. It must be admitted they are mostly right.

The city spends tens of thousands of dollars for each levy campaign to increase taxes. Yet, most local taxpayers have no real clue why the money is needed, whether the need is legitimate, how tax revenue is in a reserve fund, or whether some of that reserve could be used for a proposed levy. It is for these and similar reasons that an annual report widely distributed would provide all taxpayers will the necessary information to overcome such ignorance. In short, such an annual report would go along way in making Xenia taxpayer informed citizens–one of the more important requirements for good decision-making in a participatory democracy.

Resolution two. Honesty and transparency is the only public policy worthy of the public trust. Therefore, honesty and transparency in all public issues, ordinances, levies, and all other public matters will always be practiced. If it is found to be otherwise, any legal matter involved will be deemed null and void.

Not only are taxpayers not treated as investing stakeholders in their public institutions, but they are treated like consumers and dupes. The underlying view of citizens and taxpayers by officials is the old sales adage: “A sucker is born every day.” The mentality is if you are stupid enough to buy the lies and half-truths, you deserve what you get. What school officials gave South Hill residents and taxpayers in general was a royal snow job. Officials said that a soil study was conducted showing that the school was atop a high water table, which was the cause of a flooding problem in the basement of Spring Hill elementary school. Because of this, Spring Hill could not be rebuilt.

However, the official geological study also states that all of Xenia is on just as high a water table. In fact, the land Tecumseh is built on is even more prone to flooding than at the Spring Hill site. The fact is officials have no good reason not to rebuild Spring Hill on the same site. Certainly, Spring Hill has no greater land limitations than at Shawnee Elementary.

Any votes for public money schemes based on such misleading information should nullify those votes in favor of it.

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Candidate to GOP: Sorry, But Tea Party Label Better for Me

Posted on January 15, 2010 by | Leave a comment

In a recent CQ Politics post, John McArdle reports about network computer consultant Donn Janes, a Tennessee’s 8th district GOP candidate, decision to run as an Independent Tea Party candidate this cycle.

Janes, who has bashed the National Republican Congressional Committee for backing gospel singer Stephen Fincher (R) in Tennessee’s open 8th district, said he decided to seek a third party nomination because “the National Republican Party continues to aggressively support candidates who lack depth on issues and conservative values, but instead focus on candidates who are able to self fund or raise large sums of money.”

Democratic strategists said Monday the move will help their chances to hold the seat of retiring Rep. John Tanner (D) by siphoning off Republican votes in the general election.

Janes made his announcement at a a Tea Party event in Paris, Tenn., on Saturday, about a week after wealthy physician Ron Kirkland of Madison County officially threw his hat into the GOP race.

Janes said last month he expects to report less than $20,000 raised in the fourth quarter of 2009.

CQ Politics presently rates the Tennessee 8 race as a Toss Up.

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Senate Health Care Bill Gives $7 Billion to Health Centers, Could Fund Abortions

Posted on January 12, 2010 by | 1 comment

A new analysis of the Senate health care bill finds a section of the manager’s amendment Senate Leader Harry Reid added to the bill that could find billions of dollars going to abortion funding. The little noticed provision could open a new door to direct taxpayer funding of abortions.

During the closing stages of the Senate’s deliberations on its health care bill, HR 3590, Reid got his lengthy manager’s amendment added to the measure.

That contained language designed to secure the 60 votes needed to overcome the filibuster against the bill and it included the Nelson-Reid deal that allows states to force taxpayers to fund abortions.

Now, in a memo the National Right to Life Committee has furnished LifeNews.com, a new analysis of the manager’s amendment reveals $7 billion in funding for Community Health Centers buried deep in Section 10503 of the 383-page amendment.

NRLC says the money could be funneled to abortion businesses to pay for abortions and will not be subject to provisions like the Hyde Amendment that stops abortion funding.

“Because this is a direct appropriation in the health care bill itself, these funds will not flow through the annual appropriations bill for the Department of Health and Human Services,” NRLC says. “Therefore, these funds would not be covered by the Hyde Amendment, which is a limitation provision that has been attached to the annual HHS appropriations bill in past years.”

There is also no other language anywhere in the Senate bill, despite protests from supporters of the measure to the contrary, that limits the community health center funding to non-abortion services.

National Right to Life also indicates that federal law doesn’t prohibit these federally-funded centers from doing abortions.

“Also, there is no restriction in the current laws authorizing CHCs that restricts these centers from performing abortions,” the pro-life group says.

Referring to Section 330 of the Public Health Services Act, NRLC says federal law says CHCs can only use Section 330 funds “for purposes within the scope of their grants, but one can assume that grant applications that included (for example) ‘reproductive services’ would not be deemed objectionable under the Obama Administration, and abortions could be subsumed under various other classifications as well.”

Right to Life says the concern is not a hypothetical one.

NRLC points out that the there is already an organized effort underway by the Reproductive Health Access Project to encourage Community Health Centers to perform abortions, “as an integrated part of primary health care.”

In fact, the Reproductive Health Access Project and the Abortion Access Project, two pro-abortion groups, have already produced an “administrative billing guide” to help CHCs integrate abortion into their practices within the confines of existing federal and state restrictions.

NRLC says the inclusion of the funding for CHCs with no abortion limitations presents another reason why the final health care bill must contain the Stupak amendment to truly ban abortion funding.

“The sudden appearance in the Senate health care bill of $7 billion in direct appropriations for CHCs, unconstrained by the Hyde Amendment or any other impediment to the use of the funds for direct federal funding of elective abortion, provides one more illustration of why it is critical that the final health care reform bill include the Stupak-Pitts language,” the group says.

Source Steven Ertelt, Editor, LifeNews.com, January 12, 2010.

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Ohio Population Aging, Number of Children Under 18 Declines

Posted on January 11, 2010 by | Leave a comment

New statistics from the US Census Bureau reveals an aging population. Since the 2000 Census, Ohio’s 18-64 year old population grew 3 percent from 6.97 million to 7.18 million. The number of 65 and over group increased by 4 percent from 1.51 million to 1.57 million.

The inverse is true of Ohio’s children. The number of children under 18 declined 5 percent. Children 5 years of age and under saw the least decline, only 1 percent (753,669 to 743,750). Ohio’s teen population also declined by nearly 1 percent (655,411 to 646,135). The largest decline was seen among Ohio’s 5-13 year old group, which was 9 percent. The number children ages 5-13 declined from 1,476,529 to 1,340,492.

The question is whether Ohio politicians and business leaders will find creative solutions for this group of future workers and taxpayers to both funding the elderly retirement and health needs, or will they simply greater debt burden that will rob them of a decent lifestyle. If so, the increasing debt burden will likely produce a citizenry oppositional to those aged leaders and their irresponsible generation.

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Ohio government is too big to pay for its employees pensions, taxpayers should pay for no more

Posted on January 6, 2010 by | Leave a comment

By Daniel Downs

Ohio public employee pension fund are suffering the same fate as their employers revenue streams. They are dwindling. Partly to blame is our spend-thrifty government; the other part is the financial industry that was willing to follow the lead of their liberal politicians.

According to an excellent report by the Columbus Dispatch, Ohio public pensions cost taxpayers $4.1 billion annually. Those costs are directly related to the size of government payrolls, which continue to grow. As noted, government employees get higher than average retirement incomes. These are guaranteed by law.

Because 401K and other sources of pension funds are subject to stock market volatility, the Ohio budget is now revealing another part of its budget shortfall.

To make up for the loss, Ohio public employee union-negotiated pension funds are asking taxpayers to foot the bill.

What is wrong with this picture?

As noted at the beginning, the growth of government bureaucracy outpaces the private sector. Socialistic and special interest programs along with related federal mandates drive much unnecessary growth and its costs to taxpayers. The answer is in cutting them. Ohio government should follow their private sector partner and downsize. Cut departments, programs, employees, and cut related expenses. By downsizing, the executive branch the savings would cover most, if not all, of the current budget deficit, which means covering pensions too.

And, what about all of Ohio’s private sector employee who are suffering either declines or loss of their retirement pensions? If taxpayers should maintain retired employee pension because they pour billions of dollars into Ohio’s economy as argued Democrat Rep. Todd Book and the unions, retired private sector employees pour in many more billions. It would be more profitable for the economy if taxpayers funded their retirement funds.

Then, there is the frequent practice of allowing double dippers to burden Ohio taxpayers. As with Xenia Community Schools Supt. Lewis, many government employees receive pension income as well as taxpayer funded paychecks. Why should taxpayers pay double for such employees, and pay double or triple amounts for bailouts, and pay double for levy debts to schools and to investors? Public corruption obviously is very profitable.

Ohio government is just too big and corrupt to pay for its employees’ pensions. That is why taxpayers should refuse to pay more.

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Revolving door undermines public trust in government

Posted on January 4, 2010 by | Leave a comment

By John Mitchel

RE: Local contractors under scrutiny for using paid military “mentors”, Dayton Daily News, December 30, 2009: Many consider Gen. Bill Creech as “father of the modern Air Force.”

During his distinguished career and before he died in 2003, Gen. Creech practiced and preached the notion that the most important responsibility of a leader is to train new leaders. “Mentoring” was on Gen. Creech’s short list of important tasks required to prepare Air Force leaders for the future. However, simultaneous receipt of $1600 a day mentoring fees plus a six-figure military pension plus hundreds of thousands in consulting fees from defense contractors doesn’t seem to fit Gen. Creech’s noble intentions of preparing Air Force leaders for challenges they may face in the future. Besides, each senior officer participating in the Air Force mentoring program has more than 30 years experience on active duty. That should be sufficient time to positively instill the core values of duty, honor, country in subordinates of all ranks, and especially the senior troops who more senior officers deal with on a daily basis.

“Mentors for hire” may seem abusive to some, but it pales in comparison to the ease and speed in which elected officials and their staff members pass through the “revolving door.” Take for example Congressman Dave Hobson, who retired a multi-millionaire after nearly 30 years of public service, then took a job as a lobbyist for Vorys Advisors, a subsidiary of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease, LLC, a Columbus law firm. And let’s not forget Congressman Steve Austria’s wife Eileen, who moved from Congressman Dave Hobson’s District Director to Director of Sales and Marketing with Nextedge Development Corporation, a non-profit, tax exempt company 60-70 percent financed by tax dollars including federal earmarks requested by Dave Hobson and Third Frontier and other state funding sponsored by Steve Austria when he was in the Ohio General Assembly. It’s no wonder approval ratings for Congress are at all-time lows.

If the revolving door between government and the private sector should exist at all, it should be with two conditions; full and open disclosure, and a reasonable cooling off period, especially at the most senior levels. Instead, the usual suspects prefer to conceal their self-dealing with faceless private corporations, and more often than not, through non-profit, tax exempt entities financed mostly with taxpayer dollars. Term limits, self imposed or otherwise, would be a step in the right direction to mitigate the revolving door issue for federal elected officials. That would motivate our congressional leaders to act as citizen legislators who serve for a time, and then return to their home districts to enjoy the liberty and freedom they helped protect as representatives of the people. The longer we allow the self-dealing career politician mindset to prevail in Washington and Columbus, the closer we will come to America falling into the abyss.

John Mitchel was a candidate for Ohio governor in 1998 and ran for U.S. House of Representatives in the 7th Congressional District in 2008. In 2006 he wrote and self-published America at the Abyss: A View from the Heartland.

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