Toledo balances its budget

Yes, the City of Toledo has a balanced budget - but at what cost?

I'm not talking about the additional tax people who live in the city but work elsewhere now have to pay...nor the $15 trash tax every home has to pay.

I'm talking about the subsequent costs everyone will incur as a result of the government taking more of our money than they did in the past.

While some will say that $15 a month in a trash tax isn't that much, to many it's a lot! The cries of "it's only...." ring hollow when you realize that you can't go to your boss and say, "Hey, the city just raised my taxes so I need another $180 a year in pay." You'll likely get some comment about being grateful you even have a job! Especially in Toledo!

So what will happen? Well, I can tell you that in our house, we'll have to cut out something we're currently purchasing in order to cover this new tax. So what will it be?

Well, we stopped going to movies quite some time ago because of the cost. There are only a couple of movies in the past several years that we've decided need to be seen on a big screen (Lord of the Rings, 2012 and Harry Potter) rather than wait for them to come out on video. So we've rented videos for about $3 each. But no more. We won't rent - and pay tax! - on five videos a month in order to cover the trash tax. If a lot of people make this decision, will that mean financial difficulties for the store and it's employees?

Or, perhaps we won't go to our favorite Chinese buffet over on Alexis. Carryout for lunch for two is about $15. People have already cut down on eating out. Will others make a similar decision and be the 'final straw' that closes this eatery?

Or maybe we won't pay the enterprising teens who come by and offer to shovel our driveway. Too bad, young entrepreneurs, but we've got a new tax to pay and the money doesn't grow on trees.

And if you're one of those live-in-Toledo-work-elsewhere people, the cuts in spending you'll have to make to cover your tax is much more severe. So sorry that Toledo politicians see you as a source of revenue and not as an equal member of the community.

These are the costs. These are the 'prices' the community pays when government decides it needs our money more than we do.

And shame on Toledo City Council for:

1) not recognizing or not caring about the negative impact of their decision, and

2) spending more than they had over the last several years and putting us into this situation in the first place.

Toledo has Issue 5 on the ballot which would allow these same politicians to divert money from the Capital Improvements (CIP) budget into the General Fund so they can continue to spend money like they have in the past.

We need to defeat Issue 5, just like we did the similar measure last November. These idiots have got to learn to live within their means just like the rest of us.

And we need to stop rewarding them for their fiscally irresponsible behavior by not 'promoting' them to other elective office (Joe McNamara and George Sarantou) and then not re-electing them to council anymore.

(I've exempted Tom Waniewski, who is running for state Senate, from that statement because he has consistently voted against the spending and the taxes.)

We cannot keep doing the same things, electing the same philosophies, and expect different results. Politicians don't bring change - only we can do that!

Toledo politicians will raise taxes - that's all they know how to do

I do not envy Mayor Mike Bell and the limited options he has to address this year's nearly $50 million budget deficit.

Part of the problem is that he had only three months in which to find solutions. While cutting spending and reducing the size of government is clearly the best choice in both the short and long term, last year's decision by council and then mayor Carty Finkbeiner put Bell in a tough spot with union contracts, leaving a rock and a hard place as choices.

The bigger problem we have is that Toledo City Council, as a body, did nothing.

Well, that's not exactly correct. They continued 'business as usual' when it came to union contracts, wages, benefits and pensions, hoping that a six-month moratorium on some of those items would buy them time.

And it bought the time: six months.

Now the situation is even worse because they've failed, over a period of years, to make the decisions necessary to address the declining revenue and skyrocketing costs.

Throughout the last several years, I've paid particularly close attention to the revenue projections and have made numerous posts here about how they cannot possibly be obtained. It comes as no surprise to me, those of you who read this blog and most ordinary citizens, that the practice of inflating revenue to justify spending is a significant problem - that Toledo politicians have known about, and embraced.

Even this year, we have some who are saying that Bell's revenue projections are too low. Can you say 'stuck on stupid'????

Better that they be too low than too high, resulting in further deficits!

Members of city council are now faced with having to produce a balanced budget by tomorrow, or the city faces dire circumstances, including the inability to expend money. Temporary spending authorizations cannot continue to be made like they are in January, February and March.

So what will council do? The cowardly thing - though they'll try to spin it as courageous.

They are going to increase taxes.

They will not make the hard choices of cutting non-mandated services. They will not repeal ordinances they've previously passed in order to eliminate boards and commissions that suck up tax dollars. They will not examine the operations of government and eliminate duplicate functions/tasks (not that they could in the two days left). They will not prioritize safety and basic services and eliminate lower priorities. They will not challenge the unions.

They will tell us they did the only they could do continue that elusive 'quality of life' they're constantly telling about. Of course, that assumes that they can define each of our 'quality of life' criteria - or that they know what adds to our quality of life better than we do. How typical of elitist statists on our council.

My 'quality of life' is certainly enhanced when I have more money in my pocket. In fact, that's the best thing I could ever hope for to enhance my quality of life. That point is too often missed or ignored by city council.

They will tell us they've made a difficult choice in raising taxes. And they might see it that way because they will (hopefully!) suffer the consequences of that decision and that could mean loss of office. (Though this is Toledo, so while that should be a given in most communities, it's not here.)

Just remember this: Whenever government raises taxes, fees, or increases its income (in whatever form), the politicians are telling you that they need your money more than you do. They are telling you that their special projects and priorities are more important that yours - including your mortgage or rent, your utilities, your food, your retirement, your children's college funds, your home improvements - everything!

And as a result of their actions, you will go with less while they brag about 'saving' city services.

Every one of them who votes for any increase in taxation - in any form - deserves to be thrown from office.

Does Toledo have the political will to do so remains an unanswered question. But I can hope. Because only by changing the philosophy of those on council will Toledo ever get out of the mess we're in.

And that goes for all of council, regardless of the political affiliation they claim.

Random Thoughts on TGIF

* The Toledo Police Patrolman's Association rejected contract concessions but the Firefighters approved them. According to media reports, the concessions included having the members pay 3% of their portion of the pension that the city is currently 'picking-up' as well as deferring overtime compensation until next year.

The overtime deferral will only buy the city and the Bell administration some time because, eventually, the money will have to be paid. This is part of the problem we have this year with a $48 million deficit - because former mayor Carty Finkbeiner and City Council accepted temporary concessions in 2009 knowing full well that the reduced levels would go back up this January...and they did.

In an interview on WSPD when I was hosting Eye On Toledo, I asked TPPA President Dan Wagner what I thought was a very pertinent question: Given the choice between keeping members employed by taking concessions or keeping existing benefits for only some members, what will the union do? His response was very telling. He said that, given his past experience, he feared they'd vote to keep existing levels and sacrifice the younger members (who would be the lowest in seniority and most likely to be laid off).

And given that choice this week, the TPPA did exactly as Dan expected. So much for unity and an 'all-for-one' approach.

* Erick Erickson at RedState.com has an excellent commentary on the fallout over the health care bill and the threats/violence directed against members of Congress:

Acts of violence against congressmen for behaving as congressmen are wholly inexcusable. We should be vigilant to police our own side because as we’re already seeing through a series of breathless and inaccurate reports, the press and Democrats are going to be quick to run most any story and the retraction will never be as significant as the initial report.

But let’s not act surprised. The only people surprised by the rage are the ones who refused to venture outside Washington to understand first hand what the voters were actually thinking before congressmen voted.

Frankly, after all the leadership threats and bullying against swing Democrats to vote for leadership, I think it is a bit ironic Democratic leaders are now decrying threats and bullying of swing state Democrats by their constituents who very clearly did not want them to vote as they did.

Full post

* It was a great debate last night that the Children of Liberty hosted for the GOP Congressional Primary. My compliments to the group for their format, their questions, their enthusiasm and the polite way in which everyone behaved.

* A quote on why our founders gave us the structure that has led to our long success as a nation:

"In questions of power, then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution." ~ Thomas Jefferson

The case against rail transit

Ohio is planning to build a passenger rail system, with millions from the federal government. However, that project would require even more millions from Ohio taxpayers to construct and a taxpayer subsidy of at least $17 million a year - over and above any revenue - to operate.

I've written in opposition to this passenger rail project because it cannot be self-sufficient.

Now comes a new study from the CATO Institute that demonstrates just what a bad deal such projects are - for everyone!

Over the past four decades, American cities have spent close to $100 billion constructing rail transit systems, and many billions more operating those systems. The agencies that spend taxpayer dollars building these lines almost invariably call them successful even when they go an average of 40% over budget and, in many cases, carry an insignificant number of riders. In a new study, Cato scholar Randal O'Toole uses the latest government data on scores of rail transit systems to evaluate the systems' value and usefulness to the public.
- Defining Success: The Case against Rail Transit, by Randal O'Toole

Bell reaches out

One of the strongest attributes I believe Mike Bell brings to the office of Mayor of Toledo is his ability to reach out and connect with others - whether that be in a professional or personal manner...and usually both!

During his campaign, he promised to try to change the perception the suburban communities have of Toledo. He said he would sit down with them and see how they could all work together for the best benefit of the region.

I know he attended the annual meeting of the Lucas County Township Association earlier this year. In fact, one trustee who has been around quite a long time said this was the first time she could ever remember a mayor of Toledo attending, despite the invitations that are always sent.

I'm on the email list for Wood County Commissioner Tim Brown. In his most recent communication, he included the following:

Also this month the Board of Commissioners met with Toledo's new Mayor Mike Bell. The purpose was to simply sit down and introduce ourselves and to establish a rapport for working together in the future. The meeting was significant in that this was the first time since I have been Commissioner that I have ever been invited to sit down with a Mayor of Toledo to discuss regional cooperation. Mayor Bell assembled his staff and invited the President of Toledo Council to join us - and while we did not have a set agenda for this first meeting - we opened the lines of communication and pledged to work more closely as a region on projects of mutual benefit to our citizens. I am confident there will be future meetings and it is my sincere belief that our region will come out of this recession better prepared for the future if we are working together toward common goals and objectives.

While I'm certain I will not always agree with Bell regarding the decisions he makes, I'm so very glad his outreach is happening - and being well received. If he accomplishes nothing else in his time as mayor, he will have done much good for all of us if he succeeds in establishing good relationships with our neighbor communities.

Quote of the Day

"The function of the true state is to impose the minimum restrictions and safeguard the maximum liberties of the people, and it never regards the person as a thing." ~ Immanuel Kant

UPDATED: How Kaptur will justify her 'yes' vote on health care

UPDATE: As of Sunday morning, Rep. Marcy Kaptur confirmed she will be a 'yes' vote for the health care bill.

Watch her interview on WTVG here.


Original post from March 20, 2010 at 8:28 a.m.:

Rep. Marcy Kaptur has been claiming to be undecided on the health care bill currently being discussed in the House of Representatives.

She says that she wants to ensure that any language relating to the issue of abortion supports current law which only has government funding when the life of the mother is in danger or in cases of rape or incest.

However, according to Roll Call, she 'doesn't want to be a problem,' for Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

What???

I firmly believe Marcy will tow the party and vote (if there is a vote) in favor of the bill. She's too much of a party loyalist to do otherwise, even if she fails in getting her way on the abortion language.

Knowing that so many in her district oppose this, how will she justify going against the wishes of her district and her own position on abortion? She's already told us:

Kaptur said she believes health care reform legislation would reduce the total number of abortions and reduce the number of premature births and birth defects by providing coverage for pregnant women.

And here, from The Blade:

Asked whether she would oppose the bill if the abortion language was not clarified to her satisfaction, Miss Kaptur said she is weighing the number of abortions that occur annually with the number of infant deaths and premature and underweight births that can be attributed to inadequate health care resulting from the lack of health insurance.

"If we do a better job through the insurance system, we can save lives," she said.

My prediction is that she is going to say that the 'lives saved' by government control of health care will outweigh the 'lives lost' by funding abortion.

Of course, this is completely contrary to the usual liberal claim of 'if it saves even one life,' when instituting various other rules and laws.

And while I'm not Catholic, Marcy is. I doubt this type of justification sits well with her religious upbringing.

What's important to remember is not the specific issue of abortion. Nor is it about Marcy's Catholic faith. This is really about an elected official who states a position on an issue and is given the chance to stand up for that position.

This is about staying true to your principles, regardless of what the specific principle is.

Marcy has taken a public and well-known stand on an issue. Does she maintain her principled stand on that issue or sacrifice it to partisanship by going along with a vote necessary for the success of her party and president?

My prediction is that she'll go along, especially after saying that she 'doesn't want to be a problem' for Pelosi.

Playing catch-up

Here are some links and highlights of things I missed during a period of limited internet access that I believe are relevant and deserve your attention - if you haven't already seen them:

* Cal Thomas, in his column "Losing Our Independence," takes a look at the dependency stage America seems to be living in. He writes:

Our forebears practiced self-reliance, living within one's means and helping neighbors. Much of our modern economy is built on overspending, satisfying desires, pretense, envy, greed, and a sense of entitlement. Politicians who do not wish to disabuse us of such things keep seeking ways to prop up the falling house of cards. Who is brave enough tell us we can't go on living -- and spending -- like this?
...
In The Washington Times story, Harm Bandholz, an economist at Unicredit Markets, told writer Patrice Hill that our massive shift from self-reliance to dependence on government may have been essential in order to have promoted last year's economic revival, but he says it has merely delayed an ultimate day of reckoning for consumers "who went too far into debt to maintain their lifestyles during the boom years." This is not only the story of many individuals; but the story of state and federal governments that go on spending sprees during the good times and hike taxes and engage in "painful spending cuts" during lean years.
...
The more we come to rely on government, the fewer freedoms we will enjoy. Government will start dictating what we can own, eat and drive, how much of our money they will let us keep, how we run our businesses, how many -- if any -- guns we can own, and what we may and may not say. Oh, wait! They are already doing that.

To preserve freedom we must fight for it. Bondage comes when we refuse to fight and are satisfied with the king's largesse.

True words - will anyone heed them?

* A new study from Ball State University proves what many economists (and I) said about increasing the minimum wage: that low skill workers and teens - the very people it's supposed to help - will be the most hurt by the law.

According to an NCPA summary of the study:

A study of part-time workers monitored by the Bureau of Labor Statistics from 1999 to 2009 found that raising the minimum wage to its current level of $7.25 during the recent recession caused some businesses to scale back on filling vacant positions or eliminate jobs altogether, says Michael J. Hicks, director of Ball State's Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER).

Recommendations from the study:

- Creating lower minimum wages for students and new hires could preserve jobs.
- The student minimum wage would permit employers to hire seasonal workers without bearing the full cost of adult employment.

* Walter Williams, always a great read, says our elected officials are acting like tyrants - and while you may disagree with his conclusion, you must admit that his is right about the actions.

* Thomas Sowell, one of my all-time favorites, bemoans the failure to teach critical thinking skills:

It was once the proud declaration of many educators that "We are here to teach you how to think, not what to think." But far too many of our teachers and professors today are teaching their students what to think, about everything from global warming to the new trinity of "race, class and gender."

Even if all the conclusions with which they indoctrinate their students were 100 percent correct, that would still not be equipping students with the mental skills to weigh opposing views for themselves, in order to be prepared for new and unforeseeable issues that will arise over their lifetimes, after they leave the schools and colleges.

Many of today's "educators" not only supply students with conclusions, they promote the idea that students should spring into action because of these prepackaged conclusions-- in other words, vent their feelings and go galloping off on crusades, without either a knowledge of what is said by those on the other side or the intellectual discipline to know how to analyze opposing arguments.

When we see children in elementary schools out carrying signs in demonstrations, we are seeing the kind of mindless groupthink that causes adults to sign petitions they don't understand or-- worse yet-- follow leaders they don't understand, whether to the White House, the Kremlin or Jonestown.

Unsustainable promises have consequences

Thanks to a friend, I recently became acquainted with Keith Hennessey, a former White House economic advisor, and his blog. I hope you'll become a regular reader.

His column today, "No new promises, please," has a message that is relevant to all levels of government as he talks about an 'unsustainable fiscal path':

"We are on this path because past elected officials made unsustainable benefit promises and enshrined them in law. In some cases they paid for those promises in the short run. In all cases they created programs that would grow more generous over time.

Those past elected officials enjoyed the political benefits of creating a new promise, and they shifted the burden of paying for these promises onto their successors and onto future generations of citizens.

... we are those future generations. The bill is coming due. The gap between future spending and taxes is the most important economic problem America faces. If we don’t fix it, we’re screwed."

Sound familiar? It should - this is what Toledo has done.

Even last year, City Council voted in favor of union contracts that provided six months of concessions, but went right back to the old terms as of the January. They got a six-month delay in addressing the city's deficit - but they didn't change the fact that the deficit still had to be addressed.

Of course, waiting that time also made the issue worse.

Governments cannot continue to grow and expand. I know that employees always want pay increases and don't want to have any cuts in their benefits. But government cannot be immune to what the market is doing - especially when those of us in the market are the ones having to foot the bill. We can't go to our employer and say 'give me more money.' (Well, we can but it won't result in action for the vast majority of us.)

Politicians and elected officials need to understand that the well has run dry and cuts are the only way they're going to be able to regain control of their budgets.

I know there will be people complaining because they're no longer getting their little piece of the pie. But they probably shouldn't have had any of it to begin with, and they're going to have to make do just like the rest of us.

Government needs to shrink back to the point where the expenses stop exceeding the income. And it needs to stop thinking it can always get more income - because it can't, as politicians are learning the hard way.

Kaptur votes for Slaughter Rule

Michelle Malkin has the story...

And so does American Spectator:

Earlier this afternoon, House Democrats voted down a Republican measure that would have prevented the use of the "deem and pass" strategy, or Slaughter rule, paving the way for the House to pass the Senate bill without directly voting on it.

Here's the Roll Call Vote.

Basically, our representative, Marcy Kaptur, has decided that a vote is not necessary - that all the House has to do is 'deem' the health care vote to have taken place and passed, despite the fact that the Constitution requires a vote.

Wouldn't it be nice if you and I could do something like this? I know I'd like to 'deem' my taxes paid...

Additionally, this email was sent out by Rep. Eric Cantor's press secretary:

All –

The House just voted on the Cantor Resolution “That the House disapproves of the malfeasant manner in which the Democratic Leadership has thereby discharged the duties of their offices.” Those who voted against the resolution denounced Democrat leadership for their use of the “Slaughter Solution” to deceive the American people.

Final Vote: 232-181
R: 0-171
D: 232-10

To put it more clearly, the following 10 Democrats just denounced Speaker Pelosi, Leader Hoyer, Whip Clyburn, Conference Chairman Larson, and DCCC Chairman Van Hollen and the rest of the Democrat Leadership.

Rep. Boren
Rep. Childers
Rep. Giffords
Rep. Kissell
Rep. McIntyre
Rep. Mitchell
Rep. Minnick
Rep. Perriello
Rep. Shuler
Rep. Taylor

Note the absence of Marcy's name....

Quote of the Day

"For the same reason that the members of the State legislatures will be unlikely to attach themselves sufficiently to national objects, the members of the federal legislature will be likely to attach themselves too much to local objects." ~ James Madison

More lawsuits in GOP chairmanship struggle

This just in via email:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FROM: Lucas County Republican Party Central Committee

HOAG FILES SUIT IN OHIO SUPREME COURT TO FORCE BOARD OF ELECTIONS TO REMOVE 52 CANDIDATES FROM BALLOT
Seeking a Writ of Prohibition to the Lucas County Board of Elections for Candidates not Eligible to Appear on May Ballot


Paul Hoag, LCRP Central Committee Chairman, today filed an original action in the Ohio Supreme Court seeking a Writ of Prohibition to the Lucas County Board of Elections that would establish that 52 candidates for the position of member of the Lucas County Republican Party Central Committee are not eligible to appear on the ballot because of their misrepresentations to voters.

The issue presented to the Court is whether it is legitimate for a candidate to commit fraud on their declaration of candidacy, and state they are registered to vote so long as there may be intent to subsequently act to become a qualified elector, at some time in the future.

“The Lucas County Board of Elections has ruled that it’s acceptable to lie today, so long as you’re going to correct it tomorrow”, said Paul Hoag.

“That ruling is directly contrary to prior decisions of the Supreme Court in the Higgins case”, Hoag continued, “ and the public policy of assuring the electorate that they can rely upon the truth of representations made by candidates in their declarations of candidacy.”

The case was brought under the Court's procedures for expedited election cases and should be decided in a few weeks.

Details of the case can be found here.

-30-

Let the legal challenges begin

I've previously stated my concerns that city council's idea to immobilize/impound vehicles with unpaid red-light/speed cameras is wrong and probably unconstitutional.

Chris Finney, from Coast, has already said he'd challenge the confiscation of property and today another attorney has said the same thing.

I heard a clip from local defense attorney Jerome Phillips on WSPD this morning stating his belief that 'taking' property without a court judgment was unconstitutional and he'd gladly represent anyone who found themselves with a booted or impounded vehicle due to unpaid camera tickets.

So while the purpose of the plan is to generate income for the City of Toledo, I cannot help wondering how much it's actually going to cost over and above the expense of the boots and the staff to attach/remove them.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Today is St. Patrick's Day and I must admit that when I was young, I dreaded March 17th.

You see, my mother was a firm believer that only Catholics wore green on St. Patrick's Day. Protestants wore orange. So all throughout my elementary years, she insisted that neither my sister nor I would wear anything green because we weren't Catholic.

I'm certain she scarred us for life because of this. :)

But the Irish heritage is something I'm proud to claim.

My paternal grandmother was 100% Irish and I remember the stories she'd tell me about how her uncle, an Irish immigrant himself, was instrumental in sponsoring fellow Irishmen in the Toledo area. He was in the dockworkers union and he was able to have jobs waiting for many of his countrymen, allowing them to more easily gain entry into the country. This was around the time of Toledo Mayor Samuel "Golden Rule" Jones, who was a good friend of this uncle. My father still has correspondence from him - a nice little family treasure.

On my husband's side, the family tree has been traced back quite a ways - including a significant amount of time in Ireland prior to coming to the U.S. And despite the fact that my mother-in-law is half Polish, half German, she makes some of the best corned beef and cabbage I've ever eaten.

Of course, lineage has little to do with the celebration of St. Patrick's Day. As the saying goes, 'today, everyone is Irish.'

So whether it's in your blood, literally or figuratively, I hope you enjoy St. Patrick's Day!

Quote of the Day

"Let men decide firmly what they will not do, and they will be free to do vigorously what they ought to do." ~ Mencius, Chinese Confucian philosopher

Who are the activists in the Tea Party Movement?

The Sam Adams Alliance, a free-market organization in Chicago, recently published a study that looks at Tea Party activists, who they are, their motivations and future plans.

The report, The Early Adopters, is an insightful examination of the movement, in the words of the people who are involved and leading it.

Part of what they learned:

* A large number are politically involved for the first time. 47 percent of activists surveyed said that they were "uninvolved" or "rarely involved" in politics before their participation in Tea Party groups.

* When asked which issues were "very important" to them, 92 percent said "budget," 85 percent said "economy," and 80 percent said "defense."

* No respondents listed social issues as an "important direction" for the movement.

* 86 percent oppose the formation of a third-party.

* 90 percent cited "to stand up for my beliefs" when characterizing their initial reason for involvement.

* 62 percent identified as Republicans, 28 percent as Independents, 10 percent as "Tea Party"

I hope you'll take the time to read the report and see for yourself how the activists involved in the movement see themselves.

There's also a video!

Children of Liberty to host Libertarian night

Via a press release:

What is the Libertarian Party about? Who is a Libertarian?

Are libertarians Conservative? Liberal?

Come join The Children of Liberty as we bring Libertarian Experts, Kevin Knedler, Scott McClure and Brian Wilson to give us the low down on all things libertarian.

The follwing canidates will be at the meeting to introduce themselves and take questions:

Ken Matesz - Gubernatorial candidate
Charlie Earl - Secretary of State candidate
Mike Howard - Auditor of State candidate
Jeremy Swartz - US Congress District 9 candidate
Joe Jaffee, US Congress 9 candidate
Joe Kolby, State Central Committee candidate

Come join the Children Of Liberty as we continue to educate ourselves

March, 15 2010 @ 6 pm
Maumee Library
501 River Rd
Maumee, Ohio 43537
RSVP at meetup.com/the-children-of-liberty

ACORN out of Ohio

I saw this last night, but didn't get a chance to post about, so my apologies if this is old news to some....but even if it is, it bears repeating: ACORN is out of Ohio's elections.

From the Columbus Dispatch:

ACORN, the liberal group notorious for allegedly trying to inflate voter rolls through fraudulent practices, has seen its last election in Ohio.

The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now will permanently surrender its Ohio business license by June1 as part of a legal settlement with the conservative Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions, both sides said yesterday.

The original announcement of the lawsuit, with details about the case, is available here.

While the settlement is not public, ACORN will surrender its business license by June 1 and, according to Maurice Thompson, director of the 1851 Center for Constitutional Law, they will "cease to operate in Ohio and cease to support or enable other groups to do what they do."

ACORN, of course, claims they did nothing wrong and have already ceased operations in Ohio for 'other reasons,' though they don't explain what those 'other reasons' are. Some are speculating it has to do with the internal issues ACORN is having nationally, as well as cutbacks in their funds from the government.

And then others are wondering how long this will last. Will they reconstitute under another name and continue their operations, despite the agreement to not "support or enable other groups to do what they do"?

Who knows? But I believe that, despite what others claimed are 'good works' by this group, Ohio is better off without the myriad of problems they caused our elections system.

Government health care: it's all about big government

I hope you'll take a moment to read this terrific post on RedState.com by Lori Ziganto: Government Health Care Is Not About Health Care; It’s About Government.

She adds her own perception and thoughts to a column by one of my favorite authors, Mark Steyn, and succinctly spells out just why so many conservatives have a healthy fear of big government: because it stifles individual freedom in favor of a dependency upon the structure and ends the founders' concept of a limited government. As Steyn explains:

"I've been saying in this space for two years that the governmentalization of health care is the fastest way to a permanent left-of-center political culture. It redefines the relationship between the citizen and the state in fundamental ways that make limited government all but impossible."

And both see the takeover of the health care system as a major component to ensuring life-long dependency upon government and the politicians/bureaucrats who run it - reason enough to reject it outright.

It's a well-written article that deserves your attention.

The 'common good' clause

From The Patriot Post comes this quote from one of our founding fathers* - a blantant rejection of the current philosophy that the phrase 'provide for the common good' allows Congress to do just about anything:

"It would reduce the whole instrument to a single phrase, that of instituting a Congress with power to do whatever would be for the good of the United States; and as they would be the sole judges of the good or evil, it would be also a power to do whatever evil they please. Certainly no such universal power was meant to be given them. It [the Constitution] was intended to lace them up straightly within the enumerated powers and those without which, as means, these powers could not be carried into effect." ~ Thomas Jefferson

*corrected per comment below

Make Mine Freedom

The blog GreatOldParty posted a cartoom from 1948 that has relevance today, so I hope you'll click on the link and see for yourself.

9th Congressional District GOP primary debate

This press release is from the Children of Liberty group:

Since the Local GOP seems to be a bit preoccupied, the CoL is going to provide Republicans the opportunity to hear Rich Iott and Jack Smith Debate the issues.

The Toledo Free Press and Children of Liberty are proud to announce a Debate between Rich Iott and Jack Smith on March 25th @ 6 pm. The debate will be held at the Maumee Eagles on Detroit and River Road . If you wish to submit questions send them to thechildrenofliberty@yahoo.com. This should be a good opportunity to hear what Iott and Smith think about current issue and what needs to happen going forward with our great nation.

Learn more here.

Continued light postings

As I explained in an earlier post, there are light postings until the 13th due to limited internet access. And since my access is limited, I haven't been able to keep up on the goings on in the Toledo region in order to do a longer post, so here are two articles I'd like to share:

"The Census: Vehicle for Social Engineering" is an interesting look at how the data collected can be used - both for good and bad. I'm still staggering over the amount of money being spent to 'promote' the process and wondering exactly why Congress believes spending all that money to collect information about how many people there are is justified. While the Census is mandated in the Constitution, many of the additional data collected - and how it is used - is not. And I'm certain our founders would not be pleased.

My friend Stephen Kruiser is a professional stand-up comic as well as a fellow blogger. He recently went to Iraq to entertain the troops and wrote this entertaining and informative piece upon his return. It's a view that isn't shared as often as it should be and I hope you'll take the time to read about the terrific and amazing people who keep us safe.