Quotes of the Day - it pays to be on welfare

Note the dates of the quotes and extrapolate to today, when we have record numbers of people participating in government welfare programs:

"The fundamental fact in the lives of the poor in most parts of America is that the wages of common labor are far below the benefits of AFDC, Medicaid, food stamps, public housing, public defenders, leisure time and all the other goods and services of the welfare state." ~ George Gilder, Wealth And Poverty, 1981

"A study by Michael Tanner, Stephen Moore, and David Hartman of the Cato Institute has revealed that in 40 states, it pays more for one to be on welfare than to accept a job at $8.00 per hour; in 17 states, welfare pays more than work at $10.00 per hour; and in six states plus the District of Columbia, welfare totals more than working for $12.00 hourly. The study also showed that in 29 states, welfare benefits are worth more than the average secretary's pay; in nine states, such benefits are equal to more than the average starting salary for a teacher; and in six states, welfare pays more than an entry-level position for a computer programmer. When the entire package is computed, welfare amounts to the (pretax) equivalent of a $30,500 wage in Massachusetts, $32,200 in Alaska, and $36,400 in Hawaii." ~ William P. Hoar, The Right Answers, The New American, P. 42, June 10, 1996

WSPD show recap - Friday, Sept. 28, 2012

Here are the topics and links to items discussed Friday on my last day filling in for Brian Wilson on 1370 WSPD:

* Roots of Liberty seminar with Kris Anne Hall at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 2, in Findlay - American Legion, 120 W. Front St.

* The new movie Captain America: The Winter Soldier will be filmed in Cleveland. (no link)

* Tracking Ohio's absentee ballot requests - will be updated regularly with the information on how many Republicans and Democrats have requested (not returned) absentee ballots. Spreadsheet tracks by county and compares 2012 to 2008. Contact information for author is on the spreadsheet.

Link to spreadsheet

* Matt Mayer, Opportunity Ohio, was my guest to talk about whether or not Mitt Romney can win Ohio. Matt says yes, but it will be tough...he'll make county by county predictions sometime in October.

Podcast is available here

* Bill Weisenberg, Assistant Executive Director for Public Affairs at the Ohio State Bar Association explained why the OSBA has taken a position against State Issue 2 - the independence of the judiciary is at stake.

Podcast is available here

* Ohio public pay is too generous? Probably, when public sector architecture and engineering jobs pay, on average twice that of their private sector peers. They ear $60.59 per hour in wages and benefits versus $29.37 in the private sector.

Link to story

* It's not as if cigarettes don't have enough taxes on them already, the World Health Organization thinks a global tax on them is the way to go.

Link to story

* Locavores or Loco-vores? Is a strictly buy local philosophy a good thing? Perhaps the "same fundamental economic realities that shaped the development of our globalized food supply chain are still very much with us." When you can't grow items in your own city due to the climate, trade with non-local areas enhances choices and brings competitive prices. Additionally, if everyone focused on buy-local, where would our local exporters send their products?

Link to story

Because we had a lot of people on the phone and the Wine Time segment to do, I offered to print any emails callers might want to send me on the subject. I received the following:

As per our conversation on WSPD this evening. I thought you might like to check out this website.:

http://foodcouncil419.com/. The initial analysis about our Northwest Ohio 'foodshed' was completed last summer. Ken will be in town in October to give us the remainder of his findings and recommendations to build a stronger food economy. Obviously, his study should not be taken for gospel, but it is a contrasting view that I believe deserves consideration when discussing food sourcing. Small actions (one day a week of local food) can have a large economic impact. And just as your local tomato farmer appreciates your purchase, all the Toledo area farmers appreciate loyal customers who purchase their goods.

I'm an avid WSPD listener, from 7 to 7 usually, and I always enjoy when you fill in for Brian. I was hoping to add information and first hand experience, as a grower, to your discussion of local food. This issue dovetails nicely into the discussion you had Thursday about Mike Rowe and the under appreciation for skilled, manual labor. Our skilled local farmers are a classic example of the under-appreciated. Often they produce better tasting and more inexpensive product than can be purchased at the grocery store. This is the best time of year to buy local, because summer and fall produce is in season. If you came to the market this weekend these are a few of the prices you would find:Broccoli $1, colored bell peppers 2/1$, zucchini and cucumbers 3/$1, massive cauliflowers 2/$1 and winter squash $1. Please feel free to stop by the Toledo Farmers' Market (Saturdays 8-2 pm) anytime to meet a few more 'local' Toledo Farmers. I run a small farm, Sage Produce, and sell produce at the market year round. Please feel free to stop by. It is the stall with the purple tablecloths.

Have a great day.
Liz Bergman
Sage Produce
Genoa, Ohio

And this from Point Place Pete:

I’ll listen to these “buy local” folks a little more when the explain to me how I’m going to buy lettuce in the winter, apples in the spring, figs, bananas, pineapples and oranges at any time of the year!

I like choices, choices inspire trade, and trade benefits all of us. On top of that, local growers are growing soybeans and corn… bluntly those items will get old in about a week…

I love my local providers of tomatoes, corn and cantaloupe (the three items I purchase most often from local growers) and would grow more myself if it weren't for a hectic travel schedule, so I'm not opposed to purchasing locally-grown items. I just think that trying to push a buy-local campaign has detriments in the long term that are never addressed - and they should be considered. We would never want to have a strictly buy-imported program for the same reasons.

We benefit from trade with other areas in so many ways that I don't want to jeopardize that with a viewpoint that can be very narrow at times and discourage the free market approach.

Thanks to everyone who called in, emailed and listened!

Blade bias #12 - waits until last paragraph to identify indicted commissioner as a Democrat

I started reading the story and, since I didn't know the indicted commissioner, I wondered if he was a Republican or Democrat. However, as I kept reading and the reporter didn't give a party affiliation, even after mentioning the man was on the ballot and how old he was, I knew he had to be a Democrat.

And sure enough, in the last paragraph, there it was. He's a Democrat.

Was there no place in the preceding 20 paragraphs to give us this detail?!?

You see, this is common practice for The Blade - if the individual in trouble is a Democrat, they bury the party affiliation. But if it's a Republican, the party affiliation is in the first several paragraphs or even the headline - so you can be sure not to miss the 'bad' association with Republicans.

It's certainly not a subtle bias - it is their modus operandi. It's also probably one of the reasons they, and other papers like them, have such declining readership.

It's bad enough if a reporter makes such a stupid error - it's worse when the editors allow it to go through.

Here are screen shots of the rest of the article just to prove the party affiliation wasn't earlier in the story.

I certainly don't expect The Blade to end this horrible practice in their supposedly objective news, especially when pointed out by #justablogger. But I do hope continually pointing out their bias (so often evident that I resorted to numbering my posts on it) will rightly educate any still-remaining subscribers and advertisers about what they may read.

WSPD show recap - Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012

Here are the links to the topics we discussed during my guest hosting Thursday on 1370 WSPD:

* Mike Rowe, from Dirty Jobs, and his letter to Mitt Romney about skilled trades and how our nation seems to no longer value hard work.

Link to story

* State Rep. Barbara Sears called in to add to the topic and inform the audience about the state's 21st Century Manufacturing Task Force, which met at Owens-Illinois earlier in the day. This was part of a series of meetings around the state and she said that she's hearing lots of comments about individuals not being ready for today's manufacturing and skilled labor jobs.

She also encouraged people to share their thoughts with her by contacting her office.

Link to task force information

* After being found guilty of violating the Hatch Act which "prohibits federal employees from using their official authority or influence to affect the outcome of an election," HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is again hitting the campaign trail for President Barack Obama.

Link to story

* Pres. Obama, after being criticized for missing so many of his intelligence briefings leading up to the terrorist attack on our Libyan embassy, is now attending nearly 100% of them - and sometimes V.P. Biden as well! Imagine that.

Link to story

* University of Chicago professor claims American "overvalues" free speech.

Link to story

* There will be no bacon shortage after all - and there was great rejoicing (but I'm still stockpiling bacon anyway!).

Link to story

* Andrew Marcus, writer and director for the soon-to-be release film Hating Breitbart, was my guest to talk about the movie and why the examination of how the media came to hate the late Andrew Breitbart is so critical to understand, especially now.

Podcast is available here

Friday show:

It's fishing line Friday so be sure to call-in. We will have two guests:

* 3:30 p.m. Matt Mayer from Opportunity Ohio, a free-market think tank, will talk about "Can Romney win Ohio?"

* 4:30 p.m. Bill Weisenberg from the Ohio Bar Association on the organization's opposition to Issue 2, the redistricting proposal.

WSPD show recap - Sept. 26, 2012

Here are the links to the subjects we discussed Wednesday on 1370 WSPD:

* Bacon shortage?!? I'm stockpiling.

link to story

* Lucas County jobless rate lowest since '08 is headline in the local paper...but the actual numbers show something different:

Link to Ohio statistics website

Link to Ohio Labor Force Estimates

Employment numbers - not the unemployment rate - is the statistic we should watch.

205,900 was the Lucas County employment in May 2008.
192,900 was the Lucas County employment in Aug 2012.

Even though unemployment rate is low, there were 13,000 more people working in Lucas County back in 2008.

131,200 was the Toledo employment rate in May 2008.
119,800 was the Toledo employment rate in Aug 2012.

Even though there was only a difference of 200 in the number unemployed in Toledo when you compare May 2008 to August 2012, there are 11,400 people NOT working in August than were working in May.

The picture might be slightly better, but the headline is based on distorted numbers and the real truth of the job situation is revealed when you look at the number employed.

* Mayor Mike Bell doesn't like the presidential candidates bashing China in Toledo when he's holding an economic forum for dozens of Chinese investors on the same day.

Link to story

Note Councilman Joe McNamara's comment at the end of the story and then check out page 7 of this report from Ohio which shows that employment, compared to last year, in the categories of Motor Vehicles and Motor Vehicle Parts is down 1,400 and 1,000 jobs, respectively.

* With President Barack Obama touting his tariffs on Chinese tires, it's important t know it didn't really do anything to help the American tire market. The article has the details

Link to story

* Fritz Wenzel of Wenzel Strategies revealed the inside story about the latest New York Times/CBS/Quinnipiac poll which shows Obama leading Romney by 10 points.

Podcast of interview is available here.

Hugh Hewitt interviewed Peter Brown, assistant director of Quinnipiac Polls, who said that "it is probably unlikely" that Democrats will turn out to the polls in the margins at which they are reflected in the polls. Here is the link to the blog post.

* Jason Hart of Media Trackers Ohio talking about his investigations into the personal biases behind the so-call objective fact-checking that PolitiFact supposedly does.

Podcast is available here.

Additionally, I referenced a series being done by Ohio Watchdog that checks the fact-checkers at PolitiFact and finds much of it is fiction.

Here is the lastest post in the series, "OH: PolitiFact claim in Brown ad refuted by PolitiFact" with the earlier entries linked at the bottom of the story.

Thursday Show:

We'll talk about the letter Mike Rowe, Dirty Jobs, sent to Mitt Romney and what it means in terms of future jobs. Also, Andrew Marcus, the writer and director of the soon-to-be released movie, "Hating Breitbart."

Obama's Failing Agenda Tour

Via email from Americans For Prosperty:

We've faced a government health care takeover, burdening Americans with over $500 billion in new taxes, four straight years of spending trillions of dollars we don't have, billions wasted on green energy companies like Solyndra which then went bankrupt, and over 42 straight months of unemployment above 8 percent.

This failing agenda must come to an end.

Join Americans for Prosperity Thursday, September 27th and Friday, September 28th at one of our events and make your voice heard!

We'll be in Perrysburg, Findlay, Sidney, Troy, Dayton & Huber Heights - find your city to the right and REGISTER TODAY!

These free events will be held rain or shine, includes (food), free Obama's Failing Agenda t-shirts, and is a family friendly event

Thursday, September 27th:

12:30 PM in Perrysburg
W. 5th and Louisiana
Lunch Meet and Greet

6 PM Findlay
Findlay Square, 308 Dorney Plaza
Speakers include AFP OH Policy Director Seth Morgan and State Senator Cliff Hite

WSPD show recap - Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2012

Here are the discussion items from my stint as guest host on 1370 WSPD Tuesday:

* Hilary Clinton's comments about "preaching" to the world about the "elite" not paying enough in taxes and not contributing to schools, hospitals and growth.

Link to story

* In New York City, no soda but 'morning after' and birth control pills for high school students. A school nurse called in to say there was no way she would want to be responsible for dispensing this drug. Another caller asked how this could be allowed when they can't even hand out aspirin.

link to story

* A ban on father-daughter dances? Yes, because of the ACLU.

link to story

* More from the ACLU - are bans on same-sex classes and schools next?

link to story

* Nick Mascari of Third Base Politics on Democrat Bellfontaine mayor who is proud to be part of the dependent nation.

This link to the story contains links to previous posts, including this one which shows the mayor's new kitchen and outdoor furniture, and this one from Ohio Watchdog on the potential impact to a MSM reporter over the story.

Podcast is available here.

* This quote from Erick Erickson at RedState.com:

“…if a Republican candidate loses, the media blames it on the candidate being too conservative. If a Republican candidate wins, the media credits the candidate drifting toward the center. The only sure fire loser in American politics is the conservative movement, which is remarkable given the amazing success the conservative movement has had in spite of this.”

Wednesday Show:

* Jason Hart of Media Trackers Ohio will join us at 5 p.m. to talk about PolitiFact Ohio - the bias of its reporters and the opinions it produces disguised as fact-checking.

* Bacon shortage? Say it ain't so!

* Presidential candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney both in town - and Mayor Mike Bell's take on their criticism of China

WSPD show recap - Monday, Sept. 24, 2012

I'm filling in on 1370 WSPD this week and I was asked to share the links for the show topics, so here they are:

* Vice President Joe Biden thinks we have 650,000 troops in Afghanistan and believes that members of our military are part of Mitt Romney's 47%. Why is he still on the Democratic ticket - and why does he have any credibility whatsoever?

link to story

* Gallup poll shows that a majority of Americans still believe the government is doing too much. So why do politicians keep making laws and expanding the government to do more?

link to story

* Did you hear anything about the Taliban terrorists who dressed in American uniforms and attacked an air base in Afghanistan? It's been described as "arguably the worst day in (U.S. Marine Corps) aviation history since the Tet Offensive of 1968. Why isn't this major news?

link to the story

* Why is the media overstating the number of people at an Obama campaign rally in Wisconsin? They said 18,000 attended the rally in a not-full 5,000-seat arena.

link to the story

* Ahead of the media curve, we talked about how kids are rejecting Michelle Obama's new lunch menu, choosing to go hungry rather than eat things they don't like. Today, Drudge Report links several stories on the matter.

link to story

* Toyota is dropping plans for widespread sales of their electric car, saying that current capabilities for electric vehicles don't meet customer needs in terms of the distance they can run, their cost and how long it takes them to charge.

link to story

* A Philadelphia city may sue a property owner for cleaning up 40 tons of trash from a lot next to his business, claiming he trespassed. Of course, last year they sent him a citation because of trash on the property they're now claiming isn't his. Insanity!

link to story

* We also had extended discussions about 'wasting' your vote by voting for a third-party candidate. A piece of wisdom from one caller: your vote is only wasted when your vote doesn't reflect your principles.

I insisted that every voter examine the records of the candidates, their prior votes and action, compare it to what they're saying on the campaign trail, and look at party platforms for general philosophy and then vote for the candidate you believe is best.

Wood County Commissioners Town Meeting

Via email from Wood County Commissioner Tim Brown:

In keeping with our pledge to conduct town hall meetings throughout Wood County in our city, village and township halls; the Board of Commissioners will be holding the next in our series of meetings in Northwood this Thursday, September 27th at 6:45 pm. The town meeting will be held at the Northwood Administration Building, 6000 Wales Rd., Northwood, Ohio.

You and anyone you know are more than welcome to attend.

Inconvenient truths conveniently omitted from Michelle Obama's speech

First Lady Michelle Obama gave a speech this past weekend at the Congressional Black Caucus Gala.

While many have criticized her math in referencing when "our great-grandparents were riding that Underground Railroad" (check the comments in the linked post), there are other truths - inconvenient for Democrats - that she conveniently failed to mention.

She said:

Now, this work wasn't always easy, especially in the early years, when many members of this caucus faced challenges they never could have anticipated. For example, back in the early '70s, Congressman Ron Dellums was appointed to the Armed Services Committee -- (applause) -- as was Congresswoman Pat Schroeder. Displeased about having both a woman and an African American assigned to his committee, the chairman at the time added just one seat to the committee room -- and he forced the two of them to share it. But Congressman Dellums was unphased. He said to Congresswoman Schroeder, "Let's not give these guys the luxury of knowing they can get under our skin. Let's sit here and share this chair as if it's the most normal thing in the world." (Laughter.)

This story is repeated in numerous places, so there is no reason to doubt its veracity. But don't you wonder who that evil committee chairman was? He had to be a Republican, opposing Blacks and women - right?

Wrong.

The Armed Services Committee chairman was none other than Felix Edward Hebert - a Democrat.

And what was his thinking in doing this? Advancing Women website explains:

Obviously, women have come a long way since the “bad old days' in 1973 when F. Edward Hebert (the chair of the House Armed Services Committee) suggested that his Democratic colleagues Pat Schroeder and Ron Dellums share a chair—because in his view, "a girl and a black" were (as Schroeder remembers him saying) "worth only half of one 'regular' member."

Now why would Michelle omit the fact that the Democrat thought "a girl and a black" were only worth half of a 'regular' member of Congress?

But that's not all.

She also said:

We knew that to end slavery, we needed a proclamation from our President, an amendment to our Constitution.

She fails to mention that the President who issued the referenced proclamation was Abraham Lincoln who was - yes - a Republican. In fact, the Republican Party was formed by individuals opposed to slavery, another fact Democrats would like voters to forget.

She then said:

To end segregation, we needed the Supreme Court to overturn the lie of "separate but equal."

She is referencing Brown v. Board of Education in which the Court overturned, by unanimous vote, the previous standing of "separate but equal."

Chief Justice Earl Warren, who wrote the opinion, was a Republican, having served in elective office before being appointed Chief Justice of the United States. He was even the Republican Party's vice president nominee in 1948.

Why would she neglect to mention that such a landmark decision was written by a Republican?

Then she said:

To reach the ballot box, we needed Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act.

Here, again, she conveniently neglects history. It was southern Democrats who opposed this law, with Democrat Pres. Lyndon Johnson asking the Minority Leader for Republican support to break the Democrat filibuster against the bill.

Maybe Mrs. Obama doesn't want people to know that Republicans have a better record on civil rights than her fellow Democrats do:

As a matter of fact, the record shows that since 1933 Republicans had a more positive record on civil rights than the Democrats.

In the 26 major civil rights votes after 1933, a majority of Democrats opposed civil rights legislation in over 80 percent of the votes. By contrast, the Republican majority favored civil rights in over 96 percent of the votes.

[See http://www.congresslink.org/civil/essay.html and http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1982/3/82.03.04.x.html.]

Republicans supported the Civil Rights Act in higher proportions than Democrats.

The article continues:

The fact that Democrats are quick to take credit for the Civil Rights Act and for the civil rights movement itself is both phony and a self-absorbed vanity.
...
Democrats do themselves no good by taking credit for the civil rights movement or for legislation that came out of it. If they do that, they also must take the blame for the failures of the policies of dependence which they created and which choked the life out of the African-American culture and family life.

If African-Americans ever do vote for Republicans or conservatives, I hope they do so because they finally realize that though conservatives don't have all the answers, they do have enough faith in people to allow them the freedom to find the answers for themselves.

Perhaps this "faith in people to allow them the freedom to find the answers for themselves" is the core of the inconvenient truth that so scare Michelle Obama and her party.

No wonder she conveniently omits it.

Quotes of the Day - newspapers and falsehoods

While the quotes below might not surprise you, their author might:

"I will add, that the man who never looks into a newspaper is better informed than he who reads them; inasmuch as he who knows nothing is nearer to truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods & errors. He who reads nothing will still learn the great facts, and the details are all false."

"Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper. Truth itself becomes suspicious by being put into that polluted vehicle. The real extent of this state of misinformation is known only to those who are in situations to confront facts within their knowledge with the lies of the day. I really look with commiseration over the great body of my fellow citizens, who, reading newspapers, live & die in the belief, that they have known something of what has been passing in the world in their time; whereas the accounts they have read in newspapers are just as true a history of any other period of the world as of the present, except that the real names of the day are affixed to their fables."

~ Thomas Jefferson

Quote of the Day - being nice to liberals

A QOTD while I continue to recover from jet lag and the time changes from my trip to Hong Kong - and prepare for filling in on WSPD this week:

"Bill [Clinton] hates them [refugees] and fears them, especially the Cubans. Bill knows the Cubans are crazy. Only crazy people would flee from a country with free medical care, guaranteed employment for life, and first-rate gun control. The president and his sanctimonious twit of a wife have worked for decades to build a society like this, and here people are taking their lives in their hands to get away from it. ... Let's face facts about our disgusting political opponents. We've been nice to the liberals for too long. They're thugs. The liberal dream is to control people, to oppress and exploit them for some "higher" goal. And how are the liberals ever going to be able to control people brave enough to sail to Florida in a rum carton? ... A civilized society should no more tolerate the presence of a liberal than the presence of a member of the Ku Klux Klan. Indeed, it may be argued that liberalism is worse than the KKK, insofar as Klansman only hate some people while liberals hate them all." ~ P. J. O'Rourke in 1995

Filling in on WSPD

Yes - it's true...I'm filling in for Brian Wilson from 3-6 p.m. on 1370 WSPD today and all next week!

I hope you'll tune in and call in as we discuss the news of the day, along with the regular features like After the Bell.

Today is Fishing Line Friday and since I've been in Hong Kong for the past week, I'll look to you to call in and let me know the top stories for the past week - and what you think about them.

I'll also do a recap of the topics each day here on my blog.

See you at 3 p.m.!

I'm back!

Sorry for the lack of postings the last several days - I joined my aunt and uncle for a week in Uncle Bill's home town of Hong Kong.

It's an interesting place - and beautiful, but very crowded in the downtown areas. I had a really good time and am glad to have been able to see it and learn more about my Uncle Bill.

For today, I'm getting caught up on emails and news that I missed ... so here are several quotes that seemed timely:

"You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before." ~ Rahm Emmanuel

"Crisis is the rallying cry of the tyrant." ~ James Madison

"Statists relish 'crises' because they can be used to force more controls into our lives." ~ William P. Hoar

Toledo-Lucas County Public Library - SOL

What do you think of when you hear: SOL?

Most people have heard the slang phrase 's*** outta luck' or SOL for those who don't like to cuss.

Urban Dictionary defines it as:

When a request or problem is described, this phrase is used to tell the person that what they need or are requesting is simply not possible/available and probably won't be in the near future. An "urban" variation of "out of luck".

Basically, it means you're screwed.

So why would the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library use SOL for their levy campaign this November?

To them, it means "Save Our Library" but there is no escaping the SOL impression, which is certainly not the message they mean to convey.

What brilliant PR firm came up with that?

And yes, this does qualify for 'stuck-on-stupid' designation.

Of course, considering how upset so many voters are about the number of levy requests and the amount of new money being asked, the library's SOL campaign phrase may end up being prophetic.

Quote of the Day - why Republics fail

I'll have limited internet access over the next several days, so I've scheduled several QOTD posts just in case.

Here's the first - with enough food for thought to last at least until tomorrow:

"Republics are created by the virtue, public spirit, and intelligence of the citizens. They fall, when the wise are banished from the public councils, because they dare to be honest, and the profligate are rewarded, because they flatter the people, in order to betray them." ~ Joseph Story, Commentaries on the Constitution, 1833

Toledo City Council Meeting - September 11, 2001

Notes from Sherry:

In attendance: Councilmen Ludeman, McNamara, Steel, Collins, Martinez, Craig, Waniewski, Riley, Copeland, Sarantou, Councilwomen Webb, Hicks-Hudson, Mayor Bell, Deputy Mayor Herwat.

Tribute for 9/11 - Veteran's Groups, Policemen, Firemen, Presently Serving Military Personnel (180th Fighter Wing) – very good ceremony. Comments made by Steel, McNamara, Mayor Bell, Ludeman, Sarantou, Webb, and Hicks-Hudson.

Item 431 – Enact new Rules of Council for minor changes and moving items for consistency and logic – passed – all voting yes.

Item 435 – Levy assessments for roadside drainage system at 1850 Raynor Dr., 5 years, $1,642 – passed – all voting yes.

Item 438 – Sale of former Facility & Fleet Operations building on Albion St. to American Steel Products, 6 months, $1 – referred to Economic Development Committee.

Item 454 – Establish Personnel Compensation Review Committee for Classified Exempt – Webb – based on talk, ordinance Tabled.

Item 455 – Resolution – Support Toledo Public Schools November Levy, 4.9 mils, 10 year renewable – adopted – Waniewski, Ludeman voting no, rest yes.

Item 456 – Expenditure to Casnet for Onbase system for City Council document management:

* McNamara – presentation to Committee of the Whole.
* Collins – thought the same – who are the members? When it is held? Recommend this to be discussed – do something to preserve records of this Council.
* McNamara - Steel, Craig, and Ludeman are the members.
* Steel – Three departments use this on base – Casnet – not too many oppose to review the other entities.
* Hicks-Hudson – questions – explain how documents are created and stored.

1st Reading.

Item 457 – Resolution – Support rehabilitation of Arlington by the Lake for Ohio Housing Finance Agency funding.

* Martinez – suspend – added 2012 Housing Application

amendment – adopted – all voting yes.

Item 458 – Appropriation of Air Grant '13 for Environmental Services, $753,166 Ohio EPA & 315,814 U.S. EPA – passed – all voting yes.

Item 459 – Accept U.S. EPA job-training program grant with Owens C.C. For Environmental Services, $200,000 – passed – all voting yes.

Item 460 – Amend TMC Sec. 549.03(a), Carrying Concealed Weapons, to minor ORC language – passed – all voting yes.

Item 461 – Accept Ohio EMA 2010 grant for Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS) for fire, $317,419 – passed – all voting yes.

Item 462 - Accept Ohio EMA 2011 grant for Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS) for fire, $281,693 – passed – all voting yes.

Item 463 – Municipal Job Creation Tax Credit (MJCTC) to Piston Automotive LLC, 84 jobs, 40%, 6 years - passed – all voting yes.

Item 464 – Expenditure for Toledo Expansion Incentive (TEI) Program for 2011, $265,913 General Fund – passed – all voting yes.

Item 465 – Proceed with heating system for Fire Station #1, assess as energy improvement, 15 years, $150,000 – passed – all voting yes.

Item 466 – Appropriation for installation of handrails at Water Treatment, $45,000 Water Bond Fund – passed – all voting yes.

Item 467 – Rebuild RAS Pump #3 at Bay View WWTP, $30,000 Sewer Operating & Sewer Replacement Funds – passed – all voting yes.

Item 468 – Resolution – Street Lighting – Gardenview Homes at Swan Creek – adopted – all voting yes.

Item 469 – Issue Notes for 2012 Assessed Services Program, $24,200,000 – passed – all voting yes.

Item 470 – Issue Bonds to refund 2003 Water System Revenue Bonds, $16,500,000 – passed – all voting yes.

Item 471 – Agreement for hosting services for Department of Finances SAP software system, 3 years - 1st Reading. Craig – is there a hearing on this? Sarantou – yes, next Thursday at 1:30 PM.

Last Call:

Steel – IT issues – Some forth coming status? Update City's website.

Webb – Thanks Mayor, Ludeman, Sarantou for attending Howard Pinkley's funeral. Planning Board for Point Place Days and Parade will miss him . He was a good visionary. Plan for Parks & Recreation to meet at the West YMCA, at 6:30 on 9/26.

Collins – Thanks Martinez for the residents of Arlington by the Lake. The Lucas County Homeless Board had a study for Emergency Shelter – to the Department of Neighborhoods and all of Council – no debate in the future.

Craig – Thanks to all the colleges that showed up for the new Fire Station in East Toledo. There will be fighting over positions – great place to live and work.

Ludeman – Glad to be at Howard's funeral – fine Memorial. Meeting Friday for the Nautical Village.

Martinez – Housing Commission – check on tax credits – FYI on projects – know what's going on.

Sarantou – Sympathies to the Pinkley family – he had the energy for the Community – he was a visionary – now we need someone to fill that vision. Thursday meeting will issue a progress report.

McNamara – Committee of the Whole to meet September 18th at 4 PM – pay range, block watch, and serve on candidate.

Sears named 'Watchdog of the Treasury'

Congrats to State Rep. Barb Sears on being named "Watchdog of the Treasury"!!!

Here's the press release:

Sears Named “Watchdog of the Treasury”
Award honors fiscal discipline, responsible spending of tax dollars

COLUMBUS—State Representative Barbara Sears (R-Monclova Twp.) was today honored at the “Watchdog of the Treasury” award ceremony, hosted by the United Conservatives of Ohio. The award recognizes key legislators or policymakers who strive to restore responsible limited government, lower taxes, free enterprise and regulatory relief, and personal freedom.

“In order to get our economy moving and create needed jobs, it is important that Ohio is on strong fiscal standing,” Representative Sears said. “This award recognizes our work at balancing Ohio’s budget without raising taxes, as well as reducing government waste. I’m proud to receive it.”

The United Conservatives of Ohio supports the responsible spending of taxpayers’ dollars, the reduction of government waste, and a free-market system of competition among private sector firms.

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Non-apology apology is all radical extremists deserve

"I'm sorry you were offended."

It's a phrase we've all heard - mainly from politicians and other politicos. A sort of apology without apologizing.

What it means is that you're sorry the person took offense. It does NOT mean that you're sorry for what you said or did that gave the offense.

You're not expressing remorse for your deed. In fact, depending upon the tone, you could actually be expressing the view that the person had no justification for being offended in the first place.

I actually hate these types of apologies - when there is actually something that needs to be apologized for.

However, there are times when such apologies are highly appropriate - like now with the attacks on our embassies in Egypt and Libya.

It all started with a film.

Actually, there might be two movies - it's hard to tell from news reports. One is called "The Innocence of Muslims" and is produced by Sam Bacile, an Israeli-American based in southern California.

It appears that Esmat Zaklama and Morees Sadek, U.S.-based Coptic-Christian Egyptians, are involved in the other one and are being supported by the Terry Jones Church in the United States.

That movie, "Mohammad, Prophet of Muslims", portrays Mohammad "as a fool, a philanderer and a religious fake. In one clip posted on YouTube Mohammad was shown in a sexual act with a woman," Reuters reported.

Many Muslims believe that showing pictures or other characterizations of Mohammad is sacrilegious - but only in other countries does the act - or even threat - of doing so result in violence and death.

The U.S. Embassy in Cairo, posted this apology on the embassy website:

The Embassy of the United States in Cairo condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims - as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions. Today, the 11th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, Americans are honoring our patriots and those who serve our nation as the fitting response to the enemies of democracy. Respect for religious beliefs is a cornerstone of American democracy. We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of others.

Wait a minute: "...as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions." Really?

Funny - I don't recall anything similar being said when Jesus was depicted in urine.

These radical extremists attacked sovereign ground of the United States - invaded our property and forced our citizens to flee. If ever there was a time for an 'I'm sorry you were offended' phrase, this was it.

But that's not what we got. We got a condemnation of our rights to free speech.

The individuals involved in the film - a work of fiction, mind you - have "abused the universal right of free speech" and "hurt" the religious beliefs of others. Rather than being sorry others were offended, our nation actually apologized for the exercise of a "universal right."

Late last night, Jake Trapper reports, the White House distanced itself from the apology:

The statement was issued before the attacks on the compound, but given the subsequent attack — and the interpretation that the statement was somehow apologizing for free speech — the Obama administration itself took issue with it.

An administration official tells ABC News that “no one in Washington approved that statement before it was released and it doesn’t reflect the views of the U.S. government.”

Good for our President.

But when will Democrats call these Muslims 'extreme' and paint all Muslims as wacko and out-of-touch ... you know - like they do with the tea parties and Republicans?

A Google search for "tea party extreme" returned 24 million results in .28 seconds. A similar search for "Republican extreme" returned 38.4 million results in .29 seconds.

Interestingly, a Google search for "Muslim extreme" yields 56.4 million results in .27 seconds and the third entry, after two Wikipedia links, is this:

US Anti-Muslim Film 'Designed To Enrage'
Sky News‎ - 33 minutes ago
An extreme American film that ridicules the Prophet Mohammed and calls Islam a "cancer" provokes violence across Muslim countries.

Blaming America for the violent actions of others - what a surprise.

Clearly, I don't believe that all Muslims are extremists - just as I reject that all white people are racist and all poor people are black. Such generalities don't stand even the most cursory of examinations.

But too many liberal politicians, especially leaders in the Democratic Party, eagerly make such statements about their political opponents. I'm just waiting for them to do the same thing with these incidents. Or will they prove, yet again, their hypocrisy?

I hope the situations in Cairo and Libya can be resolved quickly and with no more loss of life. My personal preference would be to pull everything American out the countries and stop giving them any money. I realize that may not be diplomatically or politically possible, but I'll bet many Americans agree with me.

My thoughts and prayers are with the friends and families of those killed - and with President Obama as he addresses these attacks on the nation, people and principles he represents.

Quotes of the Day - in memory

Several QsOTD as we remember the loss of our fellow Americans on Sept. 11, 2001. Let us also remember the strength of our nation and our resolve to protect it and the principles it represents, along with the sacrifices made by so many since.

“Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children." ~ President George W. Bush, November 11, 2001

“Now, we have inscribed a new memory alongside those others. It’s a memory of tragedy and shock, of loss and mourning. But not only of loss and mourning. It’s also a memory of bravery and self-sacrifice, and the love that lays down its life for a friend–even a friend whose name it never knew." ~ President George W. Bush

"Our enemies have made the mistake that America’s enemies always make. They saw liberty and thought they saw weakness. And now, they see defeat." ~ President George W. Bush

I agree with Romney on health care - sort of

Over the weekend, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said he wants to repeal Obamacare - the Affordable Care Act - but that there are portions of it he likes, including covering pre-existing conditions and children.

Actually, I believe that insurance companies should offer coverage to individuals with pre-existing conditions. I don't believe they should be forced to, but it would be to their advantage to do so.

But (yes, the infamous 'but') - they should not be forced to accept individuals with pre-existing conditions at the same rate as other customers without such conditions.

Life insurance for a healthy person is cheaper than for someone who has heart disease and a history of heart attacks. Why shouldn't health insurance work the same way?

Why shouldn't individuals with pre-existing conditions pay more for their health insurance, especially if they wait until after they are sick to obtain it?

If the government doesn't insist that individuals are absolved from the potential negative consequences of their actions, they might just be inclined to take the appropriate action ahead of time.

If you know you can get away with being irresponsible, you're more likely to be irresponsible. That's human nature. Just like children as they are growing up, you tell them repeatedly that touching a hot stove will hurt, but they keep trying until they succeed and learn, because it hurts, that it was the wrong thing to do.

So I agree with Romney that individuals with pre-existing conditions should have access to health care, but I believe that such 'access' should come at a higher cost.

And should 'children' be able to be covered? Sure. But then, I define 'chidren' as descendants (legal or biological) under the age of 18 or over 18 and still attending school.

I would even go so far as to say that insurance companies would find an abundance of clients if they allowed relatives living in the same household to be covered under an insurance plan. They do this with car insurance - why not with health insurance?

Of course, this would work best if health insurance were purchased like car insurance and not just through your employer - with individuals receiving the same tax advantages as employers currently do.

Car insurance rates are affordable and there are plenty of policy options and coverage levels to fit every need. If health insurance were reformed to mirror the structure of car insurance, wouldn't that be a huge improvement?

These are good ideas, but the devil is in the details. Will government mandate such things, or open up the market so such structures can develop?

There's the rub...

Quote of the Day - government prejudice

"The ordaining of laws in favor of one part of the nation, to the prejudice and oppression of another, is certainly the most erroneous and mistaken policy. An equal dispensation of protection, rights, privileges, and advantages, is what every part is entitled to, and ought to enjoy." ~ Benjamin Franklin

Last free dump day for Toledo

Press Release from City of Toledo:

The City of Toledo will offer another opportunity for residents to dispose of bulk waste at the Hoffman Road Landfill free of charge this Saturday, September 8. The landfill will be open from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. and proof of residency will be required in the form of a current utility bill and valid photo identification.

Acceptable bulky waste items include excess trash, furniture, carpeting, mattresses, wood waste, and scrap metal. There will be no free commercial dumping.

Appliances and items containing Freon; hazardous, chemical, toxic, poisonous, flammable or industrial waste; tires; batteries; paint and oil will not be accepted. For a complete list of prohibited items and information about hazardous waste disposal, please visit the Division of Solid Waste page on the city’s website, www.toledo.oh.gov.

This will be the final free dump day offered in 2012. Previous opportunities were provided following the Memorial Day and Independence Day holidays.

###

Why do we pay a 'death gratuity' for members of Congress?

This came to my attention the other day - we actually have a law that requires a Death Gratuity be paid to the survivors of a member of Congress who dies in office.

The amount paid is equal to one year’s salary, so when Sen. Robert Byrd died, his family got $193,400 from taxpayers.

When Sen. Ted Kennedy died, his family (already rich by Pres. Obama's standards) got $174,000 in taxpayer funds. Rep. John Murtha's family also got $174,000.

Why?

Originally, it was supposed to be a form of life insurance, and it has been compared to what many private sector employers offer to their employees. But with all the the other 'perks' that go with Congressional elective service, is this really necessary?

The Senate handbook details what is to be done following the death of a member in office: “in the next appropriations bill, an item will be inserted for a gratuity to be paid to the widow(er) or other next- of-kin, in the amount of one-year’s compensation.”

The House amount is "equal to the Member’s annual salary, payable to the deceased Member’s widow or widower, or children."

In both cases, the gratuity is considered a "gift" per U.S. Code.

Most people will find this atrocious, especially when 'average' Americans are charged a death tax when they die.

In 2010, Rep. Bill Posey introduced a bill to end the death gratuity. It was a target of the Republican Study Committee’s (RSC) Sunset Caucus. As Posey told the Daily Caller when he introduced the bill:

"We’ve got soldiers dying that don’t get customary benefits like that. That is not right so we are going to see if we can repeal it.

"Nobody knows about this program. It is not that the public is demanding that something be done about this, but if they did know about it, then they would be demanding it."

Indeed.

On Oct. 10, 2011, Posey's bill was referred to the House Committee on House Administration, where it awaits action.

Maybe it's time to bring it to a vote.

Quote of the Day - the racism of Planned Parenthood

"Colored people are like human weeds and are to be exterminated." ~ Margaret Sanger, Founder of Planned Parenthood

UPDATED! Where in the world is Samuel Wurzelbacher?

Samuel Wurzelbacher, also known as Joe the Plumber, is running against Marcy Kaptur to represent the redrawn Congressional District 9.

At least, I think he's still running.

He has a campaign committee and a website, but has been conspicuously absent from the news over the last month. That may be because of the flack he took for this:

"For years I've said, 'Put a damn fence on that border going to Mexico and start shooting...' that's how I feel. I'm not going to hide it just because I'm running for office. I want the borders protected, and I'm very adamant about that."

He made that comment on Aug. 10, PrescottNews.com reported, when he was in Arizona. Yes, Arizona - nearly 2,000 miles from his district.

He has no scheduled events listed on his website:

His last press release was June 29:

His last endorsement was three months ago:

He has kept up his Facebook page:

and his Twitter feed:

But there has been no news from him on the conventions or for Labor Day - and no reaction to comments made recently by his opponent.

This is not the way to win a campaign...

UPDATE: In conjunction with this post, this morning I sent a message to Sam via his Twitter and Facebook accounts to ask if he had any upcoming campaign events. Despite having updated both accounts, he's not yet responded...

According to Cory Booker, the poor are unpatriotic

Newark Mayor Cory Booker was explaining the Democratic Party platform in his comments last night at their convention.

He said it contains "significant" spending cuts and ...

"... a balanced deficit reduction plan where everyone, everyone - from elected officials to the wealthy and the super wealthy - pay their fair share. When your country is in a costly war with our soldiers sacrificing abroad and our nation is facing a debt crisis at home, being asked to pay your fair share isn’t class warfare – it’s patriotism."

Really? Now it's patriotic to pay taxes to the government?

I checked three on-line dictionaries and each one defined patriotism as love of, or devotion to, one's country. And here I thought money couldn't buy love.

Notice that he says "everyone" and even repeats it, but actually doesn't mean every person. He just talks about politicians, the wealthy and the super wealthy.

If paying taxes is patriotic, why do we let so many pay nothing at all?

According to the left-leaning Tax Policy Center, 46.4% of Americans paid no federal income tax for 2011. This corresponds with the right-leaning Heritage Foundation's figure of 49.% paying no federal income tax in 2009.

Note - we're only talking about federal taxes because this is the national platform for the presidential election.

TPC adds that of the 46.4%, roughly 28% do pay payroll taxes. This means that they pay Social Security withholding, Medicare withhold and income tax withholding.

Since SS and Medicare are supposed to be set-asides for future payments the individual will receive, they're not a tax that is going to support the general functions of government. (At least, they aren't supposed to be, even though politicians have raided those funds for general spending - but that a topic for another post.)

So those 28% who do have income tax withheld from their paychecks either get all of it returned to them - or more. Yes, some people end up getting more in their tax refund than they originally paid in.

So, it is accurate to say that roughly half of tax filers in recent years have paid nothing to support the general obligations of the government.

Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

How much is their "fair share"? Do they even have a 'fair share'? Surely a 'share' can't be equal to nothing - right?

If we are to believe Mayor Booker, paying your fair share is patriotic and everyone should do it.

To the dictionary, to me - and, I would hope, to 'everyone' else - the word "everyone" means every single person; all; each of us.

That's not the definition Booker is using.

He - and the Democrats - don't mean that every one of us should have some skin in the game. He just means that people who are richer should pay more than what they're paying now and the people who are paying nothing should continue to benefit.

The people who pay no federal income taxes are not helping to support the highways they travel on. They're not helping to support the military who defends them (as Booker mentions so dramatically). They're not helping to keep their food safe, their water clean and their air free from pollutants. They're not contributing to the cost of printing money, regulating banks, or even the salaries of their elected officials. They're not funding research or maintaining our national parks. They're not securing our borders or stopping drugs smugglers. They're not supporting our space efforts. They're not helping the Postal Service - and heaven knows it needs a lot of help.

To use the Democrats' own word, they're making absolutely no "investment" in their country - but they are reaping the rewards of the investments being made by others.

And, according to Booker, because they are not paying anything at all, much less their "fair share," they're unpatriotic as well.

Who knew?

Obama had some little lambs

Sent to be via email - said the author is anonymous:

Obama has some little lambs
...
From black to white as snow
And everywhere Obama says
Those sheep are sure to go

He tricked them with Obamacare
(Which really get’s them nothin’)
Except the same, at higher cost
And turns them into mutton

The sheep from other ranches
Eating up our grass
Instead of sending them away
O says let them pass

He says, “Let’s just let them stay,
Don’t give them any static
But give them jobs, free food and schools
And they’ll vote Democratic.”

And all of those who made a buck
Obama says are bad
And they should pay for all the rest
Or my flock will be sad

It makes no difference if they work
Harder than the rest
As long as they have more than us
Then we should be their guests.

Yes Obama has some little lambs
If we let them, they will spoil it
Take America down the drain
And right into the toilet

Gov. Ted Strickland's Top 10 DNC talking points

It's always a good thing to be able to laugh at yourself and also to appreciate true humor, even when you're the butt of the jokes.

Somehow, I don't think Democrats or former Ohio Governor Ted Strickland will take that to heart when it comes to this Press Release from the Ohio Republican Party:

COLUMBUS - Today Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Bennett made the following statement on Governor Ted Strickland's keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention along with a list of ten talking points he might highlight from his four years as governor.

"The Democratic National Convention is apparently so desperate for speakers they actually have Ted Strickland on the schedule. Whoever decided to give a speaking role to a fired governor responsible for 400,000 lost jobs ought to have their head examined...but then again, I've been saying that about the Democrats for years," stated Bennett.

The following is a preview of what Ted might say in tonight's speech.

10. "After John Tester, Joe Manchin, Claire McCaskill, Bernie Sanders, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers declined invites to the Convention, the DNC was looking to fill-in. And since everyone from the speaker of the New York General Assembly to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee warned all their members to stay away, -- I'm honored you asked me to be here tonight!"

9. "Representative Betty Sutton is back home in Ohio tonight. She said she didn't come to the Convention because she has 'things to do'. Lucky for me, after the Ohio voters fired me, my schedule is wide open!"

8. "For those of you who don't know me, you may recognize me from the 'Shame on you Barack Obama' commercial!"

7. "It's good to see a decent crowd here in Charlotte tonight. I spoke at the Obama campaign kick-off in Columbus this year and that place was half empty!"

6. "Under Barack Obama, fewer Americans are working today than when he took office. I'm happy to report that I contributed 400,000 lost jobs to that effort!"

5. "You know, if I just keep taking credit for the economy during the last two years before I took office and the first two years of the Kasich administration, I can say I had a fantastic four years as Governor of Ohio!"

4. "Republicans claim John Kasich cleaned up the mess I left behind as Governor. But I'm here tonight to make the case that it was Barack Obama who cleaned up the mess I left behind as Governor!"

3. "John Kasich is no Barack Obama. Kasich balanced a budget, cut taxes, and had a laser-focus on job creation. Barack Obama hasn't done a single one of those things! He's nothing like John Kasich!"

2. "I'm glad the Democrats are refusing to answer 'are you better off today than you were four years ago?' I've learned a lot watching them dodge and duck that question, and claim it's the wrong question to ask. Where the hell were these guys when I needed them in 2010?"

1. "Mitt Romney is running a scary campaign. Like John Kasich two years ago he's
smearing his opponent by pointing out facts about his record. That's bad news folks -- because it usually works!"

###

Obama's big lie

President Barack Obama was in Toledo for the Labor Day weekend and during his speech at Scott High School, here's what he had to said about the auto bailout which he, and other Democrats, call a 'rescue plan':

"We weren't going to give up on your jobs and your families and your communities. We weren't going to let Detroit go bankrupt. We weren't going to let Lordstown go bankrupt. We weren't going to let Toledo go bankrupt."

GM did go bankrupt!

And they may end up in bankruptcy - AGAIN!

If the company had gone directly to a bankruptcy reorganization instead of first getting billions of taxpayer dollars in a bailout and then going bankrupt anyway, the American public wouldn't be saddled with thousands of shares of a company that is likely to go bankrupt again and a debt that probably will never be repaid..

All the bailout money did was delay the inevitable - and it is a complete lie when Pres. Obama says that he "wasn't going to let Detroit go bankrupt."

Sadly, Obama is aided and abetted by a press too eager to let the lie stand, since no one bothers to include even a single sentence that states "GM did file for bankruptcy."

Where are the fact-checkers on this one?

Lawsuit filed over voter rolls

Judicial Watch and True the Vote have sued the state of Ohio because voter registrations in three counties are greater than the population. They state this is a violation of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) which requires states to take reasonable steps to maintain clean voter registration lists.

The lawsuit states:

"...the number of individuals listed on voter registration rolls in the following three counties in the State of Ohio exceeds 100% of the total voting age population in these counties: Auglaize, Wood, and Morrow. (And in both Auglaize and Wood, the voter registration rolls exceed 105% of total voting age population.) This data demonstrating the discrepancy in voter registration rolls to total voting age population in each of these counties constitutes prima facie evidence that the State of Ohio has failed to comply with its voter list maintenance obligations under Section 8
of the NVRA."

The suit also states that, in 2008, the average rate of voter
registration to voting age population was 71%. Ohio 34 counties in which the percentage exceeds 90%. Those counties (from highest to lowest percentage) are:

Lawrence, Cuyahoga, Henry, Medina, Mahoning, Delaware, Putnam, Hancock, Fairfield, Geauga, Van Wert, Lucas, Montgomery, Jackson, Ottawa, Stark, Hamilton, Miami, Franklin, Gallia, Greene, Jefferson, Trumbull, Lorain, Wyandot, Athens, Harrison, Clermont, Licking, Logan, and Erie.

Judicial Watch is partnering with True the Vote and the Election Law Center's J. Christian Adams, who previously served in the voting rights section of the Department of Justice, on a nationwide campaign to ensure the integrity of the 2012 elections.

The text of the lawsuit is available here.