This afternoon local (very successful) businessman Tom Ganley has thrown his hat into the Republican primary campaign to replace retiring Senator George Voinovich.  Mr. Ganley put an end to months of speculation from his hometown of Breaksville, OH.  Mr. Ganley has built an empire of 42 automobile dealerships through North East Ohio.  The Republican primary will hopefully benefit from what Mr. Ganely could bring to the primary with his skill set as a job a profit producing businessman.

We are still flabbergasted by the embarrassing, rambling, and shameful display this afternoon at the Cuyahoga County Administration building that starred Commissioner “Jimmy” Dimora.  Commissioner Dimora is a skilled politician and leader: he has dominated one of the most fortified bastions of democrat party.  This requires skill.

However, we must digress for a moment.  On June 16th County Engineer Robert Klaiber “responded”  to the infestation of corruption in his office.

For the moment we will leave off with two questions:

Q1)Was it Republicans who motivated the prosecution of disgraced former Recorder Pat O’malley on federal obscenity charges?

A1)No. It was a crooked bill board deal from when O’malley was a Cleveland Councilman.

Q2)What caused the conviction of Frank Russo during the 90’s?

A2)?

ENIGIINEER KLAIBER: YOU ARE A DISGRACE.  YOU DO NOT DESERVE TO SHEPARD THE COUNTY’S OFFICE IN CHARGE OF TECHNICAL WORK AND ITS ADMINISTRATION IF YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOUR EMPLOYEES ARE UP TO.  This charge transcends the partisanship implied by its source.  YOU ARE EITHER IMPOTENT AS A LEADER, ENGINEER AND ADMINISTRATOR.  FURTHERMORE, YOU PLEDGE NOT TO RUN FOR OFFICE AGAIN HAS THE IMPLICATION OF YOUR AGREEMENT NOT TO DO SO WITH FEDERAL AUTHORITIES.

We young, conservative republicans have sat idly by for two weeks and have not lobbed (as tempting as it has been) snarky postings.  However, today’s blathering and embarrassing display by Commissioner Dimora requires condemnation.  Commissioner Dimora.  Commissioner Dimora charged his recent negative publicity with a republican orchestrated investigation of elected Cuyahoga County Democrats.  Basically, Commissioner Dimora is implying that 100’s of employees of the Government’s Executive Branch (FBI, US Attorney’s Office, D.O.J) with being motivated by a political attack against him and his party.

This causes two questions to come to mind?

Q1) what lead to the investigation and conviction of disgraced  former Recorder Pat O’malley on felony obscenity charges?

Q2)What lead to the conviction of Auditor Frank Russo during the 90’s?

What crazy republican scheme lead to these convictions?

Conservative Republicans are fair.  Also, we value the truth and its pursuit.  With that in mind we would like to give columnist Mike McIntyre a chance to respond.  Below is our “News” Paper’s beloved Tipoff column responding to a blog post a couple of days ago.  The post was in response to Mr. McIntyre’s article that detailed local elected democrats naming dropping and throwing their wait around.  Enough from us.  Here is Mr. McIntyre’s full, unedited, unabridged response (disclaimer:  Mr. McIntyre is a professional that we respect, even though we may disagree with him.  He deserves to tell his side):

Joe. Mike McIntyre here. Saw the recent post on the
Young Republicans website about my tendency to
“slobber” over local Democrats in my Tipoff
column. (I was Googling myself — for legitimate reasons, I
swear — and that came up on the search.) There didn’t
appear to be a place for comments, so I thought I’d send
you this note directly.

I’m wondering, first, where you get the notion that I
tend to slobber over Democrats? I guess that means you think
I love Democrats, and by extension that I hate Republicans,
but I’m not sure. Anyway, wondered where that came from.

Second, on that blog post itself, I’m still not sure
what point the author is trying to make. Did I choose to not
write it because it involved The Plain Dealer? No. If I
hadn’t written about it, it wouldn’t have come to
light. Did I simply say Cleveland doesn’t respond to
calls? No. I said that, and I noted that Westbrook drops
names like they’re greased.

Anyway, the author of the post, you, your organization –
whoever– has every right to dislike my column and my
“attempts at wit.” (Believe me, sometimes I
can’t even make my kids laugh and they’re easy.) But
I think it’s a stretch to call me a Democratic
apologist, both in that item and in my column in general. I
try to write about a variety of topics, many of them dealing
with public officials. Many of them, in Cuyahoga County,
happen to be Democrats. But you can talk to Rob Frost or
Dick Ambrose or Debbie Sutherland or Bruce Akers or Joan
Synenberg or many other Republican officeholders about
whether I have a reputation as a Democratic shill.

Okay, thanks for allowing me the chance to respond to you.

We’ll take the opportunity to elaborate more later.   We don’t want to steal his thunder.

This is an excerpt directly from Michael K. McIntyre’s “Tipoff” section in today’s Metro Section at www.cleveland.com:

” ‘This is Councilman Westbrook. I’m over with former federal Prosecutor Greg White at The Plain Dealer,’ Westbrook began. ‘I was wondering if you could — I mean as a federal prosecutor, I mean — can you give me an idea when a car might arrive?’

The dispatcher said she couldn’t estimate a time, since police were busy on other calls.

Common Please Judge Timothy McGinty then tried calling the officer in charge, noting that the crime might be easy to solve with a security tape and fingerprint analysis. He got the same answer. No car. Fill out a report.”

Michael McIntyre slobbers all over local democrats, both elected and non-elected, in almost everyone of his attempts at wit in the Plain Dealer’s Metro Section.  In today’s “article” McIntyre relays a story detailing how the City of Cleveland can barely respond to calls.  Allegedly, formal federal prosecutor Greg White had his car broken into.  The City of Cleveland being slow and inept could not respond to a call to take a police report an investigate.

So, Councilman Jay Westbrook called over local precinct and did what Cuyahoga County Democrats do best: name drop and schmooze.  The ironic part is that the City of Cleveland does not even care when its local elected officials call.

Very funny.

If funnier is the fact that this happened in the parking lot of the City of Cleveland’s public relations firm: The Plain Dealer.

The funniest part of the article is that McIntyre and his editors used the word “Please” to refer to a County Pleas Judge.

McIntyre, his editors, and local democrats should go spend a few days with Cleveland Schools CEO Eugene Sanders and his 18 administrators who make more than $130,000 per year.

McIntyre, the Plain Dealer and local democrats make us laugh.

We are now several months into what many Americans hoped, 64 million in fact, would change our nation’s course.  How is that hope and change working for you all?

We won’t even touch on the problems with admitted tax cheats running the Treasury Department (the I.R.S’ boss); that would be far too easy.  For instance, how does President Obama and Secretary Geitner tell America’s people and companies with a straight face that I.R.S. needs to get more serious about tax code enforcement; for instance, loop holes (legal aspects of legislation) must be closed that Rep. Charles Rangel’s (D, New York) committee authored thereby increasing the Treasury’s take.  Or, how about the crack down on off shore tax shelters used by wealthy Americans.  This is all too easy to criticize.

Instead, let’s take a look at the unemployment data released today.  The Labor Department reported that the May unemployment rate increased from 8.9% in April to 9.4%.  President Obama is at the helm of the highest unemployment rate in 25 years!  Furthermore, if the Americans who have stopped looking for work are included in the unemployment figure the actual number is 16.4%!!!  This rate is the highest since 1994, under Democrat undergod the impeached and disgraced and disbarred William Jefferson Clinton.

How is the hope and change working out?  Guess those shovel ready projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are being hampered by Bush.

Let’s move closer to home.  Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Service finally stopped investigating private citizens once Hellen Kelly Jones was thrown under the buss by Governor Strickland.  This gave them time to announce that unemployment is growing, growing, through the roof!  Last year under Bush in May unemployment was 6.2%  During April unemployment in Ohio was 9.7% and was 10.2% in May.

Suddenly Governor Strickland is running out of people to blame.  No more Bush.  Only Obama to blame now!

How is that hope and change working?

Governor Strickland has torn a book out of Bush’s library on governance; tax cuts.  However, despite offering $31 million in tax cuts to tech giant NCR…Governor Strickland allowed the company to flee to greener pastures.

Despite having 100’s of GM and Chrysler dealerships in Ohio Governor Strickland has been absolutely silent as the bankrupt companies are threatening to break State franchise law.  Furthermore, parts distributor giants Visteon and Delphi will be devastated.  More job losses for Ohio.

Can America and Ohio afford the Obama-Strickland hope and change?

NO WE CAN’T!

Despite ha

That’s right.  A municipal government is considering reducing the pay of employees.  Don’t worry.  These are the working shlubs not tithing to a public service employees union.  Its just the department heads and other non-union working stiffs that will forgo raises and may take cuts.

Who are these council members?  Are they nuts?  Is it those snooty Gates Mills or Pepper Pike employees that might be getting their pay cut? Nope!  Is it Parma, ha ha even you knew it wasn’t them.  It must be an affluent suburb, right?

Wrong. It’s Mentor, Ohio.

Remember: we are the GREATER Cleveland YR’s.  Not the Cuyahoga County YR’s.  We do go to other cities and counties for social engagements and make friends.

Anyhow, our friends in Lake County are setting an example that Cuyahoga County Democrat henchman like Mayor Dean Dipiero and Parma City Council better take a look at: cutting pay and staff.  Sadly, that means their siblings kids and their friends that marched in parades for them and Bill Mason may not be able to buy that iPhone or donate to next year’s commissioner campaigns.

Mentor has an employee pay rol 364 deep.  The unions have not gotten to 118 people.  So, 118 City of Mentor employees may face reduced pay and reduced benefits.  This includes, get this, council staff!  This same council staff is reported to get not vacation or sick time!  Of course, the rest of the pay roll are union members and will continue to receive 3% cost of living adjustments.

Can you imagine telling Joe Cimperman or Martin Sweeney that they have to work more than 20 weeks a year on less that $72,000?! Or, how about that their $25, 000/year expense accounts or going to be cut.

Maybe the municipalities in Cuyahoga County will wake-up.

Not going to happen.

Let’s face it.  While not perfect (by a loooooooong shot), Ohio’s Senate passed a budget that contains an amendment DIRECTED at reforming Cuyahoga County’s (lack of efficient, ethical) government.  The exact amendment was worded such that it would apply to large Counties with a population right around…you guessed…Cuyahoga County.

For months and months the Plain Dealer has beat the County Reform drum.  In fact, about every other week the editorial page and Metro section staff (air) publish the “dirty laundry” laying around the rooms and hall ways of our 10, 000 strong county government.  These exposes have included such hits as the infamous “mug shots” of county employees and their connections to the elected officals’ office in which they take up space.  It is clear that the Plain Dealer has been pushing an agenda; do not trust the Plain Dealer because it too will be bankrupt soon.  Heck, the Plain Dealer like County Government must lay off people.

The Senate Republicans have proposed a plan put together by Senator Tim Grendel and Senator Tom Patton.  This YR has met both and thinks both mean well.  However, the plan proposed by the honorable Senators is does not go far enough to reform.  In fact, one could make the argument that it actually may make government bigger!  Basically, the plan would replace the three county commissioners with thirteen county councilman and an executive.  Furthermore,  the auditor, recorder and treasurer would be rolled into one appointed roll; fiscal officer.  The coroner and engineer would also be appointed.  This leaves the sheriff and prosecutor up for election, by…get this…, the people!

This isn’t even a start.  Also, it means we would end up with more corrupt career Democrat politicians. This seems to increase government and manufacture more patronage machines.  Anything on ethics, spending, anything?

Local democrats are moaning and wailing.  County Commissioners fired off a letter charging that this is be driven by the Plain Dealer and Republican Party in so many words.

However, given the amount of money the Federal Government is spending investigating corruption in local government can we afford to listen to the same people whose homes and offices are being raided, and whose employees are being indicted on extortion?

It seems that the State of Ohio is hanging onto sanity for dear life via Senate Republicans.  The Governor and the State’s House of Representatives have served up a $56 billion budget to Ohio tax payers who also will have to pay the bill.  Governor Strickland, House Speaker Armond Budish, and Senate President Bill Harris have pledged NOT  to raise taxes.

However, you and I know that we can not pay for this budget without borrowing and raising taxes.  So, what’s goin’ on?  You got it!  Uncle Obama is sending us check via the so-called “Stimulus” spending.  Now, anyone with a pulse, expect Ohio’s News Media, is asking “What happens when Uncle Obama stops sending checks?”

Enter Senate Republicans, Stage middle right (not exactly from the right you notice).  Sentate Republicans have proposed a very, very modest 1.8% decrease in the over-the-top State budget.  This will be largely accomplished by cutting, GASP, earmarked projects (approx. $140), and around $400 million from State Agencies.

Senate Republicans do not deserve accolades, kudos, or even a pat on the back: THEY PROPOSED A MEASLY 1.8% reduction in spending.  How about proposing a 20% reduction and settling for 15%, boys!?

“The Red-Coats are coming! The Red-Coats are coming!” The horse was running as fast as it could run. The man was crying at the top of his voice, “The Red-Coats are coming! Get ready!” If it was midnight. That is the reason history calls it, “Paul Revere and the mid-night ride.”

The load was getting heavier and heavier! Then came the “Boston Tea Party” and the “Stamp Act.” To add one more thing to the heavy load of taxes the British put on the Stamp Act to raise more taxes. That was when Patrick Henry made the famous speech and spoke those words that have been ringing down through the ages, “Give me liberty or give me death.” I wish people had the “back-bone” to say the same thing today.

Unfortunately, North East Ohio, Cuyahoga county more specifically, lacks a screaming voice in the night with a blazing torch warning of the perils of a bloated oppressive government imposing onerous taxes on its residents.  Instead, we have a News Paper that has dutifully campaigned for tax-after-tax-after-tax.  The residents of Cuyahoga County have been all too willing accomplices with local elected democrats and The Plain Dealer.

Case in point: on May 6th, 2009 Cuyhoga county Residents had ballots containing eighteen issues, of which fourteen were legislation seeking to seize more public capital.  Thirteen of fourteen tax issues were passed by Cuyahoga county Residents on May 6th, 2009.  The only tax issue not passing was the Parma School Levy.  Despite use of young children by Parma’s Superintendent and School Board to hawk a tax increase by strategically placing billboards with their faces voters soundly rejected the measure.  The price paid: 50 teachers must go.  Thank local democrat party insider J. Kevin Kelly, the Cuyahoga County Democrat Party and its Chairman as well; they cost 50 teachers their jobs.

The rest of the twelve tax issues passing ranged from added income taxes in Brooklyn and Warresnville Heights to added taxes for school levies in North Royalton and Bedford.  Despite the worst economic downturn in a life time local elected democrats asked you raise taxes and almost everyone obliged!

Today, May 5th 2009 brings us another election day.  Free, honest, and open elections are one of the great things about America.  Despite a few conspiracy theories in recent years there is no reason to worry about the integrity of our polls…well maybe not in Minnesota right now (i.e. With Al Franken’s theft of a US Senate Seat).

For the most part, 99.999% of the time elections in the country are above board.  Let’s look at some local municipalities have up for a vote today.

There are 18 issues being voted on today by Municipalities in Cuyahoga County.  Guess how many seek to increase your taxes or renew past tax increases?

Sixteen of eighteen issues seek to either increase or renew the heavy tax burden on Cuyahoga County Residents!

Two of the sixteen issues are proposed income tax increases.

Issue 13

City of Warrensville Heights

Proposed Municipal Income Tax Increase

Shall the Ordinance providing for a 0.60 percent increase in the current levy on income, to a rate of 2.6% effective July 1, 2009, to provide funds for the purposes of general municipal functions of the City and for constructing, furnishing, equipping, improving and operating community facilities known as the City of Warrensville Heights Towncenter, be passed?

Here’s a good one…Parma’s infamous school board and Mayor are on the ballot to keep your taxes high…and, raise them higher!  We love the signs that Parma Schools paid a advertising firm in which the faces of children were juxtaposed with phrases like: “Voting against the levy is voting against them.”  How about Mayor Dean Dipero and Parma School Superintendent Sarah Zatik take a year off from begging and clean house?

Issue 8

City of Parma

We are now taking reservations for our annual golf outing and steak dinner in remembrance of former GCYR VP Wally Davenport.  This year’s event is at Briarwood Golf Club.  You can make a day of it and golf (for the squeamish it is a scramble so you play as a team and take the best shot) for $80 which includes cart, lunch and steak dinner.  For those of you who are not brave enough to storm the links you can just enjoy dinner for $40.  There will be adult beverages available for those of age.  We have some great speakers planned which we hope to be announcing soon.  Please see the attached flyer and feel free to pass it along.  We are also offering opportunities to sponsor a hole, if you or a candidate you know would like to sponsor a hole reply this to e-mail and we can get you the details.  RSVP soon, we are looking forward to making this a major Republican event in our county.

This Saturday May 2nd, 2009 the Cuyahoga County Democrat Party’s Central Committee will vote on a sheriff to formally succeed the disgraced Gerald Mcfaul.  A few questions come to mind when one thinks about tomorrow’s ”election.”  Of course, the election at which the body of the party that has its statutory authority, the Central Committee, will be administered by the Party’s Chairman: Commissioner Jimmy Dimora.

Wait minute!

Isn’t that the same Commissioner and Chairman whose offices at the Cuyahoga County Administration Building and residence raided by federal agents? Yes it is!

That’s right!

The same 1300 central committee members who allow their chairman to stay at the helm of the party and in office are going to decide who the top cop will be in Cuyahoga County.  It just seems like something is wrong here.

How can we trust a body of electors and the chairman under federal investigation to pick our next sherriff?  Since the Governor of Ohio has the power remove a sheriff from office, and can be considered a figurative head of the party why does he not demand a special election by Cuyahoga County residents?  If the Cuyahoga County’s Democrat Central Committee lacks the integrity to question its party’s leader why don’t local elected officials speak up?

Oh!  Those elected officals did! U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich recently told party insiders that Jimmy Dimora “is the back bone of Ohio’s Democrat Party” at a recent $200 per plate fundraiser attended by Gov. Strickland.

This is an affront to the residents of Cuyahoga County.  Someone needs to stand up.

However, that someone won’t be the Plain Dealer either.  Instead of demanding the resignation of County disgrace Jimmy Dimora, or at least someone else running May 2nd’s election, the Raw Dealer continues to advocate for the hand selected interim Sheriff Frank Bova.

Cuyahoga County deserves a special election instead of letting party insiders select a new sherriff.

Everyone one involved in today’s “election” knew full well what McFaul was up to.

We can give credit where credit is due.  Us young conservative republicans are honest enough to admit when a blind squirrel finds a nut.  This past January Cleveland Mayor Frank “no action” Jackson announced that Cleveland’s budget had been balanced without any cuts.  Wow!  Everyone else has to tighten the belt, but, somehow Cleveland was ahead for a change.

See here:  http://tinyurl.com/noaction-jackson

However, two recent revelations by our friends at Cleveland’s daily fish wrap forecast trouble on the horizon for Mayor Jackson, Councilman Zack Reed, and the rest of all those lovable characters on The City of Cleveland.

First, we learn that elected democrats have knowingly violated a charter amendment from the 30’s.

See here:  http://tinyurl.com/bumbling-dems-1

So, elected democrats have appointed friends and family (nothing new) to City jobs and in doing so violated laws that were set up to prevent such malfeasance.  Now, Mayor “no action” Jackson is upset that a judge he proabally helped elect fined the city almost a million bucks.

I guess the Mayor should have thought of the firefighters’ and cops’ families before he carried on behavior that will push the City into default.

I suggest Cleveland City Council hold a bake sale.  That will give the health department a real run for their money!

Moving right along…if it wasn’t bad enough that Jane Campbell was allowed to wreak havoc for four years her and Frank Jackson’s political love child (i.e. red light cameras) might cost the city millions more!!

See here:

http://tinyurl.com/dems-blow-it

That’s right, after getting slapped with a million dollar fine for hiring friends and family Cleveland continued to issue tickets they knew may not be legal.  The city’s law director admits the law was flawed.

Way to go Cleveland Democrats!

While pursuing the region’s news tonight one has to ask themselves: can they (i.e. Cuyahoga County Democrats) be trusted with the important decisions at hand?  Forget med mart locations, etc.  We are talking basic civics.

How about local property taxes?

http://tinyurl.com/cuy-dems-lie

The Plain Dealer reports that Auditor Frank Russo warns that Cuyahoga County Residents should not expect too large of a reduction.  Homeowners struggling in the Country’s leading region for foreclosures that library and school tax rates adjust with property value fluctuations.

So what’s a tax payer to do when Auditor Russo assaults their mail box with a letter informing that their property value did not fall too much?  Go to the County’s Board of Revisions!!  Any guesses who gets to pick the people on that board?  (Note: This same Auditor had his home and office raided by the FBI.  Did you know he owns a title company too?)

Probably the same people that are picking Cuyahoga County’s new Sheriff!

http://tinyurl.com/cuy-dems-lie-more

Tonight Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones is showing the “the race card” as a panel of democrats meet in a Union hall to christen a nominee.  I wonder of the Cuyahoga County Democrat Party leader, who is running the election, whose offices and house was raided by the FBI will be there?

“…Jimmy Dimora, the party’s chairman, who will run the election.”  This quote was taken from the article linked below.  The chairman under federal investigation is in charge of picking our new sheriff?  The Plain Dealer does not have a problem with this?

While perusing the only game in town (i.e. The Plain Dealer) it was announced that local democrats are in the process of selecting Cuyahoga County’s new top cop to replace the disgraced former Sheriff Gerald Mcfaul.

Read more here:

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/04/cuyahoga_county_democrats_to_e.html

It seems local democrats are only vetting the politically well connected (e.g. Mayor Jackson’s brother, and those who can score a meeting with a sitting US Congressman).  The article points out that one of the top aides to Mayor Jackson has been busy promoting Mayor Jackon’s brother to be the new Sheriff.  The article goes on to mention that when questioned Mayor Jackson was totally unaware of his top aide’s support for his brother as sheriff.

C’mon now!  How could you know that your “right hand woman” is not working to support your brother for a county wide elected office?!  This is not to say that the Mayor’s brother should not run for sheriff; but, how wouldn’t you know about the support of your top aide!?

This seems emblematic of local elected democrats’ problem of “hear no evil, see no evil,” and the truth.  Why does Mayor Jackson just not admit that his top aide is actively working to pressure the party’s Central committee to elect his brother?

If you were chairman Dimora you probably just scoff at the question!

It seems that local democrats just can not be trusted to appoint the county’s top cop.

Local democrats do not even have the honesty or integrity to ask the party’s leadership (i.e. Commissioner and Chairman Dimora and party strongman Auditor Russo) who are under federal investigation to step aside.  The article points out that Chairman Dimora will “run the election.”

If local democrats can’t muster the integrity to ask local elected officials who are bringing shame to our region to step aside can they really be trusted to pick a new sheriff?

Chairman Dimora’s home and offices were raided by nearly 200 federal agents.  However, local Democrats are allowing Chairman Dimora to coordinate the election of our new top county law enforcement officer?  Need we say more?

Because of the rampant corruption implied by the federal investigation of local elected and unelected democrats and party fundraisers, henchmen, etc. a special election is the least the people of Cuyahoga County deserve!  The Plain Dealer and Governor should be demanding this!

Things have quited down a little bit in Cuyahoga County this past week; we are back to the usual (e.g. Mason’s fund raisers, local Democrats jockeying for life long political office, etc.)  The Plain Dealer has taken a break from airing the dirty laundry of local elected democrats.  One has to ask themselves what has taken the Plain Dealer so long to expose things (viz. Sheriff Mcfaul’s phobia of County Offices, etc.)?  A long time Democrat strategist friend chortled when asked what revelations might come next; this person remarked “We’ve known this stuff for thirty years!”  Local Democrats are busy using the influence they’ve garnered via elected office to help family members become the County’s new top cop (viz. Mayor Jackson’s office promoting his Brother Anthony Jackson).

Finally, we can digress for a few moments and discuss some substantive issues. It has recently been pointed out there are some local legislatures that don’t have to look over their shoulders and can instead work on legislation that can re-build the rubble democrats have piled up.  Let’s look the birthing stages of such a piece of legislation.  This legislation is being proposed by State Rep. Josh Mandel.  Recently, Rep. Mandel has proposed legislation that may help North East Ohio stop hemorrhaging young, educated people from the area.

Rep. Mandel is proposing that tax credit be given to young people who commit to staying in Ohio for at least five years.  This initiative would create a tax credit that can be claimed by the tax payer  over the course of ten years and capped at $30, 000 per individual.

More specifically, the initiative provides the tax credit to be progressive and be based on the type of degree obtained; $5,000 for an associate’s degree, $20,000 for a bachelor’s degree and $30,000 for a master’s degree or higher.

This credit may helpful in repaying the debt burden that most young people are saddled with by “big education.”  Many young people today know the reality of starting the life after college $10, 000’s in debt.  Rep. Mandel’s proposed tax legislation is a common sense way to attract young people to our state and build its future.

Please contact your state legislator and voice support for this legislation.

This is the kind of news we need to hear more about!

During a recent election cycle (e.g. fall 2006’s State election cycle) Ohio democrats used a trumped up charge that a “culture of corruption” existed (viz. Gov. Bob Taft, disgraced fund raiser Tom Noe et al.) within the establishment of elected Ohio Republicans. However, former attorney general Marc Dann quickly stole that thunder from local and state-wide democrats’ chorus. We won’t even bother sauntering down the path of mob heiress State Senator Capri Cafaro finally compelting the purchase of an elected office by purchasing Marc Dann’s relinquished, or soiled, State Senate Seat.

Instead, all we need to do is look in our own back yard; Cuyahoga County. I am disspaointed that the infamous Cook County Chicago gets all the press these days. What about the County adminstration building on Lake Avenune pictured here?

These pictures were taken outside the County Administration office this past summer (i.e. 2008) when about 200 law enforcement officials descended upon the offices and homes of County elected officials and employees.  There were so many law enforcement vehicles around county government buildings the streets were impassable!  Unfortunately, these law enforcement officials were not protecting the building…they were raiding it!

The extent of the malfeasance perpetrated by the Commissioner Jim Dimora and Auditor Frank Russo, inhabitants of the Lakeside Ave. Administration building, being investigated is not fully understood by the tax paying public.   The only details by the taxpayer know are those leaked to the Plain Dealer, which is the same news paper that ignored these alleged crimes for years.  As a taxpayer one must wonder how local law enforcement in Cuyahoga County feels about these issues?

This question seems irrealvent given the fact that the County Sherrif, Gerald McFaul, recently had his office raided by State Law Enforcement Officers.  As a side note, Sherrif Mcfaul has come under intense scrutinty from the Plain Dealer, which has published a number highly critical reports.  However, given the Plain Dealer ignorance over the past several years of these issues one has to wonder:  Why didn’t we hear about these alleged wrong doings before Sherrif’s Mcfaul’s las unopposed re-election?

We must digress however, Sherrif Mcfaul has recently been accused or re-accused in some cases of: sexual harassment, extreme nepotism in spite of layoffs, soliticiting bribes in the form of cash gifts as presents, running his campaign clamabke out of county offices with county employees on county time to say the least.

However, what one should find most gauling is that another of our public offices was raided!  Sherrif Mcfaul’s office was entered by State of Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification agents seeking documents and other material (e.g. cash boxes) to investigate charges levied recently.  These charges specifically relate to Mcfaul soliciting cash filled envelopes for his birthday and Christmas and that he used County employees during work days to raise money for his re-election.  Forget the charges for a moment…another of our elected officials is under investigation!!!

If we recap this year our county wide elected offcials had a tough year:  former County Recorder PAt O’malley plead guilty to federal obscenity charges, Commisoner Jim Dimora and Autior Frank Russo are under Federal investigation, and soon to be former Sherrif Gerald Mcfaul resigned in disgrace as his office was raided and he is being investigated?

Does the phrase “culture of corruption” fit?

I think so!

When will the voters of Cuyahoga County get mad enough to put their foot down and vote County Democrats out of office?  Given that there is a credible Republican candidate the answer needs to be sooner rather than later.

Stay tuned…this was just the very tip of an iceberg we will be discussing frequently!