Politics
I woke up every morning last week to the sounds of Sonny & Cher. I also woke up to news of a Supreme Court nominee’s history of sexual harassment and the ceaseless conservative support for him. Then there was the natural (more like man-made) disaster tearing the southern coast to shreds as well as a government official in hot water for misusing government funds and resources. And, naturally, the pathetic and vacuous legislative work of our “elected” representatives.
The news cycle is just the same garbage day in, day out, year in, year out. We are struggling to break away from the vicious cycle of our government always doing everything but serving the people.
If you are a regular reader of my soon-to-be Pulitzer Prize winning work, you probably think the title this week refers to the usual procrastination and intransigence of our politicians. Surprisingly, they’ve all been saying plenty and actually doing a little. As you have probably noticed from the soul-destroying, joy-sucking, garment-rending hole in your life, it is me who has been missing.
Great Financial Crisis
On September 15, 2008, Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy. It was the largest bankruptcy in the history of the United States, a key moment of mounting panic during what came to be known as the Great Financial Crisis. In London this year, some of the alumni of the bankrupt bank are reportedly planning to hold a party to "celebrate" the anniversary of the bankruptcy. That pretty much sums up the attitude of the rich.
The rich have certainly much to celebrate. Just about all assets they own -- from stocks to real estate -- in many countries command higher prices than ever. For the rest of us, however, the crisis has never ended. Our real wages, in fact, are declining, lagging behind inflation. Our pensions and health care benefits are being cut. Our housing costs are soaring.
Housing Crisis Today
One woman is willing to sacrifice for the good of the Democratic Party.
Another woman is not.
Betty Sutton, the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, originally was a candidate for the gubernatorial nomination.
In the early polls she was running neck-and-neck with Richard Cordray. She would have made history as the first women elected governor of Ohio.
Political leaders and party insiders sat down with her and asked her to make a significant sacrifice. Give up her campaign for the state's highest office and become Cordray's running mate.
She accepted.
One insider told me that Betty Sutton was willing to defer her own ambitions for the good of the party and to increase the chances that a Democrat will win.
This contrasts with 2010 when several Democratic state officeholders declined a relatively safe race for re-election and ran for higher office only to lose and drag down the rest of the ticket with them.
The lands west of downtown Columbus have only had one robust economy since mayor George Meeker first annexed Franklinton and a couple square miles up Sullivant's Hill in 1870. Meeker also renamed Sullivant's Hill (where prosperous Franklinton people had built large luxurious homes, above the floodplain, overlooking the city), "The Hilltop." However, Mayor Meeker (who was involved in east and north side land developers), annexed the Westside in a way that would prevent it from ever taking another "highly desirable" private building project away from the other sides of his city.
How did he do this?
When he annexed the Westside, he used eminent domain to have both the city and state buy all of West Columbus’s premium land (I mean every inch above the Franklinton floodplain) for two enormous government projects. See both here
The Libertarian Party of Ohio is pleased to release our slate of candidates for state, federal, and local office.
Travis Irvine and J. Todd Grayson are running for Governor and Lt. Governor with a focus on criminal justice reform, decriminalizing marijuana usage, and the significant reduction of taxes and debt that drags against everyone’s future but especially those with the least among us.
Bob Coogan is running for Auditor of State bringing decades of experience in accounting, audit, and financial information technology from private and public sectors. Bob has the experience to ensure that Ohio and its more than 5,600 entities are using resources efficiently and effectively.
Dustin Nanna is running for Secretary of State. As the executive to run elections, issue licensing, and maintain the state’s records, Dustin brings his staunch support that government exists by the permission of the people and is dedicated to reducing overreach.
Looking into federal positions, the party has Dirk Kubala, Don Kissick, David Harlow, and Johnathan Miller running for US Congressional Districts (1, 5, 10, 15, respectively) across the regions of the state.
If we needed more proof of why Ohio Republicans are the reason we can’t have nice things, it turns out that Governor John Kasich’s controversial Medicaid expansion had some ulterior motives all along. According to a recent article in The Columbus Dispatch, Kasich’s administration is full of CVS lobbyists who have been given cushy jobs with the state’s Medicaid system – jobs that enable them to rig the pricing of drugs and give CVS exclusivity when it comes to the needs of some Medicaid customers.
The week of July 9th took me back to a world my young daughter left behind years ago. A leader is choosing like-minded friends for his team no matter how badly they play the game. A stubborn, immature lout is willing to accept a tough punishment rather do something healthy. Then there’s a poorly-raised little shit who runs around shooting off his mouth offending everyone in sight.
To replace the outgoing Justice Kennedy, the president nominated Brett Kavanaugh. He is a circuit court judge in DC with a solidly conservative track record. He clerked for Kennedy before working for the Bush campaign in Florida and helping to steal the 2000 election. He is not smart enough to handle money; accruing tens of thousands of dollars in credit card debt for sports tickets and a private Catholic school for his kids. So before we dig deeper into him, the Supreme Court nominee is a devout Catholic with money problems and a lack of respect for democracy. So far, so good, right?!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 10, 2018
In the wake of the article published in the Cincinnati Enquirer and Cleveland Plain Dealer on July 8, 2018, "Mike DeWine, Richard Cordray may have favored contributors when awarding contracts" by James McNair, Green party Candidate for Governor of Ohio, Constance Gadell-Newton calls for an independent investigation into the campaign contributions received from firms awarded public contracts by Mike Dewine, Attorney General, and Richard Cordray, his predecessor, both candidates for Governor in the Ohio 2018 Governor's race.
My recent absence from The Columbus Free Press was thanks to a family trip to the land down under. I temporarily escaped the tire fire that is modern America and headed to Australia where the kangaroos run free and the government hasn’t run amok.