Newt Gingrich at 2009 GOP Congressional Dinner

Who is confused?

The government watchdog President Obama canned for allegedly being "confused" and "disoriented" fired back sharply Wednesday, saying the White House explanation for removing him was "insufficient," "baseless" and "absolutely wild." Gerald Walpin, who until last week was the inspector general for the Corporation for National and Community Service, told FOXNews.com that part of Obama's explanation was a "total lie" and that he feels he's got a target on his back for political reasons. "I am now the target of the most powerful man in this country, with an army of aides whose major responsibility today seems to be to attack me and get rid of me," Walpin said. Facing bipartisan criticism for the firing, Obama sought to allay congressional concerns with a letter to Senate leaders Tuesday evening explaining his decision. In the letter, White House Special Counsel Norman Eisen wrote that Walpin was "confused" and "disoriented" at a May board meeting, was "unduly disruptive," and exhibited a "lack of candor" in providing information to decision makers.

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DEM's talk and we know what walks ;-(

It's been said over and over for the last 6 months locally and nationally regarding open government... its all talk! The Obama administration is declining to release documents that would identify visitors to the White House, embracing a legal position taken by the Bush administration, according to a watchdog group that filed a federal lawsuit over access to the records. The group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, filed its lawsuit after being denied access to Secret Service records, including White House entry and exit logs, that would identify coal and energy industry visitors. The government's refusal to release the records contrasts with President Barack Obama's pledge of transparency. The Secret Service also turned aside a request by msnbc.com for the names of all White House visitors since Jan. 20. In a letter, the Homeland Security Department told CREW that most of the records the group seeks are not agency records subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. Instead, DHS said the records are governed by the Presidential Records Act and not subject to disclosure under the FOIA. DHS said it had been advised by the Justice Department _ it generally defends U.S. government agencies in FOIA cases _ that releasing the requested records could reveal information protected by the presidential communications privilege. The Bush administration fought on the same legal ground for several years in a case that is now before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said that, because of CREW's lawsuit, the counsel's office is leading a review into whether to uphold the previous administration's policy of not releasing the logs. He did not have a timeframe for when that review would be done. Gibbs said the goal is "to uphold the principle of open government" and increased transparency that Obama campaigned on. But he also said that the issue of upholding precedent from previous presidents is a consideration. At the same time, Gibbs defended the president's right to hold meetings at the White House with undisclosed participants. Continued...

ABC TURNS PROGRAMMING OVER TO OBAMA; NEWS TO BE ANCHORED FROM INSIDE WHITE HOUSE

On the night of June 24, the media and government become one, when ABC turns its programming over to President Obama and White House officials to push government run health care -- a move that has ignited an ethical firestorm! Highlights on the agenda: ABCNEWS anchor Charlie Gibson will deliver WORLD NEWS from the Blue Room of the White House. The network plans a primetime special -- 'Prescription for America' -- originating from the East Room, exclude opposing voices on the debate. MORE Late Monday night, Republican National Committee Chief of Staff Ken McKay fired off a complaint to the head of ABCNEWS: Dear Mr. Westin: As the national debate on health care reform intensifies, I am deeply concerned and disappointed with ABC's astonishing decision to exclude opposing voices on this critical issue on June 24, 2009.

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CAMPBELL SHOWS HUMILITY TO HELP CONNEAUT

A shaky trucePainesville developer walks out, returns to Conneaut meeting By MARK TODD - Staff Writer - mtodd@starbeacon.com Star Beacon CONNEAUT — A Painesville man keen on starting a company in Conneaut told City Council Monday night he doubted the project would succeed with the administration now in place. “I'm dreadfully concerned I’ve made the wrong choice at this point,” said Michael Ratcliffe, general partner with Saxcliffe Structural Building System. During a scrappy one-hour exchange that opened council's work session, Ratcliffe expressed his growing frustration with the administration's stance on his project. Months have passed without a response, he said. CONTINUE READING>>>

BUSTED BY THE PRESS!

Bracing for a budget crisis back in January 2008 that now engulfs state government, Gov. Ted Strickland issued an executive order prohibiting all non-essential travel overseas and in the United States for state workers. But a Dispatch investigation shows that, although total state travel costs have declined, state employees continued to travel for an array of conferences, association meetings and other purposes, both out of state and overseas. Despite the administration's call for "a few limited exceptions" on travel, state workers took trips to Germany, Belgium and other countries and all over the nation, from San Francisco, Santa Monica and Portland to New York, Washington and Orlando. The trips sometimes involved stays at posh resorts or hotels, including Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort in Florida, Harrah's in Las Vegas, and the Plaza in Buenos Aires, Argentina -- sometimes at more than $300 a night. Some agencies also sent multiple employees to the same conferences and allowed workers to take multiple trips -- including trips after the governor issued a new order in April 2009 further cracking down on travel and other expenses. Although agency officials say they consider the travel essential, some critics question whether even the reduced amount of travel can be justified in the face of multibillion-dollar budget shortfalls that have forced the state to slash critical services and furlough workers. "I'd rather not see people laid off (from doing important work) than see them go to conventions in Las Vegas and New Orleans," said Henry Eckhart, an attorney for Common Cause Ohio. It also appears that the administration was not tracking overall travel trends to see whether the governor's order was having the desired effect. When The Dispatch obtained the travel data in January, it showed that total state travel in fiscal 2007 cost about $12 million. But four days before this story was to be published, the governor's office changed the number to $23.5 million, saying it discovered that the first total included only half of the fiscal year's expenses. That transformed what had appeared to be a large increase in travel outlays after Strickland's edict into a decrease. Among the examples of state travel costs uncovered from the newspaper's review of computer and paper records from the 10 state cabinet agencies with the largest amount of travel expenses: • Department of Development employees took six overseas trips last year, and the agency paid $25,000 in relocation expenses to the director of its office in Belgium who was replaced -- including two round-trip flights to Chicago from Brussels for him and one for his family. The agency said the trips were essential for jobs and that the relocation was required by contract. • Two auditors for the Department of Taxation based in Cincinnati flew to Hawaii and stayed in a hotel a block from Waikiki Beach for four days in January at a combined cost of $3,300. They met with an undisclosed entity suspected of owing taxes, and the department says the trip "paid for itself many times over" with taxes collected. • The Department of Job and Family Services had 118 employees who were paid mileage reimbursements last year in excess of the $4,400 cost of using a leased state vehicle instead. Four employees pocketed more than $10,000 for mileage, but the department said it is requiring workers with high mileage to use state cars starting in August. Strickland said he's not aware of any glaring abuses, especially with the overall decline in travel costs, and he argued the location of travel isn't as important as the purpose. But he said he will talk with his cabinet to determine whether further restrictions are needed and warned that more than just travel will be scrutinized. "I think there's going to be a tighter definition of everything that is considered essential," Strickland said. With Ohio facing a mounting budget shortfall in January 2008, the Strickland administration prohibited "non-essential travel" if state dollars were involved and encouraged agencies to use teleconferencing to save money. Data provided by Strickland's office show that overall travel declined by 21 percent from $24.4 million in calendar year 2007 to $19.2 million last year and has continued to drop this year. Agency officials say they are scrutinizing and limiting travel. They also point out that some trips are mandatory to maintain certifications and to continue receiving grants, and that other travel is paid entirely by federal funds or other sources. The state budget office has calculated that of the $25.9 million in total travel costs from the beginning of 2008 through May 31, $7.6 million was paid from federal grants or other sources and not state tax dollars. But critics say tax money is tax money, and even if every trip can be justified on its own, they expect overall tighter controls given the governor's orders and the state's fiscal crisis. "During this economic crisis, our public officials and government officials need to really, really look at what is essential," said Catherine Turcer of Ohio Citizen Action, a nonpartisan government watchdog. Terry J. Collins, director of the Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, says he tells employees not to travel out of state unless someone else is paying. He also doesn't consider it essential for employees to attend conferences to network with peers or simply because they belong to a national organization. "I've had people say to me, 'Well, I need to go to this conference because I'm a member of the XYZ Club,' " Collins said. "Well, I appreciate the fact that you are, but it's not going to benefit this agency for you to go to that. It's nice to go to, it's nice to benchmark with other people, it's nice to interact with other people, you might learn something that will help us a little bit, but the cost is going to be greater than the benefit received." When state workers travel, there are limits for what can be spent for lodging and food. Because the maximum per diem was $60, taxpayers didn't pay the entire cost of the $77 dinner at Morton's in Houston, for example, that a Department of Taxation employee ate last month with lobster bisque, broccoli and a $48 New York Strip, records show. Even so, the amount that the state reimburses employees for food and other traveling expenses has varied depending on the employee. While nonunion workers were limited to $31 a day for all meals, for example, members of the state's largest union could spend up to $40 a day on meals in state and $60 per day out of Ohio because of their negotiated contract. That is changing this year, said Ron Sylvester, spokesman for Administrative Services. The new union contracts are adopting rates set by the federal government, which vary depending on the cost in different cities, and the state is expected to follow suit with a similar policy for nonunion employees, he said. But there also are exceptions to the travel restrictions imposed by the Strickland administration, including travel costs incurred by transportation employees whose jobs include monitoring the quality of steel or concrete being made at out-of-state facilities for projects in Ohio. Other exemptions are made for meals in foreign countries and for the state troopers who provide security as required by law for Strickland and Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher. A trooper traveling with Strickland to New York in September, for example, stayed at the Sheraton Manhattan at more than $500 a night with taxes for three nights, records show. Strickland also stayed there, but the state did not pay because it was a campaign trip. The Department of Taxation led all cabinet agencies in out-of-state travel costs during fiscal 2008 and 2009 so far, with more than $1 million, including $421,000 in out-of-state lodging costs. Spokesman John Kohlstrand said department auditors must travel to meet with individuals or businesses across the nation that are required to pay state taxes to Ohio, and that the trips usually generate revenue for the state. The department has offices in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles to help with audits in those regions. But the agency still sometimes sends auditors from Ohio or from one of the offices into another region -- such as an auditor based in Los Angeles flying to New York -- because of the circumstances involved. In the case of the Hawaii trip, for example, the two Cincinnati auditors went because they developed the lead that taxes were due and also had expertise with the type of entity involved, Kohlstrand said. He said he could not discuss specifics because of tax-related confidentiality reasons, but he said "the cost of that trip was a small percentage of the revenue that resulted." Among the travel costs at the Development Department since the governor restricted travel were six overseas trips totaling more than $28,000 in expenses, records show. Three trips were trade missions led by a single department employee to South Africa, Argentina/Brazil/Chile and Serbia/Hungary. Businesses that participated helped pay expenses and generated new sales as a result, the department said. The agency has announced plans to lead another trade mission to India from Aug. 1 through 13. Development staffers also took trips to Tokyo in March for $5,400 to help restructure the state's trade office there and to Hannover, Germany, in April at a cost of $5,800 to attend an international trade show, according to records. The other trip was for the director of the department's Global Markets Division to travel to Brussels last June at a cost of $4,000 to help finalize the departure of Paul Zito, who had been director of the state's Belgium office. The department and Zito mutually agreed to part ways, said Fisher, who was the state development director until February. He said Zito received $25,000 for relocation expenses because part of his employment agreement signed in 1996 said the state would pay those costs when he no longer worked for the state. Fisher defended the department's travel, saying although he would object to employee trips to vacation resorts, the state has a Global Markets Division because so many state jobs depend on trade. Still, state agencies largely were left to determine what constituted "essential" travel under the governor's restrictions. "What is essential in one person's mind is not essential in another's," Turcer said.

Just another example

Gary's thoughts...

The House of Representatives easily approved legislation June 10 despite warnings it would empower the State Department to promote abortion and homosexuality in other countries. The House voted 235-187 for the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, H.R. 2410, which permits funding for the State Department and other entities for the next two years. As Republicans we have decided that the party needs to get back to it's conservative values and clean up the mess being made by all the liberals disquised as conservatives in the party. This bill is just another example of republican representation giving us the same old Washington. Seven republicans( Judith Biggert, Michael Castle, Charles Dent, Jo Ann Emerson, Mark Kirk, Leonard Lance, John McHugh) voted for this bill that will promote abortion and homosexuality and with all the other pork this bill will cost each one us $138. This continually goes on day after day and so many pay no attention. If people payed as much attention to what is going on in Washington as they do baseball stats, what Hollywood star is sleeping with who we could actually turn this ship around. Until people from Ashtabula County, the state of Ohio and everyone around the USA gets their head out of their butt we will continue to destroy our neighborhoods, cities, state and country.

WAKE UP ASHTABULA COUNTY IT'S ALL AROUND YOU!

Don't take my word on it check out the numbers for yourself.

VOTE DATABASE

GOV TRACK

Cuyahoga County corruption scandal could affect Democratic Party

When Jimmy Dimora, a former sanitation worker and suburban mayor, took control of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party in 1994, he became more than the face of the party. He became the life of the party. Through an affable manner and self-deprecating humor that belied his Boss Tweed-style backroom dealing, Dimora earned an almost cultlike following among local Democrats. In March -- eight months after an FBI raid on his home and office revealed Dimora to be a central figure in a massive public-corruption probe -- more than 600 elected officials and rank-and-file party members packed a Mayfield Heights party center to slap his back and celebrate the party's dominance in the county. The looming federal investigation didn't seem to tamp down their spirits. Playing to the crowd, U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich joined Dimora on stage after Dimora mocked his skinny frame and vegan diet. "You," Kucinich declared to a cheering crowd, "are the backbone of the Democratic Party in Ohio." But criminal charges filed Friday against four men could change that. Despite silence from nearly every powerful Democrat in the region, the conduct laid out in the charges will surely make it hard for Dimora, also a county commissioner, to keep standing tall in a party whose other officers have been little more than names on stationery. The documents written by federal prosecutors don't name Dimora or charge him with any crimes, but they do describe a seven-year pattern of sweeping corruption by someone identified only as Public Official 1. The description of Public Official 1 leaves no doubt about who it is: Dimora.

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ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST!

Frustrated developer to withdraw offer for land. Painesville man says Conneaut shows lack of interest

By MARK TODD - Staff Writer - mtodd@starbeacon.com Star Beacon

CONNEAUT — A Painesville man interested in building a corporate headquarters in Conneaut will formally withdraw his offer for industrial park land.

Michael Ratcliffe, of Saxcliffe Structural Products, said this week he will take his request for an option on 17 acres of city-owned property “completely off the table.” Ratcliffe will share that news with City Council at Monday night’s work session.

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C-O-R-R-U-P-T-I-O-N

First major Cuyahoga County corruption charges filed against J. Kevin Kelley, Kevin Payne, Daniel Gallagher and Brian Schuman

Your tax dollars paid the salaries of Cuyahoga County officials who prosecutors say swapped government contracts for a free gambling junket to Las Vegas. Your tax dollars paid for government leaders to lounge at a secret Flats condo and rake in tens of thousands of dollars in cash and gifts from contractors looking to land county business, according to prosecutors. And that tax levy you passed last year for the poor, elderly and sick? Prosecutors say one of your leaders suggested using some of it to reward a halfway house that flew him first-class to Las Vegas. The first major charges in a three-year county corruption investigation -- filed in U.S. District Court Friday -- paint a portrait of government leaders who saw the public till as a bankroll for personal fun. The behavior of political leaders laid out in the charges is staggering both in its scope and its audacity. The charges represent another step in the investigation that went public and grabbed attention last July, when 175 federal agents raided the Cuyahoga County Administration building, the homes of county Commissioner Jimmy Dimora, Auditor Frank Russo and county employee J. Kevin Kelley and several companies that did business with the county. The charges come while some leaders push a plan to overhaul county government, eliminating some of the offices mentioned in the charges. CONTINUE READING>>>

Here she goes again!

Experts: Brunner deal iffy FEC approval to use state campaign assets for Senate bid was needed beforehand, some say

WASHINGTON -- Verify first, transfer valuable equipment second. Several campaign-finance and ethics experts say Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner should have asked the Federal Election Commission to determine the legality of a secret agreement before it took effect instead of nearly four months afterward. Brunner contends that the unusual deal allows her campaigns to pull off a maneuver that normally would be improper: using assets bought by her state campaign fund in her U.S. Senate campaign. "It seems like she should have asked for the advisory opinion first," said Melanie Sloan, executive director of the nonpartisan Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and a former federal prosecutor. Although Brunner's agreement might prove legal, "Certainly it is on the shady side, and you don't expect the secretary of state, of all candidates, to engage in activities like that. She should have checked first." That also is the conclusion drawn by a lawyer who is a Democrat but who asked for anonymity because he is commenting on a fellow Democrat. The lawyer is not involved with either Brunner's campaign or the campaign of Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, Brunner's Democratic opponent in the Senate primary. "As Ohio's chief campaign finance officer, Secretary Brunner should have sought an advisory opinion from the FEC before entering into this agreement," said the lawyer, who is familiar with campaign-finance law. At issue is about $15,000 in office equipment, supplies and cell phones bought by Brunner's secretary of state campaign in the week before it was shut down on Feb. 17, the day she announced her Senate candidacy. FEC regulations prohibit a candidate from directly using money or other assets from a state campaign fund to help finance a federal race.

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OHIO ATTORNEY GENERAL?

DeWine planning to run again

Since Mike DeWine lost to Sherrod Brown in 2006, he has practiced corporate law and taught. Former U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine, a Republican broomed out of office in the Democratic near-sweep of 2006, wants back in. DeWine on Thursday took the first step toward running for office next year by filing a designation of treasurer statement with the Ohio secretary of state's office. The move will allow him to begin raising money. In a statement yesterday, DeWine did not say what office he plans to seek, but many Statehouse observers say he has an eye on the attorney general's office. "He is troubled by the direction this state is heading and by what is happening in Columbus," DeWine spokeswoman Ann O'Donnell said in the statement. "He looks forward to the opportunity to continue to serve the people of Ohio." If DeWine runs for attorney general, he'll be the second Republican in the race. Delaware County Prosecutor Dave Yost announced his candidacy in April. Attorney General Richard Cordray, a Democrat elected in a special election last year, plans to run again. Since Democrat Sherrod Brown defeated him in his 2006 re-election bid, DeWine has worked as a corporate attorney for a Cincinnati law firm, a government teacher at three universities and Ohio chairman of Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign. DeWine, however, has indicated his desire to run again for statewide office. DeWine had served 30 years as an elected official, including four years as lieutenant governor and 12 years in the U.S. Senate.

By James Nash THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Do they really think we are that stupid in this county?

Group urges Elections Board to move forward with recall Deputy director says board is doing as instructed by legal counsel By SHELLEY TERRY - Staff Writer - sterry@starbeacon.com Star Beacon JEFFERSON — The leader of the group behind the recall of four Ashtabula City Council members charged Friday the Ashtabula County Board of Elections delayed the process until the 11th hour.

He also said it’s improper for the elections board to take a position on whether the city charter allows recalls.

continue reading>>>

FINALLY AN AMERICAN LEADER WITH FACTS!

Shocking this could happen in Ohio... NOT REALLY

The Ohio Elections Commission yesterday found that the chairwoman of the Athens County Democratic Party mishandled $27,000 in campaign contributions during an unsuccessful race for county prosecutor last year. Phil Richter, the commission's executive director, said the commission voted unanimously to refer Susan Gwinn's case to the Athens County prosecutor's office for possible criminal prosecution. Richter said the commission also could have dismissed the case or fined Gwinn, but decided against those options. The decision on whether to pursue charges against Gwinn will initially be up to Prosecutor C. David Warren, the incumbent who fended off a challenge from Gwinn in the 2008 Democratic primary. Warren said he plans to ask a local judge, who originally appointed special prosecutor David Yost to investigate Gwinn's campaign, to leave the case in Yost's hands. Yost is Delaware County's prosecutor. After Warren's office got a tip about possible wrongdoing by Gwinn's campaign, he asked to have a special prosecutor look into the allegations, to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest on his part. In April, Yost filed a complaint against Gwinn, alleging three violations of state elections law. He claimed that Gwinn had received about $27,000 from two private donors, including her brother, and had funneled the money through her private bank account to hide its sources. Gwinn's attorney has said the money came from personal loans, which Gwinn had every right to spend on her elections campaign and which she planned to repay. Gwinn referred questions about her case to attorney Dennis W. McNamara, who did not return a phone call seeking comment yesterday.

Video: Ziegler gets his mike cut off by MS-NBC

If you want to see irony in action, watch as the “tingle up the leg” and the “Obama is sort of like God” network challenge John Ziegler on his credibility. Contessa Brewer doesn’t want to actually talk about the subject - David Letterman’s two attacks on Palin’s 14-year-old daughter - but wants to make the interview about Ziegler instead. John has his own idea about what he wants to say, which is when Brewer demands that his mike get silenced:

Hannity's Interview with Sarah Palin

Do young women in Ashtabula County have local role models?

There is NO DOUBT Alaska Governor Sarah Palin represents what it means to be todays conservative woman but is there anyone in Ashtabula politics that young ladies can learn from?

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Sanity in Ashtabula County

Have you ever wondered what happen to common sense in Ashtabula County? Do you wake up everyday worrying how local government is going to screw you out of more money for a lodge that is worth more closed than open? Or maybe you're the type of person who stays home and locks the doors so the blood sucking liberals can't attack you and your family?

Well you have come to the home of Sanity in Ashtabula County!!!!!

My name is Gary Gersin and I'm 1/2 of the W-WOW Morning show on 1360AM.

I've decided to open up this blog to protect the innocent from the vampires we call liberals that have run this county for the last 10,000 years!

On this blog you will find MY opinion on how to stay safe and chase out these blood thirsty creatures that tax, spend and suck us dry.

I will not dictate to you what you should or should not do, but I will however show you that you have the power to change the counties direction from socialist dictatorship that have run this county way to long.

So set this page under your favorites, lock up your guns, thank God you are alive and put your heart and soul into your family and get ready to embark on a journey of creepy people who have stuck it to you way to long.

Send me your thoughts and concerns along with your first name and city to gary@1360wwow.com and I'll post your comments for the world to see.