Contact Your Congressman! Tell Him/Her to Raise the Debt Ceiling NOW!

Everyone who lives in Ohio District 1 should immediately contact our Congressman Congressman Steve Chabot and tell him to vote to raise the debt ceiling. Make sure to tell him that he needs to vote on a bill that will pass the Sentate and be signed by the President. No more politics on this, get it done.

As always, be respectful and polite.  He's never going to be someone I would support in an election, but it is his job to represent our district.  This situation is so incredibly frustrating to watch, because the issue should have been a simple up or down vote months ago, but right now we must try and keep our cool and voice our views, while keeping it in a manner that will be heard and not ignored for sounding crazy.

If you are in other districts here a couple other local congress members others to contact: Jean Schmidt and Geoff Davis.  If you live in other congressional districts, a simple Google search for your member of congress should turn up their contact page quickly.

Please do this now and contact them each day as long as this continues without a resolution.

Is the Voter ID Bill Dead?

The Columbus Dispatch has an article that concludes that the bill going through the Ohio State legislature is dead, at least for the time being. This is good news for Democracy. Let's hope a modified bill can be prevented from coming back up for vote again.

Voter suppression is anti-democratic. It is tactic used by, and I am going to utter the word, Fascists. To call this effort anything other than voter suppression is ignorance or plain old lying. It could be both, but I'm going to give people the benefit of the doubt that if they are lying to me, then they know why they are lying to me.

I Have Stopped Watching News, For the Time Being

I am sick of hearing about the insanity happening in Washington over the debt ceiling right now and really can't stand listening to the ignorance of anyone who thinks either 1) default is good or 2) Extortion is a fair or moral thing to do.  We simply need a clean bill to raise the debt limit and then move on.  If people want to debate the size of government, fine, we have a big election coming up next year.  That might be a good time to bring up some issues, if you happen to be running for office.

I can barely stomach reading the headlines. I am pulling my hair out over what is a simple concept: paying our bills.  This is a serious mess and we have people who have lost their sanity allowed to hold public office.  Yes, I'm looking at the Republican Cabal in the House when I say that, and if you honestly think what they are doing currently is right, then Zeus help us all.

Anthony Munoz and Jim Breech Support Anti-Gay Group

It isn't new news, but something people should know: at least two former Bengals Anthony Munoz and Jim Breech are supporters of CCV. CCV is the anti-gay group that helped lead the effort to ban gay marriage in Ohio, among other hardcore social conservative political efforts. Munoz and Breech have been supporting CCV since at least 1992.  Former Bengals head coach Sam Wyche also reportedly was as supporter at least in 1992.

I wonder how much gay bigotry still exists in the NFL.  I would be guessing a lot.

Enquirer Promotes Tea Party Rally, Ignores Protests

The Cincinnati Enquirer has run an article about a rally that will occur. This rally is a 'Tea Part' event to support the insane efforts by the Republicans to hold a gun tot he head of Country in hopes of getting the demands they want. (Yes, like terrorists.) So, why does the Enqurier provide free promotion for a political rally for a hard right wing group, pushing an insane idea that if it happens will actually destroy the county in a matter of a few days, but when protests against Boehner happen, you don't get any promotion attention. Anti-Boehner groups are lucky to get after the fact coverage, mainly if they break the law while doing it.  Press-release journalism strikes again, this time with a political bias.

The Enqurier wasn't alone pushing this press-release event, the Dayton Daily News were suckers as well.

Diana Frey Accused of Embezzling Over $750K From CODE

The President of the CODE Union, Diana Frey, was indicted on Federal charges that including diverting over $750,000 of Union funds into her personal accounts. The details of the indictment indicate that no one was paying much attention or were just letting Frey do what she wanted unchallenged. That is a bad idea for any organization.

It makes me wonder about the procedure used to issue endorsements for city political offices back in 2009. In case you don't recall, those endorsements were:

CODE is also endorsing Brad Wenstrup for mayor. The incumbents being endorsed by CODE are Chris Bortz, Leslie Ghiz, Jeff Berding, and Chris Monzel. CODE is also endorsing newcomers Amy Murray, Tony Fischer, Anitra Brockman and George Zamary.

The source of the endorsements are from WLWT. This union falls in line with the FOP in supporting mostly Conservative/Republican candidates.  That's another odd stance that will be interesting to see how much the people at the top of the Union controlled those endorsements.

City Union Leader Under Investigation and 'Missing'

The Cincinnati Enquirer is reporting that Diana Frey, president of the Cincinnati Organized and Dedicated Employees (CODE) union is under investigation and has gone missing.

Arnold's To Be Featured on NBC TV Show In The Fall

A Cincinnati institution, Arnold's Bar and Grill, will be featured in NBC TV show Harry's Law starting in the new season this fall. There is no other way to say it: This is really cool. The bar and restaurant will have it's exterior used in the show and the interior is being "re-created" in Hollywood for regular use during the series. The owners of Arnold's have sent t-shirts, menus, and other decor items to add authenticity to the set. I am so very pleased for them. Arnold's is one of my favorite places in Cincinnati and is a wonderful image of our city to be seen nationally.  I hope Hollywood gets the place right, it is a unique Cincinnati treasure.

Other locations around the city will be used to give the TV show a sense of the real Cincinnati.  Last season depiction was not a very good likeness of our town.

A Little Cincinnati Brass to Help You Shake Your Ass on a Monday

Ken Blackwell Has a Bridge He Wants to Sell You

I don't know if Ken or someone at the Enquirer used the word "bold" in former Mayor and Council member Ken Blackwell's guest column: A bold idea: Consolidate Greater Cincinnati across state, county lines, but there is nothing bold about it. It is not a bold idea to say you are going to drive a 1999 Honda Civic to Mars. An idea isn't bold when it is not even possible in the world of science fiction.

Ken Blackwell wants to create some new 'form' of government that currently does not exist. It would take two State governments to change their laws to make it even conceptually possible. What Ken didn't put in his column is how he would solve the problem of taxes and residency. Are the people living in Kentucky now becoming part of Ohio? If not, how the hell would that work? Who would collect the taxes? How do elections work? What laws govern who? How can a single government function when different state laws affect different parts of its citizens?  The questions could go on and on.

Ken is really trying to sell you a bridge you don't need. His plan clearly appears to be a scheme to create large businesses that could serve all of the communities. This sounds like a large scale privatization plan, where all services of the governments would be outsourced to private companies. Why does this sound like that, since he doesn't actually say that? Simple, that is the only way it could conceptually work. Create some shell of a "government" that oversees the bidding process and that's all you need to fufill what Ken wants.  That hollow government wouldn't solve any problems, it would create more and put money in the pockets of the big businesses that happen to win contracts.

So, it's smoke and mirrors and Republcian dogma. Ken does not want a strong metro government that would have the teeth needed to actually govern, he wants an empty shell that big-business can exploit.

State Rep. Robert Mecklenborg To Resign August 2nd

Republican State Representative Robert Mecklenborg to resign August 2nd after being arrested for DUI with a much younger woman, who was not his wife, in the car. I am confused why he is waiting a couple of weeks to resign. I would guess it would be for financial or benefit reasons.

John Boehner Has a Choice: Be a Leader Or Let America Crash Into Ruin

Republican Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, John Boehner has a clear choice. He can be a leader and make a deal with the President or he can follow the insane politics of the backbenchers in his party. These puritanical naive Republican newbies who have created an economic theology worthy of a jihadist supply sider's worst peyote vision quest are knowingly trying to drive the Country off the cliff in hopes of waking us up into their mythical world. This is the world that pretends that the economic system of the pre-industrial south can work without the enslavement of the worker. Feudalism doesn't work without a population of mostly serfs. I don't know why there are so many Repbulcians who don't grasp that reality. They further don't grasp that with Capitalism there will always be poor people. Capitalism is not a positive sum game, where everyone wins. There are winners and there are losers. You could argue that everyone 'could' win, but based on the game, not everyone can.  Therefore as long as we have Capitalism, we will have poor people, the losers of the game. We as a society have to take care of everyone, not just the winners.  The game Republicans are playing is to take care of the winners in hopes of insuring their own status as a winner, while ignoring the majority of America who don't have the means to survive more losses.

Another thing that Cincinnati born John Boehner should do: laugh off Mitch McConnell's punting on 1st down idea.

Lest We Forget: Mike Allen's Past Scandal

It is very possible some people reading about Mike Allen considering running for Cincinnati City Council do not know how big of a scandal it was when he did not run again as Hamilton County Prosecutor. The Enquirer's Howard Wilkinson does do a pretty good job of recapping the torrid past, but nothing can really instill the level of disgust that everyone felt when the Republican Allen was sued for Sexual Harrassment after a multiple year extra-martial affair took place with one of his assistant prosecuting attorneys. The one issue I would point out to readers: he didn't resign from office, instead he did not seek re-election, but served our his term. That is something Wilkinson got wrong in the article.

Here is a little history from my blog and others so people can get a little sense of history and why Allen has no business running for public office:
Allen - Collins Settlement
From Nate Livingston
Enquirer 2004 Top 10 Local News Stories: Mike Allen Scandal was #1 beating out Bush's Win
Mike Allen, Esq.
Both Allen and Collins Want Tax Money
So Much For a Settlement
Local GOP Is Chicken
Collins-Allen Imbroglio
Mum's the Word From Bronson
Lisa Allen: Victim and Pawn?
Mike Allen's Political Career Is Over (Yes, I hope the title doesn't end up being ironic.)

From a pure political sense, this would be harsh news for Republicans. Allen would take votes from all of the GOP candidates and drive votes away from the GOP in general, even though he's not going to get a Republican endorsement. The local GOP made it clear with the quotes in the Wilkinson article that Mike Allen would not be getting an endorsement, both for being too late and for his past problems. Hopefully, the lack of GOP support will keep Allen from running. While I think that Allen running might help some Dems, it will suck the attention from the political landscape into a scandal ridden race that we don't need. That might drive up hits for my blog, but it will not drive up voter turnout.

NPR's On The Media Revisits Chiquita-Enquirer Scandal

NPR's program On the Media devoted a very in-depth segment of the radio program yesterday on the Cincinnati Enquirer-Chiquita voice-mail hacking scandal form the late 1990's.  This was another follow-up piece from the fallout from the News of the Wolrd phone hacking problem in England, which resulted in the most read weekly newspaper in Britain ceasing operations for good.  Yes, a profitable newspaper was shut down in England.

Well, back to the Enquirer historical comparison.The most interesting part of the whole scandal and why it was so sad where two facts:

• The Enquirer denounced and apologized the original story published. 
• The story was damning against Chiquita. The story was a solid story, but due to the need to settle the case, the Enquirer had to run away from the series of articles, getting Chiquita off the hook, actually spinning the company as the victim of the situation.

It goes to show how much the public doesn't bother to pay attention to the facts, just the spin. Marketing works to well. It is a sad reality of humanity. We are suckers for spin.

Why Can't an Opening Day Holiday Just Be a Council Ordinance?

Three is a big effort happening this weekend to make Red's Opening Day into an offical city holiday. My question is why would this take a ballot issue to happen? Is there something in the city charter limiting the number or reasons for a city wide holiday?

If not, I would guess there would be enough votes on Council to pass an ordinance making this official. The only hindrance to full council support might be the existence of ramifications of holidays to union contracts or city requirements, which is where a charter amendment might be necessary to limit the scope of the holiday, making it revenue neutral.

UPDATE: After reading the proposed ballot language, it sounds like it wouldn't take much for City Council to do, it has no teeth and is just "ceremonial." I don't see the need to put this on the ballot.

Countdown for 2012 Wold Choir Games Begins July 11th

The countdown clock will officially start for the 2012 World Choir Games at a Fountain Square event on Monday, July 11th. Cincinnati area native Drew Lachey will MC the 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM event.  Entertainment includes gospel recording artist Byron Cage, The Eleventh Hour Choir from Kettering, finalists in the NBC show “The Sing Off,” and singer and songwriter Kelly King.

There will be an actual clock, housed at Fountain Square that will provide a countdown to the event. I don't think everyone in Cincinnati understands how big of an event this is going to be. Organizers expect 20,000 participants and 200,000 spectators to attend over eleven days (July 4-14, 2012). Most of the spectators will be from out of town, including over 70 countries. That will mean a big boom to business. Hotel rooms will be hard to find. Restaurants will be busy. People from around the world will be enjoying our city.  We will have a chance to show off what an amazing place Cincinnati, OH is and has been for a long time.

The people of Cincinnati need to support this event.

Summer Assignments for Murray and Winburn

To no one's surprise, council members Amy Murray and Charlie Winburn are complaining about council's summer recess schedule, while facing a $33 million budget deficit. If Murray and Winburn think council should use that time to work on a detailed plan of revenue increase or service cuts needed to balance the budget, then they are free to do so on their own. No one is going to stop them from getting a copy of the budget drafted by the City Manager and then running the numbers so the $33 Million can be reduced to zero. They will be paid the same, no matter if council is in session or not.

So, whether council stays in session, or not, Murray and Winburn I believe have volunteered themselves to produce a written document that provides a full solution on how to balance the budget. Nothing would then stop them from publishing the details that get them to a zero deficit?

Nothing would stop them.

They have plenty of time to get it done. They both most remember that getting the deficit to zero means that the cuts or revenues they list out are real, not relying on delinquencies to pay up money owed.

I'll be waiting for a document....

That should take maybe a couple of days, and that is being generous. The rest of the time they could spend doing the audits they want to pay someone else to do. Instead of paying $150,000 to the State, Winburn and Murray could each do one and they could get another one of the Conservatives will to spend $150,000 on three audits. That $150,000 is money that could instead go to pay the salaries of at least two entry level police officers (plus benefits).

So, two more police officers, or the Conservatives do some work this summer, what will it be?

If I were Murray or Winburn, I wouldn't ask Council member Leslie Ghiz for help. Doing the work of the City, isn't her job, so other than pontificating and grandstanding, I don't expect her to do much this summer for Council.

Adweek Remembers Enquirer-Chiquita V-Mail Scandal

In light of the News Corp scandal brewing in Britian where reporters allegedy hacked into crime victim's voice-mail accounts, an Adweek reporter took a quick look back to the 'similar' Cincinnati Enquirer Scandal back in 1998 when an Enquirer Reporter allegedly hacked into a Chiquita employee's voice-mail for story.

Old Time Radio Totally Gone From 91.7 WVXU

A review of 91.7 WVXU schedule shows that both the nightly and weekly shows of old time radio programs have been replaced. This is a disappointing occurrence. I understand how some people don't like history, but these radio programs are a window to what it was like to live in the 1940's and 1950's, before television. The value to knowing the past, first hand, is the core of understanding history.

I hope WVXU will have some special events, where it plays some old radio, especially the re-aring of some of the big news events, like the end of WWII or D-Day.

The shows they have added as replacements sound good, especially the LA Theatre Works, which has modern day radio theatre. If you are going to replace old time radio drama with something, this sounds like the a positive way to do it. It keeps the art form alive.

Shorter Verion of Green Twp. Anti-Public Housing Column

Not In My Back Yard

Or NIMBY if you want it even shorter.

Bunbury Music Festival Kickoff Event July 9th at Sawyer Point

The Bunbury Music Festival is having a special preview event this year on July 9th at Sawyer Point. Music starts at 7PM and runs to 11PM.  The stellar line-up:

The Seedy Seeds
Lions Rampant
The Minor Leagues

Tickets for year one of the festival (July 13-15, 2012) will go on sale on July 9, 2011.  Also, the first 1,000 attendees to the kickoff event can pick up a special discount code that will give them 50% off a one-day OR three-day pass to the 2012 festival.  Get out and support Cincinnati's music scene.

Rhinestone Cowboy Charlie Winburn

In yesterday's Northside Fourth of July Parade, City Councilman Charlie Winburn was on a horse.  Yes, it was a spectacle like few I've ever seen in Cincinnati Politics.  Here's a glimpse:

Winburn was lead by a marching band full of kids from some school not prominently indicated.  It didn't appear to be a public school, but I hope it wasn't a charter school, since all of the kids were wearing Winburn T-Shirts. I'm sure the Republicans who care so much about how schools influence kids will be sure to find out if all of the kid's parents gave written permission for their children be props for Winburn's political campaign.  I think Tom Brinkman should get right on that.

I guess for everyone who likes political circuses, this is your Christmas.

CincyMusic.com to Return

Cincinnati music fans and bands, take note! CincyMusic.com will be returning to the Internet soon. You can sign up for their email list to get the notice of when they relaunch.  I don't see any type of estimate of when they will be, so you'll just have to stay tuned.

Otherwise check out their Facebook page or Twitter account for limited cincymusic information.

Sittenfeld Has a Jingle, But No Public Stance On The Streetcar

Yesterday the Enquirer's Politics Extra blog posted on P.G. Sittenfeld's new jingle made in support of his campaign for City Council. It's fine, in a 1950's nostalgia kind of a way. (Think of  "I like Ike")  I don't mind any city council candidate being creative with positive promotion. I am disappointed, however, that P.G. appears to be too busy doing this type of fluffy campaigning to bother writing a quick post to his blog giving his stance on the Streetcar.

I asked the question: Where Does P. G. Sittenfeld Stand on the Streetcar? a couple of weeks ago and have not read anything yet that indicates an answer. P.G. needs to make public his stance on the Streetcar or people will draw conclusions.  I'd still settle for a Twitter or Facebook post, but at this point his silence with all the social media rumblings going on leads one to conclude that at a minimum he is not a strong supporter of the Streetcar and can't use 140 characters to explain his view on the subject.

I still hope he'll come out and support the plan, which will help the City grow and prosper. The longer he stays quiet, however, the more he will be viewed as a typical politician too concerned with his own political future to take a stand on an important and relevant issue.  Even if he is against the Streetcar, he needs to make it clear to the voters.

Robert Mecklenborg's Arrest Dashboard Camera Video Is Released

Joesph at Plunderbund has put up the dashboard camera showing the OVI arrest of Ohio State Representative Robert Mecklenborg from Dearborn County, Indiana.

Was Mecklenborg With a Stripper?

Court documents reportedly show that Republican State Representative Robert Mecklenborg was arrested for operating a vehicle while impaired with a woman, not his wife, in the car. Another report names her as Tiona Roberts. Multiple news outlets are trying to confirm what can best be considered a "rumor" at this point that she works at a Lawrenceberg, IN strip club called Concepts Showgirls.

The Enquirer also has a new story, and mentions the woman in the car.  They asked Mecklenborg who the woman was and why she was in the car, but he would not answer the question.

Ignorant Old White Men

When I ever I read about the delusional activities of ignorant old men I want to pity them. In the case of bigoted and ignorant old white men acting on that bigotry, I loathe them and am embarrassed.

Thankfully, the number of old bigoted white men protesting LULAC was small. The problem is that the bigger number of bigots (old and young) still exists, just don't have the free time afforded to those living the retired lifestyle.

Leslie Ghiz Refuses to Govern. That's Her Job!

Cincinnati council member Leslie Ghiz is abdicating her responsibilities to govern the city. From the article:

"It is the manager's job to figure out how to close the budget," Ghiz said, adding that the manager, mayor and council all are involved in the budget process. "It is not our job to figure out how to close that gap."

For at least the last two years the City Manager has provided multiple options for a balanced budget.  Leslie Ghiz, and the Republicans on Council, have opposed those options. If you oppose what the manager is doing, you have to give your own plan to balance the budget.  You don't give clues.  You don't dance around and say what you will not accept.  You instead DO YOUR JOB: GOVERN THE CITY.  Put out a plan that adds up.

If that means you get out the budget, a pencil, a legal pad of paper, and start doing the math to make it something you will vote for, then you DO IT. Why do you do it?  You do it because as a city council member it is your job to represent the people and provide a balance budget, what ever it takes. No political excuses.  No grandstanding.  Just get the job done.  If that means pissing off a group you are counting on for political support, tough!

If Leslie Ghiz refuses to do her job, why is she staying on council? Why is she bothering to run for office again?More importantly, why would any citizen vote for someone who is abdicating their responsibility?

Ohio Rep. Robert Mecklenborg Charged With OVI

Green Township Republican State Representative Robert Mecklenborg was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated back in April in Indiana.

Here are the problems with this situation:

1. This happened two months ago and we are just learning it now.
2. Mecklenbor "allegedly" refused a Breathalyzer test.
3. Mecklenborg stated he has "every presumption of innocence at this time."

If this guy was a Democratic elected official the police would have leaked the arrest and the Republicans would be calling for him to resign.  At this point, the GOP have been silent as far I can tell and the Indiana Police appeared to keep silent for nearly two months.

As a reminder, a U.S. Congressman was recently forced to resign for basically being a bad husband and a creep, but wasn't charged with a crime.  This guy is charged with a crime, but we have no wind storm of calls for him to resign for "allegedly" doing something, driving drunk, that could have killed someone.  I'll hope we hear from some GOP officials soon.

But..There could be more to this story.  I'm not going there, yet.

Republicans' One Cut Fits All Attitude Will Ruin America

Republicans at all levels, Federal, State, and local have adopted a political strategy to deal with our economic crisis.  Yes, they have adopted a political strategy to deal with the economic crisis, not an economic strategy.  We are in trouble and they are taking the opportunity to mindlessly cut government. They are not thinking about what they are cutting, they are just bent on cutting. They think this will win them elections and get them donations from rich donors. They have no clue what will happen when this cuts are implemented and are giving no thought to the impact on society by massive reduction of services. The goal of Monzel and Hartman is to just cut everything. They are not thinking about the impact, they just want to cut, because if they try to do the right thing, the Tea Party will crush them. How can anyone function with that type of irrational thug based political paradigm? Seriously, Hartman isn't a stupid or insane man, but is acting like he has a gun to his head.  Monzel, well, he seems to like it.  He has a politically masochistic bent to him that puts that twinkle in his tone when he pushes his right wing agenda.

This is happening on all levels of government and the Hamilton County Commission is just the latest. There is no rationale provided, just a mantra: no tax increases. It is like they are robots, programmed to DESTROY ALL HUMANS, because they don't seem to have any forethought on what their draconian cuts will do. Mostly, and deep down, I don't think most Republicans care. Somehow a 19th Century economic mindset has become the core of elected and those trying to be elected Republicans.  That's the mindset that creates sweatshops and employees Pinkerton thugs to enforce their will.  Where did the sanity go?

We can't gut the government and have a viable society. The myopic stance Republicans take because they think they think they personally don't need government is going to screw them when they don't have roads or jails or courts functioning to provide the orderly society needed. Building a walled castle in the suburbs isn't going to keep out the problems facing the rest of us. We actually need a government to keep the chaos at bay. We have too many Republicans today who are ready to jump into the chaos. Where did this delusional mindset come from?

Vote for OTR! Today!!!

OTR needs your help to win $25,000 for preservation of the neighborhood. Please vote in this survey for each email address you have. The deadline to vote is June 30th (Tomorrow) at 4:59 PM. OTR is barely in 1st Place, but needs your help to stay there. Spread the word and get people to vote today!

Barry Hortsman Has Been Reassigned Off the Streetcar, Mostly

Sources indicate that starting this week, Enquirer reporter Barry Hortsman takes on the role of general investigative reporter in a new investigative/data unit at the Enquirer. He will be off the transportation beat, which as reported here before is going to Amanda Van Benschoten. The best news is that he will be handing off the Streetcar issue, mostly, to Van Benschoten. It appears he may remain involved on some stories or issues involving the Streetcar, but it will not be his beat.  What we can now do is pay close attention to the bylines and credits on stories involving the Streetcar, seeing how the tone/facts sway.  If we get story after story involving COAST or Chris Smitherman press releases,  we can see if Hortsman's name is there.  If not, then I think the bias against the Streetcar will point right to the editors.  If we don't get Streetcar stories that go to COAST or Smitherman or Tom Luken for the anti-streetcar bias, then I will jump for joy.  There are plenty of sane anti-streetcar people out there.  They are far to often ignorant, but they are respectable.  I'd suggest Amanda stick to City Council Republicans.  They are against it and they should be happy to make the City know they are against it.

Elissa Yancey is the New Managing Editor at Soapbox

Elissa Yancey takes over the lead role of Soapbox from Sean Rhiney, who is stepping down from the role after about two years. Matt Cunningham is being promoted to Associate Editor and will be responsible for the Development and Innovation & Job News sections of the website.

A big thanks to Sean for his fine work and congratulations to Elissa and Matt.

Seelbach Heading to White House Reception

Cincinnati City Council candidate Chris Seelbach is heading to Washington, D.C. tomorrow for a private reception with President Obama and the First Lady. Seelbach was selected to attend the President's celebration of LGBT Pride Month for his efforts in working for the civil rights of Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, and Transgenders. Seelbach was part of the leadership team that successfully repealed the anti-gay Article XII amendment to the City Charter, which allowed discrimination based on sexual orientation.

More from the Enquirer.

The AP Likes Shit Stories

I don't know what it is about pooping and shit, but the Associated Press likes it and picked up this Enquirer story.

The AP Story doesn't get into the hypocrisy of the situation, like what did the homeless did before during the winter when the Washington Park toilets were closed? Also, why doesn't the Drop Inn Center provide public toilets? If they have a reason NOT to provide one, why would anyone else provide them?

It is pathetic that the media only responds to a story when it includes a circus and then get distracted by clowns and poop.

Why does the media treat 'homeless activists' any differently then they would treat a Press Release promoting the appearance by a fitness team showing the benefits of a new health drink that will keep you regular? Both are PR people, both are biased towards their product, and both are just as credible. Yet, one gets respected and the other dismissed. One spins the truth for profit, the other pretends it's altruistic. I'd love for both to be given the same treatment, but it appears that some people's shit doesn't smell.

Van Benschoten Taking on Transportation at Enquirer

Amanda Van Benschoten, NKY political reporter at the Enquirer, is moving her beat to the Cincinnati side of the river:

Beginning Monday, I move on to a new assignment at the newspaper: covering regional economic development and transportation.

I'll be covering the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, the Brent Spence Bridge, and Cincinnati's Port Authority, among other things. It's a beat chock full of political intrigue, and I look forward to it.

The big question: Will her Transportation coverage include the Streetcar? Has Barry Hortsman been reassigned or will she cover most Transportation modes, except for all rail Transportation that the Enquirer wants to use to create controversy?

Will MetroMix Last in Print Much Longer?

CityBeat News Editor Kevin Osborne ponders the future of Metromix. His analysis makes sense. The print edition would appear to be on its last legs. I'm not actually sure why the Enquirer didn't use the turmoil created with the latest round of layoffs to end the print edition, but I can't understand how they could gut the newsroom the way they did and still put out a daily print edition that is worth reading.

The assumption I would make, however, is that the online Metromix will go forward. I'm wondering what is taking so long for an iPad app for both the Enquirer and Metromix. Both the Dayton Daily News and the Columbus Dispatch have iPad apps. I really hope one was in the works prior to the layoffs. I don't see Gannett pushing one forward, even though they have the technology at USA-Today and it works pretty damn well. It would be nice if they capitalized on the investment there and rolled it out to the Enquirer.

Welcome LULAC!

I wish to welcome LULAC (the League of United Latin American Citizens) to Cincinnati this week for their annual convention.

Check out the Convention website and be sure to thank all of the volunteers helping with this event. It is great for Cincinnati to have a group like LULAC hold their national convention here and bring their message to this part of the country. The civil rights for Latinos is a cause that needs much attention in today's America and I am proud of the work they do. I'm also proud to be part Latino, even if I'm only 1/8th.

Former County Commissioner Files For Personal Bankruptcy

The Cincinnati Business Courier is reporting that Tom Neyer Jr., former Hamilton County Commissioner has filed for personal bankruptcy. The former Republican Commissioner is the owner of Neyer Holdings Corp. a real estate development company. According to the article, Neyer Holdings was involved in the very troubled Kenwood Town Place development that has been sitting half finished for around two years.

Wilkinson to Write a Weekly Politics Column in the Sunday Enquirer

Long time political reporter Howard Wilkinson is again writing a political column for the Cincinnati Enquirer.  Today's column on Brad Wenstrup's challenge to Jean Schmidt is the first of what will be a regular Sunday column. Wilkinson is the only local political reporter/columnist who has been around long enough to have contacts that reach beyond the surface of campaign staffers. That also means he can tend to be the center of conventional wisdom.  Many of the older political players, who would logically be amongst his many sources, far too often think of the politics of the past as if Cincinnati is still what is was in 1970 or even 1985. Times have changed in City, County, and even the congressional political landscape.

I hope all his future columns are like today's, where it is more political analysis, than political opinion. Fact based analysis trumps trite dogma every time.  I also hope he stays out of national politics.  I don't want to hear his take on the 2012 presidential race, unless it is about the Ohio Primary, if it by chance will be meaningful for the GOP nomination.

Is Barry Horstman An Olympic Athlete Or A Liar?

Jake Mecklenborg at the Cincinnati Monocle gives the information you need to answer the question the title of this blog poses: Is Barry Horstman an Olympic Athlete or a liar? Jake references the article Enquirer reporter Barry Hortsman wrote about the time it would take to "walk" the Streetcar route. Hortsman claimed the streetcar route could be walked in 34 minutes, a "very brisk walk" to be specific. That would be 3.15 miles in 34 minutes. When I do the the math I get a walking speed of 5.56 mph.

5.56 mph is jogging. So I guess the is a fantasy land where a "very brisk walk" equates to jogging. That land is a ways from OZ, but right next door to the spacecamp that COASTers call "reality."

So, that basically makes the entire point of the article wrong and horrible journalism.  Why do it?  Do I need to ask this question or is there more than just an anti-streetcar/pro-conflict bias at work here?

For the curious, Wikipedia indicates the average walking speed for people to be 3.1 mph, while running 3.15 miles would be somewhere between 6.6 and 6.8 mph for men and 5.8 and 6.1 for women.

'Zombies Ahead' Makes NPR

You know you made it when something, Interstate 71/75 sign warns of zombies, is reported on NPR. Just now, at the 5:30 AM news intro, the 'Zombies Ahead' sign was mentioned. Have no fear, it wasn't a big story and was  only part of their humorous intro to the hard news. Have a little pride that the country is noticing what we do here, no matter how bizarre or strange or in this case cleverly delinquent.

Council Conservatives Need to Learn Math

Jane Prendergast of the Enquirer reports about the rhetoric on the budget coming from the 5 conservatives on Cincinnati City Council and they just don't understand math or logic, but logic and math don't get you votes.

None of them have put forth a way to cut the $33 million deficit for 2012. None of those on council last year in this group put forth a way to actually balance the budget.  They have ideas, but they can't seem to bother naming the cuts needed to reach the required $33 million.

Instead, as Jane lists out, each of the 'fiscal five' have pet projects each wants to cut or have hollow ideas that have finite dollar values to be considered serious..  None of this ideas add up to anything close to balancing the budget because none do anything to cut the Police Department.

This is where the math comes in. The same 5 refuse to have property owners pay 10 dollars per 100,000 more to take the $33 Million down to $29 Million. So, they cut revenues, again, for the property owners who want the police coverage, which the 5 won't cut along with the revenue cuts. If you subtract from revenues you need to subtract from expenses.  Subtracting from revenues doesn't increase revenues.  That's magical math normally reserved for princes and frogs, but I guess for conservatives, property owners are like neo-feudal lords that actually believe in magic that can turn tax cuts into instant money to pay for more cops than we actually need.  Luther would be proud, I suppose.

Of the pet projects, they one with elements on the table that could put a dent in the deficit would be Chris Bortz's thoughts, but his ideas rely on an unproven assumptions: that outsourcing will save money. He also wants to cut programs that don't cost much, but many would find go along way to help the police govern more effectively in the long run, like the Citizen's Compliant Authority.

The rest of the council members either have hot button issues that add up to service cuts that don't come anywhere near $33 million or they rely on the pie in the sky word "merger", which does nothing now. Mergers are ideas to dangle in front of the ignorant voter, but the semi-smart voter knows none of the merger ideas can be worked out in time before council is required by the Charter to pass a 2012 budget. City/County merger ideas are actually good thoughts, but they are long term issues that need much thought and discussion, something that takes time and focus, which isn't being started in an election year, just talking about. Mergers are not something you can use to plug short term budget deficits. That requires actual numbers.

So, I put forth the challenge to all 5 conservatives on council. If they are serious about governing, they do have the majority after all, then they need to create a budget cutting plan that adds up to $33 million in savings. This would be a real budget, not a pretend one. Pretending includes using "mergers" ideas or ticket amnesty. Anyone who does not have a concrete set of numbers that add up to $33 million is lying when they say they have a budget plan.

The only thing all 5 seem to be willing to do is what ever the FOP wants. None of them will say a word about cutting a dime from anything the FOP says it needs, but will cut they rest of the city's budget (CFD not included). Ghiz is the worst and she knows her hypocrisy and doesn't care. Her quote from the article is priceless:

"I don't care about fair," Councilwoman Leslie Ghiz said.

Supporting the FOP gets her votes. Governing the city and making cuts that are best for all workers and citizens doesn't get her votes. It is crass politics, but it is what she does.

6% Less News At the Enquirer

According to the information I was able to analyse the latest round of layoffs at the Enquirer yesterday totaled 10 people from the news team. I count that as over 6% of the team charged with gathering, editing and putting out the newspaper and its websites. This doesn't include the outside bloggers affiliates 'working' for the paper. This also doesn't count the reportedly 8-9 other non-news people laid off from the paper.

So we get less news, Gannett big-wigs get bonuses and pay raises, and shareholders get a small short bump in share price.  A deal worthy of Wall Street.

People have been saying for many years now that newspapers are dead. I thought that was bullshit. I knew they were shells of what they used to be, but they would stick around, maybe online only. Maybe they would start using a pay wall. I just didn't think they could cut more reporters. This layoff actually cut news gathering by 4 people. There are now 4 fewer people at the paper who had the job of gathering news and writing about it. I don't know how they will be replaced. Either using more freelancers or just cover the same limited coverage with fewer people and wind up with that 6% less news.

We the people of Cincinnati need to actually start thinking about what we will do when the Enquirer goes away. I understand that most conservatives will point to the free market, but Democracy does not exist without a free press, even a flawed newspaper like the Enquirer. No other outlet does what it does. It serves as the source of most of the news that is reported in Cincinnati. This news gathering is a service that must continue. I don't know how, but we need it, so we better start planning how to live in a post newspaper world. If we don't, the mindless drones who don't bother paying attention or just listen to the propaganda outlets will be the majority, if they aren't already. That's how fascism literally starts, not the rhetorical kind people like to claim exists now.  Start thinking now and get your face out of the reality TV shows for a few minutes, OK?

Covedale Isn't a Seperate Neighborhood

I don't know what is wrong with being part of West Price Hill, but some residents wish to be recognised as a separate neighborhood called Covedale.  They've been denied that recognition by the City Manager.  Except for the ever variable property value game, I don't see any value in the distinction between West Price Hill and Covedale.  I don't know where the Covedale name stems from, but adding it for cosmetic reasons isn't worth the expense to the city.  Furthermore, the implications from a Community Council perspective is more troubling.

Where Does P. G. Sittenfeld Stand on the Streetcar?

A hole is starting to grow and if that hole gets to big, a candidate for City Council may not be able to get out. The discussions are going around the social media and commenting circles in Cincinnati about where PG Sittenfeld, Democratic candidate for Cincinnati Council, stands on the Streetcar. Social media posts claim he is against it, one based on a conversation the poster allegedly had with the candidate. His website is silent on the issue. It is silent on Transportation in general. This is a big issue in the city. It may not be an issue some candidates want to get in the middle of, but they must take a clear position on it.

I don't like commenting on rumor, but this is a hopping one. It is a rather easy one to quell. A Twitter post will do just fine. I'd like to hear his views on the topic and unless he wants to become victim to the rumor mill's albatross line of accessories, he should speak up. He's not going to gain long term support by appeasing to opposing groups' views.

More Praise For Cincinnati Public Schools

Joe Nathan of the Minnpost.com offers up a summary on how Cincinnati Public Schools increased their graduation rates by more than 25%. The article is full of praise for what Cincinnati Schools, particularly Taft High School and it's principal Anthony Smith, accomplished.

Who Are Chris Bortz's Enemies On City Council?

Enquirer reporter Barry Horstman wrote in an article effectively that Cincinnati City Council member Chris Bortz believes he has enemies on council. There is not a direct quote, but Hortsman attributes the 'feeling' to one that is from Bortz. Here is the section of the article:

"Those factors provide a foundation for Bortz's feeling that political enemies - including some on council - would like to use the issue to force his departure, while doing no harm to the project they favor."

So, that lead me to the question. Who are his enemies? There are only eight other people, nine if you include the Mayor. The list:

Mark Mallory (D) Mayor
Roxanne Qualls (C,D) Vice Mayor
Cecil Thomas (D) President Pro-tem
Leslie Ghiz (R)
Amy Murray (R)
Wayne Lippert (R)
Laure Quinlivan (D)
Charlie Winburn (R)
Wendell Young (D)

Any guesses?

Ok, so we all have foes in our life and in the workplace, but enemies? I'm sure some pols around town see me as a political enemy, in so much as I will speak out against their candidacies, but that's hardly new or excessive.  That is politics.  I'm not an enemy.  I'm not going to go after anyone's seat once elected.  I don't see that anyone on Council is an 'enemy' of Chris Bortz.  There is conflict on council.  That conflict is a two way street and no one is blameless. If there is a witch hunt to get Bortz, it is from outside Council.

Wenstrup to challenge Schmidt For Congress

Losing Republican Mayoral candidate Brad Wenstrup will mount a primary challenge against sitting 2nd district Republican congress woman Jean Schmidt.

Does Wenstrup know something we don't? Does he know what the 2nd district will look like? That's a big reason we've not heard who else will run for congress, we don't know what redistricting will do. Where the lines are 'painted' for the 1st and 2nd districts will drive who will get in each of the races from the Democratic side. I expect we won't know what those districts look like until the Republicans draw the lines behind closed doors and do their best to create as many districts with demographics that favor their candidate, while giving the Democrats little time to review them.

Wenstrup mounted a suburbanite campaign when he ran for the City of Cincinnati Mayor. That means that while he lived on the east side of the city, his attitude and tone towards the city was like a moderate suburbanite's generally is: one of caution, some misplaced fear, and dislike. That doesn't play well in the city. That attitude may, however, play well if the 2nd district has a big suburban core. I don't know how well he will sell out in the rural areas. That is a whole different type of voter. In a GOP primary, they will be especially different from the typical suburban Republican on economic issues. That's going to be interesting.

Wenstrup is a solid challenger to Schmidt. He is a mainstream Republican, so he can lean as far to the right as he needs to and play to the middle if that is where is primary votes lie and for the general election if needed. Seeing how much this divides the party in the primary is going to be an enjoyable situation.

We Need a Wyatt Earp

The Stupidity of the Ohio GOP controlled legislature knows no bounds.

I guess pretending to live in the old West just isn't enough. GOP members of the Ohio House and Senate want to actually live like Cowboys of Cochise County. I am assuming they already have had their wives make them a red sash.

At this point we need a Wyatt Earp to take everyone's guns at the city limits. If that law was good enough for Tombstone and wasn't challenged in Federal Court in 1879, it should be good enough now. No one messes with Wyatt Earp or at least no one who is not going allow idiots to be inside an establishment that sells booze while carying a handgun. I mean only a logical person would assume that people go into bars to drink, not to have gunfights. I mean they wouldn't ever do both because Cowboys don't kill people unless they got it coming, after all, so we all should be safe.