In case Ohio House District 31 candidate Denise Driehaus or the Ohio Democratic Party or anyone else following politics in Cincinnati didn't know, here's a lesson in geography and civics on the simple fact that the New 31st Ohio House District is an open seat.
The claims of others, specifically the ODP and Driehaus herself, are not only an insult to the people living in the New 31st District, it is an insult to the people currently in the Old 31st District.
Democracy starts when the political leadership is honest with the voters. That seems to be lacking here.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Are Denise Driehaus's Values Your Values?
An interesting video clip highlighting what Denise Driehuas's record indicates are her values:
Bill Sloat at The Daily Bellwhether has more on her record of an endorsement from an anti-abortion group. That's something you will not read on her campaign website, at least not anymore.
Bill Sloat at The Daily Bellwhether has more on her record of an endorsement from an anti-abortion group. That's something you will not read on her campaign website, at least not anymore.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Will You Subscribe to the Enquirer's Paywall?
The Cincinnati Enquirer is reporting on itself today and confirms that it, along with all of Parent Company Gannett's regional newspapers, will adopt a Paywall model for its website by the end of the year. The paper indicates it will use a subscription model similar to the New York Times, which allows for a limited number of free articles per month.
Needless to say this will send some into a tizzy. Not me. I have no problem with the Enquirer doing this. We as a public have long been coddled by having free news websites. It costs money to gather and write news articles. Sure, I wish the Enquirer did a better job of doing that, but that does not make the economics of reality go away. So I really hope the complainers get it out of their systems quickly. I for one will not be forgiving when anyone complains about having to pay for news. I also will challenge them to find a more comphensive source for local news in Cincinnati. If all you want is national news, you had 1,000 better sources than the Enquir anyway.
There are several things I believe the Enquirer must do in order to make this work:
1. Create more local content. Laying off more reporters is not the way to go. Some more hires better be in their future.
2. Don't rehash national Gannett content behind the Paywall. If I am going to pay for something it needs to be unique, so make the news local or at least by local reporters.
3. Bring back some opinion. Commentary is not evil, it just needs to be smart and not anything like Peter Bronson.
4. Make the archives free for online subscribers. If I am going to pay for content, I want to be able to read it now or three years from now. It should be retroactive too. I'd personally pay a slight premium for this, but not an arm and a leg.
5. Make it cheaper than the New York Times. The NYT may be able to make up the difference in volume, but you can't consider the value of the Enquirer to be more, let alone the same, as the Times.
6. iPad App: I believe this is in the works, but it can't come soon enough.
7. Make it easy. Don't have 12 price levels, a few is enough. Also allow access from all online tools: PC, Tablet & Phone.
What ever it looks like, I will subscribe. I am a news junkie and need the fix. I hope I like the high it gives me.
Needless to say this will send some into a tizzy. Not me. I have no problem with the Enquirer doing this. We as a public have long been coddled by having free news websites. It costs money to gather and write news articles. Sure, I wish the Enquirer did a better job of doing that, but that does not make the economics of reality go away. So I really hope the complainers get it out of their systems quickly. I for one will not be forgiving when anyone complains about having to pay for news. I also will challenge them to find a more comphensive source for local news in Cincinnati. If all you want is national news, you had 1,000 better sources than the Enquir anyway.
There are several things I believe the Enquirer must do in order to make this work:
1. Create more local content. Laying off more reporters is not the way to go. Some more hires better be in their future.
2. Don't rehash national Gannett content behind the Paywall. If I am going to pay for something it needs to be unique, so make the news local or at least by local reporters.
3. Bring back some opinion. Commentary is not evil, it just needs to be smart and not anything like Peter Bronson.
4. Make the archives free for online subscribers. If I am going to pay for content, I want to be able to read it now or three years from now. It should be retroactive too. I'd personally pay a slight premium for this, but not an arm and a leg.
5. Make it cheaper than the New York Times. The NYT may be able to make up the difference in volume, but you can't consider the value of the Enquirer to be more, let alone the same, as the Times.
6. iPad App: I believe this is in the works, but it can't come soon enough.
7. Make it easy. Don't have 12 price levels, a few is enough. Also allow access from all online tools: PC, Tablet & Phone.
What ever it looks like, I will subscribe. I am a news junkie and need the fix. I hope I like the high it gives me.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
A District Isn't Only a Number, It's About the People
When someone decides to run for office, the first thing I believe they should understand is that they are seeking a job to represent the people of jurisdiction that they live in. Running for office is not about getting a job. You don't just move to a new city to become its mayor.
Denise Driehaus does not understand this. She did the opposite and foolishly says it to CityBeat. To her it's all about a number, not about the voters. Read what she said here:
Let's face the simple fact: Denies Driehaus moved to the New 31st because she wanted to keep her job, not because she wants to represent the people living there.She's an opportunist. This is about her, not about representing the people of the New 31st. She's a carpetbagger. Her views are in conflict with the majority of the people in the new district but she'll happily pretend otherwise.
She's a conservative Democrat and is hiding the fact that she's pro-life. Her voting record on the subject is clear, but she's scrubbed her 2010 Right to Life endorsement from her website. She didn't get it in the primary only because Terry Tranter managed to find a way to be more extreme on the issue, otherwise she would have gotten it.
Driehaus's answers to the 2010 Cincinnati right to life survey should make it clear to all where she stands on abortion rights. In a year when the rights of women to control their own bodies are in danger in Ohio as well as across the county, the people of the New 31st district need to know this and not be fooled because she evades answering the issue head on. She instead allegedly wants to focus on other women's issues, like jobs and education. Well, those are issues that affect both men and women. Driehaus needs to address issues that only affect women. She needs to be honest with the voters and make her position on abortion clear and open and avoid letting people think she agrees with them on choice. She's anti-abortion and has voted to limit abortion rights. She's not just against it personally, she actually has voted to limit the rights of women who have been raped or the victim of incest from being able to choose an abortion. There is only one candidate who supports the right of women to control their own bodies and that is Luke Brockmeier.
Make sure the voters know who is thinking about them instead of the number on a paycheck.
Denise Driehaus does not understand this. She did the opposite and foolishly says it to CityBeat. To her it's all about a number, not about the voters. Read what she said here:
“The only way to define statehouse district is by its number because geographies change,” she says. “Everybody’s districts changed during this redraw… the number is 31 for my current district. The number for the new district is 31. So, I consider that to be my district, and I consider myself to be the incumbent in that district.”Driehaus is not the incumbent for the New 31st, that's just a lie and she knows it. The New 31st district is totally different than the Old 31st. The people and places she represents are totally different. She moved to the New 31st district a few weeks before the deadline. She hasn't even changed the official campaign address for her campaign committee. It's still in Price Hill.
Let's face the simple fact: Denies Driehaus moved to the New 31st because she wanted to keep her job, not because she wants to represent the people living there.She's an opportunist. This is about her, not about representing the people of the New 31st. She's a carpetbagger. Her views are in conflict with the majority of the people in the new district but she'll happily pretend otherwise.
She's a conservative Democrat and is hiding the fact that she's pro-life. Her voting record on the subject is clear, but she's scrubbed her 2010 Right to Life endorsement from her website. She didn't get it in the primary only because Terry Tranter managed to find a way to be more extreme on the issue, otherwise she would have gotten it.
Driehaus's answers to the 2010 Cincinnati right to life survey should make it clear to all where she stands on abortion rights. In a year when the rights of women to control their own bodies are in danger in Ohio as well as across the county, the people of the New 31st district need to know this and not be fooled because she evades answering the issue head on. She instead allegedly wants to focus on other women's issues, like jobs and education. Well, those are issues that affect both men and women. Driehaus needs to address issues that only affect women. She needs to be honest with the voters and make her position on abortion clear and open and avoid letting people think she agrees with them on choice. She's anti-abortion and has voted to limit abortion rights. She's not just against it personally, she actually has voted to limit the rights of women who have been raped or the victim of incest from being able to choose an abortion. There is only one candidate who supports the right of women to control their own bodies and that is Luke Brockmeier.
Make sure the voters know who is thinking about them instead of the number on a paycheck.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Shots Fired Into Downtown Business and This Wasn't Huge News?
Someone fired shots into a jewelry store on Main Street last week and it didn't really make that much of a splash in the media, surprisingly. Local 12 did a story on it, but I didn't see much else on it.
It appears it may be gang related, so it wasn't random. The business in question, Main Street Jewelry, comes across as a store catering to a style often associated with gangs. Having a "Gold Teeth $13.99" sign stenciled in lettering on the window points to that.
This type of crime is very difficult to deal with, as witnesses and victims are often either scared to testify or are involved with a gang themselves. It has the earmarks of an intimidation actions or maybe an initiation for another idiot. It is very dishearten to see this happen in Downtown. I am glad to hear the police up front about this and I hope they do take a look at some of the clientele, who according to the report appear to also be in gangs. This unfortunately will likely not get a big penalty for the shooter, assuming he is caught. The state of the justice system will render this criminal to the bottom of the pile, since he hasn't killed anyone yet. When (not if) he does, then he'll get the full weight of the law. This type of reality is not something that works for our society. Joe Deters should be holding press conferences about that fact and stop wasting people's times with other political antics.
I am also just so surprised that this hasn't gotten anyone to make a statement. Smitherman is silent on this, but so are the City-Haters, so I'm perplexed.
It appears it may be gang related, so it wasn't random. The business in question, Main Street Jewelry, comes across as a store catering to a style often associated with gangs. Having a "Gold Teeth $13.99" sign stenciled in lettering on the window points to that.
This type of crime is very difficult to deal with, as witnesses and victims are often either scared to testify or are involved with a gang themselves. It has the earmarks of an intimidation actions or maybe an initiation for another idiot. It is very dishearten to see this happen in Downtown. I am glad to hear the police up front about this and I hope they do take a look at some of the clientele, who according to the report appear to also be in gangs. This unfortunately will likely not get a big penalty for the shooter, assuming he is caught. The state of the justice system will render this criminal to the bottom of the pile, since he hasn't killed anyone yet. When (not if) he does, then he'll get the full weight of the law. This type of reality is not something that works for our society. Joe Deters should be holding press conferences about that fact and stop wasting people's times with other political antics.
I am also just so surprised that this hasn't gotten anyone to make a statement. Smitherman is silent on this, but so are the City-Haters, so I'm perplexed.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Hamilton County Coroner Dies After Injury
Tragic news from WKRC today: Dr. Anant Bhati died late yesterday from the injuries he suffered after falling and hitting his head. He was 71 years old.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Bunbury Announces Headliners: Jane's Addiction, Weezer, Death Cab
Then inaugural Bunbury Music Festival has announced the headliners for each night of the 2012 Festival:
Fri July 13th: Jane's Addiction
Sat July 14th: Weezer
Sun July 15th: Death Cab for Cutie
Those are really huge names for this event. I am astonished and pumped! I hope a series of more emerging indie acts along with the best local music can fill out the festival line-up.
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