Politics Are Personal

2013-05-13T17:46:00.002-04:00

REPUBLICRAT!!

If you don't think you are over taxed and under represented; at least consider the possibility that I may be right when I tell you that we are!!

Congress - NOT Funny!!

2013-05-12T12:04:00.000-04:00

Shouldn't it read, "NO Ethics"??

If you don't think you are over taxed and under represented; you are just not paying attention!!

Lorain County Issue 2 - More Money For Transit???

2013-05-06T09:46:00.000-04:00

Are you really in a hurry to give the Lorain County Board of Commissioners more of your money!!

LORAIN COUNTY TRANSIT

A Majority Affirmative Vote Is Necessary For Passage.

An additional tax for the benefit of The Lorain County Transit for the purpose of purchasing, acquiring, constructing, enlarging, improving, equipping, repairing, maintaining, or operating, or any combination of the foregoing, a county transit system pursuant to sections 306.01 to 306.13 of the Revised Code, or of making any payment to a Board of County Commissioners operating a transit system or a county transit board pursuant to section 306.06 of the Revised Code at a rate of .04 mill for each one dollar of valuation, which amounts to $0.004 for each one hundred dollars of valuation, for 5 years, commencing in 2013, first due in calendar year 2014.

FOR THE TAX LEVY
AGAINST THE TAX LEVY

For me - it is written way to broad; they can (and will), take your additional $400.00 (based on a $100,000 home valuation) and use it for anything they choose under the title of "operating a transit system". And, we should vote "yes" and give our money because they have done such a great job in the past "operating" the transit system.

I am voting NO on this issue.

If you don't think you are over taxed and under represented; ask yourself, "what happened to the RTA we used t have?"

Tax the Internet Stores??

2013-04-29T16:06:00.000-04:00

By Glenn McCoy - April 29, 2013

I LOVE the way this woman thinks!!

If you don't think you are over taxed and under represented; think about how you would spend all that extra money in your own pocket!

Independent Voters Uniting; Party or Movement?

2013-04-27T12:42:00.000-04:00

Under the U.S. Constitution, a Republic, the United States of America, was formed. During recent conversations with fellow voters, I am often asked, "What is the difference between a democracy and a republic?"

"How often do we hear the corporate controlled media on purpose, if perhaps not by
evil design, refer to democracy as being the best kind of government? They never make
mention of why the Founders of our nation created the binding laws of the Constitution to
prevent us from following the fate of all the world's democracies.I stated; "Because history has shown that democracy always leads to this same fate, our nation's Founders created our nation to be a republic ruled by the binding laws of the Constitution rather than a democracy ruled by people who would vote to become dependent on the public treasury of a central government."

http://www.voteindependentamerican.us/

I know that I often, almost always, ask, "What will it cost me?" when I hear Congress or O talk about some magnificent program they want to roll out, but we all know that they can do nothing without OUR money. "Taxation is and has always been extortion. It creates an environment in a reality scenario similar to giving a crack addict an unlimited supply of cocaine." http://www.americanpatriotproject.com/files/CAFR_Taxes_Freedom.pdf

While I do not agree with the Independent American Party on every aspect of their platform, the group is active in almost every state in the union. Most are socially conservative and Constitution supporters. I recently received the following from the IAP Midwestern Region Coordinator;

Yesterday, April 25, the KS IAP held its meeting as scheduled. It was a good meeting for making progress toward establishing the KS IAP as a recognized political influence in Kansas.

To build this influence, we are continuing to recruit support for abolishing the IRS and all income taxes through appropriate versions of the Fair Tax.

Concurrently, we are recruiting support for a new concept of tax reform. This new concept will eliminate all taxes. All taxes can be eliminated because, there is no longer the need for any government at any level to use tax collections for their source of revenue. See this explained at http://www.voteindependentamerican.us and http://www.americanpatriotproject.com/files/CAFR_Taxes_Freedom.pdf

We invite all Americans to join with us in this Independent American campaign for America. Help in the promotion of these issues for the benefit of life and liberty. Join with us so that "We The People", who have a great sense of reverence for the laws that were written in our nation's Constitution through the inspiration of our Almighty God, will stand tall with pride on the 4th of July when we celebrate our independence and all that is good in America.

Sincerely,
Roger Tucker
IAP Midwestern Region Coordinator
http://www.independentamericanparty.org

Independent voters, across the country, are organizing a movement that is likely to change politics, elections, redistricting and campaigns. Hopefully, those changes will be positive in nature. One thing is for certain, our country can not remain on its present course, with its current Congress and the so called two party system at the helm, and remain the free United States of America; one nation under God, for much longer.

If you don't think you are over taxed and under represented; at least consider the possibility of both!

UN Agenda 21, You Are Invited!! NEOSCC Public Workshop, "Business As Usual"

2013-04-26T09:36:00.000-04:00

Tuesday - April 30, 2013
Registration at 5:30 pm
Workshop at 6:30 pm

"Business As Usual"

You’re Invited to Create a More Vibrant, Resilient and Sustainable Northeast Ohio
The VibrantNEO process uses public workshops to look at the future of our Northeast Ohio. What will it look like in 2040 if we keep doing what we’re doing? What are the potential outcomes if we do things differently? To answer these questions, we need to understand our values and priorities.
This first round of VibrantNEO public workshops revolves around a scenario called “Business As Usual.” It outlines what Northeast Ohio’s future will look like if we keep doing what we are currently doing. We need your help to define what we value and what’s most important to this region as we start to create a vision for Northeast Ohio’s future. We Can Only Answer These Questions Together!

In consideration for your disclosing your name and allowing us to contact you with regard to matters of common interest, we agree not to disclose your name or other personal information to anyone outside the organization, unless required by law.

Jennifer Margolis
Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Consortium
jmargolis@neoscc.org

Is "scenario planning" a plan or a self fulfilling prophecy? NGO (non government organizations) are at work here. Much of their work is accomplished using our tax dollars. You should get to know the facts!

If you don't think you are over taxed and under represented; at least the consider the possibility!

Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act , H.R. 624, Dianne Feinstein

2013-04-24T08:54:00.000-04:00

Hidden deep within the House's Cyber Intelligence Sharing & Protection Act, H.R. 624, I found the following;

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT USE OF INFORMATION —

LIMITATION.—The Federal Government may use cyber threat information shared with the
Federal Government in accordance with subsection (b) —
(A) for cybersecurity purposes;

(B) for the investigation and prosecution of cybersecurity crimes;

(C) for the protection of individuals from the danger of death or serious bodily harm and the investigation and prosecution of crimes involving such danger of death or serious bodily harm; or

(D) for the protection of minors from child pornography, any risk of sexual exploitation, and serious threats to the physical safety of minors, including kidnapping and trafficking and the investigation and prosecution of crimes involving child pornography, any risk of sexual exploitation, and serious threats to the physical safety of minors, including kidnapping and trafficking, and any crime referred to in 23
•HR 624 EH, 1 section 2258A(a)(2) of title 18, United States 2 Code.

It looks to me that this bill actually allows the federal government to look into any and every internet activity of American citizens and to use such information in the prosecution of perceived or actual crimes.

37 Representatives co-sponsored this bill. My Representative, Jim Jordan, voted for it. H.R. 624 is currently in the Select Committee on Intelligence. The Chairman of that committee; our dear friend, Dianne Feinstein. Ohio has no representation on this committee, but you can call or write to the members and voice your concerns. See http://www.intelligence.senate.gov/memberscurrent.html for more info.

When I think of cyber security crimes, I think about corporate trade secrets, bank records or identity theft; not "danger of death or serious bodily harm". I am not certain how I feel about H.R. 624, but there is no denying that "Big Brother is watching!"

If you don't think you are over taxed and under represented; at least consider the possibility.

International Baccalaureate - World School and UN Agenda 21

2013-04-18T12:24:00.000-04:00

Can anyone say, "New world order"?

The following article is written by: Dr. Ileana Johnson Paugh

An international baccalaureate world school is another arm of U.N. Agenda 21 indoctrination of our children into “global citizenship, social justice, intercultural understanding and respect,” submission to one-world socialist government, using American taxpayer dollars. Most parents have no idea what IB is. IB programs are devoted to the “radical transformation of America’s classrooms.”

An IB World School is a private or public school that has agreed to offer the IB (International Baccalaureate) program run and coordinated by IBO, a non-profit socialist Swiss Foundation in Geneva, Switzerland, in partnership with UNESCO of the United Nations. As a parent, in order to discover what the secret curriculum is, one has to be an approved IB teacher, with a password that accesses the curriculum. This sounds very similar to the CSCOPE curriculum in Texas which is kept quite unavailable to prying eyes and ears.

Justin Blough describes the IB program at the school he attended—no more learning about U.S. President, good values, no American history, patriotic songs, and plays. Teachers have to wear the light blue colors of the United Nations. Students are indoctrinated into becoming “citizens of the world” instead of citizens of the country they were born in, preoccupied with “moral, ethical, social, economic, and environmental implications of global production and consumption.”

The Rescue Mission Planet Earth is promoted by the IB program as the student’s version of UN Agenda 21. The first director of UNESCO, Julian Huxley, stated that UNESCO “is to help the emergence of a single world culture, with its own philosophy and background of ideas, and with its own broad purposes.” Agenda 21 goals were advanced around the world with the help of ICLEI (International Council on Local Environmental Initiatives) while IB World Schools are advanced with the help of the IBO (International Baccalaureate Organization) in Switzerland.

According to Debra K. Niwa, IB programs are very costly to schools if the number of diplomas awarded (10 on the average) are considered, and the numerous fees and costs for teaching and non-teaching positions, student and subject fees, assessment fees, evaluation visit fees, and expenses incurred in traveling out-of-state and out-of-the-country for training purposes, are taken into account. The average training cost per staff is $8,000. These are taxpayer money that cannot be spent on regular education, books, athletics, and other regular school activities. We should teach American values, reading, writing, science, and mathematics.

There are three levels of IB program: the pre-university two-year diploma (DP), the middle years program (MYP), and the primary years program (PYP). When the IB World School program is adopted in a local school, the taxpayers have no idea because they are not asked for approval. The public does not know that these IB schools cost millions of dollars. The Swiss IBO (International Baccalaureate Organization) is making huge profits at American taxpayer expense while it pays no taxes. The non-profit IBO is operating in 48 states, including D.C., and plans to have 10,000 schools and 2.5 million students by 2020. There are over 2,000 IB World Schools in the U.S. and 74 in Virginia.

Where does the funding come from for the IB World Schools? After grants expire, the annual cost is paid by state and local taxpayers. Frequently, local and state taxes must be raised in order to cover the cost.

If a public school applies and qualifies for an IB World School, Title I funds for low income populations are tapped and other federal grants such as:

The Magnet Schools Assistance Program
AP Test Fee Program
GEAR UP
Advanced Placement Incentive Program
Smaller Learning Communities Program
Academic Competitiveness Grants

According to Debra K. Niwa, IB’s “education purpose, content, and teaching methods, when the veneer about ‘rigor,’ ‘international mindedness’ and ‘quality education for a better world’ is removed, the program represents non-academic goals that support United Nations’ Agenda 21 sustainable development.”

Since 1970, IBO (International Baccalaureate Organization) has been an official NGO (non-governmental organization) of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The founder of IB, Therese Maurette, describes her educational philosophy that runs against our Founding Fathers’ ideas of what American education should be. Maurette believes bilingualism to be imperative because “It is important psychologically to be willing to subordinate one’s national superiority by speaking to the other person, however imperfectly, in their mother tongue.” The concept of “nationality” must be minimized in order to encourage students to develop a picture of the whole world. “History should not be taught until well into adolescence because, for the younger student, it inevitably consists of a series of stories and myths glorifying violence and misrepresenting events by giving them a nationalistic bias.”

To shape students into pawns of international change, IB programs use “pedagogical methods that are intended to affect the fundamental transformation of America’s classrooms.” Schools that adopt the IB program must also adopt the international moral and ethical values. Whose values are these? They are the diverse values of different cultures as contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted and proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1948. They are not our American values, they are values that encourage social change in which “the rights of individuals are linked to those of the collectives:”

Awareness of human rights combined with a sense of social responsibilities;
Value of social equity and democratic participation;
Understanding and tolerance of cultural differences and pluralism;
A caring, co-operative and enterprising spirit;
Creativity;
Sensitivity to gender equality;
Open-mindedness to change;
Obligation to environment protection and sustainable development.

These “Desirable universal values” of United Nations education have made their way in the main stream American education, they were found in a list given to educators in North Carolina at an in-service workshop: (source Debra K. Niwa)

There is no right or wrong, only conditioned responses.
The collective good is more important than the individual.
Consensus is more important than principle.
Flexibility is more important than accomplishment.
Nothing is permanent except change.
All ethics are situational; there are no moral absolutes.
There are no perpetrators, only victims. (author Beverly Eakman, 2002)

Niwa quotes Alexandre Cretzianu’s 1956 book, “Captive Rumania—a Decade of Soviet Rule,” in which he explains that the western values of “liberty, democracy, law, right, security” are just lip service because under a communist dictatorship, “laws set forth obligations for the citizen,” but there are no restraints on the actions of the state.

Harold G. Shane wrote in 1976 in the Phi Delta Kappan, “As young people mature we must help them develop…a service ethic which is geared toward the real world…the global servant concept in which we will educate our young forplanetary service and eventually for some form of world citizenship… implicit within the ‘global servant’ concept are the moral insights” . . . that will help us live with the regulated freedom we must eventually impose upon ourselves.” (Debra K. Niwa, July 2009)

“Young people need to feel first of all global citizens, second national citizens and third local citizens. Among my generation, it is the other way round. Change will be difficult, but schools are already thinking about curriculum changes.” (“IB is showing the way,” IB World, May 2008)

Volunteering is not left up to churches and individuals who are charitable by nature, the IB program “requires community, action, service.” National service and compulsory community service are required under collectivism and authoritarianism. I know because we used to be forced into monthly “volunteerism” under communist party dictatorship: plant flowers, trees, shrubs, pick up garbage, mow grass, plant the crops, and harvest the crops in the fall. We had no choice and we were not paid for our hard work, fed or given water. We were taken out of school as slaves to the collective.

In a world culture of peace, “dialectical thinking” is a required component of IB. Debra K. Niwa wrote, “Dialectical thinking is reminiscent of what George Orwell described in his novel 1984: Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously; and accepting both of them.”

Social Justice is a core part of the International Baccalaureate (IB). UN Agenda 21 Sustainable Development is re-engineering human life by using social equity/social justice, a new economic system called public-private partnerships, and environmental justice by “devaluing man to the level of animals and plants.” (Michael Shaw)

Shaw continues, “The modern war on liberty fosters confusion in our schools regarding the nature of what is a moral government. It uses divide and conquer tactics by separating people into groups under the principle of social justice. It creates dependency via an emerging global corporate socialism based on public-private partnerships.”

American schools use multiculturalism, diversity, ethnic studies, and intercultural proficiency/competency to promote social justice. Social justice is taught under the rubric of critical pedagogy. Critical pedagogy is the political arm of liberation theology and cultural Marxism/political correctness. The ultimate goal is to bring about social transformation at the collective level through indoctrination of our students. (Bill Ayers, Dec. 15, 2009)

One blogger, mdefarge, described the goals of the IB World Schools quite succinctly. “…what ICLEI is to the environment (better stated, “in the name of” the environment), IB is to education – elitist global dogma executed at the local level through schools: American education brought to you by the New World Order. Talk about a propaganda coup!”

Cathy Tyler gave a few examples of “what IB educated children say (From Why International Baccalaureate IB is Un-A by Samuel Adams 1722 (YouTube):

I would make people ride their bikes or walk, no cars.
I would eliminate factories because they pollute the air.
I would stop loggers from cutting down trees.
I would save all the animals in the world.”

It is time for parents to wake up and start questioning the IB World Schools in their communities. The IBO association with UNESCO is a clear indication that their goals are anti-American and clash with our Constitution. IB World Schools indoctrinate our children into a collectivist mindset, the hallmark of a socialist economy and a government ruled by the Communist Party, under the guise of environmental and social justice. We should not allow IB to downplay our nationality and make American students feel ashamed of our history. There is no shame in being an exceptional nation, there is pride and accomplishment that benefited the entire globe and still does. IB World Schools endorse the UN Earth Charter which contradicts our Constitution as well. Earth Charter promotes redistribution of wealth, same sex marriage, pantheism, and military disarmament. These are not the values American children should learn in our nation founded on Judeo-Christian values, personal responsibility, a strong work ethic, and equal opportunity to succeed, not equal outcomes.

Article submitted by: Veronica Coffin

Thank you to Tom Halloran for sharing this article! Read more at http://tomohalloran.com/2013/04/13/agenda-21s-ib-world-school/

If you don't think you are over taxed and under represented; why do we never hear our so called Representatives talk about this?

Ohio Liberty Council; In the Know!!

2013-04-17T08:55:00.001-04:00

Copied from an email I received today. The Ohio Liberty Council has been active in the ongoing budget battle in Ohio. They recently held a conference call and are sharing some of the info in this message;

"From the feedback we've received, Reps are hearing the message from you loud and clear. On a side note, it is an odd notion that some Reps say they'll only consider calls from "within" their district.

The reality is individuals are free to donate, make calls, go door-to-door, and volunteer during elections for any Rep and volunteering across districts is quite common.
Lobbyists are almost never constituents from within a Rep's district, yet they get the ears of Reps constantly.
The Ohio House Republican Caucus and special interest PACs regularly fund the re-election campaigns of individual Reps with dollars raised outside of Reps' districts. Click to view contributors to Ohio statehouse members.
In the end, what is good for the goose is good for the gander. We all swim in the same pool that is Ohio. As such, every voice matters.

Until the budget is finalized in the House, we have every reason to keep up the pressure. If you didn't get a chance to make calls yesterday, please call today.

For our suggested list of Reps to call - click here.
To locate your own Rep visit: http://www.ohiohouse.gov/

We will continue a close watch on the budget proceedings and keep you informed on the latest news that we hear. Thank you again for doing your part to defend liberty by expressing your opinion to our Representatives in government.

Yours in Liberty,"

Ted Stevenot

President

Ohio Liberty Coalition

www.ohiolibertycoalition.org

"C'mon, there's all kinds of legislative maneuvers that go on. You get something out. You get a piece of what you want. You keep it alive. You move it in the other body. You expand it out. You get it into conference committee. It's just a long process."

Ohio Governor John Kasich

Personally, I am for top two open primaries for Ohio. Every registered voter, regardless of party, votes one ballot and the top two vote getters in each race face off in the November general election. A PAC is, in reality, a Party. They represent a specific political view and give money and votes to specific candidates and issues. That is a Party. They should either be required to register as a Party or barred from supporting candidates.

Open primaries and allowing Ohioans to register as independent/non-affiliated voters would go a long way to put elections back into the hands of the People. After all, this is a government for the People, of the People, by the People; is it not?

If you don't think you are over taxed and under represented; at least consider the possibilities!

Unemployed, Underemployed; Forgotten Americans?

2013-04-17T08:31:00.000-04:00

Copied from an email I received. I wonder if we are seeing another social shift; the previous minority fighting for American jobs with other foreign workers brought in on visas from other regions of the world. We, citizen's of America, have no representation in the U.S. Congress.

DEAR FRIENDS OF AMERICA'S Forgotten UNEMPLOYED,

What a day!

I've been doing media interviews every hour and just got back to the office from doing the Kudlow show on CNBC. (You have to watch a short commercial before viewing.) It was three against one, and I apologize to all of you who I let down by not making the points that you wish I had made but I was out-shouted.

But watching the video may get your juices flowing about the crazy Establishment, power-elite, prevailing view that Americans don't want to work. Everything about the bill screams, THE U.S. IS SUFFERING A LABOR SHORTAGE!

You see how hard it was tonight for me to give voice to the unemployed, underemployed and wage-depressed Americans? Well, it is going to take every one of us to get loud enough to be heard in the offices of 100 U.S. Senators.

BOTTOM LINE OF RELEASE OF AMNESTY BILL OUTLINE (as seen by Roy Beck)
You probably have seen a ton of references to the Gang of Eight's release today of the OUTLINE (not the bill, yet) of its Monster Amnesty. Here's the bottom line:

• Before any enforcement, the bill gives work permits and the right to live here and use the nation's infrastructure to virtually all the estimated 11 million illegal aliens.

• It sets a lot of goals for implementation of enforcement promises made in the 1986 amnesty and the 1990 and 1996 immigration laws. Promises that were never kept. Like those earlier promises, this bill does not guarantee anything because there are no hard triggers.

• We don't have the actual bill yet to calculate how much legal immigration will go up. It looks like the bill might increase new immigration in the first 10 years from around 11 million to 16-20 million! that's in addition to the 11 million illegal aliens who will have been given work permits.
The minute that the Gang releases the actual bill, our staff will begin reading every page so we can report to you precisely what the bill will do. But the Gang's outline released today supposedly was meant to be the best face of the bill. Not a very good face.

GETTING THE 'FORGOTTEN UNEMPLOYED' OUT FRONT IN THE MEDIA
The USA Today story this afternoon on reaction to the amnesty bill began with a not-very-profound comment from me, but maybe it is the message we want to get out through all social media, etc., the middle of this week:

WASHINGTON -- When Roy Beck, of NumbersUSA, finally saw the details of an immigration deal brokered by a bipartisan group of senators on Tuesday, the outspoken opponent of granting legal status to the nation's unauthorized immigrants had a hard time finding the right words to express himself;
"I just never expected the bill to be this bad,' said Beck, executive director of NumbersUSA, a group that helped sink the last attempt to change the nation's immigration laws in 2007 and is trying to do the same this time.

After praise for the bill from Pres. Obama and other pro-amnesty folks, the story went on to quote me saying what I told a lot of other reporters: Aside from opening the door to legal status for the nation's estimated 11 million unauthorized immigrants, Beck says the bill adds even more competition for unemployed Americans by bringing in a huge influx of foreign workers through visas for high-tech and low-skilled workers.
"Every politician that has run for office over the last 10 years has said, 'Jobs. Jobs are No. 1.' And yet, everything in this bill is about bringing in more people to compete for American jobs," Beck said. "This whole bill is written as if the nation is in the throes of a terrible labor shortage."
Read more at http://www.capitolhilldaily.com/

You can also read more about Roy Beck at https://www.numbersusa.com/content/blog/beckr

If you don't think you are over taxed and under represented; how do you feel about this proposed plan?

Meaningful Dialogue - It Is Over Due!

2013-04-16T19:08:00.002-04:00

I love this one!!

What this country needs is for the People, all of us, to engage in meaningful dialogue.

Is the Constitution viable? Shall we, as Americans, defend it, be governed by it and demand others adhere to it? The Constitution and Bill of Rights mention the right of the "individual"more than once!!

Conversation requires that one party listens while the other speaks and that all keep a somewhat open mind.

If you don't think you are over taxed and under represented; at least keep an open mind to the possibility!!

Mark Twain Was Fairly Smart

2013-04-16T18:53:00.000-04:00

Yes, NEOSCC Is A UN Agenda 21 Off Spring With An Enormous Appetite For More & More Money!!

2013-04-16T17:07:00.000-04:00

"NEOSCC is a group of 33 organizations from across the 12-county Northeast Ohio region that have come together to help ensure that Northeast Ohio is sustainable and resilient and that the things we value most about our region are protected and preserved. NEOSCC will shortly launch an effort to engage the entire region in a broad conversation about what Northeast Ohioans value and how our region can become more vibrant (see the Vibrant NEO Engagement Plan)."

The NEOSCC is an NGO (non-government organization) that can only function using our tax dollars. Virtually no input from any elected officials except those serving on the Board themselves - like Holly Brinda, Dr. Roy Church, Lorain County Community College, Shara Davis – Lorain County Community College, Mike Challender and Ronald Romancak – of Lorain County to name a few.

"Building on the original 23 member organizations, the NEOSCC Board has added 10 additional members for a total of 33 organizations. These members have committed over $2.3 million of in-kind services as part of the required match for the grant." Among those are the City of Elyria, Lorain Community College and Lorain Growth Partnership.

You're Invited to Create a More Vibrant, Resilient and Sustainable Northeast Ohio!

The VibrantNEO process uses public workshops to look at the future of our Northeast Ohio. What will it look like in 2040 if we keep doing what we're doing? What are the potential outcomes if we do things differently? To answer these questions, we need to understand our values and priorities.

This first round of VibrantNEO public workshops revolves around a scenario called "Business as Usual." It outlines what Northeast Ohio's future will look like if we keep doing what we are currently doing. We need your help to define what we value and what's most important to this region as we start to create a vision for Northeast Ohio's future.

We Can Only Answer These Questions Together!

Open House & Resistration at 5:30 pm

Workshop begins at 6:30 pm

Tue., April 30:
Lorain, Medina, and western Cuyahoga counties
The Oberlin Inn
7 N Main St
Oberlin OH 44074
Register: http://tinyurl.com/VibrantNEO-Oberlin-043013

You can also contact;

Jennifer Margolis

Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Consortium

jmargolis@neoscc.org

You can also read more at http://vibrantneo.org/neoscc/missionvaluesoutcome/

If you don't think you are over taxed and WAY under represented; come and hear one of the reasons you are going to be paying a whole lot more in 2014!!

John Kerry and UN Agenda 21

2013-04-13T10:54:00.000-04:00

With Bill Clinton as President. John Kerry, and 3 others, presented the following joint resolution to Senate concerning US support and furtherance of the UN Agenda 21.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 24 (legislative day, MARCH 3), 1993

Mr. PELL (for himself, Mr. CHAFEE, Mr. KERRY, and Mr. WELLSTONE) introduced the following joint resolution; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

JOINT RESOLUTION
Providing for the United States to assume a strong leadership role in implementing the decisions made at the Earth Summit by developing a national strategy to implement Agenda 21 and other Earth Summit agreements through domestic policy and foreign policy, by cooperating with all countries to identify and initiate further agreements to protect the global environment, and by supporting and participating in the high-level United Nations Sustainable Development Commission.

Whereas the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (hereinafter in this resolution referred to as `UNCED'), known as the Earth Summit, assembled in June of 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the largest summit of heads of state in history and outlined a comprehensive action plan (hereinafter in this resolution referred to as `Agenda 21') for environmentally sustainable development (hereinafter in this resolution referred to as `sustainable development');

Whereas the United States has a strong national interest in the environmental sustainability of global economic development;

Whereas Agenda 21 offers a significant starting point for continuing progress in avoiding environmental degradation and social and economic disintegration in the 21st century;

Whereas the role of the United States should be one of leadership and positive action in the implementation process of Agenda 21 and all other decisions of UNCED;

Whereas Agenda 21 urges all governments to adopt national strategies for sustainable development;

Whereas Agenda 21 urges all countries to `make significant progress' in incorporating environmental costs into economic decisions, to undertake research or sustainable production methods and consumption patterns, and to undertake other actions to make their economies more environmentally sustainable;

Whereas Agenda 21 calls for a `supportive international climate for achieving environment and development goals' by `providing adequate financial resources to developing countries and dealing with international debt' and calls for `the reallocation of resources presently committed to military purposes' to support United States policies and the efforts of developing countries to implement Agenda 21;

Whereas UNCED recommended that a high-level United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (hereinafter in this resolution referred to as the `Commission') be established by the 47th United Nations General Assembly to provide a vital forum to review progress made by considering reports from national governments, international organizations, and nongovernmental organizations;

Whereas many opportunities for agreements concerning more extensive actions on critical issues remained unresolved at UNCED and will require further attention by the nations of the world; and

Whereas the ultimate success of achieving sustainable development and a healthy environment at the national and international levels depends upon actions taken at the State and local community levels, and on actions by schools, public offices, businesses, and citizens: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
Effective follow-up to achieve the many goals of the agreements reached at UNCED will depend on the overall direction and action by the President and the Congress on the following:

(1) The President and the Congress should adopt a national strategy for environmentally sustainable development, based on an extensive process of nationwide consultations with all interested organizations and individuals, including State and local governments, nongovernmental organizations, businesses, and labor groups.

(2) The President and the Congress should encourage and facilitate, at all levels of community and sectors of society, appropriate means for adopting individual Agenda 21 plans of action, including the establishment of local, county, State, business, and other boards and commissions for achieving sustainable development. Each Member of the Congress should help initiate this process within their States or districts.

(3) The President, Secretary of State, and the Congress should formulate initiatives and policies to help developing countries develop the capacity to implement Agenda 21. The Congress should restructure United States foreign assistance to provide a fundamental mandate for sustainable development.
(4) The President should establish an effective mechanism to plan, initiate, and coordinate United States policy for implementing Agenda 21. Responsibility should be vested in a duly constituted office, headed by an appropriate high level official, and the necessary staff support structure should be provided.
(5) In order to contribute to a transition to an environmentally sustainable United States economy, the research and policy initiatives urged in Agenda 21 should be pursued, including research on environmentally sustainable consumption patterns, identification of a strategy to eliminate or reduce subsidies for unsustainable natural resource exploitation, and move toward pricing policies that more truly reflect environmental costs.

(6) The Congress should adopt a system to reallocate an appropriate amount of savings from reduced defense spending in order to achieve the goals of Agenda 21 for global environmental protection and sustainable development over the next decade.

(7) The President should promote and actively participate in new and existing multilateral efforts aimed at creating a more favorable international economic climate for developing countries to practice sustainable development. Such efforts should include--

(A) reduction in developing country debt, linked with environmental policy reforms;
(B) focusing the work of multilateral donor consultative groups which now exist for each of some eighty developing countries on evaluation of, and support for, their national sustainable development strategies; and
(C) increasing loans and concessional assistance to developing countries where implementation of national sustainable development strategies are underway.

(8) The United States should actively support the Commission authorized by the 47th United Nations General Assembly. The United States should seek a strong role for the Commission in the United Nations system to monitor and evaluate progress in meeting the goals identified in Agenda 21 and other decisions at UNCED. The United States should pursue a strong sustainable development mandate for all relevant activities of the United Nations and a catalytic role for the Commission in coordinating and facilitating the implementation of that mandate.

(9) The President should affirm strong United States commitment to the Commission by--
(A) appointing a high-level representative or delegation from the United States to the Commission, including, as appropriate, representation at the ministerial level and Congressional and non-government observers, and
(B) supporting the United Nations Secretary General for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development in coordinating the implementation of Agenda 21 in the United Nations system and heading the secretariat support structure for the Commission;

(10) The President should submit a national report to the Commission on--
(A) activities the United States has undertaken to implement Agenda 21, both domestically and internationally, on progress made toward fulfilling other commitments undertaken at UNCED; and
(B) other environmental and developmental activities the United States has undertaken to strengthen agreements reached at UNCED.
The President should strongly encourage all United Nations members to submit such national reports.

(11) The United States should support rules of procedure for the Commission which ensure the active participation of nongovernmental organizations, based on the procedures used in UNCED as agreed in paragraphs 38.11 and 38.44 of Agenda 21, and should also encourage the active participation in the Commission of representatives of the international financial institutions, GATT, regional and subregional development banks and financial institutions, and regional economic integration organizations.

(12) The President should submit an annual report to the Congress on the steps taken by the United States to implement Agenda 21 and the recommendations made by this resolution, and should make information regarding such steps available to Members of the Congress upon their request.
END

"The Obama administration on Wednesday renewed its request for Congress to let it restore funding to the first United Nations agency to grant full membership to “Palestine,” arguing that defunding runs contrary to U.S. interests" O wants to give the UN $79 million in his 2013 budget proposal. Read more at http://cnsnews.com/news/article/obama-s-budget-includes-funding-un-agency-recognized-palestine

As far as I can tell, this joint resolution was read twice and is still in the Committee on Foreign Relations. NGOs, however, continue the Agenda 21 implementation all around the world, using our tax dollars to buy up properties, litigation, create and maintain watersheds while promoting the need for non-human habitats. Agenda 21 is in our schools and includes control of energies and natural resources and global arms control; including hand guns. Agenda 21 establishes a world bank and a world government; with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) at the helm. The UN Agenda 21 is not our friend. Keep an eye on organizations like NEOSCC, Common Core and the WBCSD. Our Congress? Well, I suspect that more than half are complicit and the rest are oblivious to the facts. The congress could, in effect, change the world by refusing to funnel any more of our tax dollars to the NGOs (non-government organizations) through the unconstitutional agencies like the EPA, Dept of Education, Dept of Energy and others. Just simply cut off their funds.

You should read more for yourself;
http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/Agenda21.pdf
http://conservativesonfire.wordpress.com/2013/03/21/monsanto-goes-all-in-for-agenda-21/
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/03/27/10887250-worlds-cities-to-expand-by-more-than-twice-the-size-of-texas-by-2030

If you don't think you are over taxed and under represented; at least consider the possibility!

"You Might Live In A Nation Founded By Geniuses, But Run By Idiots!!"

2013-04-11T10:13:00.000-04:00

Channeling Jeff Foxworthy

If you can get arrested for hunting or fishing without a license,
but not for being in the country illegally — you might live in a
nation founded by geniuses but run by idiots.

If you have to get your parents’ permission to go on a field trip
or take an aspirin in school, but not to get an abortion — you
might live in a nation founded by geniuses but run by idiots.

If you have to show identification to board an airplane, cash a
check, buy liquor, or check out a library book, but not to vote
who runs the government — you might live in a nation founded
by geniuses but run by idiots.

If the government wants to ban stable, law-abiding citizens from
owning gun magazines with more than ten rounds, but gives
twenty F-16 fighter jets to the crazy new leaders in Egypt — you
might live in a nation founded by geniuses but run by idiots.

If, in the nation’s largest city, you can buy two 16-ounce sodas,
but not a 24-ounce soda because 24-ounces of a sugary drink
might make you fat — you might live in a nation founded by
geniuses but run by idiots.

If an 80-year-old woman or a three-year-old girl confined to a
wheelchair can be strip-searched by the TSA, but a woman in
a hijab is only subject to having her neck and head searched
— you might live in a nation founded by geniuses but run by idiots.

If your government believes that the best way to eradicate trillions
of dollars of debt is to spend trillions more — you might live in a
nation founded by geniuses but run by idiots.

If a seven-year-old boy can be thrown out of school for saying his
teacher is “cute,” but hosting a sexual exploration or diversity class
in grade school is perfectly acceptable — you might live in a nation
founded by geniuses but run by idiots.

If children are forcibly removed from parents who discipline them
with spankings, while children of addicts are left in filth- and drug-infested
“homes” — you might live in a nation founded by geniuses but run by idiots.

If hard work and success are met with higher taxes and more
government intrusion, while not working is rewarded with EBT cards,
WIC checks, Medicaid, subsidized housing, and free cell phones
— you might live in a nation founded by geniuses but run by idiots.

If the government’s plan for getting people back to work is to provide
incentives for not working through 99 weeks of unemployment checks,
without any requirement to prove they sought, but couldn’t find, work
— you might live in a nation founded by geniuses but run by idiots.

If you pay your mortgage faithfully, denying yourself the newest big
screen TV, while your neighbor buys iPhones, wall-sized plasma do-it-all
TV’s and new cars, and the government forgives his debt when he
defaults on his mortgage — you might live in a nation founded by geniuses
but run by idiots.

If being stripped of the ability to defend yourself makes you more “safe”
according to the government — you might live in a nation founded by
geniuses but run by idiots.

WE, the People, are the idiots who keep putting these Republicrats in office!!

If you don't think you are over taxed and under represented; at least consider the possibility!!

SharedWork Ohio Passes the House; SB37

2013-04-11T10:02:00.000-04:00

COLUMBUS -

The Ohio House of Representatives unanimously passed Sub. House Bill legislation sponsored by State Representatives Mike Duffey (R-Worthington) and Gary Scherer (R-Circleville) to help prevent layoffs across the state. The bill is now headed to the Ohio Senate where a companion bill has already passed, indicating a likelihood of bill passage in the near future.

HB 37 creates SharedWork Ohio, a program that provides Ohio employers with an alternative to layoffs. Rather than layoff a set number of workers in order to cut costs, employers instead choose to reduce the number of hours worked for a specific group of employees. Those workers earn normal pay for regular hours, but collect unemployment for the hours they no longer work.

Workers retain both their healthcare and retirement benefits under a shared work program. The bill is supported by the Ohio Chamber, Ohio Manufacturer’s Association, the NFIB, the United Way of Central Ohio and a group called Policy Matters.

“This bill literally saves jobs”, said Representative Mike Duffey. “For Ohio families, this legislation has the potential to prevent the kind of terrible news that nobody wants to receive—that they no longer have a job. With SharedWork Ohio, both employers and employees have a reason to celebrate today.”

Unlike traditional layoffs, which result in significantly higher unemployment premiums for affected employers, SharedWork Ohio costs less for Ohio employers as the result of reimbursements from the federal government that exists until 2015. This provides Ohio employers with a clear financial incentive to choose shared work over traditional layoffs beyond the natural incentive of keeping talented workers.

“I appreciate Representative Duffey’s invitation to be a joint sponsor of this bill,” Rep. Scherer said. “Scott Blue, plant manager of Kenworth-Chillicothe was a leader in making this bill possible.”

Under SharedWork Ohio, participating employers must submit a plan to the director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. The plan must be in lieu of layoffs and cannot exceed the total unemployment cost of a traditional layoff.

HB 37 now will go to the Ohio Senate for further consideration. If passed, Ohio will join 25 other states as well as the District of Columbia in passing shared work laws to help cope with unemployment.

http://www.ohiohouse.gov/republicans/press/shared-work-program-passes-ohio-house

If you think this sounds like a something that Ohio needs, write your Senator and demand his/her support for it; if not, tell him/her to vote NO. Be certain to follow the vote so you know if your Rep. is listening.

If you don't think you are over taxed and under represented; at least consider the possibility!

Open Primary Season!!

2013-04-09T12:16:00.000-04:00

Some time ago, I finally reached the conclusion that I am an independent (non-party, non-affiliated) voter. In May, I will officially change my voter registration to reflect that. Oh snap - I can not do that!!

There is no such classification as independent (non-party) for Lorain County and Ohio. I have to register as a Dem, Repub, Constitutionalists, Green, Libertarian or Socialist Party in order to vote in Ohio's primary. Isn't that nice? I can be recognized as a Socialist, but not as an independent (non-affiliated) voter? In Ohio's Revised Code, 3503.4, even some inmates can vote in the county in which the prison is located! But, also according to Ohio's Revised Code 3501.09, we have to belong to a party to become a member of the Board of Elections. That also holds true for working the polls. Ohio only recognizes the R & D as THE parties. Shameful for any State to limit its residents in such a manner. The Republicrats have, by purposeful design, managed to keep independents and third party members and candidates at bay. I hope to see that change soon.

This May, my polling district has no candidates running so we will have only have (3) local issues to vote on; levies for Murray Ridge, Lorain County Transit and the Lorain County Drug Task Force. I can not change my party affiliation since there are no candidates. So, why should I vote in May? I just gave you three reasons to vote!

Who is an independent voter? One who votes candidates and issues; not Party.

Why declare independent (non-party or non-affiliated)? Why Not?? Have you ever gone to vote in a primary only to find that you have to change your voter registration in order to cast your vote for the candidate of your choice? Been there - what a bummer!

Primaries need to be open to allow any registered voter to vote for any of the candidates, regardless of party, with the top two in each race to face off in the general election. Why not allow all the People to decide?

When candidates have to take every registered voter’s vote into account they will, if elected, represent the People and not just the party. We, the People, will be heard loud and clear from the beginning of the race instead of being forced to choose from "the lesser of two evils" as usual.

An open primary, with independent (non-affiliated) voters and candidates, would change the face of "politics as usual" in Ohio and strengthen the voice of the People in the process.

Write your Congressional Representatives, in Columbus, and let them know you favor open top two primaries for Ohio. You can find yours at http://www.ohiohouse.gov/ or http://www.ohiosenate.gov/senate/index

If you don't think you are over taxed and under represented; think again!!

Fighting Agenda 21 In Ohio!!

2013-04-08T08:36:00.001-04:00

So, how does Agenda 21 affect me? Well, here are a couple of examples that should make you sit up and take notice!

This is just part of the article posted by Jacqueline Miller on "Fighting Agenda 21 in Ohio" on facebook at at http://www.democratsagainstunagenda21.com/index.html

"No matter where you live, I'll bet that there have been hundreds of condos built in the center of your town recently. Over the last ten years there has been a 'planning revolution' across the US. Your commercial, industrial, and multi-residential land was rezoned to 'mixed use.' Nearly everything that got approvals for development was designed the same way: ground floor retail with two stories of residential above. Mixed use. Very hard to finance for construction, and very hard to manage since it has to have a high density of people in order to justify the retail. A lot of it is empty and most of the ground floor retail is empty too. High bankruptcy rate.

So what? Most of your towns provided funding and/or infrastructure development for these private projects. They used Redevelopment Agency funds. Your money. Specifically, your property taxes. Notice how there's very little money in your General Funds now, and most of that is going to pay Police and Fire? Your street lights are off, your parks are shaggy, your roads are pot-holed, your hospitals are closing. The money that should be used for these things is diverted into the Redevelopment Agency. It's the only agency in government that can float a bond without a vote of the people. And they did that, and now you're paying off those bonds for the next 45 years with your property taxes. Did you know that? And by the way, even if Redevelopment is ended, as in California, they still have to pay off existing debt--for 30 to 45 years.

So, what does this have to do with Agenda 21?

Redevelopment is a tool used to further the Agenda 21 vision of remaking America's cities. With redevelopment, cities have the right to take property by eminent domain---against the will of the property owner, and give it or sell it to a private developer. By declaring an area of town 'blighted' (and in some cities over 90% of the city area has been declared blighted) the property taxes in that area can be diverted away from the General Fund. This constriction of available funds is impoverishing the cities, forcing them to offer less and less services, and reducing your standard of living. They'll be telling you that it's better, however, since they've put in nice street lights and colored paving. The money gets redirected into the Redevelopment Agency and handed out to favored developers building low income housing and mixed use. Smart Growth. Cities have had thousands of condos built in the redevelopment areas and are telling you that you are terrible for wanting your own yard, for wanting privacy, for not wanting to be dictated to by a Condo Homeowner's Association Board, for being anti-social, for not going along to get along, for not moving into a cramped apartment downtown where they can use your property taxes for paying off that huge bond debt. But it's not working, and you don't want to move in there. So they have to make you. Read on.

Human habitation, as it is referred to now, is restricted to lands within the Urban Growth Boundaries of the city. Only certain building designs are permitted. Rural property is more and more restricted in what uses can be on it. Although counties say that they support agricultural uses, eating locally produced food, farmer's markets, etc, in fact there are so many regulations restricting water and land use (there are scenic corridors, inland rural corridors, baylands corridors, area plans, specific plans, redevelopment plans, huge fees, fines) that farmers are losing their lands altogether. County roads are not being paved. The push is for people to get off of the land, become more dependent, come into the cities. To get out of the suburbs and into the cities. Out of their private homes and into condos. Out of their private cars and onto their bikes.

Bikes. What does that have to do with it? I like to ride my bike and so do you. So what? Bicycle advocacy groups are very powerful now. Advocacy. A fancy word for lobbying, influencing, and maybe strong-arming the public and politicians. What's the conection with bike groups? National groups such as Complete Streets, Thunderhead Alliance, and others, have training programs teaching their members how to pressure for redevelopment, and training candidates for office. It's not just about bike lanes, it's about remaking cities and rural areas to the 'sustainable model'. High density urban development without parking for cars is the goal. This means that whole towns need to be demolished and rebuilt in the image of sustainable development. Bike groups are being used as the 'shock troops' for this plan.

What plan? We're losing our homes since this recession/depression began, and many of us could never afford those homes to begin with. We got cheap money, used whatever we had to squeak into those homes, and now some of us lost them. We were lured, indebted, and sunk. Whole neighborhoods are empty in some places. Some are being bulldozed. Cities cannot afford to extend services outside of their core areas. Slowly, people will not be able to afford single family homes. Will not be able to afford private cars. Will be more dependent. More restricted. More easily watched and monitored.

This plan is a whole life plan. It involves the educational system, the energy market, the transportation system, the governmental system, the health care system, food production, and more. The plan is to restrict your choices, limit your funds, narrow your freedoms, and take away your voice. One of the ways is by using the Delphi Technique to 'manufacture consensus.' Another is to infiltrate community groups or actually start neighborhood associations with hand-picked 'leaders'. Another is to groom and train future candidates for local offices. Another is to sponsor non-governmental groups that go into schools and train children. Another is to offer federal and private grants and funding for city programs that further the agenda. Another is to educate a new generation of land use planners to require New Urbanism. Another is to convert factories to other uses, introduce energy measures that penalize manufacturing, and set energy consumption goals to pre-1985 levels. Another is to allow unregulated immigration in order to lower standards of living and drain local resources."

All of this sounds unbelievable until you have had direct experience with it. You probably have, but unless you resisted it you won't know it's happening. That's why we'd like you to read our blog 'The Way We See It' (click here)http://www.democratsagainstunagenda21.com/the-way-we-see-itour-blog.html. Go to the section in the blog (look on the right side under Categories) called Our Story. You'll get a look at how two unsuspecting people fell into a snake pit and survived to tell about it.

"STAND UP. SPEAK OUT. BE THE RESISTANCE."

If you don't think you are over taxed and under represented; allow yourself the opportunity to reconsider

Obama Care and ACORN; Together Again!

2013-04-05T10:40:00.003-04:00

Does O Care really have much to do with health care? I am really beginning to wonder about that. As Secretary of HHS, Sebelius, keeps adding to and changing the "Affordable Care Act" to suit the liberal agenda as they dream things up!! She and Valerie Jarrett seem to be pulling all the strings. My guess is that, somewhere in the shadows, lurks the Clinton machine drivers as well.

O care is all about the expansion of government, increasing dependency on the government, jobs for O's unemployable supporters and control of the populous.

This article was on the Briebart.com site this morning. This is a prime example of the continued expansion of O care; 10s of thousands of activists training for "navigators" (any conservatives?), non-profit groups (like ACORN) dispersing funds (no elected officials involved) and voter registration may be a requirement for benefit recipients (will they voter or will someone vote for them?)

ObamaCare provides millions of dollars in grants to hire community activists and others as "navigators" to assist individuals enroll in health insurance provided by state or federal exchanges and, according to recent reports, register people to vote. In a new rule proposed Wednesday, HHS lays out numerous guidelines for these "navigators", including paying them up to $48/hour for their work. The rule, guidelines and voter registration effort are a potential vehicle to resurrect ACORN or an ACORN-like entity.

One organization expected to take a lead role in distributing the funds and overseeing hiring is Enroll America, a new non-profit headed by Anne Filipic, a former Obama White House official under Valerie Jarrett. Filipic was also a senior staff member at OFA director and a former Obama campaign director. The organization was founded, in part, by Families USA, a far-left advocacy organization that lobbied aggressively for ObamaCare, a source at HHS told Breitbart News. Filipic has said she expects Enroll America to spend $100 million on the enrollment effort. A large percentage of this is likely to come from federal funds.

Ron Pollack, head of Families USA, has said their effort will be run like a "political campaign." Which has made many observers uneasy about the inclusion of voter registrations in the health care applications. LA Rep. Charles Boustany recently sent a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, asking why voter registration information was included. Boustany worried: The position of the question could lead some to think voter registration is somehow tied to subsidy eligibility.

Requirements for "navigators" is that they have no existing insurance licenses or certifications, conflicting with several recently enacted state laws. They also must be attuned to racial, ethnic and cultural sensitivities, understand "undeserved communities" and provide translation services for virtually every language. AARP, NAACP and SEIU are prominent members of Enroll America's advisory board.

One health expert with close ties to HHS told Breitbart News, "The navigator program, as evidenced by the leadership of Enroll America and yesterday's rule from CMS, will be a jobs program for unemployable Obama For America campaign volunteers and ACORN remnants." If a state has its own exchange, the feds will give them grants to hire "navigators," if a state doesn't, the feds will provide direct employment. The effort is expected to hire 10s of thousands of activists in the coming months.

October 1st is the first day individuals can enroll for a program through the exchanges. The government, as a result, will have to hire and train tens of thousands of workers on the complex subject of health insurance over the next few months. Think of it as an enormous census program with less training for a more complex subject.

By Mike Flynn Read more at;

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/04/03/hhs-resurrects-acorn-through-obamacare

If you don't think you are over taxed and under represented; you are kidding yourself!

Independent Voters Active In Ohio!!

2013-04-04T09:49:00.000-04:00

Are you a registered voter in Ohio? Ever find yourself at a primary election wanting to vote the ballot for the other party? I have; more than once or twice. Did you know that, in Ohio, you can not change your voter registration except during a primary election and only if your current party candidate has someone opposing him/her. In my area, on May 4th, there will only be 3 local issues on the ballot; I can not change my party affiliation. Of course, I want my voter registration to reflect my independent voter status. In, Ohio, that can not be done. You must have one of the following party affiliations on your registration; Republican, Democrat, Constitutional, Green, Libertarian or Socialist. I can identify myself as a Socialist, but not an independent? As an independent, I can not hold a seat on local or state Boards of election, nor am I permitted to volunteer as a poll worker. No wonder voters voice their disenfranchised concerns.

I, for one, would like to change that! I would like to have one ballot with all the candidates listed for each race. One ballot. No party declaration required before I vote. No paper ballots for each of the parties listed above. Every registered voter, showing ID, voting for all the candidates in each race. The top two vote getters, in each race, will face off in the general election.

Eventually, independent voters would have a seat at the table on every one of the 88 local Boards as well at the state level.

If you are an "independent, non-affiliated" voter at heart, join us; Ohio independents for open primaries and sign our petition at http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/ohio-independents-for-open-primaries.html

The Petition:

We, independent voters of Ohio, call for the enactment of Nonpartisan Open Primaries, commonly called Top Two. It’s time to put the power in the hands of the voters, not the political parties.

Under Top Two Open Primaries, all candidates for an office appear on one primary ballot, and voters can choose the best candidate for each office, regardless of party affiliation. The top two vote getters go on to the general election.

Ohio voters will no longer be labeled as party members simply because they voted in a primary election, nor be forced to sign a loyalty oath if they want to change the party primary in which they vote.

Our political environment has been over determined by partisanship. It’s time to address the second class status of the millions of Americans identifying as independents. It’s time to break out of the partisan gridlock that has rendered our elected officials unable to govern effectively.

We support Top Two Open Primaries as an important step towards transforming our political process and moving forward as a state and as a nation.

Let's make it happen!! Call your legislator and let them know you support the top two open primary for Ohio.

If you don't think you are over taxed and under represented; please, consider the possibility that I may be right!

History Has a Way of Repeating Itself; Does It Not?

2013-04-02T09:10:00.001-04:00

The United States is being swallowed up by illegal immigration, outrageous debt and deficits, excess regulations, ridiculous gasoline prices, rising heating and medical costs, unemployment, the stealth UN Agenda 21 movement, the UN Global Arms Control Treaty, taxes, centralization of government and banking, costly and failing public education, a loss of personal and property rights, an inept (or treasonous) Congress, a loss of religious freedom and the demoralization of the populous.

As a woman, I felt helpless at times to make a difference, but Karl Marx seemed to think that women are the drivers of social progress. Our push from behind can affect change.

"Anyone who knows anything of history knows that great social changes are impossible without feminine upheaval. Social progress can be measured exactly by the social position of the fair sex , the ugly ones included."
Karl Marx

"The more the division of labor and the application of machinery extend, the more does competition extend among the workers, the more do their wages shrink together."
Karl Marx
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/k/karl_marx_3.html#2zJQlwojQogADgof.99

Are we wrong to want the United States to remain a sovereign nation? To uphold the Constitution and states rights? Are we asking too much when we want our borders controlled? Are we being selfish to want our sons and daughters brought home from foreign lands? We have no business in policing the world. We have seen countries around the world being built up with our tax dollars while our infrastructure has fallen into deplorable conditions; roads, bridges, electric grid, education and etc. We seem to have a Congress that thinks the People are too stupid (yes, I used "stupid") to grasp the budget concept? I think they are the ones who are out of touch with reality; they keep spending monies they do not have and act as if there is no United States outside of Washington DC. Even our children being used as pawns.

Rome felt herself invincible. Look how quickly it all fell apart when her enemies joined together. We have enemies. Big ones!! They want to control us (we are over 16 trillion dollars in debt to foreign countries), they want to disarm us (look at the UN Global Arms Control Treaty as well as gun control measures in Congress), they want to own us (how many of us work for companies owned by foreign investors?), they want to kill us (North Korea for one) and they want to end the American way of life and bring our economy and wages down to their level (while are using our own tax dollars to do it; along with help from our own politicians).

Give your Congressional Rep a call. write them letters or emails or take a trip and speak with them face to face. Let them know your views and opinions. Don't want to do it alone? Make a a plan and take a thousand of your closest friends along! Make yourself heard!!

Ladies, we have the power to affect social change and the responsibility to do so! How will you help?

If you don't think you are being over taxed and under represented; please, consider the possibility!!

Rand Paul Talks Gun Control

2013-03-31T06:21:00.001-04:00

The following is an op-ed, published in the Washington Times on 3/29/2013, from Rand Paul. Regardless of what you may think about his immigration stance, you have to give the guy kudos for taking a stand for the second amendment. I doubt that Ohioans need to worry about Portman or Brown being so outspoken in favor of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

As the UN inches toward a global arms control treaty, we need strong leadership if we hope to maintain our nation's sovereignty. "Objections from North Korea, Syria and Iran prevented negotiators from clinching a deal by acclamation on the proposed U.N. Arms Trade Treaty, although diplomats and private advocacy groups say they still anticipate an overwhelming positive vote when the world body's General Assembly votes on the agreement next week."..... "But American gun rights activists insist the treaty is riddled with loopholes and is unworkable because it includes “small arms and light weapons” alongside battle tanks and combat aircraft in its list of weaponry subject to international regulations. They do not trust U.N. assertions that the pact is meant to regulate only cross-border trade and would have no impact on domestic U.S. laws and markets.".... "Critics of the treaty were heartened by the Senate’s resistance to ratifying the document, assuming President Obama sent it to the chamber for ratification. In its budget debate last weekend, the Senate approved a nonbinding amendment opposing the treaty offered by Sen. James M. Inhofe, Oklahoma Republican, with eight Democrats joining all 45 Republicans backing the amendment." Washington Times 3/28/2013 article; Gun groups promise fight as U.N. inches toward override of Second Amendment

We, the People, are being attacked from every direction. We have, at least a few good men in the Senate. Read Senator Paul's words.

"When Congress reconvenes next month, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is expected to bring gun control back to the Senate floor. If this occurs, I will oppose any legislation that undermines Americans’ constitutional right to bear arms or their ability to exercise this right without being subject to government surveillance.

Restricting Americans’ ability to purchase firearms readily and freely will do nothing to stop national tragedies such as those that happened in Newtown, Conn., and in Aurora, Colo. It will do much to give criminals and potential killers an unfair advantage by hampering law-abiding citizens’ ability to defend themselves and their families.Potentially on the table are new laws that would outlaw firearms and magazines that hold more than just a handful of rounds, as well as require universal “background checks,” which amount to gun registration.We are also being told that the “assault weapons” ban originally introduced by Sen. Dianne Feinstein is not happening. We can only hope. But in Washington, D.C., bad ideas often have a strange way of coming up again.

These laws are designed to sound reasonable, but statistics have shown that gun control simply does not work.What constitutes reasonable? If limiting rounds and increasing surveillance were really the solution to curbing gun violence, why should we stop there? Because everyone knows that none of this actually curbs gun violence.

Gun control itself is unreasonable.Chicago has some of the toughest gun laws in the entire country — and one of the worst gun-crime rates, with more than 500 homicides last year. Compare this to Virginia, where in the past six years, gun sales went up by 73 percent, while violent gun crime fell 24 percent. The types of firearms and clips the left is currently so intent on banning are used in fewer than 2 percent of gun crimes — and how many of those crimes involve registered weapons? Few to none.

For every national tragedy that happens, there are hundreds if not thousands of examples of Americans preventing similar killings from happening, thanks to the use of personal firearms. Last June, for example, a 14-year-old Phoenix boy shot an armed intruder who broke into his home while he was baby-sitting his three younger siblings. The children were home alone on a Saturday afternoon when an unrecognized woman rang their doorbell. After the 14-year-old boy refused to open the door, he heard a loud bang, which indicated that someone was trying to break into the house. The boy hurried his younger siblings upstairs and collected a handgun from his parents’ room. When the boy rounded the top of the stairs, there was a man standing in the doorway with a gun pointed at him. The boy shot at the intruder and saved the lives of his three younger siblings.

There have been would-be mass murderers who have walked into schools, churches, shopping malls, movie theaters and other public places who didn’t get very far because, thankfully, an armed citizen was nearby. There have been countless home invasions, armed robberies and other assaults in which lives were saved, thanks to citizens possessing private firearms.These stories are heroic, but they don’t become big headlines. We should all be glad that they don’t become such headlines, thanks to the unsung heroes who prevent them from becoming potential national tragedies.

For these reasons, I will oppose any attempt by President Obama, Mr. Reid or anyone else in Washington who works against Americans’ right to bear arms. Sens. Mike Lee and Ted Cruz have decided to join in this effort.We do this not only because it is right — but because it is our duty as United States senators.
When I stood up for the Fourth and Fifth Amendments during a filibuster a few weeks ago to address drones and executive power, it was not because I was partial to those amendments, important as they are. When I came into office, I took an oath to uphold the Bill of Rights.

I took an oath to uphold the First Amendment. I took an oath to uphold the Second Amendment.
The Second Amendment reads: “The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” It doesn’t say “might be” infringed. Nor does it say “could be” infringed. It read “shall not” be infringed. The current gun-control legislation being proposed unquestionably infringes.For these reasons, I will work diligently to stop any such gun-control legislation. Our Constitution, individual liberty and personal safety depend on it."

Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Homeland Security committees. Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/mar/29/a-duty-to-preserve-the-second-amendment-344591833/#ixzz2P6qXSzyU Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter

If you don't think you are over taxed and under represented; ask your Congressional representative where he/she stands on gun control and the UN Arms Control Treaty.

Farmer's View - UN Agenda 21 - Monsanto Protection Act

2013-03-30T15:07:00.000-04:00

The world, as we used to know it, has been changing for decades, but the passing of the Monsanto Protection Act may have an enormous affect on our health. Basically, Monsanto has been positioning themselves to achieve a monopoly on the sale of the much needed seeds for big and small farmers. Last week, "Pres. Obama inked his name to H.R. 933, a continuing resolution spending bill approved in Congress days earlier. Buried 78 pages within the bill exists a provision that grossly protects biotech corporations such as the Missouri-based Monsanto Company from litigation." .... "written in part by the very billion-dollar corporation that will benefit directly from the legislation.".... "In light of approval from the House and Senate, more than 250,000 people signed a petition asking the president to veto the spending bill over the biotech rider tacked on..." rt.com

Isn't that amazing, the pleas of 250,000 American citizens were totally ignored by O and Congress? Unfortunately it is not a surprise at all.

FYI; "A genetically modified organism (GMO) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. Organisms that have been genetically modified include micro-organisms such as bacteria and yeast, insects, plants, fish, and mammals. GMOs are the source of genetically modified foods, and are also widely used in scientific research and to produce goods other than food. The term GMO is very close to the technical legal term, 'living modified organism' defined in the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, which regulates international trade in living GMOs (specifically, "any living organism that possesses a novel combination of genetic material obtained through the use of modern biotechnology")."Wikipedia

I received this rather informative letter in an email from the North East Ohio Freedom Alliance and thought I should share it with you. I believe it was written in response to a call for organic food consumption rather than GMO foods. I can not print the writer's name since I do not have permission to do so. In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that my husband comes from a farming family as well.

In the interest of full disclosure I am going to tell you upfront that I am what most of you would consider an evil large corporate farmer. There really is no definition for that overused term so I will further disclose that we own and farm close to 1700 acres and I will not be offended no matter what you call me. I will also disclose that I make efforts to avoid supporting Monsanto.

If you believe GMO foods are not healthy that is one thing, but using bad science and then pushing people to organic could be pushing them right into Agenda 21 and a Monsanto monopoly.

Monsanto is a very bad company because they are lobbying and buying their way into a monopoly where they will be the only company a farmer can buy their seed from at the price they set and that includes heirloom seeds. Monsanto also has the technology for terminator seeds. This means that seed saved from one crop year to the next will not produce therefore forcing the farmer to purchase more seed from Monsanto every year OR you can go organic but that is a false choice. There are still seeds produced that are neither GMO or organic that are simply called non- GMO's but the production of these seeds are quickly going by the wayside because people are being pushed toward organic where Monsanto is still poised to have a monopoly.

Consider this:

Could it be that our government is fear mongering to aid in the implementation of Agenda 21 while simultaneously giving Monsanto the monopoly they have bought and paid for? Could it be that organic farmers are hyping the fear to increase their business? You will have to decide that for yourself but there are some things you should know before making that decision.

Agenda 21 calls for each community to grow it's own food locally in "highly regulated" areas with reduced and eliminated inputs. (pesticides, fertilize or herbicides synthetic or natural) There is no exemption for organic in A21. It will all be highly regulated.

The government owns the copyright on the term "organic" and being certified requires even more government regulation than conventional farming. The same government program is simultaneously passing out grant money to develop grow local programs like know your farmer know your food-Agenda 21. We should have learned by now when our government is pushing us in a certain direction that we should be wary.

Monsanto owns more than 40% of seed companies that sell heirloom seeds and own the names of many more and are buying more everyday so when you are pushing people to organic could you be pushing them into the arms of "highly regulated" government grow local where they will still be greeted at the door by a Monsanto monopoly?

Why would organic farms not be exempt from all this regulation?

Listeria and salmonella occurrences are higher in organically grown fruits and vegetables due to a variety of reasons. In addition, ALL fertilizers have nitrate runoff especially if they are not applied properly. Organics are not exempt to the laws of gravity nor are organic farmers born with some divine knowledge of the proper way to apply fertilizers. It should also be noted that whether a farmer uses synthetic or natural fertilizers when over used they will damage your crop and they are very expensive therefore it is in the best interest of the farmer not to overuse.

Now some inconvenient truths about round-up. Round-up is a contact herbicide. If it does not come into contact with plant foliage or direct root contact then it is useless. Round-up is neutralized when it comes into contact with the soil. If it did not neutralize in the soil then you would not be able to plant crops in the same field twice. Round-up ready seeds are inoculated against round-up, therefore allowing them to come into contact with the round-up without it killing the plant. This is the same kind of inoculation that we receive as children that allow us to come into contact with certain diseases without contracting that disease. Round-up cannot come into contact with the water that we drink without coming into contact with the soil where it is neutralized. If everything that is said about round-up were true there wouldn't be one green ditch in the country and we would all be dead from cancerous tumors by now. Again this is a very expensive product that no farmer, large or small, is pouring down the drain.

Many organics use pesticides too like azadirachtin, pyrethins, lecithin, etc. all organic and OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) Certified and they also create resistances in bacteria to antibiotics in both people and animals. Pesticides are harmful to humans period. The whole idea of a pesticide is to kill and again there is no exemption for organic.

Is there any chance the government could want you to think you are consuming pesticides when in fact there is no proof you are in order to scare you into pushing their agenda for them?
The EPA has developed a formula by using a facilitator, to put together a stakeholder group ( not scientists), to develop a formula by consensus, to prove "a compound exists when it falls below the level of detection". The evil that will be used for is endless and again there is no exemption for organic.

Some more questionable science is the study most often referenced to scare people about round-up ready crops. It has been proven to be bad science seven ways to Sunday. There is no credible unbiased science on either side of this issue.

So why, if I do not support Monsanto do I bother to bring all of this up? When you have lost your credibility you have lost the hearts and minds of those who would otherwise be on your side fighting with you. In this case it will be conventional farmers both large and small.

I admire those willing to put in the kind of work necessary to be self-sufficient. It is not an easy undertaking but using bad science to support your arguments will not come without consequences nor will inserting a biased link in every email you send out.

Could our food supply be in danger? Some have said that the run off from the round up ready seeds have reduced the milkweed and thus threatens the life cycle of the Monarch butterfly because the eggs hatch and the larvae feed on the milkweed plants. Fact or fiction?

If you don't think you are over taxed and under represented; think about our food supply and the affect that companies like Monsanto can have on our food and our health.

Proposed Cuts per Paul Ryan

2013-03-26T10:32:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine passed me this list of budget cuts that are supposedly included in the Paul Ryan Budget. I believe that there are many other cuts that could be made; long before Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid should ever be touched.

I had an interesting conversation yesterday and given a lesson in economics as we talked about the pros and cons of the Iraq war and the continued expansion of democracy. One gentleman, whose name I do not have permission to print, wrote, "the expansion of democracy relies on the fall of "resource nations" its how America survives. war is also how technology is developed. if we left now, the fast food places n retail outlets we've sold commercial rights to will fail. our occupation of countries is what gives us our bottom dollar. we occupied the orient for entire generations n now have slave labor for it and remain competitive in agriculture there but as their economies grew, the bottom fell out and labor prices skyrocketed. we needed to corner new markets by creating a need for seemingly useless markets elsewhere. the more countries we "democratize" the less global competition we have and the more allies need to corner their own markets to sustain their economies. its what happened to Rome. they conquered, divided. conquered, divided. until finally they couldn't sustain the massive excess of waste back home. the provinces started falling to new govts n it burned from within. from a democracy standpoint, the war was extremely successful but from the peoples standpoint, it set us back 1000 years and now instead of paying a principal to say McDonald's n a tax to the govt. we pay principal to McDonald's n its Arab subsidies n the taxes of 10 foreign lands jack up the price while we still pay our original and now completely useless tax at home for the same 39 cent hamburger that is now 1.29$ with 50 stamps n labels it picked up on its way back. ... economics in a nutshell.. democracy feeds off the misery of others to further the excess of the undeserving. its never worked".

Americans are angry, and rightly so, about the loss of jobs, slow economy and the failure of Congress to fulfill its Constitutional duty.

Read to the end ask yourself - why would the Republicrats focus on cutting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid first when there is so much more fat to be trimmed elsewhere?

A List of Republican Budget Cuts
Notice S.S. and the military are NOT on this list.

* Corporation for Public Broadcasting Subsidy -- $445 million annual savings.

* Save America 's Treasures Program -- $25 million annual savings.
* International Fund for Ireland -- $17 million annual savings.
* Legal Services Corporation -- $420 million annual savings.
* National Endowment for the Arts -- $167.5 million annual savings.
* National Endowment for the Humanities -- $167.5 million annual savings (movie stars!)
* Hope VI Program -- $250 million annual savings.
* Amtrak Subsidies -- $1.565 billion annual savings.
* Eliminate duplicating education programs -- H.R. 2274 (in last Congress), authored by Rep. McKeon, eliminates 68 at a savings of $1.3 billion annually.
* U.S. Trade Development Agency -- $55 million annual savings.
* Woodrow Wilson Center Subsidy -- $20 million annual savings.
* Cut in half funding for congressional printing and binding -- $47 million annual savings.
* John C. Stennis Center Subsidy -- $430,000 annual savings.
* Community Development Fund -- $4.5 billion annual savings.
* Heritage Area Grants and Statutory Aid -- $24 million annual savings.
* Cut Federal Travel Budget in Half -- $7.5 billion annual savings
* Trim Federal Vehicle Budget by 20% -- $600 million annual savings.
* Essential Air Service -- $150 million annual savings.
* Technology Innovation Program -- $70 million annual savings.
* Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program -- $125 million annual savings..
* Department of Energy Grants to States for Weatherization -- $530 million annual savings.
* Beach Replenishment -- $95 million annual savings.
* New Starts Transit -- $2 billion annual savings.
* Exchange Programs for Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Their Historical Trading Partners in Massachusetts -- $9 million annual savings
* Intercity and High Speed Rail Grants -- $2.5 billion annual savings.
* Title X Family Planning -- $318 million annual savings.
* Appalachian Regional Commission -- $76 million annual savings.
* Economic Development Administration -- $293 million annual savings.
* Programs under the National and Community Services Act -- $1.15 billion annual savings.
* Applied Research at Department of Energy -- $1.27 billion annual savings.
* Freedom CAR and Fuel Partnership -- $200 million annual savings..
* Energy Star Program -- $52 million annual savings.
* Economic Assistance to Egypt -- $250 million annually.
* U.S.Agency for International Development -- $1.39 billion annual savings.
* General Assistance to District of Columbia -- $210 million annual savings.
* Subsidy for Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority -- $150 million annual savings.
* Presidential Campaign Fund -- $775 million savings over ten years.
* No funding for federal office space acquisition -- $864 million annual savings.
* End prohibitions on competitive sourcing of government services.
* Repeal the Davis-Bacon Act -- More than $1 billion annually.
* IRS Direct Deposit: Require the IRS to deposit fees for some services it offers (such as processing payment plans for taxpayers) to the Treasury, instead of allowing it to remain as part of its budget -- $1.8 billion savings over ten years.
* Require collection of unpaid taxes by federal employees -- $1 billion total savings.
* Prohibit taxpayer funded union activities by federal employees -- $1.2 billion savings over ten years.
* Sell excess federal properties the government does not make use of -- $15 billion total savings.
* Eliminate death gratuity for Members of Congress.
* Eliminate Mohair Subsidies -- $1 million annual savings.
* Eliminate taxpayer subsidies to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change -- $12.5 million annual savings (UN Agenda 21)
* Eliminate Market Access Program -- $200 million annual savings.
* USDA Sugar Program -- $14 million annual savings.
* Subsidy to Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) -- $93 million annual savings. (UN Agenda 21)
* Eliminate the National Organic Certification Cost-Share Program -- $56.2 million annual savings.
* Eliminate fund for Obamacare administrative costs-- $900 million savings.
* Ready to Learn TV Program -- $27 million savings..
* HUD Ph.D. Program.
* Deficit Reduction Check-Off Act.
*TOTAL SAVINGS: $2.5 Trillion over Ten Years

Ohio Representative Sears; Helping Ohio or Herself?

2013-03-25T17:37:00.000-04:00

The more I read about Obama Care and the amount of back door corruption that seems to accompany it, I have to wonder why those who are charged to protect and defend our nation and the Constitution can continue to support the implementation of this treacherous program.

I read this recent article at Freedom Connector about Ohio Representative Barbara Sears. She represents district 47 and covers Lucas and Wood counties. It was written by Breeanne Howe on March 25, 2013

Republican Representative Barbara Sears Blocks Effort Against Obamacare

In early March, Ohio State Representative Ron Young and Rep. Andy Thompson introduced a bill known as, “The Health Care Freedom Act,” (HCFA) that proposed a new line of defense against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or, Obamacare. The bill, when passed, will prohibit health insurance companies in Ohio from accepting any federal funding that would trigger penalties for employers or individuals who aren’t compliant with Obamacare. Wednesday, when the bill was brought up in committee, opposition arose; but not only from the expected side of the aisle. While the Democrats did balk at the bill, Republican Majority Floor Leader Barbara Sears also took issue with HCFA. One needn’t look too deep to understand why Sears wouldn’t want the HCFA to pass in Ohio. Not only has she received a substantial amount of financial contributions from the health care industry, she currently works at a health insurance provider and recently passed her own bill which helps implement Obamacare.

Representative Sears is currently serving her third term in Ohio and over the years has amassed nearly $1 million in campaign contributions from various members of the health care industry. In fact, her list of donors is a veritable who’s who of health care heavy hitters including: Humana, Merck & Co, Aetna, United Health Care, Johnson and Johnson and many more national players. When she’s not representing the people of Ohio (or the health care industry) in the House, she works as the Senior Vice President of Employee Benefits at Roemer Insurance, who's website refers to her as a “resource,” as well as an employee. Perhaps it was in the spirit of being a “resource” that led Sears to introduce HB 3, a bill that regulates the “navigators” established in Obamacare.

Navigators will be individuals tasked with helping citizens through the maze of Obamacare before they actually purchase insurance. According to the federal law, their duties consist of:

(A) conduct public education activities to raise awareness of the availability of qualified health plans;

(B) distribute fair and impartial information concerning enrollment in qualified health plans, and the availability of premium tax credits under section 36B of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and cost-sharing reductions under section 1402;

(C) facilitate enrollment in qualified health plans;

(D) provide referrals to any applicable office of health insurance consumer assistance or health insurance ombudsman established under section 2793 of the Public Health Service Act, or any other appropriate State agency or agencies, for any enrollee with a grievance, complaint, or question regarding their health plan, coverage, or a determination under such plan or coverage; and

(E) provide information in a manner that is culturally and linguistically appropriate to the needs of the population being served by the Exchange or Exchanges.

The law, which mandates navigators, specifically bars them from issuing health insurance and directs that funding for the new jobs must come from the state exchanges. The issue of navigators has been surprisingly absent from the news, considering the large amount of money states will have to come up with to comply with this aspect of Obamacare. California, notorious for their problems with debt, is slated to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to hire 21,000 navigators.

So why would a Republican propose a bill that seeks to further regulate a government created job that will cost the states untold amounts of money? It would appear that insurance brokers across the country are getting nervous about the prospect of competition from navigators and have been lobbying for stricter standards on them. One such group, the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America, has been lobbying nationwide and their Ohio affiliate has contributed financially to Rep. Sears’ campaigns since 2010. The passage of Sears’ bill restraining the navigators follows similar bills in Maine and Iowa. In Sears’ case, however, even setting aside the steep amount of money she has received from the health care industry, the fact that she works at an insurance agency that will benefit from her bill seems a conflict of interest.

Her motives become even more suspect when considering her follow-up of speaking out against the HCFA, a bill that will protect consumers against federal penalties for noncompliance with Obamacare. According to Sears, the HCFA violates the state constitution by preventing health insurance providers from selling a product. “If I pass a law that tells my carriers that if they accept any funding under (Obamacare)... if I comply in that area, my penalty is suspension of my ability to accept new enrollees in the plan,” she stated. Yet, as Rep. Young explained, the HCFA doesn’t limit insurance providers any more than the refusal by the state to enact its own exchange. Why would a member of the health insurance industry resist an effort to combat the broad-sweeping mandates of Obamacare? Does Sears really believe insurance companies won’t be able to sell their products without federal funding? Perhaps it is the case that she believes insurance companies care more about receiving federal money then the consumers they are supposed to be protecting. Considering her close ties to the industry, Sears may be, as she did in regulating navigators, representing the concerns of insurance providers instead of Ohioans.

The HCFA needs Rep. Sears support to continue to passage. If she is truly representing the people of Ohio and not the health insurance industry and herself, to back a law protecting her constituents makes logical sense. As the country counts down to Obamacare taking effect, all eyes will be on Ohio to lead the way out of the coming disaster.

If you don;t think you are over taxed and under represented; how would like to have Rep. Sears speaking for you?