Full Report: Ohio Inspector General Finds Fault With ‘Joe the Plumber’ Records Search by State Agency
Click here for full report from State of Ohio Inspector General, Re: Joe the Plumber Record Search.
Ohio Issues 5 and 6 - How I’m voting
My friend, cousin and spiritual advisor Skip Cornett of Gahanna sent an email the other day that I thought was the best summary of how and why to cast votes this year for Ohio Issues 5 and 6. Skip’s Take:
If you are confused by the commercials about Issues 5 and 6 on the ballot, that is by intention. The financial institutions impacted by these two ballot issues are spending millions of dollars to make sure you are confused so you will vote to favor their interests. Both of these issues are really pretty clear-cut.
Issue 5 is about protecting our most vulnerable citizens, especially the very poor, from predatory lending by payday lenders. In a strongly bipartisan fashion, both Republicans and Democrats passed House Bill 545 capping the interest rate on payday loans. Governor Strickland signed it into law. After 3 tries, the financial industry finally managed to get this issue on the state ballot. Now they are spending millions of dollars trying to overturn the legislation that would cap interest rates on loans and put some control on their predatory behavior by calling Issue 5 a job killer. Vote Yes on Issue 5 to affirm the action of the Ohio General Assembly to stop predatory lending.
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Issue 6 is more complicated than just allowing casino gambling. It is out of state interests interfering with the Ohio constitution. Issue 6, if passed, would actually give the operators a constitutionally protected casino monopoly, with practically no accountability to anyone. Vote No on Issue 6 to stop out of state interests from amending our constitution so they can set up their monopoly casino.
Do not allow the financial industry and the gambling industry confuse you with their adds.
Vote YES on Issue 5 to affirm the earlier legislative action of the Ohio State General Assembly and the Ohio governor on predatory lending.
Vote NO on Issue 6 to protect the Ohio constitution from out of state meddling.
Text: Sen. Barack Obama Speech in Canton, Ohio | ‘One Week’ | The Closing Argument – October 27, 2008
(Source: Obama for America)
(Photo: The Plain Dealer)
As Prepared for Delivery
One week.
After decades of broken politics in Washington, eight years of failed policies from George Bush, and twenty-one months of a campaign that has taken us from the rocky coast of Maine to the sunshine of California, we are one week away from change in America.
In one week, you can turn the page on policies that have put the greed and irresponsibility of Wall Street before the hard work and sacrifice of folks on Main Street. Read more
Just When I Start to Like The Arnold …
According to WOSU this a.m. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California is going to help McCain and Co. pull a play out of the Bush 2004 playbook – appear in Columbus, probably this Friday, with John McCain. The Los Angeles Times confirms. I wonder if Sarah Palin will be there. According to a website called the California Chronicle, the Governator’s endorsement of Palin is less than ringing.
What’s to like about Arnold? Mainly it is his forward thinking on energy policy and the promise of investing in a “green” economy. From afar, California appears to be years ahead of the rest of the country in the laws, policy and investment which will help the U.S. kick the foreign oil habit and clean up the environment. At times, it’s seemed downright refreshing to imagine Schwarzenegger as somewhat of a – well – maverick in Republican circles.
If Schwarzenegger cares about fostering the moderate or even progressive reputation he’s earned on some issues, appearing with McCain, a politician with policies rooted in the 1980s, seems a bit counter intuitive.
If You’re Voting Absentee Follow all the Instructions
WCMH-TV is reporting today in Columbus that there are in fact potentially hundreds of absentee ballots which will not be counted due to voters not properly placing completed ballots in their inner envelopes and signing them.
If you are voting absentee, follow the instructions. You’re vote will not be counted if it’s not signed and sealed in the inner envelope.
Read the envelope and you’ll see a disclaimer that ballots without the required information will not be counted. But that hasn’t stopped hundreds of voters from making the same mistake.
In the 2008 primary election, 657 voters returned their ballot without the identification envelope. 372 voters didn’t sign the identification envelope and 368 voters didn’t write down their date of birth
If you did not include the identification envelope when mailing your absentee ballot, you cannot fix the mistake. That’s why it is so important to read the instructions, officials said.
Are Absentee Ballots and Early Voters’ Ballots Being Discarded in Franklin County?
A reliable source in the Central Ohio mainstream media told me earlier today that their outlet was looking into what may be “hundreds of mailed in ballots” which could be disregarded by the Franklin County, Ohio County Board of Elections.
For those of you outside Ohio, Franklin County is the home of Columbus, Ohio’s capital city.
The problem may stem from the fact that Ohio absentee ballots contain two envelopes. The voter fills out the ballot and is supposed to seal the ballot in an envelope which they then sign and date. That envelope then goes into the postage envelope.
My source tells me that the Board of Elections has received “hundreds” of ballots which were simply placed in the postage envelope without being sealed in the inner envelope with signature and date. This reporter said that election officials deem those ballots “invalid.”
I asked if voters would be made aware so that they could re-cast their vote. My source said this is not allowed. I asked if there were more Dems or Republicans voting early. The answer was Dems by a mile.
If this is true, and you are absentee/early voting, follow every instruction contained in that absentee voter package.
Ohio Windstorm Power Outages Update – Friday A.M.
AEP-Ohio
Since devastating winds hit the state of Ohio throughout the day Sunday, over 80 percent of AEP Ohio´s customers affected by the storm have been restored. As of 6 a.m. today, more than 550,000 AEP Ohio customers have had their electricity service restored. Just over 130,000 AEP Ohio customers remain without power.
Even the Governor and First Lady didn’t have power on Wednesday night. No report on whether or not AEP has come through for them yet. As I was leaving work last night, a friend from Clintonville got a call in the elevator that his power was back on. There were fist pumps.
Dayton Power & Light
We are making steady progress as 1,000 people work on the emergency restoration effort, including assistance from eight neighboring states. Overnight, service was restored to 6,000 customers. As of 7 a.m. Friday, 74,000 customers are without power. By Sunday, we plan to have the vast majority of customers back in. Final, individual pockets of outages could take longer.
Ohio Edison
AKRON, Ohio – Service to 93 percent of FirstEnergy’s utility operating company customers has been restored following Sunday’s massive wind storm. As of 10:00 a.m. Thursday, approximately 70,400 customers of Ohio Edison, Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company, Pennsylvania Electric and Pennsylvania Power remain without service.
Wednesday p.m. – Windstorm news, many still without power across state, Brunner, Strickland, Beatty
Filed under: Gov Strickland, Hurricane Ike, Joe Biden, Presidential Campaign 2008, State of Ohio Govt
Ohio News
- 8 p.m. Electricity still out in 47,000 greater Cleveland homes – The Plain Dealer
- Eaton rejects $25 million incentives and leaves Cleveland – The Plain Dealer
- Cleveland councilwoman resigns to take Ohio Senate Seat – The Plain Dealer
- 5 p.m. AEP nears halfway mark in restoring power – Columbus Dispatch
- Two sue over Brunner’s absentee ruling – Columbus Dispatch
- Biden rips McCain in Maumee for ignoring middle class – Columbus Dispatch
- OSU to pay Beatty $320,000 in new job – Columbus Dispatch
- 7 p.m. Storm leaves Dayton on brink of ‘food crisis’ – Dayton Daily News
- Strickland seeks $7 million in federal aid for storm relief – Dayton Daily News
West Central/Central Ohio Power Outages: Wednesday p.m.
Information from the Utilities
AEP is reporting 330,000 of their 650,000 customers who were without power have had service restored. Following this link will take you to their Storms & Outages information page. If you live in the Columbus area there are links to maps of sections of the metro area with estimates of when power will be back on.
Dayton Power & Light latest information can be found here. Wednesday morning they were reporting half of their customers who were without power have been restored with about 105,000 customers left. They are also reporting they are finding unreported damage as they repair the grid which is adding some time to efforts.
Lines Down in Dayton Area
Tuesday a.m. – Ohio Windstorm Storm Updates & Wall Street Woes
Filed under: Hurricane Ike, State of Ohio Govt, U.S. Economy
Storm Links
Click Here for Latest Windstorm News from Dayton, West Cent. Ohio from The Dayton Daily News
Dayton Power & Light Consumer Information
American Electric Power - Ohio
Columbus Dispatch home page – storm coverage
NE Ohio updates from Cleveland Plain Dealer
Other News
Officials try to stem crisis; Fed to meet – New York Times
Shares drop in Europe and Asia – New York Times
Race for cash at A.I.G. – New York Times
Wall Street posts first loss since 2001 – New York Times
Galveston: Searchers fear more grim discoveries – Houston Chronicle
Bank turmoil slams Asian indexes – Wall Street Journal
Fed’s mettle will continue to be tested – Wall Street Journal
Op-Ed: Why Obama’s Health Plan is Better – Wall Street Journal
Government struggles to control crisis – Washington Post
Ohio Wrestles with Remnants of Hurricane Ike
Filed under: Gov Strickland, Hurricane Ike, State of Ohio Govt
Sunday was the Wind, Monday began the cleanup
The view from the greater Columbus area was surreal in places after several hours of sustained winds of 30-50 m.p.h. with hurricane gusts of 75-77 m.p.h. Trees of three to four feet in diameter uprooted and knocked over were almost commonplace Sunday night and Monday morning as people ventured out to look for open restaurants or just sightsee. The occasional numbskull blew through dead traffic lights like one of Ike’s gusts. I can’t believe there hasn’t been a T-bone car accident at every non-functioning traffic signal in town.
Governor Strickland announced this afternoon that by everyone’s best count there were approximately 2 million electric utility customers without power around the state. Here in Central Ohio, 60% of American Electric Power’s customers were without service. For the first time since moving to my Bexley neighborhood four months ago, I saw groups of kids moving in knots from yard to yard. I guess all those little rugrats really do spend their days indoors. Strickland declared a state of emergency for the state, making it a simpler proposition for state agencies to render local assistance to counties and municipalities. Ted Strickland is a swell guy. Thank God, Ken Blackwell didn’t win that election. With all of his hot air we’d have trees blowin’ over every day.
My power went out around 4:30 p.m. Sunday and was restored at about the same time on Monday. If it wouldn’t have been for both mine and my wife’s car becoming entombed in our detached garage – there’s no side door – being without power would’ve been fine for a day. It’s a hassle, sure. But the quiet at night and watching the neighborhood come to life for a few hours Sunday evening and Monday morning was worth it. I wonder if that taste of outdoors adventure set in with those kids? I’ll have to keep my eyes out for them …
For Latest Updates Click Here for Main Page
From Cincy Enquirer 1
- Gas prices, supply make people nervous – Columbus Dispatch
- Governor Strickland declares emergency – Columbus Dispatch
- Repairs could take a week – Columbus Dispatch
- AEP OHIO Power Outage Information – AEP Ohio Website
- Restoring service could take a week in some areas – Cincinnati Enquirer
Illustration by Dayton Daily News
- Dayton Power & Light: Repairs could stretch into weekend – Dayton Daily News
Ohio’s Voting Machines Have Glitch – I Hate Diebold
Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner sued Premier Election Solutions (formerly Diebold) because they sold Ohio counties faulty machines. They said they didn’t. Guess, what they admit their machines have a problem in the “source code.” The source code is like, well, the brains of the damn things. A lot of people were critical of Diebold’s election machine business. It looks like for good reason. Oh, and why did they change the name of the company? Don’t want to soil Diebold’s reputation in other businesses? It’s one thing for Microsoft to put out buggy software. That’s just a pain in the ass and a reboot. But election software and hardware that can’t be trusted? That’s a WTF. What if everything got turned around because of technical error with voting equipment and we were all toiling under Governor Blackwell? That’s a ROTF WTF. The jobs in Hebron. Now this. I hate Diebold.
From the Columbus Dispatch, filed tonight:
Premier, formerly Diebold Election Systems, initially speculated that the problem was a conflict between its system and anti-virus software.
But in a letter Tuesday to Brunner, Premier President David Byrd admitted that further testing showed a source-code error that can cause votes not to be recorded when memory cards are uploaded to computer servers under certain circumstances.
“We are indeed distressed that our previous analysis of this issue was in error,” Byrd wrote.
Brunner is suing to recover the millions of taxpayer dollars spent to buy Premier touch-screens after she said an investigation this year showed that votes in at least 11 counties had been dropped in recent elections.
You Can Read the Entire Story Here.
Thursday Evening Pt II: People are leaving Ohio (or at least many of her cities)
Columbus grows while rest of Ohio shrinks - Columbus Dispatch
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