By the Ohio Liberty Coalition

If you have time to read just one article today, please choose End Medicaid’s Crony Federalism, by James C. Capretta because it encapsulates all that is essential to know about the most pressing issue facing Ohioans today: Medicaid expansion.

Kasich, along with six republican governors, have chosen to move forward with Medicaid expansion and by doing so, they have thrown away the opportunity to positively influence the health care debate that has rankled our country since 2009.

Even though Obamacare is the law of the land, republican governors were handed a powerful tool to thwart this oppressive legislation by refusing to expand Medicaid. Kasich has frittered this tool away through his ineffectual leadership.   Read the rest of the OLC article here.

I heard a Preacher once say that in most situations where there is conflict between people, the truth is usually somewhere in the middle. Records indicate that may be the case with the recent resignation/dismissal of EMA Director Ryan Berry. Anyone attending the 2/26/13 meeting or listening to the associated audio recording of Berry’s resignation discovered quickly that “cooler heads” did not prevail. Frankly, several of the emotional statements made would be inappropriate for any employer/employee dialogue even in the private sector. However, these “public” employees have a “public” trust and are expected to conduct business for the county in professional, forthright and transparent manner. Comments like, “I think I’ll go have a cold one”, “are you a miserable man”, “you pestered him to death”, among others, have no place in a meeting being conducted on “the people’s business”. Never the less all four individuals involved (With the possible exception of Commissioner John Walker who, on the audio, seemed to retain a measure of professionalism and composure.) allowed the meeting to descend into an unacceptable level of “tit for tat” that soured the stomachs of many residents.

Another bone of contention with members of the public seemed to be the fact that Commissioner Clark Sheets stated to Berry, “we are going to dismiss you for your misrepresentation based on your résumé’ that you presented to us when we first hired you”. A statement, which Commissioner John Walker seemed to agree with when he said, “it (the resume) shouldn’t have stated a major in Political Science”.
Ryan Berry submitted a resume for the position of Hocking County EMA Director, dated March 14, 2011. Under “Education” Mr. Berry lists a “MAJOR: B.S. in Political Science” and a “MINOR: Communications”. However, County Commissioner Sandy Ogle stated at the 2/26/13 meeting that “he (Berry) left school, that is what he was studying when he was in school” which would seem to indicate that she was aware that Mr. Berry did not obtain a Bachelor’s degree. A phone call to Commissioner Ogle confirmed that she believed Ryan Berry stated during the interview process that he had not graduated, but quit college to play football. (No record or notes pertaining to Mr. Berry’s interview were kept in his personnel file.) Mr. Berry was appointed for the position of Hocking County EMA Director on 4/4/11. At which time an employee “data” form was completed that does not denote a B.S. degree. (On the form, under “Civilian Education”… the space where a degree would be listed is left blank.) There is no indication in the record of who completed this form. However, the lack of a degree listed on this document would seem to indicate that someone within the Commissioner’s office was aware that Berry had not graduated. With all of this information in hand and the fact that it is nearly two years later… it is no wonder area residents are questioning the motives behind pressing Berry for a resignation. However, as is often the case, there appears to be more to the story. Read More »

A new website, www.educateloganhocking.com and Facebook page, has been launched in an effort to disseminate information to the public and possibly take positions on topics related to the Logan Hocking School District and/or the public education system.  Constitutional Conservatives through-out the country are creating alternative  news/information sources such as the Educate Logan Hocking website as a way to present a broader picture of current events and issues from a Conservative and/or Constitutional perspective.  Traditional media outlets often neglect to share this perspective.

ABOUT Educate Logan Hocking:

“Educate Logan-Hocking”  is a  grassroots effort by community members (citizens, taxpayers and parents) within the Logan Hocking School District.

Our mission is simply to disseminate information for public consumption and when appropriate take positions on topics related to the Logan-Hocking School District and/or the betterment of our public education system.

Tea Party Activists have the most impact in primaries.

“Make no mistake, the grass roots in Ohio are stronger, more organized, more experienced and more effective than ever before. We may not have been able to tip the scale in a rock-star, cult-of-personality presidential election. But know this: We absolutely can slam-dunk a primary. ” – Ted Stevenot, Ohio Liberty Coalition President

In his Sunday op-ed column “Republicans need to stand up to band of rigid intimidators,” Dispatch Senior Editor Joe Hallett articulated some scathing criticism of Ohio’s conservative grass-roots movement and, more important, our democracy.

Responding to the Ohio Liberty Coalition’s recent call to hold elected officials accountable for how they vote on Gov. John Kasich’s proposed budget, Hallett called us “rigid intimidators” and labeled us a “fringe” group. However, if standing firm on our principles makes us rigid and advocating for the peaceful repair of our state at the ballot box makes us intimidating, we will wear those labels with pride. Hallett’s clear opinion is that holding elected officials accountable in the only manner our democracy allows is somehow illegitimate or rigid.

He should know that elected officials care mostly about getting re-elected. Subjecting that re-election to doubt is a vital way Ohioans can fight back against the entrenched interests on both the right and the left, as well as the partisan concerns of the political parties. Hallett, though disagreeing on the issue, should cheer our effort to hold elected officials accountable.Individuals from the many groups in our coalition largely swept Republicans into power in Ohio in 2010, including Kasich. Our groups played an instrumental role in helping volunteers collect more than 440,000 signatures to put the Health Care Freedom Amendment on the 2011 ballot. This initiative, the only time Ohioans have had a direct opportunity to reject any part of the federal-government takeover of health care in our state, won with 66 percent of the vote and passed in all 88 counties. We object to the government takeover of health care in Ohio and the fiscally irresponsible growth of government entitlements.

Read the rest of the article at:
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/editorials/2013/03/02/dont-count-tea-party-out-in-ohio-elections.html