by Bob Fitrakis
OCTOBER 22, 2014

It’s hard to believe that our twitchy governor, John Kasich, is projected to easily win re-election. Remember, this is the man who went to Cleveland and told Browns football fans that he rooted for their arch-rival, the Steelers. But his real loyalty has always been to the rich and powerful. In the era of the Kent State shooting, he was one of Nixon’s Stepford-clone youth.

His new allegiance is to his media mentor, Rupert Murdoch. In 2012, the creator of right-wing agi-prop and faux news gave $1 million to the Republican Governor’s Association to get his bloviator elected in his first election. Kasich has returned the loyalty by pledging eternal fealty to “unnatural persons” called corporations.

After working for Murdoch and prior to being elected, Kasich spent his time hawking junk assets for the now-defunct Lehman Brothers investment bankers. He helped sell these worthless assets to the tune of $500 million into Ohio’s public retirement system, particularly the State Teacher’s pension funds. He made untold millions, which he refused to disclose, while looting the pensions of school teachers and public employees.

As soon as Kasich entered office he attacked the public employees he had just ripped off through Lehman brothers. On March 31, 2011, Kasich signed the draconian Senate Bill 5 into law. The new law required that no salary increases could be based on seniority and it drastically limited collective bargaining for the 360,000 public union workers in Ohio. Kasich told them to get on the bus, or get run over.

Now, the quirky governor’s campaign commercials claim he “listened.” Indeed, the bus was hijacked by working people in the form of 1.3 million signatures to repeal the bill. On election night 2011, Issue 2 supporting Kasich’s anti-union law failed 61 percent -39 percent.

Who Kasich really listens to is the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). More than three decades ago, this corporate front masquerading as an advocate for “limited government” and “free markets” began plotting to make the 1 percent richer and steal the wealth of our nation’s working class.

ALEC lists among its key founders Paul Weyrich, who openly advocates suppressing poor and minority voters, as well as the white supremacist, the late Senator Jesse Helms. Also on the ALEC website there’s a note stating “Among those who are involved with ALEC in the formative years were … John Kasich of Ohio.”

ALEC, now primarily funded by the notorious Koch Brothers, provided Senate Bill 5 as its model legislation and its legislation is a manual for destroying worker’s rights under the guise of “saving taxpayers money.”

WORKERS

Under Kasich, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, Ohio stood as one of the two worst economies in the nation at the end of 2013. When he took office in January 2011, Ohio ranked 26th in private sector job growth. While Kasich is running hard as a “job creator,” the U.S. Department of Labor notes that the state is 46th nationally.

From January-August 2014, the Buckeye state gained a mere 5,289 jobs. Also, while the rest of the nation has regained all of the jobs lost during the 2008 economic meltdown, Kasich still needs to create 213,000 new jobs just to return to pre-recession numbers in Ohio. The Kasich campaign keeps reiterating that “Kasich works.” The question is, for whom? If re-elected, the rumor is Kasich will turn Ohio into a “right to work” state.

CHILDREN

Kasich’s ALEC handbook includes the destruction of public education. Since taking office, Kasich has cut more than half a billion dollars from public education in Ohio. He also has failed to change the unconstitutional funding formula for the state’s K-12 school system. He increased charter school funding by $57 million, in particular, rewarding White Hat Management that runs many of Ohio’s charter schools and whose owner is a big Republican donor.

ENVIRONMENTALISTS

When Ohio Governor John Kasich first took office, he killed a train line –meant to restore passenger service between Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati. Kasich’s reasons may have made sense in a Tea Party world. But some $400 million had already been secured. When it died, all that money left the state, along with untold jobs and income. Hugely expensive highway projects have followed with intense environmental damage and instant obsolescence. Columbus may be the western world’s largest capital city without passenger rail service.

This June, Kasich signed the controversial Senate Bill 310 that froze Ohio’s renewable energy and energy efficiency standards at their present levels for two years. A report from the Ohio Advanced Energy Economy documented that between 2009 and 2013, the law Kasich overturned – the Renewable Energy Standards (RES) law – cost $456 million to implement, but saved Ohio residents $1.03 billion.

Since RES was implemented, more than $1 billion had been invested in Ohio by private renewable energy companies, some who now say they will move out of the state. Six weeks prior to Kasich signing S.B. 310, oil magnate David Koch donated $12,155 to Kasich’s re-election campaign – the maximum allowed under law.

On people’s right to clean water, Kasich has been a complete failure. Not only has he allowed the people of Toledo to be afflicted by toxic water, he has also permitted radioactive fracking water to be dumped in our state from Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

In one of the most cynical moves imaginable, when it was discovered that the fracking water being shipped into Ohio from Pennsylvania and West Virginia had high rates of radioactivity, Kasich assigned the rangers of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to solve the problem, relieving the more competent Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and Ohio Health Department of duty. These were the agencies that uncovered the radioactivity. And like his original mentor Nixon, Kasich developed a fracktivist “enemies list” targeting environmentalists for harassment.

WOMEN

While Kasich’s current commercials make him sound like the next best thing to feminist Betty Friedan, this June’s Cosmopolitan magazine ran an article entitled: “How Ohio Became One of the Worst States for Reproductive Rights in the Country.”

It is like a time machine taking us back to the 50s: a gag order on rape crisis counselors on talking about abortion, defunding Planned Parenthood, and the “heartbeat bill” banning abortions on pregnancies over 20 weeks. Because of Kasich’s and the state legislature’s new laws, abortion clinics all over the state are closing.

Regarding women’s income and employment rates, the Institute for Women’s Policy Research ranked the Buckeye State a mediocre 33rd out of 50 states in 2014 in economic opportunities for women.

LBGTQ COMMUNITY

On marriage equality, Kasich is a hater. He is fighting alongside Ohio Attorney General Michael DeWine to overturn federal rulings supportive of same-sex marriage in Ohio. One would think the ambitious Kasich would at least adopt the
decade-old 2004 George W. Bush strategy of being for “civil unions.”

He briefly embraced the position last year, before his spokesperson stepped in to clarify things – that Kasich didn’t really understand what civil unions meant, and the governor not support any recognition of any same sex relationships.

In his last year in Congress in 2001, the Human Rights Campaign gave Kasich a 10 percent out of 100 percent rating for supporting equality for LGBT people. Kasich still clings to Issue 1 from 2004, telling the Columbus Dispatch that “marriage is between and man and a woman.” Even if he occasionally invites a four-way with the Koch brothers.

TAXPAYERS

Kasich decided to balance the state budget on the back of local governments. He not only stripped half a billion from schools, but has decreased funding intended for cities, townships and counties. One of his techniques was ending the Ohio inheritance tax. The bulk of the proceeds from the inheritance tax went to counties and municipalities. The tax was progressive in nature, falling heaviest on the 1 percent (wealthiest people in the state).

Also, Kasich’s much-touted state income tax cut benefited his rich friends as well. The 21 percent decrease, to be fair, started under Governor Bob Taft, but the net effect embraced by Kasich was that very few of the tax savings were passed on to working and middle class Ohioans. If you made $40,000 a year, you paid $72.88 less in state tax under Kasich. If you made $206,250 a year, you’d pay $977.63 less. If you were one of Kasich’s millionaire donors you would have saved thousands of dollars a year.

Kasich has announced that his goal is to totally eliminate Ohio’s income tax by 2016. He plans to use the money in Ohio’s nearly $2 billion “rainy day fund” for a sound bite about how he’ll eliminate the income tax in Ohio as he runs for president that year. Ohioans will be further plagued by unconstitutional schools, vicious prisons, declining public services, deteriorating roads, bridges and sewage treatment facilities – public services formerly funded by the state income tax and inheritance taxes.

ELDERLY

Kasich eliminated a homestead property tax exemption cutting funds to thousands of seniors and disabled Ohioans. Budget analysts predict that Kasich’s defunding of public education and his inheritance and income tax cuts will raise property taxes by 12.5 percent to continue to fund schools. Seniors on fixed incomes will be hit the hardest.

WELFARE RECIPIENTS

In a cynical and shocking move, Kasich rejected a federal waiver in 2013 and instead reinstated Dickensian work requirements for the poor. With a bad economy, the federal government was allowing Ohio not to require hundreds of thousands of welfare recipients to report for make-work jobs. Social welfare agencies pointed out that it would cost more to pay staff to supervise the workers than the value of their work was worth. The Columbus Dispatch quoted Marilyn J. Tomasi, Vice President of the Mid-Ohio Food Bank, as stating, “What happened is the state rejected the waiver. 134,000 Ohioans showed up at food pantries.”

VOTERS

In a state where the Democrats, Republicans and Independents are fairly evenly divided, Kasich and his Republican cohorts have gerrymandered the Congressional districts to give 12 out of the 16 Congressional seats to Republicans and make sure that the seats are non-competitive.

The only reason Kasich has a chance of re-election in Ohio is because of our decade-long tradition of voter suppression. Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted (R) has decided that under the guise of “fairness” there will only be one early voting site in each of Ohio’s 88 counties, regardless of the county population. A county with over a million voters and a county with 10,000 voters have exactly the same number of locations to vote early – one.

Under Husted’s predecessor, Franklin County, with 1.3 million people, had five early voting sites.

Also, Kasich tried to eliminate the competition. Federal court records document that Kasich’s office directed the removal of the Libertarian Party from the ballot in Ohio earlier this year.

On the day the Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Charlie Earl announced his campaign and was showing 6 percent in the polls, Kasich and his Republicans partisans in the legislature set out to destroy the third party. First they outlawed the party, but a federal court blocked their attempt.

Using Republican political operative Terry Casey, the governor then orchestrated a challenge to signatures on the Libertarian Party candidates’ petitions. The Libertarians sued, then Kasich had his lackey, Jon Husted, appoint well-known Republican partisan Brad Smith as the supposed neutral arbitrator in the case. Smith was the intellectual force behind the infamous “Citizens United” decision that proclaimed corporations are people and donations to candidates are the same as free speech.

Kasich was successful in keeping a Libertarian opponent off the ballot and made the state even more repressive to minor parties, other points of view, and democracy.

PRISONERS

One of Kasich’s original budgetary plans was to further privatize Ohio’s prisons. He didn’t succeed with that plan, but did save the state money by hiring Aramark for prison food service, a company that is famous for serving prisoners maggots. A recent demonstration by prison workers and unions was prompted by budget cuts to prison security staff.

The Ohio Civil Service Employees Association [OCSEA] called our prisons “violently dangerous” for prison workers. Under Kasich, the prison population has risen, causing overcrowding and dangerous conditions for both prisoners and prison staff.

Of course, you can’t ask Kasich about any of these issues, since he refuses to debate his opponents and prefers to run 30-second propaganda commercials funded by the kleptocrats who made him governor –and want to run him for president in 2016.
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Bob Fitrakis is running as the Green Party’s Lt. Governor candidate in this year’s election. In 1992, Bob Fitrakis ran against John Kasich for the 12th Congressional district and Kasich refused to debate him then.

Original article published:
http://columbusfreepress.com/article/10-ways-kasich-hurts-ohioans

Bob Fitrakis
Aug, 3, 2014

In response to the water crisis in Toledo this weekend, Ohio Green Party Lt. Governor candidate Bob Fitrakis says that Ohio must move away from petrochemical fertilizers and adopt a new green agricultural economy.

“The harmful algae bloom has been going for more than decade and has gotten substantially worse under Kasich’s administration” Fitrakis said. According to the Ohio Sea Grant college program, during Kasich’s first year, 2011, the algae bloom was rated at its most severe — ranking 10 on a 10 point scale.
The poisonous toxins that have shut down the use of tap water in four Ohio counties and stopped the flow of water for half a million people in the Toledo area are primarily caused by commercial fertilizer runoff from factories and farmer’s fields. This situation has put Lake Erie at risk, just like it was back in the 1970s.

The Green Party calls for new regulations that would halt the flow of phosphorus from fertilizers into Lake Erie and incentives for Ohio farmers to adopt organic agriculture methods. Instead of spending millions of dollars to clean poisonous water we need to subsidize farmers to go green. We need to create a buffer zone to protect the Lake Erie ecosystem from those that spew chemicals without regard to people’s right to drinking water.

The polluters must be fined and forced to pay the cost of the cleanup. Local communities must be allowed to sue the polluters and send those to jail who are knowingly spewing these toxins.
We applaud the people of Mansfield who passed a Community Bill of Rights that guarantees clean air and clean water, and support the efforts to pass a Columbus Community Bill of Rights. We are calling upon the people of Toledo to adopt the same kind of Community Bill of Rights.

But, if voters want to send John Kasich a message this fall, they need to support the Green Party that will take on these polluters and put positive solutions in place.
On people’s right to clean water, Kasich has been a complete failure. Not only has he allowed the people of Toledo to be afflicted by toxic water, he has also permitted radioactive fracking water to be dumped in our state from Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Eddie Pfau and Bob Fitrakis

Free Press Second Saturday Salon
Saturday, July 12 – 6:30-11:30pm
1021 E. Broad St. (outdoors, weather permitting)

Eddie Pfau and Bob Fitrakis
Join progressive friends for socializing, networking, art, food, music by Stephen Dodge and a presentation by Eddie Pfau, Green Party candidate for Domestic Court Judge.
614-253-2571
colsfreepress@gmail.com

The latest issue of the Free Press is out and on news racks everywhere.

In this issue Bob discusses the implications of the defeat of the Zoo Levy. Columbus voters defied the downtown elite and voted the level down by an overwhelming 70%!

We will be talking about this and other important issues at our monthly Second Saturday Salon on June 14th. Join progressive friends for food, drink and music at 1021 east Broad from 6:30pm – 11:00pm.

We will also be talking about the Ohio Green Party’s extraordinary victory. Despite the obfuscation, last minute law changes, and interference from John Husted Ohio voters wrote in enough votes during the recent primary to keep the Green Party on the ballot.

The Free Press is still out investigating and still breaking the news. Read about Mike DeWine’s apparent cover-up of a controversial police shooting.

Our Arts and Entertainment section is still one step ahead of the Alive with a review of the recent X-Men release and a response to their flailing stab at a top 10 X-men story.

Reception/fundraiser for Green Presidential candidate Jill Stein
Saturday, February 4 – 6:00PM Immediately following the Ohio Green Party convention Meet and greet the candidate, refreshments
Suggested donation: $10-25
Bob and Suzanne’s house – 1021 E. Broad St., side door, parking in rear 253-2571
——————————————————————————————————–
Bob Fitrakis on “Fight Back”: Climate Hawk
Bob interviews Alec Johnson, aka “Climate Hawk” on the recent decision by Obama on the Keystone pipeline and other pressing environmental issues.
Listen and call in this Wednesday, February 1
7 – 8 PM eastern time
Call 877-932-9766

* * *
Here’s how to call in to the LIVE INTERNET radio show:
(on your computer – not on your broadcast radio dial)

On Wednesday nights at 7:00 pm
Go to: http://talktainmentradio.com
Click on “Listen Live”
Call 877-932-9766

Advocates who say there were serious problems in the 2004 vote want an AG probe

By Bill Cohen – November 20, 2007 Bill Cohen, critics are continuing to claim the election was stolen

Three years after the controversial presidential election in Ohio that put President Bush back into the white house for a second term, critics are continuing to claim the election was stolen. And now, they’re asking Ohio’s top cop to join their crusade. Statehouse correspondent Bill Cohen files this report.
http://tinyurl.com/3ykddya

Original Article:

http://statenews.org/story_page.cfm?ID=10830&year=2007&month=11

Blackwell is fighting desperately to keep the GOP ship of state afloat. But it looks like a remake of the Titanic.

Just recently, Vicki Lovegren reported from Cleveland that the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections was threatening her with arrest for obstructing official business. Blackwell issued a directive last week refusing to allow amendments for Party and independent candidate observers at the polls and boards of elections. This is another indicator that theft is at hand.

Also, there are reports of tens of thousands of absentee ballots being held at the airport post office in Columbus, Ohio because there’s only one stamp on the envelope instead of two.

Moreover, it’s now confirmed that the Republicans have flagged an estimated million or more people in hopes of forcing them to vote provisionally. They did this by sending out 60-day notices to voters about bringing ID to the polls and other changes from H.B. 3 from the BOEs and, if they were returned, the voters are now “flagged.”

Nevertheless, if everyone stays strong and vigilant – and turn out and vote – there’s nothing the Republicans can do to beat the power of the people. Go to sleep tonight with a positive dream. Representative John Conyers with a subpoena chasing Bush, Cheney and Rove.

Check Out Dr. Bob, Peter Peckarsky and Harvey Wasserman on Lou Dobbs!!!!!!

From CNN Monday, Nov 6, 2006 6:30 P.M.

http://tinyurl.com/yn7nbf

FYI, Free Press Publisher BOB FITRAKIS & Senior Editor HARVEY
WASSERMAN are scheduled to appear on CNN’s LOU DOBBS Show
TONIGHT at 6:30pm EST. They will be discussing possible
irregularities in the upcoming election. [As always, these
appearances are subject to last-minute changes at the networks.]

See Bob & Harvey’s latest articles on the election at
https://freepress.org/departments/display/19.

Here, below, are a couple of Dr. Fitrakis’ commercials airing locally in Ohio as well. (One player for multiple tunes)

The following from http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/lou.dobbs.tonight/

 The Final Countdown

The battle for Congress enters its final day. Three leading political analysts give their final predictions on who will win.

Then, a new study says e-voting machines counted votes in the 2004 Ohio election that were never actually cast. Three experts tell us why this could pose a grave threat to Tuesday’s elections.

The Final Countdown

microphone09_mth.gif

This show was recorded 10-31-2006.

11:00 AM
Green Party candidate Bob Fitrakis. 

WOSU podcasts available @

http://www.wosu.org/radio/radio-open-line/

The audio on this page has been re-mastered for low bandwidth dial-up connections.

For better audio quality go to Open Line site and look for 10-31-06 archive.

Moderator

7877-rove.jpgPLEASE WATCH ONN

OHIO NEWS NETWORK TV

Time:
SUNDAY 10-29-06 AT NOON AND 7 PM,

ALSO MONDAY 10-30-06 AT 3 PM.

DR BOB WILL BE ON TV. TELL YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS

Moderator