Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
Pepper on Agenda at October 4th Senate Bill 5 Issue Forum
From: Blatz, Jennifer [mailto:BlatzJ@strivenetwork.org]
Sent: Monday, August 29, 2011 11:29 AM
To: garygreenberg@drgfirm.com
Subject: Update on October 4th Senate Bill 5 Issue Forum
Dear Mr. Greenberg and Mr. Pepper:
I hope this email finds you both well. I wanted to take a moment to provide an update on the planning for the October 4th Issue Forum on Senate Bill 5 that is being organized by the Junior League of Cincinnati, League of Women Voters and Cincinnati Museum Center. We are very excited about this event and we thank you both for your willingness to participate.
We are still in the planning stages, but I can update you on some of the logistics we have been able to nail down thus far:
Location: Cincinnati Museum Center Auditorium (capacity 285)
Timing: 7:15-8:30 p.m.
Moderator: Maryanne Zeleznik (WVXU)
Speakers: Support of Senate Bill 5 – Gary Greenberg, partner with Denlinger, Rosenthal & Greenberg, LPA, which focuses on labor and employment law
Repeal of Senate Bill 5 – David Pepper, former Cincinnati City Council member and Chair, Protect Ohio’s Future PAC
We are planning a meeting with Maryanne Zeleznik in the next week to finalize the format for the discussion. What I am sharing below is a tentative format, subject to change after conversations with our moderator:
Tentative Format (as of 8/29):
i. 7:20-7:23 – Welcome by Melanie Chavez, President, JLC (set the framework for the event and partnership with CMC and LWV; Melanie to introduce Doug McDonald, President, CMC
ii. 7:23-7:26 – Welcome by Doug McDonald, including introduction of Moderator
iii. 7:26-7:32 – Chronology of SB5 and Introduction of speakers (Zeleznik)
iv. 7:32-8:28 – Issue Forum, Moderated by Maryanne Zeleznik (WVXU)
• 10 questions, 2 minutes each (40 minutes)
• Moderator to ask follow-up questions and give rebuttal if necessary as she deems appropriate (10 minutes)
• 3 minutes for each speaker to close (6 minutes)
v. 8:28-8:30 – Closing by Sarah Moore, JLC Public Affairs Chair and Vicki Calonge, JLC Projects Council VP
I’ll be back in touch following our meeting with Maryanne with more details related to format, but if you have any questions in the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me. Also, if you could forward me your bios or how you’d like to be introduced as part of this Forum I would greatly appreciate it.
Finally, we are working on several media partners and since we expect to have a capacity crowd for this event, given the partners involved, we hope to be able to televise or broadcast the forum to the general public via television or radio or both. If you have any concerns about that, please let me know.
Thank you again for your participation in this event. I look forward to meeting you both.
Jennifer
Jennifer C. Blatz
Director of Partner Engagement and Advocacy
Strive
A Subsidiary of KnowledgeWorks
One West Fourth Street, Suite 200
Cincinnati, OH 45202
513-929-1146 (o)
513-659-0230 (m)
513-929-1122 (f)
blatzj@strivenetwork.org
www.strivenetwork.org
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Sunday, July 17, 2011
Our Richard Cordray to Head Up Consumer Financial Protection Board!
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/18/business/former-ohio-attorney-general-picked-to-lead-consumer-agency.html?_r=1&hp
Elizabeth Warren is out, sadly. But Richard is awesome, tough and smart.
Elizabeth Warren is out, sadly. But Richard is awesome, tough and smart.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
From the Toledo Blade
Home » Writers» David Kushma
Published: 7/10/2011 - Updated: 12 hours ago
Kasich fights a revolution — for the favored
BY DAVID KUSHMA
BLADE EDITOR
You say you want a revolution? Even if you don’t, Gov. John Kasich and his Republican cohorts in the General Assembly are giving Ohioans one. It isn’t pretty.
During their first six months in office, the new governor and GOP-controlled legislature have launched a radical — and, I’d argue, damaging — transformation of state government. The Kasich Revolution also is imposing itself on local governments and schools, as well as a broad range of social, economic, and political issues that touch all our lives.
The bus Mr. Kasich uses as a metaphor for his aggressive administration — “either get on it or we’ll run you over” — hasn’t idled since his inauguration in January. If anything, it’s picking up speed.
That’s evident in the two major Republican initiatives of the first six months: the new two-year state budget and the law that would gut public employees’ collective-bargaining rights.
The budget slashes state aid to essential public services on which Ohioans depend — education, public safety, social programs — in order further to enrich millionaires, large businesses, privately operated schools, and other Republican-favored special interests. It privatizes valuable and sensitive state assets for scant returns.
By largely shifting the state’s fiscal problems to local communities, counties, and school districts, it greatly increases the prospect of local tax increases — which the governor and lawmakers will be sure to criticize.
Mr. Kasich insists that his strong medicine will force local governments to become more efficient, share services, and merge. Toledo Mayor Mike Bell, who calls himself an independent, observes that he embarked on that course well before the governor took office.
“We can take care of our own house,” the mayor told me. “We need to take the politics out of what people want.”
Lucas County Board of Commissioners President Pete Gerken, a Democrat with a union background, isn’t so circumspect.
“There are a lot of things I don’t need this governor to do,” he says. “They’re transferring the debt from Columbus back to Toledo.” He laughs and quickly adds, in old-time pol argot: “I ain’t raisin’ no taxes.”
It appears that voters will get the chance in November to pass judgment on Senate Bill 5, which goes far beyond updating the state law that governs public-sector collective bargaining — something Ohio needs to do. Instead, the governor and lawmakers would effectively strip 350,000 public employees of many of their rights to bargain at all.
The liberal advocacy group Innovation Ohio notes that Governor Kasich won election last year by barely 77,000 votes, while 16 times that number of Ohioans signed petitions to force a popular vote on Senate Bill 5. So whose mandate is it anyway?
No matter. The Kasich Revolution is being waged on a wide front that extends well beyond budget and labor disputes. Much of the revolution is conducted clandestinely, without adequate public information or debate.
The governor and lawmakers justify virtually everything they do by asserting it will create jobs. That’s why, they tell us, we must allow private drilling for oil and natural gas in state parks and on other public lands, whatever the environmental implications.
It’s why we evidently have to allow larger unregulated water withdrawals by businesses from Lake Erie and other sensitive Ohio waterways than any other Great Lakes state tolerates — even if such venerable Ohio Republicans as George Voinovich and Bob Taft say it’s a bad idea.
You can argue, however wrongheadedly, that environmental protection simply can’t be allowed to obstruct needed economic growth and job creation. But what about the rest of the GOP agenda?
How many jobs will the governor and lawmakers create by authorizing concealed-carry permit holders to bring their guns into bars? Is it really that important to genuflect before the National Rifle Association, at a time when Toledo must deal with increasing gun violence?
How many jobs will Republicans create with legislation that would require Ohioans to display photo identification before they can exercise their right to vote — an expensive House-passed mandate that the Senate could vote on this week? Ostensibly to fight vote fraud that Republicans haven’t shown, because it doesn’t exist, the bill potentially could disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of voters, many of them poor and old.
How many jobs will the GOP create by imposing Draconian — and arguably unconstitutional — restrictions on Ohio women’s abortion rights, as several bills galloping through the legislature, soon to compete for the governor’s signature, would do? Is it so important to feed red meat to the party’s base that such extremist measures get waved through?
There are some things to like about the Kasich Revolution. The governor seeks to control costs in the state’s sprawling Medicaid program by eliminating wasteful duplication of services and encouraging patients to get long-term care at home whenever reasonable.
The effort to develop a merit-pay program for teachers also has promise, even though there’s a long, hard way to go before the state develops a usable system. Initiatives that aim to find options to costly imprisonment of low-level and nonviolent criminals are valuable.
But such positive matters don’t begin to balance the scales with the bad stuff. And it’s not over.
We can expect Mr. Kasich, Republican lawmakers, and other elected GOP officials to work to gerrymander legislative and congressional district boundaries this fall in a way that will seal their party’s dominance for the next decade.
After that, who knows what’s next? An easing of regulations designed to prevent environmental damage from gas drilling? An assault on injured private-sector workers covered by the state’s workers’ compensation program?
I can’t believe that the Ohio the governor and Republican lawmakers envision is a state where most of us want to live. But I could be wrong.
So I’d like to hear from you. Do you like what you’ve seen of the Kasich Revolution? Are the governor and lawmakers truly doing what we elected them to do? Or is it time to yell at the bus to stop — or at least to slow down?
Please tell me — and The Blade’s readers — what you think.
David Kushma is editor of The Blade.
Contact him at: dkushma@theblade.com
Published: 7/10/2011 - Updated: 12 hours ago
Kasich fights a revolution — for the favored
BY DAVID KUSHMA
BLADE EDITOR
You say you want a revolution? Even if you don’t, Gov. John Kasich and his Republican cohorts in the General Assembly are giving Ohioans one. It isn’t pretty.
During their first six months in office, the new governor and GOP-controlled legislature have launched a radical — and, I’d argue, damaging — transformation of state government. The Kasich Revolution also is imposing itself on local governments and schools, as well as a broad range of social, economic, and political issues that touch all our lives.
The bus Mr. Kasich uses as a metaphor for his aggressive administration — “either get on it or we’ll run you over” — hasn’t idled since his inauguration in January. If anything, it’s picking up speed.
That’s evident in the two major Republican initiatives of the first six months: the new two-year state budget and the law that would gut public employees’ collective-bargaining rights.
The budget slashes state aid to essential public services on which Ohioans depend — education, public safety, social programs — in order further to enrich millionaires, large businesses, privately operated schools, and other Republican-favored special interests. It privatizes valuable and sensitive state assets for scant returns.
By largely shifting the state’s fiscal problems to local communities, counties, and school districts, it greatly increases the prospect of local tax increases — which the governor and lawmakers will be sure to criticize.
Mr. Kasich insists that his strong medicine will force local governments to become more efficient, share services, and merge. Toledo Mayor Mike Bell, who calls himself an independent, observes that he embarked on that course well before the governor took office.
“We can take care of our own house,” the mayor told me. “We need to take the politics out of what people want.”
Lucas County Board of Commissioners President Pete Gerken, a Democrat with a union background, isn’t so circumspect.
“There are a lot of things I don’t need this governor to do,” he says. “They’re transferring the debt from Columbus back to Toledo.” He laughs and quickly adds, in old-time pol argot: “I ain’t raisin’ no taxes.”
It appears that voters will get the chance in November to pass judgment on Senate Bill 5, which goes far beyond updating the state law that governs public-sector collective bargaining — something Ohio needs to do. Instead, the governor and lawmakers would effectively strip 350,000 public employees of many of their rights to bargain at all.
The liberal advocacy group Innovation Ohio notes that Governor Kasich won election last year by barely 77,000 votes, while 16 times that number of Ohioans signed petitions to force a popular vote on Senate Bill 5. So whose mandate is it anyway?
No matter. The Kasich Revolution is being waged on a wide front that extends well beyond budget and labor disputes. Much of the revolution is conducted clandestinely, without adequate public information or debate.
The governor and lawmakers justify virtually everything they do by asserting it will create jobs. That’s why, they tell us, we must allow private drilling for oil and natural gas in state parks and on other public lands, whatever the environmental implications.
It’s why we evidently have to allow larger unregulated water withdrawals by businesses from Lake Erie and other sensitive Ohio waterways than any other Great Lakes state tolerates — even if such venerable Ohio Republicans as George Voinovich and Bob Taft say it’s a bad idea.
You can argue, however wrongheadedly, that environmental protection simply can’t be allowed to obstruct needed economic growth and job creation. But what about the rest of the GOP agenda?
How many jobs will the governor and lawmakers create by authorizing concealed-carry permit holders to bring their guns into bars? Is it really that important to genuflect before the National Rifle Association, at a time when Toledo must deal with increasing gun violence?
How many jobs will Republicans create with legislation that would require Ohioans to display photo identification before they can exercise their right to vote — an expensive House-passed mandate that the Senate could vote on this week? Ostensibly to fight vote fraud that Republicans haven’t shown, because it doesn’t exist, the bill potentially could disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of voters, many of them poor and old.
How many jobs will the GOP create by imposing Draconian — and arguably unconstitutional — restrictions on Ohio women’s abortion rights, as several bills galloping through the legislature, soon to compete for the governor’s signature, would do? Is it so important to feed red meat to the party’s base that such extremist measures get waved through?
There are some things to like about the Kasich Revolution. The governor seeks to control costs in the state’s sprawling Medicaid program by eliminating wasteful duplication of services and encouraging patients to get long-term care at home whenever reasonable.
The effort to develop a merit-pay program for teachers also has promise, even though there’s a long, hard way to go before the state develops a usable system. Initiatives that aim to find options to costly imprisonment of low-level and nonviolent criminals are valuable.
But such positive matters don’t begin to balance the scales with the bad stuff. And it’s not over.
We can expect Mr. Kasich, Republican lawmakers, and other elected GOP officials to work to gerrymander legislative and congressional district boundaries this fall in a way that will seal their party’s dominance for the next decade.
After that, who knows what’s next? An easing of regulations designed to prevent environmental damage from gas drilling? An assault on injured private-sector workers covered by the state’s workers’ compensation program?
I can’t believe that the Ohio the governor and Republican lawmakers envision is a state where most of us want to live. But I could be wrong.
So I’d like to hear from you. Do you like what you’ve seen of the Kasich Revolution? Are the governor and lawmakers truly doing what we elected them to do? Or is it time to yell at the bus to stop — or at least to slow down?
Please tell me — and The Blade’s readers — what you think.
David Kushma is editor of The Blade.
Contact him at: dkushma@theblade.com
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Bruce Abel Writes
Date: Wednesday, July 6, 2011 5:00 PM
From: Ohio Employment Lawyers Association
To: babel2@fuse.net
Subject: Article on Ohio's new public records law was answered by Christy B. Bishop
It's a travesty. It was reported in the Akron Beacon Journal (finally) today. A bit late. WE sent out the troops and had a lot of clients and others riled up with e-mails and calls.
Sad to say, not enough (and the comment in the Beacon about the bill sponsor particularly noted "greedy lawyers" allegedly trying to take advantage).
We must get a referendum on this sucker. Fred was right; we need to buckle up and fight for our clients and our own livelihoods in Ohio. ("Oh, Toto, I think we ARE back in Kansas again.") I would think even Republicans would have had hesitations about this, if Democrats ever get into power again We3 should all resent the ultra conservatives' professed hatred of government -- and their hypocracy. We should utilize the power to stop it.
We certainly need to come together for the coming fight on Chapter 4112.
posted by Christy B. Bishop
Jul 6, 2011 4:56 PM
Article on Ohio's new public records law
Thought everyone would like to read about our new lack of public records law. I happened upon the article during some internet research. Below is the link:
http://openchannel.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/07/05/7019775-is-ohio-closing-the-door-on-the-public?fb_ref=.ThOGeIDr9LQ.like&fb_source=home_oneline/from/toolbar
Ohio Employment Lawyers Association
http://www.oelasmart.net
support@oelasmart.net
From: Ohio Employment Lawyers Association
To: babel2@fuse.net
Subject: Article on Ohio's new public records law was answered by Christy B. Bishop
It's a travesty. It was reported in the Akron Beacon Journal (finally) today. A bit late. WE sent out the troops and had a lot of clients and others riled up with e-mails and calls.
Sad to say, not enough (and the comment in the Beacon about the bill sponsor particularly noted "greedy lawyers" allegedly trying to take advantage).
We must get a referendum on this sucker. Fred was right; we need to buckle up and fight for our clients and our own livelihoods in Ohio. ("Oh, Toto, I think we ARE back in Kansas again.") I would think even Republicans would have had hesitations about this, if Democrats ever get into power again We3 should all resent the ultra conservatives' professed hatred of government -- and their hypocracy. We should utilize the power to stop it.
We certainly need to come together for the coming fight on Chapter 4112.
posted by Christy B. Bishop
Jul 6, 2011 4:56 PM
Article on Ohio's new public records law
Thought everyone would like to read about our new lack of public records law. I happened upon the article during some internet research. Below is the link:
http://openchannel.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/07/05/7019775-is-ohio-closing-the-door-on-the-public?fb_ref=.ThOGeIDr9LQ.like&fb_source=home_oneline/from/toolbar
Ohio Employment Lawyers Association
http://www.oelasmart.net
support@oelasmart.net
Richard Schwab Writes
"Jobs waiting for the taking"
In today's economic climate, job seekers face challenges. Employers have challenges too. There is a growing gap between job skills held and job skills required.
The global consulting firm, McKinsey & Company estimates 800,000 jobs (mostly in health care tech and engineering) are going unfilled because there are not sufficient numbers of people with the skills to fill them. The Department of Labor reported in March 228,000 manufacturing jobs unfilled.
In this difficult recession and recovery, with a lot more people looking for work or under employed, this mismatch in education and skills with the high tech skills required in today's advanced manufacturing, engineering, and health care sectors needs to be addressed.
Community Colleges are providing solutions to filling this skills gap.
Community Colleges are engaged in innovative partnerships with corporations and manufacturing groups.
Forsyth Tech in Winston-Salem, N.C. is the first and one of four Community Colleges deploying The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)-endorsed skills certification system. NAM is the oldest and largest broad-based industrial and trade association in the country. Those enrolled in Forsyth's NAM skills certification program quickly (in a project-based environment) receive a college certificate that is directly aligned to the specific skills manufacturers need.
With 800 participating employers, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College's Cooperative Education Program is the largest in the U.S. Every Cincinnati State CO-OP student is placed in his/her chosen field with employers who agree to become academic and career partners and mentors.
Cincinnati State's Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) certificate is designed for those currently employed who desire additional training in the specialized field of CNC programming and computer-aided manufacturing.
Along with 16 other midwest (70 across the nation) Community Colleges, Cincinnati State has launched a series of targeted, skills focused, job-specific training courses in health information technology.
Rockwell Automation's partnership with Cincinnati State's Workforce Development Center (WDC) provides training and retraining in the latest, leading-edge technologies, industrial products and continuous improvement strategies.
High School students are benefiting from Community Colleges.
In San Antonio, Texas NAM skills certification is being offered in two high school academies, one on advanced manufacturing, and one in aerospace. In partnership with Alamo Community Colleges, 11th and 12th graders receive training which leads to their high school diploma, their national career readiness certificate, a direct tie to an employer and up to 30 credits toward their associate degree.
The STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) Summer Academy offered at Cincinnati State gives rising high school seniors dual credit for both high school and college. Classroom experiences run the gamut from solving equations for electrical resistance in engineering technologies to cultivating DNA samples in bioscience.
On June 8, 2011 at Northern Virginia Community College, President Obama announced a major expansion of Skills for America's Future, an industry led initiative to dramatically improve industry partnerships with Community Colleges and build a nation-wide network to maximize workforce development strategies, job training programs and job placement.
The new jobs in this economy are not always at the baccalaureate level; they are at the technical level.
Our educational system, our society and our culture have undervalued vocational training and work.
It is absolutely important for this nation to re-establish educational pathways that recognize competency-based, proficiency of skills training.
Our Community Colleges are the heroes leading the way.
Richard O. Schwab was formerly associate head of school and middle school head, Cincinnati Country Day School. He is also neighborhood team leader, Glendale Organizing for America Community Team (www.gofact.blogspot.com).
In today's economic climate, job seekers face challenges. Employers have challenges too. There is a growing gap between job skills held and job skills required.
The global consulting firm, McKinsey & Company estimates 800,000 jobs (mostly in health care tech and engineering) are going unfilled because there are not sufficient numbers of people with the skills to fill them. The Department of Labor reported in March 228,000 manufacturing jobs unfilled.
In this difficult recession and recovery, with a lot more people looking for work or under employed, this mismatch in education and skills with the high tech skills required in today's advanced manufacturing, engineering, and health care sectors needs to be addressed.
Community Colleges are providing solutions to filling this skills gap.
Community Colleges are engaged in innovative partnerships with corporations and manufacturing groups.
Forsyth Tech in Winston-Salem, N.C. is the first and one of four Community Colleges deploying The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)-endorsed skills certification system. NAM is the oldest and largest broad-based industrial and trade association in the country. Those enrolled in Forsyth's NAM skills certification program quickly (in a project-based environment) receive a college certificate that is directly aligned to the specific skills manufacturers need.
With 800 participating employers, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College's Cooperative Education Program is the largest in the U.S. Every Cincinnati State CO-OP student is placed in his/her chosen field with employers who agree to become academic and career partners and mentors.
Cincinnati State's Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) certificate is designed for those currently employed who desire additional training in the specialized field of CNC programming and computer-aided manufacturing.
Along with 16 other midwest (70 across the nation) Community Colleges, Cincinnati State has launched a series of targeted, skills focused, job-specific training courses in health information technology.
Rockwell Automation's partnership with Cincinnati State's Workforce Development Center (WDC) provides training and retraining in the latest, leading-edge technologies, industrial products and continuous improvement strategies.
High School students are benefiting from Community Colleges.
In San Antonio, Texas NAM skills certification is being offered in two high school academies, one on advanced manufacturing, and one in aerospace. In partnership with Alamo Community Colleges, 11th and 12th graders receive training which leads to their high school diploma, their national career readiness certificate, a direct tie to an employer and up to 30 credits toward their associate degree.
The STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) Summer Academy offered at Cincinnati State gives rising high school seniors dual credit for both high school and college. Classroom experiences run the gamut from solving equations for electrical resistance in engineering technologies to cultivating DNA samples in bioscience.
On June 8, 2011 at Northern Virginia Community College, President Obama announced a major expansion of Skills for America's Future, an industry led initiative to dramatically improve industry partnerships with Community Colleges and build a nation-wide network to maximize workforce development strategies, job training programs and job placement.
The new jobs in this economy are not always at the baccalaureate level; they are at the technical level.
Our educational system, our society and our culture have undervalued vocational training and work.
It is absolutely important for this nation to re-establish educational pathways that recognize competency-based, proficiency of skills training.
Our Community Colleges are the heroes leading the way.
Richard O. Schwab was formerly associate head of school and middle school head, Cincinnati Country Day School. He is also neighborhood team leader, Glendale Organizing for America Community Team (www.gofact.blogspot.com).
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
David Brooks Yesterday!
A normal Republican Party would seize the opportunity to put a long-term limit on the growth of government. It would seize the opportunity to put the country on a sound fiscal footing. It would seize the opportunity to do these things without putting any real crimp in economic growth.
The party is not being asked to raise marginal tax rates in a way that might pervert incentives. On the contrary, Republicans are merely being asked to close loopholes and eliminate tax expenditures that are themselves distortionary.
This, as I say, is the mother of all no-brainers.
But we can have no confidence that the Republicans will seize this opportunity. That’s because the Republican Party may no longer be a normal party. Over the past few years, it has been infected by a faction that is more of a psychological protest than a practical, governing alternative.
The members of this movement do not accept the logic of compromise, no matter how sweet the terms. If you ask them to raise taxes by an inch in order to cut government by a foot, they will say no. If you ask them to raise taxes by an inch to cut government by a yard, they will still say no.
The members of this movement do not accept the legitimacy of scholars and intellectual authorities. A thousand impartial experts may tell them that a default on the debt would have calamitous effects, far worse than raising tax revenues a bit. But the members of this movement refuse to believe it.
The members of this movement have no sense of moral decency. A nation makes a sacred pledge to pay the money back when it borrows money. But the members of this movement talk blandly of default and are willing to stain their nation’s honor.
The members of this movement have no economic theory worthy of the name. Economists have identified many factors that contribute to economic growth, ranging from the productivity of the work force to the share of private savings that is available for private investment. Tax levels matter, but they are far from the only or even the most important factor.
But to members of this movement, tax levels are everything. Members of this tendency have taken a small piece of economic policy and turned it into a sacred fixation. They are willing to cut education and research to preserve tax expenditures. Manufacturing employment is cratering even as output rises, but members of this movement somehow believe such problems can be addressed so long as they continue to worship their idol.
Over the past week, Democrats have stopped making concessions. They are coming to the conclusion that if the Republicans are fanatics then they better be fanatics, too.
The struggles of the next few weeks are about what sort of party the G.O.P. is — a normal conservative party or an odd protest movement that has separated itself from normal governance, the normal rules of evidence and the ancient habits of our nation.
If the debt ceiling talks fail, independents voters will see that Democrats were willing to compromise but Republicans were not. If responsible Republicans don’t take control, independents will conclude that Republican fanaticism caused this default. They will conclude that Republicans are not fit to govern.
And they will be right.
The party is not being asked to raise marginal tax rates in a way that might pervert incentives. On the contrary, Republicans are merely being asked to close loopholes and eliminate tax expenditures that are themselves distortionary.
This, as I say, is the mother of all no-brainers.
But we can have no confidence that the Republicans will seize this opportunity. That’s because the Republican Party may no longer be a normal party. Over the past few years, it has been infected by a faction that is more of a psychological protest than a practical, governing alternative.
The members of this movement do not accept the logic of compromise, no matter how sweet the terms. If you ask them to raise taxes by an inch in order to cut government by a foot, they will say no. If you ask them to raise taxes by an inch to cut government by a yard, they will still say no.
The members of this movement do not accept the legitimacy of scholars and intellectual authorities. A thousand impartial experts may tell them that a default on the debt would have calamitous effects, far worse than raising tax revenues a bit. But the members of this movement refuse to believe it.
The members of this movement have no sense of moral decency. A nation makes a sacred pledge to pay the money back when it borrows money. But the members of this movement talk blandly of default and are willing to stain their nation’s honor.
The members of this movement have no economic theory worthy of the name. Economists have identified many factors that contribute to economic growth, ranging from the productivity of the work force to the share of private savings that is available for private investment. Tax levels matter, but they are far from the only or even the most important factor.
But to members of this movement, tax levels are everything. Members of this tendency have taken a small piece of economic policy and turned it into a sacred fixation. They are willing to cut education and research to preserve tax expenditures. Manufacturing employment is cratering even as output rises, but members of this movement somehow believe such problems can be addressed so long as they continue to worship their idol.
Over the past week, Democrats have stopped making concessions. They are coming to the conclusion that if the Republicans are fanatics then they better be fanatics, too.
The struggles of the next few weeks are about what sort of party the G.O.P. is — a normal conservative party or an odd protest movement that has separated itself from normal governance, the normal rules of evidence and the ancient habits of our nation.
If the debt ceiling talks fail, independents voters will see that Democrats were willing to compromise but Republicans were not. If responsible Republicans don’t take control, independents will conclude that Republican fanaticism caused this default. They will conclude that Republicans are not fit to govern.
And they will be right.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Richard Schwab Writes
[This article appears in this week's Tri-County Press]
President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner hit the links last weekend for a round of golf. Former White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs suggested the two could work out their differences on the course.
Could a game of golf lead to progress on reducing the deficit and long-term debt?
If I had been given the opportunity, I would have suggested creating a foursome by including Senators Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) Warner and Chambliss are co-chairs of “the gang of six” – the group of Senators attempting to craft legislation based on the recommendations of The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. The “gang of six” is being encouraged by policy makers in both parties – recognized as the last, best hope for a comprehensive, bipartisan deficit reduction agreement in the current Congress.
Under the leadership of Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, the President’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform has shown a way forward – based on broad bipartisan support and the principle of shared sacrifice.
The population is aging – which means Social Security and Medicare costs will rise. And, health care costs continue to grow faster than the economy.
We can address these challenges – our obstacles are not economic; they are political.
The Commission’s plan would cut $1.7 trillion in discretionary spending (both defense and non defense) – while investing in education, infrastructure and research and development.
It would cut $600 billion in mandatory spending by reducing health care costs and reforming federal pensions – while protecting programs for the less fortunate.
It would reform the tax code by eliminating tax breaks in order to reduce tax rates – while generating $1 trillion in new revenue.
It would make Social Security solvent for the next 75 years through a combination of progressive changes to the benefit formula, a gradual increase in the retirement age and an increase in the amount of income subject to the payroll tax.
In total, the Fiscal Commission’s recommendations bring annual deficits to manageable levels of 1 percent – 2 percent of GDP and put the debt on a downward path after 2013.
The recommendations prove we can bring the debt under control without hurting the disadvantaged or stifling investment and growth.
So, President Obama, Rep. Boehner, I hope you had a great round of golf!
Your conversation was more important than your scores.
Richard O. Schwab was formerly associate head of school and middle school head, Cincinnati Country Day School. He is also neighborhood team leader, Glendale Organizing for America Community Team (www.gofact.blogspot.com).
President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner hit the links last weekend for a round of golf. Former White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs suggested the two could work out their differences on the course.
Could a game of golf lead to progress on reducing the deficit and long-term debt?
If I had been given the opportunity, I would have suggested creating a foursome by including Senators Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) Warner and Chambliss are co-chairs of “the gang of six” – the group of Senators attempting to craft legislation based on the recommendations of The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. The “gang of six” is being encouraged by policy makers in both parties – recognized as the last, best hope for a comprehensive, bipartisan deficit reduction agreement in the current Congress.
Under the leadership of Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, the President’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform has shown a way forward – based on broad bipartisan support and the principle of shared sacrifice.
The population is aging – which means Social Security and Medicare costs will rise. And, health care costs continue to grow faster than the economy.
We can address these challenges – our obstacles are not economic; they are political.
The Commission’s plan would cut $1.7 trillion in discretionary spending (both defense and non defense) – while investing in education, infrastructure and research and development.
It would cut $600 billion in mandatory spending by reducing health care costs and reforming federal pensions – while protecting programs for the less fortunate.
It would reform the tax code by eliminating tax breaks in order to reduce tax rates – while generating $1 trillion in new revenue.
It would make Social Security solvent for the next 75 years through a combination of progressive changes to the benefit formula, a gradual increase in the retirement age and an increase in the amount of income subject to the payroll tax.
In total, the Fiscal Commission’s recommendations bring annual deficits to manageable levels of 1 percent – 2 percent of GDP and put the debt on a downward path after 2013.
The recommendations prove we can bring the debt under control without hurting the disadvantaged or stifling investment and growth.
So, President Obama, Rep. Boehner, I hope you had a great round of golf!
Your conversation was more important than your scores.
Richard O. Schwab was formerly associate head of school and middle school head, Cincinnati Country Day School. He is also neighborhood team leader, Glendale Organizing for America Community Team (www.gofact.blogspot.com).
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Richard Schwab Writes
"Obama's got the wind at his back"
Ever since President Obama announced to the nation that U.S. forces found and
killed Osama bin Laden, the President has been pitch perfect. At ground zero,
the President did not milk the moment of his triumph. He paid silent tribute to
the victims of 9/11 and to the "courage and capability" of the brave Navy SEALs
who carried out the nation's will.
The conflicting stories about the mission resulted from National Security
Advisor Thomas E. Donilon being corrected by CIA Director Leon Panetta. In
addition, it appears that the mission all along, despite assertions to the
contrary, was to kill bin Laden, not capture him. Who cares? This is a side
show, ultimately inconsequential and irrelevant. Bin Laden was a mass killer.
As President Obama said, "The death of bin Laden marks the most significant
achievement to date in our nation's effort to defeat Al Qaeda."
The decision not to release photos was the correct one. We don't parade around
with heads on sticks.
President Obama and his team have led with wisdom and courage.
After months of detailed planning, the decision - "It's a go" was fraught with
peril. Not an easy decision for our Commander in Chief. How fortunate we are to
have such a thoughtful, measured, decisive, and cool center of command. John
Brennan, U.S. Counter-Terrorisom Chief, characterized the mission as, "one of
the...gutsiest calls of any president in recent memory."
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who has served eight Commanders in Chief,
stated, "This was the perfect fusion of intelligence analysis and military
operation... the most courageous call I have ever seen a President make."
From most all accounts, President Obama has
the respect and support of the entire nation for his bold, and triumphant
action.
Historian Douglas Brinkley states, "throughout history there have been pivot
points for presidents, from Truman's Berlin Airlift in 1948 to Bush after
9/11...Americans have always liked Obama, but they never knew whether he was a
real commander in chief. Now they do."
President Obama should leverage the ovation to regain control of the national
conversation and achieve two major goals.
[1] End the Afghan war. Bin Laden was in a suburban mansion in the military
town, Abbottabad, Pakistan not in a cave in Afghanistan.
[2] Bring the Federal budget deficits and overall debt under control by cutting
spending (including the Pentagon,) reforming the tax code, and restructuring
social benefits. On this front, he has reason and mathematics on his side. The
job doesn't get done by cutting spending alone. Add to this the necessity to
invest in education, infrastructure, and energy to insure tomorrow's jobs and a
winning future for America.
President Obama has the platform and a citizenry who are now listening to him.
Can he harness the unity and pride to confront the many challenges we face? His
intellectual rigor is an enormous asset. He has proved he is both tough and
smart. Common sense is on his side too.
Richard O. Schwab was formerly associate head of school and middle school head,
Cincinnati Country Day School. He is also neighborhood team leader, Glendale
Organizing For America Community Team (www.gofact.blogspot.com).
Richard O. Schwab
Ever since President Obama announced to the nation that U.S. forces found and
killed Osama bin Laden, the President has been pitch perfect. At ground zero,
the President did not milk the moment of his triumph. He paid silent tribute to
the victims of 9/11 and to the "courage and capability" of the brave Navy SEALs
who carried out the nation's will.
The conflicting stories about the mission resulted from National Security
Advisor Thomas E. Donilon being corrected by CIA Director Leon Panetta. In
addition, it appears that the mission all along, despite assertions to the
contrary, was to kill bin Laden, not capture him. Who cares? This is a side
show, ultimately inconsequential and irrelevant. Bin Laden was a mass killer.
As President Obama said, "The death of bin Laden marks the most significant
achievement to date in our nation's effort to defeat Al Qaeda."
The decision not to release photos was the correct one. We don't parade around
with heads on sticks.
President Obama and his team have led with wisdom and courage.
After months of detailed planning, the decision - "It's a go" was fraught with
peril. Not an easy decision for our Commander in Chief. How fortunate we are to
have such a thoughtful, measured, decisive, and cool center of command. John
Brennan, U.S. Counter-Terrorisom Chief, characterized the mission as, "one of
the...gutsiest calls of any president in recent memory."
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who has served eight Commanders in Chief,
stated, "This was the perfect fusion of intelligence analysis and military
operation... the most courageous call I have ever seen a President make."
From most all accounts, President Obama has
the respect and support of the entire nation for his bold, and triumphant
action.
Historian Douglas Brinkley states, "throughout history there have been pivot
points for presidents, from Truman's Berlin Airlift in 1948 to Bush after
9/11...Americans have always liked Obama, but they never knew whether he was a
real commander in chief. Now they do."
President Obama should leverage the ovation to regain control of the national
conversation and achieve two major goals.
[1] End the Afghan war. Bin Laden was in a suburban mansion in the military
town, Abbottabad, Pakistan not in a cave in Afghanistan.
[2] Bring the Federal budget deficits and overall debt under control by cutting
spending (including the Pentagon,) reforming the tax code, and restructuring
social benefits. On this front, he has reason and mathematics on his side. The
job doesn't get done by cutting spending alone. Add to this the necessity to
invest in education, infrastructure, and energy to insure tomorrow's jobs and a
winning future for America.
President Obama has the platform and a citizenry who are now listening to him.
Can he harness the unity and pride to confront the many challenges we face? His
intellectual rigor is an enormous asset. He has proved he is both tough and
smart. Common sense is on his side too.
Richard O. Schwab was formerly associate head of school and middle school head,
Cincinnati Country Day School. He is also neighborhood team leader, Glendale
Organizing For America Community Team (www.gofact.blogspot.com).
Richard O. Schwab
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