Jail bed rentals might stop

Hamilton County Can't Find Money to Renew Butler Contract

It looks like 300 beds for Hamilton County inmates might disappear, dumping that many low-level criminals back onto the streets.

Although they have not yet voted on the issue, county commissioners Monday were unable to come up with enough budget cuts to extend an inmate housing contract with Butler County. The contract expires Oct. 6.

A meeting Monday, intended to be a working session on the budget, turned into a game of finger-pointing after Commissioner Pat DeWine, who'd claimed for months the money was there, failed to present enough suggested cuts, his colleagues said.

The deadline to decide on the Butler County contract is Aug. 6, though Butler County might allow a brief extension.

Butler County gets about $6 million annually from the contract, about $1.5 million of which is profit. Butler County Administrator Derek Conklin said if Hamilton County cancels the contract it will pursue contracts elsewhere.

"I think we have enough interest from other counties and federal authorities to offset the loss," he said.

Commission President Todd Portune doubts the money can be found.

The contract "is greatly at risk," he said. He presented nearly $19 million in suggested cuts for the 2008 budget and was looking for his colleagues to make similar efforts. The county is facing a projected $27 million shortfall next year. That doesn't include the Butler County contract.
Hamilton County began borrowing from its dwindling reserve fund last year to rent space in Butler County at roughly $8 million annually, including transportation and medical costs. The effort was aimed to slow the practice of releasing inmates early.

It was meant to be temporary until a permanent solution could be found.

Portune and Commissioner David Pepper's solution was to raise the county sales tax to build a new jail and fund the Butler County contract until construction is complete in 2010. The sales tax is supposed to go into effect Oct. 1.

But DeWine and others lobbied against the increase. DeWine argued the county could build a new jail without raising taxes. More than 50,000 signatures were gathered in an effort to strike down the commissioner-imposed tax. If 28,750 are valid, the issue will go on the November ballot, stalling collection of the sales tax.

The signatures are being counted now.

Even if voters ultimately approve the tax increase, the county wouldn't see any revenue until the middle of next year, leaving a several-month funding gap.

Hamilton County just doesn't have the money to pay Butler County in the interim, said County Administrator Pat Thompson.

Monday's meeting got ugly at times as Pepper and Portune lambasted DeWine for not coming up with a workable solution.

DeWine suggested about $3 million in solid cuts and several other cost-saving measures. He didn't have totals for how much his suggestions would save. Most he'd proposed earlier this year as ways to fund a new jail.

"It's flabbergasting to not see more come out of him than what we saw today," Pepper said later, terming it the "DeWine get-out-of-jail-early program."

"First (his cuts) were to build the jail, then to balance the budget, then to fund Butler County. We have to do all three. (His cuts are) not enough to do any of them," he said.

Added Portune: "I'm amazed this is all we have to work with. We have to come up with the hard numbers to make this work. David and I did that earlier this year. No one showed up today to help us."

from the Cincinnati Enquirer

Do You Think You'd Hear This In the Mainstream Media?!

Economy Growth Is Best in a Year

Economy Springs Out of Rut and Grows at 3.4 Percent Pace, Best Showing in More Than a Year
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The economy snapped out of a lethargic spell and grew at a 3.4 percent pace in the second quarter, the strongest showing in more than a year. A revival in business spending was a main force behind the energized performance.

The new reading on gross domestic product, released by the Commerce Department on Friday, marked a big improvement from the first three months of this year, when economic growth skidded to a near halt at just a 0.6 percent pace, the slowest in more than four years.

Stronger spending by businesses and government powered the rebound in the April-to-June quarter. Individuals, however, tightened their belts as they coped with high gasoline prices and the ill effects of the housing slump. The sour housing market continued to weigh on national economic activity in the spring but not nearly as much as it had in previous quarters.
Inflation -- outside a burst in energy and food prices -- moderated.

The second quarter's performance was better than the 3.2 percent growth rate economists were expecting. It was the strongest showing since the first quarter of 2006, when the economy expanded at a brisk 4.8 percent annual rate.

Gross domestic product measures the value of all goods and services produced in the United States. It is considered the best barometer of the country's economic fitness.

"I think the confidence level of companies has come back. That's why there was a modest pickup in capital spending," said Ken Mayland, president of ClearView Economics.

Even as the economy picked up speed in the spring, inflation managed to settle down.

An inflation gauge closely watched by the Federal Reserve showed "core" prices -- excluding food and energy -- rose at a rate of just 1.4 percent in the second quarter. That was down sharply from a 2.4 percent pace in the first quarter and was the smallest increase in four years.
That should help ease some inflation concerns. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke has said the biggest threat to the economy is if inflation doesn't recede as policymakers anticipate. Out-of-control prices are bad for the economy and the pocketbook. They eat into paychecks, erode purchasing power and reduce the value of investments.

The Fed has kept a key interest rate at 5.25 percent for more than a year. Economists predict that rate will stay where it is through the rest of 2007.

The economic rebound news comes one day after a market meltdown on Wall Street. Stocks plunged more than 300 points on Thursday, its second worst day of the year. The sell-off came amid investors' worries that troubles in the housing and home-mortgage markets could spread.
The ailing housing market is still crimping economic activity but not as much as it had.

Investment in home building was cut by 9.3 percent, on an annualized basis, in the second quarter. That wasn't nearly as deep as the 16.3 percent annualized drop in the first quarter. It was the smallest cut in just over a year.

Businesses, meanwhile, regained their appetite to spend and invest in the second quarter.
They boosted their spending on new plants, buildings and other commercial construction at a whopping 22.1 percent rate, the most in 13 years. Investment on equipment and software posted a 2.3 percent growth rate, an improvement from a meager 0.3 percent growth rate in the first quarter.

Businesses also replenished their inventories in the second quarter, adding to overall economic growth. Stronger export growth helped the nation's trade picture and added to the economy's momentum.

Also contributing to the second quarter's rebound: Government spending increased at a 4.2 percent pace. That compared with a 0.5 percent annualized drop in the first quarter.

However, consumers, whose spending largely prevented the economy from stalling out in the first three months of this year, lost energy in the second quarter. They boosted spending at a pace of just 1.3 percent, the smallest since the final quarter of 2005.

High gas prices -- past $3 a gallon -- and fallout from the housing slump are beginning to take their toll on peoples' appetite to spend. Still, a solid jobs climate -- the nation's unemployment rate is at a relatively low 4.5 percent -- should help cushion some of these negative forces.

Even with the steady employment climate and the economic rebound, President Bush continues to shoulder weak public-approval ratings for his economic stewardship. Only 37 percent approve of his performance, close to a record low, according to a recent AP-Ipsos poll.

Trying to capitalize on that, Democrats have accused the president of not doing enough to help close the gap between low- and high-wage workers.

The government also issued annual revisions that showed the economy grew at an average annual rate of 3.2 percent from 2003 through 2006, or 0.3 percentage point less than previously estimated. The revisions are based on more complete data.

Last year the economy grew by 2.9 percent -- slower than the 3.3 percent increase previously calculated. The new figure marked the weakest annual growth since 2003 and underscored the depth of the housing slump.

from the Associated Press-Yahoo Biz

FCC Chair: Fairness Doctrine Not Needed

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Federal Communications Commission has no intention of reinstating the Fairness Doctrine imposing a requirement of balanced coverage of issues on public airwaves, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said.

Martin, in a letter written this week to Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., and made public Thursday, said the agency found no compelling reason to revisit its 1987 decision that enforcing the federal rule was not in the public interest.

Several Democratic lawmakers suggested that Congress take another look at the doctrine after conservative radio talk show hosts aggressively attacked an immigration reform bill when it was on the Senate floor, contributing to its defeat.

Pence and other Republicans in both the House and Senate countered by introducing legislation to bar the FCC from reinstating the rule.

Under the doctrine, first instituted in the late 1940s, broadcasters could lose their licenses if they failed to give free airtime to opposing sides on controversial issues.

Martin, in his letter, said government regulation was not needed to ensure public access to a wide range of opinion. "Indeed, with the continued proliferation of additional sources of information and programming, including satellite broadcasting and the Internet, the need for the Fairness Doctrine has lessened even further since 1987," he wrote.

Pence, in a joint statement with Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., welcomed Martin's position but said Congress should still pass his legislation so that no future administration or FCC chairman could revive the doctrine without an act of Congress.

from Breitbart.com

More Toleracne from the Left

Threat Against Global Warming Skeptic Prompts EPA Investigation

The head of the Environmental Protection Agency says he will investigate a threatening letter sent by the leader of an EPA-member group, vowing to "destroy" the career of a climate skeptic.

During a Capitol Hill hearing yesterday, Sen. James M. Inhofe, Oklahoma Republican and ranking member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, confronted EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson about the strongly-worded letter written July 13 by Michael T. Eckhart, president of the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) that was sent to Marlo Lewis, senior fellow of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI).

"It is my intention to destroy your career as a liar," Mr. Eckhart wrote. "If you produce one more editorial against climate change, I will launch a campaign against your professional integrity. I will call you a liar and charlatan to the Harvard community of which you and I are members. I will call you out as a man who has been bought by Corporate America. Go ahead, guy. Take me on."

CEI does not dispute climate change, however it differs with certain environmental groups, including ACORE, on the causes. After Mr. Inhofe read Mr. Eckhart's comments, which were first reported by Inside the Beltway two weeks ago, the EPA chief promised to probe the matter.

"Statements like this are of concern to me. I am a believer in cooperation and collaboration across all sectors," Mr. Johnson assured. "This is an area I will look into for the record."
When Mr. Johnson confirmed that EPA is a member of ACORE, Mr. Inhofe asked if "it is appropriate to be a part of an organization that is headed up by a person who makes this statement."

Late yesterday, Mr. Inhofe announced he will send letters to the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, and EPA, urging them to "reconsider their membership of ACORE."
Based in Washington, ACORE's mission is to increase the use of renewable energy. Its 400-plus "paying" organizational members come from government, financial institutions, trade associations, academia, and other professional services.

Besides ACORE, Mr. Eckhart is co-chairman of the World Council for Renewable Energy and a member of the Clinton Global Initiative. Previously, he was CEO of United Power Systems; vice president of the venture capital firm Arete Ventures; a General Electric manager; and a principal of Booz Allen Hamilton's energy practice.

In a written response sent to Inside the Beltway last week, Mr. Eckhart apologized to "all the public who were offended" by his choice of words. He said he intended his letter to be a "private communication" in the context of "personal combat and jousting."

However, this column earlier this week published another letter Mr. Eckhart sent in September to CEI President Fred Smith, saying "my children will have a lesser life because you are being paid by oil companies to spread a false story."

He said he would give CEI, which advocates "sound science," 90 days to reverse its "position" on global warming, "or I will take every action I can think of to shut you down," including filing complaints with the Internal Revenue Service "on the basis that CEI is really a lobbyist for the energy industry."

from the Washington Times

Judge Voids Anti-Illegal Immigrant Law in Pennsylvania

A federal judge on Thursday struck down the city of Hazleton, Pa.'s tough anti-immigration law, ruling unconstitutional a measure that has been copied around the country.

The city's Illegal Immigration Relief Act sought to impose fines on landlords who rent to illegal immigrants and deny business permits to companies that give them jobs. Another measure would have required tenants to register with City Hall and pay for a rental permit.

U.S. District Judge James Munley voided the law Thursday based on testimony from a nine-day trial held in March.

"This decision should be a blaring red stoplight for local officials thinking of copying Hazleton's misguided and unconstitutional law," said Witold J. Walczak, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, which represented the plaintiffs.

The city will almost certainly appeal.

Hazleton's Republican mayor pushed for the strict laws last summer after two illegal immigrants were charged in a fatal shooting. Mayor Lou Barletta argued that illegal immigrants brought drugs, crime and gangs to the city of more than 30,000, overwhelming police and schools.

Immigrant groups sued, saying the laws usurp the federal government's exclusive power to regulate immigration, deprive residents of their constitutional rights to equal protection, and violate state and federal housing law.

In a 206-page opinion, Munley said the act was pre-empted by federal law and would violate due process rights.

"Whatever frustrations ... the city of Hazleton may feel about the current state of federal immigration enforcement, the nature of the political system in the United States prohibits the city from enacting ordinances that disrupt a carefully drawn federal statutory scheme," Munley wrote.

"Even if federal law did not conflict with Hazleton's measures, the city could not enact an ordinance that violates rights the Constitution guarantees to every person in the United States, whether legal resident or not," he added.

Hispanic immigrants began settling in Hazleton in large numbers several years ago, lured from New York, Philadelphia and other cities by cheap housing, low crime and the availability of work in nearby factories and farms.

The city, 80 miles northwest of Philadelphia, estimates its population increased by more than 10,000 between 2000 and 2006. Testimony during the trial put the number of illegal immigrants at between 1,500 and 3,400.

Hazleton's act was copied by dozens of municipalities around the nation that believe the federal government hasn't done enough to stop illegal immigration. Munley's ruling does not affect those measures.

from newsmax.com

More Vote Fraud in Palm Beach

Palm Beach County, Fla. -- home of the infamous "hanging chad” of the disputed 2000 presidential election -- is again the scene of voting controversy.

The Republican Party of Palm Beach County has uncovered at least 60 cases of voters it believe voted twice –- once in New York and once in Florida -- in the Nov. 7, 2006, general election.

The GOP investigators believe vote fraud is far worse. Their analysis found as many almost 12,000 Florida voters who were registered to vote in the state of New York. The study did not compare Florida vote rolls with other Northeastern states.

The Republican Party has turned over its reports to the Florida State Attorney and other authorities in the state to investigate criminal wrongdoing.

William J. Skinner, Voter Fraud Committee chairman for the Republican Party of Palm Beach, alleges in each count, "I obtained the voter registration and voter history files from the states of Florida and New York and compared the files for first name, middle name, last name and date of birth. This comparison disclosed the above person voted in Florida and New York for the November 7, 2006 state and Federal election.”

Under the law, persons registered to vote in Florida must sign a statement that they reside in Florida and note any other state in which they are registered.

The complaints were filed this week with State Attorney Barry Krisher, Florida Division of Elections, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The Republicans have requested the Division of Elections and the other agencies to open an investigation to determine whether these 60 individuals have violated Florida statutes and whether they may be prosecuted for voting in two states in the same election.

"These 60 individuals represent the tip of the iceberg of persons possibly voting twice when you consider voters who are registered under slightly different spellings or name modifications in each state. There are approximately 12,788 registered voters in Palm Beach County who are also listed as registered to vote in New York State,” noted Sid Dinerstein, chairman of the group, in the release.

According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Dinerstein disclosed that the analysis was motivated by the 2004 investigation of voter fraud by the New York Daily News that uncovered that 46,000 people were illegally registered to vote in both New York City and Florida.

In that investigation, the Daily News broke down those with double registrations as 68 percent Democrats, 12 percent Republicans and 16 percent without a listed party affiliation.

Although the Republican group in the current case has released a list of the names they allege apparently voted in both venues, the breakdown of party membership is not spelled out.

Dinerstein told the Sun-Sentinel: "We believe there is a lot of voter fraud, particularly in election years, because there's a lot of looseness in the system.”

For his part, Skinner, an attorney, who, according to the Sun-Sentinel, used his own money and about $2,000 from the party to finance the investigation, explained, "I hate to be screwed at the voting booth by someone from New York. It's my civil right to vote and those people are taking it away.”

Skinner’s computer program compared the identities of 11 million registered voters in New York against 800,000 in Palm Beach County. "I guarantee, every one of those 60 people voted in both states,” Skinner said.

But at least one voter on the published list is saying it’s a bum rap.

Shirley Goldberg, an 82-year-old Democrat who lives in Delray Beach, told the Sun-Sentinel that the charge against him is "impossible.”

"I registered and voted in New York when I lived there. But I've been here for the last 12 years. I haven't voted in New York since,” Goldberg said.

Dinerstein is not deterred, however.

"These are allegations, we have no certainty,” he said. "We compiled this list from the best data available to make the strongest list possible. And now law enforcement should take over.”

Under Florida statues, the Division of Elections has authority to conduct preliminary investigations into any allegations of irregularities or fraud involving voter registration or voting, or candidate or issue petition activities.

Under the law, the Division must report is findings to the Office of Statewide Prosecution or to the State Attorney for the judicial circuit in which the alleged violation occurred for prosecution.
As of this writing, neither the Division nor any of the other agencies copied with the complaints have officially had any comment.

A spokesperson for the Division of Elections, however, did offer that the agency "had only just become aware of the issue and is studying it.”

According to the Division of Elections, "A person who commits or attempts to commit any fraud in connection with voting, votes a fraudulent ballot, or votes more than once in an election can be convicted of a felony of the third degree and fined up to $5,000 and/or imprisoned for up to 5 years.”

In the GOP group’s letter to the Division of Elections, there is a note that requests that each and every complaint be individually considered for the "voting fraud reporting awards.”
NewsMax asked Mr. Skinner about that paragraph.

"The Division of Elections is awarding $5,000 for reports of voter fraud,” he explained, directing attention to a video on the Division of Elections website that explains the details.

from newsmax.com

Democrats promise Universal Coverage for Abortions

Obama claims Sex-Ed for Kindergartners "Right Thing To Do"

It looks like the 2008 Democrat Presidential platform is being announced early!

Data Goofs Preceded Theft

Final Cost to Ohio Taxpayers Could Reach $2.2 Million!

from the Columbus Dispatch

E-mail exchanges among state officials about the theft of a computer backup tape containing sensitive personal information are clear: That material was not supposed to be on the tape.

What's not clear is why orders several months ago to remove the data were not followed, whether anybody will be punished and whether anyone besides taxpayers will be asked to foot the estimated $2.2 million bill related to the theft so far.

State leaders are looking to a report by Ohio Inspector General Thomas P. Charles, expected Friday, to address lingering questions about the incident affecting more than 1.2 million Ohio individuals, businesses and other groups with Social Security numbers or other information on the tape.

"It is my hope … that we will have a clear idea as to why the memo wasn't followed and who was responsible and why there wasn't follow-up," Gov. Ted Strickland said yesterday.

In response to a public-records request by The Dispatch, the Strickland administration has been releasing e-mail and other correspondence about the theft during the past few days.

Records provided yesterday include an e-mail from Budget Director J. Pari Sabety to Chief Information Officer R. Steve Edmonson on June 16, the day after Strickland announced that the backup tape had been stolen from a state intern's car.

"Personally identifiable information was not supposed to be saved on this drive," Sabety wrote, referring to a network drive where system workers primarily stored data from test runs that included personal information.

Despite the orders, Sabety said, "Clearly, there was an open debate … about moving data that needed to be secured."

The executive program manager for the Ohio Administrative Knowledge System, the state's new payroll and accounting system, sent an e-mail more than nine weeks before the theft ordering that Social Security numbers and other sensitive information be moved to a secure part of the system.

There's also discussion among system officials about "locking down" access to the drive until all personal data was secured, as well as talk in an April 2 e-mail about requesting certification from various users that no such data were on the drive.

Key individuals involved in the system have declined to comment until the inspector general's report is released.

"My sense is that efforts were made after the order to clean up the drive and keep it clean, but it's obvious that those efforts didn't carry through into June," said Ron Sylvester, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Administrative Services.

Meanwhile, Strickland confirmed yesterday that his office has discussed trying to hold financially accountable outside contractors who worked on the new system if it is proven they were significantly responsible for not securing the data.

"If we determine that is the case, it is highly likely that we will be interested in talking with them about some cost-sharing," Strickland said.

Although officials say there is no evidence the stolen tape has been used, the state is offering identity-theft services to all affected individuals at a cost to the state of $9.25 each.

As of yesterday, more than 102,900 people had started enrolling, which would cost $951,825 if all of them complete the process. Officials expect to spend $1.5 million on the services; the final bill, including printing, mailing and other costs, could reach $2.2 million.

Sylvester said the state has paid $63.8 million of the $158 million cost of the new system to outside contractors since 2001, with $48.6 million going to Accenture.

Accenture corporate spokesman Peter Soh said company officials "regret that the whole incident happened and any negative impact it could have on the citizens of Ohio."

But Soh said it wasn't Accenture's job to make sure the state data were secure. "Under our contract, Accenture is responsible for following the state's own printed security standards. To the best of our knowledge, we have followed those standards," he said.

Accenture, a business-consulting company that employs 100,000 people in 48 countries, won the unbid, professional-service contract two years ago.

Accenture was fired in 2001 from a $60 million computer project for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. At that time, the company agreed to pay the state more than $5 million for failure to complete the Ohio Works projects, aimed at matching unemployed people with jobs.

Here's an Idea for a National Holiday

'Cost of Government Day' Marks U.S. Tax Burden

from Newsmax

Conservative taxpayer groups say Wednesday, July 11, marks the day this year when the average American worker will have earned enough to pay for his or her share of government taxes (federal, state and local) plus the cost of regulation.

Since 2001, the date has ranged from July 1 to July 12. It was July 12 last year.
"Right now taxpayers are under attack from Congress," Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform," said at a Capitol Hill press conference on Tuesday.

"With tax increases on everything from cigarettes to private equity on the table, this year's 'Cost of Government Day' must spur politicians into action to protect taxpayers and the economic growth achieved under President Bush's tax cuts."

In his Saturday radio address, President Bush said his tax cuts "left $1.1 trillion in the hands of citizens like you to save, and spend, and invest as you see fit." Those tax cuts will expire in the year 2010 unless the Democrat-controlled Congress extends them, but a number of Democrats oppose the idea of giving "tax cuts to the wealthy."

"American taxpayers already work well over half of the year to pay for the cost of government," Norquist said. "The tax and spending spree must end."

Another Display of Senator Voinovich's Idiocy

Senator Voinovich continues to embarass Ohio voters with his failure to grasp the issue of terrorism. If we are to belive our "esteemed" Senator, Al-Qaida forces must have hitched a ride to Iraq with the U.S. military!

from Newsmax

Sens. McCain, Voinovich Brawl Over Iraq

In what one witness called "the most serious fight that I have ever seen in my time in the Senate,” John McCain got into a behind-closed-doors clash with fellow Republican Sen. George Voinovich over the Iraq war.

What touched off the verbal brawl was a comment by presidential hopeful McCain – who has just returned from a trip to Iraq – that the most dangerous threat facing U.S. troops there was al-Qaida.

Voinovich shot back that al-Qaida "wouldn’t be in Iraq” if U.S. forces weren’t there, witnesses to the exchange told The Politico.

Voinovich, a second-term senator from Ohio, recently urged President Bush to take immediate steps to change his Iraq war policy. But McCain remains firmly supportive of maintaining high troop levels in Iraq. He declared on the Senate floor Tuesday that setting a firm date for troop withdrawal would "embolden radical Islamists,” and said he saw "progress” in Iraq due to the "surge” of American troops there.

Strickland Administration's Carelessness puts over 1 Million Ohioans at Risk for Identity Theft!

from the Columbus Dispatch

More sensitive data found on stolen computer tape

The number of people affected by missing state data more than doubled with the announcement today that Social Security numbers or other information for nearly 675,000 additional taxpayers, former state workers and state vendors was on a backup computer tape stolen from an intern's car.

That brings to more than 1 million the number of people and entities affected by the June 11 theft, including state workers, their dependents, taxpayers and others.

A team of state workers and information-security experts at Columbus-based Interhack Corp. have been poring over a duplicate of the stolen tape to ensure that all personal information has been found, and the additional data was confirmed this week, Gov. Ted Strickland said.
It includes:

* The names, Social Security numbers and check amounts of about 561,126 additional taxpayers with uncashed state personal income tax refund checks (and/or school district income tax refund checks) issued in 2005, 2006 and through May 29. This includes checks that were cashed after May 29.

* The names and Social Security numbers for approximately 8,123 former state employees who worked for the state from January 1, 1999, through July 31, 2001, and May 1, 2005,through June 12, 2007. Bank account information was included for approximately 2,073 of those former state employees.

* The names and tax-identification numbers of about 86,986 state vendors. The data for about 10,840 of those vendors on the device also included bank account information.

All those affected will be offered the same one year of identity-theft protection and prevention services the state has been providing to others through Texas-based Debix Inc.

As of last Friday morning, nearly 59,000 people had started the process to enroll, at a cost to the state of $9.25 each or more than $540,000 in all.

Hugh Quill, director of the Ohio Department of Administrative Services, estimated the state would need an additional $890,000 to cover new people signing up for Debix. The total cost for data theft, including printing and mailing costs, could reach $2 million, he said Strickland reiterated that there's no evidence the stolen tape has been used and that doing so would require specialized knowledge and equipment. But it was the governor's fifth press conference on the subject since the theft was disclosed June 15. Strickland said until the analysis is complete, he is unwilling to say when the review will be complete or whether additional data may be found until the analysis is done.

Zogby: Bias 'Problem' Among College Professors

from Zogby.com

Four in 10 said the problem is "very serious;" Tenure seen as harmful to teaching quality
As legislation is introduced in more than a dozen states across the country to counter political pressure and proselytizing on students in college classrooms, a majority of Americans believe the political bias of college professors is a serious problem, a new Zogby Interactive poll shows.
Nearly six in 10 - 58% - said they see it as a serious problem, with 39% saying it was a "very serious" problem.

The online survey of 9,464 adult respondents nationwide was conducted July 5-9, 2007, and carries a margin of error of +/- 1.0 percentage points.

Predictably, whether political bias is a problem depends greatly on the philosophy of the respondents. While 91% of very conservative adults said the bias is a "serious problem," just 3% of liberals agreed. Conservatives have long held that college campuses are a haven for liberal professors. The activist group Students for Academic Freedom, founded by conservative activist David Horowitz, has promoted state legislation invoking a "Students Bill of Rights" on campuses to protect conservative students from academic reprisals by professors who hold contradictory beliefs.

Men were much more likely than women to see the bias of professors as a problem - 64% of men agreed, while 53% of women said the same.

Whites were twice as likely to call it a "serious problem" as African Americans, the survey showed.

The survey also showed that an overwhelming majority also believe that job security for college professors leaves them less motivated to do a good job than those professors who do not enjoy a tenured status - 65% said they believe non-tenured professors are more motivated to do a good job in the classroom.

Asked whether they think the quality of a college education today is better or worse than it was 25 years ago, 46% said they think it is worse, while 29% said it is better. Another 16% said the quality now is about the same as it was a generation ago. Older respondents were much more likely than their younger counterparts to say the education quality has deteriorated: just 21% of those age 70 and older said it was better now, compared to 47% of those age 18 to 24 who said today's education was better. Among women, 30% said it was better, while 43% said it was worse and 17% said it was about the same. Among men, 29% said it was better, 49% said it was worse, and 16% said it was about the same.

Cleveland Democrat facing Criminal Ethics Charges over connection to BWC Scandal

Accused of accepting gifts including private flights, entertainment & meals

from the Dayton Daily News

Cleveland politician facing criminal charges for allegedly accepting gifts

COLUMBUS — Once billed as the most powerful politician in Cleveland, George L. Forbes is now facing six criminal ethics charges for allegedly taking several thousand dollars worth of freebies from people doing business or seeking deals with the Ohio Bureau of Workers'
Compensation.

Forbes, 76, served almost 10 years on the BWC Oversight Commission but resigned in June 2005, the day after the bureau disclosed it had lost $215 million in a high-risk hedge fund managed by Pittsburgh-based MDL Capital Management. Forbes' daughter, Mimi, was employed by MDL. On Monday, MDL Chief Executive Mark D. Lay pled not guilty in federal court on charges of fraud and aiding and abetting.

Forbes, a Democrat, served 26 years on the Cleveland City Council including 15 years as president and has led the Cleveland chapter of the NAACP since 1992.

Now he is accused in Franklin County Municipal Court of six misdemeanor charges alleging violations of state ethics laws.

The Ohio Ethics

Commission and State Inspector General, which are part of a multi-agency task force investigating the BWC financial scandals, referred Forbes' case to Columbus and Franklin County prosecutors.

One count alleges Forbes took meals, entertainment and other valuable things from American Express/Northwinds marketer Clarke Blizzard between October 1997 and November 2003. Earlier this year, Blizzard plead guilty to a state money laundering charge and a federal charge of conspiracy to bribe a public official.

Another count alleges Forbes accepted private flights from Pat White of Great Lakes Capital Partners between April 2003 and June 2004. White is a former member of the Ohio Police & Fire Pension Board.

Four other counts allege Forbes failed to disclose these gifts and other business
dealings.

Forbes is the 20th person charged as a result of the investigation at the BWC. So far, only two have been acquitted.

Forbes' attorney could not be reached for comment.

Hillary Clinton's Pollster Sued Over E-Mails

from Newsmax.com

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2007/7/4/73822.shtml?s=ic

Hillary Rodham Clinton's chief strategist is being accused of illegal eavesdropping in a civil lawsuit that alleges he and his polling firm monitored the personal e-mails of a former associate who started a rival company.

Mitchell E. Markel, a former vice president at polling firm Penn, Schoen & Berland, claims in the suit that the firm began monitoring all messages sent from his personal Blackberry device nearly a month after he had resigned and become president of his new business. The suit claims that the founder of the firm, Mark Penn, who is Clinton's strategist and pollster, knew about and approved of the monitoring, which the suit says violates federal wiretapping laws.

Penn, Schoen & Berland, a world-renowned firm that has helped elect clients like former President Clinton and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, is accused of hacking into Markel's Blackberry and rigging his e-mail accounts to send blind carbon copies of his e-mails to another account that it had set up. The suit says the Blackberry that Markel used was always his own, never the property of his former employer.

"Through this unlawful interception scheme, defendants clandestinely received confidential and proprietary information of Markel's company ... including pricing, strategy and work product, and proprietary information of other companies whose e-mails were also intercepted," the suit says.

Howard Rubin, an attorney for Penn, Schoen & Berland, disputed the claim that the e-mails were private or that the firm engaged in unauthorized monitoring.

"The company hasn't done anything improper and the e-mails came in on our own e-mail account," he said. He declined to elaborate.

The suit filed last Friday in State Supreme Court in Manhattan is the latest twist in the saga of the high-profile polling firm, which not only advises on political strategy but also does brand building and corporate messaging for clients like Microsoft and Time Warner.

A week earlier, the firm had filed its own lawsuit against Markel and another former partner, Michael J. Berland, accusing them of breach of contract because Markel's new company was soliciting Penn, Schoen & Berland clients, with Berland's help.

Markel, Berland and other employees of Penn, Schoen & Berland signed agreements that prohibited them from competing with the firm or soliciting and servicing its clients for a certain period of time if they were to leave the company, according to the suit.

Some observers have wondered whether that first suit against Berland and Markel was a warning shot from the Clinton campaign to Bloomberg, who is said to be contemplating his own independent presidential run. Associates of the mayor, who insists he is not running, say that if he did decide to get into the race he would likely want to hire pollsters he knows and trusts; Berland worked on both of his mayoral campaigns.

Berland left Penn, Schoen & Berland in December, and Markel left this year to run a new company that he has formed called Global Insights & Strategies, LLC.

It was also from that first suit that Markel initially learned his e-mail was being monitored, because the suit quotes e-mails between him, Markel and others that show conversations they were having about doing business with clients of their former firm. The clients described in the suit were not political candidates but corporate accounts like the National Hockey League, Estee Lauder and Qwest.

The first suit, also filed in State Supreme Court, claims that Berland and Markel violated the non-competition agreement by pursuing those clients, among other things, on behalf of Markel's new company.

It was filed to stop Berland, Markel and two other former employees "from engaging in an orchestrated and illegal plot to sabotage PSB's business in New York by soliciting PSB's most significant clients and servicing them through a new and competing company" that had "assistance and funding from Berland," the complaint says.

Berland's attorney did not return a call seeking comment about that suit.

Markel's suit seeks monetary damages and asks the court to restrain Penn, Schoen from disclosing or using any of the intercepted electronic communications, including for competitive use or in any trial or court proceeding, and asks that they be ordered to destroy everything they intercepted.

The previous suit also sought unspecified damages and asked the court to stop Berland, Markel and other former employees from soliciting their clients and engaging in other competitive business practices.

Lucas County Democrats staff fundraiser with Strippers

This story is just begging for a punch line!


THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070704/NEWS/707040380

TOLEDO - A golf outing for politicians left some embarrassed after they found out strippers were handing out drinks at the event.

One participant said he saw a woman flash a group of golfers. Others at the fundraiser for the Lucas County Democratic Party said they didn't see any inappropriate acts.

"When the word got out that these girls are strippers, it gave the party a black eye," Clerk of Courts Bernie Quilter said. "Every elected official out there was embarrassed."

Quilter said he did not see any improper behavior.

It's not clear who hired the strippers.

Ryan Kemp, a general manager for a local strip club, said he paid for four people to golf at the outing and had club waitresses staff it.

Domenic Montalto, the Democratic Party's executive director, would not comment.

Party Chairman John Irish said he did not know the strippers were at the golf course.
"It would be something that I would not approve of, but this is sort of a surprise to me," Irish said. "I was there all day. And there was nothing that I was aware of that was inappropriate that happened at all."

About 130 people were at the golf outing Friday.

Lucas County Treasurer Wade Kapszukiewicz said he saw one woman lift up her top and show her chest to a group of golfers. She then lowered her shorts, he said.

"What I saw was inappropriate, offensive and wrong," Kapszukiewicz said. "What I saw did not represent the values of the Democratic Party."

Seniors Qualify for Tax Break

New law gives exemption of $25,000 of property value to those over 65.

from the Journal-News
http://www.journal-news.com/hp/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/07/04/hjn070407homestead.html

HAMILTON — Relief is on the way for local senior citizens with the signing of the state budget bill that took effect Monday.

Butler County Auditor Kay Rogers, a longtime advocate of senior tax relief, said Tuesday that she is trying to make it as easy as possible for seniors to sign up for the newly expanded Homestead Exemption. State legislators extended the exemption to all homeowners, regardless of income, who are 65 and older by Dec. 31, totally disabled as of Jan. 1 or are the surviving spouse of a previously exempted homeowner and at least 59 at the time of their spouse's death.

Now, seniors can be exempted for $25,000 of property value, saving them about $300 to $500 a year in real estate taxes, said Joe Statzer, the auditor's community service director. Before, the exemption was limited to seniors with less than $26,200 in annual income and varied on an income scale.

About 4,300 homeowners already were exempted in Butler County; the auditor's office is still estimating the number that could now be eligible locally, Statzer said.

According to the state Department of Taxation, the expanded benefit increases the number of eligible homeowners statewide from 220,00 to 750,000.

"There is more work to do, but this is a step in the right direction," said Rogers, who has pushed for a senior tax freeze.

Seniors must apply for the exemption by Oct. 1 to get a break on tax bills payable in 2008.
The application form is available on the auditor's Web site, butlercountyauditor.org, but it must be signed and turned in to the auditor's office, 130 High St., in Hamilton.

Rogers also plans to schedule town hall meetings and visits to senior centers across the county to help seniors apply. She also will be in a booth at the Butler County Fair July 22-27 at the county fairgrounds.

The new law, House Bill 119, will not hurt schools or local governments because they will be reimbursed by the state, according to the Ohio Department of Taxation.

Also, the state budget bill expanded PASSPORT, a state program aimed at allowing disabled low-income elderly to receive the kind of care they prefer — at home. It costs about $1,140 a month for a person with PASSPORT, compared with $4,800 a month in a nursing home on Medicaid, according to the Council on Aging of Southwest Ohio.

The budget bill has opened 5,600 more PASSPORT spots statewide and 567 openings for the southwest region that includes Butler, Warren, Hamilton, Clermont and Clinton counties, according the Council on Aging.

For more information about applying for the Homestead Exemption call the county auditor's office at (513) 887-3153. To learn more about PASSPORT and other in-home services for the elderly, call the Council on Aging at (513) 721-1025 or (800) 252-0155 or visit help4seniors.org.

Names of 3 finalists released for Children Services post

The list started with 14 names and is now down to 3. Any bets as to who the odds-on favorite might be?

from the Oxford Press
http://www.oxfordpress.com/hp/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/06/29/hjn063007csfinalistsweb.html

HAMILTON — A former Butler County commissioner, Highland County's children services director and a former director of Clinton County Children Services are the three finalists for the top job at Butler County Children Services.

The finalists include:

• Michael A. Fox of Fairfield Twp. Fox served as a Butler County commissioner from 1997 until this past May.

• Timothy Stolitca of Liberty Twp. Stolitca has served as executive director of Highland County Children Services since 2005.

• Patricia Yost of Wilmington. Yost served as director of Clinton County Children Services from 1987-2002.

A new executive director of the county child protection agency could be selected by Aug. 1. The $125,000-a-year job involves developing and implementing a strategic plan, overseeing its 200-plus unionized workers, and managing its $25 million annual budget.
The new director will be tasked with restoring the public's trust after the August murder of foster child Marcus Fiesel, a Middletown developmentally disabled 3-year-old.

Ohio Department of Agriculture issues Quarantine Notice in Butler & Montgomery Counties

Thanks to Fairfield Councilman Tim Meyers for passing along information on the Ohio Department of Agriculture's recent quarantine of Butler & Montgomery counties relating to the emerald ash borer.

EAB Quarantine Map