COAST tours Ohio against Issue 5

COAST traveled the state during the last two weeks of September, spreading the word about the privacy violations in Ohio's legislation regulating consumer use of payday loans. A NO vote on Issue 5 repeals this bad legislation.

The legislation that Issue 5 will repeal creates a state-wide database of consumer loan transactions, monitors consumer loan choices, forces borrowers into mandatory re-education classes and limits the number of annual transactions. "The Ohio legislature has enacted a really creepy bill smacking of big-brotherism," said Jason Gloyd. "Once again, the Ohio legislature has voted for bigger, more intrusive government. Vote No on Issue 5."

COAST Chairman Jason Gloyd, Len Grothaus, Steve Dapper, Tom Brinkman and others traveled, alternately, to Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, Toledo, Akron, Cleveland, Youngstown, Stuebenville, Canton, and Zanesville, garnering coverage from more than 25 major media outlets during the tour. The rallies attracted more than 25 participants in each City, resulting in a growth of COAST membership and e-mail database for its newsletter.

COAST issues 2008 candidate and issue endorsements

COAST issued enthusiastic endorsements for Congressman Steve Chabot, Pat DeWine for Common Pleas Court Judge, and Rob Goering for re-election to County Treasurer. Chabot has been a solid and consistent advocate for smaller government in a spend-thrift Congress, and COAST wants to richly thank Pat DeWine and Rob Goering for their opposition to the 2008 Super-Sized Jail Tax. Read all COAST candidate endorsements here. Read all COAST issue endorsements here. Read responses to candidate questionnaires here.

COAST encourages a "Yes" on Issues 7 and 8

COASTers worked long and hard this year to collect signatures on petitions both banning Red Light Cameras and to enact Proportional Representation for City Council elections as part of our WeDemandAVote.Com coalition membership. Both are on the ballot as Issues 7 and 8, and COAST encourages a "YES" vote on each for City voters. Also, Red Light Camera signs are in. Call Chris Finney at 720-2996 to get your signs.

Pay back Portune treachery: vote Rothenberg

Todd Portune is facing re-election this year to the Hamilton County Commission, just one year after defeat of the cornerstone of his policy after a liberal democrat majority took control of the Commission - the Super-Sized Jail tax. Fortunately, COASTer and Republican Ed Rothenberg is challenging this devious politician in November. COAST endorses Rothenberg.

"Todd Portune betrayed his own constituents when he imposed the ½ cent Super-Sized Jail Sales Tax without a public vote," said COAST Chairman Jason Gloyd. "Fortunately, the treachery energized both COAST and a broad left-right coalition to collect 56,951 signatures from 642 volunteers to place the issue before the voters."

*COAST erroneously stated the Super-Sized Sales tax was for one-cent in its October Absentee Ballot Endorsements. The Super-Sized Jail Tax increase was for one-half cent only.

Remembering the odious "Deal"

Portune further showed his contempt for the electorate earlier this year with his back-door deal designed to deprive Hamilton County voters of a choice in his election battles. The new magazine called Cincy Magazine provided an excellent analysis of the odious transaction that condemns Hamilton County to no choice but a democrat majority for two more years. Yet another reason to oppose Portune. Read the article here.

County launches open records on-Line

Thanks to the leadership of Pat DeWine, Hamilton County this month launched open on-line County financial records, allowing citizens to search the spending database. Log on here and see how the County is spending your tax dollars. Some waste COAST already uncovered:

1) $60.00 on composting worms
2) $607.00 on blue jean pencils
3) $1300.00 for booths at employment expos and job fairs even though there is a hiring freeze

Send us reports on the waste you have found to COASTUSA@GMail.Com. We will publish a comprehensive list in an upcoming issue of COAST news.

City keeps property tax rollback for one more year

Councilmember Chris Monzel led the drive to prevent Cincinnati City Council from raising the property tax for 2009. Originally enacted by the initiative of Phil Heimlich, the property tax rollback has now survived for eight straight years. Cincinnati property owners are already facing an overall 14% tax increase later this year as a result of a massive increase in taxes for Cincinnati Public Schools. Council members Chris Bortz and Roxanne Qualls led efforts to hike Cincinnati property taxes. Thank you Chris Monzel.

Schmidt backs pork-laden Bush billionaire bailout boondoggle

Despite an outpouring of opposition, running 90% nationally, Congressman Jean Schmidt voted in September for the $850 billion bailout of the financial services industry. Schmidt opposed the bailout before she supported it. The changed that garnered her vote: Democrats added $150 billion in pork and more in special-interest tax breaks. "After six years of supporting every bad tax and spending plan of Bob Taft," said COAST Chairman Jason Gloyd, "we are not surprised by this new sell-out of our nation's taxpayers. By signing on to this bill," said Gloyd, "Schmidt supported the fastest descent into socialism ever in the history of this nation." Voters have a chance to get rid of Schmidt this November 4.

Pepper, Portune back Planned Parenthood funding; New County policy of funding abortion provider

Despite a claimed fiscal crisis, on Monday of this week liberal democrats Todd Portune and David Pepper voted to approve funding of Planned Parenthood to the tune of $26,255. COAST joined Cincinnati Right to Life and Citizens for Community Values in e-mailing their members against this misuse of tax funds. An outcry from more than 1,500 residents nearly closed down business in the County administrative offices with calls and e-mails. This decision to fund Planned Parenthood is not intended to be an isolated occurrence. COAST has learned that earlier this year the Family & Children First Council announced that "since the political climate has changed" (i.e., a new liberal majority on the Commission), the Council made Planned Parenthood a subgrantee of the Council," eligible for annual grants. This dramatic switch in policy -- permanently funding Planned Parenthood -- is a big-spending new direction for our County Commission. Commissioner DeWine has introduced a resolution that will work to rectify this new policy.

Dr. Evil Headlines Mini-Me Fundraiser

What kind of congressman would Steve Driehaus be? Would he represent the conservative family values of western Hamilton County? They say you can measure a man by the company he keeps; and we got a glimpse of the real Steve Driehaus this weekend.

Driehaus needed a headliner for his fundraiser Saturday at the Queen City Club. Did he bring in a fiscally responsible pro-life Democrat? Nope. He tapped his all-time favorite hero, Barney Frank.

The same Barney Frank who was reprimanded by Congress in 1990 when his employee/lover was found running a gay prostitution service from Frank’s Capitol Hill apartment. Frank, openly homosexual since 1987, also founded the Stonewall Democrats, and the “Frank Rule” for outing closeted gay Republicans.

The same Barney Frank who caused the current financial crisis. The “Patron Saint” of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, who in the early nineties used his position on the Financial Services Committee to strong-arm those institutions into making bad loans to “underprivileged families.” Who as recently as July, 2008 said on CNBC, "I think this is a case where Fannie and Freddie are fundamentally sound, that they are not in danger of going under."

In 2003 Frank rejected Bush administration proposals for increased oversight of Fannie Mae and ignored the need for further government intervention in the mortgage lending industry and stated “These two entities -- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- are not facing any kind of financial crisis, the more people exaggerate these problems, the more pressure there is on these companies, the less we will see in terms of affordable housing.” Frank was also warned of impending doom in Bush's 2001 State of the Union, by Greenspan in House testimony in 2005, and again by John McCain in 2006. This had been brewing for a long time.

Barney Frank has been a veritable Dr. Evil, unleashing his lame-brain scheme to convert the housing and banking industries into the world’s largest welfare program. A program that blackmailed the taxpayers for $700 billion to bailout his failure. Now Steve Driehaus wants to become his “mini-me.”

Driehaus has projected the image of a conservative, pro-life, Catholic Democrat in an effort to connect with voters on Cincinnati’s west side. But Barney Frank is the antithesis of that image. Recent events have made him an even more toxic commodity. Perhaps that’s why Driehaus did all he could to hold this event in secret. Ordinarily candidates try to publicize their fundraisers loudly and proudly, especially when a nationally known figure is involved. But invitations and announcements were closely guarded, and the Enquirer was told they would not be allowed to cover it. Channel 9 reporters trying to fact-check the story were brushed off.

Somebody should have told Driehaus about the “COAST rule” for outing closeted tax-and-spenders.