Friday, October 31, 2014

We won't be fooled again

The stadium tax campaign, the Bengals lease, the Paul Brown Stadium cost overruns, and the lying. cheating and stealing that went with all of it, was awful for our region and its taxpayers.  But it was also one of the best things that happened for the tax movement in greater Cincinnati.  It birthed COAST and gave us a rallying cry that lasted for more than a decade.  Thereafter, Hamilton County voters became infinitely more skeptical, more circumspect, more realistic about levies on the ballot and big public works projects birthed by politicians and business leaders.

Thursday, October 30, 2014

COAST's work featured preventing tax dollars from being used for campaigning

This article from Watchdog.org highlights COAST's good work in stopping the use of tax dollars for campaign purposes.  Read it here.

Democrats begin to turn on one another

Oh, the smell of defeat is pungent, and the wolves of the Democrat Party have begun to devour each other.  It's fun to watch.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Cuyahoga County Red Light ban organizer says cameras are pure cash grab

"The sole purpose of photo-automated Red Light and Speeding cameras in Cleveland is to generate cash for the Red Light Camera company and the City of Cleveland," according to Jason Sonenshein, the Chairman of the local effort to ban the pernicious devices.  Sonenshein declares that the claimed public safety benefits are entirely illusory.

COAST encourages Cuyahoga County residents in Cleveland (Issue 35) and Maple Heights (Issue 99) to vote "Yes" on these issues on election day.

COAST encourages Cuyahoga County voters to kill Red Light Cameras

COAST is pleased to remind our friends and readers from the north part of the state that we have an active contingent of COASTers in Cleveland and surrounding areas.  There, our volunteers placed on the ballot not one but two initiatives this year to ban red light cameras in both the City of Cleveland (Issue 35) and the City of Maple Heights (Issue 99).

Thanks to our strong local team, and please remind your friends in these cities to vote "Yes."

COAST wins again against Ohio Elections Commission

As our attorneys at the Finney Law Firm explain here, Federal District Court Judge Michael Barrett issued last week a preliminary injunction against the enforcement of Ohio's "False Claims" statute as it relates to ballot issue campaigns.  That decision is here.  Judge Barrett has promised a more extensive ruling on the motion for permanent injunction in the coming weeks.

Monday, October 27, 2014

1851 Center Judicial Report

The 1851 Center for Constitutional Law has released a report connecting judicial rulings to campaign donors. Read the report here and the guide to understanding judicial records here.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

COAST joins broad coalition opposed to tolls for Brent Spence Bridge

Today's Enquirer has it: COAST has joined the broad coalition on both sides of the Ohio River against tolls on the Brent Spence ridge.  Read it here.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Dayton Daily News Flash: People allowed to speak freely in America!

Today's article from the Dayton Daily News is the latest in a series of disappointments from the formerly vaunted Fourth Estate.

In this article, the reporters bemoan the development that Ohioans have been freed -- as a result of COAST's groundbreaking litigation accomplishment -- to speak about candidates on the ballot without fear that they will be dragged before Ohio's Ministry of Truth, the Ohio Elections Commission.

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Chris Finney Updates Lisa Wells on Ohio Elections Commission Case Against Cincinnatians for Jobs Now

Chris Finney has been working to uncover the details of the funding and expenditures of a dark money group "Cincinnatians for Jobs Now" that targeted Christopher Smitherman in the 2013 City Council campaign.

The Ohio Elections Commission has ordered discovery to proceed, including depositions and document production.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Really, Chris Wetterich? Really?

Oh, the Fourth Estate.  How low have they sunk?  How completely has it abandoned its role as a force to challenge the power structure in our community, and to educate the public?  

Read this blog entry and you decide.


To illuminate this issue, one need look no further than the exchange COAST had with Chris Wetterich of the Cincinnati Business Courier this evening, including his condescending, loaded questioning. 


Sunday, October 5, 2014

SORTA uses public funds for tax hike survey, and yet refuses to release the results to -- the taxpayers

Gosh, this is sleazy.  SORTA is seeking a tax increase, spent your tax dollars to do a public opinion survey to advance that cause, and yet refuses to release the survey results to the taxpayers who paid for it!  

Just make it stop!

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Ryan Messer and his urban hipsters are a funny bunch -- really!

Streetcar booster and hipster leader 
Ryan Messer has no funding plan 
for $3.8 Million Streetcar operating deficit

The bill eventually comes due, doesn't it?  Well that day is about 16 months away, maybe sooner.