The new tax deal give $139,000 to every millionaire in America, a better deal for millionaires than if the Bush tax cuts ALONE were extended.  Column 1 = Democrat’s plan to extend tax cuts for 98% of Americans who make less than $200,000 per year; Column 2 = Republican’s plan to extend all of the Bush era tax cuts; and Column 3 = the Obama-GOP/McConnell framework announced this week.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2010/12/why_liberals_dont_like_the_tax.html

And the Republican Plan is estimated to add $700 Billion MORE to the deficit than the Democratic Plan over the next decade.

The Butler County Democratic Party Reorganization Meeting, as required by law, has been set for Wednesday, May 26th, at 7:00 PM at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Hall, 4300 Millikin Road, (off Route 4 — near the intersection of Liberty Fairfield Road and Millikin Road ) in Fairfield Township.

Here’s a link to Google Map for a larger map and directions.

This is the most important meeting of the year for newly elected Democratic Party precinct committeepersons.  This is the best chance ever to democratize and revitalize the Butler County Democratic Party.  It is vitally important that progressive precinct committeepersons elected in the May 4 Primary Election to the Butler County Democratic Party Central Committee attend the meeting and support the reform agenda!

If you have questions, contact: <clydebrown@bcppac.net>.

Kate Rousmaniere                Pete Carels
Tom Wright                          Kathy Ellison
Jessica Gephart                    Laura Kretz
David Rousseel                    Barb Caruso
Jeff Silverman                       Don Daiker
Steve Dana                           Janis Dutton
Jody Perkins                         Scott Seibel
Paul Sullivan

Reform minded progressive Democrats were elected all over Butler County in the May 4th Primary Election.  Best wishes to all in revitalizing the local Democratic Party to be an effective force for progressive values.

I’m not at CPAC because I believe in America. I believe in liberty. I believe that governments should be held in check. I believe people matter. I believe in the flag not because of its shape or color but because of the principles it stands for–the principles in the Constitution, the principles repeated and underlined and highlighted and boldfaced and italicized in the Bill of Rights. The George W. whose presidency and precedents I admire was the first president, not the 43d. It is James Madison I admire, not John Yoo. Thomas Paine, not Glenn Beck. Jefferson, not Limbaugh.

Former Congressman and CPAC Chairman Mickey Edwards

Coussoule for Congress Announcement from Jocelyn Bucaro on Vimeo.

After a brief introduction, listen to Justin Coussoulle announce his bid for Congress in Ohio’s 8th Congressional District. My take? People that hear Coussoule’s message will vote for him. Give it to ‘em, Justin!  Spread the word, BCPers!

Hamilton Attorney Mark N. Hardig is taking the first step in what may lead to his candidacy for the Butler County Commission in 2010.

Today Hardig went to the Butler County Board of Elections to pull petitions to run as a Democratic candidate in that contest. “I am seriously exploring running for the County Commission,” Hardig said.  “Butler County is crying out for new moral and financial leadership.”

“There is a cancer in Butler County government, and it is growing,” Hardig said.  “It appears that our elected officials have lost their moral compass.”

“Not only is nepotism rampant,” Hardig explained, “but the bidding and awarding of contracts is fraught with illegality and conflict of interest.”

But Hardig believes that positive change is possible.  “We can develop an ethics policy that is applicable to all county employees,” Hardig said.  “That policy should address issues of nepotism, conflict of interest, and competitive bidding.”

A graduate of Elder High School and the University of Notre Dame, Hardig attended the Salmon P. Chase College of Law, where he served on its Law Review.  He was a Law Clerk for two years at the 12th District Court of Appeals, in his last year clerking for the Honorable Richard Koehler.

Hardig and his wife of 26 years, Carrie, live in Ross Township.  They have two daughters, Olivia and Cara, both of whom attended Stephen T. Badin High School.

Hardig is a member of the Board of Directors and Past President of Butler Behavioral Health Services, Inc., the largest provider of mental health services in Butler County.

In the 2006 and 2008 campaigns Hardig worked as Campaign Coordinator for Jack Zettler, candidate for Butler County Auditor.

Hardig said that his decision to run will be determined by the level of financial and campaign support he receives from the community.  He plans to announce his decision by January 20.

Filing deadline for candidates is February 18.   The primary election is May 4.

(Note: Hardig spoke at the BCP Executive Board Meeting on December 10, 2009.)

In an op-ed in today’s Washington Post, House Republican Leader John Boehner claimed President Obama and Democrats in Congress have failed to jump-start our economy and create jobs.

Wrong, Mr. Boehner.

When President Obama was sworn into office, this country was deep into the worst economic recession since the Great Depression, and President George W. Bush had the worst jobs record of any administration in 75 years. Now, as a result of legislative solutions championed by President Obama and Democrats in Congress – chiefly the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act which the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates has created or saved between 600,000 and 1.6 million jobs so far – job losses in the country have been steadily slowing.

In this case, a picture is worth more than the 604 words in Mr. Boehner’s op-ed:

• Butler County Progressive PAC Vice President Bill Gracie said, “Brian’s record speaks to his experience as an active member of the Democratic Party.  He has the energy, intelligence, and demonstrated ability to work collaboratively that will make him an exemplary Party Chair.”

• “I’m impressed at how much Brian knows about local/regional politics and how they work,” Board member Pete Carels said.

• “Brian Harrison is as unhappy as you are living in a Red county,” PAC Secretary Donna Mollaun said.     “He has a vision for what we will become — a Proud Blue Butler County!”

• “Brian Harrison is one of the smartest people I know,” said PAC President Don Daiker.  “His keen intelligence is matched by his energy, creativity, and ability to work constructively with others.  He is more than ready to take charge of our Party.”

• “I’m impressed with Brian’s expansive knowledge of party politics, the local and state Democratic Party, and the political trends in Butler County,” Kathleen Knight Abowitz observed.  “Brian is a hard worker on behalf of the Democratic Party in Butler County.”

• “If fighting the good fight on behalf of the Democratic Party under adverse conditions means anything, then Brian is your guy,” added Clyde Brown.

• “Brian is the best person to lead us out of the Butler County desert,” Eric Carman said.

The Butler County Progressive PAC is a voluntary, grass-roots organization with over 100 dues-paying members. Its central goal is to support progressive candidates and causes.

Rick Bailey                Eric Carman                 Bill Gracie

Clyde Brown             Don Daiker                   Kathleen Knight Abowitz

Pete Carels                Marilyn Elzey              Donna Mollaun

Members, Executive Board, Butler County Progressive Political Action Committee

HAMILTON, Ohio – The on-going economic recession is limiting the range and depth of Ohioans’ civic engagement according to a report released today by Miami University Hamilton’s Center for Civic Engagement and the National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC) based in Washington, DC. The Ohio findings are in line with NCoC’s national study released in August. “At the national level and in Ohio, the economic crisis has triggered civic foreclosure,” said Kristen Cambell, program director of NCoC.

Ohio’s Civic Health Index Report was released at the 2009 Ohio Civic Health Symposium held at the Statehouse in Columbus and shows 80% of Ohioans surveyed say they have cut back on time spent volunteering, participating in groups, and performing other civic activities in their communities during the past year while the economy was shrinking. “This does not mean that four-fifths of our citizens have stopped participating; it means they are participating less, and thus our civic capacity has declined,” said Miami University professor of political science Clyde Brown. “The depressed economy is reshaping civic engagement in Ohio.”

The report finds that Ohioans have been hard hit by the current recession:

•40% of Ohio households had trouble affording essentials, such as food or medicine, compared to 31% of national households
•30 % of Ohio households had suffered a job loss by one of its members compared to 20% of national households
•14% of Ohio households reported mortgage problems or had lost a home to foreclosure compared to 7% of national households

Miami University researchers analyzed data collected in May 2009 from two innovative online samples, one composed of 421 Ohioans and another of 3,889 respondents from around the country. The Ohio sample has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points; the national sample, plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

With one exception past NCoC surveys have found that civic engagement usually increases during economic downturns. “The current deep recession is different,” said Kathleen Knight Abowitz, professor of educational leadership at Miami University. “2009 is like the severe recession of 1981-1983 when meeting attendance and volunteering fell while the unemployment rate reached double digits.”

In light of the hard economic times, the researchers investigated and discovered more personal forms of engagement. Half of Ohioans surveyed said they had given food or money to a relative or non-relative in the past year. Sixteen percent of respondents had allowed a relative to live with them (11% a non-relative) during the same time period.

The Miami University research team was encouraged by certain findings, such as younger generations volunteering more than older generations, older generations shifting more to private forms of helping, low-income and less-educated individuals serving in less traditional, more personal ways, and African-Americans generously helping others with food, shelter, and money, while voicing optimism about the willingness of others to help those in need.

The survey found reasons for optimism and concern. Ohioans support proposals for civic renewal while voicing profound skepticism about public institutions and private sector economic actors:

•Respondents are willing to help others during the economic slump by buying American products (71%), giving more food (69%) and more money (40%), and volunteering more (37%)
•Respondent support policy initiatives to institutionalize civic engagement, such as college tuition money in exchange for a year of national or community service (82%), service learning courses in high school (75%), and national deliberations on important public issues (71%).
•Confidence in Congress (4%), the Executive Branch (4%), major companies (5%), and banks and financial institutions (6%) among those surveyed is extremely low.
•Small businesses (36%), the science community (25%), and organized religion (19%) received the most positive response among those surveyed.

According to the report, Ohio ranks 24th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia in its 2009 civic health index score. The index is complied from data on volunteering, collaborative problem solving, voting, and participation in local government. Ohio is near the middle of the list on each of these indicators and maintained the same relative state ranking it had in 2008.

This is the second annual report on Ohio’s civic health conducted by Miami University in conjunction with the NCoC.

Note: The Report is available at www.ham.muohio.edu/cce/documents/Final_OCHI_2009.pdf.

The Executive Board of the Butler County Progressive Political Action Committee has voted unanimously to endorse the Public Option provision of the healthcare-reform bill before the United States Congress, PAC President Don Daiker has announced.

The Public Option, which gives American citizens the right to choose a government-run insurance plan rather than an insurance-company plan, is “absolutely necessary if costs are to be kept from rising astronomically,” Daiker said.

The PAC Executive Board voted further to endorse a robust public option—a public plan available everywhere, a plan pegged to prices determined by Medicare not by “market forces,” a plan administered by the government but working with and through doctors and medicare, and a plan without a “trigger” and ready to go on day one.

“We are just a few steps away from the once seemingly impossible dream of fundamental  health reform,” Daiker said, “and I’m proud that the Butler County Progressive PAC is squarely on the side of reform.”

The PAC Executive Board includes Daiker, Vice-President Bill Gracie, Secretary Donna Mollaun, Treasurer Rick Bailey, and at-large members Clyde Brown, Eric Carman, Marilyn Elzey, Kathleen Knight Abowitz, and Donna Mollaun.