Fonzie gets a Statue - RINOvich wins Award

Some cities have statues of famous football or baseball players, famous citizens or past presidents, war memorials, etc.... Usually the statues have a connection or have a sense of "identity" for the community.

Residents of Milwaukee will be getting a "Bronze Fonz" -

A statue of Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli, the leather-jacketed biker from "Happy Days," will be erected in the city where the TV sitcom was set, now that local groups have raised the $85,000 needed to do it, civic leaders said Friday.

Henry Winkler, who played Fonzie during the show's run from 1974 to 1984, called the "Bronze the Fonz" project "a phenomenal compliment."

I think that is just great for the "Fonz"! Happy Days was a TV show the whole family could watch and enjoy. Though I do think Mrs. C had a "thing" for Fonzie!

Speaking of "things" and statues leads to the next part of this post.... and I sure hope nobody builds a statue of this guy!

In the attempt to cut off any God awful movement to see an erection of the following elected official- King's Right Site has decided to duly recognize and forever commemorate his deeds by bestowing an award in his name.

SO, by Royal Order & Decree of The King (me).....

....let it be further known, throughout the land & blogoshphere, in embodiment of truly witless talents, an uncanny knack for a never-ending compromising of GOP values & feeble minded - sanity questioning foreign policy beliefs & his ever famous love of PORK....

I, The King, hereby commission the, "Golden RINO Award" in the name of the "Great Horned One," Senator George Voinovich -

Behold!!!

I think it goes without saying that having the "Golden RINO Award" created in his name, will bring a Hannity-like tear to the eyes of the emotionally challenged Senator RINOvich.

Senator RINOvich was unable to attend any presentation ceremonies, but has released a statement through his office.....

Like the "Fonz," Senator RINOvich feels it is a "phenomenal compliment" to have an award, such as this, named after him.

Unfortunately Senator RINOvich is busy shining his "horn" before he, again, skillfully inserts it into the derriere of common sense, the American public & conservative values!

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Rev. Strickland caters to his flock

Rev. Strickland will try to use state money to buy approximately 7,000 votes for the democrats by further stuffing union coffers.

Rev. Strickland, doing a fine imitation of AG. Marc Dann, signed an executive order that will allow independent home health care workers to unionize. The disurbing thing of this is the Rev. thinks it will be good to allow independent contractors, used by the state, to unionize.

Who is it good for?

Is it good for Rev. Ted?

Hell yes! Catering to his flock, the Reverend just bought a whole bunch more votes for his party.

Is it good for the unions, which no longer stand for the workers and have become a subsidized mouthpiece for the democrat party?

Absolutely! Rev. Strickland's executive order can potentially lead to stuffing the unions pockets with union dues that will be paid by these, state paid independent contractors.

Surely one cannot think this is good for the patients or their families!

From the Akron Beacon Journal --

State Rep. Bill Seitz, a Cincinnati Republican, noted the revealing sequence of events, lawmakers routing additional money to home care in the new state budget, the governor shortly thereafter opening the way for organized labor to tap into those funds.

If nothing else, the governor's action merited a broader discussion than the sweep of his signature. As things stand, it is hard to forget that the Service Employees International Union donated $134,800 to the governor and $1.6 million to the Ohio Democratic Party last year. Did someone say pay-to-play?

Porkers of the Week: The Spending Lobby

Un-F'n-believable!

From Eye on the State House --

Over the next biennium, the state of Ohio will spend $52.37 billion, including millions of dollars in pork.

Ohioans, through the state budget, will continue to provide corporate welfare to Fortune 500 companies, publicity for the NFL, and rent for historical societies statewide. Taxpayers will continue to subsidize obsolete international trade offices around the world and wealthy nursing home owners here in Ohio.

Throughout the current budget, grant grabbers, rent-seekers, and earmark porkers have passed their bills onto the Ohio taxpayers.

Below is an example of the pork Ohio tax dollars will fund over the next two years.

Cultural Facilities Commission

Federal wages at least twice the private sector

So much for the "low paying government jobs keeps good people away."

Should the federal wages be brought in line with the private sector wages? I say Yes!

From USA Today --

Sometimes the easiest way to find a job that pays well is to ask a wealthy relative to hire you. For many, that relative is Uncle Sam.

Federal workers, on average, are paid almost 50% more than employees in the private sector, an Asbury Park Press analysis of salary data shows.

The average federal worker made $59,864 in 2005, compared with the average salary of $40,505 in the private sector, according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

And that pay gap appears to have widened in the first nine months of 2006. More...

Porkers of the Week: Ohio Senate

From Eye on the Statehouse by Eye on the Statehouse

This week’s Porkers are members of the Ohio Senate for their $40 million handout to Ohio’s powerful nursing home industry. As a result of their successful lobbying efforts, senators allocated scarce state resources to these costly institutional care providers.

According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

With passage of the Ohio Senate’s version of the budget on Wednesday, the nursing home industry hit its mark. The Senate matched the $40 million (worth $100 million with the federal money) that the Ohio House inserted into Strickland’s budget last month.

There are better and more cost effective options.

From a taxpayer’s perspective, home and community-based care is cheaper than institutional care (nursing homes) for most long-term care needs. Many individuals would also prefer to be taken care of in a home or community setting rather than in an institution. Thus, it doesn’t make sense to increase money for expensive nursing home care when it is possible that a more cost-effective (and more patient-friendly) alternative exists.

Just look at the numbers: the state has a program called PASSPORT that covers home and community-based care. Most individuals in the program have similar levels of disability to nursing home residents. It costs taxpayers, on average, $164 per day for an individual in nursing home care. For an individual in PASSPORT, it costs taxpayers around $48 a day.

Long-term care needs to be provided by the state based on a determination of what is appropriate for an individual’s needs as well as what is cost-effective for taxpayers.

Senators, like their colleagues in the Ohio House, knew these facts and yet still opted to increase nursing home funding at the expense of other suitable health care options. As a result, members of the Ohio Senate are the Porkers of the Week.

Porkers of the Week: Jon Honeck and Policy Matters Ohio

Save money to waste on big government programs, Ahh Yes- the democrat way!

Maybe they can make another rehab for the drunken thief Frankie Coleman...

From Eye on the Statehouse.....

Each Friday, Eye on the Statehouse announces its “Porker of the Week.” It’s our way of calling attention to a particularly big or wasteful spender.

This week’s Porkers are Jon Honeck and his liberal think tank Policy Matters Ohio for advocating the diversion of more than $118 million a year from the governor’s homestead exemption plan and “investing” the funds in other government programs.

In an analysis released Wednesday by Policy Matters Ohio and the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a Washington DC liberal think tank, Honeck asserted that limiting the scope of the proposed property tax exemption plan will “save” the state $118 million a year.

According to Honeck’s analysis, the savings will allow the state to spend more money on big government programs.

“We should limit the exemption to those who most need it. The additional revenue freed up by a more targeted homestead exemption could be used in a variety of ways to provide vital services and make investments in Ohio’s future” said Honeck.

Honeck doesn’t seem to understand government only “saves” money by not spending it.

Admittedly, the governor’s plan has come under considerable criticism. The Columbus Dispatch said “the plan needs to be drawn up in a manner that doesn’t mortgage Ohio’s future.” The Tax Foundation has criticized similar plans for posing as a wealth transfer from the middle-class to senior-citizens. And others have argued that a homestead exemption simply panders to seniors while doing nothing to stimulate Ohio’s lagging economy.

No matter their position on the homestead exemption plan, Honeck and Policy Matters Ohio should not refer to spending an additional $118 million a year as a “savings.” For this, they are the Porkers of the Week.