Category Archives: news

The State of Ohio’s Economy

Posted on June 27, 2011 by | 1 comment

By Daniel Downs

The Ohio Monthly Financial Report came out earlier this month. In it, the Office of Budget and Management summarizes the economic condition of the state relative to both the Midwest region and the nation. Economic criteria covered by the Report include growth of the economy, employment, consumer income and spending, manufacturing, construction, as well as government revenues and expenditures.

Economic growth as measured by GDP continues at a slow pace. Leading economic indicators decreased in April. Contributing to the slight decline of the economy is supply chains disruptions to automakers caused by the Japan earthquake and the negative impacts of flooding, tornadoes and fires here in the United States. Even so, the Ohio Coincident Economic Index continues to report increased growth. In fact, the 12 month rate of change increased to 6.3percent–the fastest since the 1990s.

Ohio gained 8,600 new jobs in April while unemployment decreased from over 9 percent to 8.6 percent, which 0.4 percent less than the national average. Employment increased in all sectors except local government. Unfortunately, Ohio has 357,000 fewer employed citizens than before the recession.

After decreases in unemployment claims during the first three months of 2011, Dayton area unemployment increased from 2,878 to 3,461 or 20 percent, according to the Ohio Bureau of Labor Market Information. This was reflected by a small decline (0.1%) of employment in April. In spite of occasional increases and decreases, Dayton area employment growth has remained flat for over a year unlike the rest of Ohio.

While Ohio jobs increased, manufacturing production decreased in April. Because of the impact of the Japan disaster, this trend is expected to continue to the end of the year.

Nationally, commercial construction increased, but remained flat throughout the Midwest. Private residential construction showed the same trend. The Dayton area was no exception. Private residential building permits increase 26 percent. Housing prices however continue to fall in Ohio and throughout the nation.

Some question the accuracy of the Case/Shiller Home Price Index. Yet, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) also shows similar declines in home prices. For Ohio, the FHFA reports a 2.9% decline in home values for the first quarter of 2011, which is 6.7% less than in 2010.

Ohio personal income exceeds that of the national average. Personal income increased 3% during the fourth quarter of 2010, which is 3.8% above the previous year. Personal spending has kept pace with increased income. At least part of the increase has gone not for more products but for the same products at higher prices like gas and food. In other words, real disposable income is unchanged.

In places like Xenia, real income is even less because of collectively self-imposed higher taxes.

The Report also addressed where personal income was being spent. Retail sales were up in April because of Easter. Curiously, sales at drug stores, apparel stores, and auto dealerships were all down, but sales at luxury retailers significantly increased.

Who would have guessed that the federal stimulus (QE1 and QE2) would create inflation instead of inspiring the wealthy to create many more good new jobs? Maybe they did at luxury retailers.

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Pro-Abortion Legislation Introduced, Targets Pro-Life Healthcare Professionals

Posted on June 23, 2011 by | Leave a comment

(Columbus) – Planned Parenthood and pro-abortion legislators gathered at the Statehouse today to promote the so-called “Prevention First Act”. The bill would force pro-life pharmacists, religious hospitals and pro-life taxpayers to provide or subsidize the morning-after pill despite religious or moral objections. The legislation would also require persons who took and adhere to the original Hippocratic Oath to violate its requirement that “I will not give to a woman an abortive remedy”.

“The abortion industry, yet again, attempts to characterize this recycled legislation an effort to prevent unintended pregnancies. In fact, it will prevent the exercise of freedom of conscience,” said Mike Gonidakis, Executive Director for Ohio Right to Life. “Violating the conscience rights of health care professionals could force some people to leave the profession, and ironically, decrease access to health care, rather than increase it,” said Gonidakis.

Although proponents claim requiring the provision of “emergency contraception” will decrease unintended pregnancies and abortions, a January 2007 Obstetrics & Gynecology study by leading proponents of the drug found that increased access to “emergency contraception” had not reduced the rates of abortion or unintended pregnancy.

Further, the so-called “Prevention First Act” would require hospitals to provide misleading information stating that “emergency contraception” does not cause an abortion or interrupt an “established” pregnancy. Pro-life Ohioans oppose the morning-after pill because it sometimes ends the life of a human embryo after fertilization by preventing implantation.

Ohio Right to Life expresses its opposition to the legislation for its blatant disrespect for the rights of pro-life Ohioans, and for its failure to respect the dignity of life by forcing increased distribution abortion-causing drugs.

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The GOP Presidential Race, and Sarah Palin?

Posted on June 22, 2011 by | Leave a comment

The Republican race for presidential nomination is gaining momentum. According to a recent Ramussen Poll, Mitt Romney leads the pack by 33 percent. Tea partier Michelle Bachmann is gaining on him. Right now, she has 19% of the polled votes. Not far behind Bachman is Herman Cain.

I think Michelle Bachmann is the better candidate. Both candidates have substantial business experience, but Romney is a stuffed suit. His is filled with political jelly, which no doubt keeps him afloat. He rides the waves of the political waters to his political advantage. His tossed-in-the-wind record also has benefited left-wing party agenda.

Did I forget to mention Bachmann is better looking than Romney?

Surprisingly, a majority of Tea Partiers favor shifty Mitt and not TP candidate Bachman. Of those polled by Ramussen, 36% favor Romney and 26% prefer Bachmann. It is tempting to think that the poltically savvy Tea Partiers could possibly be duped by shifty Mitty.

While Tea Partiers favor Romney–the past loser, they also Smarty Sarah should run for president again. Even she is better looking than Romney too, a majority of non-Teas Partiers seem to think a run for the presidency by Palin would hurt Republican chances to regain the White House.

What do they know, anyway?

<strong>Sources:</strong> <a href=”http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2012/election_2012_presidential_election/romney_bachmann_cain_lead_the_pack_among_gop_primary_voters” target=”_new”>Romney, Bachmann, Cain Lead The Pack Among GOP Primary Voters</a>  Ramussen Reports June 16, 2011 and <a href=”http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2012/election_2012_presidential_election/45_of_gop_primary_voters_say_it_s_bad_for_party_if_palin_enters_presidential_race” target=”_new”>45% of GOP Primary Voters Say It’s Bad for Party If Palin Enters Presidential Race</a>  Ramussen Reports June 16, 2011

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Research Reaffirms Traditional Understanding of Gender

Posted on June 21, 2011 by | Leave a comment

By Lauren Funk

NEW YORK (C-FAM) New research reaffirms that gender is grounded in the biology of men and women, supporting the traditional understanding of gender agreed on by the international community.

UN delegates are receiving copies of the research at a time when debates about “gender identity” are heating up: member states are engaged in a contentious vote on the issue at the Human Rights Council this week and they are preparing for a battle on sexual orientation and gender identity during this fall’s General Assembly.

“The Psycopathology of Sex Reassignment Surgery,” a peer-reviewed article authored by Richard Fiztgibbons, Phillip Sutton, and Dale O’Leary, questions the medical and ethical implications of performing sexual reassignment surgery (SRS).  The authors approach the issue from the medical and biological perspective that human gender is a matter of genetic composition, explaining that “sexual identity is written on every cell of the body and can be determined through DNA testing.  It cannot be changed.”

The authors affirm that biological sex cannot change, and they renounce the concept of “gender identity,” or the idea that gender, as a social construct or personal perception, is separate from one’s biological sex.  Citing the work of psychoanalyst Charles Socarides, they explain that “there is no evidence that gender identity confusion – a gender identity contrary to anatomical structure- is inborn.”

The article acknowledges that there are genetic abnormalities that can cause discordance between genetic sex, hormone receptivity, and sexual organs.  However, those who seek SRS are virtually always genetically normal men and women with intact sexual and reproductive organs and hormone levels proper to their sex, the paper says.  In these cases, according to the authors, “when an adult who is normal in appearance and functioning believes there is something ugly or defective in their appearance that needs to be changed, it is clear that there is a psychological problem of some significance.”

The authors argue that individuals who claim to have a “gender identity” contrary to their anatomical and biological structure cannot resolve their issues through SRS.  Individuals who find it difficult to self-identify with their biological sex often suffer from more serious psychological problems, including depression, severe anxiety, masochism, self-hatred, narcissism, and the results of childhood sexual abuse and troubled family situations. These individuals experience social and sexual difficulties as a result of these disorders and negative experiences, not because they were born into the “wrong body,” the paper says.  Sexual reassignment surgery, because it proposes a surgical solution to deep psychological disorders, is categorically inappropriate – and thus medically and ethically unsound, according to the authors, and those individuals who undergo SRS continue to have “much the same problems with relationships, work, and emotions as before” their surgery.

The study discredits the “gender identity” as a social construct, and it reinforces international consensus that gender is defined “traditionally” as “men and women” in the context of society.

<em>This article first appeared in the Friday Fax, an internet report published weekly by C-FAM (Catholic Family &amp; Human Rights Institute), a New York and Washington DC-based research institute (http://www.c-fam.org/). This article appears with permission.</em>

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Live Action President Lila Rose On Planned Parenthood Defunding in NC

Posted on June 17, 2011 by | Leave a comment

(RALEIGH) Lila Rose, president of the pro-life youth organization Live Action, issued the following statement yesterday morning on North Carolina’s defunding of Planned Parenthood:

“North Carolina is now the fourth state this year to step up to the plate and ensure that no taxpayer dollars go towards funding the biggest abortion business in America, Planned Parenthood. This corrupt organization is responsible for killing over 332,000 defenseless unborn children each year. Planned Parenthood manipulates women to choose abortion and routinely aids and abets the sexual exploitation and trafficking of young girls. Governors of other states should take note of how Gov. Perdue’s legislature has decisively rejected her veto and realize that the American people do not want to subsidize abortionists.”

Indiana, Kansas, and New Jersey have recently passed laws to prevent taxpayer funds from going to Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood is challenging the Indiana law in federal court, although a federal judge has already denied the abortion business’s request for a temporary injunction.

Over the past four years, Live Action has released undercover videos revealing Planned Parenthood clinics across the country covering up the sexual abuse of children and violating mandatory reporting laws for statutory rape. In February, Live Action released new undercover footage showing 7 Planned Parenthood clinics in 4 states willing to aid and abet the commercial sex trafficking of underage girls. The videos prompted the House of Representatives to vote twice to defund Planned Parenthood of all federal taxpayer subsidies.

“North Carolina joins Indiana, Kansas, and New Jersey in standing up for the rule of law, human rights, and responsible government,” says Rose. “While we wait for Congress to defund Planned Parenthood at the federal level, responsible state governments should do their part to protect women and unborn children and end local public subsidies of this lawless abortion chain.”

To see the videos, visit: liveaction.org/traffick

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Gay Journalist Continues Aggressive Campaign Against Christian Counsellor

Posted on June 16, 2011 by | 2 comments

Lesley Pilkington, the Christian counsellor who is being investigated by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) for giving counselling to an undercover gay reporter, has had her confidence breached once again after Patrick Strudwick released a misleading article about the hearing, while the investigation still continues, and against the express instructions of the BACP.

The Professional Conduct Hearing took place on 4th May 2011 in relation to Mrs. Pilkington providing Reparative Therapy to Mr. Strudwick. The decision was communicated to the parties on 23rd May, with a stipulation that its contents were confidential.

Reparative Therapy is recognised in the primary textbook <em>Essential Psychopathology and its Treatment</em> (2009) which reads:

“[H]omosexual orientation can be theraputically changed in motivated clients, and that reorientation therapies do not produce harm when attempted”.

Mr. Strudwick is a gay activist seeking to end the practice of Reparative Therapy. In 2009, Mr. Strudwick pretended to be a Christian individual who wished to undertake Reparative Therapy. He approached Mrs. Pilkington at a Christian conference pretending to want counselling for unwanted same-sex attraction. He attended two counselling sessions with Mrs. Pilkington during which he secretly recorded her. He then reported her to the BACP.

What happened at the Hearing on 4th May 2011:

The BACP did not question the validity and effectiveness of Reparative Therapy, and found that:

The Professional Conduct Panel found that certain procedural rules had been breached by Mrs. Pilkington, such as extending the session over the allotted hour and for failing to counsel Mr. Strudwick after a meeting with her husband whilst Mr. Strudwick was on a purported toilet visit, but in fact, his purpose of going to the toilet was to change the tapes he was using to record Mrs. Pilkington. Further, the BACP found that Mr. Strudwick was a “client” and “was the recipient of counselling related services”.

A Complaint to the Press Complaints Commission:

Lesley Pilkington said:

“I am deeply concerned that the privileged and confidential relationship between a counsellor and her patient will be undermined by a journalist seeking a sensationalist story without any substance. It is an abuse by the Guardian newspaper. Accordingly, I propose to act with restraint. I will seek to make a joint complaint with the BACP to the Press Complaints Commission in relation to the subterfuge and deceit used by Mr. Strudwick. Reparative Therapy is a valid therapy that many people want and it should not be damaged by irresponsible reporting. The hearing is still subject to an appeal.”

Andrea Minichiello Williams, CEO of the Christian Legal Centre said:

“We are grateful that the decision of the Professional Conduct Committee has not questioned the validity of Reparative Therapy and individuals are still free to seek counselling services for reorientation when they choose to change their behaviour.

“Christians are being targeted and increasingly unable to access justice in this country. To think a gay activist, engaged in deception, can seek out a Christian therapist by pretending to be a Christian seeking to choose to change his behaviour, manipulate the counselling sessions for the purpose of a story, use a clandestine taping device and then report the therapist to the professional body is almost beyond belief. The fact that the BACP even entertained the complaint is wholly unacceptable. Lesley Pilkington is a caring and devoted counsellor, inspired by her Christian faith to help people. She is being persecuted by persons who dislike the love, ethics and transforming power of Christ. One can only imagine the reaction if a Christian tried to do this to a Pink therapist.”

<strong>Source:</strong> Christian Legal Center, May 27, 2011.

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UN Report Calls for Comprehensive Sex Ed for Ten Year Olds as a way to Fight AIDS

Posted on June 16, 2011 by | Leave a comment

By Lauren Funk

NEW YORK (C-FAM) Some in the UN believe that comprehensive sexuality education is the main intervention needed to prevent new HIV infections – even for adolescents as young as 10 years old.

“It is time to seize the opportunities to promote sexuality education and comprehensive knowledge of HIV and other health matters among very young adolescents before they become sexually active,” explains a new UN report on HIV/AIDS. “This is the window in which to intervene, before most youth become sexually active and before gender roles and norms that have negative consequences for later sexual and reproductive health becomes well established.”

The report recommends comprehensive sexuality education as the primary strategy to prevent HIV/AIDS for adolescents aged 10 – 24.  There is a lack of evidence that such programs have a significant positive effect on youth’s sexual behavior or on HIV prevention.  A 2009 UNESCO report, one of the few existing assessments of such programs, did not find that comprehensive sexuality education programs significantly reduce sexual risk-taking.  UNESCO did not assess the programs’ effect on HIV/AIDS prevention.

Critics question why UNICEF, UNAIDS, and the WHO chose to focus primarily on comprehensive sexuality education, a method of HIV prevention that is largely untested, when proven alternatives, such as behavioral modification, exist to stop the spread of HIV.  Some international observers see this move as part of a larger agenda to promote comprehensive sexuality education among youth.

Jane Adolphe, Associate Professor at Ave Maria School of Law, suggests that the promotion of comprehensive sexuality education is a form of sexualization of children.  “There is a growing awareness of the sexualization of children in the media, music videos, advertising, and fashion industries, and one might argue that Comprehensive Sexuality Education is another example of this tragic phenomenon,” Adolphe told the Friday Fax.  “Children are targeted through the vehicle of Comprehensive Sexuality Education where they are gradually introduced to the ideology of sexual freedom.”

Commenting on how promotion of comprehensive sexuality education intersects with efforts to combat HIV/AIDS, Adolphe explained “those promoting the ideology of sexual freedom, inclusive of its risky and dangerous behavior, advance risk reduction (e.g. condom use) not risk elimination (e.g. abstinence and fidelity) as the solution to HIV/AIDS, even in areas of Africa where condom use has been proven to be ineffective.”  And any opposition to such a narrow vision is stifled when people are stigmatized as so-called homophobics or religious fanatics.”

Ideology has in fact supplanted evidence in guiding AIDS interventions at the UN in recent years.  Dr. Edward Green, former director of the AIDS Prevention Research Project at Harvard School of Health, wrote in a 2009 Lancet article that UNAIDS had switched from urging that AIDS prevention be “evidence based” to “evidence informed.” Green writes, “This seems to acknowledge departure from evidence-based planning and programming. It seems to say, we will do things our way, and we need only be informed by the evidence that supports what we are doing, and we can ignore the rest…in truth, this agency [UNAIDS] has become primarily an advocacy and not a science-led organization.”

This article first appeared in the Friday Fax, an internet report published weekly by C-FAM (Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute), a New York and Washington DC-based research institute (http://www.c-fam.org/). This article appears with permission.

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New York Times Gets It Wrong–Moscow Demograohic Summit Is About Declining Birthrates

Posted on June 15, 2011 by | Leave a comment

A recent new York Times article (“<a href=”http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/10/world/europe/10iht-abortion10.html?scp=1&amp;sq=Russians%20Adopt%20U.S.%20tactics%20In%20Opposing%20Abortion&amp;st=cse” target=”_new”>Russians Adopt U.S. tactics In Opposing Abortion</a>”) mischaracterizes the upcoming <a href=”http://worldcongress.ru” target=”_new”>Moscow Demographic Summit: The Family and The Future of Humankind</a> – June 29-30 a the Russian State Social University – as “an international anti-abortion meeting.”

World Congress of Families Managing Director Larry Jacobs, who was mentioned in The Times’ story twice, set the record straight: “While it’s true that World Congress of Families is uncompromisingly  pro-life, as part of our natural family agenda, the Moscow Demographic Summit is first and foremost about the dramatic worldwide decline of birthrates, and only secondarily about abortion. Our goals are to analyze the phenomenon, examine how we reached this crisis and suggest solutions to what could be the greatest challenge confronting humanity in this century.”

Jacobs continued, “While abortion has played an undeniable role in this tragedy, it’s far from the only factor. Late marriage, cohabitation and the culturally induced desire for small families are among the many factors which have led to a 50% decline in birthrates worldwide since the late 1960s.  While pro-life spokesmen (Russian and international) will play a prominent role in the Summit, so too will demographers, economists, sociologists, authors, researchers and political and religious leaders, whose primary concern lies in other areas.”

In discussing growing Russian opposition to abortion on demand, The New York Times also failed to note the grim reality the nation faces: It’s birthrate is barely 1.2 (children per woman) with a birthrate of 2.1 needed just to replace current population. It’s been estimated that in Russia today there are 4 million abortions annually and only 1.7 million live births. “This is national suicide by ‘choice.’” Jacobs comments.

For more information about the Moscow Demographic Summit, including a partial list of speakers, go to <a href=”http://www.worldcongress.ru” target=”_new”>www.worldcongress.ru</a> or see the May 27 article titled <a href=”http://www.profam.org/press/wcf.pr.110527.htm” target=”_new”>”Moscow Demographic Summit One Month Away</a>”.

The Summit has been endorsed by Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church. In a message to delegates, Patriarch Kirill noted that the purpose of the Summit is “to defend traditional family values and to analyze the world’s demographic problems.”

Click <a href=”http://cts.dundee.net/t/39155912/105413499/94233/194″ target=”_new”>here</a> for the full text of Patriarch Kirill’s letter to Summit participants.

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Do Nice Guys Lose & Bad Boys Win?

Posted on June 14, 2011 by | Leave a comment

A recent study published by the American Psychological Association found that women are more attracted to men who look shameful, brooding or prideful and that men who smile are actually seen as less attractive.

NeW author, Danielle, traces this phenomenon back to the 19th Century. See seems to attribute it as an acculturated attraction conditioned by the popular print and media of the past. After listing some examples of more recent films that depict this phenomenon, she makes this interesting statement:

Nice guys, are you still reading this? I am sure all this talk of “bad boys” is a bit demoralizing, but I have an important piece of information for you:

Women may be attracted to bad boys, but women fall in love with men who smile, joke, are nice, well-mannered, and treat them well. Those are the relationships that last long term, says the study, and many women will attest to that from experience. No matter how enticing the bad boy is, the nice guy will get the girl in the real world.

So there is hope for the “nice guys” of the world after all, at least according some at New Enlightened Women’s organization.

Read the entire post by Danielle at http://enlightenedwomen.org/do-nice-guys-lose-bad-boys-win

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Court Upholds School Expulsion, Assault Charges of 14-Year-Old Honor Student Over Shooting Plastic ‘Spitwads’

Posted on June 14, 2011 by | Leave a comment

(SPOTSYLVANIA, Va) The Circuit Court of the County of Spotsylvania has refused to reverse the expulsion of a 14-year-old honor student charged under a school zero tolerance policy with “violent criminal conduct” and possession of a weapon for shooting plastic “spitwads” at classmates. Attorneys for The Rutherford Institute had petitioned the court to intervene on behalf of Andrew Mikel, a freshman at Spotsylvania High School, who was expelled for the remainder of the school year for allegedly using the body of a pen to blow small, hollow plastic balls akin to spitwads at fellow students. School officials also referred the matter to local law enforcement for criminal prosecution. Mikel has been homeschooled since the incident occurred in December 2010. Institute attorneys have offered their assistance to the Mikel family should they choose to appeal the court’s ruling.

“We’re greatly disappointed by this ruling, which does not in any way see justice served,” said John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute. “Andrew Mikel is merely the latest in a long line of victims of school zero tolerance policies whose educations have been senselessly derailed by school administrators lacking in both common sense and compassion.”

On December 10, 2010, ninth grader Andrew Mikel, a student at Spotsylvania High School, was sent to the principal’s office after shooting a handful of small, hollow pellets akin to plastic spitwads at fellow students in the school hallway during lunch period. Mikel, an honor student active in Junior ROTC and in his church, was initially suspended for 10 days and charged with criminal assault and possession of a weapon under the school’s Student Code of Conduct. The Spotsylvania County School Board later voted to expel Mikel for the remainder of the school year, allegedly on the recommendation of the school’s assistant principal. School officials also referred the matter to local law enforcement, which initiated juvenile criminal proceedings for assault, resulting in Mikel being placed in a diversion program, as well as having to take substance abuse and anger management counseling.

Decrying the school’s actions as arbitrary, capricious and an abuse of discretion, attorneys for The Rutherford Institute filed a legal petition with the Circuit Court of the County of Spotsylvania asking the court to overturn the School Board’s decision. Institute attorneys also challenged the school’s characterization of Mikel’s actions as “criminal” and the spitwads as “weapons,” contending that there was no indication that Mikel intended to harm anyone and the plastic tube and pellets did not rise to the level of “weapons” as defined by the school code. Furthermore, Institute attorneys insist that Mikel’s conduct did not rise to the level required for expulsion or long-term suspension under the Student Code of Conduct. As a result of the criminal charges, Mikel, who had hoped to attend the U.S. Naval Academy following graduation from high school, can no longer be considered as an applicant.

Mikel’s father, a former Navy Seabee and Marine officer, who was awarded a meritorious service medal for solving the problem of “brown-out” for helicopters in Iraq (the sand caused static electricity that interfered with instruments during landing), credits his son with inspiring the solution. “I fought for my country and the rights of people here, and my family sacrificed right along with me,” stated Mikel Sr. “The actions of the school system are completely inconsistent with what I fought for.”

Source: Rutherford Institute News, May 24, 2011.

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