Author Archives: Editor

Why Ground Zero Mosque is Not Good for Islam or America

No wonder Muslims around the world claim the Ground Zero mosque and cultural center project is bad for Islam. First, the original name proposed by Imam Feisal Abdul-Rauf for the mosque, Cordoba House, is a throw-back to its Middle Aged namesake famous as a launch pad for Islam’s militant efforts of global domination. The term used for it is Jihad, which is more than just a religious concept of self-rule. It also is a term depicting militant religious conversion of all infidels or non-Muslims.

If peace with the Western world were actually the Rauf’s goal, why then has he developed a Shariah Index? Not to be confused with some of financial indexes, the purpose of his index is to measure how well nations conform to the Sharia law. It is a Western tool to make governments and cultures compliant to policy goals. The Koran provides the principles and Sharia law provides enforceable sanctions. After Muslims conquered Spain over 1,300 years ago, they launched their camapign to conquer the Western world from Cordoba. The Shariah Index shows Rauf’s intention is to launch a similar campaign to again conquer the West. However, this time Jihad comes in the deceptive form of tolernace, education, and peace.

The ultimate aim of Muslim clerics like Rauf is to convert the world to Islam. At Cordoba Spain, the victory was secured by militant Jihad. Peaceful co-existence came at the point of swords of Muslim rulers. Peaceful co-existence was the result of enforcing Shariah law upon predominately Christian Spain.

Amerincans and the West becoming aware of such relations between Muslim and Christians at Cordoba indeed would not be good for the Islamic cause.

Second, one of the primary financial backers of the Ground Zero mosque is Hisham Elzanaty, who has been a financial supporter of Hamas. Elzanty, an Egypian born New York medical supply dealer, also has gained noteriety for attempting to scam Medicaire. Don’t ask–don’t tell policy in Islamic circles may make it difficullt for fellow Muslims to distinguish between those who are committing “terrorism” and who are doing good social works, but to many Western onlookers their seems to be little difference. This is more than Islamaphobia or racism; it is just the proper kind of skepticism or maybe fear. (NY Post, September 3, 2010)

Third, and last, is the recent discovery that the U.S. government is funding the construction and renovation of mosques around the globe. Ancient Rome under Caesar did the same thing. Nicole Thompson, spokeswoman for the State Department’s U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP), stated the purpose of these projects:

“It is helping to preserve our cultural heritage. It is not just to preserve religious structures. It is not to preserve a religion. It is to help us as global inhabitants preserve cultures.” (Newsmax, September 6, 2010)

Notice, the Obama administration justifies spending millions of taxpayer money to fund foreign “cultural preservation” projects as somehow preservering our cultural heritage. Islamic cultural is not our culture. It may be Obama’s and Hilary may have adopted her assistants religious culture, but is not America’s culture. Christian culture and law our heritage. The U.S. is not the United Nations, but apparently, globalists like Obama think otherwise.

Obama’s official support of the Ground Zero mosque and cultural center is a tell-tale sign of why it is not good for Americans either. Not only is federal tax dollars financing Imam Abdul-Rauf’s fundraising trips but state taxpayer money may also be given to underwrite the mosque. Obama’s diplomatic along with financial backing of the Ground Zero mosque and cultural center gives legitimacy to the ancient dream of a global and triumphant Islam. (NY Post, August 10, 2010 and Reuters, August 27, 2010)

A New Victim of Gay Sexual Politics, Evangelical Lutheran Church

By Daniel Downs

The Washington Times recently reported that a majority of leaders in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) voted to change church law admitting non-celibate gays into the sacred office of the clergy. At the same time, a majority of church leaders changed denominational law to recognize same-sex common law marriage (but by other terminology).

According to the report, “The resolution on clergy, easily the most controversial, passed by 559 ‘yes’ votes (55.3 percent) to 451 ‘no’ votes (44.6 percent). It committed the ELCA to open its clergy ranks to people in “publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships.”

The vote allowing congregations to ‘”recognize, support and hold publicly accountable life-long, monogamous, same-gender relationships,” passed by 619 ‘yes’ (60.6 percent) to 402 ‘no’ votes (39.3 percent) was less controversial than allowing non-celibate gays to represent the church and Christ.

The report noted two responses to these developments: Those who believe it will result in many people leaving the church and those who believe it will result in significant church growth. One member of the Metropolitan New York Synod said gays were the reason her congregation was growing. Leaders representing most American and foreign synods voiced strong disapproval of these decisions because of those decisions opposed more fundamental doctrines of the church.

As with other mainline denominations, the democratic politics and secularly defined social relevance appears to be the most important factors in these decisions.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in American cannot be charge with religious fundamentalism. They have tossed the fundamentals out. The most important fundamental is abiding under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. As recorded in the book of Revelation, Christ told the churches in Asia Minor that he hated the politics and practices of sexual immorality that were being spread by the Nicolaitans and Jezebel, who was likely one of their leaders in Thyatira. Like the mediocre Laodiceans, the Evangelical Lutheran Church can only be charged with being faithful to secular fundamentalism.

The still popular song lyric sung by Jackie DeShannon expresses the religious sentiment of modern sexual politics, “all we need now is love … sweet [tolerant] love” not holiness and truth.

The problem with all of this is not whether the church will grow, or split, or gain social relevance. After this season testing, the problem will be when and how the Lord will come and fight against the immoral and their supporters. As Christ promised the Pergamum church, he will come and fight against them with the sword of His mouth. If that means anything like his warning to the unrepenting Jezebel, they and their loving supporters may receive the same judgment that the members of the tolerantly immoral cities of Sodom and Gomorrah received.

Whatever the outcome, it is clear that those who do not like a God who actually judges and punishes moral crime (sin, immortality) hate the rule of law and especially moral law. Moral law is God’s law.

One of the foundational doctrines of the Evangelical Lutheran Church concerns salvation: forgiveness of our moral crimes because Jesus suffered our punishment for them. That is what the death of Jesus on a wooden cross is all about. This grace of God is not tolerance. It is covenantal love based on unbending justice. The power of this gospel is newness of life by the power of God. A new life means old sinful lifestyles pass away. Anything less is a mockery of Christ’s life and death as well as God’s mercy and power, which “taking the name of the Lord in vain” means. It’s like being married but not acting like it, which is the reason the Church cannot justify marrying gays or any other sinners.

The Church cannot serve two masters: one in conformity with secular politics and the other with God in covenantal holiness. Condoning sin while claiming righteousness is so oxymoronic to be laughable. Maybe this is the reason for talk about the Church being irrelevant in contemporary culture.

Yes, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America maybe another victim of secular sexual politics, but it is also another denomination that has failed to overcome the trial Jesus said would come. Jesus also said, “Watch out! You who have brought about that fall; it would have been better had you crucified yourselves rather than to suffer the judgment that will overtake you” (Matthew 18:3-11, paraphrased).

Source: Washington Times, August 22, 2009 and

The Hosptial Tax

By State Representative Jarrod Martin

As you may be aware, Ohio faces incredibly important fiscal decisions as an $8 billion budget deficit looms in the next year. With 10.5 percent of Ohioans unemployed and thousands of jobs lost in the past 12 months alone, it is important that lawmakers in Columbus be focused on finding long-term solutions to our state’s budget problems.

House Bill 1, the biennial budget for 2010-2011, included a new hospital franchise fee, which raised taxes on our health care sector. According to the Ohio Hospital Association, this fee will generate approximately $718 million for the state.

Approximately $575 million of the new hospital franchise fee will be reimbursed to hospitals. To correct the disparity between these two figures, Ohio’s hospitals are responsible for about $150 million in new fees. This new responsibility has caused many of Ohio’s hospitals to cut jobs, reduce services, or delay expansion projects.

Hospitals are an important presence in Ohio, as they are among the top employers in the state. They represent a growing sector within the economy at a time when this sort of economic expansion is scarce. As a growing sector, hospitals also generate crucial economic activity. In fact, they are one of the major drivers of Ohio’s economy and provide much-needed jobs for many communities.

The new hospital franchise fee attempts to balance the state’s budget by drawing from Ohio’s hospitals. The goal is to decrease the deficit, but the consequences of this tax must be noted. It has the potential to affect job creation efforts and the welfare of Ohio’s families for years to come.

I am concerned that this hospital tax will not be an effective way to raise revenue for the state. It creates a palpable strain on the health care system. In addition, it adds pressure to Ohio’s taxpayers, as it asks them to take on the duty of balancing the budget.

As a solution, Representatives Terry Boose and Troy Balderson have introduced House Bill 497, which aims to minimize the hospital franchise fee. The proposed bill would subtract the cost of uncompensated care from the tax base, as well as Medicare and Medicaid costs. It would also reduce the tax base from 1.61 to 1.5 percent. These courses of action would follow the recommendations from the Ohio Hospital Association.

By relieving hospitals of taxes on the free services they provide, hospitals could save millions of dollars. This money saved could be used to pay their employees, renovate facilities and maintain stellar service to Ohioans. Ensuring a consistently outstanding health care system promotes the well-being of both the citizens of Ohio and the state’s economy. House Bill 497 is a step in the right direction toward rebuilding our economy and making Ohio a great place to work, live and raise a family.

Restricting Parental Access to the Classroom

In April, 2002, Minnesota parents concerned about curriculum content in a freshman class at Big Lake High School were invited to sit in on the class and see the content for themselves. That is, until principal Darrel Easterly found out. Suddenly, the morning of their scheduled visits, several moms learned that they had been banned from the school due to “privacy laws.” Mary Stultz, one of the moms, was stunned. “I was in total shock and spent the morning talking to a lawyer,” Stultz told writer Laura Adelmann at the time.

Another mom called Big Lake Superintendent Bob Lageson, who assured her it “should never happen again.” Yet, within weeks, the local school board was meeting to discuss adopting a policy requiring parents to make an appointment three days in advance of a visit, and granting to the principal wide discretion to prevent parents from entering the building even then.

After an unprecedented public outcry, the school board softened the three day requirement for parents of students to merely “as much advance notice as possible” – but they passed the new restriction. They even granted to the principal authority to detain unauthorized visitors until law enforcement arrives, citing criminal trespass laws.

Today, the current student handbook (pp.7-8) declares that “Big Lake High School does not allow students to bring guests or visitors to classes,” which includes parents. Even more importantly, the events that unfolded in Big Lake have played out numerous other times as well, throughout the country. And the courts have consistently upheld such decisions.

I don’t know if Xenia City Schools have in place such a policy; if their is, parents do have a potential remedy.

A proposed Parental Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution can halt the erosion of parental rights nation-wide, and restore to parents the right to visit their child and see what is being taught. This will not allow individual parents to shape curriculum for an entire school, but it will allow any parent to remain informed of classroom content, and hopefully to opt their child out of material they find offensive.

To learn more about the Parental Rights Amendment, go to ParentalRights.org.

States’ Rights and Nullification?

By Andy Myers

Are you kidding me. Of course I’m for it. Why? Well for one thing it was paramount in establishing limited government so that we could enjoy what so eloquently was stated in the Declaration of Independence:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

This of course was just a pretext leading up to even more limitations upon the government as the Constitution outlines in Article I Section 8.

So why then with the supreme law of limited government so expressly written by the founders could so many have such difficulty in understanding limited and government? Granted those two words define irony.

Fortunately though these statesmen came up with these amazing amendments to the Constitution called the Bill of Rights. Now these aren’t your rights. These are restrictions and limitations put upon the government so that you could enjoy the unalienable rights mentioned above. But wait. It gets even better. To make sure, as if it wasn’t clear enough that government was to be limited to the extent that the states and the people were to be sovereign, they included the ninth and tenth amendments which in a nutshell says, Article I Sect. 8 is ALL the powers you are granted and that if it isn’t in that clause..to bad Jack–the power is retained in the States and or the people. You really only need a grade school education and a little common sense to vindicate this side of the rule of law.

But the declaration above cannot survive the atmosphere of big government that we have today.

In his commentary published on Friday in Xenia Daily Gazette’s Opinion section, Steven Conn was correct when he said, “Lincoln was really the first ‘big government’ president.” And he was correct in pointing out the irony of the tea party folks holding a rally in front of a memorial of a president who shredded the “rule of law” which is what the tea party folks are supposedly championing-limited government, states rights, individual liberty, free markets and a limited foreign policy based on our charter documents.

I guess in today’s mental climate the above stated declaration and the rule of law is just some “blank piece of paper” according to a recent executive and too many others. All three branches have been treasonous and both major parties are guilty of crimes against the very documents they swore to uphold.

But, Mr. Conn is wrong in that “states rights” aren’t an avenue worth exploring. The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions of 1798-99 proved the threat of nullifying or interposing unconstitutional laws gave the states-and the people the last say-so. Thomas Jefferson put it plain and simple when he said,

“When all government, domestic and foreign, in little as in great things, shall be drawn to Washington as the center of all power, it will render powerless the checks of one government upon the other, and will become as venal and oppressive as the government from what we separated.”

Folks, what makes America unique is are uniqueness. We are not a one-size fits all people. Human nature will never allow it and until we accept the fact that what may be good for you might not be good for me, government is going to continue to enslave us. States’ Rights and Nullification is a tool that brings power back to the people. It has worked in several states issues such as Real ID, Firearms Freedom Acts, Medical Marijuana Acts just to name three. You as an individual wouldn’t come onto my property and threaten me with force to live and do as you see fit. So why then would you appoint a group of people-government to do what you cannot or would not do as an individual? That is tyranny. Which even a fifth grader understands is the opposite of liberty

Andy Myers is a resident of Jamestown and is a policy analyst for The Ohio Freedom Alliance.

Freedom’s God

By Daniel Downs

Last Friday, August 28, America commemorated the famous I Have a Dream speech of Martin Luther King, Jr. Throughout his pivotal protest speech, King alluded his religious faith, hope, and expectation of the freedom from oppression and the mundane challenges of realizing justice. He repeatedly referred to all people as God’s children. This expectant faith for freedom climaxed in the last three paragraphs in which King proclaimed:

… when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual,

… “Free at last, free at last.

… Thank God Almighty, we are free at last.”

The negro spiritual directs us back to the source and beginning of social, economic, and political freedom. The God of the Bible. This God liberated the Jews from Egyptian slavery. He is the God of Jesus who was sent to set free those enslaved by addictions, poverty, immorality, despair, as well as effects of oppression. Yet, the liberated are not free from a life without God. That would to return to Egypt or to some other source of bondage.

Is that not exactly what America has done?

The struggle for freedom that Americans enjoy began long ago in halls of Western Christendom. The legal and theological struggle for justice resulted in a long history of natural law rights that included life, liberty, property, and happiness. They were not vague principles as some seem to believe. Legal battles, social conflicts, and wars were fought against those authorities intending to deprive the descents of Anglo-Saxons and others of their inherent and inherited rights. America is an inheritor and promulgator of that long fought heritage of rights law that was firmly rooted and legitimated by biblical principles and right reason, none of which was outside the social or political geography of Christianity.

That is why the Continental Congress established the United States of America by a two-fold covenant: a covenant with God and a social compact with all citizens. That also is why America was established by a two-fold legal compact: a document defining the nation under natural law, the Declaration of Independence, and a document defining the type of government to fulfill the objectives of the national definition including the protection of those rights and perpetuate the right so defined, the Constitution.

King’s promissory note analogy of rights based on the equality of human nature is part of America’s national definition. Thomas Jefferson knew America was already in trouble with God because Negro slavery was made an exception to that equality and the enjoyment of those rights. It was made an exception by removing the clause from the national definition that would have ended slavery forever. Jefferson apprehension of divine judgment for this came to pass. Both the Civil War and the violence during the Civil Rights movement were proof. War, natural disasters, and similar tragedy represented to divine judgment to nearly all early Americans. That was the consensus view of the citizenry and leaders of Christian America until at least the beginning of the twentieth century.

The language of Abraham Lincoln’s speech the Emancipation Proclamation parallels the Declaration of Independence invoking God’s favor for an act of justice rooted in the Constitution. However, that justice was defined in the Declaration not the U.S. Constitution. The 13th Amendment did not become law until 1865. The Emancipation Proclamation was given on January 1, 1863. The language of Section 1 of the 14th Amendment (1868) references the Declaration as well.

Freedom’s God is nature’s God. Nature’s God is humanity’s God who created them. God created humans with an equality of worth and dignity because human nature is a reflection of himself. God created them in his image and capable of his likeness. Natural rights are constituted in socialibility of human nature. Jefferson saw them as gifts of God. They are the goods of the promise land that had to be fought for and must be maintained by a strong defense.

Unfortunately, it seems that that defense has been weakening because the Supreme Judge of the world has been ignored. Maybe God had been ignored for such a long time because America’s intentions has not been rectifiable before the divine bar of justice and truth. Consequently, the Protection of divine Providence cannot be expected. In fact, America officially seems to disregard divine Providence even after disasters like 9/11, Katrina, the great economic recessions, and the like.

Nevertheless, freedom has always been and will always be a divine gift based on moral law and human conformity to it. Without God, freedom progresses to various forms of slavery.

Sen. Brown Joins Mayor Bayless at HOPE Cafe in Xenia

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Xenia Mayor Marsha Bayless visited the HOPE Café in Xenia yesterday morning. Brown and Bayless toured the cafe and spoke with current and past apprentices participating in the program.

“Businesses like the HOPE Café provide participants with the skills and support to re-enter the workforce as competitive employees who are able to live independently,” said Senator Brown. “By providing tailored education programs for regional industry needs, we can ensure that all Ohioans are equipped with the skills for jobs of the 21st century.”

Through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009, Hope Café received $123,985 in funding through the Community Action Partnership. Brown and Bayless were joined by HOPE Café Director Gale Hutchinson.

Hope Café opened in September 2009 as a small catering company to provide culinary skills and job training for homeless men and women to prepare them for jobs in the restaurant and service industries. Just two weeks ago, HOPE Café opened as a restaurant. When the apprentices graduate from the eight week program they receive assistance in finding jobs at local restaurants.

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[While working in Ashland, this blogger visited Pump House Grille. It was developed by one of Ashland’s pastors (and, if memory serves, professor at Ashland College) to help homeless and low income individuals gain marketable skills. The food was quit good and the atmosphere very unique. The restaurant and related ministry outreaches are located in the abandoned F.E. Meyer Pump manufacturing building that was donate by its previous owner. Looking forward to visiting Xenia’s unique Hope Cafe.]

Is Jesus the only way to God?

In the post titled “Jesus & Co,” I explained (albeit, inadequately) what Jesus meant by the following passage found in the 14th chapter of John’s gospel:

“If you guys really knew me you would have known my Father also. So look here guys. You now know Him, and have seen Him.” (v.7)

I interpreted that verse to mean Jesus’ appearance, his behavior, and his work perfectly revealed God’s presence, character, and will toward humanity. Jesus assured his followers they would do likewise. Jesus based his expectations on their abiding love of God, which would perpetually motivate them to live a kingdom lifestyle. This lifestyle is characterized by behavior exemplifying the commandments of God.

In this final post on John subject, I will attempt to explain what Jesus meant by the verse prior to the one above, which is:

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me.”

Jesus’ bold statement has been a point of contention between theologians generally and between other religious faiths in particular. Most interpret it to mean Jesus is the one and only way to an afterlife in heaven with God. As such, most seem to regard it as both exclusivist and arrogant. This position of the offended seems to originate with the idea that Christianity claims that only believers in the gospel of Jesus can know God, can be accepted by God, and thus have eternal life with God.

The Christian view affirms the exclusiveness of Jesus’ statement. They have been guilty of implying that only believers in Jesus could possibly have any relationship whatsoever with God, and consequently, non-believers can not know God. This can not be true because the founders of most of the major world religions were visited by God, and the founders obviously responded positively to God. However, this does not necessarily mean those founders or their followers were or are redeemed by God. I will deal with this more later. Based on the exclusive claim of Christ, Christianity rightly claims that only those who put their faith in Jesus Christ can be assured of a place in heaven hereafter.

The basis of this audacious claim of Jesus, his apostles, and Christianity is that good works cannot and does not negate the dessert of justice for crimes (sins) committed against the laws of God.

In previous posts, it was shown that the human form resembles God’s appearance. Beyond physical appearance, we also have the capacity to imitate the moral, intellectual and creative characteristics of God. God’s issue with humanity is not appearances but with behavior. It is the our tendency practice behaviors unlike God. It is human immorality that offends God. More specifically, it is our moral crimes against the laws that is the problem.

Just as our legal system of justice–an imperfect reflection of divine justice–does not forgive people for murder, rape, abuse, oppress, steal, lie under oath, and similar criminal behaviors, neither does God. Our courts are supposed to punish crimes. That is because the rest of society must be protected from the potential harm of same criminals. So it is with the justice of God.

God is neither tolerant nor forgiving towards moral crime. The punishment for moral crime is death. As the Hebrew prophet Ezekiel wrote, “The soul that sins shall die” (Eze. 18:4). Writing to believers in Rome, Jesus’ apostle reaffirmed this truth when he stated, “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). From Adam to moderns, moral crimes results in separation of mutually beneficial and productive relationships. The ultimate alienation and divorce is our separation from our Creator and benefactor, God. Therefore, no one in any religion or in no religion can be acquitted of that sentence against their sins no matter how many good works they may practice. Because committing one sin is the same as violating all moral laws, any sin results in the same way–death.

Here is a clarifying example: Joe Smoozolli brutally murders John Gonn. It was a momentary act of rage brought on my John’s harassment. Joe moves out of state and changed his to Mark de Seet. Yes, Joe was ethnically French. All of this took place twenty years ago. Since then, Joe (aka Mark) has lived a exemplary life of good charitable citizenship and business success. However, Jane Austom and her husband Eddy runs into Joe while on vacation. They remember that the police believed Joe had killed John Gonn; so they call the police. Joe is arrested the next day. A month later, he stands trial for John’s murder. The evidence against Joe is overwhelming. No jury could possibly find him not guilty. Nevertheless, a number people believe Joe should be forgiven because of his good behavior, good deeds, charitable giving, and business success. Still, Joe is guilty of murdering John. The judge cannot forgive Joe, and the jury cannot be merciful towards him because of his exemplary life. All evidence proves beyond a reasonable doubt that Joe murdered John. The only possible verdict is guilty. Because the crime took place in Texas, the penalty is death.

Something very usual occurs during Joe’s sentencing. A business associate who also has a reputation for an exemplary life of kindness and charity and for good social works asks the court to allow himself to be executed instead of Joe. This man justifies his request on grounds that Joe has lived a humble and repentant live and because of his 4 children and wife need him. On the other hand, this man has no family needing his care and provision. His business will be sold to another. He is ready to face eternity because he is certain that he is in good standing with God. Joe, however, is not.

The only way God will accept Joe’s repentance; the only reason Joe will make it to heaven is if Joe finds out how his business associate stands accepted before God.

The answer is the sinless man Jesus was punish for the moral crimes committed by Joe, and Joe represents every human that has lived or will ever live. Because neither good works nor the death of animals in place of guilty humans are sufficient to fully satisfy divine justice, only a sinless man willing to suffer the penalty for the moral crimes of others could possibly do so. Jesus is the only person to have accomplish it. That is the claim of Jesus above: “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me.”

By Daniel Downs

Is Steve Austria the Ohio GOP’s Charlie Rangel?

By John Mitchel

Republican Steve Austria may be laying low in the dark shadows brought on by the House Ethics Committee’s investigation of Charlie Rangel, but that convenient diversion is only short-lived. The Democrats are looking for a GOP scapegoat to take the pressure off their own scandals, and they may have found one in Congressman Austria. Much of Rangel’s agony is brought on by his incomplete and inaccurate Financial Disclosure Statements filed with the House Ethics Committee, but at least Rangel filed, something that it appears Steve Austria overlooked in November, 2007 shortly after he announced his initial run for Congress.

Federal law requires that first-time candidates like Steve Austria in 2007 file a Form B with the House Ethics Committee no later than 30 days after raising or spending $5,000. However, according to www.fec.gov, Austria’s campaign raised more than $90,000 on October 27, 2007. Therefore Mr. Austria was required by law to file a personal Financial Disclosure Statement (Form B) no later than November 27, 2007, which he did not, unless the House Ethics Committee failed to make it available to the public. If Austria knowingly and willfully failed to file, or withheld information required by the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 he could receive one year in prison and/or a $50,000 fine.

But failing to file may be the least of Austria’s worries as when he did get around to filing in May, 2008, he omitted some important information, not the least of which are Mrs. Austria’s employment with Nextedge Development Corporation and The University of Dayton, not to mention his association with the not-for-profit Dayton Development Coalition. It’s important to note that those may be legal activities, but knowingly and willfully failing to disclose them clearly violates the Ethics in Government Act of 1978.

Post-Watergate financial disclosure laws were passed to give the public a clear window into potential conflicts of interest by candidates for the U.S. Congress. The first Financial Disclosure Statement filed by a non-incumbent is the most important because it serves as a baseline ethics metric for what could be a decades-long career in Congress, as is the case with New York Congressman Charlie Rangel. Whether or not Mr. Rangel weathers the Ethics Committee hearings, his legacy is forever tainted. As far as Steve Austria’s legacy – well, we’ll have to see how that unfolds if and when the House Ethics Committee holds true to their promise to investigate both Democrats and Republicans with equal intensity.

Cost of Government Day and Ohio

Ohioans worked 230 days before their portion of government spending and debt was paid. The national average was 231.6 days, according to the Cost of Government Day report.

“The calculation of Cost of Government Day for each state is based on the varying government burdens suffered in each state. Federal tax and spending burdens are also a large contributing factor. These federal burdens vary because relatively higher burdens are borne by states with relatively higher incomes. State and local tax and spending burdens vary as well.”

“In recent years most states increased taxes to continue their spending extravaganzas during the economic downturn.” The Cost of Government reported state tax increases since 2003 based on the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO). Ohio earned the honors of the state with the 9th highest tax increases. Since 2003, Ohio taxes increased over $13.2 billion. That means the average tax increase for every Ohio citizen was $1,140.98.

“Unfortunately, state lawmakers’ penchant for tax hikes has shown no sign of abating this year: FY 2010 net tax increases across the U.S. total $23.9 billion. As governors and legislators have learned that tax increases are political losers that lead to a loss of business, jobs, residents, and economic growth, they have started to search for less visible ways to acquire revenues that keep them from being forced to cut spending.” Some examples of less visible means of taxation include increasing fees, increasing sin taxes, etc.

As might be expected, taxpayers have been looking to escape the burden of increasing taxes. Migration to states with lower taxes is reportedly the preferred strategy.

“Several studies, including the American Legislative Exchange Council’s “Rich States, Poor States,” and past reports by the Americans for Tax Reform Foundation have documented the movement of taxpayers from high tax to low tax states in recent years.”

“These studies present compelling evidence that taxes are the single largest factor in interstate migration, compared to factors such as climate, employment, family relocation, etc.”

Using Internal Revenue Service data, the report shows that “the ten states with the highest tax burden lost over 3 million residents from 1998 through 2008. These residents took with them a staggering $92 billion in income”.

“During the same period over 2.3 million migrants moved to the states with the lowest tax burden, bringing more than $97 billion with them.”

“In addition to higher levels of emigration, higher tax states also maintain higher unemployment rates, placing an expanding tax burden on a shrinking tax base. It is unsurprising, then, that the top five highest-tax states consistently have about a 0.5 percent higher unemployment rate than the five states with the lowest tax burden.”

“States that attempt to raise taxes to balance their budgets encourage their most productive citizens to find more welcoming homes. They also discourage productivity, as taxpayers get to keep less of what they earn in high-tax states. Worst of all, increased taxes provide government with the permission it needs to grow by sustaining the bloated spending of irresponsible state governments. Absent significant changes in their tax-and-spend schemes, these high tax states will soon find themselves without a populace to support the extravagant costs of living in those states.”

I still wonder if allowing casinos to operate in Ohio will do much to lessen the tax burden. In the long run, I the negative social impact of related crime and wrecked families will likely prove the cost was greater than the benefit.

A more responsible approach would have been to cut more unnecessary programs instead of threatening those programs most needed for the most vulnerable in order shame those who still possess a moral conscience.

Nevertheless, the report presented one positive development. In 2009, Ohio ranked 31st among the 50 states in terms of number of days worked to pay for national spending. This year, Ohio was ranked 27th. This means citizens worked fewer days to pay for the Empire’s spending spree than they did last year.

Hoo Rah!