Kasich advisor thought his racist comments were off-the-record
A top adviser to Ohio Gov. John Kasich has come under fire for a statement critics say was racist and aimed at suppressing the vote of African-Americans. [...]
Matt Borges, executive director of the state Republican party, said Preisse thought his comments to the Dispatch were off the record.
Great excuse!
Judge bans UC’s free speech policy
A federal judge Wednesday permanently barred the University of Cincinnati from enforcing a free speech policy he has declared unconstitutional.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Black threw out the policy in June after concluding it violated students’ free speech rights by restricting protests, rallies and other activities to a designated “free speech area” on campus.
Many analysts have said a desire to recruit younger, tech-savvy workers drives the job shift to downtown. Tony Smaniotto, senior managing director at Studley Inc., said cost control is another factor.
Downtown space is associated with higher rent and taxes. But Smaniotto said companies can realize savings by putting people in space that’s more efficient than a suburban campus, where grounds must be landscaped and atriums heated.
After the New York Times picked up the story about Ohio’s discriminitory early-voting system:
On Wednesday afternoon, Jon Husted, the Ohio Secretary of State, announced that all Ohio counties would follow a uniform early-voting policy. The policy would extend early-voting hours to 7 p.m. on weekdays during the last two weeks before the election, though all early voting is banned during the final three days of the campaign.
Ryan Sponsored Abortion Bill That Would Make Romney’s Kids Criminals
The Sanctity of Human Life Act, which [Paul] Ryan co-sponsored, would have enshrined the notion that life begins at fertilization in federal law, thus criminalizing in vitro fertilization—the process of creating an embryo outside of a woman’s womb. In IVF, doctors typically create multiple embryos and then only implant the healthiest ones in the woman. Some of them stick and become babies, and some don’t. The embryos that don’t make it to the womb are either frozen for later use or destroyed. The Sanctity of Human Life Act, if passed, would make all those embryos “people” in the legal sense, so if they aren’t used or don’t become babies after being implanted, they would essentially become murder victims under the law.
Can You Take a Photograph Anywhere?
Literally every day, someone is being arrested for doing nothing more than taking a photograph in a public place. It makes no sense to me. Photography is an expression of free speech.
Since 9/11, there’s been an incredible number of incidents where photographers are being interfered with and arrested for doing nothing other than taking pictures or recording video in public places. [...]
What we’re seeing is photographers being charged with disorderly conduct, trespass and obstruction of governmental administration for doing their job. I call it the catch and release program. Almost always the D.A. will drop the charges immediately. But in the meantime, the police have managed to stop the person from photographing.
Retail is not economic development. People don’t suddenly have more money to spend on hip waders because a new Bass Pro or Cabela’s comes to town. All that happens is that money spent at local mom and pop retailers shifts to these big box retailers. When government gives these big box stores tax dollars, they are effectively picking who the winners and losers are going to be.
Why Have So Many Cities and Towns Given Away So Much Money to Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s?
My Sister Paid Progressive Insurance to Defend Her Killer In Court
Matt Fisher:
In Maryland, you may not sue an insurance company when they refuse to fork over your money. Instead, what [my parents] had to do was sue the guy who killed my sister, establish his negligence in court, and then leverage that decision to force Progressive to pay the policy. […]
At the trial, the guy who killed my sister was defended by Progressive’s legal team.
If you are insured by Progressive, and they owe you money, they will defend your killer in court in order to not pay you your policy.
The other night someone asked me if there were 3 or 4 craft brewers in Cincinnati and I told the guy I could think of almost a dozen right off the top of my head.
Bob Schwartz (a.k.a. 5chw4r7z) on Dockside Brewing Co., Cincinnati’s newest microbrewery
Ohio sets up one early-voting system for Republican counties, another for Democratic counties
Now, in heavily Democratic cities like Cleveland, Columbus, Akron and Toledo, early voting hours will be limited to 8 am until 5 pm on weekdays beginning on October 1, with no voting at night or during the weekend, when it’s most convenient for working people to vote. [...]
Yet in solidly Republican counties like Warren and Butler, GOP election commissioners have approved expanded early voting hours on nights and weekends.
The easiest way to win an election is to make sure that your opponent’s supporters can’t vote, using tactics like enacting unnecessarily strict voter ID laws and reducing early voting hours in urban counties.