Issue 3: Assault on Health Care in Ohio

I know you’re reading this thinking, this can’t be real, but is it friends.  It is almost as though every time I wake in the morning I get email alerts about the bat-shit crazy legislation the GOP is trying to push through Ohio’s General Assembly.  Well, I do, but that isn’t the point.

Issue 3 is Ohio’s attempt to opt out of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).  Because some conservative somewhere plans to run on the “we want to pay more platform” or the more than likely “I represent people with money.” 

Issue 3 appears on this November’s ballot, remember they count on a smaller turnout because there isn’t a major election, but Issues 2 & 3 are more than enough reason to venture out.  Vote NO on Issue 3.  Vote NO on Issue 2. I’m all about the NO this year.

If passed Issue 3 will have long lasting negative effects in the areas below (and more):

Workers Comp

COBRA

Child Support Enforcement Orders

College and University Student Health Insurance Coverage Requirements

Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Tax Levies

Regulation of Insurance Company Practices

School Immunizations and Disease Tracking

For more information:

http://www.progressohio.org/blog/2011/09/website-launch-heralds-beginning-of-the-campaign-against-ill-advised-issue-3.html

http://www.ohiodailyblog.com/content/vote-no-issue-3?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

http://votenoissue3.com/

Comics shortcomings...

I love comics. I'm a collector, when Season 9 of Buffy premiered last week I picked up the collectible and the standard issue.  That being said maybe I should qualify my love for comics a little more. I'm a Marvel and Dark Horse fan. I branch out a little from there in order to communicate with my fellow nerds.  For example I had to pick up the New Justice League even through I am morally opposed to an entire universe reboot.  Hey, it's your dime DC.

So let's talk a little about the New Justice League: no women.  But that's ok DC doesn't have any women writers either.  Seriously, I read Issue 1 looking for the Wonder Woman of my friend's youth. The feminist, they have diluted over decades, but I didn't even get Wonder Woman lite.  Just the promise of a Batman/Superman show down in Issue 2 [hurl].

Now, we have two more debuts this week: Catwoman and Red Hood and the Outlaws. Catwoman, you say, niffy.  Wait, this is DC we're talking about.  There is something you should know about women in DC's new universe: they have control over their own sexuality which means they must be draw like porn money shots.

So, let's begin with sexuality as depicted by DC so far (granted I haven't picked up every issue, but I image if they have a closing scene where Robin gets nailed on a roof, someone might have mentioned it), heteronormativity is at it's best. I'm serious in both of these comics women and men have sex.  Catwoman and Batman do it on a roof in the final panel, which is weird to me. I mean we all knew that was happening, but why do it? How does that add to character development?  This is where a lot of films go wrong, too.  They make the assumption the audience needs to see more.  However, this isn't out of character for either characters so I can move on. However, when do we see Seleina Kyle's face? Not in the first few panels, where we get shots of her breasts in a red bra, which matters because of the coloring of the panel, and the second shot of her ass is leather pants. This is like porn.  Women don't have faces.

Alright, now let's talk about Starfire in Red Hood and the Outlaws.  I don't know much about this character, but my understanding is that she was always about the free love, but the way the 1960s knew it not the way Conservatives would claim to understand it.  It the first issue of Red Hood and the Outlaws, Starfire has a sexual relationship with two male characters (of course they're male, if men aren't involved sexuality doesn't exist here).  She can't remember the names of the men with whom she had sex. I don't have a problem with this. It is the way she says "I am free to do what I want when I want"[emphasis not my own].  SEXUAL REVOLUTION! Except without any of the discussion around what this means.  Emotionless sex isn't free, nothing is.  I'm not one to claim all sex has meaning for everyone involved, but sex between co-workers will (scroll lower for a discussion on Buffy).  This is female sexuality as depicted by men for men, which speaks to the larger issue of women in comics.  They are written and draw as porn stars and Barbie.  To begin with this alienates your audience secondly being depicted as Barbie doesn't make Emma Frost sound like an nymphomaniac.

And let's talk about Emma Frost and how to appropriately turn a sex icon into a major player.  Emma spends her comic life in her underwear, and unlike her depiction in X-men: First Class, she isn't some puppet.  Emma Frost is a serious big bad.  She owns her sexuality and nearly takes down the X-men.  Why you ask? Because she's involved in a pissing contest with Jean Grey.  Yep, two seriously awesome women and poor Scott Summers gets caught in the middle, and barely makes it out a live.  One of my favorite scenes is below.

Yeah you saw that right, Emma seduced Scott to piss off Jean, and what is not shown? A bad ass telepathic war, where Jean kicks her ass, and thus will always be the bigger bad.  That's how you write a woman who doesn't put too much stock in emotional sex. And I know she does have feelings for Scott in the long run, but a lot of this began because of Jean.

The comic that does sexuality and natural depictions of characters really well is Buffy. Yeah. I love Whedon, but seriously.  Let's begin in Season 8, the first season of the comics.  In the "Wolves at the Gate" arch, Buffy begins a sexual relationship with another slayer.  No, she didn't switch teams, but because sexuality is a spectrum she can explore sex with another woman and not redefine herself.  They keep it quiet until one of those "why is everyone in my bedroom talking to me when I'm naked" moments [hey, we've all been there].  The relationship itself is interesting for a variety of reasons including the discussion of power between two women, which is hardly ever discussed. Buffy is in charge in this war they're fighting, but what about in the relationship? Who calls the shots?  Buffy, and that is a problem in an equatable relationship and not the first time this has been a problem for Buffy. And what about the rest of their colleagues?  Are Willow and Xander ok with Buffy screwing the staff?  And the discussion between Willow and Buffy about being a lesbian verses playing both sides.  Willow expressing how difficult it was for her to come out, and now Buffy decides she wants to be gay for a while and manipulating a lesbian who has real feelings for Buffy (from Willow's point of view) all the while kicking ass and taking names in Tokyo.  Yeah, that's how you do sexuality. And what about heterosexual sexual liberation?  Issue 1 Season 9 will rock your socks.  Mostly because Buffy spends most of it trying to put together the night before. Because all decisions have consequences, which a bigger metaphor for the end of Season 8, no spoilers.

Summary:
Missing women
Poor representations of women both in the writing and visual depictions
Lack of diversity in our heros
Lack of complete discussions of sexuality
We should all worship at the alter of Whedon

For a much better take than I could ever hope of giving: http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/09/22/starfire-catwoman-sex-superheroine/

A Cleveland City Ordinance That Threatens People's Jobs, Of Course

Thanks to Tim for pointing this one out.

In case you don't know it's bad in Cleveland. Like seriously bad.  In the 90s and 2000s it was the steel industry completely dying, then the recession hit and the service industry jobs dried up too.  Now Cleveland's trying to make it impossible to have a job. My speculation is that next an ordinance will go through demanding no one can have full-time job, you know for the hell of it.

Proposed Cleveland's City Ordinance 347-11 targets the music/arts scene in Cleveland.  Recently, Cleveland found out that some of the larger venues in the Cleve were not paying admissions taxes.  In response the City of Cleveland drafted this golden nugget that will stop all live music that exceed "the volume level of an unplugged acoustic instrument." Wait, what? Live music would be over in the "Home of Rock and Roll"?  Well, this might be why Omaha has the booming music scene [ok so I'm dating myself, but that was an awesome song].

Rumor has it this was the brain child of a preservationist group out of Tremont (Ward 3) [oh, we're coming for you] back in March.  Apparently, the document is pretty dense, more than likely as part of the greater plan of keeping people from reading it all the way through. However, this is defiantly an attack on rock and roll and music makers in Cleveland.  As of now it isn't out of City Hall, but we know how fast that can happen.

Below is a summary I pulled from the Cleveland Examiner:

500 foot restrictions to places of "entertainment" (bars, taverns, clubs, restaurants, etc):

•  No such use will be located within five hundred (500) feet of another such use if either use is located in a Local Retail or Residential District. (translation: there cannot be two places of entertainment within 500 ft. of each other) (could you imagine residents of NASHVILLE going for this)?

 The use will not be located within five hundred (500) feet of a residential district or day care center, kindergarten,elementary or secondary school, public library, church, playground, public or nonprofit recreation center or community center. (Is there anywhere on land that ISN'T within 500 ft. of one or more of those things)? Nightclubs:  No nightclub shall be located within five hundred (500) feet of a Residential District, measured in a straight line from property line to property line.

Volume restrictions:

•  In Local Retail Districts, entertainment provided in any restaurant, tavern or bar as well as an accessory use or activity in any business, shall be limited to unamplified acoustic musical instruments or other entertainment that produces noise levels no greater than that produced by unamplified acoustic musical instruments.

• In all zoning districts, the space in which the entertainment will take place shall be situated, designed and configured in a manner that ensures that no noise or vibration emanating from such use will be perceptible on the premises of any Residential District or dwelling unit existing at the time of the establishment of the use other than a dwelling unit located in the same building as the entertainment activity. (In other words, unless the establishment can afford COMPLETE soundproofing they can't do it.)

  Things directly affected:  

• Section 690.01 Definitions

• The terms used in this chapter shall have the following meanings unless another meaning is clearly apparent in the 
language or context:

• (a) “Public Dance” means any dance that is attended or patronized by the public with or without the payment of a fee 
or other valuable consideration, including restaurant dancing. “Public Dance” does not mean or include exhibitions or performances in which the persons paying for admission do not participate or activities in an establishment whose primary purpose is to provide lessons for persons contracting for dance instruction and not for the entertainment of the general public, or dance classes given by a business whose primary purpose is to provide lessons for persons contracting for dance instruction.

•  

• (b) “Amusement device” as used in this Chapter means:

•  

• (1) any computer, electronic and/or video machine, or mechanical device, including pinball machine, which, upon the 
insertion or deposit of a coin, slug, token or disc, permits a person or operator using such device, whether or not registering a score, to secure some amusement, enjoyment, entertainment or relaxation by the use of such machine or device. 

• 
  

• (2) any computer, machine, game or apparatus including individual computer terminal screens which may be operated by the public generally to participate in any contest or promotion for prizes conducted in connection with the sale of 
consumer products or services.

• 
  

• (3) “Amusement device” does not include music amplification, billiard or pool tables as regulated by this Chapter, or 
picture arcades or live viewing booths as regulated by Chapter 699. (Guess that means these guys don't mind the peep show booths)

•  

• (c) “Applicant” means the person who files an application to operate an entertainment venue and in whose name the 
license is issued.

• 
  

• (d) “Billiards” as used in this chapter, means any of the several games played on a table surrounded by an elastic ledge 
or cushions, with balls which are impelled by a cue, and includes all forms of the game known as pool. “Billiard Room” means any public place wherein the game of billiards is permitted to be played, but shall not include a school.

• 
  

• (e) “Bowling Alley” means a building or room containing a smooth, level lane used for bowling.

• 
  

• (f) “Entertainment Venue” means a building, room, or premises containing or providing for public dance, two or more 
amusement devices as defined in division (b)(1) of Section 690.01, any number of amusement devices as defined in division (b)(2) of Section 690.01, billiards, bowling alleys, pinball machines, or roller rinks; and any restaurant, coffee house, night club, or other similar place where refreshments or entertainment is provided for the general public, including outdoor patios that are a part of those places, and that uses music amplification; whether or not such building, room or premises have other business purposes of any nature whatsoever.

• 
  

• (g) “Music Amplification” means any vocal or instrumental music, or mechanically produced music, which is augmented, rebroadcast or amplified through the use of electrically-powered microphones or speakers, specifically excluding television sets. 
(Of course, wouldn't want to keep the sports fans from having fun)

• 
  

• (h) “Operator” means any person or organization that owns, controls, operates, promotes or maintains or knowingly 
engages in conduct that facilitates the operation of an entertainment venue.

• 
  

• (i) “Pinball Machine” means any machine or device commonly or popularly known as a pinball machine and any 
machine or device which registers a score and in which or on which a person can shoot or roll, either manually or mechanically, one or more pellets, balls or marbles upon the insertion or deposit of a coin, slug, token or disc or upon the payment of a consideration. 

• 
  

• (j) “Person” means any individual, receiver, assignee, firm, co-partnership, joint venture, corporation, company, joint 
stock company, limited liability company, association, society, or any group of individuals acting as a unit, whether mutual, cooperative, fraternal, nonprofit or otherwise. 

• 
  

• (k) “Private Dance” means and includes any dance or event that is not readily accessible to the public and which is 
not held and conducted for a profit, either directly or indirectly, and which requires no monetary payment or contribution from any of the persons admitted. 

• 
  

• (l) “Roller Rink” means a building, room, enclosure, premises, place or establishment in the City where roller skating 
is offered to the general public upon payment of a fee or charge.

• 
  

• (m) “School” means any educational institution, public, private, secular or parochial, which offers instruction of high 
school grade or lower.

• 
  

• (n) “Security Protection After Dark” means the provision of at least one uniformed sworn law enforcement officer or 
at least one uniformed and licensed security guard continuously on the premises of the entertainment venue during the period of 9:00 PM until one hour after the closing hour of the entertainment venue as provided in Section 690.07.

Additionally, City Hall plans to tax these people: 

Entertainment Venue Fees:

• Base Fee- $200

Public Dance (total dance area of 400 square feet or less) -base fee Public Dance (total dance area of 401 square feet to 2500 square feet)- base fee plus $100.00.Public Dance (total dance area of more than 2500 square feet)- base fee plus $150.00Two or more Amusement Devices under division (b)(1) of Section 690.01- base fee, plus $40.00 per device over 2Amusement Device under division (b)(2) of Section 690.01- $1,000.00 plus $300.00 per deviceBilliards- base fee, plus $20.00 per table over 1

• Bowling Alley- base fee, plus $20.00 per lane over 8

• Restaurant, coffee houses, night clubs or other 

similar place that uses music amplification- base fee, plus $75.00 for an outdoor area

• Roller Rink- base fee

Cleveland friends, I demand you contact your Councilperson.  Do it now. I'll wait.

I'm serious. I don't want to move back to Cleveland and find out I can't go see any show worth a damn.  Anyway, why should the load minority opinion of "concerned citizens" be the only opinion that counts? We get enough of that on the national stage.

Feel like writing about your feelings or maybe just calling? Below:
Cleveland City Council
601 Lakeside Ave., Room 220
Cleveland, Oh 44114
216-664-2840

For more reading: http://www.examiner.com/nightlife-in-cleveland/cleveland-s-proposed-city-ordinance-347-17-threatens-livelihoods-of-thousands-1

Ohio Dems Smack Down in 2012

I'm really sad to write this.  At first I kind of thought it was a joke.  I mean look at the new Ohio Congressional District map.  But it is true one district will snake around from from Toledo to Cleveland.  What does this mean for voters?

1. This area is packed with democrats, life long dems actually.  This are the old steel towns going up the lake.  So we're going blue, but now we have to choose between Marcy Kaptur and Dennis Kucinich.  I'm hoping the campaigns are civil, and they should be give these two are friends.
2. A non-representative government.  I like Kaptur; she's great and a good representative of her district.  However, Toledo is not Cleveland.  The demographics alone demonstrate the differences in Cleveland we are 2 to 1 black.  I think Toledo is 70% white (that may be a dated stat).  Kucinich has always been good to Cleveland's poor.  My first memory of this man is when he came to Mound Elementary School (on the corner of Mound and E 55th) to keep it open after the roof fell in.  He rallied with a neighborhood with one of the lower income tax rates in a recession.  My family became life long supporters.  I'm sure Kaptur has done for her district the same sort of things, but I also know some problems are regional.

To sum this up: gerrymandering.  Ohio republicans think they are redistrict and keep their seats after the voter suppression and anti-worker bills they are forcing through the Ohio Assembly.  No friends.  Not going to happen.  Vote these sons of bitches out of office.  

The Cleveland Plain Dealer ran an interesting article laying things out for us.  Particularly interesting is their list of "winners" and "losers"
And the "winners" are"
1. Republicans, of course.
2. Steve LaTourette (14th District), he's gaining a lot of ground in Cuyahoga county, but only where there are no democrats.
3. Steve Stivers (15th District) and Pat Tiberi (12th District), more suburban landscape on top of Columbus.  No need to fear the democrat is one of the Klan strong holds is voting.
4. Columbus Democrats, there are a lot of Dems in Columbus and this will give them a chance to get back in there.
And the "losers"
1. Dennis Kucinich (10th District), see above.
2. Betty Sutton (13th District), loses her home town and Akron.  She won't win, which will make that ass who told her to go back to the kitchen happy.
3. Steve Austria (7th District), he will have to run in a primary against Republican Mike Turner (3rd District).

http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2011/09/new_remap_will_give_democrats.html

Third Highest Poverty Rate in the Nation and Maybe a Government Shutdown, well that will show those Washington elitists

Yeah...probably not.

The Senate sent the House's spending bill back which means: Government Shutdown 2011 Part II.  I'm not overly concerned about this.  We've been here before and the Dems caved.  I'll blog more about it if things look like they are coming to fruition/shutdown.

Otherwise let's talk about poverty in the District.  According to the latest data I've seen, DC has the third highest poverty level in the nation hovering somewhere around 1 in 5.  Yeah, 1 in 5 people in DC live in poverty.  Elitists.

We're trailing Mississippi and Louisiana.  Shocking I know you never thought we'd be trailing them in anything except illiteracy numbers, but really you were thinking Georgia, right?  The have such financial worries they are killing potentially innocent men to save money, which isn't cost effective.

Additionally, DC just made Bloomberg Business Weekly's best city to live in list.  I think #6.  We have some awesome restaurants, schools, and the like too bad no one from here can afford them.  Bloomberg also spent a little time discussing your likelihood to be a victim of violent crime in the District.  I still think we should divide that category into native vs. tourist.  You're always more likely to be a victim if you're a tourist.  That's a Commandment, but not in the Constitution.

The Census Bureau's American Community Survey suggests nearly 110,000 people live in poverty in the District.  That maybe more people that the entire population of Montana.  Additionally, contained in that number are 30,500 children.

Let's save some money and not declare war on Pakistan, and let's end the other three.  While we're at it we should tax the wealthiest Americans and businesses.  Your company wants to be here then you have to pay for that right.

Cobra subsidy set to end September 1st

Ok, so why didn't I know about this? No idea. Really, I'm pretty on top of these things. I read a lot of blogs.

Cobra, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, is set to end on Thursday. Cobra allows people to continue with their health insurance plans after leaving their employment. This has a variety of subject matter including Title X, which allows the Public Health Services Act to deny income tax deductions to employers for contributions to group health plans.

In 2009, the feds subsidized Cobra reducing the costs for unemployment by 65%. According to The Kaiser Family Foundation the subsidy brought costs under control:

The average monthly cost of maintaining COBRA coverage without the subsidy is about $1,137 for a family policy and $410 for an individual, according to calculations from The Kaiser Family Foundation. With the subsidy, costs plummet to a more affordable $398 per month for a family and $144 for individuals.

Clearly, without the subsidy people are going to go without insurance, which is find because we have a public option...wait that's not right. Cobra enrollment ended in May 2010, but extensions for the subsidies prolonged them for the past 15 months. People would still qualify will lose that benefit on September 1. The $25 billion Cobra subsidy was predicted to help 7 million laid off workers and their families, but Kaiser found that the program doubled after the subsidy was made available. This implies many people couldn't afford insurance without the subsidy so I guess those program numbers will bottom out.

Important stats for this conversation:

In November, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that nearly 59 million Americans went without health insurance coverage for at least part of 2010. Federal health officials said 4 million more Americans went without health insurance that year compared to 2008.

Currently, about 9.1 percent of Americans are unemployed, according to the most recent statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

This is a serious concern for the unemployed. But then again who cares. They're just poor people. But let's continue to fight for the rich people's rights to keep their money. Without insurance those pesky poor people won't be around for long [sarcasm].

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/204002/20110825/cobra-subsidy-to-end-on-sept-1.htm

August 26, 2011 is Women's Equality Day

Well, I'm very thankful. We have a day and everything. No ERA though. Oh, and women's reproductive right are under attack and this latest right wing attack on workers which focuses on the teachers' unions (a traditionally female profession).

But we have a day.

Sure, President Obama has delivered on a few things like Lilly Ledbetter, female Supreme Court Justices, Health Care Reform, etc. However, I don't think we should just be grateful and shut up. I'm concerned over the silence of the Obama administration on the attacks on labor across the nation. Additionally, the left is doing little to defend women's reproductive rights.

President Obama's press release stated:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim August 26, 2011, as Women's Equality Day. I call upon the people of the United States to celebrate the achievements of women and recommit ourselves to the goal of gender equality in this country.

So, I spent the day working (for at last count .77 to the dollar) and gathering supplies for hurricane Irene.

Issue 2, not our only concern in Ohio

Dear Ohio Republicans, Please stop trying to employ voter suppression. Thank you, Ohio

Ohio House Bill 194 is a Republican bill aiming to reform Ohio election laws. I'm on board with calling this voter suppression. Though I recognize that isn't fair and balanced, but I don't really care.

Ohio Democrats are gathering a232,000 valid voter signatures to add another referendum on the November 2012 ballot. If they do this by September 29, 2011 the law will be put on hold for a year (it is set to take effect on September 30, 2011). The law shortens the period of early voting and tells poll workers they are not required to direct voters to the right tables in multi-precinct polling places, etc. Republicans are claiming this isn't about voter suppression but instead about unifying election practices in all 88 counties.

What does House Bill 194 do:

• Shortens the period of early voting from 35 days to 21
• Shorten the period in-person early voting at boards of elections from 35 days to 12 days
• Tells poll workers they are not required to direct voters to the right tables in multi-precinct polling places
• Would not allow in-person early voting on the Saturday, Sunday and Monday before election day
• Prevents counties from mailing absentee ballot applications to voters with notices they send their polling location information

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/politics/2011/08/23/dems-push-referendum-to-end-republican-voter-law/

AFL-CIO to Democrats: Game on

Does anyone else long for the days of "if you're not with us, then you're against us" labor?

I do. I'm less than 30 pages from finishing We Are Wisconsin, and this book has played with my emotions. But now at the end, I'm just angry. I'm angry labor blinked and backed down. Wisconsin workers should have called for a general. If nothing else, at least the other Governors trying to push similar legislation through would have had the fear of god put in them, but I digress.

AFL-CIO President, Richard Trumka, told reporters this morning that labor groups are planning on pulling back their involvement and support for the Democrats in the upcoming 2012 election. Trumka and labor have apparently realized that the Dems have failed them or are willing to sell them out. Saying:

“We’re going to use a lot of our money to build structures that work for working people” Trumka said. “You’re going to see us give less money to build structures for others, and more of our money will be used to build our own structure.”

Additionally, the AFL-CIO are going to set up a super PAC, which will allow the them to spend unlimited amounts of money on political activity. I'm not a fan of this, but if corporations are aloud to do it and Stephen Colbert is aloud to try then why the hell not get labor involved.

Trumka admits that he know some affiliates aren't going to fall in line on this, but the AFL-CIO is moving forward. They are continuing to discuss the affiliates who are not willing.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0811/62057.html

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/203879/20110825/afl-cio-scale-back-ties-to-democrats.htm