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Mar
8
Okay class, here’s another lesson in media literacy.
This Plain Dealer editorial from today is about the Ohio governor’s delay in getting information to the Ohio auditor’s office. Let’s take a look:
State Auditor Mary Taylor got the head lines she wanted last week by blasting the bookkeeping of Gov. Ted Strickland’s administration. But Republican Taylor couldn’t have drawn that ink if a) there weren’t, in fact, a paperwork problem and b) if word play by Democrat Strickland’s budget aides hadn’t confused Ohioans about the state’s finances.
Can anyone spot Lesson #1 and 2 in this graph? I’ll give you a hint – they are both in the very first sentence.
State Auditor Mary Taylor got the head lines she wanted last week by blasting the bookkeeping of Gov. Ted Strickland’s administration.
The first lesson has to do with verbiage. I’ll focus in for you a little bit more:
State Auditor Mary Taylor got the head lines she wanted…
Let’s walk this through, shall we?
“State Auditor Mary Taylor” – okay – that’s the who.
“Got the head lines she wanted” – okay – that’s the what.
Now – “got the head lines she wanted.”
Hmmm, let’s see now – “got”? the head lines she wanted?
Well, who “gave” them to her? Oh. Yeah. That would be the mainstream newspapers. They gave her what she wanted.
Because if she “got” something, someone had to be the “giver” right? And the giver of the head lines? Newspapers. Or any news outlet. Take a look at these articles that mostly “give” Taylor what she wanted, though a few try to stick to the facts without invective.
And that brings us to Lesson #2:
State Auditor Mary Taylor got the head lines she wanted last week by blasting the bookkeeping of Gov. Ted Strickland’s administration.
Where’d the notion of “blasting” come from? Ha! What a surprise! Check out a previous PD head line about the story whose editorial filter decided 1) to “give” Taylor what she wanted and 2) to label her statements about the tardiness as “blasting”:
Ya think those editors are trying to have the readers believe that Taylor, you know, was “blasting” Strickland? Because we wouldn’t be able to gather that on our own if just reading a straight telling of what she said and why?
The editorial also leaves out the fact that Taylor’s office itself was late in turning in information – I wrote about that yesterday – and so that technically, her office was just as unauditable as Strickland’s for almost two months and for the exact same reasons.
I dropped my PD subscription in November 2006 because of this kind of editorial writing: incomplete and biased without support for the position it wanted the reader to judge and possibly accept.
The more sources readers consult, the less effective – and rightly so – these editorials will become, to the extent they’re effective at all right now. I would urge editorial writers to keep in mind just how independent its readers are in finding and reading other news sources and POVs (point of views) about topics.
When news consumers can consume the same news from multiple sources, it makes this type of pummeling of one view and one view only more fringe and less credible.
So what’s the lesson? As a reader, don’t take one editorial as The Truth in regard to a news story that’s been covered in multiple places by multiple types of outlets (blogs included). As an editorial writer, I’d leave the loaded language for your conversations and drafts and stop underestimating your audience’s ability to go elsewhere.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:41 am March 8th, 2009 in Politics | 4 Comments
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Mar
7
Daily Exclamations (March 7, 2009)
Filed Under Blogging, Daily Exclamations, Israel, middle east, Politics | 4 Comments
1. Review of the movie, The Watchmen, at Haterade. I don’t know a thing about the movie, my kids haven’t heard of it so that must mean it’s not for kids or being advertised on Nick or Disney and my friend Nerdette’s tweets are what got me wondering. I haven’t read her review yet, but I know how she writes – if you want to read a good read, I’m guessing her review will satisfy (hint: she didn’t like it).
2. I want to give a shout-out to Dave Mastio of BlogNetNews. I took down the influence ranking thing a few months ago and I’m leaving it down, but I want him to know that BNN/Ohio is one of the first and sometimes the only thing I look at in a day to see what my fellow Ohio political bloggers are writing about. I still have its search tool on my sidebar for anyone interested in searching jut Ohio blogs.
So, in light of #2, here are a couple of posts I found today that are worth clicking on:
3. Clips & Comments posted a 90 second animation about Gaza and Israeli (do go watch it) that was done by the animation director of Waltz with Bashir. Watching it caused me to then research Gisha, which Pelican linked to, and NGO Monitor, because I wanted to know more about Gisha. Then, I had to tweet Jillian York because frankly I couldn’t figure out which of the two has a stronger bias in one direction. That, unfortunately, is something you must always consider when considering commentary on the Middle East. It does not negate the value of what you’re reading, but it’s that media literacy thing, and you must take it into consideration as you watch and read everything.
4. Bill Callahan writes about the effect of finally doing rather than just talking when it comes to redistricting Cleveland’s city coucil ward boundaries. It’s not pretty. And I’d want to know from Bill, what does it really all matter – what will the eventual impact really be?
5. I’ve been recognized as the Journalist of the Month by Women’s eNews. More when it’s available – but they’re actually talking to other people about me first, and then they do a written profile of me. Here’s a list of past recipients. I’m the first blogger ever selected (although I prefer to say, writer who is being recognized in particular for her blogging).
By Jill Miller Zimon at 5:25 pm March 7th, 2009 in Blogging, Daily Exclamations, Israel, middle east, Politics | 4 Comments
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Mar
7
From the Glass Houses Department: Auditor’s office also was “unauditable”
Filed Under Government, Mary Taylor, Ohio, Ted Strickland | 1 Comment
For all the press Ohio Auditor Mary Taylor received for “blasting” Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and the administration’s tardiness in getting numbers to her for the 2008 audit, that GOP never-did-go-much-for-self-reflection thing is at play again. From the Columbus Dispatch:
State Auditor Mary Taylor called a news conference this week to criticize Gov. Ted Strickland for not providing information needed to complete the state’s 2008 audit on time, but it turns out that the audit of Taylor’s own office was late, too.
By law, the audit of the state auditor’s office, done by an independent firm selected by a committee, was to be completed by Oct. 15. But the audit report for Taylor’s office wasn’t finished until Dec. 8, nearly two months late.
…
Replied Amanda Wurst [in response to accusations about Strickland's office], Strickland’s spokeswoman: “The governor is not interested in placing blame or making accusations or exaggerations. The fact is, the auditor’s audit was late for the same reason the financial reports (for the state audit) were delayed: complications in the implementation of OAKS.”
[Edited in: Therefore, for those weeks the info was late, the auditor's office was, as Taylor labeled the Strickland administration, "unauditable" because of the auditor's office not having the data.]
When the news first came out and Taylor was quoted in practically every single Ohio MSM outlet, I immediately thought, so…how has it been in the past? What’s been the usual? Let’s compare and contrast (i.e., do more than just report, “Train hit car. Two dead.”) rather than just make a stand-alone assertion that leaves everyone with the impression, if they just accept as true what’s published, that, “Oh! Taylor! Auditor! Must be the way she says it is!”
Because, hey, what a surprise – it’s not the way she says it is, is it?
First, as I noted yesterday, there’s plenty of information about how former Governor Bob Taft approved the new data system, OAKS, but 2008 was the first year of its use.
Now, the Dispatch points out that Taylor’s office isn’t on time either.
Did it ever occur to people that maybe Ohio would be doing a little better if the people we elected stuck to doing their jobs rather than pointing fingers at everyone else?
By the way, Taylor admits that she’s known that Strickland’s info would be coming in late, but, as the Dispatch describes it, she’s used it for political leverage anyway (another big surprise):
It was the latest exchange in the dust-up between Taylor, the lone nonjudicial statewide elected Republican who is considering a run for the U.S. Senate next year, and the Democratic Strickland administration.
After Strickland’s State of the State address in January, she accused the governor of “accounting gimmicks.” At her news conference Monday, Taylor raised questions about the state’s financial condition because the audit of the state’s 2008 books isn’t done and likely won’t be until this fall because of delays in getting financial statements from the administration.
The administration countered that there’s no reason to doubt state finances and said it had been communicating with Taylor’s office about possible audit delays caused by OAKS since at least June 2007.
Taylor, speaking yesterday during the taping of the Ohio News Network’s Capitol Squareprogram that airs Sunday, said she went public in part to prod the administration to move faster.
“We knew there would be delays,” Taylor said. “We also felt that we were continuing to be put off and that the priority wasn’t being placed on completing the financial statements so that we could get this audit done.”
Eye-roll and sigh. Regardless, one of the most underestimated public servants I can think of, Strickland, responded just as you might expect – and well done:
“(Taylor) is an elected official in her own right and has every right to express her opinion as she has,” the governor said. “I simply don’t concur fully with that opinion.”
Good for him. And us.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:33 am March 7th, 2009 in Government, Mary Taylor, Ohio, Ted Strickland | 1 Comment
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Mar
6
[video] This Week in Women Leaders: Kaptur and McCaskill
Filed Under Congress, democracy, Government, leadership, Marcy Kaptur, Politics, Women | 2 Comments
From earlier this week, we have Ohio’s Marcy Kaptur (D, CD-9) who told a fellow legislator to stop name-calling:
And yesterday, Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) states specifically, simply and for the record, how the senators who were decrying that earmarks not be in the ARRA (and they weren’t) but voted no anyway, all have ones for themselves in the current budget bill:
Hattip Stubborn Liberal.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 12:15 pm March 6th, 2009 in Congress, democracy, Government, leadership, Marcy Kaptur, Politics, Women | 2 Comments
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Mar
6
Daily Exclamations (March 3, 2009)
Filed Under Cleveland+, Law, Marcy Kaptur, Mary Taylor, Ohio, Politics, Women | 3 Comments
a process of conscious thought or prayer that a person might repeat or affirm during the day. They are usually a sentence or two, which may be the same thought on a daily basis, or may be different.
…
The idea of daily affirmations is that they tend to focus on a positive thought upon which you can dwell, which can uplift the mind, make you feel better about yourself, or help you feel supported by the divine.
Many people take daily affirmations quite seriously, and find that these moments of thoughtful concentration help keep them focused and balanced throughout the day. A certain portion of the world does mock the practice. The Saturday Night Live character Stuart Smalley, for instance, became famous for his daily affirmation “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.” While this is a silly interpretation of the practice, it should be noted that things like praying daily, or boosting self esteem with a simple thought are not a bad thing, and may help people stay centered and focused on a positive approach to living.
Well, I’ve been trying to come up with a way to include on this blog all the news, information and thoughts that strike me as news, information and thoughts worthy of being put on the blog. But many times, these items are nothing more than pieces of information or thoughts that I blurt out while watching something while I’m sitting in the car listening to the news while I wait for one of my kids, or I’m thumbing through my newsletter emails on my Blackberry while I wait for one of my kids, or I’m reading the newspaper somewhere – while I wait for one of my kids. You get the idea.
Prolific as I may be, I still don’t blog about 80% of what I’d like to – maybe not even 90% of what I’d like to.
So, I started thinking about how a lot of these items are just exclamations – they are things that get stuck in my head as defining the tone of the day, the news of the day, the dominating event through which the rest of the day might get funneled – for better or worse.
The way those thoughts punctuate my day gave me the idea to start Daily Exclamations – a daily blog post with links to those things I’d probably put in caps if I was that kind of blogger because in real life, I probably was shouting about it at the television or the windshield or the empty waiting room chairs, but in blog life, I just want to share what caught my attention, with a thought that maybe it will catch yours too, and if it doesn’t, maybe it should.
Because after all, when you read some news headlines or ticker captions, or hear some commentary, don’t you find yourself repeating it, over and over, as if to affirm that someone really said what you thought you just heard?
Here are the Daily Exclamations for Friday, March 6, 2009 (this list is going to be long and unwieldy but I will try to organize it by topic – I’m cleaning up not quite 200 unopened tabs – I know I know…):
Ohio
From NewsNet5, Redistricting to determine which [Cleveland city] council seats will go where – The deadline is April 1. Realneo has pdfs of the handouts from the community meeting that was held 3/4/09 to discuss the plans (they were posted by Ward 15 council member, Brian Cummins). Henry Gomez of the Plain Dealer shares impressions of the meeting here. Adding in: An Ohio Daily Blog post on the subject – worth the clikc.
Read or watch Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson’s State of the City. Here’s the PD’s cribbed version.
Wow! The Ohio Republican Party finally decides to cover the dissent left of center folks have with President and previously candidate Barack Obama. Playing the game that seems to be most popular these days, Which Media Personality Best Represents the Opposition For Your Purposes?, the ORP points to Rachel Maddow as evidence that “even liberals are railing on” the president. Ya know, I guess they’re missing that big ole Accountability Now group that is raising millions of dollars specifically to support political candidates who can push Obama in the direction they want (because, you know, they oppose his trajectory).
Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-9) scolds a fellow legislator for name-calling in this video. I love it.
Ed Morrison has posted an atlas in progress in order to “reframe the conversations about the future of Northeast Ohio toward a tighter focus on education and innovation.” I haven’t had time to really examine it but it looks like a very interesting application.
I didn’t trust Ohio Auditor Mary Taylor’s protestations about Ohio Governor Ted Strickland’s “failure” to get her what she says she needs in terms of documents and data to do an audit of the administration for 2008 and my instinct was right. This doesn’t make the gov’s administration blameless, but also undermines and makes look shrill Taylor’s extremely public and prolific fingerpointing. Read a far more complete story that you’ll hear from Taylor here.
Journalism, blogging, social media
Fabulous video of NPR political commentator Daniel Schorr (brother of CWRU MSASS professor, Alvin Schorr – someone has got to write a book on what these two men have accomplished in their lives) learning how to use Twitter.
The Citizen Media Law Project provides an update on the status of federal shield legislation in the 111th Congress and examines whether bloggers will be left out.
A caricature of me as a superwoman won the Parenting Publications of America Silver award for interior illustration. Here’s the comment:
This attention-getting illustration gets to the point with a caricature of a mom who carries all the important ecoutrements of her job. The playful super-hero colors enhanced the first impression readers have.
Women
A video re-mix, to the tune of Right Said Fred’s Too Sexy, of former congressman Dick Armey letting us know how he feels about spousal units and Joan Walsh (hattip to her here where there’s an accompanying video of President Obama talking about the women in his life at the Lilly Ledbetter Act signing).
Legendary pollster Celinda Lake on how the “Gender Gap in Politics Is Invite for More to Run.”
Ask and she shall receive: The White House Project is amping up its Go Run! program again so that there will be more invitations to women to run. Go Apply! (there are nine three-day training sessions, like the one I helped organize in Ohio last year, scheduled already)
I think the writer shows a bias that I don’t know if I agree with in this article, “Called into action with kids at home: Where do military moms’ loyalties lie?” The latest re-asking of that question arose because of the case of Lisa Pagan.
Wonderful post about International Women’s Day,which is this Sunday. The post features reflections from Gloria Feldt, Deborah Siegel, Elizabeth G. Hines, and Courtney E. Martin.
Law
When I was an ombuds, workplace violence was on the rise and becoming alarming to many ombuds. I can’t imagine how they’re feeling about federal appeals court’s rejection of a law that banned guns in workplace parking lots.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:23 am March 6th, 2009 in Cleveland+, Law, Marcy Kaptur, Mary Taylor, Ohio, Politics, Women | 3 Comments
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Mar
5
Live-blog: Journalism, Blogging and Social Media hosted by PVOW
Filed Under Blogging, Media, Politics, social media, Tech, Women | Leave a Comment
Please join me as I host a Political Voices of Women live-blog event, a discussion about journalism, blogging and social media – what and where is the value in all of it? Starting at 9pm tonight.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 12:54 pm March 5th, 2009 in Blogging, Media, Politics, social media, Tech, Women | Please comment
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Mar
5
Palin Supreme Court pick: 2nd woman, former Planned Parenthood board member
Filed Under Abortion, Courts, Gender, Law, Politics, Sarah Palin, Women | Leave a Comment
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has selected Judge Morgan Christen to become an Alaska Supreme Court justive, the second woman ever named to that bench.
From the Alaska Daily News (read the entire article, there’s a lot of detail in it):
Gov. Sarah Palin on Wednesday picked an Anchorage judge to fill the latest vacancy on the Alaska Supreme Court despite efforts by a conservative Christian group to convince her to do otherwise.
…
“Alaska’s Supreme Court bears the awesome responsibility of ensuring that our court system administers justice in firm accordance with the principles laid down in our state Constitution,” Palin said in a written statement. “I have every confidence that Judge Christen has the experience, intellect, wisdom and character to be an outstanding Supreme Court justice.”
Some of the methodology behind the pick:
Last week, the governor’s office asked the Judicial Council for everything it knew about the nominees, including the “application for this or any other judicial appointment, for retention election, or for any other purpose.”
While governors sometimes have questions about nominees, none had ever made such a sweeping request, Larry Cohn, Judicial Council executive director, said.
The council staff delivered packets of additional information to Palin’s Anchorage office on Wednesday, excluding only internal work memos and comments where confidentiality was promised.
Aides to the governor wouldn’t answer questions about specific concerns that might have prompted the governor’s request. However, both Christen and Smith have been involved in organizations that might give Palin pause.
Christen’s application included her membership in several charitable groups, including some from her past, but did not mention that she was on the board of Planned Parenthood in the mid-1990s. The organization, which didn’t provide abortions in Alaska until 2003, is now on the opposite side of a Palin-supported bill to require girls under 17 to get parental consent for an abortion.
Back in the 1980s, Smith was executive director of the public interest environmental law firm, Trustees for Alaska. The group currently is on the opposite side of Palin over the listing of Cook Inlet beluga whales as endangered.
Christen, 47, attended colleges in England, Switzerland and China before graduating from the University of Washington with a bachelor’s in international studies. Her law degree is from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. She’s currently on the board of the Alaska Community Foundation and the Rasmuson Foundation.
You can read Governor Palin’s press release here.
Not a ton of reax out there yet, though there are plenty of comments at the ADN article. Some others:
The fact that she selected Christen over Smith, despite being lobbied by conservative Christians to battle the AJC, is significant – especially with the parental consent billpending before the Legislature. I think it sends a pretty clear signal that she is placing the economic well-being of Alaskans over her personal beliefs – but this is nothing new. Her philosophy of strict constructionism is once again demonstrated in her press release about the appointment:
“Alaska’s Supreme Court bears the awesome responsibility of ensuring that our court system administers justice in firm accordance with the principles laid down in our state Constitution,” said Governor Palin.
There are people on the Right who will not like this – as a matter of fact, it sounds like some social conservatives in Alaska are already unhappy. But, as she has always stated when asked, she feels that the question of abortion should be resolved by the will of the people. And, truth be told, Smith probably would have been no better on the abortion issue than Christen. A fight with the AJC would have been distracting and likely accomplished nothing.
In an ideal world, the fact that she appointed a former Planned Parenthood board member to the high court would stop the criticism of the left-wing feminists who claim she wants to take away the right of women to choose. But I somehow doubt they will give her any credit. These were tough waters for Governor Palin to navigate, but it seems to me she chose the best available option for the economic health of Alaska.
GOPAlaska has a short announcement directly from the ADN article only mentioning that Christen is the 2nd woman named to the state’s sup court.
The ADN piece notes that he head of the Alaska Family Council, Jim Minnery, wrote Palin in support of the other candidate, Judge Eric Smith.
The family council plea, from group president Jim Minnery, said Smith was “more conservative” and that Christen would be “another activist on the Court.” In an interview, Minnery said that was the “general consensus” but he had no specifics.
“I’ll be seeing the governor tomorrow. We’ll have a good chat,” Minnery said after Christen’s appointment was announced. He said that Palin is introducing the speaker Thursday evening at a benefit lecture in Anchorage for the family council.
The group didn’t really approve of either finalist and believes the Judicial Council should allow Palin to pick from all qualified applicants, Minnery said. The Judicial Council’s bylaws direct them to nominate the “most qualified.” Former Gov. Frank Murkowski once rejected all three nominees sent to him, then, when the council wouldn’t send him more names, appointed from the list.
Congratulations to Judge Christen.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 12:34 pm March 5th, 2009 in Abortion, Courts, Gender, Law, Politics, Sarah Palin, Women | Please comment
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Mar
5
Carnival of Ohio Politics #157
Filed Under Blogging, Carnivals, Ohio, Politics, Writing | Leave a Comment
The Boring Made Dull is still sharper than many tools in the box, as is on display in this week’s Carnival of Ohio Politics #157.
Many thanks for the inclusion of an excellent and seminal piece of music. And thanks to the participants, particularly for way fewer Brunner-Fisher-Fisher-Brunner entries this week
By Jill Miller Zimon at 7:09 am March 5th, 2009 in Blogging, Carnivals, Ohio, Politics, Writing | Please comment
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Mar
4
State lawmaker seeks legalization of bloody sport while seeking a ban on Barbie dolls
Filed Under Culture, Gender, Law, Marketing, Media, Mental health, Ohio, Politics, Sexism, Social Issues, Sports, Statehouse, Women, Youth | 8 Comments
The Assistant Majority Whip for the West Virginia House of Delegates, Jeff Eldridge (D-Lincoln), is simultaneously seeking to legalize “the emerging full-contact – and often bloody – sport of mixed martial arts” while also pushing to make it “unlawful to sell Barbie and similar dolls ‘that promote or influence girls to place an undue importance on physical beauty to the detriment of their intellectual and emotional development.’”
The background:
From an article in The Charleston Daily Mail, which also describes in great detail Eldridge’s upbringing and history with fighting:
[Eldridge's] knack for and interest in competitive fighting has led Eldridge to introduce legislation that would allow mixed marital arts events in West Virginia.
In recent years, boxing has dropped in popularity, but the emerging full-contact – and often bloody – sport of mixed martial arts is gaining more fans.
…
Mixed martial arts is a one-on-one combat sport that allows various fighting techniques, from striking to grappling.
Kicking, punching, wrestling, kneeing, elbowing, slamming, twisting – it’s all allowed. Winners are determined by knockout, submission or referee’s decision.
…
The sport has come a long way since the 1990s, when U.S. Sen. John McCain dubbed it, “human cockfighting.”
“To my knowledge, no one has died in the UFC,” Eldridge said “There’s a referee and doctors on the scene. It’s professional.
“It’s aggressive, but I’ve seen bad fights in a game of marbles, too.”
Okay – take a deep breadth. Because, although Eldridge has seen bad fights in a game of marbles too, and still wants to legalize mixed martial arts? He’s got his rationale for banning Barbie all worked out:
House Bill 2918 [a bill "relating to banning the sale of "Barbie" dolls and other dolls that influence girls to be beautiful], introduced Tuesday, would make it unlawful to sell Barbie and similar dolls “that promote or influence girls to place an undue importance on physical beauty to the detriment of their intellectual and emotional development.”
“That’s the image out there that’s the most impressionable on our younger children, especially our little girls — ‘I want to be like Barbie,’” said the bill’s sponsor, Delegate Jeff Eldridge, D-Lincoln. “If we had that other image of Barbie being smart, and beautiful as well, I think that would be a great image to send to our young kids. ”
…
If the bill makes any headway in the Legislature, West Virginia’s government would not be the first to try to block Barbie from store shelves. Iran has tried to ban Barbie dolls in the past, in large part because of how they are dressed.
…
He is concerned about what could hurt girls’ self-images and said not all the blame should go to Barbie. There also is the image that parents and other family members or adults pass on to young girls that “You’re beautiful” or “You’re a princess,” instead of integrating images of both beauty and intelligence, he said.
The article says Mattel has yet to comment.
Did I mention that one of the committees to which he’s assigned is a Committee on Children, Juveniles and Other Issues?
Did I mention that the W.Va. House of Delegates has 100 members, 20 of whom are women?
Did I mention that Barbie’s official birthday, her 50th this year, is March 9? (Listen here to a great Diane Rehm show from Monday in which the panel debates the merits and demerits of Barbie.)
Did I mention that Barbie dolls and mixed martial arts are legal in Ohio? Read more
By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:53 pm March 4th, 2009 in Culture, Gender, Law, Marketing, Media, Mental health, Ohio, Politics, Sexism, Social Issues, Sports, Statehouse, Women, Youth | 8 Comments
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Mar
4
Live-blog Event: The Value, or lack of, in Blogging and Social Media?
Filed Under Announcements, Blogging, Business, democracy, live-blog, Media, social media, Writing | Leave a Comment
Many thanks to Tami Winfrey Harris of What Tami Said for already posting about tomorrow night’s live-blog event, The Value, or lack of, in Blogging and Social Media? I’ll be posting the live-blog frame post tomorrow but here’s what you need to know if you’d like to join in:
Now that a number of prominent newspapers like the Philadelphia Inquirer and Rocky Mountain News have either declared bankruptcy or announced that they are shutting down, there has been a backlash in main stream media against the blogosphere, micro-blogging sites like Twitter and, other forms of social media.
A few interesting articles/posts that appeared over the weekend included:
Chicagoland’s “Come Back to Tell You All …”
and the New York Times’ What Are You Doing? Media Twitterers Can’t Stop Typing in which Meet the Press’ David Gregory referred to Twitter as a “marketing tool.”
The Twitter bashing became particularly intense last Friday when MSNBC’s Contessa Brewer and Carlos Watson spent most of their afternoon segment making jokes about “tweeting” and Bill Maher devoted his closing monologue to blaming Twitter and the blogosphere for the demise of “real journalism.”
After conducting a quick poll of a few fellow bloggers and Twitter contacts, Pam at Pam’s Coffee Conversation detected a healthy interest in holding a live blog discussion on the journalistic merits of blogging and social media.
The discussion is being sponsored by The Political Voices of Women Blog
Confirmed Panelists include:
Jill Miller Zimon of Writes Like She Talks (I’m co-producing the event)
Marcia G. Yerman of The Huffington Post
Joanne Bamberger of PunditMom
Tami Winfrey Harris of What Tami Said
Deb Della Plana of Turn Left on Hypocrisy.com
Cynthia Samuels of Cobblestone Associates and Don’t Gel Too Soon
Sarah Granger of SairyTopics will include:
- Is there Journalistic Value in Blogging and Social Media?
- Was it the Blogosphere or Media Consolidation that lead to the decline of print media?
- Which serves as a better upholder of “the Fourth Estate”, the blogosphere or the main stream media?
- Why is the main stream media attempting to demean the role of the blogosphere and social media?
Plan to add your voice to the discussion.
Also good to know:
We’ll be using CoverItLive live and the event will be broadcast live on here as well as at Pamela’s home on Hypocrisy.com, Coffee, Tea & Hypocrisy.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 8:23 pm March 4th, 2009 in Announcements, Blogging, Business, democracy, live-blog, Media, social media, Writing | Please comment
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Mar
4
About.com has a great starter list of the Top 100 Women in History. It includes names an biographies of each individual included. They are from many different segments of life (arts, politics, medicine, civil rights etc.) but even at 100, it’s not possible to include everyone who we can think of.
However…it just so happens that I’m part of a few women-centered listservs with members who have a few ideas of their own. So I give you a supplemental list of favorite women in history (some may be on the About.com list but that list appears only in groups of 10 and I didn’t cross-check and verify them all) from future historically significant women I have the good fortune to know in the present:
Ella Grasso (my contribution)
The invisible women who fought for justice whose names we will never know because there was a man getting the credit
And by the way, the #1 woman on the About.com list – it’s actually a very cute selection – even if I’m not sure how much I agree with it.
UPDATE: Not My Gal makes a some observations about the About.com #1 Woman in History as well as about who didn’t make the list.
UPDATEx2:
Some other blogs have invited their readers to add more names too and the suggestions are great. They also demonstrate the kind of women the women I connect with and communicate with think of when asked this question. Yes, there can always be a story about the status-, fame-, fortune- and SEO-ready women. But women named by the women I know form a list of individuals who represent the qualities that we most admire and possibly aspire to.
Feministe: Who’s On Your List?
Jezebel: Listicles – Lady Lists
Hattip to Not My Gal
By Jill Miller Zimon at 6:09 pm March 4th, 2009 in Politics, Women | 6 Comments
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Mar
4
Next on his knees: Boehner calls Limbaugh’s role in GOP “nothing more than a distraction”
Filed Under Politics | 6 Comments
They are going to be just lining up, aren’t they, like early voters in Cuyahoga County – the people who are saying that the emperor has no clothes (God forbid). From the Columbus Dispatch‘s The Daily Briefing:
At a news conference today, House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-West Chester, wanted to talk about President Barack Obama and his new budget. But when it came down to the first question from reporters, it wasn’t about taxes and spending. Instead, it was about conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh.
“What’s your response to the White House now saying that Rush Limbaugh has become the basic voice of the Republican Party?’’ one reporter asked.
Boehner quickly replied that the White House “has created this big distraction so that nobody will pay attention to what they’re doing in their budget. We shouldn’t be distracted. This budget calls for higher taxes and more spending.’’
Not willing to give up, a reporter asked Boehner about Limbaugh’s role in the Republican Party. And unwilling to budge, Boehner said once again it was “nothing more than a distraction created by the administration to take people’s attention away from the fact that they’re trying to raise taxes and grow the size of the government.’’
He’s a distraction alright – I can agree with that. But I also agree with consevative Richard A. Vigurie on the need for the GOP to stop blaming anyone else and instead recognize that they and no one else created this problem:
Broadcasters and commentators such as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Mark Levin, Glenn Beck and Michael Savage are seen as the de facto leaders of the Republican Party for a simple reason, Richard A. Viguerie said today: “It’s because no one else is acting like a Republican leader.”
“The ‘Rushification’ of the GOP is the natural and inevitable result of the fact that those who are supposed to provide leadership – Republican elected officials and party officers – are doing little to bring the party back,” said Viguerie, chairman of ConservativeHQ.com.
“Nature abhors a vacuum, and there is no vacuum in nature as empty as the leadership of the Republican Party today.”
Someone please give Boehner a mirror.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 5:35 pm March 4th, 2009 in Politics | 6 Comments
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Mar
4
For Dad: Obama to change federal procurement system, McCain gives support
Filed Under Barack Obama, Business, Government | 1 Comment
My dad spent decades bidding on and fulfilling contracts for stuff (yes, stuff) put out to bid by the State of Connecticut. Three years ago, during a visit to Cleveland, he came with me to a Meet the Bloggers session – it was with John Corlett, formerly of the Center for Community Solutions and now the state director of Medicaid.
During the MTB session, my dad raised the problem of procurement systems at least once or twice to illustrate where he believes the real play to pay and overpayment schemes lurk. It’s his opinion – and has been for many, many years, that nothing will change if we don’t change procurement systems.
Lo and behold, the AP reports today on President Obama’s desire to do just that.
President Barack Obama approved an order Wednesday to overhaul the way the U.S. government awards contracts for work to be done by the private sector, reversing a Bush administration policy.
Obama joined Republican Sen. John McCain, his presidential campaign rival, and other congressional figures to announce an executive memorandum that commits his administration to a new set of marching orders for awarding contracts. Obama said “the days of giving government contractors a blank check are over” and said changes could save up to $40 billion a year.
…
Obama’s presidential memo…directs Peter Orszag, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, to work with Cabinet and agency officials to draft new contracting rules by the end of September. Those new rules, White House aides say, will make it more difficult for contractors to bilk taxpayers and make some half-trillion dollars in federal contracts each year more accessible to independent contractors.
Obama said the package of reforms could save up to $40 billion each year.
I grew up in a household filled with the paperwork and voices of figuring out and negotiating cost and price of things like 250,000 plastic forks and 10,000 black-toothed combs for state prisons. And, oh, so much more. The stories, the stories I could tell.
Might have to start another blog, Dad. (Just kidding – promise) But my father would be as good a consultant as anyone. Now there’s an idea…Miller and Zimon – or would it be…Zimon and Miller?
By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:43 am March 4th, 2009 in Barack Obama, Business, Government | 1 Comment
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Mar
4
Looks like the state is right on mark to hit that state-wide 10% unemployment rate people have been predicting for the end of 2009.
On statewide unemployment information, from Columbus NBC4i:
Numbers released Friday by the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services showed the state unemployment rate rose to 8.8 percent in January, a 1.4 percent increase from last month’s revised unemployment rate of 7.4 percent.
The total number of unemployed Ohioans jumped to 524,000 in January, an increase of 79,000 people.
“You have to go all the way back to 1980 to see that type of increase from one month to another,“ ODJFS spokesperson Brian Hartner said.
From April 1980 to May 1980, unemployment rose 2.1 percent. Eventually, unemployment peaked in winter 1982 at 13.8 percent.
Ohio’s unemployment rate is now 1.2 percent above the national unemployment rate of 7.6 percent.
And in NW Ohio, from 13ABC in Toledo:
Here’s a look at unemployment rates for the area:
Lucas 13.3
Wood 11.6
Sandusky 13.2
Syneca 13.4
Wyandot 13.9
Erie 14.1
Hancock 9.9
Defiance 14.4The highest area rates included:
Williams 15.4
Fulton 15.3
Henry 15
Ottawa County 17
Though noting that the rate increased in every single one of Ohio’s 88 counties, the cities experienced sharp increases too. From Columbus Business First:
Unemployment rates in Ohio’s three largest cities last month:
• Columbus – 7.3 percent, up from 6.2 percent in December.
• Cincinnati – 8 percent, up from 6.5 percent in December.
• Cleveland – 9.4 percent, up from 8.9 percent in December.
According to Business First, “The department plans to release statewide unemployment data for February on March 20. Metro-area and county-level statistics will follow March 24.”
So, you know, while the GOP candidates for 2010 are careening around the state talking about abortion and the Iraq war, or the legislators in the nearly all-male GOP contingent of the state senate introduce resolutions to combat non-existent Congressional bills, maybe they should be thinking about the issues that are actually impacting Ohioans’ life every, single, hour of every single day.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 8:58 am March 4th, 2009 in Politics | 1 Comment
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Mar
4
One mouth, two sides: GOP genuflects to Limbaugh yet nicknames Obama “The Messiah”
Filed Under Barack Obama, conservatives, Politics, Republicans | 1 Comment
If that doesn’t express the internal and external conflicts with which conservatives and Republicans are struggling, I don’t know what does.
Just check out BlogNetNews.com Rightysphere results for “The Messiah”
versus
A Google search on “apologize Limbaugh.”
Complete, total, utter, abject absence of looking in the mirror. (I know – so many opportunities to make jokes about what they’d see re: Limbaugh’s image at CPAC.)
Note: I changed the title of the post because “hypocrisy” isn’t quite the right word, even if it feels as though that’s part of what’s going on.
Update: Joan Walsh (the person former congressman Dick Armey said on “Hardball” he’d never want to marry?) has a great column today at Salon, Delay: Limbaugh’s a GOP role model,” that intersects with this post. An excerpt:
It’s Tom DeLay, not President Obama, who is now designating Limbaugh as his party’s “role model.” It’s irresistible to respond: Really? Limbaugh’s the “role model” for the party of family values? A thrice-divorced, drug-abusing, Parkinson’s-mocking, cigar-sucking egomaniac, a poster boy for meanness, overindulgence and excess? Some folks in my letters lately have objected to my discussing some of Limbaugh’s personal traits, particularly his physical appearance at CPAC, where he I said he looked “sweaty and hopped-up.” Facts are facts: He was sweaty and hopped-up. And with Tom DeLay saying he’s a Republican role model, I think we have to take in Limbaugh — all of him –to fully appreciate his outsize impact on the shrinking Republican Party.
And again, one of the oldest writer’s and debater’s ploys in the book – put the shoe on the other foot and imagine how it might feel:
Imagine if the Democrats had an unelected leader of Limbaugh’s stature, who in the wake of 9/11 wished for President Bush to fail — and who got other Democrats to join him. (I say “him” because it’s simply impossible to imagine a female Limbaugh, of similar unlovely temperament and appearance — a big, pasty, sweaty, nasty Ruth Limbaugh, let’s call her, railing against Bush — getting any kind of national podium, let alone the kind Limbaugh has. Just try that thought experiment for a minute, and then try telling me sexism is history.) Imagine him ranting and raving and sweating and hopping up and down at, say, a MoveOn conference. Imagine that when a few Democrats had the temerity to suggest that this unelected leader might be wrong, might be hurting the party, might even be hurting the country, they had to rush to apologize to said leader within minutes or hours.
Then imagine those same Democrats trying to insist that said leader is a “role model” but not, actually, in fact, technically, their party leader. If Democrats had done anything like any of this in 2001 and 2002, the mainstream media wouldn’t be debating whether Republicans were actually to blame for exaggerating said leader’s importance — as MSNBC has done all day Tuesday — they’d be denouncing Democrats as the party of treason. To be honest, imagining a Democratic Limbaugh getting away with his brand of demagoguery and treachery is about as impossible as imagining a female Limbaugh.
I continue to recall how well Byron York of NRO’s The Corner used this convention to make people realize the incredibly different way they were treating Bristol Palin’s teen, unmarried pregnancy versus how they might if it was an Obama daughter who was involved.
I actually just keep thinking about our kids. Limbaugh? Obama?
Go ahead and not choose Obama, whatever. But it’s the fact that people say that they see Limbaugh as an option that freaks me out the most.
Hattip to this tweet from John Hummel.
Updatex2: I should have also included a link to Belief.net’s Crunchy Con conservative columnist Rod Dreher’s “White Kids on Dope” – an excerpt of his scathing fisking of Limbaugh’s CPAC ramblings:
Any attempt to grapple in a public way with the sins and failings of America, the errors that got us into this ditch, is to be seen as unpatriotic. We must ever keep before us the America Idol, and the power of positive thinking.
…
Anybody who challenges Limbavian orthodoxy is, ipso facto, the Enemy. If you suggest reform, even from the Right, you are a useful idiot for the Media, which are the Enemy, and can never be anything but the Enemy. Limbaughism sounds a lot like Leninism.
…
I should say that there’s something to like in the Limbaugh speech; I share a degree of his skepticism over the expanding role of the state in American life under Obama, and his confidence that the greater responsibility for our own condition lies in individual and private-sector initiative. But good grief, is this what constitutes popular conservatism in 2009? This ideologically-driven right-wing Rousseauism, with Leninist overtones about the Enemies of the People? If so, then count me as an Enemy, because I want nothing to do with it, as I recognize it as simply a crudely politicized form of philosophical liberalism.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 7:24 am March 4th, 2009 in Barack Obama, conservatives, Politics, Republicans | 1 Comment
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Mar
3
Gender pay discrimination chart, by career
Filed Under Economy, employment, Gender, Law, Politics, Sexism, Women | Leave a Comment
Not even with three different bona fide careers (lawyer, social worker, writer) do I make anything near what men do. Interestingly, though, this interactive map at the New York Times shows that in social work, women make only 1% less than men, while in law, women make 22% less.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:50 pm March 3rd, 2009 in Economy, employment, Gender, Law, Politics, Sexism, Women | Please comment
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Mar
3
From They Must Be On Drugs Dept: Grendell intros resolution in opposition to non-existent federal legislation
Filed Under Abortion, Congress, conservatives, Health Care, Ohio, Politics, Republicans, Women | Leave a Comment
Seriously. How many times must they be told? Not only doesn’t the Freedom of Choice Act exist as a piece of legislation in the 111th Congress of the U.S. of A., it has repeatedly been stated that it will not be a piece of legislation during the current session of Congress.
But that doesn’t stop fearmongerers who also happen to love to foster a good culture war over a longstanding wedge issue of their own creation. And so we have Ohio S.C.R. 6:
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
| To urge the President of the United States and the Congress of the United States to oppose the Freedom of Choice Act if introduced again during the 111th Congress. |
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF OHIO
(THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING):
| WHEREAS, The Freedom of Choice Act (H.R. 1964 and S. 1173 of the 110th Congress) was introduced on April 19, 2007, and sought a declaration that it is the policy of the United States that every woman has the fundamental right to choose to bear a child, terminate a pregnancy prior to fetal viability, or terminate a pregnancy after fetal viability when necessary to protect her life or her health, and also sought a prohibition on federal, state, or local governmental entities from denying or interfering with a woman’s right to exercise such choices or discriminating against the exercise of those rights in the regulation or provision of benefits, facilities, services, or information; and |
| WHEREAS, The Freedom of Choice Act is a radical attempt to enshrine abortion-on-demand into American law, to sweep aside existing laws that the majority of Americans support, such as requirements involving fully informed consent, parental involvement, and that licensed physicians perform abortions, and seeks to prevent states from enacting similar protective measures in the future; and |
| WHEREAS, The Freedom of Choice Act is a cynical attempt to prematurely end the debate over abortion and declare “victory” in the face of mounting evidence that the American public does not support the vast majority of abortions being performed in the United States each year and that abortion has a substantial negative impact on women; and |
| WHEREAS, Thirty-six years after Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113(1973) abortion supporters are dismayed that abortion remains a divisive issue and that their radical agenda has not been submissively accepted by the American public; now therefore be it |
| RESOLVED, That we, the members of the 128th General Assembly of the State of Ohio, urge the President of the United States and the Congress of the United States to oppose the Freedom of Choice Act, should it or similar legislation be introduced during the 111th Congress; and be it further |
| RESOLVED, That the Clerk of the House of Representatives transmit duly authenticated copies of this resolution to the President of the United States, the Speaker and Clerk of the United States House of Representatives, the President Pro Tempore and the Secretary of the United States Senate, the members of the Ohio Congressional delegation, the Governor of the State of Ohio, and the news media of Ohio. |
Aaron Marshall of the Plain Dealer has a section in his “Round the Rotunda” column called, “Department of Pointless Legislation.” I nominate S.C.R. 6 for that department too.
I also love how a non-existent bill called the Freedom of Choice Act that has to do with women’s choice is introduced by eight men: Steve Buehrer (primary sponsor), Kevin Coughlin, Bob Gibbs,Tim Schaffer , Bill Seitz, Mark Wagoner, Kirk Schuring and Keith Faber (all co-sponsors).
Just a reminder: in the Ohio Senate, there are 21 Republicans – 20 (yes, 20) are men and there is one woman, Karen Gillmor. Of the 12 Democrats, nearly half (5) are women.
H/t WMD.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:18 pm March 3rd, 2009 in Abortion, Congress, conservatives, Health Care, Ohio, Politics, Republicans, Women | Please comment
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Mar
3
Sweet 18 Women’s History Month Quiz
Filed Under Women | Leave a Comment
No really good excuse for not being more on the ball with blogging about Women’s History Month, but I’ve got lots of resources piling up and I’m trying to figure out some new ways to cover everything I want to on this blog in the ever shrinking amount of time it feels as though I don’t have for writing.
First up, from Gloria Feldt’s Heartfeldt blog (where she is writing a post a day throughout March just for Women’s History Month – you can read Post #1 and Post #3).
I’m modifying part of her Post #2 for my post (please read her original here) but here is the intro:
(Note: This quiz was created by NCJW’s (National Council of Jewish Women) Washington Office Director, Sammie Moshenberg—thanks. Sammie! I added a couple of categories so it’s already up to sweet 18.)
Sick of “must read” book lists with only token female authors — tired of women being left out?
See if you can come up with a famous woman (living or not) for each category and send it back (copy and paste it into the comment section below). Send it along to your friends too. Add a category (with response) if you are so inclined. Feel free to do some research — that’s how we all learn after all — and say a few words (if you want) to clue us all in.
And here are the categories to fill in – I haven’t done them yet for myself (but if you want to get ideas of who you might name, see Gloria’s original). If you want to compare and contrast, please fill this out in the comments below or if you put it on your blog, please link back to this blog post so we can trace and go see what you thought up.
Have fun!
1. Female Head of State
2. Female Sports Champion
3. Musician
4. Artist
5. Federal Lawmaker
6. US Cabinet Member
7. Author
8. Nobel Laureate
9. Scientist
10. Journalist
11. Philantropist
12. Inventor
13. Philosopher
14. Pundit
15. Explorer
16. Educator
17. Movement Founder
18. Entertainment entrepeneur
By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:14 am March 3rd, 2009 in Women | Please comment
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Mar
2
First comprehensive online encyclopedia of Jewish women goes live
Filed Under Jewish, Judaism, Women, Writing | 2 Comments
From the About Us section of “Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia”:
As both the editors and publisher of the CD-ROM edition note in their prefaces, this is a revolutionary work. Never has so much well-researched and well-written material about Jewish women been available in one place. Being online means an exponential increase in access to that information. Any encyclopedia is an unfinished work. By putting this one on line, the Jewish Women’s Archive is making it possible for scholars and more casual readers to propose updates and, in a later stage, to upload new articles. This first iteration creates easy access to the articles on the CD-ROM and gives users the opportunity to add links, updates, and suggestions for new content.
I look forward to spending some quiet time with this resource but here’s a few places I might go first:
And, all the rage right now, Ruth Handler
By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:26 pm March 2nd, 2009 in Jewish, Judaism, Women, Writing | 2 Comments
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Mar
2
More GOP Image is Everything: Mandel supports phase-out of state income tax
Filed Under Politics | 7 Comments
[This graphic accompanied this Columbus Dispatch article, 6/25/08.]
Personally, I think that’s kind of farkakt – especially having lived in Connecticut for years before Republicans brought in the statewide income tax in 1991 (and, editing in what was obvious to me but maybe not others: especially as a policy statement held by a politician who wants people to trust him as Ohio Treasurer), but what do I know.
Here’s a great example of Image is Everything:
Josh Mandel will be the featured speaker for COAST’s April General Membership Meeting on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 at 7 PM at Molly Malone’s in Pleasant Ridge.
…
Mandel is starting his second term in the Ohio legislature, where he was one of nine conservatives who opposed Speaker Husted on a pork barrel-laden spending program, and the implementation of new hotel-and lodging tax increases for Montgomery County. He supports both the Kasich plan and the John Adams/Buckeye Institute Plan to phase out the Ohio income tax.
News to me, but also hard to decipher:
Who were the other eight conservatives (I did just a few minutes of googling, “conservatives oppose Husted” and phrases like that – couldn’t find anything)?
Is the fact that it says “conservatives” and not “Republicans” mean some were Democrats?
Which specific “pork barrel-laden spending program” are they referencing?
What ultimately happened to said “pork barrel-laden spending program”?
How about the hotel and lodging tax increase in Montgomery County – the tax increase was passed, but not implemented? What role does the statehouse play in that?
Mandel’s messaging folks are working hard to shape an image – but it’s an image that’s being shaped for an audience that resides far from our district’s constituents. The image is being shaped by selectively highlighting and phrasing otherwise impossible to understand tidbits without imparting any information but which portray an ever harder right turn toward conservatism – an image that might very well play poorly in NE Ohio’s OH-17th. On the other hand, Frank Luntz would be proud (emphasis added):
A corporate consultant, pollster and political consultant to Republicans, Luntz’s specialty is testing language and finding words that will help his clients sell their product or turn public opinion on an issue or a candidate. In this interview, he explains what it takes to communicate a message effectively, shares some of the advice that he gives clients, and explains why his testing and field research seeks words that move people to act on an emotional level: “It’s all emotion. But there’s nothing wrong with emotion. When we are in love, we are not rational; we are emotional. When we are on vacation, we are not rational; we are emotional. When we are happy, we are not [rational]. In fact, in more cases than not, when we are rational, we’re actually unhappy. Emotion is good; passion is good. Being into what we’re into, provided that it’s a healthy pursuit, it’s a good thing.”
By the way, are you wondering what The Kasich Plan is? Nothing at his website. I can only find stuff from the 1990s, so I’m not sure what they’re talking about but here’s a taste of what that was all about (emphasis added):
In 1993, Ohio Rep. John Kasich and Republicans on the Budget Committee proposed a five-year program that would cut $479 billion in spending from the president’s budget. The Kasich plan would have abolished the Interstate Commerce Commission, halted federal land purchases for five years, and frozen cost-of-living allowances for military retirees younger than 65.
A TIME magazine article about it is here (1993) and the Center on Budget Policy and Priorities published, The Effects of the Kasich Budget Plan (5/21/98).
At least the John Adams/Buckeye Institute Plan to phase out the Ohio income tax has an August 2008 document.
Now, I actually don’t know whether Rep. Mandel has earned income in a state that didn’t collect a state income tax (Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming), but I have and in fact, that state – Connecticut – added a state income tax in 1991 under Republican Governor Lowell Weicker and it’s continued to operate since then, under two additional governors, both of whom are Republicans (Jodi Rell and before her, former federal prison inmate, John Rowland). I’m really not sure how a state like Ohio could replace that revenue (reportedly $9.1 billion), but I’m not a tax expert by any stretch of anyone’s imagination.
In the meantime, here’s a chart that compares all 50 states’ individual tax income rates and here’s another option for reviewing similar information and more.
This Columbus Dispatch article from less than a year ago explores a house bill (HB 534) from Mandel’s first term in the Ohio GA and contains several pieces of important information to consider when bandying about the idea of scrapping the Ohio individual income tax: Read more
By Jill Miller Zimon at 1:49 pm March 2nd, 2009 in Politics | 7 Comments
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