2006 Election Endorsements

Not that I've left much doubt over who I support in this election cycle, but anyways here are my formal endorsements for races and issues being decided next Tuesday.

Ohio Governor: I enthusiastically and unequivocally endorse Ken Blackwell to be the next governor of the Great State of Ohio. Mr. Blackwell in addition to being clearly more qualified than his opponent based on past work history is also the candidate with the ideas that will lead Ohio back to economic prosperity. During this campaign Rep. Ted Strickland has successfully misled people into believing that Ken Blackwell was a supporter of the disgraced and incompetent current governor, Bob Taft. Politically astute Ohioans know that Ken Blackwell opposed Gov. Taft at every turn and that Rep. Strickland's election would result in continuing down the tax heavy path of Bob Taft. Beyond the obvious difference on economic matters there couldn't be a pair of candidates offering a starker difference between two candidates socially. Ken Blackwell is 100% pro-life while Strickland has a 100% rating from the pro-abortion group NARAL. Separately, BizzyBlog has a series of "Dealbreaker" posts explaining why Ted Strickland shouldn't get any reasonable person's vote even if they somehow agreed with his positions on the issues. Lastly, Strickland has had no executive or leadership experience to prepare him to lead a state government with over 40,000 employees. Unprepared and unqualified plus wrong on the issues equals wrong for the job.

U.S. Senator from Ohio: Incumbent Senator Mike DeWine has disappointed conservatives on several matters over the past few years. He blocked drilling for oil in ANWR and he was involved in the Gang of Fourteen which halted the confrontation over the illegal filibustering of judicial nominees. Despite my disagreement with Sen. DeWine on those issues, I strongly endorse his reelection for several reasons. Mike DeWine is a decent, hardworking legislator with a better conservative record than most of his senate colleagues. Beyond Mike DeWine's qualifications, is the obvious fact that his opponent has values far to the left of the average Ohioan. If it is possible to find a candidate to the left of Ted Kennedy, the Democrats have succeeded in nominating Sherrod Brown. To illustrate this point consider how Brown matches up to his fellow house member and extreme nutty leftist Dennis Kucinich. The National Taxpayers Union gives Kucinich a D grade and Brown an F. The Eagle Forum ("Eagle Forum's Mission is to enable conservative and pro-family men and women to participate in the process of self-government and public policy making so that America will continue to be a land of individual liberty, respect for family integrity, public and private virtue, and private enterprise.) gives Brown a rating of 4 while Kucinich had a 15 rating and Ted Kennedy was at 7. By way of comparison Mike DeWine received a rating of 80. Sherrod Brown might be in the mainstream in Massachusetts, but he does NOT reflect our values and should NOT represent Ohio in the United States Senate.

8th District Representative to Congress: Rep John Boehner

Butler County Auditor: I may regret this but I am voting for the Democrat challenger Jack Zettler. The incumbent, Kay Rogers, is a nice lady, but she has had this job far too long. Rogers has been county auditor since 1995 and in recent years her office has been plagued with various allegations.

Butler County Commissioner: Greg Jolivette

Statewide Issues:

Issue One: There is no issue one.

Issue Two: Vote NO. This is being sold by proponents as a minimum wage increase. However, there are two big negatives to this ballot issue. First is it is a state constitutional amendment and I'm a firm believer that neither our state or national constitution should be amended to solve what could be short term problems. Secondly, raising the minimum wage will automatically result in a greater rate of inflation and will likely make it more difficult for people to get entry level employment. Beyond those two main reasons are the very valid privacy concerns over the information reporting requirements.

Issue Three: Vote NO! This issue is to amend the state constitution to allow slot machines and casinos in selected counties. I enjoy visiting casinos and actually wouldn't have a problem legalized gambling including sports books. However, I have to recommend against this measure mainly because it favors a couple counties. If we are considering amending the Ohio Constitution to allow something currently prohibited (gambling) then the change should be statewide. Then individual counties or municipalities could decide whether it is wanted in there area. Additionally, those in favor of this issue have produced some of the most dishonest advertising I've seen. If you need more reasons to vote against Issue Three, Jill from Writes Like She Talks has been counting down 57 reasons to vote against this constitutional amendment here is number 4 with links to the previous 53.

Issue Four and Issue Five: Vote NO on both. I don't smoke and don't like the smell, but we don't need any more nanny state laws.

Local levies and issues: Vote NO on any which would result in higher taxes or more government spending!