Candidates in My District: Congress

Thanks to the recent Ohio court decision on the Libertarian Party, we now have three candidates on the ballot for Congress. I can't remember seeing three candidates for anything but a judge...and I feel good about seeing it now. Choices, options, dialogue. That's what democracy is all about...the more hats in the ring, the better (up to a point, I suppose...but that point is so far down the road I'm not thinking about it yet).

I hope this new level of choice isn't a flash in the pan.

Anyhow, the three people who want to go to Washington to represent us in the 12th Ohio district are:

• David Robinson (D)
• Pat Tiberi (R)
• Steven R. Linnabary (L)

Congress is an important job, since taxes originate from it. It's also where a lot of the actual business of government happens...if you look in the Constitution and read between the lines a little bit, the Senate is more of a vetting process to put the breaks on a boistorous lower house (and BOY have we seen that in the past two years!).

Pat Tiberi is the incumbant this year, has been since 2001. We'll use these years in office to evaluate him, via the voting record listing over at Project Vote Smart. I was actually quite surprized to see there wasn't much in the voting record I disagreed with. Yes, he leans right...but he IS a Republican, and that's to be expected. Three things that jumped out at me as being good: He's been consistently against oil exploration in the US; for alternative energy incentives (as long as they don't come with a stick against big business); and voted against this most recent farm bill. A three things I didn't like so much? A series of pro-life votes; against foreign aid to fight AIDS, malaria, and TB; has voted against every measure so far to alleviate home owner angst.

David Robinson is the Democratic challenger. He's a well-educated man from the Columbus area, with a seminary MA and a PhD in theology and philosophy. His most recent claim to fame, and the reason he got interested in politics, is his work with the Climate Project with Al Gore. I find it facinating a man with a seminary degree represents the Democratic Party...it's not the typical MO for the day and age. No prior government experience, just a passion to get involved and help bring a breath of fresh air to Congress.

I'd love to tell you more about the Libertarian candidate, Steve Linnabary. However, I can't seem to find anything about him. He's a Columbus area native who went to college in Lexington, KY. The website from his Clerk of Courts run (I'm not sure when that was) is up, and is far more functioning than the site for his current Congressional run (which I had to find in a roundabout fashion). I don't know about you, but I don't like the idea of someone representing me who can't get any of his links to work. I appreciate the "I'm not a part of this madness" sentiment, but this doesn't excuse one from the basics of campaigning...namely making it easy for the voters to access information about you.

As for my personal choice? I'm not sure yet. I was pleasantly surprized by Tiberi's voting record...even though he's been along for the entire Bush ride. One could argue the fact he survived the GOP slaughter of '06 means something as well. Though...if I'm serious about change...Robinson certainly represents that. I'll need to deliberate longer.

Issues This Fall (List)

Just as important as the candidates we'll be electing this year are the issues we'll be deciding by ballot. Things like the gay marriage ban--that abortion of human rights--are decided by a ballot issue during a general election.

How does an issue get on the ballet? It's technical, and I'll look into it for another post soon. But there's two main reasons you'll have an issue on the ballot: A) The state legislature decides it doesn't have the authority (or it lacks the political cojones) to decide on an issue and they send it to the voters, or B) the voters decide they want to force the legislature down a particular path, and get their issue on the ballot.

In short, it's our democracy at the base level: By the people, for the people. Forever and ever, amen. So do us all a favor and pay attention to these issues...they DO affect your life.

We have some interesting issues up for decision this year. Here's an overview for my area, and you can see the full list here.

Ohio Issues:

• Issue 1: To provide for earlier filing deadlines for statewide ballot issues. An ammendment to the state Constitution to make people file their paperwork earlier when they want to file a state wide ballot issue. Yes = the Constitution is changed, No = No change.


• Issue 2: To authorize the State to issue bonds to continue the Clean Ohio program for environmental revitalization and conservation. Another Constitutional ammendment that will let the state raise money to continue the Clean Ohio program. Yes = Allow Bonds, No = No Bonds.


• Issue 3: To amend the Constitution to protect rights in ground water, lakes, and other watercourses. I'll be honest with you, I'm not sure what this is all about, exactly...but with how dry other parts of the country are getting, I'm not surprized to see a water issue. Look for a post on this once I read up on it.

Westerville Issues:

• Issue 54: Proposed Municipal Income Tax Ordinance. General Municipal operations and services, street maintenance, capital improvements and related costs. A tax of 3/4 (.75) of 1% of earnings and income subject to the municipal income tax, effective January 1, 2009.


• Issue 55A: Particular location -- Weekday Sales (10am to Midnight). Vino Meza LLC dba MEZA, 48 N State Street Westerville, OH 43081


• Issue 55B: Particular location -- Sunday Sales (1pm to midnight). Same location.


• Issue 56B: Particular location -- Sunday Sales (1pm to midnight). Enken Inc dba Sunbury Rd Duchess 900 S Sunbury Rd Westerville, OH 43081.

There's also a buncha bonds and liquor options for Columbus. City charter changes for various suburbs, like Whitehall's charter has quite a bit of rewriting up for vote. Go check it out...it's kinda neat to see what town is doing what.

This isn't the final list, because I don't see the pay day loan issue on there yet. September 30th is the magic date, according to the BOE. After that date we should have access to full sample ballots.

Candidates This Fall

As you may know, I'm a big fan of Smart Voter.org. It's the League of Women Voters who organize volunteers in several states to contact Boards of Election and compile sample ballots and candidate info in simple, easy to read formats. Go check it out.

It's still early in the season for the full, official sample ballots. Those should be ready after 9/30/08 Issues are still being fought about in court, petitions still being signed, etc etc. But most of the national and state contests are listed, and here's the ones for the 12th Congressional/3rd State Senate/20th State Rep district in Ohio.

If you want the full Franklin County, Ohio list of national and state contests, go here.

Congress:

• Pat Tiberi (R)
• David Robinson (D)

State Representative:

• Nancy Garland (D)
• Jim McGregor (R)

Ohio Supreme Court:

6 Year Term Starting 1/1/09

• Joseph D. Russo (D)
• Maureen O'Connor (R)

6 Year Term Starting 1/2/09

• Evelyn L. Stratton (R)
• Peter M. Sikora (D)

Ohio Court of Appeals:

6 Year Term Starting 2/9/09

• David Goodman (R)
• John A. Connor (D)

6 Year Term Starting 7/1/09

• Richard D. Brown (D)
• Lisa L. Sadler (R)

Note, there are no US or State Senators being elected in this district in 2008. Gotta love those longer terms.

I couldn't find a damn thing about Richard D. Brown or Lisa L. Sadler, except Lisa L Sadler's entry in the Yellow Book. I also want to point out the majority of hits on John Connor were about his suspension and various misconducts...but you can look at the search results here.

Check it out, kids. Have fun.

Gas Prices

So I'm driving last week to buy Mother's Day cards (I bought a crazy amount of them, but that's another story for another time and blog) and I pass the Speedway on the corner. I'm stopped at a light, and I see something that reminds me to shut off my car till the light cycles around.

$3.79. Four dollar gasoline had hit Columbus.

I got pissed more than anything. I got really, really angry. I immediately assumed the prices went up to support the gas tax holiday certain politicians are trumpeting. The way I see it, if Congress actually DOES pass this hare brained nonsense, the gas stations and oil companies will simply keep the prices the same, and pocket the extra $14 cents a gallon that would have gone to support our roads and bridges. CT Bob puts it well, talking about crazy pills.

Paranoid? No, I don't think so.

So it got me thinking...about how I really, really, really need to start driving less. To hell with oil...everyone from that creepy guy who clerks the gas station to Hugo Chavez to the oil exec making huge bonuses are people I really don't care to support.

1. Walk -- That's a no brainer, right? Just the other week, Sarah and I walked to Max and Erma's for a drink. It was nice, since I was totally buzzed and walking took that pesky DUI thing out of the picture. Not easy in all areas...but it's the easiest and cheapest way to screw the oil companies.
2. Bike -- Most of us have a bicycle floating around, right? I don't...but that's a long story. I used to ride my bike a lot, it was the best way for a 12 year old to expand his horizons. It still will get you further and faster than walking...and doesn't use a drop of gasoline.
3. Mass Transit -- Is sort of a joke here in Columbus, and Cincinnati. From what I've heard Cleveland has it better...but I don't know for sure. But if you're lucky enough to be on a bus route, why not use it? Budget some extra time when you go to the mall or to a sporting event.
4. Standard Gas Economy Tips -- Uncle Sam provides us with some tips on how to improve our gas mileage here. Go check it out...some it it (like tire pressure) is so easy you really need a kick in the butt if you can't find time and motivation.
5. Buy a More Efficient Car -- I've told myself for a long time now, that my next car will run on something like electricity or maybe even leftover fryer shortening. It won't be a straight gasoline engine. I won't be counting on ethanol (that disaster of mamoth proportions). I'm hoping to drive my current car long enough to have plenty of options.
6. Write Elected Officials -- And find out what exactly they're so afraid of when it comes to weaning ourselves off the oil teat. I'd love to see someone seriously propose taxing the hell out of oil profits and funnelling the money into alternative energy. Brazil is on track to be gas-free by the end of the year(!) with their sugar cane alcohol fuel. Germany has managed to become the leader in solar energy thanks to their tough legislation on the matter.

It's really that last point that's going to have the biggest impact. The fact our country's leadership has chosen to engage in wars of aggression instead of being productive with our tax dollars and legislative energy is truly disgraceful. History will treat everyone in government since 2000 harshly, I'm trusting.

But don't whine...make changes in your lifestyle. Consumer economics, my friends. Democracy. They're two of the most powerful sources we have in this country, and we can't afford to not use them.

Voter Registration Confirmation

Sorry for the late post. The day jobs kinda got in the way.

I was going to post a picture of my voter registration confirmation card, and explain it, and maybe even the voter ID laws (which apparantly still give people fits).

But as I'm trying to photoshop some of the more sensitive info out of the picture, I realize they have my name wrong. They put an "A" where there should have been an "O." Meh.

So now we're gonna look at how to fix this instead. Take it as a lesson about checking your confirmation postcard carefully.

Step one is to check out my local board of elections. In this case, it's Franklin County.

Step two is checking to see if I'm registered under my real name or not. I can check my registration by clicking the link on the left hand sidebar.

*searches for name*...

And the search function is apparantly broken, since it asked me to call the office of the Board of Elections. Nice.

I'm assuming I'll need to have my name changed, so I can actually vote without having to cast a provisional ballot. (What's that? A new post topic? Hrm...). When that happens, I'll simply fill out another voter registration form and mail it in.

Of course, I should prolly call the BOE just to be sure.

...And Now for Some News...

McCain and Obama Win Again, from NPR

Family Brings Soldier's Dogs Home, from NPR

Bhutto Widower Rejects Idea of Being Prime Minister, from BBC

Israeli MP Blames Gays for Earthquakes, from BBC

3rd Parties

Since digging through the websites of the two national parties last week, I've been doing some searching and some reading on 3rd parties you can find here in Ohio. It's really about time we had some viable alternatives.

Bear in mind...these lists and write ups are not endorsements...just trying to give you a heads up on what else is out there. They're also listed in the order I found them...no special preference. I will confess that in some cases you might be able to read my actual thinking on the party and it's beliefs...sorry, but I'm human and do my own editing.

• There's the Green Party. Their introduction reads "The Green Party is composed of grassroots activists, environmentalists, advocates for social justice, nonviolent resisters, and regular citizens who've had enough of corporate-dominated politics. Our goal is to be the electoral wing of the nation-wide movements against war and corporate power." They also give a list of their Ten Key Values to show how they differ from other parties.
  
• There's also the American Reform Party. The main page has a long list of goals over a variety of subjects from economy to health care to immigration. Some of them include normalization of ties to Cuba, a single-payer national health care, and cracking down on immigration.
  
• Then we have the Constitution Party. This looks like a pretty robust website, and one of the first things you see is a news reader that says (at the time of this writing) a blurb about the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade. Not in a positive way. There's also a lot of anti-Huckabee language on here. They list seven principles of the Constitution and their interpretation of them (ie, Family = Husband, wife, plus children; Life = Protection from conception to natural death).
  
• Following them, we have the Independent American Party. The main page seems to be pretty much a blog, with little articles and stuff like that. They have a long bullet point list of purposes, ranging from "To restore our Constitutional Republic, restore Constitutional Law, and restore all rights, liberties, and properties rightfully belonging to the people and to the states" to "To preserve and honor our Judeo-Christian heritage, and the rights of all religions."
  
• The Libertarian Party seems to be all about getting on the ballot, according to the home page. Their six principles seem to revolve around tiny government and personal responsibility. "#2 Nobody spends somebody else's money as carefully as he spends his own." "#5 Sound policy requires that we consider long-term effects and all people, not simply short-term effects and a few people."
  
• Next up is the Natural Law Party, which evidently has no current national-level activity. I looked into their history and explanation a bit...near as I can surmise (and I welcome correction if I'm wrong) it looks like they're based on the principle that natural laws (eg, gravity) don't change, and we should thus adjust public policy to be more in line with them. Their statement of purpose is straight forward, but I'm already out of space.
  
• While it's not a party per se, Independent Voting did show up in my searches. The organization has a stated goal of making independent (non GOP or Democrat voters) more of a driving force in politics. Their efforts include a magazine, legal and monetary support to local independent activists and organizations, and a general dissemination of information. Probably the best website I saw during this search.
  

...and Now for Some News...

Solider Loses Custody of Child Because of Iraq Tour, from NPR

Gunman at Northern Illinois University Named, from NPR

Kenyans to Review Polls, from BBC

Kosovo Pledges to Protect Minorities, from BBC

Parents, Principals, and Teachers Working Together, from WCBE

Cincinnati Neighborhood Summit Saturday, from WVXU

Who's in the State House?

Since I now life only about 15 minutes from the State House, I think it's time to look at who represents me now.

My State Senator is Ray Miller, the Minority Leader. Looks pretty solid...BS in Political Science, MA Public Administration. President and CEO of Professional Employment Services of America. I'll look into sponsored bills...later.

My State Representative is Tracy Heard. First term in office, went to the University of Akron...in good company, from all I've heard. Again, I'll check out some of these 48 bills later.

I just have to update some links.

...and Now for Some News...

Clinton and Obama Still Locked in Struggle, from NPR

McCain is Far Ahead the GOP Leader (but Romney and Huckabee Won't Quit), from NPR

Italian Parliament Dissolved to Set Stage for Snap Elections, from BBC

CIA Chief Admits to Waterboarding, from BBC

OSU Tickets to Cost More Next Season, from WCBE

Foster Care Bill Hits Governor's Desk, from WVXU

Columbus Government

Since I've moved, it's time to get acquainted with a new set of government officials. Let's start with the Mayor of Columbus and the City Council.

The city's website is pretty simple: http://www.columbus.gov/. I love it when it's that simple. The main page here has all kinds of links that are just pretty spiffy. The central features have some interesting news bites...hrm. Have to look into that.

The Mayor's Page has a lot of the same information as the main city page, but also has contact info for the Mayor.

The City Council has a main page, that branches off into all sorts of information about the council and it's individual members.

City Attorney has his own page.

As does the City Auditor.

Clerk of Courts has her own webspace.

And a list of Judges.



I think that covers it all. Now to update my sidebar links...



...and Now for Some News....

McCain, Clinton Win in Florida, from NPR

Army Balks at VA Help for Soldiers, from NPR

Afghan MPs Back Death for Blasphemy, from BBC

EU Leaders Call for Transparency, from BBC

Organizations Worried Over State Budget Troubles, from WVXU

Your Ohio Primary

ok...so I've moved to a whole different end of the state. That's kinda disturbing on some levels...but not, on others. But I'm still in Ohio, so thankfully many of my links are still valid. Changing them is the next big project I have.

But today, I wanna look into the primary. When it is, who can vote, etc etc. Let's go consult Google.

By a round-a-bout way, I found this handy dandy schedule. This guy has some pretty nifty graphics, so it's a bit better than my postage. Not a bad site on the whole...go check it out!

This tells us that Ohio has a joint primary (both Democratic and Republican parties hold primary elections the same day) on March 4th. This is after super-Tuesday, so it makes our primary even more irrelevant than most...kinda sad.

I believe the best way to investiage the how-tos of a primary is through the Ohio offices of the parties...so lets go back to Google.

The Ohio Democratic Website really kinda sucks. A lot. They don't even have the March 4 primary listed on their events calendar. In fact, they barely mention the primary at all. They do have a pretty robust information base in general terms, however.

The Ohio Republican Website is flashier, and better and getting their message out, but has even less real info. The national GOP website doesn't look so barren of info, and I was referred to it a few times...but I was looking for information on the Ohio primary. Didn't find it, and the GOP didn't list the primary with their events either.

I'm kinda disappointed in both these groups. Remind me why I'm registered Independent?

Maybe the Ohio Board of Elections? Long story short, not really.

ok, I had to walk away from the computer after 2 hours on this. I believe I saw a lil blurb back on the Ohio Democratic Party's site on their FAQs about registering with a party...their answer was no, but if you vote in a primary that will set your party affiliation. So it resets your registration? Apparantly. I couldn't find anything to clarify it, and I'm just about done.

Now for Some News...

Gaza Barrier Breached, from NPR

Slide May Not Presage Severe Recession, from NPR

Goths with Dog Leash Forced off Bus, from BBC

Iraqi Parliament Approves New Flag, from BBC (this actually does serve practical purpose)

How DO Candidates Get Chosen?

I have a vague understanding of this...but not a full understanding. So I'm going to consult Google for you.



In essence, it's a smaller version of the Electoral College. While the primaries for each party ARE held in the year leading up to the Presidential Election, those really don't officially decide anything. Delegates are chosen from each state, and then THEY select the candidate at the party convention, typically held the summer before Election Day.



The delegate selection process is rather...complicated. It varies by state, and by Party. One of my Google Finds, ThisNation.com, had a pretty solid answer for you. That article also links to a CNN.com report on how the GOP and Democrats did their process in 2004...which is a good read.



For the sake of brevity, the short and simple answer is the primaries serve to pledge some delegates for a particular candidate. They're typically only about half of the delegates that will go to the Convention...there are elected officials (think Governors), Party officials, and others with influence who will be chosen for the state at large.



Most delegates will be pledged, meaning they have to declare for a particular candidate before the convention. It's for this reason winning the primaries is such a key element...although in theory, with a scattered enough race (like this one!) it could be anyone's ball game, on account of unpledged delegates being able to weigh in on just one of three otherwise equal candidates.



So, to recap: The primaries elect some of the delegates to the Convention, and these set of district level delegates will vote for the winner of said primary. PLEO's, or Party Leaders and Elected Officials, will also have a say and are typically unpledged. This allows state delegations to be flexible under changing political conditions. Other delegates are chosen as well, with an at-large distinction, and depending on state rules are pledge or unpledged.



Then they all get together, and have a big party, and somewhere along the way vote for whoever they were pledged to vote for. Or whoever their delegation decides on, if they aren't pledged.



That gets important, because...what about those delegates pledged to Bill Richardson? They're up for grabs at the convention. If Huckabee drops out, all his delegates ALSO become fair game. That's why it may not seem important to vote your conscience in a primary, but...really, it is. Even if your candidate drops out later, a delegate from your district could play a key role in choosing the right candidate, instead of just going to support a media darling.

Now For Some News...

Bush to Announce a Stiumulous Package (Put Together With Congress???), from NPR.

Iran is Not an Immediate Military Threat, says Gates, from NPR.

Bobby Fischer Dies at 64, from BBC.

CIA Names Bhutto Killer, from BBC.

Reds Spring Training Tickets On Sale, from WVXU.

Delta, Northwest Merger Likely, from WVXU.

Ohio Supreme Court Rules on Multiple Sentences, from WVXU.

Find Your Elected Folks, Part 4!

Here we're gonna go after the county people. They're a little harder to come by...I had to resort to a Google search for "Hamilton County Ohio" before I found the webpage.



From there, it took a bit of digging. I ended up going to the top right corner and clicking "Departments." That gave me a list of all the departments in Hamilton County. Since I'm concerned with finding out who my county commissioners are, I clicked the "Commissioners" link.



From there, you get the contact info and links to their home pages.



Back track to the Hamilton County page again, and you'll see a box on the right hand side that asks you to input your address called the Local Government Connection, to find your local municipal government. That's pretty cool, let's try it.



Oh yes, it's pretty cool. It would figure something like this would happen on the last day of the "Find the Elected Officials" week. Go take a look and see what I'm talking about!

Now For Some News...

Clinton Improves Debate Performance, from NPR
Barry Bonds Indicted for Perjury, from NPR
Dinosaur "Cow" Found in Sahara, from NPR
Hundreds Dead in Cyclone, from BBC
Victim Given 200 Lashes in Saudi Rape Case, from BBC
Russian Election Will Not be Overseen by International Watchdog, from BBC
Joe Nuxhall Dies at Age 79, from WVXU
Hill Climb Race to Determine Cincinnati Masochist, from WVXU
Contractors to Register in Cincinnati (as if taxes and red tape weren't enough there), from WVXU

Find Your Elected Folks, Part 3!

So...thus far, we've found the President, my Congresswoman, my Senators, and the Governor of Ohio. What's next, you ask? Isn't that all?



Excuse me while I laugh. Because we're just getting started.



After this week tho, I plan on shaking it up a bit, don't worry. But for this fine Thursday morning, more elected reps!



Let's look at my State Senator. Or Senators? How does that work, exactly? I dunno...but I know where to start.

1. Go to the Ohio homepage.


2. On the right hand side of the page, you should see a blue box with the Governor's photo on it. Above him, there are some tabs...one of them says "Legislative." Click it.


3. We've got some options. We've got 5 links, one each for the Senate, the House, and the General Assembly, plus one each for Find Your Senator and Find Your Representative. (I'm glad we did this, 'cause I had no idea these legislative webpages were here).


4. I'm going to search for my Senator. Punch in my Zip Code, and I get the scoop on Robert Schuler (this is a neat service!)


5. Just for kicks, let's do my Representative too. Again w/ my Zip, I meet Michelle Schneider.

Go try it...it's fun!

Now for Some News...

• House Approves Spending Bill Tied to Troop Withdrawal (Too bad the Senate will never go for it), from NPR
• Mitt Romney Has Trouble Ahead Because of Mormon Faith, from NPR
• Airport Security Not Very Secure, from NPR
• Bishops Issue Voting Guidelines, from NPR
• Good News, Bad News About Iran, from BBC
• Musharraf Names Interim Prime Minister, from BBC

How to Contact the Governor

Just a quickie today...but I thought we should touch on what might be an obvious character, the state Governor.



http://www.governor.ohio.gov/ is the webpage for Ted Strickland. Once you're there, you can check out all kinds of nifty stuff, not unlike the White House website. In order to contact Governor Strickland, click on the "Constituent Affairs" link towards the bottom of the page. This will get you a web contact form, which even lets you flag your message as needing a reply.



If you're looking for a phone number or mailing address, go to the sidebar on the left-hand side. Find the link that says Contact Us. There you are!



Now for Some News...

I think Wednesday's I'll try and focus on environment/sustainability news. Which makes most of Marketplace's show yesterday (this whole week, really) pretty applicable.

Effects of a Consumer Culture on Bhutan
A small Indiana Town Shoots for Energy Independance
Discussion: Public Solutions or Private Enterprise?

All three of the above from Marketplace, an American Public Media operation.

Headlines...

FBI Finds Blackwater Shootings Unjustified, from NPR
Congress to Vote on Another Iraq Spending Bill with Troop Drawdown Attached, from NPR

French Strike Brings Travel Chaos, from BBC
Another Pakistani Opposition Leader Arrested, from BBC

Reds Lose Chief Operating Officer and Executive VP, from WVXU
Ohio Prison Population Hits 50,000, from WCPO. (I heard on the radio version on WVXU they blame the short term, 1 year or less drug convictions for most of the over crowding. Also, the prisons are projected to be at 52000 by this time next year).

Tune in next time, when we'll take a look at the Ohio State Legislature!

Get to Know Your Elected Folks 2

So now we've found US Senators...US Representatives...and now comes time for the other elected branch of the Federal Government, the President.



*Editorial Note* While the evidence IS to the countrary, remember the President does work for YOU. This means it's just as acceptable to drop the Executive a line telling them how you think the country should be run. Whether or not the President understands what it means to serve the constituency is a topic for someone else to debate. *End Note*

1. Go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/


2. Scroll all the way to the bottom. You'll see a set of links such as "President," "Vice President," etc. Among them is a link "Contact." Click that.


3. You'll get the mailing address, comment e-mails, phone numbers, and some other stuff like the Vice President's e-mail.

My goal is to limit how much my personal politics color this blog...but it's safe to say we won't be revisiting the White House webpage while this Administration is in office. Why, might you ask? I don't trust them. Plain and simple. Feel free to poke around on your own, but my time is more valuable than all of that.

Now Some News...

Inquiry Into San Fransisco Oil Spill, from NPR

Lawmakers and the Nation Try to Cope with High Oil Costs, from NPR

Bhutto Under House Arrest, Now Calls on Musharraf to Quit, from BBC

Bird Flu in England, from BBC

Tractor Trailer Closes 71s to 471 Ramp, from WCPO.

Get to Know Your Elected Folks!

Or mine, anyway.


And a side note for anyone who may have been looking for post action this weekend...I don't do that. I've spent just about all my working life to date working weekends, and...I don't anymore. Sorry.

So this week, we're gonna track down and add to the sidebar my elected officials. Because...I'm curious, for one. And it'll make it easier to find and decide on news. Since we've already found the United States Senators from Ohio, now we'll find my Congressman.

1. Go to http://www.house.gov/. That's the House of Representatives home page. It's got cool stuf, which we'll check out later.


2. This one is so easy. Look at the upper left hand corner...there's a place that advises you to find your rep by punching in your zip code.


3. In my case, this brings me to a page where Jean Schmidt (did not get my vote in '06) is shown, as well as the Ohio 2nd District. Jean's name is linked...let's click it!


4. Now we see her official webpage, with all kindsa neat goodies on it. Including possibly the most important, her contact info. This is important because we'll be discussing how to inform your elected reps when their views are either (a) appropriately reflecting your own or (b) decidedly offensive.

So to my neat lil side bar of knowledge, I'll add a neat lil section for Jean Schmidt.

Tune in tomorrow, when we tackle possibly the most obvious of all, the White House!

Now Some News...

• Bhutto Vows to Defy Protest Ban, from NPR.
• Iraq Vet Can't Find Work, from NPR.
• Hamas Kills 5 at Arafat Rally, from BBC.
• Cincinnati Library Celebrates Childrens Book Week, from WVXU.

How to Find Your Senators

I know I mentioned something about reading ballots, but that'd require finding case studies, analysis, etc...and I don't have time for that. I've only got a few minutes this morning, so...here's how to find your United States Senators.

Unlike Congressmen or state legislatures, BOTH Senators from your state are YOUR senators. So when you've got something to say about how the Senate behaves (more on that later), this is how you get in touch and yell at both of them.

First, go to the Senate webpage. There's a lotta cool stuff I plan on posting about on this homepage, but for now just find the "Senators" tab in red at the top of the page. The list is naturally in alphabetical order with all 100 of them, but you can use the drop down menues to filter as you like, by "state" for instance. If I do that and choose "Ohio," I see both of my Senators (Brown and Voinovich) listed, with address, phone numbers, and a link to a webmail submission form.

That's it! It works for any state, obviously, so if you don't happen to live in Ohio...go make the necessary changes in those steps and have fun!

***

Edit: I feel like a bit of a moron...but if you go to the Senate home page, and look at the top right hand corner you'll see a drop down menu that will let you search by state and skip a bunch of what I previously told you to do. Don't say I've never stood corrected!

How to Become a Registered Voter

So yesterday was all about moving Sarah, NOT telling you how to register to vote. My bad. Count this as Wednesday's issue, and I'll talk about the election for today.

It also gave me time to think...with fifty states, and dozens of counties per state, it'd be kinda asinine of me to issue a guide to all of them. More importantly, it's not really within my realm of influence or personal concern if everyone in Idaho is registered. SO I've decided the focus needs to be toned down to my county in all things political, starting with how to register to vote.

This blog is such a work in progress...so bear with me and feel free to offer suggestions.

How to Become a Registered Voter:

• http://www.ohio.gov has a link right on the homepage, which sends you to the Secretary of State website. There you can download the registration form, find all the eligibility questions you could ever have, and get a list of places you can register to vote.
• Contact the Hamilton County Board of Elections. They also have some interesting information, such as your local ballot and results.

If you're out for a walk and the urge to register your disenfranchised self to vote, drop in at any of the following locations (taken from the Ohio Secretary of State website):

• Public libraries.
• Public high schools or vocational schools.
• The office of any deputy registrar of the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (where you get your license and registration).

When I came back to Ohio from Colorado, I registered to vote by just walking into the library down the street, filling out the form with my name, address, driver's license # or last 4 of my SSN, then signed it. I gave it back to the librarian, and a week or so later I got a confirmation postcard telling me my polling station.

ALSO on that postcard was a simple change of address form. When I moved from Cincinnati to Marriemont this summer, I wrote my new address on the form and dropped it in the mail. My voter registration was changed even before I'd given back the keys to my apartment. Hang onto that card, it'll simplify your life when move time comes.

That's all folks.