US Senate Race: Eric Deaton

Eric Deaton is one of the four candidates standing for the US Senate seat being vacated by the retiring George Voinovich.  He's running as a member of the Constitution Party, whose seven principles state a belief in strict interpretation of the Constitution and a minimum of government involvement in the lives of citizens.

Deaton was born just across the border in Richmond, Indiana, and was raised in Lewisburg, OH.  He attended the Montgomery County JVS (now known as Miami Vally CTC) and was inducted into that school's hall of fame in 2001.  Moving on to attend the University of Dayton, Deaton graduated in 1990 with a Bachelors of Science in Electronic Engineering.  He has worked for General Electric ever since.

Running for the Senate primarily to help oppose the two party system, Deaton believes the government has gotten too involved in the lives of citizens and as a result the country is suffering.  Rather than coming up with a handful of soundbytes to describe his positions, Deaton has written a series of position papers on topics of importance, including

• Balanced budgets (Sometimes the budget should be balanced, sometimes it's a surplus, sometimes it's a deficit, but the massive debt we've acquired is ridiculous)
• The Fair Tax (There should be a far more robust sales tax to replace income tax, is the short version)
• Affirmative Action (The time for this policy is long passed)
• Government-Run Healthcare (Healthcare is and should remain a private sector operation)

There are a lot more on the site, and they're worth a look.

Interestingly, Deaton was also one of two candidates to answer Project VoteSmart's Political Courage Test.  You can find his results here.

Off-Cycle Post: Library has a New Levy on the Ballot

Reading over at The Greatest City of All, I discovered that the Columbus Metro Library has a levy on the ballot this November.  I'm glad I saw this, since I think the library here in town is one of the best I've ever seen.  Since the state cut funding to help deal with the budget crisis, we've had to lose branch hours, services, and personnel in the library system...and I'm not fond of that situation.  I am definitely in favor of this levy.

The issue is #4, and replaces the 2.2 mill levy passed in 1986.  It also increases the amount of the last levy by .6 mills, for a total of 2.6 mills.  This increases the cost of the levy by roughly $5.24/month for a $100,000 home.


Personally, when I wasn't able to afford computer access for several months last year, the library kept me in contact with the rest of the world.  I was able to do e-mail, banking, AND get all my book and entertainment needs from the library, with no upfront cost (as long as I returned the stuff on time).  Totally an essential service in this day and age.

Check out the post at TGCA, and then head over to the library's campaign site to get the full scoop.

US Senate Race: Rob Portman

Rob Portman is a Cincinnati native running for the US Senate on the GOP ticket.  Portman is a veteran of the Federal government having served as Representative for the 2nd Congressional District from 1993-2005.  He then spent a year as Trade Representative for the Bush Administration, and another year as the Administration's Director of the Office of Budget and Management.

Growing up, Portman's father started Portman Equipment as a small forklift dealer, and grew it to considerable size.  Portman worked for the company, and later represented them as part of his law practice.  You can read more about the life and times of Rob Portman on his website.

As for issues he's campaigning on, Portman has them broken down into 13 points.

1. Jobs for Ohio: Portman has laid out a plan based on six key elements to improve the recovery of the Ohio economy.  This stretches from increasing Federal aid for job programs to helping provide a more hospitable environment for small businessness.  I didn't see anything new and exciting, just a repeat of what everyone is saying about the Ohio job market.
2. Energy: The energy plan laid out is almost standard Republican boiler plate: "Cap and trade will destroy the economy," "We need to expand on petroleum and natural gas in Ohio," "Nuclear power is clean energy."  His stance is to not increase regulation to choke fossil fuel power, but to use it in the short term while developing alternatives.
3. Budget: There's a statement about the importance of a balanced Federal budget to improve the nation's long term fiscal health.
4. Taxes: This page reads a list of achievements on the issue of tax reform.  As you would expect from a Republican candidate, the goal is lower taxes, simpler tax code, and fiscal responsibility.
5. Healthcare: I find two points on this page: Portman believes health care is broken and needs to be fixed (just like all of us), and he feels the worst thing we could have done about it was pass the recent reform bill.
6. Defense: Three main points: Protecting the benefits for those who serve our country, maintaining a strong defense program, and keeping Wright Patterson Airforce Base near Dayton, OH functional.
7. Veterans: This page reads a list of accomplishments in support of veterans, from votes in Congress to budget decisions with the OMB.
8. Pro-Life Record: Portman lists his Right to Life score cards, 100% from 1997-2005.
9. 2nd Ammendment Rights: The NRA approves of Portman, who has voted against gun regulation regularly.
10. Community: A list of efforts to improve community life by eliminating the effects of illegal drugs.  Bills included at the Drug Demand Reduction Act, the Second Chance Act, the Drug Free Workplace Act, and several others.  He also founded the Coalition for a Drug Free Greater Cincinnati.
11. A Strong and Independent Israel: That says it all.  Portman also lists his legislative record in regards to Israel, and touches on his dedication to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
12. Immigration: Portman appears to be a strong enforcement advocate.  He mentions in some depth how he'd like to see the rules tightened and enforced, from the border to the hiring line.  He also states his support of legal immigration.
13. Agriculture: A declaration of support for American farmers, including a list of farm-friendly bills he's voted for.  He's in favor of less regulation, more protection for farmers and their markets.

I encourage you to check out his voting record from Congress.  That's all I have for now (I think that's more than enough, don't you?).  Tune in next time for another candidate for the junior Senate seat in Ohio!

My Take, Ohio House of Representatives 20th District Race

This is an easier post to write than the last "My Take," mostly because of the absence of a strong 3rd party candidate.  It looks like the Lawrence Binsky campaign completely ran out of steam after getting it's candidacy certified on May 4th.  While I'm sure there's passion, good ideas, and thought-out positions in the person of Binsky, I have no way of knowing it.  This is exactly the sort of performance that leads major media to not even pay attention to most third party candidates.  At this point, I wouldn't even consider voting for Binsky.

Nancy Garland is the incumbent, and I'm not really fond of any Ohio Legislature member right now.  That being said, they can't ALL be a part of the problem, and I'm inclined to think Garland as a freshman legislator was more part of the solution.  I also like the "No" vote on transition funds...which seemed rather appropriate, given the context.  On the whole, I'm leaning towards giving Garland another shot at the Statehouse.

Matt Carle seems to be an extremely capable, accomplished person with a long history of political experience, albeit behind the scenes.  I'm sure his background would definitely enable him to be a successful legislator...but I'm not in favor of that happening, on an ideological level.  His experience working with so many prominent GOP candidates over the years just indicates to me a person who's values do not ideally match with mine, not to mention I've rarely agreed with a candidate endorsed by a Right to Life group on most social issues.  I really don't anticipate voting for Carle.

Ohio House of Representatives, 20th District: Lawrence Binsky

The Libertarian candidate for the 20th District is Lawrence Binsky, a small business owner in Bexley.

Binsky has lived in Bexley since he was nine, and now shares a home there with his wife and five children.  He attended OSU, and started Advantage Food and Beverage with one vending machine, and grew it to the current size of 21 employees.

Gleaning from his biography page, Binsky is running because of the obstacles put in front of small businesses.  He wants to make things easier for businesses, and thus create a better state.  He is also against the tax and fee burden and thinks a small government would be helpful in reducing that load.

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be much to the Binsky campaign that I was able to determine.  Maybe this will change at the election date gets closer.

Ohio House of Representatives, 20th District: Matt Carle

Side note, I'm kicking it up to a 3 day a week schedule: Tuesday, Friday, Sunday.  Too many candidates/issues to cover in 2 months otherwise!

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Matt Carle is the Republican challenging Nancy Garland for the 20th House District.

A graduate of Westerville North High School and a current resident of Gahanna, Carle graduated from OSU and earned a law degree from Capitol University.  He's worked on several campaigns in recent years, including both Mike DeWine's and George Voinovich's Senate campaigns and Betty Montgomery's campaign for Auditor.

Other work Carle is involved with include being the Director of Development and Community Relations for the Ohio College Access Network, and his career as a real estate and zoning lawyer.  He is a member of the Columbus Bar Association.

Carle's stances include the standard "Smaller Government/Lower Taxes" found on GOP tickets, claiming his work with OCAN and others gives him a good grasp on where government waste is.  He also feels the disparity between urban, suburban, and rural school districts needs to be stopped.  His stance on health care is "minimizing the damage that could be caused by national health care reform" while making sure Medicaid is funded.  He also has a bullet point about protecting rights and freedoms with the right to bear arms being the only one specifically mentioned.

There's a well set up endorsements page on Carle's webpage, showing endorsements from the FOP, the Right to Life PAC, the Chamber of Commerce PAC, and others.