Glass City Jungle

This received via e-mail, it does not pertain to any elected representatives of our area, but may be of interest to many of you:
Catholics United Announces New Campaign to Defend Rep. Driehaus and Rep. Boccieri from Religious Right Attacks
Organizing and Paid Media Effort will Set the Record Straight about Health Care Reform
Washington, DC – [...]

Breaking news message from Politico moments ago – (link):
Ending weeks of stalemate, the Senate cleared the way Tuesday for Congress to extend federal jobless benefits through November’s elections for millions of long-term unemployed.
Maine Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins were the sole Republicans to join Democrats on the 60-40 roll call, the outcome of which [...]

The cover story for the Toledo Free Press this week is the result of an interview with Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur done by Kristen Rapin of the Toledo Free Press – “Kaptur criticized for circumventing new earmark ban” (link) is a recommended read for those of you interested in more of the story than what was [...]

Several releases were sent out yesterday on the passage of the Wall Street reform bill, below are the ones I received, John Michael Spinelli has a recommended article (link) that references them and a few others that I did not receive yesterday:
Governor Applauds U.S. Congress for Passage of Wall Street Reform, Rebukes Republican Calls [...]

After writing Looking through the windshield in the Toledo Free Press that came out Sunday, the thoughts that inspired that column are still with me. As I wrote at the time, it really didn’t matter which superintendent candidate TPS selected, the question raised in my mind by the comment made by Tom Watkins exists [...]

There are moments when I feel as Joe Hallett expresses in his column a few days ago where he asks the question – Wouldn’t it be nice if politicians focused on what matters?. It’s one that has been asked here, more than once and the challenge is to not become so entrenched into what [...]

This in via e-mail from the office of U.S. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur and updated to include a release sent out by U.S. Congressman Bob Latta:
Kaptur Congratulates the Milan Community After Edison Wins Voting to Represent Ohio
World-Famous Inventor to Join President Garfield In Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol
U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (OH-9) today welcomed [...]

According to govtrack.us Representatives Marcy Kaptur and Bob Latta voted no on the conference report for HR 4173 -Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2010. Part of what Kaptur said on the floor, as reported by Allison Bell, (link):
“The bill doesn’t appear to encourage prudent credit accumulation,” Kaptur said, according to a version of [...]

The give and take of politics continues with the media coverage ramping up about House Minority Leader John Boehner’s specific reference to raising the retirement age to 70. According to MSNBC there was a press conference held today by Ohio House Democrats where the expected political outrage took place and Boehner’s office said there [...]

Two releases sent out today by the office of Governor Ted Strickland, the first is on the creation of the Northwest Ohio Solar Energy Hub and the second calls upon the United States Senate to pass an extension for unemployment benefits.
Strickland Announces Northwest Ohio Solar Energy Hub in Toledo
Toledo, OH–Governor Ted Strickland today [...]

Comments made by House Minority Leader John Boehner have been getting some media attention, as reported in the Hill, (link):
“We’re all living a lot longer than anyone ever expected,” Boehner said in a meeting with the editors of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “And I think that raising the retirement age — going out 20 years, [...]

Also in this week’s Friday packet is a new resolution that will be before Toledo City Council calling for Comprehensive Immigration Reform and Opposing Human Trafficking and Unscrupulous Employment Practices. For those of you interested in this topic, the new resolution and the previous legislation are both included below:
Calling for Comprehensive Immigration Reform and [...]

Some of those who comment here have expressed anger and levied insults at the Obama administration because FEMA denied the federal disaster determination for our area after tornado/storm damage reported by the Red Cross on June 8 of: 39 homes completely destroyed, 42 damaged beyond salvage and over 700 homes affected. Add to that Lake [...]

As an FYI out there for any of you Korean War veterans who may not be aware of this, in via e-mail from the office of Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur:
Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur will honor Korean War veterans on Saturday morning, June 26, at 10 a.m. during a free brunch at Michael’s Bar and Grill, 901 Monroe [...]

Two releases via e-mail first from the Fisher for Senate campaign and second from the Ohio Democratic Party on what is felt to be areas of difference between Fisher and Portman:
Fisher Pushes Plan to Create Jobs in Ohio, Lower Health Care Costs For Ohio’s Middle Class Families
Congressman Portman Has Received More than $350,000 from [...]

It all started June 10 with Talking Points Memo reporting (link):
House Minority Leader John Boehner said he believes taxpayers should help pick up the tab for the clean up.
“I think the people responsible in the oil spill–BP and the federal government–should take full responsibility for what’s happening there,” Boehner said at his weekly press [...]

Article from today’s The Hill (link) that names the 25 hardest working members of Congress. The list includes both members of the House and Senate, only one member from Ohio is listed, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur:
24. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio). The longest-serving female member in Congress, Kaptur represents an Ohio district hit especially hard by [...]

This in via e-mail from the office of Congressman Bob Latta:
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) joined U.S. Sens. George V. Voinovich (R-OH) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and U.S. Reps. Marcy Kaptur (OH-9) to send a letter (link to letter) to President Obama yesterday evening in support of Governor Ted Strickland’s [...]

This in via e-mail from the Ohio Democratic Party:
COLUMBUS— Congressman Portman’s first television ad campaign fails to do justice to the decades he spent in Washington championing disasterous trade agreements that sent thousands of Ohio jobs overseas. Congressman Portman is an icon in Washington for promoting failed trade policies that exported Ohio jobs and [...]

The Blade today reports (link) that Governor Ted Strickland and Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur are seeking federal disaster relief for areas hit by this past weekends tornadoes. Kaptur represents part of the area that was impacted. Yesterday a release was sent out by Congressman Bob Latta sharing his request to President Obama for federal [...]

Two releases received via e-mail from the office of Congressman Bob Latta:
LATTA STATEMENT REGARDING WEEKEND STORMS IN WOOD AND FULTON COUNTIES
BOWLING GREEN- Congressman Bob Latta (R- Bowling Green) issued the following statement in wake of the deadly tornadoes that touched-down in Wood and Fulton Counties on Saturday night and early Sunday morning.
“Our thoughts and [...]

This is taking place in Cleveland, but I though it might of interest to some of you:
HIV-Negative Gay/Bisexual Male Blood Drive to End with Destruction of Potentially Life-Saving Blood Donations
Action to Underscore Need to Lift Ban on Donations from HIV-Negative MSM
What: [...]

The fact that the US House of Representatives added an amendment to H R 5136 that repealed the policy of “don’t ask don’t tell” when it comes to gays in the military has been the focus of some media attention nationally, (Washington Post as example) or the (New York Times) and here in Ohio, [...]

The Ohio Poll was released today, (link) which was sponsored by the University of Cincinnati. They polled 668 likely voters in the State of Ohio between May 11 and May 20 to come up with their polling results, though when you look at the data there were smaller numbers who responded in some cases. [...]

This in via e-mail from NRLC, the complete text of H.R. 5175 can be found here with a summary here the bill is also referenced as DISCLOSE (Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections Act):
NATIONAL RIGHT TO LIFE COMMITTEE URGES U.S. HOUSE TO REJECT “DISCLOSE ACT” AS “A CORRUPTION OF [...]

This in via e-mail from the office of Governor Ted Strickland:
Strickland, Brown, Local Leaders Announce New CODA Automotive Plant in Central Ohio to Create 1,000 Jobs
Columbus, OH – Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman, the Columbus Partnership, the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, The Ohio State University, Franklin [...]

This in via e-mail from the office of Congressman Bob Latta:
WASHINGTON- Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, delivered the following opening statement during today’s hearing on “Inquiry into Deepwater Horizon Gulf Coast Oil Spill.”
“Chairman Stupak and Ranking Member Burgess:
I want to extend [...]

This in via e-mail from the office of Governor Ted Strickland, additional information can be found on Senator Sherrod Brown’s website (link)
Strickland, Brown Announce Plans to Save Springfield Air National Guard Base Through New Mission
Base’s Future Was in Jeopardy; Senator, Governor Fought to Add New Missions to Keep Base Open
Columbus, OH – Ohio Governor [...]

I watched the internet commercial – (link) and I think it’s pretty immature and cheesy. That said, despite some of the media attention on it and the GOP denying they intended any sexual implication, as reported in the Columbus Dispatch,(link) — there’s a blogger twist to this story. Part of the video used [...]

The following was received via e-mail from the Buckeye Forest Council for those of you interested in taking action:
FOREST PROTECTION ACTION ALERT!
US Senate Climate Bill will Endanger Forest in Ohio and Across the Nation
Please contact US Senator John Kerry, immediately, and ask him to remove wood burning biomass from being included as “clean and [...]