Democrats demand coin inquiry

[salin]

Democrats demand coin inquiry

39 House members want bipartisan panel to investigate

By STEVE EDER and JAMES DREW
BLADE STAFF WRITERS


COLUMBUS - Ohio House Democrats yesterday ratcheted up the pressure on Republicans to launch a full-blown bipartisan investigative committee to get to the bottom of the investment scandals that have gripped state government for months.

All 39 Democratic members of the Ohio House of Representatives yesterday co-sponsored a proposal to create a 16-member legislative committee to examine what took place in Ohio. The committee, armed with subpoena powers, would help suggest government reforms in light of the scandals that began more than five months ago at the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation.

The chances of the committee coming to fruition in the near future remain slim because Republicans, who control all branches of state government, have resisted calls to form an investigative body, at least until Ohio Inspector General Tom Charles has concluded his probe.

more: http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050913/NEWS24/509130375/-1/NEWS

Salin's Note - the coingate is just a window to the ohio gop slushfund politics - the bwc is just ONE of several big investment funds in Ohio and a serious investigation would take the trail beyond Noe. Several high profile firings in the last week, indicate the sense that action has to be taken to placate the public - and to give the public the impression that this is the only area with lack of investment oversight, and where the GOP apparently viewed the taxpayer dollars as their private pot of money to give out - and take kickbacks (in the form of donations) from. That is, in Ohio they seem to have moved past pay-to-play politics - into slushfund politics. It is my opinion that this is a window to what we see on the national level with DeLay and Abromoff. It behooves us to pay attention and take notes - and begin to look for other local (statewide) stories in other states that might wake the public up to the level of ongoing corruption and disdain for the public and their taxdollars that is evident in today's GOP leadership.

[Deja Q]

1. Surely oil price gouging investigations would be better right now?

Back at $63/barrel, prices are still way too high by comparison.

[salin]

3. price gouging and the ability to do so with no real threat

from investigations of pricefixing (eg antitrust), is believe it or not, in my opinion a part of the same story. Not coingate, per se, but per the move in govt from basic graph and corruption - to a view of taxpayers as a source of revenue for political patrons who in turn give back huge amounts of money (donations to politicians, party, and to special pacs.) - To the current folks in charge of the GOP - gouging just leads to bigger revenues for buddies which inturn - if they don't investigate - will mean even a bigger flow of $ back from gougers to the politicians, party and their pacs.

Thus getting the public to see example after example in the most blatant and naked of situations the disregard the GOP has for taxpayer dollars (used to funnel back to selves) - is necessary to ensure a conventional wisdom (eg prevailing public sentiment) that we now have a national tammany hall scenario going on and the only way to change it is to sweep the whole party out of power, and pass reforms that prevent such an overwhelming abuse via taxpayers $ from recurring.

[OzarkDem]

5. For Ohio? No.

BTW, its possible to investigate more than one crime at a time.

Coingate is a scandal of huge proportions. It will uncover a GOP taxpayer funded slush fund operation in the billions of dollars.

Its the only chance to return 2 party government to Ohio and the way to prevent a similar system from crippling the federal government.

[Botany]

2. SOP for the repugs ......

..... FEMA is a slush fund for the repugs nationally ..... look @ all the money
they put into Florida in 04 before the election ..... and in some cases to areas
that were not affected by hurricanes.

BWC & the Ohio Turnpike Commission were used by the repugs for $
in Ohio for campaign actions.

[salin]

4. and finally - with so many stories coming out simultaneously,

and a press in a moment of bravery to start reporting, there is the chance that this will become conventional wisdom (e.g., prevailing public sentiment.)

Good day to all - will check back in this evening.

[OzarkDem]

6. Medicaid and Medicare, too

IMHO the laws mandating state reimbursement rates to nursing homes for long term care is another slush fund. Taxpayer dollars are used to pay exhorbitant rates for often empty beds in nursing homes while the nursing home lobby funnels the money back to GOP candidates.

The resulting high costs of Medicaid are then passed on to hospitals in the form of lower reimbursement rates and lower funding levels for providing care for the uninsured. Bottom line - more patients paying out of pocket for health care, even for treatments like surgery, radiation and chemotherapy for cancer.

[EST]

7. Here in Illinois there is a similar scandal brewing, concerning,

I dimly recall, teachers' retirement or health care funds. It got a "business as usual" shoulder shrug and I've heard nothing since. It involved a couple of the usual suspect Gop money outfits who are gambling with public money. even though this is an ostensibly blue state. Many millions were at stake.

[salin]

10. teachers retirement fund, I believe

I ran across it when googling for the similar agency in Ohio - where one of the chief investment folks for the BWC moved (now director of investments - same guy who gave Noe investments the nod, and helped draft letters of response from Noe to the auditor of the fund (working for the state's interest.) While the search I found an inkling of a story - but it wasn't about Ohio - it was about Illinois.

[texpatriot2004]

8. I like the sound of that "DEMOCRATS DEMAND COIN INQUIRY

[blm]

9. I agree. It's foolish to think what happened in Ohio was singular. It is

the GOP's standard operating procedure - Enron-style-book-keeping.

They cook any book they're given....even the intel books.

[salin]

11. only if there are enough stories, at enough levels of GOP controlled

governments, will the public 'conventional wisdom' - shift to grasping that today's GOP has become corrupt beyond belief.

[samplegirl]

13. As an Ohioian

Were paying the price for Taft.
A couple thousand dollars in fines and a lame
apology.
Not good enough!!!

[salin]

14. Indeed - and the only way to change this

is for more and more exposure of this - and other examples of serious fraud in Ohio - to the point where folks are so disgusted that they can't bring them to vote for GOP candidate. As I read the unfolding series - I would guess that this particular tipping point is quickly being approached.

[samplegirl]

15. I hope your right

Ohio certainly couldnt afford another Republican.
This should not be just another forgotten scandal.

[0rganism]

12. finally, Democrats *demand* something

Oh, what a sweet ring those words have. I'd love to see them more often.

[maseman]

16. Pissed off Ohioan

If it isn't enough that Ohio's economy is completely in the toilet, let alone the educational system, this is what is getting Ohioans pissed off and fired up.

More Ohioans need to stand up, write letters to State Legislators, meet at County level Dem groups, write to newspapers and call radio talk shows, etc. It will be VERY tough for any investigation in Ohio because the Repukes control everything from the House, Senate, Gov. and State Offices and the Supreme Court.