In this article in The Dispatch, Darrel Rowland doesn’t hide his big government liberalism:

Of course, none want to raise taxes, either. But it’s hard to see how the only remaining option – $8 billion in cuts, or 16 percent of the state budget – is realistic when eliminating the entire state general-fund payroll only results in a $4 billion reduction. Privatizing the turnpike or selling state assets seem dubious as a permanent solution.

Last month, the nonprofit Center for Community Solutions called for a three-pronged approach of cuts, tax increases and eliminating tax breaks to fix the budget.

“Closing any loophole is difficult because each has a particular rationale and specific interest group that will rise to its defense,” the Cleveland-based group said. “Often, supporters of these exemptions justify them on the grounds of economic development and job creation. Equally often, the rationales are long on theory and short on measurable evidence.”

The center called for legislative scrutiny of the loopholes, saying they should be regularly justified, just like any other part of the state budget.

So far, the report is getting little traction in either legislative chamber or on the gubernatorial campaign trail.

Rob Nichols, spokesman for GOP candidate John Kasich, said the former congressman “opposes raising taxes to fill Ohio’s deficit because he knows it will be a damaging blow to Ohio’s already struggling economy.”

When asked specifically about the possibility of closing tax loopholes, Nichols said Kasich “is not going to do anything to increase the tax burden for Ohioans.”

Amanda Wurst, spokeswoman for Gov. Ted Strickland, said the center’s suggestion “would be carefully considered in the context of the next budget.”

“Tax credits that bring jobs to Ohio are an important part of our strategy to grow the economy,” she added. “For example, the recently passed Film Tax Credit leveraged nearly $9 million to employ more than 1,000 residents, spent $9.4 billion in Ohio wages and an estimated $24.3 million to Ohio vendors and location fees. The Job Creation Tax Credit assisted in the state’s efforts to retain 13,362 jobs and create 1,150 jobs in central Ohio at JPMorgan Chase Bank.”

Maggie Ostrowski, spokeswoman for Senate President Bill M. Harris, said the Ashland Republican “believes that with families and businesses already struggling in this economy, now is the worst time to raise taxes or drive up the cost of doing business in Ohio … He believes that the next General Assembly needs to think outside of the box and make structural changes in addition to cutting government spending.”

House Speaker Armond Budish wouldn’t take the bait, either.

“It wouldn’t be appropriate to make blanket statements about all of Ohio’s tax credits and exemptions because many can have positive impacts on creating jobs, improving our economy, making the state competitive and strengthening Ohio’s tax base,” the Beachwood Democrat said in a statement. “As we approach the next state budget, we will be turning over every stone and reviewing every aspect of the state’s finances.”

Why is shrinking payroll and privatizing assets “dubious?” Because Rowland says so? NJ Gov. Christie’s proposed budget  is hardly perfect, but he has shown what a state with massive budget deficits and job-killing taxes can do: privatize, reduce employees, and cut back on the ridiculously generous benefits public employees- especially teachers- enjoy. What Rowland says is dubious is how any state- or any business- fixes their financial situation.

Also, it’s not just a “nonprofit” Center for Community Solutions… They should be referred to as “liberal”, “left-wing”, “union supported”, or “progressive”…. just like the Buckeye Institute is always referred to as “conservative.” And I think most people don’t realize that Center for Community Solutions is also taxpayer funded… so YOUR tax dollars are being spent on behalf of government to support the growth of government. And Center for Community Solutions employs many Democrats, including well-connected former staff members from Strickland’s administration. If readers knew that, wouldn’t that make them put CCS’s report in a proper context?

And with 400,000 jobs lost on Ted Strickland’s watch, I think it’s amusing that the Wurst spokesbabe in the world’s first thought is about tax credits to smutty independent films for the arts and croissant crowd. What’s wrong with serious, across-the-board tax cuts and stop picking winners and losers by manipulating the market?

House Speaker Armond Budish doesn’t want to talk about taxes because his majority is razor thin and tax raising is in his DNA. But the truth is, if you vote for Gov. John Kasich and a Republican majority in the Ohio House, you are electing politicians who are pledging to act like serious adults and make severe cuts- some of which will be wildly unpopular- to improve Ohio’s dismal business climate. But if you would rather have double digit unemployment and taxes raised to fill a budget deficit, vote for Ted Strickland and House Democrats.

I reported on this issue two weeks ago but Democrats are yet to respond. Now Mike Wilson is taking a stand and demanding an apology on behalf of all freedom loving, anti-tax activists:

Wilson Condemns Racially Divisive Cartoon
Calls for Immediate Reprimand of Democrat Aide

Springfield Township, OH– On July 1st, the Assistant Director of the House Democratic Communications Office distributed an email to all staff and members of the Ohio House of Representatives containing a cartoon portraying Tea Party members celebrating the 4th of July in Ku Klux Klan robes.

“The Democrats use of race for political gain is offensive and insulting,” said Mike Wilson, founder of the Cincinnati Tea Party and candidate for Ohio’s 28th House District. “Bigotry such as this falsely smears good people and is used to distract from the failure of big government policies in Columbus. My liberal-minded opponent and her colleagues in Columbus have demonstrated their approval of these kinds of revolting cartoons and caricatures by enabling them to be widely distributed.”

Wilson is referring to a cartoon disseminated by Dave Isaacs on July 1 to Ohio House members. The cartoon depicts a white couple dressed in stars and stripes talking to a white male dressed in traditional Klan garb while carrying a pistol and holding a placard parodying those traditionally carried by Tea Party members at marches and demonstrations. The couple says to the Klan member, “Didn’t you get the word? Glenn Beck on Faux (sic) News said this time not to wear our robes, carry placards or pack heat.”

In a letter sent to Representative Connie Pillich (D-Montgomery), Wilson referenced Tea Party and fiscal conservative support for African-Americans including Ohio Gubernatorial candidate Ken Blackwell in 2006, Justice Clarence Thomas, and the influx of conservative African-American candidates on the Republican ticket in 2010.

In the letter, Wilson says, “An apology is owed to the good people of the Tea Party movement. They have legitimate concerns about out-of-control government spending and the size of government. This false caricature cheapens our political discourse and should be out of bounds. I am disappointed in your silence to date, and I call on you to join me in denouncing these offensive cartoons.”

Tuesday, the National NAACP passed a resolution condemning the Tea Party movement as racist. “It is troubling that an organization that purports to stand against bigotry and unfair stereotypes is now engaging in that behavior,” said Wilson. “The Tea Party movement is organized around a set of principles that are universal and apply equally regardless of skin color. The three core values of the Tea Party – free markets, limited government, and fiscal responsibility – all derive from a belief in the shared dignity of all human beings.”

Wilson pointed out that the tactic of using race by the Democrats and practicing prejudice and bigotry is an attempt at misdirection to the voters. “This fall, the voters of Ohio understand that things are getting worse, that we are losing major businesses and jobs to other states,” said Wilson. “Meanwhile, those same voters are able to observe that Tea Party members are concerned about big government, outrageous spending and the inability of liberal politicians to properly manage the state.

Wilson is running for State Representative in Ohio’s 28th District. This seat is currently held by Connie Pillich. Wilson is also the founder of the Cincinnati Tea Party and led several of the largest Tea Party demonstrations in 2009.

So, uh, they put Jessica Hodges in a bullfrog suit outside his law office:

Although Andy Devine got Froggy to plunk his magic twanger on the 1950s television show “Andy’s Gang,” Hodges in her bullfrog costume couldn’t get Budish to appear from his office – magically or otherwise.

Liberal Democrats, with their adherence to political correctness, are generally not known for their sense of humor… In fact, they are usually unfunny, joyless, pedestrian clones of Amanda Wurst.

But Democrats in the Ohio House, with a slim majority and facing serious challenges from voters who are fed up with wasteful stimulus spending and Democrat-approved state income tax hike, have no problem trying to make jokes about taxpayers.

What is the joke? It goes something like this:  If you think government may be growing too quickly and it is a concern that America is quickly approaching a 100% debt-to-GDP ratio… then YOU ARE A RACIST, “NEGRO”-HATING, SHEET-WEARING MEMBER OF THE KU KLUX KLAN!!!

Here is the front page of the internal Ohio House Clips sent to all representatives, and approved by Ohio House Speaker Armond Budish and his minions:

Funny stuff, right? yuck yuck yuck And brilliant timing with the death of Democratic Party legend, Senator Robert Byrd, a former Grand Keagle.

Below the fold are examples of other examples of tasteless, racial comics from Ohio House Democrats:

More than 18 months have gone by since the stifling Speaker took the gavel when Democrats took over the Ohio House. In that time, we have seen a talented young woman silenced for her pro-life views, the silencing of brilliant economists on the validity of gutting Ohio’s 30 year old income tax, and a blatant disregard for the rules of the House floor. Budish’s strong arm tactics would put former corrupt Speaker Larry Householder to shame. Budish is more effective in his dirty politics as he doesn’t have crazy-eyed, batshit insane “reporters” like Sandy Theis willing to take him down.

And after their short time in office, we have seen Democrats acting like Democrats- with the support of Ted Strickland’s 4.2% income tax increase, imposed retroactively at the end of 2009 AFTER people had their deductions taken out, in addition to more than a billion dollars in fees.

Armond, I dedicate this ballad to you!:

Lots of campaigns filing their finance reports today and I’ll post details as they become available. I like to focus on the legislative races, especially in the House, because Republicans lost the majority in 2008 by a razor thin margin.

I pulled out as many union donations as I can find to give you an idea of just how much unions truly own the Democrat caucus. The grand total is $884,736.16 (about 20% of their total donations) and we’re still 5 months away from the election. Incredible:

And AFSCME is the same group that, after an executive order, used your tax dollars to fund a massive TV ad buy against gubernatorial candidate John Kasich. Taxpayers of Ohio, Speaker Armond Budish thanks you for your donations.

Isn’t it amazing how all this national money is suddenly focused on Ohio’s legislature just in time for redistricting?

The Democrats’ national organization focused on winning legislative races wants to spend a record $20 million this year to hold or take 15 chambers, including the very competitive Ohio House, in an effort to control how congressional districts are drawn.

“The results of the 2010 state legislative elections will define how key reforms and policies are decided for the next decade,” wrote Michael Sargeant, executive director of the Democratic Legislative Campaign committee, in a memo sent to Democratic leaders, and later released to the media.

Like in Ohio, the job of drawing new congressional district lines based on new 2010 Census counts in a number of states falls to state legislatures. In Ohio, the Senate is expected to remain in firm Republican control, but Democrats hold a tenuous 53-46 majority in the House.

The DLCC raised about $12 million in 2008. Sargeant listed the Ohio House as one of 10 chambers “in the crosshairs” that the group will work to keep.

The DLCC also was active in Ohio in 2008, using mailings and other efforts to help Democrats net a seven-seat pickup and capture control of the House for the first time in 14 years. This year, with the political tides turning — House Republicans reportedly have generic balloting that shows them running more than 10 points ahead of results in 2008 — Democrats are happy to see even more help.

The Huffington Post posted a copy of the DLCC’s memo:

DLCCMemo –

State Rep. Peter Ujvagi, who was just hired as the Lucas County administrator with a the pittance of a salary ($105,684/year plus generous benefits on top of whatever the legislature offers), is leaving the Ohio House.

So Speaker Budish and Ohio House Democrats used this as a perfect excuse to play ugly, partisan games with the Veterans Affairs Committee.

They took the occasion of Ujvagi’s planned departure and combined piles of amendments, forcing votes on them without allowing Republicans to read. While on a smaller scale, Armond Budish’s ugly tactics are like Nancy Pelosi on steroids. He needs to be stopped.

Here is the letter from IRAQ WAR VETERAN Rep. Danny Bubp, who serves on the committee. It was sent on Friday, and as of today, House Democrats still have no interest in discussing this matter with him or apologizing.:

As I reported late last night, Speaker Budish and his tax-loving caucus made sure that two scholars would be unable to testify in favor of Rep. John Adams’ plan to slowly eliminate the state income tax.

From Rep. Batchelder:

“Yesterday I believe an unfortunate situation took place in the House Ways & Means Committee that does an injustice to the institution of the Ohio House of Representatives. Never have I seen such a total departure from what should happen in a committee hearing and the first amendment right to petition for redress of grievance be so clearly, infringed upon.

The integrity of the House is built upon a tradition that allows for a transparent and open process between those with differing viewpoints on issues, who come to committee and provide our members with information which allows them to make the most well-informed decisions. Having the privilege of serving in the House for more than 34 years I was dismayed by what these actions will convey to the citizens of Ohio, who entrust in their public servants to allow all opinions and viewpoints to be shared in an open way. Opponents of the testimony hadn’t traveled far and were able to pontificate first. No witnesses who attended to offer proponent testimony were afforded the opportunity to testify. Many of these witnesses traveled from out of town to offer their insight and comments. Prior notice of their departure times and appearance was provided to the chair.

I have never known a request such as the one made before this committee to be rejected and ignored in such a manner. These kinds of actions do nothing but shake the confidence of the public’s trust that we are genuinely discussing the issues most important to Ohio in a fair process. It is impossible to have a fair and intelligent debate when one group of witnesses is silenced during the committee process.

It is my hope that Ohioans know that no matter where they stand on an issue, they can be confident their voices will be heard by those they have elected in the people’s house.”

If you missed Statehouse News Bureau Bill Cohen’s report, here it is again:

First it was Elizabeth Trisler, the talented high school senior who waited more than a year to receive praise on the floor of the Ohio House simply because Budish loves killing babies. And without the work of the Ohio Right to Life, the Ohio ACLU and Bill O’Reilly, lovely Elizabeth would probably still be waiting when she is elderly enough to watch Budish’s fuddy-duddy TV show in Cleveland.

But now, another storm is brewing, and it once involves free speech and former Navy SEAL Rep. John Adams, Ohio’s version of Chuck Norris.

As you know, Ohio House Democrats rarely allow Republican bills to get hearings. However,  they made a special exception for Adam’s HB 400, a proposal which would gradually eliminate the state income tax created during the Gilligan Administration.

But House Dems didn’t allow debate to start on this bill because they had epiphany about their statist agenda.

Instead, the goal was to have Ohio OBM Director J. Pari Sabety orchestrate something resembling a Stalinist show trial to beat up on gubernatorial candidate John Kasich, who has a similar proposal.

So on Wednesday in the Ways and Means Committee, with spokesidiots from various taxpayer-funded interests testifying against the legislation, the first full scale hearing started. To testify in favor was Jonathan P. Williams, the Director of Tax & Fiscal Policy at the conservative ALEC and well-known OU Economics Professor Richard Vedder.

With Williams flying in from Washington, D.C. and Professor Vedder traveling from Athens, they were both supposed to testify sometime during that morning session. And the Chairman, Rep. Tom Letson, was aware that Mr. Williams had a evening flight out of Columbus and had to leave by 4:30. Dr. Vedder had to depart by noon.

But as the clocked ticked away well into the afternoon, it became clear that they would not be allowed to testify at all. And while they couldn’t find time for two experts who traveled a great distance for the hearing, at least 8 people testified against…. even though it is tradition for supporters of bills to speak first. The show trial continued well into the afternoon, with only a brief intermission for a full-House session, with the committee continuing until 5:30pm.

What is Speaker Budish afraid of? Maybe he is concerned that brilliant Dr. Vedder would use his eloquent defense of free-markets and liberty to skewer big government Democrats? Vedder is an incredibly talented speaker, and during the question session he would certainly run intellectual circles around the lefty bumkins on the committee. It would be a blood bath, and Williams & Vedder wouldn’t even break a sweat.

The way House Democrats treated Williams and Vedder is inexcusable. Budish clearly is building a reputation for himself who will use his power over procedural matters to push his liberal agenda in the most petty and rude ways imaginable while silencing dissenters.

To correct this situation, does Armond really need Bill O’Reilly to knock him over the head again?

Here is Bill Cohen’s report from the Statehouse News Bureau:

Update at 7:40am: And leave it to Jim Siegel in The Dispatch to completely ignore what happened.

After this story was covered by The O’Reilly Factor last week, Elizabeth Trisler, the winner of a national oratory contest was finally able to be honored on the floor of the House. Pro-abortion Speaker Budish was probably not looking forward to this day, and even called out extra-security to keep a close eye on about a dozen DANGEROUS CHRISTIANS watching from the gallery:

What gracious comments from Elizabeth! THIS is what Budish and the Democrats were so afraid of???

However when she said “I hope to see you all in the future”… I am hoping that after November we will NOT see many of the Democrats who were there on the House floor today. And after regaining the House majority and seeing how leadership can become drunk with power, hopefully Republicans will be respectful of the freedom of speech.

I overheard Rep. Adams explain to others about how proud he is of Elizabeth and that he was quite nervous during this presentation… which is understandable given all of the unnecessary heat and controversy created by Budish.

A hour later, Elizabeth was also honored in the Ohio State by State Senator Keith Faber:

And here is a picture I took with State Rep. John Adams, Sen. Keith Faber, and Elizabeth:

It was a pleasure to briefly meet Elizabeth and her mother today. I couldn’t imagine there would be many 19 year olds who would be that comfortable speaking with Bill O’Reilly to millions of cable viewers. It is fantastic to see she is using her God-given talents to fearlessly speak out on behalf on unborn babies.

And here is Elizabeth with Mike Gonidakis of the Ohio Right to Life. Without his help, today’s presentation would not have happened:

When it was all over, Elizabeth Trisler, with her big smile and perfect manners, defeated the Big Bad Bully Budish.

After more than a year of delay, Ms. Trisler will be congradulated on the floor of the Ohio House today, Ash Wednesday.

The liberal newspaper I grew up reading, the Lorain Morning Journal, says it well:

Ohio House Speaker Armond Budish pulled a bonehead stunt by denying a Shelby County teen her few minutes of congratulations on the House floor for winning a National Right to Life oratory contest.

Budish, an attorney and abortion-rights advocate from Beachwood, cancelled the planned Feb. 3 proclamation presentation to 19-year-old Elizabeth Trisler, a senior at Christian Academy Schools in Sidney.

Needless to say, conservative groups and Republicans vigorously objected. Joining them were lawyers from the Ohio ACLU.

Budish reversed his decision last week, but the cork was already out of the bottle.

The story was snapped up by 24-hour cable news. The girl and her mother appeared on “The O’Reilly Factor” and Fox News. Sarah Palin has been asked to present an award to Trisler at an Ohio Right to Life event March 5 in Columbus.

A Budish spokesperson said the speaker did not want to permit politically sensitive groups to use the House floor as a platform, “whether it’s a gay-rights advocacy group or a right to life organization.”

Baloney. Budish used his political muscle to take a cheap shot at the anti-abortion movement by snubbing an impressionable student and got caught at it.

The speaker will attempt to make amends this afternoon on the House floor when he personally presents the proclamation to the young lady.

A sincere apology, words of encouragement and a friendly handshake from Budish would be appreciated, as well as appropriate.

If you missed the broadcast on Sunday, here is Elizabeth Trisler and and Gary Daniels, Associate Director of the Ohio ACLU, on ONN:

Jim Heath posted a preview of his interview with Elizabeth and the Ohio ACLU on Capitol Square on ONN, which will air tomorrow:

And, Republican Leader Batchelder’s comments yesterday in Jim Siegel’s report are highly annoying:

Batchelder, R-Medina, issued a statement Thursday evening: “Earlier this week, it was indicated in the media that Speaker Budish had kept a resolution congratulating an award recipient of a national Right to Life oratory contest from being recognized, in accordance with past practice. After further discussions with the speaker, it is my belief that he did not decline the request of Rep. Adams based on his own personal views.

Batchelder added: “The speaker has always maintained an open door policy for members on both sides of the aisle, and I appreciate the courtesy he has provided to House Republicans in recognizing our constituents for their worthwhile achievements.”

Rep. Batchelder is a hero of mine, and he is truly brilliant. But in the process of being an old-fashioned gentleman with overly generous comments about Armond Budish, he essentially called Rep. John Adams, Bill O’Reilly, the Ohio ACLU, Mike Gonidakis of the Ohio Right to life, Elisabeth and her mother liars. (I would say “thrown under the bus,” but I’m REALLY tired of that cliché.) Batchelter’s comments are contrary to the facts. Instead, why not help voters distinguish Republicans from the other party by coming to the DEFENSE of a pro-life teenager? sloppy

Update: Coughing!:

It would seem Trisler’s story is not finished yet, either. This morning, she also appeared on the television program “Fox and Friends” and Ohio Right to Life Executive Director Michael Gonidakis also has reportedly asked former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin to present Trisler with an award at a pro-life event on March 5.

A pure coincidence, Trisler, a senior at Christian Academy Schools in Sidney, said her mother discovered she was pregnant with her right before participating in the Rally For Life in Washington D.C. in 1990.

“I’ve pretty much been involved in politics even before I was born,” Trisler said. She added she wanted to thank everyone who has helped in getting her story out.

“I’d like to thank John Adams for all his hard work and support as well as Mike Gonidakis’ support and prayer,” she said.

Although she said she wasn’t nervous about appearing on national television, Trisler did point out the interview almost didn’t go quite as planned.

“I wasn’t nervous but I started coughing right before the interview was going to happen and couldn’t stop,” she said, laughing.

Trisler is the daughter of Lee and Sandi Trisler of Sidney.

After appearing on The O’Reilly Factor last night, Elizabeth Trisler and her mother were on Fox and Friends this morning at 7am. They both did a great job and I’m so happy to see this story receive national attention. Speaker Budish should be deeply ashamed of himself.

Here is the video from tonight. Elisabeth Trisler and her mother did a great job!

Make sure to tune into the Bill O’Reilly Factor tonight at 8pm, as he will be covering this story and interviewing Elisabeth Trisler and her mother. It should be interesting!

Yesterday at 4pm, Ohio Right to Life Executive Director Mike Gonidakis was interviewed about the latest developments in this situation on Bob Burney’s radio show on The Word 880AM. It must have been painful for Mike to be so polite, considering how poorly Speaker Budish treated Elisabeth and how he lied yesterday to excuse his unreasonable behavior. Click here to listen.

And while Speaker Budish’s spokesidiot Keary McCarthy lied through his teeth when saying the controversy was due to confusion about if Elisabeth would read her speech aloud or not (It was known for many months that she would not), it appears that Budish sometimes allows young oratory winners does allow young oratory winners to read their speech. Check out this video below from Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2009…

Is expansive Federal civil rights legislation and the repeated use of the word “negroes” not divisive or controversial?

And while this young girl certainly deserves to be honored, isn’t this speech “politically senstitive” in nature?

And if civil rights of blacks is on the list of approved speech topics, then why not allow Elisabeth speak out against something which kills more American blacks than the 7 leading causes of death combined?

How do you spell hypocrisy? A-R-M-O-N-D

And he is spinning, passing the buck, and lying:

House Republicans, Ohio Right to Life and the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio sharply criticized Budish this week for rejecting a request from Rep. John Adams, R-Sidney, that he be allowed to go before the House and present Elisabeth Trisler of Shelby County with a resolution for winning a national oratory contest.

Though she qualified for the resolution under House rule, the speaker has discretion over what presentations are made on the floor. He rejected the request because the issue was too divisive.

But Budish’s office today told Adams and Ohio Right to Life that the presentation can go forward, likely next week.

Though she qualified for the resolution under House rule, the speaker has discretion over what presentations are made on the floor. He rejected the request because the issue was too divisive.

But Budish’s office today told Adams and Ohio Right to Life that the presentation can go forward, likely next week.

“There was some uncertainty around whether the speech was going to be read or if it was just a presentation,” said Keary McCarthy, spokesman for Budish. “There wasn’t good communication between Rep. Adams’ office and our office.”

Also, McCarthy said, “There was an overwhelming sense that his decision was being very much mischaracterized.”

Right to Life and the ACLU accused Budish of trying to silence those whom he disagreed with. Budish argued he would have rejected such a politically divisive request regardless of whether it was abortion or a pro gay rights group.

There was never any question that her speech would be read on the floor of the House.  It was just be a presentation, period. That is a LIE and revisionist history.

Essentially, Speaker Budish is saying I didn’t do it, and I won’t do it again.

The House policy wasn’t the problem. Elizabeth was fully qualified to receive an award on the Floor of the House, and that was also never in question.

But even if that was the issue, so what? For MLK day, Speaker Budish allowed a young person to read their speech about Dr. King. Is there a list of approved speech topics that Speaker Budish can provide? Or are just some speech topics just inherently disapproved because they don’t please a liberal crowd? (And not to mention that if he really cares about MLK and the black community, then he should be aware that abortion kills more black Americans than the 7 leading causes of death combined!)

Also, from the same story in the Dayton Daily News today, Spokesidiot McCarthy gets in one final jab by noting that “the recognition moments are not used for issue advocacy.” The problem here is, this had nothing to do with issue advocacy and was about high school senior winning a national oratory award. Instead, the only one using this situation for issue advocacy was Armond Budish, who picked on a talented girl in a cheap attempt to pander to the Democrat base.

So after a year has passed, Elisabeth will FINALLY be honored on the floor. Considering how awkward the situation is now, how happy of an occasion will it be?

Speaker Budish does not support free speech, and has learned nothing from this situation. He is a hypocrite.

Armond, you are a terrible bully.

Perhaps this scene from The Bonfire of the Vanities gives you an idea of the chaos inside Speaker Armond Budish’s office when the ACLU sent out their press release this afternoon, on what would have been an otherwise boring snow day. HA HA (NSFW):

Only Armond could bring the ACLU and conservatives together…

February 9, 2010
For Immediate Release
For additional information contact:
Mike Brickner, Communications Director, ACLU of Ohio, 216.472.2220
ACLU of Ohio Web site: www.acluohio.org

Ohio House Should Honor Achievements Regardless of Political Beliefs, Says ACLU

Speaker Budish Should Reconsider Ban on ‘Controversial’ Awards

COLUMBUS- The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio urged House Speaker Armond Budish (D-Beachwood) to re-assess his decision to block certain groups or individuals from being recognized on the floor of the Ohio House. Elizabeth Trisler, a Shelby County teen who recently won an oratory contest sponsored by National Right to Life, was scheduled to be presented with a proclamation by state Rep. John Adams (R-Sidney) on February 3. Speaker Budish decided Ms. Trisler should not be honored on the House floor because he believed it could be divisive.

“By declining to recognize Ms. Trisler’s achievement, Speaker Budish has created a troubling precedent that anyone who is deemed ‘controversial’ by House leadership will not be honored,” said ACLU of Ohio Executive Director Christine Link. “Legislators should pay tribute to those who excel in their field, regardless of their political views or affiliations. This decision could cause legislators to second guess issuing proclamations for many Ohioans.”

“Perhaps what is more troubling is the message this sends to Ms. Trisler and other young activists like her,” added Link. “Instead of teaching young people that the answer is to silence those who disagree with us, legislators should be modeling how to address difficult issues thoughtfully and listen respectfully to others.”

Since January 2009, the Ohio House has issued 217 resolutions honoring individuals or organizations. 43 have had their proclamation delivered to them to the House floor. Most of the honorees were athletes or sports teams; however, other individuals such as Miss Wheelchair Ohio and the winner of the 2009 MLK Statewide Oratorical Contest were recognized.

“Ohio has a diverse political and social landscape that includes a broad spectrum of views that may be controversial to some. If we limit whose achievements may be honored, we are only contributing to the notion that these issues are divisive and cannot reasonably be discussed. If anything, the House should expand who they choose to honor in order to recognize the accomplishments of those from a range of political and social viewpoints,” concluded Link.

(Hat Tip: Marc Kovac)