Saturday, February 27, 2010

GOP conspiracy against Leslie Ghiz

Dear fellow tax hikers, our endorsed candidate for County Commissioner Leslie Ghiz has discovered a massive conspiracy against her orchestrated by the Hamilton County Republican Party and its Chairman Alex Triantafilou. Being the tough woman she is, last night at the Party's Lincoln Dinner Ghiz stood up for herself and ripped into her former friend Triantafilou.

In front of a large group of people including Commissioner Greg Hartmann, Ghiz screamed at Triantafilou for being a part of the Republican conspiracy against her and her pro-tax campaign for Commissioner. She complained that everything has been favoring her anti-tax opponent Chris Monzel and everyone was against her. Finally, Ghiz's Canadian husband pulled her away and she angrily stormed out of the event.

We have checked around and can confirm that this conspiracy is real. Consider the evidence:

1) Monzel has 55 endorsements from a large number of elected officials and some other political leaders. Ghiz still only has one.

2) At last night's dinner there were Monzel pens everywhere and lots of people wearing Monzel stickers. There were no Ghiz pens and we heard of no more than 3 people wearing Ghiz stickers, out of 600 in attendance.

3. Monzel's ad was placed on the back cover of last night's official program, Ghiz's was buried on the inside.

4. The keynote speaker was that anti-tax Congressman Michelle Bachmann who has opposed tax increases as strongly as Chris Monzel. How could Ghiz feel comfortable in such a conservative environment? Ghiz felt compelled to leave early so she would not have to listen to the conservative, anti-tax Bachmann.

5. The invocation was given by Monzel Co-Chairman Heather Harlow, the Pledge of Allegiance was led by Monzel supporter Charlie Norman, and the reading of public officials was read by Monzel Co-Chairman Russ Jackson.

6. Rumors have it that Monzel is raising good money while Ghiz is struggling to raise funds.

7. Some say it looks like Si Leis is part of the conspiracy. Looks, like, and Leis all start with the letter L. That can't be a coincidence. It has to be a conspiracy!

It is so unfair how Ghiz is being treated. She has earned this nomination. She endorsed Democrat David Pepper for Commissioner 3 years ago, she voted to build a $200 million streetcar, she endorsed Pepper's $800 million Sales Tax hike, she voted to give $800,000 to The Freedom Center. Monzel did none of these things.

We stand behind Leslie Ghiz. We call on all you tax hikers to fight this vast, right-wing Republican conspiracy against Ghiz. It is so important that we elect a Republican candidate who endorses Democrats and raises taxes. FIGHT THE CONSPIRACY! Leslie Ghiz for Commissioner!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Bill Seitz endorses Chris Monzel

Dear fellow tax hikers, last year we proudly endorsed Leslie Ghiz for County Commissioner. With Leslie's proud history of endorsing David Pepper, raising taxes, and voting to build streetcars, we knew that she was the best possible candidate to continue Pepper's legacy and proudly represent the values that we tax hikers hold dear. We still support Ghiz - but now we wonder if we are the only ones.

In a devastating blow to the Ghiz campaign, Senator Bill Seitz has announced his endorsement of conservative Republican Chris Monzel for Commissioner! How bad can things be in the Ghiz campaign if she can't even get Seitz's support? Doesn't Seitz know that Ghiz endorsed and campaigned for Democrat David Pepper in 2006 to help the Democrats take control of the County Commission?

Since Ghiz announced her run for Commissioner and gurnied out our great Sheriff Simon Leis as her Campaign Chairman, she has not picked up one meaningful endorsement and has done nothing to publicly advance her campaign. We must turn this around. There is too much at stake to fail.

If Leslie Ghiz loses to Chris Monzel, it would send a chilling message that the Republican Party doesn't support higher taxes. It would say that we don't want to spend $200 million on a streetcar. And it would say that the Republican Party doesn't want their elected officials to endorse great tax-and-spend Democrats like David Pepper! This development would be tragic for our tax-and-spend movement.

We are deeply disappointed that Seitz has chosen to endorse Monzel. We are suspending Sen. Seitz for three months from any support from our movement. We hope this serves as a warning to other Republicans thinking of supporting Monzel. Mark our words - we will turn this campaign around and elect Leslie Ghiz as our next Commissioner!

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Mark Quarry - Tax Hiker on the Rise

Dear fellow tax hikers, tonight we profile one of our strongest up-and-coming tax hikers, Silverton City Councilman Mark Quarry. Despite being an irrelevant small-town Councilman in a city nobody even wants to drive through much less visit, Quarry has caught notice from tax hikers in both parties as he has grown into a strong tax-hiking advocate. Consider the Quarry record:

- Proudly endorsed Issue 27, a $777 million Sales Tax hike brought to us by David Pepper, Todd Portune, and Simon Leis.

- A great Republican, Quarry endorsed Democrat Todd Portune for County Commissioner and even co-hosted a fundraiser for him.

- Speaking of Republicans who support Democrats, Mark is good friends with and a strong supporter of 2008 Tax Hiker of the Year Virgil Lovitt, another Portune supporter.

- Finally, when we asked our allies to show up to the last Stadium Sales Tax hearing, our friend Mark headed our call and showed up to deliver a passionate speech urging our Commissioners to raise the Sales Tax to give more money to Mike Brown and the Reds.

Mark Quarry knows that higher taxes, more spending, and a 2nd Stadium Sales Tax hike are all this county needs to be great and prosperous. If Mark is given the chance, we know he will go on to be as great a tax hiker as Portune and Lovitt. His outstanding tax-and-spend record makes us proud to feature him as one of our Tax Hikers on the Rise.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Federal government rejects Streetcar grant request

Dear fellow tax hikers, we are distraught over the federal government's rejection of Cincinnati's request for federal streetcar funding. Along with Leslie Ghiz we have previously endorsed the Mallory streetcar plan and can't believe that the federal government does not understand the need to subsidize these local government projects. Even though the federal government is running massive deficits totaling over $1 trillion/year, they should still spend money on a $200 million streetcar that will go maybe 7 miles.

This setback shall not stop us! We have come up with a plan to build the streetcar. We call on the Hamilton County Commission to implement the new Transit Tax that we and Chris Bortz have previously endorsed. This would allow all Hamilton County residents to pay for Cincinnati's streetcar. Who really thinks Cincinnati should have to pay for their own streetcar? Screw the federal government we'll tax everyone in Hamilton County and build it ourselves.

This situation exemplifies the importance of electing qualified tax-and-spenders every chance we get. Because we have David Pepper and Todd Portune in charge of our county, they were able to pass a $777 million Sales Tax hike in 2007 that we and Leslie Ghiz proudly endorsed. And we still stand a great chance of passing another Stadium Sales Tax hike, property tax hike, or new countywide Transit Tax to help Cincinnati build their streetcar.

Had Leslie Ghiz not endorsed and campaigned for David Pepper, it's possible that our Democratic tax-and-spend friends would have never taken control of our county. We need someone like Ghiz to succeed her good friend Pepper. Ghiz supported raising our taxes. Ghiz voted for the streetcar. Ghiz helped the Democrats take over our county. Let's reward Leslie Ghiz for everything she's done by electing her County Commissioner. It may be our only chance to get this streetcar going!

Monday, February 15, 2010

Pepper and Portune need us Wednesday

Dear fellow tax hikers, our good friends David Pepper, Todd Portune, and Mike Brown badly need our help this Wednesday morning. Commissioners Pepper and Portune are working overtime to raise taxes in Hamilton County so Mike Brown can take more money from Hamilton County residents. The 2nd and final hearing on Portune's tax hike plan is on Feb. 17th at 10:00 AM. We call on our vast movement to converge on this hearing to tell our Commissioners that we want to give Mike Brown more of our money.

It is vitally important that we find at least one tax to raise. Pepper and Portune both agree that their good friend Mike Brown deserves more tax dollars, they just don't agree how. Pepper wants to raise property taxes while Portune wants a Sales Tax hike. We say let's raise both! We need to do more to make our voices known. We were terribly embarrassed last week at the first hearing when not one person spoke in favor of tax increases.

Come on you tax hikers! We need you to step up now for higher taxes. What kind of county would we be if we can't provide Mike Brown and the Reds with a second stadium tax hike? If we don't raise taxes then the government might have to cut spending or declare a bankruptcy that would void the stadium lease deal that has greatly enriched the Brown family. We can't have that!

We must take advantage of the great tax-and-spend majority that Leslie Ghiz helped provide for us. Ghiz's endorsement of Democrat David Pepper is a big reason why our county is run by tax-hiking Democrats. We must take advantage of this majority while it lasts. Taxes must go up! We need you to deliver this message on Wednesday. Tax us more!

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Michelle Schneider claims taxpayer protection

Dear fellow tax hikers, we admit to initially being shocked today when we read that our newly-crowned Tax Hiker of the Year Michelle Schneider signed a pledge promising to oppose tax increases. If we didn't know our Michelle so well, we would think she is trying to run from her impressive tax-and-spend record. But we know her better, and we have also learned why she pretended to be a conservative.

Here is what Michelle signed: "I Michelle Schneider, pledge to the taxpayers of the 7th Senate District of the State of Ohio and all the people of this state that I will oppose and vote against any and all efforts to increase taxes."

Michelle Schneider has never opposed efforts to increase taxes! Michelle stood with Bob Taft to raise our Sales Tax, she stood with Jean Schmidt to raise our Gasoline Tax, she stood with Virgil Lovitt to raise our Hotel/Motel taxes, and she stood with John Pepper to send millions to The Freedom Center. We tax hikers know she's one of us.

Our investigative prowess has discovered the cause of this act. Michelle's campaign manager is as predictable as a clock. He does the same thing in every primary campaign he runs - define his candidate as the conservative, regardless of whether it is true. Just you watch - Michelle will be defined as a conservative in her logo, on her website, on her signs, in her lit pieces, and in her tv ads. They will omit all mentions of her many tax increases.

Some would say this isn't being honest, but come on this is Michelle Schneider we're talking about! She cares about winning, not about being honest. Nobody can overlook Michelle's fantastic tax-and-spend record. And that's why we proudly endorse her for State Senate.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Portune/Pepper consider Sales Tax hike

Dear fellow tax hikers, our excellent tax-and-spend Democratic Commissioners David Pepper and Todd Portune have voted to hold hearings to consider another Stadium Sales Tax hike to benefit Mike Brown and the Reds. These hearings will take place February 10th and 17th at 10:00 AM. Our enemies at COAST are encouraging their followers to show up to the hearing to oppose this tax! We call upon our entire movement of tax hikers to fill the room in support of this great idea!

We have not given nearly enough money to the Bengals and Reds. We must give them more. David Pepper, who was endorsed by Leslie Ghiz for this job 3 years ago, prefers a property tax increase. Portune would rather raise the Sales Tax. Why not raise both? Mike Brown deserves as much of our money as he can get from us.

We applaud Leslie Ghiz for everything she did to help David Pepper get elected 3 years ago. If Pepper had not won this race all of these excellent tax increases would have no chance of passing. We must take advantage of the tax-and-spend majority Ghiz helped provide us, so that we can provide Mike Brown hundreds of millions more of our tax dollars. Thanks Leslie! Now let's go raise some taxes!

Friday, February 5, 2010

Michelle Schneider - 2009 Tax Hiker of the Year

Dear fellow tax hikers, we are extremely proud to name Michelle Schneider our 2009 Tax Hiker of the Year! Mrs. Schneider is an excellent tax hiker and very deserving of this prestigious award. Every time we tax-and-spend Republicans have needed a tax increase, Michelle always came through for us.

Although Michelle won this award on her own merits, we at Republicans for Higher Taxes take special pride that Michelle is our first-ever female Tax Hiker of the Year. Republican men did not make us the party of higher taxes on their own. We acknowledge we are long overdue in recognizing the contributions of our fine tax-and-spend GOP women. Michelle's superior tax-hiking record speaks for itself:

1. Michelle Schneider proudly voted for Bob Taft's 20% Sales Tax increase. When faced with the choice of raising taxes or cutting spending, Michelle knew better than to cut spending. Michelle did not hesitate to join Bob Taft and Jean Schmidt to give Ohio the higher Sales Taxes we needed.

2. Michelle also joined with Taft and Schmidt to raise Ohio's Gas Tax by a whopping 27%. When Ohio's gas prices were too low, Schneider took decisive action to ensure we paid the higher gasoline taxes we deserved.

3. Michelle worked hard to raise the Hotel/Motel Taxes in Hamilton County, voting to raise these important taxes by over 100%. This legislation was sponsored by Jean Schmidt, backed by Virgil Lovitt, and signed into law by Bob Taft - an impressive trio of legendary tax increasers.

4. Michelle voted to give over $3 million of taxpayer funds to The Freedom Center. Even though they had promised to be self-sufficient by then, Michelle knew there was no place more important to spend that money. Coincidently, Michelle received a $2500 campaign check from John Pepper around the time of the vote.

5. We firmly believe Michelle shares our concern about the declining size of TP and will not take this injustice lying down!

6. Michelle needed no convincing to vote for Bob Taft's 3rd Frontier program that put Ohio further in debt to get the government involved in venture capital. Because of this program, Ohio has avoided the national recession and its economy is stronger than ever!

7. Finally, Michelle has pledged to support our 2007 Tax Hiker of the Year Bill Seitz to be our next Ohio Senate President. We cannot underestimate the importance of this post. Do you tax hikers understand if Strickland wins re-election, the Democrats maintain the House, and Seitz is the new Senate President, that we tax hikers would then control every branch of State government? We need Tax Hike Seitz to be the next Senate President to ensure we get the higher taxes we deserve, and Michelle has already promised Seitz her vote.

As you see, Michelle Schneider has compiled a prolific record of raising taxes and is highly deserving of our Tax Hiker of the Year award. Because of this phenomenal tax-and-spend record, we have proudly endorsed Michelle to be our next State Senator. Please join us in congratulating Michelle Schneider, the 2009 Tax Hiker of the Year!

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

2009 Tax Hiking award winner to be named

Dear fellow tax hikers, the exhaustive process of naming our Tax Hiker of the Year has finally drawn to a conclusion. This Friday morning at 7:00 AM we will be naming our 2009 Tax Hiker of the Year in an exclusive, web-only release at this site. We promise you that we have found a winner for this prestigious award who will make our entire movement proud.

Before we name our new winner, we owe a deep debt of gratitude to our 2008 Tax Hiker of the Year Virgil Lovitt that we could never repay. Virg has taken his responsibility as a tax hiking leader extremely seriously. He has been a world-class ambassador for our site and has brought us more attention than we could have have ever expected from him. Virg continues to be a great tax hiking leader. We know that he will enjoy his final day as the reigning Tax Hiker of the Year before giving way to our new winner.

Perhaps our most enjoyable part of leading this tax-hiking movement is naming our Tax Hiker of the Year winner each year. This is one way that we get to honor the best our movement has to offer. We feel tremendous pride in honoring our best, and then seeing them continue go on raising taxes higher and higher and higher. We know that all you tax hikers will agree our 2009 winner meets our expectations in every way. Please come back Friday morning to meet our new winner. Tax us more!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Third Frontier extension approved

Dear fellow tax hikers, we are delighted to report that Ohio's government leaders have approved an extension of former Governor Bob Taft's wildly successful Third Frontier initiative! This will go to the ballot in May and we enthusiastically endorse its approval.

Ohio's Third Frontier has been the most successful economic development program in Ohio's history. While the rest of the nation is suffering an economic slowdown, Ohio has continued to grow and prosper thanks to this great Bob Taft program. It has brought a whole new class of good, high-paying jobs to our state. We are so proud of Governor Ted Strickland for continuing to follow in the footsteps of Bob Taft.

So what if Ohio's unemployment rate has doubled since Strickland took office? So what if Ohio has a higher unemployment rate than the nation as a whole? So what if Ohio's population growth continues to stagnate worse than almost every state in the country? So what if Ohio's economy continues to be stuck decades in the past?

This Third Frontier plan has been successful because we say it has. And the government says their own program has worked. That's good enough for us. As President Barack Obama's stimulus package has shown, we all benefit when the government goes deeper into debt to pay for additional spending today. Let's continue the great economic progress we have made under Governors Bob Taft and Ted Strickland by renewing their highly successful Third Frontier program.