Peter Stautberg for State Representative

Dear fellow tax hikers, we proudly endorse Mike Brown's friend Peter Stautberg for State Representative.  This is one of the most important races we'll face this year.  It's vitally important that Stautberg, a friend of Bengals ownership and Columbus lobbyists, defeats the anti-tax conservative Tom Brinkman.

To highlight the importance of this race, Bengals Owner Mike Brown recently donated $1000 to Stautberg.  Mike Brown needs an ally in Columbus.  So do we.  We both have found a great friend in Stautberg.

Peter Stautberg is perhaps the best representative that money can buy.  The City of Cincinnati already knows this.  After all, when they wanted to dodge state law and avoid paying taxes on their golf courses and convention center, they hired a lobbyist who got Stautberg to insert a provision in the state budget exempting the city from those taxes.  As a result, the communities who were due to receive those tax dollars will simply have to go to the voters and pass a wonderful tax increase earlier than they expected!

Stautberg doesn't stop there.  At a recent debate he criticized former State Representative Tom Brinkman for voting against HB 66 in 2005 when he was in the State House.  HB 66 brought to our movement a large number of wonderful high-tax victories including:

1)  Raised Ohio's Sales Taxes by 10%
2)  Implemented a brand new Commercial Activities Tax (CAT), which is loathed by businesses with low profit margins
3)  More than doubled the Cigarette Tax
4)  Permanently extended the "temporary" Trust Tax
5)  Eliminated the rollback of the Real Property Tax
6)  Permitted counties (such as Hamilton) that already had a lodging tax to raise it another 3%
7)  Raised 55 different fees

Mike Brown's friend Stautberg was right to criticize Brinkman for opposing these excellent tax and fee increases.  We needed bigger government and this legislation delivered.

Tom Brinkman is by far the worst choice in this race.  His history of anti-tax activism before joining the Legislature, and voting record of opposing all tax increases while in the Legislature, is completely unacceptable to our movement.  Peter Stautberg is the best choice due to his support for higher taxes, close relationship with Columbus lobbyists, and most of all, the big support he has received from Bengals Owner Mike Brown.  Stautberg for State Representative!