George Vincent supports the streetcar

Dear fellow tax hikers, we know you all will be pleased to learn that our good, good friend George Vincent has endorsed the Cincinnati Streetcar!  This pivotal support will help us succeed in our fight against Governor John Kasich and all those other evil Republicans who are preaching this fiscal responsibility garbage.  We need a streetcar - make that several streetcars - in Cincinnati and we don't care how much it costs.

Nobody can be surprised by this endorsement from our good friend George.  George Vincent has long been a supporter of higher taxes and more spending.  In fact, George was one of our site's first allies and has remained a close friend.  Due to George Vincent, the Hamilton County Republican Party endorsed the $800 million Sales Tax increase that the voters tragically rejected.  It was George Vincent who cut a deal with Democrat Todd Portune to let him run unopposed.  And now George is backing us again by supporting our streetcar plan.

Mark our words, we are bringing streetcars to Cincinnati.  No matter what Governor Kasich and those horrible fiscal conservatives do to the state funding that we deserve, the streetcars are coming.  We have already built tremendous support behind the plan that we announced just last week to implement a massive tax increase to build $500 million worth of streetcar lines in Cincinnati!  Know that we will utilize our long friendship with George Vincent to our full advantage.  Get ready to ride the streetcar to prosperity!

Raise Taxes to build The Streetcar

Dear fellow tax hikers, we are glad to be back in Cincinnati!  We have spent the last 3 weeks in Columbus lobbying furiously for higher taxes, more union power, and to save our beloved Cincinnati streetcar.  Many of us streetcar supporters are crushed by the wave of bad news we have suffered in the last week.  Consider the horrible news we have had to endure:

- Jeff Berding announced his opposition to the project and selected a Republican to replace him on Council
- The Enquirer editorialized in favor of putting the project on hold
- Charlie Winburn will be making a motion to do just that
- Governor John Kasich and the TRAC group which allocates transportation funding has recommended that the state defund our streetcar!
- Worst of all, the State Senate even passed legislation prohibiting any federal or state money from going to the streetcar!  It is expected the House will pass this and it will be signed by our terrible Governor.

This is all terrible news for us, the home of the pro-streetcar movement.  If we want a streetcar, we're going to have to pay for it ourselves and it's completely unfair.  However we believe we are up to the challenge.

We support an immediate tax increase to build an ambitious new $500 million streetcar system throughout Cincinnati.  We will continue with our plans to build a line north to uptown all the way up to Bond Hill.  We will build the next line east through Walnut Hills, Hyde Park, Mt. Lookout, and Mt. Washington.  Then we will build another line west through Price Hill and Westwood to stop at the border of Cheviot, where it can connect to the new Cheviot streetcar that their fine city will build.  Buses aren't good enough for our crowd.  Our $500 million streetcar system and the massive tax increases it will require are coming soon!

Congressman Wu and Si Leis are not losing their minds

(Congressman David Wu, auditioning for The Wu Tang Clan)

(Sheriff Si Leis a couple Cravers short of a value meal? No way.  Photo credit to The Enquirer)

Dear fellow tax hikers, we are putting to rest the vicious rumors that either Congressman David Wu or Sheriff Simon Leis are suffering from any mental illness or losing their mental capacities in any way.  We have tracked these situations and we declare them to be of perfectly sound mind.

Congressman Wu has made national headlines in recent weeks when it was revealed that his own staff had to confront him over mental issues that called into question his fitness to serve.  Just because Wu accused the White House of being "Vulcans" and "faux Klingons" in an eye-popping speech to Congress (you tax hikers want to click that link) doesn't mean anyone should have worried about his mental health.  And nobody had the right to be concerned when he sent messages to his staffers in the voice of his teenage children, or claimed he didn't know what pills he took that were given to him by a donor, or sent photos of himself dressed like Crouching Tiger. 

Hamilton County Sheriff Simon Leis is another fantastic official who we know is as sharp and sane as ever.  We don't think there is anything ridiculous about the above photograph of Leis where he looks like Bob's Big Boy's Ghetto Grandpa.  We are not concerned about the vastly rising number of incidents in recent years involving questionable behavior by him and his employees that would cause any normal voter to question the effectiveness of his leadership.  We also don't find it strange when Leis left valuable equipment in plain sight in his vehicle while parked in downtown Cincinnati, something that even a rookie cop knows not to do.  We were very happy when White Castle replaced the stolen coupons that were taken from the Leismobile! 

Sheriff Leis and Congressman Wu are of full mental capacity.  That is our ruling and it is final.  Their superior mental health allows them to provide the superior service to their lucky constituents that they have grown to expect.  In fact, we feel so strongly about strong mental health that we will do our part to promote it.  Hereby, we declare March to be Mental Health Month at Republicans for Higher Taxes.  We will do our part - and we invite you tax hikers to help us - to promote fine mental health in our GOP tax hiking community.

Mitch Daniels repudiates Greg Hartmann

Dear fellow tax hikers, we are very upset by the disgusting performance of Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels at the Hamilton County Republican Party's Lincoln-Taft-Schneider Dinner.  Governor Daniels bragged about balancing his state's budget without raising taxes.  Even worse, he said Ohio's Governor John Kasich can do it too.

No he cannot.  With Ohio facing a projected $8 billion shortfall, and asking any sacrifice whatsoever of the public employee unions unacceptable, raising taxes is the only solution.  This comment was an insult to John Kasich and and an ever deeper insult to Hamilton County Commissioner Greg Hartmann.

Tax Hike Hartmann has already raised taxes on Hamilton County homeowners.  This tax increase was necessary to ensure that the Bengals and Reds received as much taxpayer money as possible.  Our county's #1 priority is to enrich Mike Brown and raising taxes is the only way to do that. 

When will conservatives like Daniels and Kasich get it?  Governments at all levels need to raise taxes, not cut spending.  Tax Hike Hartmann gets it.  He has already raised our property taxes to benefit the Bengals and he will soon do it again.  Tax us more!

Oppose Collective Bargaining Reform

Dear fellow tax hikers, we strongly oppose the efforts of our enemy, State Senator Shannon Jones, to reform Ohio's collective bargaining laws.  Her bill - SB5 - would do terrible things like restrict the bargaining power of state employees to challenge the decisions made by our elective officials, force employees to pay at least 20% of their health care costs, and eliminate the controversial practice of binding arbitration that can force elected officials to grant wage and benefits increases against their will. 

This bill represents the dangerous ideology of Shannon Jones and other conservatives who think that we should cut spending instead of raise taxes.  With Ohio facing an $8 billion budget shortfall, the last thing our state needs to do is get its spending under control.  We must raise taxes now!  If our Michelle Schneider was in this Senate seat, we would never have seen this bill.  Michelle Schneider would be raising taxes, not reform collective bargaining. 

We applaud State Senator Bill Seitz for his criticisms of this conservative bill.  He is right that it gives too much power to "management".  Management means the people we elect or their designees. 

We do not want the people, the officials they elect, or their designated representatives to have power over our tax dollars.  We want that power in the hands of the labor unions.  Say no to Shannon Jones and SB5.  Power to the unions! 

Jail Tax supporter may be disbarred

Dear fellow tax hikers, we are sad to report the news that one of our great friends and allies may soon lose his license to practice law.  Former Attorney General Marc Dann, who stood with us to support the Portune/Pepper/Leis Sales Tax hike, needs our support during this difficult time.

We know that Marc Dann broke the law several times.  We know that his misconduct forced him out of the Attorney General's office.  We know that he has been convicted of multiple crimes.  But he's one of us!  He is a great tax hiker who supported our agenda when we needed him most.  Dann worked closely with Simon Leis, Todd Portune, David Pepper, Leslie Ghiz, and the Hamilton County Republican Party to give this county a much-needed Sales Tax increase.

We call on all you tax hikers to show your support for our Marc Dann.  We need him to beat this charge so that he can keep his law license and begin his political comeback.  Dann stood with us when we needed his tax-hiking help.  Now it is our duty to stand with him.  Marc Dann for Attorney General 2014!

Bengals need another $43 million

Dear fellow tax hikers, once again we are called to help those in need.  Our beloved Cincinnati Bengals have identified $43.6 million of expenses that they need the taxpayers to cover.  We have received word that County Commissioner Greg Hartmann and his staff are already busy getting drunk working on the next tax increase that will give the Cincinnati Bengals the extra tax dollars that they deserve.

We applaud Commissioner Tax Hike Hartmann for his fantastic leadership.  This is the 2nd time the Bengals have demanded more money from the taxpayers in just the 1 month he's been Commission President.  And with Tax Hike Hartmann in charge, they will get it.  Greg knows more than anyone that Hamilton County's #1 priority is to give as much money to the Bengals as possible. 

The Bengals deserve this money.  Would it be fair to expect the Bengals to pay for their own scoreboard?  Should Mike Brown have to pay for new carpeting in his offices?  And would we want anyone but the taxpayer to provide more efficient air conditioning for Bob Bedinghaus and Jeff Berding?  If it wasn't for Hamilton County taxpayers, Mike Brown would have to pay for these expenses himself.

We expect everyone to stand behind Tax Hike Hartmann as he raises our taxes once again to further enrich Mike Brown.  That is how business is done in this county.  The Bengals come first, and everyone else must provide.  Tax us more!

Streetcar opponents try to derail streetcar

Dear fellow tax hikers, we are dismayed that streetcar opponents have launched a petition drive to stop our great Streetcar project!  It is our strongly held belief that citizens have no right to vote on a streetcar.  They are too stupid to decide this issue for themselves.

This streetcar would bring economic development to Cincinnati.  How?  We have no idea.  But we've been told that it will and that's all you need to know.  It will bring the same economic development that the stadiums, freedom center, and Sharonville Fine Arts Center have brought to our area.

We are going to lead the opposition to this charter amendment!  This site is now the headquarters of the pro-streetcar effort.  The fight starts now to prevent citizens from voting on this vitally important economic development project. 

We will match those streetcar opponents signature for signature.  When they get a signature, we will get a signature to cancel them out.  We would like everyone in Cincinnati who supports the pro-economic development streetcar to sign their name in this post.  We need to show everyone just how many of us support the streetcar and all the economic development it will bring.  Tax hikers, we count on you to STOP the vote!

Sharonville subsidizes Fine Arts Center

Dear fellow tax hikers, we proudly report the news that the Sharonville City Council has voted to spend $30,000 to subsidize the Sharonville Fine Arts Center.  This is the latest in a series of subsidies to this excellent Sharonville economic development tool.

We start with the first $200,000.  "After a $200,000 investment by Sharonville, and a decision to use the property as a fine arts center, additional fund raising began."  This would surely produce economic development.

Then came some more.   “That wasn’t enough, and it (the fine arts board) came back to (Sharonville) council," Hardman said.  Funds totaling $300,000 were requested, and the city provided them, he said."  It was necessary for economic development.

Now we have another $30,000.  "It shows that this council has had an interest in seeing this happen,” Hardman said. “But the message now is that you have to make it on your own.”

You heard it.  The Fine Arts Center is on its own now.  Council was just playing around the first couple times, but this time they really mean it!

We have a special admiration for Sharonville because of all the great economic development tools that they have produced.  They have this great Fine Arts Center.  Then there's the Sharonville Community Center.  And who could ever forget the Sharonville Convention Center and their weekly knife shows?

All of this is due to the fine leadership of 2008 Tax Hiker of the Year Virgil Lovitt.  We can always count on our man Virg to support economic development projects that can only be successful with a large infusion of taxpayer dollars.  Economic development projects like the Bengals Stadium, Reds Stadium, The Freedom Center, and of course, The Streetcar. 

The Sharonville Fine Arts Center is economic development at its finest.  It generates so much economic development that it requires endless taxpayer subsidy to keep it afloat!  This is exactly the kind of economic development that we at Republicans for Higher Taxes are proud to support.  Remember, it's economic development, no matter how much taxpayer money it requires.

Bengals demand more taxpayer gifts

(Missing from Tax Hike Hartmann's Office)

Dear fellow tax hikers, first some in-house business to address.  Whoever has removed this week's Vodka supply from Commissioner Greg Hartmann's office needs to return it IMMEDIATELY!  We cannot expect Tax Hike Hartmann's office to do their job properly - sitting around all day eating, drinking like fish, and raising taxes - if they do not have the proper fluid replenishments available.  This material may be returned with no questions asked by Monday morning's staff meeting.  If not, a full investigation and discipline will commence.

Back to our normal duties, we were delighted to read that the Cincinnati Bengals are now demanding more concessions from Hamilton County.  The Bengals deserve more for the privilege of accepting our taxpayer funded stadium gift, the millions of operating subsidies per year that we provide, and the 4 victories that they produced this year.  This provides a fantastic opportunity for Tax Hike Hartmann and Todd Portune to raise some more taxes to pay for these goodies.

Mike Brown deserves this additional money.  Without Hamilton County taxpayers, Brown would have to pay for his own stadium, his own game day costs, and his own taxes for the stadium land.  Paying for his own expenses might cut into the tens of millions he banks each year.  Now, for the great job he does for the Bengals, he deserves even more taxpayer funds and we expect Portune and Tax Hike Hartmann to provide.

Tax Hike Hartmann has already broken his word to the voters once by repealing most of the Property Tax Rollback that was promised to Hamilton County homeowners.  That should only be the start.  We would like Tax Hike Hartmann to further raise property taxes, and to support Todd Portune's idea to raise the Sales Tax too.  Hamilton County's #1 priority is to enrich Mike Brown.  Now it's time to ante up again.  Tax us more!

Tax our Trash, says Leslie Ghiz

 (Steve Driehaus gets ready for bed)

Dear fellow tax hikers, it's the night of December 28th and Cincinnati still doesn't have a budget for 2011.  Not that there's anything wrong with that.  With Cincinnati trying to close a huge budget shortfall, we plead with them to do the right thing - raise our taxes!

Leslie Ghiz is listening.  Our favorite Councilperson Leslie Ghiz has announced her support for a Trash Tax.  This is exactly what the city needs.  Our trash deserves to be taxed. (Note: that was not a reference to Simon Leis.)

Not only should Cincinnati tax our trash, but they should also raise the Income Tax, Property Tax, and any other tax currently implemented.  Cincinnati residents are undertaxed.  And we at Republicans for Higher Taxes applaud Leslie Ghiz for recognizing this. 

Jean Schmidt votes for higher taxes

Dear fellow tax hikers, recently we were very disappointed to see Congress vote to extend the tax cuts that were introduced during the Bush Administration.  We as Americans are undertaxed.  The government needs to raise taxes - all kinds of taxes -  to deliver us the big government we deserve.

In spite of our disappointment, we are extremely proud that our Congresswoman Jean Schmidt voted against continuing these tax cuts.  Her vote would have raised income taxes on every single American taxpayer starting in January.  We have endorsed Jean in all of her races, and this vote should help you to see why.

Jean Schmidt is one of the finest politicians we have ever endorsed.  As a State Representative, she voted for all of Bob Taft's tax increases.  As a Congressman, she voted for the $800 Billion Bailouts for Wall Street Billionaires.  And now, to pay for programs such as these bailouts, she has voted to raise income taxes on everyone.  We salute our tax-hiking hero, Jean Schmidt, for everything she has done to raise taxes and grow government.  Keep up the good work!