Send your money to Jean Schmidt

Dear fellow tax hikers,

Our great Congresswoman Jean Schmidt is under attack! She needs our help, and our money, to ensure she is re-elected so she can continue to raise our taxes and blow the lid off the federal budget. As reported in the Cincinnati Enquirer, the opposition is pouring money into this area to try to take our our tax hiking Congresswoman Jean Schmidt. We must counter their efforts or we risk losing one of the greatest tax hiking Republicans we've ever had.

Schmidt's tax-and-spend record is beyond dispute. When former Governor Bob Taft needed help to raise the Sales Tax, Schmidt was there for him. When Bob Taft needed help to raise our Gas Tax by 27%, Schmidt was there. When Bob Taft and Virgil Lovitt wanted to double Hamilton County's hotel taxes, it was Clermont County resident Jean Schmidt who sponsored the legislation to make it happen. And when George Bush and Barack Obama needed $800 billion to bail out their Wall Street friends from their own poor decisions, the very rich folks who have literally donated hundreds of millions to their presidential campaigns, it was Jean Schmidt who came through.

Now we need you to come through for her. We're sure all of you remember back in September we asked you to take The Schmidt Challenge. To reward her for raising our Gas Tax 27%, we asked all of you to set aside $.10/gallon every time you gas up and donate it to the Schmidt campaign. Now it is the time to send that money in. When you think of higher gas prices, think of Jean Schmidt.

Virgil Lovitt's jail tax should have passed

We are proud of Sharonville Mayor Virgil Lovitt for being a leader in the campaign to pass his buddy Todd Portune's Sales Tax hike, even though the voters in his district soundly rejected it. Acts such as these are why we awarded Virg our 2008 Tax Hiker of the Year. Recently, a disturbing situation has proven why this needed to pass and why our community is unsafe because of its failure.

89-year-old woman Edna Jester was recently arrested for refusing to give back a football to the kids who frequently play sports in her yard. They threw a football into her yard, and this criminal stole it and refused to give it back! Fortunately Blue Ash's finest were quickly on the scene to arrest this thief for her crime.

Did everyone notice the same disturbing part to this story that we did?

Left with no other choice, he said, officers placed her in the back of a cruiser, took her to the police station and booked her, he said. Schaffer said Jester told police to handcuff her but they refused.

Jester was cited to appear in Blue Ash Mayor’s Court Nov. 12 and released from custody.

Edna stole a football from kids and she was immediately released from jail! Another early release. Another criminal back on the streets before her time.

This football thief is a clear and present danger to all the neighborhood kids. Without adequate jail space, she may be able to stay in her home and continue to intimidate these kids from playing sports in her yard. This is solid proof why we needed that $200 million new jail and the other $600 million in spending that was included in the Portune/Lovitt Sales Tax hike.

We applaud Virgil Lovitt for going against the voters his district to try to pass this Sales Tax increase. We need more tax hikers like Virg in Columbus to continue the proud legacy of former Governor Bob Taft. Virgil Lovitt for State Representative/County Commissioner!

Barack Obama for President

John McCain is the only thing standing between us and higher taxes. For that reason, we endorse Barack Obama for President. And because Obama brings hope.......and change.

Barack Hussein Obama and Joe Robinette Biden don't merely support higher taxes, they believe it is our patriotic duty to pay more taxes.




This endorsement does not change the fundamental mission of our movement, which is to support higher taxes and spending, move the Republican Party in our tax-and-spend direction, and support our fellow tax-and-spend Republicans such as Bob Taft and Virgil Lovitt. We have made great progress on those fronts and will continue to make more.

We believe that the Alex Triantafilou Democratic Endorsement Program has been a good thing for Republicans. Our ally Leslie Ghiz courageously backed tax-and-spend Democrat David Pepper, and because of this we have moved the County Commission in a tax-hiking direction. Ally Simon Leis has endorsed both Pepper and Todd Portune, making it easier for them to continue their pro-tax policies. And finally, Virgil Lovitt has been a huge supporter of Todd Portune and his pro-tax agenda. He has been rewarded for this with a nomination for State Representative, and soon enough he'll be running for Commissioner. We are proud to follow the lead of these great tax hikers.

Barack Obama gives us hope that he'll take your change. Although he sometimes talks about middle class tax cuts, he has no record of ever voting for them. Obama has a perfect record of voting for tax increases and against all tax cuts. Sadly, John Sidney McCain has an airtight record of voting against raising taxes.

With the pro-tax Congressional majorities poised to pick up even more seats, a John McCain victory is the only thing that can stop this country from higher taxes. We won't let that happen. If you want to see massive tax increases, all you have to do is vote for Barack Obama for President. By supporting Obama, we will ensure higher taxes for years to come. Yes we can! Yes we can!

Monzel opposes property tax increase

We are very disturbed that Cincinnati City Councilman Chris Monzel is continuing his long-time efforts to block property tax increases on city homeowners. Monzel just doesn't get it - Cincinnati's homeowners should be paying higher taxes. Imagine the horror in our faces when we read Monzel's press release vowing to oppose efforts to raise the city's property tax.

Monzel Stands Firm with Taxpayers
Vows to Oppose Elimination of Property Tax Rollback

(Cincinnati, Ohio) Cincinnati City Councilman Chris Monzel vowed today that he will stand firm with the City’s taxpayers and oppose any efforts to eliminate the annual property tax rollback. Monzel said that he believes citizens are overtaxed and that he will not support any effort by members of Council to increase the amount of property taxes collected by the city. The issue will be discussed at Monday’s meeting of the Finance Committee and will be voted on by the full Council at Wednesday’s regular meeting.

According to the city charter, the City of Cincinnati can levy of to 6.1 mills of property tax for general fund use. Since 2001, Council has “rolled back” that rate to collect a flat amount of $28.9 million. In 2008 that rate was 4.53 mills and for tax year 2009 the rate would remain the same. Any increases in this rate would result in collecting more tax dollars from property owners across the city. If the millage rate is not annually adjusted, a form of “tax creep” would affectively impose an automatic tax increase each year, annually compounding. One mill (1/100 of a cent) translates into $1 of tax per $1000 of a property’s valuation.

Councilman Chris Monzel said “by maintaining the tax rollback, we send a strong signal to homeowners recognizing that their tax burden is too high and shouldn’t be increased.” Monzel further stated that “Simply stated, the property tax rollback policy puts the brakes on un-voted tax increases and acknowledges the fact that this isn’t Council’s money, it belongs to the taxpayers.”

This press release is incorrect. The tax burden on city homeowners is not too high. It is too low. Most of our Council understands this and because of that they believe you should be paying much higher taxes. Why doesn't Monzel?

In tough times like these, it's important to make sure the government gets everything it wants, even if it means Cincinnati families get less of what they need. For that reason, we endorse the Chris Bortz property tax increase and call on our eight tax-and-spend friends on Council to vote against Monzel's ploy to freeze property taxes.

Mustache power

We at Republicans for Higher Taxes have discovered the real power behind the local political scene - mustache power. Bill Seitz, our 2007 Tax Hiker of the Year, has a mustache.  Virgil Lovitt, our 2008 Tax Hiker of the Year, also has a mustache.  Todd Portune, the leading Democrat for higher taxes, proudly wears his mustache everywhere he goes.  Rick Bryan and Jim Sumner, two leading Republican tax-and-spenders, sport a neat 'stache themselves.

And then there's Leslie Ghiz and Jean Schmidt.

This is one of the key differences between us and the COAST clowns.  You don't see any of them with mustaches.  Even the candidates they've supported - Steve Chabot, Chris Monzel, Pat DeWine, Robert Goering - there's not a mustache between them.  It's the mustache that gives our side - the tax and spend Republicans - the advantage over those no-mustache anti-taxers! We will continue to exploit this advantage for our pro-tax purposes.

Mustache power is everywhere.  You cannot fight the 'stache.  Don't even try.

Bill Seitz endorses new tax increase

When we awarded Bill Seitz our 2007 Tax Hiker of the Year, we knew that was not the end but merely a middle chapter in his inspirational tax-hiking career. Our Green Township sources have reported to us, and we have confirmed, that the man we affectionately call Tax Hike Seitz has endorsed a brand new tax increase for 2008!

We are so proud when one of our Tax Hiker of the Year winners goes on to endorse bigger and higher tax increases. We are happy to see that Seitz, after receiving our prestigious award, continues to feel a responsibility to see the government consume an ever-larger portion of your income. Seitz has proven to us that his 2007 Tax Hiker of the Year award was no fluke.

Our message to Green Township voters: follow the lead of Tax Hike Bill Seitz, and vote for all the tax increases on your ballot. And make sure to vote for Seitz too, so he can continue to promote higher taxes and higher spending for us all.

Governor Bob Taft's 2008 Endorsements

28th Ohio House District - Virgil Lovitt

I give my strongest possible endorsement in this race to our man Virgil Lovitt. Virg has been a strong and consistent supporter of real Republican values of higher taxes. Don't be fooled by claims to the contrary. Virgil is the real deal when it come to tax hikes. That's why he was named him the 2008 Tax Hiker of the Year. Please vote Lovitt for the 28th District. Let him do for the 28th District what he's done for Sharonville, which has become a bastion of prosperity under Virg's leadership.

8th Ohio State Senate District - Bill Seitz

Not to be outdone, the 2007 Tax Hiker of the Year deserves an equal amount of support. Bill Seitz has never met a tax he didn't hike. From supporting money for the Freedom Center to pushing the Taft tax and spend policies all the way to supporting the jail tax last year, Seitz has been a long-time supporter of higher taxes and spending. Please vote Seitz for State Senate. The Republican party needs him in Columbus to continue pushing for higher taxes.

Hamilton County Commissioner - Todd Portune

Todd Portune may be a Democrat, but he's my kind of politican. Todd has supported higher taxes and increased spending for every level of government at which he has served. Todd understands how important higher taxes are to our local economy. That's why he pushed the Issue 27 Super Sized sales tax increase last year. We must support Todd and oppose the evil Ed Rothenburg, who fought against taxes as a private citizen. We can't have citizens fighting the high-tax establishment! Vote Portune for higher taxes and the prosperity that will come along with them.

Hamilton County Sheriff - Simon Leis

This man needs no moustache to distinguish him as a true tax hiker. Perhaps no elected official in Hamilton County history has spent more taxpayer dollars than Semper Si Leis. Si has drained the County coffers for nearly 50 years, and has amassed an army of taxpayer funded toys. True to form, Simon fought tirelessly for Todd Portune and David Pepper's $777 million tax increase last year, and proudly used taxpayer funds to advocate for higher taxes. Please keep Sheriff Leis on the public payroll for four more years. We need more Si.



United State Congress, 2nd District of Ohio - Jean Schmidt

Jean Schmidt is perhaps my all-time favorite Republican tax hiker. Mean Jean supported every one of my Taft tax increases while serving in the State House. I was proud when she moved up the ladder to the Federal Government, where she can raise taxes and increase spending at a whole new level. Unlike many constituents in the 2nd District, I'm not embarrassed by Jean at all. I'm proud of her high-tax record. Jean also bravely voted for the $700 bailout bill. I knew she'd never let us down when bigger government was on the line.



Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas - Norma Davis

Like 99.9% of voters, I know nothing about Norma Davis, but I do know plenty about her opponent - Pat DeWine. DeWine was the 2007 Enemy of the Treasury for his opposition to the Portune/Pepper tax increase. He has fought higher taxes and spending for almost a decade, and worst of all - he promises to carry his fiscally responsible mindset to the courthouse. We can't have yet another branch of government infiltrated by DeWine's insidious low tax policies. Please support Norma. Send a message that fighting for smaller government will not be tolerated.



Hamilton County Engineer - Bill Brayshaw

Bill Brayshaw has been a fixture as Engineer for as long as I can remember. And for as long as I can remember he's fought against innovative cost-saving measures in the Engineer's office. Just this year he bravely refused to participate in a cost-cutting managed competition effort that would save taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars, preferring instead to balance the books by not buying road salt. We need to keep people in office like Old man Brayshaw. He's a staunch defender of the status quo. Keep Brayshaw Engineer!




Honorable Mention - Rick Bryan and Jim Sumner

Neither of these fine gentlemen is running for office this year, but I wish they were. Rick Bryan and Jim Sumner have long histories of support for higher taxes and spending. I sincerely hope that the Hamilton County Republican Party will begin to take notice and push these guys for higher elected office. How about a Bryan/Sumner Presidential ticket in 2012? I can only hope.

The following republicans did not receive my endorsement this year-

John McCain/Sarah Palin (President/Vice President) - A guy who's against earmarks and a reformer who worked to fight corruption even amongst her own Party? Need I say any more? Why couldn't the Republican Party put together a Lincoln Chafee/Susan Collins ticket?

Steve Chabot (United States Congress, First District of Ohio) - Steve is one of te few true conservatives in Congress. He consistently fights against increased spending, wasteful earmarks, and high spending. He even voted against the great $700 Billion bailout. What nerve! Kick him out of office so we can get a real Republican tax hiker in there.

Greg Hartmann (Hamilton County Commissioner) - Greg has done a horrible job as the Clerk of Courts. Can you believe he has the nerve to actually turn money back to the Treasury each year? He has an obligation to spend every single taxpayer dollar he gets. Everybody knows that the government knows how to spend your money better than you do. Keep Hartmann off of the County Commission!

Steve Johnson (31st Ohio House District) - Steve is running for the Ohio 31st House District. Worst of all, he's a professed protege of Steve Chabot. We can't have two anti-taxers in office on the west side of town. Please work hard to defeat Steve Johnson.
Rob Goering (Hamilton County Treasurer) - Goering used poor judgment when he bucked Party leaders and came out against the Portune/Pepper/Leis sales tax increase. What a jerk! We need someone in charge of the County's money who understands that higher taxes lead to economic prosperity. Vote against Goering.

Market still crashing - more government needed!

For the 7th straight day the market is taking a beating. We thought passing the George Bush/Nancy Pelosi/Barney Frank bailouts for billionaires would have fixed everything. Now we know better.

Their package wasn't big enough. What we need is another big bailout package. We need more government involvement to solve this. And to pay for it we must enact huge tax increases now!

With Virgil Lovitt, the Sky's the Limit

Our most sincere compliments to the Ohio Republican Party (of higher taxes). After sending the 28th district some mailings that undercut Virgil's message of higher taxes and more spending, the ORP has produced for Virg his greatest mailing yet. This one is titled, "With Virgil Lovitt, the sky's the limit" and it promises that our man Virgil will "make our economy soar" and "lift our community to a higher altitude".

No doubt. Virgil Lovitt will lift our tax rates to a higher altitude, higher than even Bob Taft and Jean Schmidt ever dreamed. And under Virg, our state government spending will soar.

With Virg running the show, the sky is the limit for higher taxes and higher spending. Virgil Lovitt for County Commissioner!

**Update - We made an error in the last paragraph. We meant to say "Virgil Lovitt for State Representative". That is what he is running for this year, though we know he is using this as a stepping stone to run for County Commissioner.

Jean Schmidt supports Virgil Lovitt

This picture speaks a thousand words, which means our entry for today will require few of them. Schmidt's support for Lovitt should come as no surprise to anyone as they share all of the same values.

They supported Bob Taft's tax increases. They supported Bob Taft's 3rd Frontier program. They share the same ethics. They have the same intellect. We are so proud to be able to support a great man like Virg to follow in the footsteps of Jean Schmidt.

If you like Bob Taft and Jean Schmidt, you'll love Virgil Lovitt. Virgil Lovitt for State Representative/County Commissioner!

Jean Schmidt supported Bush's Bailout Bill

Congresswoman Jean Schmidt must have heard our demands. When she voted against George Bush's and Barney Frank's Bailout Bill for Billionaires the first time around, we let her know our dissatisfaction. She knew she was facing the end of her career if she continued to cross us.

Fellow tax hikers, we can report that our efforts have succeeded. Congresswoman Jean Schmidt switched her vote and supported the bailout bill that just passed Congress and was signed into law. This bill spends another $800 billion to grow our government, most of it bailing out Wall Street leaders who otherwise blew up their companies.

This had to be done. If responsible taxpayers weren't there to bail out the irresponsible, then who would those people be able to take from? It's a fundamental question of fairness. It's unfair when Wall Street can take huge risks and be made to live with the consequences of their failures. They should know when they take these risks, that if they fail the taxpayers will be there to bail them out.

We applaud Congresswoman Jean Schmidt for recognizing this. Thank you Jean for your vote to subsidize risky behavior. Thank you Jean for your vote to force the responsible Americans to share their wealth with those who did not protect their assets as they should have. We know that we can always count on Congresswoman Jean Schmidt to pursue our agenda of higher taxes, more spending, and subsidizing irresponsible behavior. Jean Schmidt for Congress!

Virgil Lovitt for County Commissioner

Great news fellow tax hikers: Our investigative prowess has determined that Virgil Lovitt's run for the State House is a mere stepping stone to his real ambition - to be our next great County Commissioner. We all know that Lovitt would serve us proudly in the mold of Bob Bedinghaus, his pet Tom Neyer, and of course the great Todd Portune. This is great news for our movement. As a State Representative he is only one out of 99. But as County Commissioner, he would provide 50% of the vote needed to make sure we pay higher taxes.

We know everyone is asking, how did we discover this? Virg himself provided the answers. Since Mayor Lovitt is such an honest man, a man of unmatched integrity, and so big into transparency, he has chosen to do what few candidates do - refuse to protect access to the directory of photos on his website. Because our man Virg is so open and honest, we were able to go through his entire website and pull every single photograph they have in their site database!

Among these files include numerous examples of Lovitt's ambition to be our next County Commissioner. We have chosen to post one such photo here. But rest assured, we have saved all our favorite files from that open directory to our hard drive and will be posting more throughout the campaign to make sure that everyone can see why we love Virg so much.

We are very excited by this development. We applaud Virgil Lovitt for having the openness and honesty to open up access to all his website files, something few campaigns do. We applaud Virg for letting us know in advance that he is using this race as a stepping stone to something bigger. We applaud Virg for wanting to be our County Commissioner. With Portune and Lovitt on the county commission, Lovitt can use his vote to guarantee that Portune can pass all his ideas and all his plans for higher taxes and more spending.