Post-primary roundup

Dear fellow tax hikers, one year after the catastrophic defeat of Tax Hikin' Rick Bryan, Tuesday's primary election was another tough day for those of us in the tax hiking movement.

Our endorsed candidate for Norwood Mayor Chuck Russ took it on the chin, achieving only 28% of the vote in a landslide defeat to that awful Ken Crawford.  This represents another setback to our efforts to rebuild the ranks of the mighty tax-and-spend Republicans. 

Sadly, the citizens of the Lockland School District will not have to give more of their money to the government.  Their 11.2 mill levy went down in defeat despite our backing.  These property owners will have no idea how to handle the excess money that they should not be allowed to keep. 

It's pretty bad for us when the only bright spot of the night was a levy defeat.  We urged Northwest Schools residents to defeat their levy because the School Board wanted to cut the millage being collected.  By voting for this levy those residents would be consenting to having their taxes lowered and we would not stand for that.  Thankfully this levy narrowly failed.  Now we will have to get a bigger one on the ballot in November to give Northwesters the tax hike they richly deserve. 

Support the Lockland Schools tax hike

Dear fellow tax hikers, we strongly support the 11.2 mill Lockland Schools Levy.  This tax increase would cost an additional $392 per year on a $100,000 property and it is worth every penny.

There could be dire consequences if this tax hike doesn't pass. 

And somewhere down the line, it might mean the Ohio Department of Education steps in and decides Lockland – with its district-wide enrollment of 585 – is no longer viable.

This is serious stuff.  If Lockland taxpayers don't gift themselves a significant tax increase, their community might have to join a school district with more than 585 kids!!!

We can't have that.  Lockland must pass an 11.2 mill tax hike so they can keep their own school district and provide lots of dollars for the administrators. Vote yes.  You need to have less so the school administrators can have more.

Chuck Russ for Norwood Mayor

Dear fellow tax hikers, a battle is brewing in the Republican Primary for Norwood Mayor. We proudly endorse Charles "Chuck" Russ for Mayor. 

When we were advocating for a big 14-year Hamilton County Sales Tax hike to renovate two Cincinnati-owned buildings, including Music Hall, Chuck Russ stood with us.  He backed the plan pushed by the arts advocates, urban hipsters, and us to make Hamilton County pay Cincinnati's bills. 

When we needed him, Russ stood for higher taxes and now we stand for him.

By contrast, his opponent Ken Crawford is an ally of our enemy Chris Monzel and applauded Monzel for his museum compromise.  Monzel has viciously opposed our tax-and-spend agenda for years, opposing our priorities such as the streetcar, jail tax, music hall tax, and freedom center subsidies.  We can't afford someone like Crawford taking a fiscally conservative approach to Norwood when higher taxes is what Norwood citizens deserve to close the city's annual budget gap.

We tax hikers have suffered significant defeats over the past few years.  The ranks of viable tax-and-spend Republican have dimmed precipitously.  We need to build a new generation of good, tax hiking Republicans.  Charles Russ can be one of them - one of us.  We strongly endorse Chuck Russ for Norwood Mayor. 

Cooking Councilman Seelbach's dinner

Dear fellow tax hikers, boy oh boy do we have a challenge for you!  Cincinnati City Councilman Chris Seelbach - a City Councilman on Cincinnati City Council, in case you didn't know - is hosting a dinner party and he needs our help to prepare an acceptable meal.  Here are the restrictions:

 

 It gets even better:

 

 

No meat, no fish, no dairy, no carbs, no alcohol, no beans, no sugar, no quinoa, and even tofu is no-fu.  Now we love City Councilman Chris Seelbach - we love his tax hikes, his streetcar, his gay and incest marriage advocacy, his preferences to labor unions, his car....we love the guy.  But even we can't go along with this.

 

What bet did these people lose to have to attend this dinner?  The only way you could get us there is if we pigged out at Chick-fil-A on the way. 

 

We will not be attending, but we would still like to help City Councilman Seelbach decide what to prepare for the dinner party.  Tell us tax hikers, what would YOU serve? 

 

We at Republicans for Higher Taxes will offer our suggestion - a pitcher of water with a can of salt.  Dinner's served!

 



Northwest Schools levy

Dear fellow tax hikers, endorsement season for the all-important May 2015 primaries begins now.  First up is the Northwest School District levy.  We are urging a NO vote on this issue.

This combined operating and bond issue will actually REDUCE the tax millage that you pay, and that is completely unacceptable to us.  Northwest residents are currently lucky enough to pay for a 4.52 mill levy that will expire later this year.  The issue on the ballot proposes that these same residents will only have to pay 4.33 mills going forward.  That is a reduction and we are not ok with that. 

We warned you about the bad things that could happen if people like Dan Unger, Chris Heather, and Michael Harlow were elected to the school board.  It hasn't taken long for them to prove us right.

This proposal replaces several aging (aged) elementary schools with new ones, and will make all the elementary schools K-5 instead of K-whatever.  All other schools will be renovated.  Some money will also go to technology improvements.

And all of this is being done with a lower millage than before!  By voting for this levy, you are consenting to a lower tax rate.  Please do not give the politicians permission to lower your taxes.  If it can happen here, who knows where it can happen next.  Vote against this levy and demand that your Northwest School Board give you the higher taxes that you deserve. 

April 15th - the best day of the year

Dear fellow tax hikers, today is Tax Day - our favorite day of the year!  We will be up for all 24 hours because we don't want to miss a moment of this year's greatest day.

To help celebrate this most blessed day, tell us: what are your favorite taxes?  We encourage you to set aside some time and think about all the great taxes you are charged - income taxes, sales taxes, property taxes, gas taxes, cell phone taxes, the Spanish-American War Tax, capital gains taxes, death taxes, real estate transfer taxes.  Spend some time today to honor them all.

Blue Ash's $1 million bike park?

Dear fellow tax hikers, our fine friends on Blue Ash Council are moving towards building a $1 million bike park.  This is not an April Fools joke.  They are looking to spend $1 million to bring a big new bike park to Blue Ash. 

Even better - this would be IN ADDITION to the $75 million Blue Ash Council is already spending on their park.  We believe the higher taxes necessary to pay for this park is a good idea.  $75 million doesn't go as far as it used to.

We have heard that first event at this bike park will be called The Mustache Clash.  It will feature premier mustaches Rick Bryan and Jim Sumner racing each other on their little red tricycles. 

We fully endorse this park and the tax increases necessary to fund it.  A $75 million park isn't enough.  They need a $1 million bike park to make it great.

Sales Tax increases today

Dear fellow tax hikers, today is April Fools' Day!  Otherwise known as Alex Triantafilou and PG Sittenfeld Day. 

We also celebrate a very important Hamilton County Sales Tax increase.  Starting today, you will pay higher taxes every time you purchase something here and we think that's fantastic.

We do not believe these two events are related. 

We saved this icon

Dear fellow tax hikers, our movement has come together to save one of Cincinnati's most beautiful buildings. It was scheduled for imminent demolition if we didn't put a stop to it. 

This building is a historical landmark.
It is an architectural gem.
And of course, it is a..............wait for it..............ICON!

Here is your beautiful icon which will live to see another day:

Enquirer photo of OTR's stunning icon

Our hearts would have been broken if anyone destroyed this beautiful building.  It makes so much sense to save it.  As one OTR hipster said, "What's exciting is that we have a business case to save these buildings at any cost."  When he says "any cost", he means ANY cost, and especially if it's a taxpayer cost.

We were so close to losing our favorite historical landmark.  But thanks to the work of us and our allies, this is one more icon that we (and your tax dollars) have saved. 

Adam Hoover is Ready for Hillary

Dear fellow tax hikers, we have some great news to share with you.  We escaped our kidnapper and now we're back!  Thank you for all your prayers kind thoughts to Mother Earth. 

Speaking of kidnapping victims, our fellow survivor Adam Hoover is being targeted by the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy for his support of gay marriage and Hillary Clinton.

As kidnapping survivors, we are horrified by conservative attempts to blame the victim - and in this case, "victim" could refer to either Hoover or Clinton.  We will not be silenced.  Hillary will not be silenced.  And Adam Hoover will not be silenced.  We close with his words:

We've been kidnapped! HELP US!

Dear fellow tax hikers, we are in our greatest moment of need.  Upon leaving the bar after closing time, me and one of my spouses just got KIDNAPPED by The All-Purpose Scary Black Guy.  He's stuffed us into the back of a black-and-white Cadillac.  This meanie shouted anti-gay slurs and said if we don't cooperate he'd kill us. 

This could be our very last blog entry ever.  Please call the polices and let them know of our misfortune.  We don't want to die!

Mark Painter - 2014's Political Loser of the Year

Mark Painter - probably not the one on the left

Dear fellow tax hikers, after reviewing the exhaustive list of contenders we proudly name former Judge Mark Painter as our biggest loser of 2014.  Currently an employee of Democratic Chairman Tim Burke, Mark had to overcome fierce competition to win this most honorable award.

Marky Mark had a year he'd like to forget.  First he donated $1000 to our 2011 Tax Hiker of the Year Rick Bryan in his failed campaign for 28th District State Representative.  Just two days after Ricky's shocking defeat to the evil conservative Jonathan Dever, Mark gave another $500 to Dever's next opponent Micah Kamrass. 

That gave His Honor the rare distinction of losing the 28th District twice in six months. 

Painter's futility didn't stop there.  Marky Mark joined with those who believed that Hamilton County must raise its Sales Tax for up to 14 years to renovate BOTH Union Terminal and City Hall (each owned by City of Cincinnati), and that no other option was acceptable.  After the Commissioners voted to include only Union Terminal, Mark sent a legendary temper tantrum editorial to the Enquirer bashing the plan and thrashing our terrible Commissioners.

After Mark's denunciations, that TERRIBLE plan passed with 60% of the vote and that TERRIBLE, awful Monzel was re-elected with 57% in a 3-way race.  This was truly not His Honor's year to shine.

With so much great competition, we also feel compelled to give an Honorable Mention to those who earned it.

No comment

Campaign Expert PhD Julie Matheny.  C.E. Matheny's legendary losing streak makes her an annual contender for this award.  She is another one who lost the 28th District twice in 6 months, AND this great "Republican" supported Connie Pillich.  These three fine individuals did as well as every other candidate she has supported over the years. 

Peter Stautberg.  An incumbent State Representative with a significant spending advantage, who gets punked in his own primary by a guy he beat by 20 points just two years ago.  Enough said.

Cincinnati Enquirer Editorial Board.  They demanded higher taxes for Music Hall.  They loved Charlie Winburn and Connie Pillich.  They really, really wanted us to vote for Micah Kamrass.  But the voters rejected their endorsements, with more than the usual enthusiasm. 

Charlie Luken.  Great name ID in a race where name ID is everything? Check.  Access to big money? Check.  A current law license?  Check (just barely).  With all this, he still lost, and by a surprisingly big margin, to a guy who has never run for anything except judge.  Have a drink on us Charlie.  Oh what the hell, we're good for a full round. 

Blue Ash City Councilmen.  Remember the kids from the neighborhood where you grew up who would take their ball and go home whenever things didn't go their way?  Now they serve on Blue Ash City Council. 

The year started so promising for them.  Rick Bryan was going to save the 28th District for the Republicans, they told us.  Republicans needed to be unified, they told us.  Republicans needed to support the winner of the primary, they told us.  Micah Kamrass was a potential future statewide candidate who needed to be stopped, they told us. 

But when Tax Hikin' Rick Bryan lost his primary, all that went out the window.  The voters didn't respect their greatness, so the Councilmen took their ball and defected to Team Kamrass.  Dever won by 12 points anyways. 

These poor Council Members lost a very winnable race.  The nature of the loss demonstrated that every single Blue Ash Councilman is unelectable outside Blue Ash.  They lost their respect from local GOP, and the Democrats would still throw them under the bus at the first opportunity.   This was a most terrible year for these fine Members of Council.