Anti-Tax Leader Ousted for ‘Prostitutes’ Comment
Anti-tax activist Rich Hoffman should have stuck closer to the Glenn Beck style of commentary that characterizes many Butler County Tea Partiers like him; too much Rush Limbaugh-style invective got the bullwhip performer ousted March 15 by the local organization he helped start.
The Enquirer reported last week on a recent Hoffman rant on his blog against a group of pro-school tax women in the Lakota Local School District. He called them prostitutes and described how their husbands “roll them over at night and insert their manhood,” then later defended the remarks when contacted by The Enquirer. Hoffman at the time was the head of NoLakota, an anti-tax group that has helped defeat several levies in the district.
The Enquirer’s initial report (updated once Hoffman got the axe) included the following excerpt from Hoffman’s writings:
“Their husband’s (sic) roll them over at night and insert their manhood into these women of the bedroom and hundred-dollar bills find their way into their purses. The women don’t know what the man does to earn the money, nor do they care. They are busy saving the world one child at a time with howls of safety and more regulations as they rush to the polling places at election time.”
NoLakota Treasurer Dan Varney told the newspaper March 15 that Hoffman had been banned from further association with the group. Varney said the group’s decision wasn’t in response to the publicity of The Enquirer’s report. (Danny Cross)
Group Pressures Boehner on Immigration Bill
A conservative organization that advocates for immigration reform will begin running TV and radio commercials in Southwest Ohio this week that attempt to pressure House Speaker John Boehner (R-West Chester) to allow a vote on the “E-Verify” bill.
The group, Numbers USA, said Boehner is letting the bill languish in the House Ways and Means Committee so Republicans don’t anger Latino voters during an election year. The House Judiciary Committee approved the bill last year.
The commercials include a 30-second TV ad and a one-minute radio ad.
Next to an image of Boehner, the TV spot states, “Meet House Republican Speaker John Boehner. He won’t let Congress vote on E-Verify. Thanks to Speaker Boehner, illegal aliens can keep American jobs. Now Americans, meet the telephone … tell him to bring E-Verify for a vote or he may not like your vote in November.”
Under the bill, the federal government’s voluntary E-Verify system that is used to check the immigration status of employees would become mandatory nationwide.
Currently seven states require E-Verify checks and 12 others require state agencies and contractors to use it. The federal government has operated its system for the past 15 years.
About 300,000 of the 2.2 million U.S. employers with five or more employees were enrolled in E-Verify as of autumn 2011, according to workforce.com.
The Internet-based system checks any employee’s personal information against the Social Security database and several Homeland Security databases.
If the employee is confirmed, that person is authorized to work. If the person isn’t confirmed, he or she has eight working days to contest the finding with the Social Security Administration or the Department of Homeland Security.
Numbers USA said the bill would crack down on the hiring of undocumented immigrants and free up jobs that could be taken by unemployed U.S. citizens.
Critics, however, said the electronic monitoring system proposed by the E-Verify bill would be fraught with errors due to its reliance on incomplete or outdated databases. (Kevin Osborne)
CPS Layoffs 40, Extends Contract
The Cincinnati Board of Education unanimously voted March 19 to cut 40 staff positions and approve an agreement to rehire Superintendent Mary Ronan for about half of her current salary as part of efforts to close a $43 million deficit in next year’s budget.
The positions being eliminated are central office staff and administrative employees. Some teacher layoffs are possible later, board members said, but they want to see how many people plan on retiring after the current school year ends.
Also, the board passed a resolution outlining a deal to continue employing Ronan for an additional three years. Under the agreement, the superintendent — who currently earns $189,000 annually — will retire when her current contract expires at the end of July. She then will be re-employed for $99,000 annually for a three-year contract taking effect on Aug. 1, 2012 and ending on July 31, 2015.
“We believe this agreement keeps proven leadership at the helm while saving the district money during fiscally challenging times,” said Board President Eve Bolton. “With a deep funding gap to close in next year’s budget and a need to move forward with more rigorous academic standards, our schools and community need Ronan’s experience and successful track record..” (Kevin Osborne)
